True Love

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” 

(Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV)

            One of the things I’ve noticed, as a pastor, is that the true definition of love has been lost. It’s been replaced with something far inferior to the love described in Scripture. It’s a far cry from the love we’re called to possess for our spouse and to give them.

            We understand love to be the emotion that we feel for our spouse. We understand it to be the butterflies in the tummy and the nervousness we feel in their presence.  And this is why so many couples split up, citing the fact that they’ve fallen out of love.

            We all know that, after we’re together for a time, the butterflies and the nervousness go away.  We realize that, once we’re comfortable with one another, our annoying and sinful habits become visible.   And what we once thought cute or endearing now grates on our last nerve.

We also realize that our feelings sometimes waver.  We might feel more love for our spouse at one time and less at another.  We may feel more loved by our spouse at one time and less at another.  And sometimes, we become so angry or frustrated that we feel no love at all.

            We must realize that, because of our sinful nature, our feelings can deceive us.  We cannot trust our feelings to determine if love is present in our relationship.  We must instead seek to give love to our spouse as God has commanded.

            I think it’s safe to say that we all want to feel love in our marriage.  However, the love to which we’re called is so much more.  We can see this in the love husbands are called to give to their wives in the above passage.

            The standard of our love is none other than Christ himself.  Men, we’re called to love our wife as Christ loved church.  We’re called to love her like Jesus, who gave up his life for our sanctification.  We’re called upon to sacrifice ourselves for our wife’s blessing.

            Like Christ, we must seek first and foremost to present our spouse to the Lord without spot or blemish.  What this means is that we must seek our spouse’s eternal blessing above all else.  We must love them in such a way that we encourage them in their faith, and that we encourage them to grow in their faith.

            One of the mistakes we often make is to withhold our love.  We give love only if we feel it’s something of which they’re deserving.  But we must realize that our spouse will never be deserving of our love.  Because they’re sinful, they’ll continually fall short.  And just as Christ gives to us his love as an act of grace, we must do the same with our spouse.

            This definition of love is repeated throughout Scripture.  For example, we’re called in John 13 to love one another as Christ has loved us.  Again, this is a sacrificial love.  And we know this because Christ loved us by giving his life for us.

            It’s for this reason that this word is translated in the King James Version as “charity.” It’s not primarily an emotion, but a gift of grace.  It’s providing for the needs of another even when they have nothing to give in return.

            Recognizing this truth, it’s not possible for us to fall out of love with our spouse.  We may stop loving them.  And, if this is true, we must repent. We must ask God for his mercy. And we must ask him to implant his love in our heart.  We must ask him for the strength and the ability to love our spouse as he’s commanded.

           

            

As believers, we continue to struggle with sin.  And this struggle often makes us feel like failures in the life of faith.  So how do we deal with sin?  How can we resist the temptations that plague us?  To hear this message, click on the following link:
http://princeofpeacebeulah.org/messages/09-27-2015-dealing-with-sin/

Made to Stand Out

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

(Matthew 5:14-15 ESV)

            I’ve never had a desire to stand out.  I’ve never desired to be the focus of attention.  I prefer, instead, to blend in.  I desire to go unnoticed.  And this desire has reflected itself in many ways. 

            It’s reflected in the way that I dress.  I’ve never cared for bright colors.  I’ve never cared for flashy clothing or accessories.  I don’t like wearing things that will make me stand out or draw attention to myself.

            Even though I’m a pastor, I tend to be more quiet and soft-spoken.  I don’t like to speak loudly, drawing attention to myself.  And I certainly don’t like to shout.  I tend to speak few words and, when I do speak, to say them in a normal tone of voice.

            Even though my position requires me to be up front in the church, this isn’t the position I normally choose.  If attending a worship service that I’m not leading, or when attending a conference, I tend to sit somewhere in the middle.  I prefer to simply blend in with the crowd. 

            And even though I do what I can to fulfill my calling, I have no desire to be a well-known figure.  I have no desire for fame.  I prefer to live the quiet life. 

            I’m not alone in this preference to go unnoticed.  Many people feel the same way.  And, so often, this mindset finds its way into our life of faith.

            We know that Jesus has called us to be his witnesses.  We know that he’s called us to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  And, quite frankly, we’re hesitant to do this.  We’re hesitant because we don’t want to be the focus of everyone’s attention.  We prefer, instead, to keep our mouth shut and blend in with the world around us.

            In the past, this is something that’s hindered my witness.  It’s kept me from reaching out to those around me.  My desire to blend in caused me to shove any concern for the lost to the back of my mind as a desire for conformity took hold.

            However, as we see in the above passage, we’re called to stand out.  We are the light of the world.  And a light is not something that is hidden.

            As the people of God, we’re distinct from the world around us.  But we’re distinct not to draw attention to ourselves. We shine forth to draw the world’s attention to Christ.

We’re called to be distinct as a testimony to those in our midst.  We’re called to let our light shine that God might be glorified.  We’re called to be his witnesses that others might receive the salvation Jesus provided for all men.

            This doesn’t mean we have to be a loud mouth.  It doesn’t mean that we must be obnoxious.  But we must not hide our light in order to fit in.  Doing so means abandoning a lost world to sin and eternal condemnation.

Graceful Speech

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

(Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

            When my wife and I were married, we received a large embroidery as a wedding gift from an older member of my church.  This embroidery consisted of the words of the above verse.   And when we received it, it was framed and ready to hang on the wall.

            I don’t know if I realized it at the time, but what a fitting gift this is for marriage.  It’s fitting because it’s easy for us to be critical of our spouse.  It’s easy for us to speak words that are destructive to their soul.  And even though logic seems to indicate that we’d save our kindest words for those we love most, the opposite is typically the case.

            We’re often more harsh with our spouse than anyone else.  Those who are closest to us often bear the brunt of our negativity.  We often speak to them in a way that we wouldn’t speak to anyone else.  We’re often rude and insulting.  We often speak to them in a way that is ill-mannered and condescending.

            This verse serves as a reminder that, by our words, we’re to seek the building up of one another.   We’re to seek, with our words, to bless one another.  And we’re to use every opportunity for this purpose.

            Now, this verse isn’t speaking directly to marriage.  It speaks to all of life, which includes marriage and so much more.  It speaks to every relationship in which we find ourselves.

            We’re to refrain from corrupting talk.  The word translated “corrupting” means decayed or unusable.  It refers to talk that is evil and unwholesome.  In essence, we’re being told to refrain from talk that isn’t beneficial to others. 

            On the positive end, we’re to speak words that lead to the building up of others.  We’re to speak words that encourage, instruct, and bless others.  And I realize this is easier said than done.

            I say this because we often feel that others aren’t deserving of kind words.  And this leads us to speak to them in a way that is hurtful.  At the very least, it leads us to say nothing to them at all.

            We must bear in mind that Paul tells us to speak words that give grace to those who hear.  And you may remember that grace is an undeserved gift.  This tells us that we shouldn’t speak kind and encouraging words only to those who are deserving.  That doesn’t fit the definition of grace.  We’re to speak in this way to those who are undeserving.

            So, no matter how others may be treating us, and no matter how they may speak to us, we’re to refrain from tearing them down.  We’re to refrain from unwholesome talk.  Even if we feel they’re undeserving, we’re to speak to them in a way that will bless them.

            This is an area in which we all struggle.  Even though I fail regularly, it’s an area that I’ve made an effort to keep in the forefront of my mind.  I’ve tried to remain conscious of what I say and how I say it.

            It’s also an area that I’ve asked God to keep under control.  Because I’m unable to do so on my own, I need his love to take control of both my heart and my tongue.  And, by his grace, I pray that I’ll grow in this area.

            Let us all offer to God our mouth.  Let us offer to him our speech.  Let us ask him to forgive us for our failure.  And let’s ask him to use our words in a way that will be a blessing to all of those around us, to all of those who hear the words that we speak.

This week at Prince of Peace, we talked about sins of the tongue in a message titled: Sticks and Stones. We saw that, even though these are sins that we consider minor when compared to others, they're something that the Lord takes very seriously.  To hear this message, click on the link.

This week at Prince of Peace, we talked about the fact that we often view Scripture as An Evolving Document.  We believe that the Bible is out of date and irrelevant to our time.  However, we're warned repeatedly in Scripture against adding to or taking from God's Word.  And we see that this is something God doesn't take lightly.  We must, therefore, receive God's Word as given, without seeking to change it in any way. To hear this message, click on the link.

Will We Endure?

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

(Matthew 10:22 ESV)

            In Matthew 10, Jesus speaks of the persecution of his faithful.  He tells us that we will be delivered over to the courts.  He tells us that we will be flogged.  He tells us that we will be dragged before kings and governors.  He tells us that we will be delivered over to death by those we love most.  And he tells us that we will be hated by all for his name’s sake.

            But then, he adds the statement we read above.  He tells us that the one who endures until the end will be saved.  This tells us that we must not waver in the face of this suffering.  It tells us that we must stand strong.  And it tells us that, when we do so, we will receive the salvation he’s provided for us.

            Although we’ve had the freedom to live our faith in this nation for many years, we’ve seen this type of persecution happening to believers around the world.  They’ve suffered in terrible ways for their faith in Jesus.  Their faith is something that has cost them dearly.

            Up to this point, our faith has not cost us much.  We’ve been able to live out our faith and enjoy the affluence of our society.  We’ve been able to express our faith freely and maintain our reputation and safety.  But now things are beginning to change.

            We’re now being told by government leaders and the courts that we cannot live out our faith.  We are told that we cannot express our faith in our place of business, and that we cannot express our faith in government office.  We’re told that we must abide by the morals and values they’ve placed upon us.

            The worst part is that, already, we hear voices telling us to succumb to these pressures.  And these voices are coming not only from those outside of the church, but from within.  There are some, who profess faith in Jesus, who are telling us to do our job and keep our faith out of it.  They are telling us to abide by the standards laid down for us by the courts.  They tell us to do this even though it would mean violating the direct command of the Lord.

            They would have us forsake the Lord who saved us.  They would have us abandon the call that he’s placed on our life.  They would have us safeguard our life in this world at the expense of the eternal judgment of those who will not hear the gospel message.

            We must not listen to these voices.  We must instead listen to the voice of Christ.  We must heed his call to endure.

            As the church of Christ in America, we are entering into an age never seen in the history of our nation.  We’re entering into an age when our constitutionally afforded freedom of religion will be revoked.  We are entering into an age when we will have to either turn from the faith to which we’ve held or pay the price.

            What will we do?  What matters most to us?  This is the question we are left to ponder.  Will we endure and receive the salvation of Christ?  Or will we sacrifice eternity for the blessing of those among whom we live?

Our Primary Allegiance

“But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.””

(Acts 5:29 ESV)

            After Jesus ascended into heaven, and after the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles, they faithfully proclaimed the gospel.  But, just as the ministry of Jesus brought the ire of Jewish leadership, so too did their ministry.  The activity of the apostles was seen as something to be stopped.

            After Peter and John healed the lame beggar in Acts 3, and after Peter preached to the crowd that assembled, they were arrested.  We’re told that the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 

            The next day, they stood before the high priest along with the rulers, scribes, and the elders.  Fearing that word of this miracle, and the message of the apostles, would spread among the people, they commanded the apostles to no longer speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  Peter and John replied to them, saying (Acts:19-20) : “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

            In Acts 5, we see that the apostles were once again arrested.  And they were reminded of the order that had been given them.  The high priest said to them (Acts 5:28): “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” Peter and the apostles then answered him, as we see in the above verse, by saying they must obey God rather than men.

            For many years in this nation, the church has had freedom.  When it came to obedience to the Lord and the state, the two have not been mutually exclusive.  Obeying the Lord did not mean disobeying men.  It did not mean acting in disobedience to our government leaders.  And obeying the government did not mean violating the will of God. But it seems this is now changing. 

            The freedom experienced by congregations hasn’t changed…yet. However, we are seeing changes when it comes to individual believers.  We are told that we must lay aside our faith and act according to the conscience and the morals of American society.

            Christian bakers have been told that they must bake cakes for homosexual weddings.  One such couple was forced to close their business after being fined $135,000 and issued a gag order when it came to speaking about their views regarding gay marriage.  A similar case is also taking place in Colorado.

            We’ve also seen Christian business owners being required to provide abortion services and birth control in their health insurance even when it violates their faith.  We’re being told that the freedom of religion doesn’t apply to individuals in our nation, but only to churches.

            I expect that we’ll see more and more of this as time goes on.  The American people no longer seem able to stomach Biblical teaching and values.  And it seems that our government and courts will stop at nothing to force Christians to adopt their judgments and values.

            Like the apostles, we may be forced to make a choice.  We may have to choose whether we’ll obey the government and disobey God, or to obey God and disobey the government.  And, like the apostles, I pray we’ll make the right choice. 

            That being said, if it comes to this, we must be prepared to face the consequences of our disobedience.  We may face harassment by our neighbors.  We may face fines. We may face the loss of our businesses and homes.  We may face arrest and imprisonment.  But these things in no way compare with the blessing God has in store for his faithful.  And what an opportunity it provides for the people of God to share Jesus and the hope we have in him.

This week at Prince of Peace, we saw that we don't accept what the Bible says about us.  We like to think that we're good people.  We like to think that our intentions are good.  We like to think that we're deserving of salvation.  However, this isn't the case.  In reality, our heart is filthy.  It defiles us in the eyes of God.  The only thing that can cleanse us from The Filth Within is Jesus.  To listen to this message, click on the link.

For those of you who haven't seen it, I have a brand new publication available.  It's titled Reflections on Faith.  Here's the description:

Faith is essential in the life of the Christian. But what is faith, and what does it mean to have faith? These questions are explored as we look at the teaching of Jesus, relating to faith, in the gospel of Matthew.

If you're interested in checking it out, click on the link.

“…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

(Acts 1:8 ESV)

            As school is resuming here in Beulah, and as my own children are back in school, this verse has often come to mind in recent days.  It comes to mind because it reminds me, and hopefully them as well, of the calling God has placed on their lives.  Like the apostles, and like you and me, they have been called to be Jesus’ witnesses.  And school provides them with a great outlet for this calling.

            It’s a great outlet because there are many in the schools who do not know the Lord.  Students and teachers alike, there are many who do not have faith in him.  And they are able to share the gospel in this mission field.

            As most of you know, a witness is someone who testifies to what he’s seen and heard.  He testifies about something he’s experienced first-hand.  And this is what young people can do in the schools.  They can testify before others about the wonderful things God has done in their life.  They can testify concerning Jesus, how he’s saved them, and how he’s given them the hope of eternal life.

            I’ve run into many Christians over the years who’ve told me that children are not capable of carrying out this call.  They’ve told me that they’re too young.  They’ve told me that, instead of being a witness, they’re in the position of being corrupted by unbelievers.

            We can’t deny that it’s possible for our children to be corrupted.  It’s possible for us to be corrupted as adults as well.  However, Jesus gave this call to all of his followers.  As I search the Scriptures, I don’t see any age limit put on it.

            And not only is this true, we see also how God used young people to do great things.  We see that, when he was only a child, God spoke to Samuel and he became a great prophet.  We see that, when David was quite young, God used him to slay Goliath.  We aren’t given Mary’s age, but most scholars believe she was young when she was told that she would bear the Son of God. 

            God can use young people because they don’t fulfill this call by their own abilities.  And neither do we.  It’s not our wisdom that enables us to carry out this call.  Nor is it our maturity or strength. 

Jesus told his followers that, when his Spirit came upon them, they would be his witnesses.  It was the Holy Spirit who enabled them to carry out this call.  And, in the same way, it’s by the Holy Spirit that our children, that young people, can carry out this great work.

            I was a believer throughout most of my childhood.  And as I think about school, I see mostly my failure to reach out to my teachers and classmates.  I was so desperate to fit in that I kept my mouth shut.  I hope and pray that my own children, as well as yours, will not fail in this way.  I pray that they’ll fulfill this calling.  I pray that they will be the start of a revival here in Beulah.  I pray that, through their witness, many will come to know the Lord and his salvation.

This past Sunday at Prince of Peace, we concluded our series on failure.  As we did so, we looked at the apostle Paul.  Once again, we see his sin and that he's no better than us.  But we find that we are guilty of the same sin, and just in need of God's mercy.  And we see the grace of God given him in spite of his sin.  To hear this message, click on the link!

Do We Love God's Word?

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

(Psalm 119:97 ESV)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Psalm 119:105 ESV)

            As we read through Psalm 119, one thing is plain.  The author of this Psalm loved the Word of the Lord.  His thoughts were focused on God’s Word throughout the day, and they guided the actions he took.  But, reflecting on this, I’m forced to ask: Is this our attitude today, when it comes to God’s Word?

            So often today, even in the church, a different attitude is prevalent.  Even though we will say that we love God’s Word, we never take the time to read it or study it.  It’s not something on which we focus during our day to day life.  More often than not, we have no idea what the Bible even says. 

            Quite often, reading God’s Word and reflecting upon it is seen as more of a chore than a joy.  If we do it at all, it isn’t done out of our desire to know the Lord or the words he’s spoken.  It’s done out of a sense of duty.

            God’s Word is also not what guides our steps.  Instead of looking to Scripture when making decisions, we look to our own wisdom.  Instead of looking to Scripture to determine the right course of action, we look to our feelings and to popular opinion. 

            When we do look to God’s Word, we often find that it makes us uncomfortable.  It makes us uncomfortable because it contradicts what we tend to think and believe.  And this forces us to make a choice.  What do we believe is correct, our feelings or the written Word of God?

            Quite often, we look to Scripture and think that its teachings are outdated.  We believe that we’ve evolved past these doctrines of old.  We believe that if the authors of the Bible knew what we know now, it would read much different.

            When confronted with the uncomfortable aspects of Scripture, I’ve often heard people say something to the effect of: “My god would never say such a thing…My god would never do such a thing.” We often act as if we speak for God.  We act as though we’re a better judge of his character than he is himself.  We act as though we know him better than those who walked with him and who were inspired by the Spirit of God to pen the words preserved in the Bible.

            In closing, I want to leave you with a few statements, made by Jesus, regarding his Word:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

(Matthew 7:24-27 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

(John 8:51 ESV)

“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment-- what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me."

(John 12:48 ESV)

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

(John 14:23-24 ESV)

Honoring the Aged

“Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”

(1Timothy 5:3-4 ESV)

            When I served my first congregation, I lived in a parsonage in inner-city San Diego.  Around me lived people from many different cultures and ethnic groups.  And something always struck me about these people. It was impossible to miss the fact that they are very family oriented. 

I had a Vietnamese family living on one side.  And in their home lived the grandparents, the parents, and the children.  On the other side of my home was an apartment complex where several Mexican families lived.  And they also maintained strong intergenerational connections. 

            I learned from a friend that, when a Vietnamese couple married, they moved in with the bride’s parents.  Her parents would help with the children and the housework.  And, as they aged, they were cared for by their children and grandchildren.

            This struck me because, in American culture, our goal is to get out of our parents’ house.  We want to get out on our own and take care of ourselves.  We have little, if any, desire to stay and to care for our parents.

            And this mentality is seen not only in the young.  As adults, we want to get our children out of the house so we can enjoy the quiet of our golden years.  Among older adults, it’s viewed as strange to have adult children living with you.  It signifies that your children have not succeeded and are not able to take care of themselves.

            As they age, many older adults are unwilling to live with their children.  They say that they don’t want to be a burden.  And, for this reason, they choose to move into a nursing home.

            It seems to me that we’ve lost sight of the call of God to take care of our family.  Paul, in the above passage, was talking about the care of widows.  And he encouraged the church to care for widows who were truly widows.  What he meant by this is that, not only have they lost their spouse, but that they have no family left to care for them.

            However, if a widow had family, if they had children or grandchildren, it was expected that they would provide care.  He refers to this as showing godliness to their own household.  He says that, in this way, they’re making some return to their parents.  And he tells us that this is pleasing in the eyes of God.

            We often fail to remember that, by serving our parents, by caring for them, we are serving God.  After all, it’s he who called us to honor our father and mother.  As Jesus points out, in Mark 7:9-13, by providing for our parents, by caring for them, we fulfill this command.

            In verse 8 of 1 Timothy 5, Paul makes a very strong statement, one that we’d do well to consider.  He says: “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Even unbelievers understand that it’s right and proper to care for their family.  So, if we fail to provide for our family, and this is especially true if we’ve failed to provide for those of our own household, we’ve denied the faith.  We cannot sincerely profess faith in Jesus if we’re unwilling to care for our family.

            Considering this, I think that it’s good for us to be counter-cultural here in America.  As the church, let us not fall into the mindset that’s so prevalent in our nation today.  Let us not ignore our parents as they age.  Let us not seek independence from our parents to the point where we no longer honor them.  And let us, as we age, willingly receive the care and provision of our children.

This week at Prince of Peace, as we near the end of our series on failure, we looked at the sin of Peter.  We see that, after Jesus' arrest, he followed at a distance.  He did so because he didn't want to be too closely associated with him.  And, when asked, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. We too are guilty of following Jesus at a distance.  We too are guilt of denying him.  But we're encouraged by the grace given to Peter in spite of his guilt. To hear this message, click on the link.

A Partner or An Enemy?

“…for the one who is not against you is for you."

(Luke 9:50 ESV)

            This is a verse that has often caught my attention.  It’s done so because we often think of it in the opposite way.  We often believe that the one who is not for us is against us.

            However, the one who is not for us is not always against us.  They may not know us, and they may not be our fans.  But, regardless, we’re working for a common purpose.

            We see this as we look at the context of this verse.  The disciples came to Jesus telling him that they’d seen someone casting out demons in his name.  And when they saw this, they tried to stop him.  They did so because he did not follow with them.

            Jesus responded to them, telling them not to stop him.  They were not to stop him because the one who is not against them is for them.  He was in no way opposing them or their ministry while he engaged in his own.

            As I preached at our community service here in Beulah last week, I highlighted that all who have faith in Christ are brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Even though we have our own congregations, with beliefs and practices that differ slightly, we have many more similarities than we do differences.  We are all trusting in Christ, and in him alone, for the salvation he provides.  And we also share a common call and a common purpose.

            Those who attend the other churches in town may not follow the Lord with me.  And, in the same way, we may also serve separately.  But we are, in no way, opposing one another.

            We often look at the other churches in town, we often look at the other pastors in town, as our competition.  Because they are not following Christ together with us, we set ourselves against them.  We want to be more successful than them.  We’d be happy if we could get their people to come to our church.  In fact, we’d be just fine with it if their church closed its doors.

            Like the disciples, we must realize that those who are not against us are for us. Even if they aren’t following with us, they’re following the same Lord.  Even if they aren’t serving with us, we are serving the same Lord. 

            That being said, I’m not suggesting should throw caution to the wind.  We all know that there are many who profess faith in Christ and to serve him, yet their ministry is not Scriptural in the least.  And, as a pastor, I view the protection of the flock as an important responsibility. Before I recommend that someone attend a particular church or ministry, or before I recommend that they make use of a particular resource, I want to know that we’re on the same page.  This is even more the case if someone is to teach or to share in the congregation I serve.

            However, as I’ve pointed out, there are many who follow Christ who are not following with me.  There are many who serve Christ who are not serving with me.  And just because this is true of them doesn’t indicate that they are off base or that their ministry should be hindered.  He who is not against me is for me.  The one who is not opposing my ministry is following and serving the same Lord.

This week at Prince of Peace, we continued our look at failure as we considered the sin of Solomon.  We find, once again, that he was not a good man.  We find that he was not deserving of God's blessings.  Yet, we also find that God blessed him in spite of his sin.  All of this is a comfort to us, who are guilty like Solomon and deserving of God's judgment.

The Source of Healing

“Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk."”

(John 5:8 ESV)

            After listening to the invalid share about his inability to get into the pool, that he might receive the healing he desired, Jesus addresses the man.  However, his words seem almost cruel and uncaring.  He simply tells the man to get up and walk.

            Imagine telling an alcoholic to clean up his life.  This would be cruel because he obviously can’t do this for himself.  Imagine telling a blind man to see or a deaf man to hear.  Again, they can do nothing to change their condition.  Such a statement would be cruel because we’d be telling them to do something that’s beyond their ability.

            But we fail to understand something that this man seemed to grasp.  Jesus didn’t tell him to get up to insult or to mock his condition.  Jesus also didn’t expect this man to get up and walk by his own strength or ability.  Jesus told the man to get up because he had the power to make the man get up.  He had the ability to grant healing.

            It’s clear to me that the man understood this.  It’s clear because, upon hearing this command, he didn’t grumble.  He didn’t complain of his inability to get up, or continue to lay.  He simply did as he’d been told.  He picked up his bed and walked.

            In the same way, we’re told to resist the devil not because we can do it on our own, but because Jesus can empower us to do just that.  We’re told to flee from immorality and youthful passions not because we have the strength in ourselves to do it, but because Jesus can empower us to do it.  We’re told to repent not because we have the strength or the willpower to accomplish this task, but because Jesus can empower us to turn from sin.

If we want to be healed, if we want Jesus to work in our life, we must trust in his power to grant that healing.  We must surrender to him as he calls to us and follow his leading.  It’s when we respond to him in faith that we’ll receive the gift he’s offering us.

As we continued our look at failure, this past Sunday, we spent time dealing with the sins of David.  Despite being called a man after God's own heart, he had some definite flaws.  To hear this message, click on the link.

Where Is Our Help Found?

“The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me."”

(John 5:7 ESV)

As we read on about the invalid with whom Jesus spoke in John 5, it seems that he did want to be healed.  After all, why else would he be at the pool?  However, even though he had this desire, he’d lost hope. 

Again, it was believed that whoever made it into the pool first, after the water was stirred, would be healed.  And this invalid had lost hope because someone always beat him to the pool.

            Imagine trying to win a footrace as an invalid.  It’s right up there with a blind man winning a sharpshooting competition or a mute winning a speech competition. No matter your efforts, the deck is always stacked against you.  And, having realized this, he was discouraged.

Even though he likely didn’t realize it, he’d lost hope because he was looking to the wrong source. Instead of looking to the Lord, he was looking to this pool.  Instead of looking to the Lord, he was depending on his ability to make it first into the pool.

We often get caught in the same mindset.  We have a clear need, but we look not to the Lord.  Instead of looking to God, we look to our efforts. Instead of trusting in Jesus, we trust in people or superstition.

In order to remain healthy, or to become healthy, we look to our own efforts or to products marketed in this way.  We look to a certain diet or exercise program.  We look to vitamins or organics. 

I’m not suggesting that it’s wrong to eat healthy or to exercise.  I try to do just that.  And there are definite benefits to these practices.  However, we must not allow them to be our focus as we’re seeking help rather than the Lord.

            When it comes to physical illness, we look not to the Lord, but to doctors and medications. When it comes to mental illness, we look not to the Lord, but to psychiatrists and counselors. The Lord can, of course, work through people. He can use people, whom he has gifted, to help meet our need. And, again, I’m not suggesting that it’s wrong to make use of them.  I regularly make use of doctors myself.  Having a chronic illness, I take medication on a daily basis.  We must realize, however, that the Lord is the source of our help. We must realize that he's the source of our strength and healing.

Other times, people will depend upon a rabbit’s foot or a horseshoe over the door for good luck.  They will look to dreamcatchers to rid themselves of bad dreams.  People will rely on sacred relics or on a pilgrimage to a sacred site to gain the blessing needed.

And, just like the invalid, we often lose hope. We lose hope because, no matter what we try, nothing seems to help.  Our life doesn’t seem to improve.  The need that we possess remains unsatisfied.

            Whatever our need, and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we must realize the true source of help.  As we read in the first two verses of Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” We must always know and remember that the Lord is the source of our help and it’s to him that we must always look.