tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-324711332024-03-16T12:46:28.408-05:00Preaching the WordPreaching the Word of God to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Beulah, North Dakota and to all who will hear.Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.comBlogger963125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-65688186097071185382024-03-16T12:45:00.002-05:002024-03-16T12:45:28.620-05:00The Authoritative Word<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-eee781b4-7fff-93b9-ff30-e57564cb2aac"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Revelation 22:18-19 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Among those of us who believe in the authority of Scripture, there is a strong emphasis on its inerrancy. There is a strong emphasis on its infallibility. And this is both right and fitting.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Scripture, after all, is God's Word, and not that of man. As God is perfect, so too is his Word. And as God is unchanging, so too is his Word.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Believing as we do, we react strongly when others take from God's Word. We react strongly when people seek to alter his Word. And we react strongly when people seek to strip it of its meaning.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When those of the liberal Church, or those of society, want to deny the clear teaching of Scripture, the hair on our neck bristles. When they argue against the clear teaching of Scripture, our stomach turns. And when they take a position that contradicts Scripture, we find it upsetting.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, as we see in the passage above, not only is it wrong to take from God's Word. It’s equally wrong to add to it. It’s equally wrong to read into Scripture our own ideas and beliefs.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is why Jesus reacted so strongly to the religious leaders of his day. Their tendency was not to take from God's Word, but to add to it. And they did so by making their traditions, they did so by making their teachings, as authoritative as Scripture itself.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Their interpretation of God’s Law became as authoritative as God’s Law. It was equated with God’s Law. And therein lies the problem.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, you see, is the mistake we often make in the conservative Church of our day. We tend to add to the Word of God by way of legalism. We, at times, read into Scripture. And we make our understanding or our interpretation as authoritative as Scripture itself.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we truly stand under the authority of God’s Word, and if our faith is guided by God’s Word alone, we will do neither. We will not take from it. But neither will we add to it.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-41614305034234619612024-03-11T09:22:00.003-05:002024-03-11T09:23:19.078-05:00Why Did God Save Us?<p style="text-align: center;"> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">”But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,“</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-010e3458-7fff-f32d-dd22-aa97d11c1953"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Most of us are very familiar with the gospel message. We know that God sent his Son into the world. We know that Jesus died in our place, paying the penalty of our sin. And we know that he rose from the grave, standing victorious over death. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The way it’s stated in Ephesians 2 is that, when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together in Christ. He, then, raised us up with him, with Jesus. And he seated us with him in the heavenly places.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We learn from this message that we played no role in our salvation. It’s something that he did. It’s a work that he performed for our blessing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nothing about us contributes to it in any way. And nothing we’ve done contributes to it in any way. It results from God’s grace alone. And this grace is received through faith in Christ.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This message, of course, is very comforting. It’s very reassuring. And it fills us with peace. But it also begs the question: Why did God do this? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What we find is that it had everything to do with God and nothing with us. It has everything to do with his nature, and nothing with our own. And it has everything to do with his character, and nothing with our own.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to the above passage, he did it because he is rich in mercy. This, in other words, is God’s nature. It’s part of his character. There’s nothing about us that caused God to extend this mercy. He did so because of who he is. He did so because he is merciful.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He did so also because of the great love which which he loved us. It, then, has nothing to do with our love for God. His love for us is the reason he saved us. His love for us is the reason he gave us new life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As God’s nature, as his character is unchanging, this provides us with assurance. As God is, and will always be, merciful, our salvation is sure. And as God’s love for us is unchanging, our salvation is sure.</span></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-10192143278759814482024-03-05T19:13:00.001-06:002024-03-05T19:13:53.084-06:00Upheld<p style="text-align: center;"> "<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.“</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ecd35851-7fff-0467-b0e5-44cea2312332"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Numbers 12:1-2 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are times in life when we disapprove of others. We disapprove of something they’ve said. Or we disapprove of something they’ve done.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is especially true when they are our leaders. It’s especially true, in that case, because everything they say and do is before us. Our leaders, as we often say it, live in a fishbowl.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It doesn’t have to be a moral issue that leads us to disapprove of them. Nor is it always a matter of right and wrong, for which they must be held accountable. It may, in fact, be the sin of our own heart leading us to do so.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But our disapproval leads us to speak against them. It causes us to be critical of them. And it may motivate us to challenge them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is what was happening in the passage above. Miriam and Aaron, we find, spoke against Moses. They did so, asking if the Lord spoke only through him. They did so, asking if the Lord hadn’t also spoken through them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In this way, they were putting themselves on equal footing with Moses. They were claiming for themselves an authority equal to that of Moses. And the reason they did so was because of the Cushite woman Moses had married. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There is some debate as to whether this refers to Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian, whom Moses married after fleeing Egypt, or if he had married another. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that this woman was a Cushite princess, named Tharbis or Adoniah.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We also do not know why Miriam and Aaron disapproved of this woman. Was it because Moses was already married? Or was it, as some suggest, because she was black?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although there are several unanswered questions, none of them ultimately matter. What is clear is that Miriam and Aaron disapproved of Moses’ wife. And, for this reason, they spoke against him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Lord, however, heard. He heard what was said by Moses’ siblings. And he upheld Moses before them. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moses, after all, was chosen by God. He was appointed by God for a purpose. He was called and appointed by God to bring his people out of Egypt, the land of slavery, and into Canaan, the land of promise.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we consider the actions of Miriam and Aaron, we must realize that, whatever reason we have to disapprove of others, it’s known to God. Whatever we speak against others, God hears. And whenever we seek to bring others down, God is not unaware.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We must not, like Moses’ siblings, seek to bring others down. Nor should we bad-mouth or malign them. We should seek, rather, uplift them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We must do so realizing that it’s God who has placed them where they are. We must do so realizing they’ve been chosen and appointed by him. And we must do so realizing that God himself will uphold them.</span></p><br /><br /><br /></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-36487769216305361352024-02-27T13:34:00.003-06:002024-02-27T13:34:56.673-06:00Obstacles<p style="text-align: center;"> "<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.””</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-80d94b20-7fff-ccf9-760c-cfc3a6c164bf"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Numbers 13:27-28 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As the blessing of the Lord is before us, we often see difficulty. As his bounty is before us, we see only obstacles. We see things that, from a worldly standpoint, would keep us from it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even knowing what we do about God, this becomes our focus. Even knowing his power, this becomes a source of discouragement. And even knowing his faithfulness, this becomes a source of doubt.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rather than looking to him in faith, we question. Rather than trusting in him, we waver. And rather than believing his promise, we despair.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is what happened to the people of Israel in the passage above. As the spies passed through the land of Canaan, which had been promised to them by God, they saw its abundance. But they saw also a major obstacle.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The people of the land were strong. The cities of the land were fortified and strong. And they saw giants, they saw descendants of Anak, living there.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">From a human perspective, this made their conquest of the land difficult. It made it, in fact, untenable. They, then, feared to go up and take possession of it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even knowing what God had done in Egypt, they feared. Even remembering how he miraculously brought them out of slavery, they feared. And even remembering how he’d provided for them as they journeyed through the wilderness, they feared.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They didn’t seem to believe that God could, once again, fulfill his promise. They didn’t seem to believe that God could, once again, display his might. And they didn’t seem to believe that God could, once again, act on their behalf.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As a result, the people of Israel were kept from the land of promise. They did not inherit the blessing of God. They were sent back into the desert, until the last of that generation had perished.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God gave his blessing to their children. It was they who were enabled to take possession of the land. As they trusted in the Lord and his promise, his blessing became theirs.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God’s blessing, his forgiveness and salvation, are received through faith in Christ alone. We, then, must not make the mistake of the people of Israel. We must not allow our circumstances to cause fear and doubt to well up within us. If we lose faith in the Lord, if we fail to trust in him, we too could miss out on his blessing.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-76865957026206249312024-02-22T15:51:00.002-06:002024-02-22T15:51:27.929-06:00Grumbling or Trusting?<p style="text-align: center;"> "<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.“</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1fccd1d5-7fff-1b62-ceab-4dd55ff6c10f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Numbers 11:1 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When things aren’t going well for us, we have a tendency to complain. We have a tendency to whine. And we have a tendency to protest.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We do so, believing that we deserve better. We do so, believing that we’re being treated unfairly. We do so, believing that God is withholding from us his blessing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Such behavior reflects not faith. It reflects not a trust in the Lord. And it reflects not the belief that God is good. It reflects, in fact, the opposite.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see this, as well as the response of the Lord to such an attitude, as we look at the verse above. After their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the people of Israel followed the Lord on their way to the Promised Land. The journey, however, was not easy.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They, then, began to complain about their misfortunes. They began to complain in the face of their distress. And they did so in the Lord’s hearing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Lord, in other words, knew what they were saying. He was aware of their complaints. And his anger was kindled.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we consider them, the Lord’s feelings make sense. After being miraculously delivered from bondage, why would they fail to trust in the Lord now? What reason did they have to believe that he would not care and provide for them? And what would motivate them to believe they’d been suddenly abandoned?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rather than complaining, they should have come to the Lord in their distress. They should have brought to him their need. And they should have looked to him for his provision.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the same way, rather than complaining about our misfortune, we should bring it before the Lord. We should entrust it to him. We should look to him in our hour of need, knowing that he will both hear and answer.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God, after all, is good. He has always been faithful. He’s withheld from us no blessing. He even sacrificed his only Son, that we might receive adoption as his children.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-86925327571752059362024-02-15T14:11:00.000-06:002024-02-15T14:11:09.104-06:00The Miraculous Nature of Faith<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">”For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.“</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f70364d5-7fff-ebfe-8196-62597cf52612"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Galatians 1:12 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we look back over our life of faith, and as we remember how we were brought to faith, we can point to those who shared with us the gospel of Christ. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent. Maybe it was a Sunday School teacher. Or maybe it was a friend.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In this way, it seems very organic. It seems natural. It seems almost worldly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul, however, was another story completely. In his case, it was clearly miraculous. It was supernatural. And, for this reason, the way in which he was brought to faith seems far greater.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We remember how Jesus appeared to Paul, on the road to Damascus. And in this way, he was brought to faith. We remember how he was struck blind and how, as Ananias laid hands on him, his sight was restored.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He goes on to explain, in chapter 1 of Galatians, that he did not consult with anyone. He explains that he didn’t even go to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him. He, rather, went away into Arabia before returning to Damascus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His point was that he received no instruction from anyone immediately after Christ appeared to him. The gospel was not taught to him, in the traditional sense. He, rather, received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His point, in saying this, is not that his conversion was miraculous while that of others was not. He was stating that the gospel he proclaimed was not man’s gospel. It didn’t have a human origin.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we consider Pau’s experience, we find that ours isn’t all that different. What I mean is that the way in which we were brought to faith is nothing less than miraculous. Although certain people shared with us the gospel, it was, in reality, delivered to us by God himself.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Bible, after all, is the Word of God. And even though it is taught to us by man, it remains his Word. As we read it, as we hear it, it’s his voice speaking to us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We find also that we cannot understand this Word apart from the Spirit of God. Paul tells us as much in 1 Corinthians 2. The natural person, he tells us, the person apart from Christ, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolish to him. And he’s not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What Paul is telling us is that, apart from the Spirit of God, we cannot understand the things of God. Apart from the Spirit of God, we cannot understand the Word of God. It’s only as he gives understanding that we’re able to comprehend it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The fact that we’ve received the gospel, then, is nothing short of miraculous. The fact that we’ve been brought to faith is the work of God himself. Although he’s certainly used people in this process, it’s the gift of God from first to last.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-20941368275851110902024-02-07T14:48:00.005-06:002024-02-07T14:48:45.502-06:00Not to be Taken Lightly<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life."</span></i></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e126a09d-7fff-422c-f025-ef1f2acb3a22"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Proverbs 7:22-23 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As much as we try to do what is right, we fall into sin. As much as we strive to live in obedience to the Lord, we fall short. We do so quite regularly. We sin, in fact, on a daily basis. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, although it is such a regular occurrence, we think of it as no big deal. It’s so commonplace that we’ve become dismissive of it. We’ve become so numb to it that we fail to recognize how serious it is.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We believe it’s something that affects us only in the moment. Although we may suffer some immediate consequence of our actions, we don’t believe it goes beyond that. We don’t believe that they go beyond our time in this world.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What I’m saying is that we fail to recognize the eternal consequence of sin. And this is what stands out in the passage above. What is being described in these verses is the response of a young man to the adulteress woman. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As she tempts him, he follows her. But look at the description. He follows her like an ox to the slaughter. He follows her as a stag that is caught fast, as a deer stepping into a noose, until an arrow pierces its liver. He follows her like a bird rushing into a snare.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He does not know that it will cost him his life. He knows not that it leads to his death. He doesn’t grasp the finality of his course.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This applies, of course, to more than this one scenario. It applies to more than this one sin, that of adultery. According to Scripture, the consequence of all sin is death.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And the death to which Scripture refers is more than physical death. It’s more than death in a worldly sense. The death to which it refers is eternal.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It speaks of the fact that we deserve not the blessings of God. We deserve, rather, his punishment. We deserve an eternity of torment in hell.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Christ, of course, has paid the punishment of our sin. He gave his life on the cross, paying the penalty of our sin. But even this should reveal to us the serious nature of sin.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It could not be overlooked by God. Nor could it be dismissed by him. If we were to be saved, the penalty had to be paid, even if the price was the life of his only Son.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We learn from this that, even as those who trust in Christ, even as those who have been forgiven, sin is not something we can take lightly. It is not something we can simply overlook or dismiss. As we are brought to see our guilt, we must look to Christ for the forgiveness and salvation he’s provided. And we must ever thank and praise him for securing our release from this fate.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-90662503565932870622024-01-25T09:46:00.004-06:002024-01-25T09:46:32.400-06:00Before Whom Will We Bow?<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“…He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fed9de03-7fff-97a9-a447-42bab4b65deb"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Isaiah 44:14–15 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We don’t see or experience much in the way of traditional idol worship here in the United States. We don’t typically see people bowing before a statue, or a carved image, praying to it. Yet this continues to take place in many parts of the world.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The first time I experienced something remotely like this was as I lived in San Diego, where I served my first congregation. Many immigrants from Vietnam lived in my neighborhood. And many of these families had a small altar outside of their home, in which they’d regularly place a small offering of rice for their ancestors.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As I’ve been in other parts of the world, on mission trips, I’ve seen temples. Although I didn’t go into these temples, they contained the gods worshiped by the people. They contained idols to which the people would bow and offer their prayers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For those of us, unfamiliar with these customs and religions, this seems foolish. And it is foolish. Isaiah, in the passage above, makes this clear.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He presents the illustration of a man who plants a tree, he plants a cedar, and it’s nourished by the rain. It then becomes fuel for him. He takes a part of this tree and warms himself. Over the fire, he bakes his bread.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the same time, however, he makes a god of that same tree. He makes an idol from its wood. He then worships it. He falls down before it. He cries out to it for deliverance, declaring it to be his god.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He makes clear, in this way, that an idol is nothing. He makes clear that it is the work of man. He makes clear that it is the creation of man.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, then, makes clear the foolishness of such an act. After all, how can something man has made deliver him? How can the creation of man save him?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although this seems foreign to us, it’s really more familiar than we tend to believe. We too practice idolatry. We too depend upon man or the work of his hands for salvation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In our culture, we often make a god of ourselves, looking to ourselves for salvation. We may look to others. We may depend upon political leaders. We may depend upon armies. We may depend upon wealth and possessions. We may depend upon technology. The examples are endless.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And just as we see the foolishness of bowing down to a block of wood, so must we see the foolishness of our actions. We must repent of it, turning to Christ for forgiveness and salvation. And rather than looking to something we have made to save us, we must look to the one who has made us.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-55249280002843021472024-01-18T14:02:00.004-06:002024-01-18T14:02:53.863-06:00Where Life is Found<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.“</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b8b1cc4-7fff-cc9b-d405-a6ce10ef7439"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Leviticus 18:5 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our tendency is to behave like those who surround us. We do so because we want to fit in. We want to be liked and accepted by those among whom we live.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, however, is a problem. It’s a problem because those who surround us are living in sin. They live only to satisfy their passions and desires. And, therefore, they are under God’s judgment.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is what God was telling the people of Israel in Leviticus 18. They were not to do as they did in the land of Egypt, from which they had been delivered. Nor were they to do as they did in the land of Canaan, the land to which they were going.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although it’s not directly stated, the people of these nations were under God’s judgment. They were under his wrath. And to live like them, then, is to be under God’s wrath.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They, rather, were to be different. They were to be distinct. They were to be holy, set apart from those who surrounded them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They were to follow the Lord’s rules. They were to keep his statutes. And they were to walk in them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If a person does them, God says, he will live by them. If he does them, rather than suffering judgment, he will have life. If he does them, rather than experiencing God’s wrath, his life will be preserved. It will be sustained.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we read these words, we understand what God is saying. Yet, a difficulty soon presents itself. And the difficulty is that, no matter what we do, we cannot abide by God’s Word.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see this played out in the history of Israel. Although they had the Word of God, and although they knew his laws, they continually violated them. And they lived like the nations who surrounded them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was for this reason that they fell under God’s judgment. It was for this reason that they experienced his wrath. And it’s for this reason that their nation was eventually destroyed.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The same is true of us. We cannot live according to God’s laws no matter how hard we try. Like the people of Israel, like the Jews, we continually revert to our sinful ways.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We too, then, are under God’s wrath. We are under his judgment. And we deserve nothing other than death and destruction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The good news, however, is that God sent his Son into the world. And Jesus was able to keep the Word of God. He was able to fulfill the Law of God. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He did so for us. He did so on our behalf. And he did so that, as we trust in him, we can receive the blessing of life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">More than that, he took our sin upon himself. He took our curse upon himself. He then died in our place, satisfying the wrath of God and paying the penalty we deserve.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although we are still called to be different from those who surround us, and although we are still called to have distinct lives, our life is found in Jesus. Our salvation is found in Jesus. It’s found in the one who lived the perfect life we’re unable to live, and gave his life in our place.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-12412102778456253982024-01-15T10:37:00.004-06:002024-01-15T10:37:47.710-06:00Realistic Thinking<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-babdadd9-7fff-9535-d418-18bb79093c60"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Romans 12:3 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’re told that we can accomplish anything to which we set our mind. We’re told that we can better do anything that someone else can do. And, generally speaking, we want to believe these voices.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We think highly of ourselves. We think highly of our abilities. We think, in fact, too highly of them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the passage above, we are told by Paul that we’re not to think too highly of ourselves. We are, rather, to think of ourselves with sober judgment. We’re to think of ourselves rationally and within reason.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He says we’re to think of ourselves according to the measure of faith God has assigned. Faith recognizes, you see, that each blessing is a gift from God’s hand. And our faith will not take credit for the blessings and abilities given us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we read on, in the next couple verses, we’re reminded that the church is a body. And just as our physical body is made up of many members, so too is the church.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We, in other words, are not able to do everything. We’re not equipped, in fact, to do everything. God has called, appointed, and equipped different individuals to serve in various ways.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are limits to our gifts. There are limits to our abilities. And this prevents pride from setting in.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While we may not always realize it, this is a blessing. It’s a blessing as we, then, don’t seek to take too much upon ourselves. It’s a blessing as others are better able to carry out certain tasks and functions. And, as they do so, they are a blessing to us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We are able to rest. We are able to receive the ministry they have to offer. And we’re able to be blessed by them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, no matter what I want to believe, I cannot accomplish anything to which I set my mind. I cannot always perform a certain task better than another. And that’s OK. It’s good. And I can find rest in it.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-58414573021536688572024-01-05T10:04:00.001-06:002024-01-05T10:04:12.779-06:00Children of Promise<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-787440db-7fff-09d1-3cee-391c51b0da6d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Romans 9:8 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Jews of Jesus’ day believed themselves to be the children of God. They believed this even though he said otherwise. He told them, in fact, that they were children of the devil (John 8:44).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They believed this, however, because they were descended from Abraham. They believed this because they had been saved from their bondage in Egypt and given the Promised Land. They believed this because, to them, God had given his promise. And they believed this because, to them, God had given his Word.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">American Christians tend to make the same mistake, when it comes to the Jews. We give them a higher status than the rest of us. And we assume that they’re saved, even apart from faith in Christ.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul tells us, however, that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. He tells us that not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring. It’s not at all an issue of descent or lineage.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> He explains, in the passage above, that it is not the children of flesh who are the children of God. It isn’t those who possess the right bloodline or heritage who are children of God. It’s the children of promise, he tells us, who are counted as offspring.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What makes a person a part of Israel, what makes him part of the people of God, then, is faith. What makes a person a child of Abraham, then, is faith. And what makes a person a child of God, then, is his faith. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gentile believers, like most of us, are part of Israel. We are children of Abraham. And we are children of God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the same time, Jews who do not believe in Jesus, are not truly Jews. They are not truly a part of Israel. They are not truly children of Abraham. And they are not truly children of God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God, of course, desires their salvation as much as anyone’s. And he works for their salvation as much as anyone’s. But their heritage does not set them apart, nor does it set them above the rest of us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That being said, we must take care that we don’t become arrogant, as they were. We must take care that we don’t believe ourselves to be better or above others. Just as we become the children of God by faith, so too can anyone.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And, in the same way, if we turn from this faith, no longer are we his children. If we begin to trust in our heritage, if we begin to trust in our bloodline, we’re no longer his children. Each of these blessings is received through faith in Christ alone.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-1190245210285873182023-12-28T14:51:00.002-06:002023-12-28T14:51:50.486-06:00Peace on Earth<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: right 10.0pt left 20.0pt; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -48.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he
is pleased!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: right 10.0pt left 20.0pt; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -48.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(Luke 2:14 ESV)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: right 10.0pt left 20.0pt; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -48.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we celebrate the season
of Christmas, we are often reminded of this refrain. We hear it in church, as
the Scriptures are read. We read it in our children’s Bibles, as we share with
them the Christmas story. And it’s something we both hear and sing in many of
the carols familiar to this season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In Jesus, God has provided
us with peace. Peace is received by those with whom God is pleased. It’s
received by those upon whom his favor rests.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This, however, can seem
confusing as our world is anything but peaceful. Wars rage around the globe,
even as we speak. And even our own streets, even our own cities and towns, are
anything but peaceful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The peace he’s referring
to, however, is not a worldly peace. An outward peace, a societal peace, is
something that will only be enjoyed only when Christ returns and sin becomes a
thing of the past. It’s something that will be enjoyed as we experience life
eternal in his everlasting kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What the angels are
referring to, as they praise the Lord, is peace with God. We read about this in
Romans 5:1, where Paul writes: <i>“</i></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Through Jesus, he says, we have been brought into a state of peace with
God. We, in other words, are no longer his enemies. We are no longer in a state
of condemnation and wrath. Rather than being under his curse, we are now in his
blessing.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And this is received through faith in Christ. It, therefore, isn’t
something that we deserve. Nor is it something we earn. It’s a gift of God,
provided to us in his Son.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Jesus provided this blessing to us, as he took on flesh, becoming man. He
provided it to us as he lived the perfect life we’re unable to live. He
provided it to us as he died on the cross, paying the penalty of our sin. And
he provided it to us as he rose from the grave, victorious over death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So even if we are struggling, and even if we don’t feel at peace with God,
this remains true. It remains true because it isn’t dependent upon us in any
way. It’s dependent only upon Christ and what he has done for us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As we, then, trust in Christ, we can know that we have peace with God. We
can have full assurance of this peace. And this truth can offer us comfort in
this world that is anything but peaceful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-85960770680195202612023-12-20T10:24:00.004-06:002023-12-20T10:25:51.721-06:00Distinguishing Between Sins<span id="docs-internal-guid-0348e1ea-7fff-075c-d10e-b7dfc59061ec"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Leviticus 4:27-29 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Most of us tend to make a distinction between the things we’ve done wrong. We make a distinction between the intentional and the unintentional. We distinguish between things we’ve done purposely, and those we’ve done accidentally or without thinking.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, in one sense, these distinctions are very real. We often commit wrongs very purposely. We do them intentionally. We know what we’re doing is wrong and, yet, we do them anyway.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, while we readily acknowledge the sinfulness of those things done intentionally and purposely, we minimize those done unintentionally or accidentally. We want to believe that these wrongs should be overlooked or dismissed. We do so telling ourselves that our intentions are generally good.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Speaking for myself, I’m more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to someone who sinned against me unintentionally. I’m quick, in this case, to overlook their offense. And, generally speaking, I expect the same from others when I unintentionally sin against them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But we tend to believe the same is true when it comes to God. We tend to think that only our intentional sins matter. We think that only they count against us. And we think that only they need to be forgiven.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, however, is far from the case. And we see this clearly in the above passage. As instructions are given to the people of Israel regarding the sacrifices, we see these instructions for sins committed unintentionally.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’re told that, when a person has unintentionally committed a sin, and when he realizes his guilt or is made aware of it, he’s to offer a sacrifice. He’s to offer a sacrifice for this sin he has committed. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see here that these sins do make us guilty before God. Like sins committed purposely, they too make us deserving of his wrath. And, for this reason, atonement must be made for them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We, of course, do not offer sacrifices. The death of Jesus on the cross paid for each and every one of our sins. But this does tell us that, when we sin unintentionally, we need God’s forgiveness.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When we realize our guilt, or when we’re made aware of it, we must not take it lightly. Nor should we dismiss or excuse our sin. We must, rather, confess it to God. We must acknowledge before him the sinfulness of our sin. And we must look to him for the forgiveness that’s found in Jesus.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-80876108814214950532023-12-14T12:38:00.001-06:002023-12-14T12:38:05.359-06:00When We Feel Abandoned...<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fb12066d-7fff-3a29-0436-f6e71ecb4616"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Psalm 22:1-3 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are times in life when God seems absent. There are times in life when it seems that he’s forgotten us. There are times when it seems that he does not hear as we cry out to him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although we’ve come before him in prayer, it seems to us that he is not listening. Although we’ve brought our needs before him, it seems that he will not act. And although we’ve come to him in desperation, it seems that he does not care.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">These were the feelings of David, as expressed in the words above. He felt utterly forsaken by God. It didn’t seem that God was acting to save him in his distress. And, although he came continually before the Lord, he found no relief.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Times like this lead us to question. Circumstances such as these lead us to doubt. They lead us to do so as we feel abandoned.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We begin to think that, perhaps, God doesn’t exist. We begin to think that, if he does exist, he certainly isn’t good. And it seems to us that he just doesn’t care.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yet, in the midst of his distress, David’s faith persisted. He ends this passage, declaring that God is holy. He ends it declaring that God is enthroned on the praises of Israel.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we read on, we see the reason for this hope. He points out that their fathers trusted in the Lord, and that he’d delivered them. David could, then, trust in the Lord in his present circumstances knowing that he had been faithful and that he had, in fact, provided his salvation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is true of us as well. We have every reason to remain firm in our faith. We have every reason to do so even when it seems pointless. We have every reason to do so even when it seems useless.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have every reason as we consider Jesus. He, we recall, repeated these words as he hung on the cross. And not only did he feel forsaken. He was forsaken.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although he knew no sin, Scripture tells us, he became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He bore our sin in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). And by his wounds, we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In this way, we know that we have not been forsaken. We can trust, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we have not been abandoned. Even in times of hardship and distress, we have full assurance that God hears us and that he’ll provide for our need.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This doesn’t mean, of course, that our lives in this world will be easy. Nor does it mean that our problems will fade away. We know, however, that as the penalty of our sin has been paid, its consequences will one day be a thing of the past.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-42165743714778533952023-12-11T10:22:00.001-06:002023-12-11T10:22:48.939-06:00The Source of Faith<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-afb229a7-7fff-27ab-32d9-8c6c92183503"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Acts 13:12 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we read through the gospels, as well as the book of Acts, many miracles are recorded for us. And we tend to think that these works of God caused many to come to faith. We tend to think that they were instrumental in the growth of the early church.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This leads us to believe that, apart from miraculous works, people will not be saved. We believe that, apart from miraculous works, it’s much harder for people to believe in Jesus. We believe, quite frankly, that miracles are more persuasive than the Word of God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we look at the circumstances in Acts 13, however, we see otherwise. Paul had brought the Word of God to the proconsul on the island of Salamis, off the coast of Greece. And, as he did so, a false prophet actively opposed him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul informed this false prophet that the hand of the Lord was upon him. And this was not a blessing. It was, rather, a judgment. The Lord, Paul declared, would make him unable to see for a time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Immediately, darkness fell upon him. He was unable to see. And he was left seeking people to lead him by the hand.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s in this context that we read the words above. We’re told that, then, the proconsul believed. He believed, when he saw what occurred. He believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Reading this, we have to ask ourselves: Did the miracle that he witnessed play a role in his faith? And we have to answer that question in the affirmative. But it wasn’t the miracle itself.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He was astonished not at the miracle. He was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. He was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The miracle was connected with the teaching of the Lord. It was connected with the doctrine of the Lord. But it was the teaching itself that imparted faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul tells us as much in Romans 10:17. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“So faith comes from hearing,”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Paul writes, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“and hearing through the word of Christ.” </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Apart from the word, then, apart from the teaching of the Lord, there can be no faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although miracles are a great blessing, and although they can play a role in upholding the Word being taught, they do not impart faith on their own. The Word can impart faith apart from miracles. But miracles cannot impart faith apart from the Word.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, while we should always welcome the miraculous, and while we should never refuse the mighty work of God, we must place our emphasis on the preaching of the Word. Should God provide a miracle as we do so, we should praise him for it. But, again, faith is given, it’s provided, through the Word of God.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-26486758973239717932023-11-30T14:16:00.001-06:002023-11-30T14:16:16.777-06:00Not of Ourselves<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0a08faec-7fff-400c-4e58-c2a3e7c1c7b3"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Romans 1:17 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our tendency is to think of ourselves as good people. Our tendency is to believe that we can do good. And our tendency is to believe that we can make ourselves worthy of God’s blessings.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Law of God, however, reveals that we are not good. It reveals that we’re inherently sinful. It makes clear that our actions, as well as our thoughts and intentions, are wicked and corrupt.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It reveals also the punishment we deserve. It reveals that we deserve death. And, more than that, it reveals that we deserve hell.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It reveals to us, finally, that there’s nothing we can do to change our circumstances. We cannot do anything to make up for our sins. Nor can we pay the penalty of our sins in any way other than suffering the condemnation we deserve.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the gospel, however, the righteousness of God is revealed. This is what Paul is discussing in the above verse. This, however, isn’t speaking of the righteous nature of God, in contrast to our sinful nature.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the gospel, the righteousness by which we are saved is revealed. And this righteousness is not our own. It’s not something that we generate or produce in any way.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The righteousness, revealed by the gospel, is that which is provided to us by God. It’s that which is produced by God. It is the righteousness of Christ, made available to us by his death and resurrection.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We refer to this as an imputed righteousness. It’s a righteousness, which comes from outside of ourselves, that is ascribed to us. It’s a righteousness, which comes from outside of ourselves, which is accredited to us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When Jesus died on the cross, he died not for any sin of his own. He was completely innocent. He was without sin.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sin for which he died is our own. He took upon himself that guilt of our sin, as well as the punishment that we deserve. And, in this way, his righteousness is made available to us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This righteousness, then, is received by faith. As we believe in Jesus, we receive his righteousness. As we trust in his saving work, we receive his righteousness.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This righteousness, then, is revealed to us by the gospel. It’s revealed from faith and for faith, Paul says. It is based on faith, and it is received by faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The righteous, he reminds us, will live by faith. We receive life from faith. And we receive salvation from faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although this seems deep, the point is very simple. The righteousness, by which we are saved, is revealed to us in the gospel. And this righteousness is not our own. It’s something provided to us by God that we receive by faith in Christ.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-19960283350408575562023-11-27T09:50:00.005-06:002023-11-27T09:50:56.000-06:00God With Us<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son
from the Father, full of grace and truth.”</span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(John 1:14 ESV)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As we gather to celebrate Christmas, we know what it is that we’re
celebrating. We know that we’re celebrating Jesus. We know that we’re
celebrating his birth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We do so because, even though he was born into the world like you and me,
he’s no ordinary man. We know and believe that he’s the Savior. He’s the
Savior, promised by God, from the very beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">He’s the Savior, sent by the Father, to die on the cross. He’s the Savior,
sent by God, to pay the penalty of our sin. He’s the Savior, sent by God, to
deliver us from sin, death, and the devil.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yet, although this is true, there is much more to it. There is so much, in
fact, that it’s mind-blowing. And John highlights this in the first chapter of
his gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In verses 1 & 2 of this chapter, he writes: <i>“In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><sup> </sup></b>He was in the beginning with God.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Here we find that, although Jesus was born into the world like any other
baby, this was not the beginning of his existence. We find, in fact, that he’s
always existed. He was there in the beginning, when all things were made. He,
in other words, preexisted all that’s been made. We find, then, that Jesus is
eternal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We find that Jesus is not a mere man. We find that he’s God himself. The
Word, John says, “was God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yet, although Jesus is God, he and the Father are two distinct persons. He
was with God, John says. So, they are not two manifestations of one person.
They are two persons who, together with the Holy Spirit, are one God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In verse 3, John says: <i>“All things were made through him, and without
him was not any thing made that was made.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We tend to think of God the Father, alone, as the creator. But, according
to John, so too is Jesus. All things were made through him. Nothing was made
apart from him. And this, again, assures us that Jesus is God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“In him was life…” </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">John tells us in verse 4. Jesus, he says, is the
source of life. He’s the one who gave life in the beginning, and he’s the
source of eternal life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the person we
celebrate at Christmas. And this person, who is the eternal God, the creator of
all things, and the giver of life, became flesh. As we see in the above verse,
he became flesh and dwelt among us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">God became man. The
creator became like his creation. The eternal became finite. The immortal
became mortal. And he did so that he might die. He did so that he might pay the
penalty of our sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Even though it’s beyond
comprehension, may this reality be part of our Christmas celebration. Let’s
celebrate God made flesh. Let us celebrate God who provided for our salvation
by the sacrifice of his Son.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-60721789689142776742023-11-16T12:52:00.006-06:002023-11-16T12:52:57.065-06:00Overcoming Shame<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-20278414-7fff-e23e-3e84-7b556f3bca51"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Romans 1:16 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Word of God, to the people of this world, is nothing more than nonsense. The gospel, to the people of this world, is nothing more than foolishness. It’s no surprise, then, when they react to it in a negative way.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God’s Word is mocked. It’s scorned. And it’s held in contempt.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Those who hold to his Word are seen as ignorant. They’re seen as stupid and uneducated. They’re viewed as lacking intelligence.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we, then, live in this world as people of faith, this can lead to an unwillingness to speak of our faith. It can lead to an embarrassment of our faith. And it can lead to a sense of shame, when it comes to our faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, of course, is nothing new. In 1 Corinthians 1:22, Paul says that the Jews demanded miraculous signs and the Greeks looked for wisdom. But he preached Christ crucified, which was a stumbling block for Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. So even then, believers encountered the same derision.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, as we see in the above passage, Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. He was not ashamed of the message of Christ. And he was not ashamed because it’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s through the gospel that the lost are brought to faith in Christ Jesus. And it’s by this faith that they’re enabled to receive the blessings of God. For this reason, then, it’s nothing of which he felt ashamed.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, this isn’t a matter of me telling you how you should feel. It’s clear that, as believers, it’s not right that we should be ashamed of the gospel. It’s clear that something is seriously wrong if we are ashamed of the message of Christ. But this alone does nothing to change the way we feel.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The effects of the gospel are what does so. It’s through the power of the gospel that you and I have been saved. It’s through the power of the gospel that anyone is saved. And, because of his desire for the salvation of the lost, we have been called to proclaim this message to the whole creation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Having received the salvation of God, I am not ashamed. Knowing his desire for the salvation of the lost, I am not ashamed. And knowing his call, to proclaim this message to all, I am not ashamed.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-46082435686692087802023-11-13T10:27:00.001-06:002023-11-13T10:27:06.780-06:00A Mutual Blessing<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3ddb2b3c-7fff-542a-c0aa-4441132948ab"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Romans 1:11-12 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When it comes to our participation in and with the church, we tend to have one aim. One objective guides our choice of the church we’ll attend. And that one aim, that one objective, is what we receive from it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we prefer a certain style of music or worship, we seek out a church that offers it. If we’re musically gifted, we seek a church with a strong music ministry. If we have children, we seek out a church with a lot of children and ministries aimed at them. We tend to seek out a church where people are our age, that we might better relate to them. The examples are endless.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And this makes sense to a point. It makes sense that we’d want to be ministered to. But we often take it to the extreme. We look only at what we’ll receive rather than what we might give.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we look at the words of Paul, in the passage above, we see a far different attitude. He had yet to visit the believers in Rome. And he earnestly desired to do so.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He desired to do so for two reasons. He desired to do so that he might impart to them some spiritual gift to strengthen them. He, in other words, wanted to minister to them and to be a blessing to them. But, at the same time, he wanted to be encouraged by them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His desire was that they might be a mutual blessing, one to the other. And this, you see, is what we’re often missing. Although we want to be blessed by our church, few of us actively seek to be a blessing to our church.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although we want to be served, we’re unwilling to serve. Although we want to be taught, we’re unwilling to teach. And although we want to be encouraged, we’re unwilling to be an encouragement.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although you understand what I’m trying to say, perhaps you object to this. Perhaps you do so, noting that Paul was an apostle. He was a minister of the gospel. And, for this reason, he should desire to be a blessing to the church.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We must realize, however, that the same is true of each of us. I’m not suggesting, of course, that we’re all apostles in the same sense as Paul. But we are all called and gifted by God to serve the church. We’re called and gifted by God to bless the church.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we notice an area in the church where ministry is lacking, if there is a need that clearly isn’t being met, this isn’t our cue to go out in search of a new church where our need will be satisfied. It’s, rather, our cue to bring this to the attention of the church that the situation might be remedied. It may also be our cue to step up and to take leadership in this area. It may be our cue to begin providing ministry in the area that is lacking.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our ambition, again, is that we might be a mutual encouragement to one another. Our ambition is, most certainly, to receive the ministry of the church. But it’s also to provide ministry to the church. It’s both to be blessed, as well as to be a blessing.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-45948913312173502762023-10-31T13:07:00.001-05:002023-10-31T13:07:05.031-05:00Ministering to the Hopeless<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2dc26a61-7fff-3e60-28e7-0a6e0a0b74a8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Exodus 6:9 ESV</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It seems to us that, when people are in need, they would be most open to the gospel. It seems to us that, when they are desperate, they’d most readily receive it. This, however, is not always the case.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see an example of this as Moses came to the people of Israel, having been called by God to deliver them from bondage. Having been enslaved for four hundred years, it seems to us that this would be welcome news. It seems to us that the people would receive this with gladness. But, as we see in the above passage, they didn’t respond as we might expect.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We find that, as Moses brought to them this good news, they did not listen to him. They did not listen because of their broken spirit. They did not listen because of their harsh slavery. Their suffering had led them to a sense of despondency and discouragement.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The people were so demoralized, it seems, that they would not receive the good news as it was brought to them. And this being the case, Moses wondered how Pharaoh would ever listen to him. He, then, brought this question to God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The same can be said, I believe, of many today. Many among us are so broken, their spirit is crushed to such an extent, that they have shut their ears to the gospel. Their hopelessness has caused them to shut down to any thought of relief. And we may wonder what we can do that they might hear, understand, and receive the gospel.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As Moses brought this question to the Lord, he was simply told to carry out his calling. He was told to do so, with the assurance that God would act. And this, of course, is what Moses did.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we ask this question of ourselves, or as we direct it to the Lord, the answer is the same. We can do nothing to remedy this situation. We’re unable to open anyone’s ears. And we are unable to change hearts and minds. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We can only be faithful to the call God has given us. We can only proclaim to them the good news. And we can only entrust the people, along with our service, to the care of God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We can do so knowing that he will work. We can do so knowing that he will act. We can do so knowing that he will work in the hearts and minds of those who hear his Word.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although, in one sense, this may seem discouraging to us, it’s also a relief. It’s a relief because the changing of hearts and minds is dependent not upon us. It’s dependent not upon our creativity, our giftedness, or our determination. We simply carry out our calling trusting that, as we do so, the Lord will act.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-59936193456614200832023-10-26T14:31:00.004-05:002023-10-26T14:31:21.113-05:00Serving God<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e82ce37a-7fff-ce54-f62d-e62ee049588d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Matthew 25:40 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As Christians, we know that we’re called to serve the Lord. But we often over-spiritualize this. We make it into something that's ethereal. We make it into something almost intangible or immaterial.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Serving God, to us, can be made primarily, or even fully, about spiritual disciplines. We can make it about prayer. We can make it about Scripture reading. And we can make it about worship. We can make it exclusively about practices that enable our personal relationship with Christ, as we like to think of it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And please don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say. These practices are, indeed, important. In fact, they’re essential. If we aren’t devoted to prayer, Scripture, and worship, something is wrong when it comes to our life of faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, that being said, serving God is about so much more. And it’s simpler than we often make it out to be. It may seem, in a sense, to be far more mundane.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see this in Matthew 25 as Jesus describes the final judgment. We’re told that when he comes in his glory, he’ll sit on his throne and separate the people from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And as we read this description, the basis of this separation, the basis of this judgment, is our actions. It’s our service.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We do have to be careful with this. We have to be careful with this because Jesus is in no way suggesting that we’re saved by our works. Our works, rather, reflect our faith in the Lord or our lack of it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But he commends those on his right, he commends the sheep, because they had served him. And as they question how they’d done so, he answers with the words above. He tells them that as they did it to one of the least of these, his brothers, they’d done it to him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As he condemns those on his left, we see something similar. He condemns them because they’d failed to serve him. And when they questioned how they’d failed, he told them that as they did not do to one of the least of these, they had not done it to him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The simple point I’m trying to make is this: We serve the Lord as we serve our neighbor. And as we fail to serve our neighbor, we fail to serve the Lord.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our service of God, then, includes many things. It means serving our spouse and children by preparing them a meal. It means serving our children by bathing them or changing their diapers. It means serving our family by cleaning the toilets and the showers. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It means serving in the church. It means teaching Sunday School, serving as an usher during worship, or shoveling snow not only at home, but at church. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It means serving our community. It means donating food to the food bank. It means helping our elderly neighbor with their lawn. And it means visiting those who are in the hospital or the nursing home.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">None of this is exciting. And none of it seems spiritual in the least. But it is the very real way in which we serve the Lord.</span></p><br /></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-50601722487435279652023-10-17T10:14:00.004-05:002023-10-17T10:14:49.858-05:00The Necessary Use of the Sacraments<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it…”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ead6dd78-7fff-1dbd-72ed-36bf93933d90"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Exodus 4:24–25 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Quite often, as we think of the sacraments, we believe that they’re unnecessary. We believe they don’t matter. We believe they’re unimportant. And we believe they are nothing more than signs or symbols of our faith in the Lord.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We, then, reach for extreme examples to make our point. What about a baby who dies moments after delivery, and doesn’t receive baptism? Is he saved? What about a man who is brought to faith in Christ but dies before he’s able to be baptized? Is he saved? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We also point to situations like the thief on the cross. He clearly came to faith at the end of his life. But, as he was being crucified, and as Jesus was being crucified along with him, there was no opportunity for baptism. And we conclude from this that the sacraments don’t matter.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Using cases like these fail to make the point. They fail in their effort to demonstrate that the sacraments are nothing more than signs. And they fail in their effort to demonstrate that they are unnecessary.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The passage above demonstrates the exact opposite. God, you recall, had commanded circumcision to Abraham and his descendents after him. A promise of God was also attached to this act. Being circumcised, having their foreskin removed, meant that they were a part of God’s people and heirs of his promise, the promise given to Abraham.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We find in Exodus that, after fleeing from Egypt, Moses married the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. And he had two sons with her before being called by God to return to Egypt to bring his people out of their bondage. He then went, with his wife and children, back to the land from which he had fled.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, at a lodging along the way, the Lord met Moses and sought to put him to death. The reason for this is not clarified in the text. But Zipporah, the wife of Moses, clearly knew.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’ feet with it. We see from this that Moses had failed to circumcise his son. He had failed to obey this command of the Lord and to ensure that his son received the promise of God.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This had angered the Lord. It had angered him enough that he sought to put Moses to death. But, because of her actions, the Lord left him alone.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The physical act of circumcision is no longer required for the children of God. But baptism, Scripture tells us, is a type of circumcision. Through baptism, Colossians 2 tells us, we are circumcised without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Realizing this, and looking at Exodus 4, we can see how seriously God takes it. And, as he takes it seriously, so must we. Baptism, along with the Lord’s Supper, is a means of grace, by which God bestows his precious promise and blessing upon us. We, therefore, must necessarily make use of them.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-13460904885055187352023-10-12T10:44:00.008-05:002023-10-12T10:47:10.170-05:00Not Me!<p style="text-align: center;"> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> “But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses…”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5f2ec810-7fff-1327-5aae-94af594c8b2f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Exodus 4:13–14 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As believers, we’re called by God into his service. Our service, of course, plays no role in our salvation. We are saved by the grace of God alone, through faith in Jesus. But, as the children of God, we are called into his service, which results from our faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We receive this call in two distinct ways. We receive it, as it’s given generally to the church as a whole, to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation and to make disciples of all nations. And we receive it specifically, we receive his call as the Spirit of God gives to us gifts that we are to use in his service, filling a distinct role in the body of Christ.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As noted in my last post, our tendency, when we are called, is to make excuses. Our tendency is to list all of the reasons why we cannot or should not carry out the task assigned to us. What it often comes down to, however, is our unwillingness to do so.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This was the case with Moses, as God called him in Exodus 3, to bring his people out of Egypt. He first listed several excuses. He wouldn’t be able to tell the people God’s name, if asked. They wouldn’t believe him. And he was not a good speaker.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In each case, God provided for his need. He took away each excuse Moses offered. He shared with Moses his name. He gave to Moses miracles or signs he could perform to convince the people that he’d been sent by God. As he assured Moses that, as he made man’s mouth, he would be able to speak.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When all was said and done, however, Moses spoke the words seen above. He asked that God would send someone else. He asked that he might not have to do it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We, then, see God’s response to Moses. We see that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. We see that it burned against Moses.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Based on this, I believe it’s safe to say that his response to us is the same. What I mean is that God’s anger burns against us, as we refuse to serve him. His anger is kindled against us as we refuse his call. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This, then, is not something that can be taken lightly. It is clearly sinful. It’s clearly an act of disobedience, it’s an act of rebellion on our part.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moses’ words and actions also did nothing that led God to revoke his call. God’s call remained. And Moses finally submitted himself to the Lord and departed for Egypt.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Could God find someone else to do what he’s asked of us? He certainly could. But he desires that we, as his people, will honor him by doing what he’s asked.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we, then, demonstrate an unwillingness to serve, we should recognize it for what it is. We should recognize it as sin, confessing it to the Lord, and trusting in Christ for the forgiveness he provides. And, like Moses, we should embrace his call by serving our neighbor.</span></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-75846597992409534262023-10-09T13:21:00.000-05:002023-10-09T13:21:45.016-05:00No Excuses<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7eeca96e-7fff-a939-07f7-d2e0a3c594d0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Exodus 4:11–12)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When we’re called to serve, our first instinct is to get out of it. And, typically, we begin listing excuses. We begin listing all the reasons why we can’t do what’s been asked of us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the call comes from people, we’re more inclined to this than ever. We feel little guilt in doing so. We want to do anything and everything to preserve our time and energy.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, that being said, we do the same when the call comes from God. As he calls us to serve, we again make excuses. Even if we feel guilty for doing so, we begin thinking of all of the reasons we cannot serve.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we look at Exodus 4, Moses did the very same thing as God called him to lead the people out of Egypt. And if any call was intrusive on someone’s life, it was this. It meant giving everything, it meant giving his entire life to this task.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moses first told God that, if he came to the people claiming that God had sent him, they would ask for his name. They would want to know the name of the God who sent him. And God gave to Moses his name.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moses next told God that they wouldn’t believe him. God, then, gave him miracles that he could perform. He gave him signs to convince the people of his claim.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, Moses told God that he was not eloquent. He said that he was slow of speech and tongue. And, for this reason, he could not do as he’d been called.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God then spoke to Moses the words of the passage above. He asked who made man’s mouth. He asked who made man mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind. And he pointed out that it was he, that it was the Lord himself, who did so.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He then repeated his call to Moses. He again told him to go. And he reassured Moses that he’d be with his mouth and would teach him what he should speak.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a great reassurance to us. When we are called by God, our shortcomings should not be an issue. They should not be an issue because, if God has called us, he’ll also supply to us the ability to carry it out.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On one hand, this removes all excuses. It puts the pressure back on us to do as we’ve been called. But it’s also reassuring.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s reassuring because God isn’t asking us to fulfill our calling by our own strength. Nor is he asking us to do so by our own abilities. He’s telling us that we’ll do so by his strength and ability.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32471133.post-69936677530370053992023-10-04T11:03:00.001-05:002023-10-04T11:03:10.601-05:00Rejoicing in the Proclamation<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fc8d87a2-7fff-eadb-b85b-50d6e2f2268e"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Philippians 1:18 ESV)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We are often critical of other believers. We’re critical of other churches. We’re critical, focusing primarily upon our disagreements and differences.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We also question the motives of these groups or individuals. We question their purpose. And we assume that they’re less than sound.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although this isn’t always the case, we may even be right. Our criticisms may be well-founded. And their motives may be less than pure.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’re also right to be concerned about the faithful teaching of God’s Word. We should desire that it be rightly taught and proclaimed. And we should desire that it be proclaimed with the right motives.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The fact remains, however, that we have no say when it comes to those outside of our church. We have no say when it comes to what they teach. And we have no say when it comes to what they do.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We also can do nothing to ensure the purity of motive. Because of our sinful nature, our motives are often impure. And, if this is true of us, we can do nothing to ensure the purity of motives when it comes to others.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, how do we respond in such cases? How do we respond to believers or to congregations with whom we disagree? How do we respond to those whose motives we question? Do their successes cause us to grumble? Or do we seek their failure?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We see the response of Paul in the verse above. As he was imprisoned, the reason for his chains had become widely known. It was very clear, to the imperial guard and to all, that his imprisonment was for Christ. It was the result of his faith in Christ and his ministry in the Lord’s service.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His imprisonment had also caused his fellow believers to become more confident and bold. They’d been led to share the Word of God without fear. But the motives of these individuals were not one and the same.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Some, he said, preached Christ from good will. They did so out of love. But others did so from envy and rivalry. They did so out of selfish ambition and a desire to afflict Paul, or to cause him distress, during his imprisonment.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yet, knowing this reality, Paul rejoiced. He rejoiced in the fact that Christ was proclaimed. He rejoiced in the proclamation of the gospel, even if the intent of those proclaiming it was less than pure.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And this, you see, is to be true of us as well. We should focus less on who is proclaiming Christ and their motives in doing so. And we should simply rejoice that Christ is proclaimed. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Pastor Kent Sperryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444379024317045225noreply@blogger.com0