June 26, 2012

"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains  and throw off their shackles.”  The One enthroned in heaven laughs;  the Lord scoffs at them.  He rebukes them in his anger  and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king  on Zion, my holy mountain. ” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son;  today have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,  the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. "Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear  and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."  Psalm 2

Reading this ancient Psalm sounds similar to a modern newspaper headline.It seems more things change the more they stay the same. Perhaps history repeats itself because human nature remains the same - AND - so does God's!

That is really the theme of the 2nd Psalm which will be the text for my 4th of July message this Sunday. I want you to notice three things that haven't changed over the centuries since this was written.

Man has a rebellious nature that rages against God.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

That was true then and it is true now! It is true of you and it is true of me. This is exactly why we need to be saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.

God reigns over the affairs of men

The Bible is full of examples where arrogant and rebellious men have risen against God and all of them have been destroyed.

Even when kings and rulers and kingdoms and countries have ruled ruthlessly on the earth, none of them have threatened God in the least.

God sets them in place like chess pieces and each time they move themselves into checkmate.

Let me just give you two familiar examples to illustrate my point:

1) The Tower of Babel

The tribes of the earth came together to build a tower in defiance of God. While we are not exactly sure of the nature of the tower but the purpose was to challenge God.

We know how that turned out! God confused their languages and the tower never was finished.

2) The Flood

Even after God foiled the plan for the tower, men still became increasingly more evil. The evil became so rampant and repulsive to God He could no longer bear it. As much as God loves man He also hates sin so He finally decided He had to destroy the whole human race by way of a flood.

Because of His righteousness, Noah was the only one who would be allowed to survive and save his family.

With the rapid rise of world-wide unrest, the demise of the rule of law, and the economies about to collapse you can't help but sense that judgment is on its way again.

This world is becoming dangerous and it is easy to despair, but be reminded - GOD REIGNS!

You can choose - rebellion against God or relationship with Him.

The Psalmist pleads, "kiss the Son". What does that mean?

It means to surrender to Him and submit to His authority. It means repent of your rebellion and accept His salvation. It means come out of your rebellion and into relationship.

Those who find relationship with God find freedom. The very thing you thought you would find by rebelling against Him you receive when you become His friend!

Is there an area of rebellion in your spirit?

Are you under the illusion you can defy God and get away with it?

Why rebel against Him when you can be in relationship with Him?

June 25, 2012

^"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

This is the last post I will do on change for awhile.

Yes, you could say that I am going to "change" the subject.

While you and I deal with change constantly, God never changes.

Change is a way of life for us, but He have never changed. Hebrews 13:8 says He never will.

While God sends circumstances, pain and pressure to cause us to change He is unchangeable.

Does that seem right?

There is a very good reason why we regularly are challenged with change and God isn't. God is perfect and you're not.

How can you improve on perfect? It can't be done!

The concept of perfect means flawless and complete. Perfect means pure.God always has been and always will be perfect. He can't get better and He won't diminish so there is no need for Him to change.

God's desire is to shape you and change you to be more like Him! He wants to perfect you to resemble the image of Christ. That requires a lot of changes!

So, how does this affect your understanding of change? How does it affect your attitude toward it?

June 24, 2012

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  II Corinthians 5:17

There are a lot of things I would have liked to change about myself.

Growing up in Indiana where high school basketball is SO important, I wanted to be taller than I was. But I wasn't.

I wish I could have changed the amount of athleticism I possessed so I could have been quicker and faster and jumped higher. But I couldn't.

If I could have been more talented in music I would have made that change. But I couldn't.

God knew that we are capable of changing ourselves. That is precisely why He sent Jesus to change things for us!

One of the major change points in your life will be the day you understand how little you can actually change.

But change you must! I must change. Here's why:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"  Romans 3:

"The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

You and I are born as sinners. As sinners we have separated ourselves from a holy God. That was the reason Jesus came. He came to take our sins upon Himself and die as a sacrificial offering for our sins. We deserved death because we are sinful. He deserved the best of life since He was holy.

Jesus changed His address by coming to earth. He changed form by coming as a man. And He changed from holy to sinful as He took our sins upon Himself on the cross. And the only reason He made all those changes was so He could change us.

If you will change your mind and trust Him for your salvation rather than trying to earn it yourself, everything will change! You will become a new creation in Christ! Your relationship with God will change. You will have a change of heart. Your mind will be transformed. Your eternal destination will change. Your desires and motivations will change.

One small change from you is all it takes for Him to make big changes in you!

June 23, 2012

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

Discussions and disputes over worship go way back in time. You could even make a case that Cain killed Abel over a worship dispute, because God accepted Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's.

Jesus refused to take the bait and didn't get into a debate with her. Instead, He got to the heart of the issue and told her that worship is an issue of the heart. Worship involves "spirit and truth". The state of your heart is much more important than the style of your worship.

But, the fact is, we are creatures of comfort and we all have a style of worship that seems more comfortable to us. You could argue that is not right but you can't deny that it is how people are. There have probably been more people who have left churches over the issue of worship and music style than those who left because of doctrinal errors.

Who is to say which style is the best? Hymns, hymnals, organs and choirs or worship songs, praise bands, praise teams and powerpoint - which pleases God?

What pleases God is not the style of the worship but the spirit in which worship is done. The style of worship God prefers is sincere worship - worship where your spirit connects with God's Spirit. And the only way that your spirit can connect with the Spirit of God is if you are anchored in His truth and seeking new truth.

The goal of worship is not to look good or feel good but it is to honor a great God by celebrating His goodness in your life.

This woman who met Jesus at the well didn't let her ideas about the right way to worship to get in the way of encountering God. She was seeking truth and when she met the Truth, she put away her notions of worship and enjoyed His presence.

Because she was more open to receiving truth than preserving a tradition, her life was transformed and she was converted to a true worshipper.

Have you ever let your traditionalism or your spiritual comfort zone or personal preference keep you from truly encountering God's presence?

Will you ask God to help you understand what it means to worship Him in "spirit and in truth?"

June 22, 2012

^"Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,”  Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  John 8:1-11

Here is another powerful story of a dramatic life change.

When Jesus was here on earth He was all about life change. Now He leaves that to you and me. If you and I are going to be as effective in changing lives as He wants us to be, we must learn to understand the importance of change points - recognize them and relate to them.

Over the past few posts I have given examples of how Jesus connected with Zacchaeus and the woman at the well and offered hope and help to people when they were hurting.

In this encounter, Jesus was confronted with a woman who had been caught in adultery. The law said she would have to be stoned. I think it is fair to say she was hurting. She was hurting enough to welcome some change into her life - if she had any life left.

Jesus came to her defense and sent her accusers away in shame. When HE was alone with her He told her there was forgiveness for her if she would change her ways.

She wanted to change and once she knew that change was possible, she gladly promised to cease her sinful ways. And history records that she did.

Jesus understood that people change when they hurt enough they have to - she did. And they change when the know enough that they can change - and Jesus showed her how. And then people change when they receive enough that they can - and Jesus empowered her.

People are very resistent to change when they are not at a change point in their life. To be a change agent like Jesus, you must learn to recognize the change points in a person's life so you know when to step in to offer the spiritual transformation God provides.

Learn from Jesus. He encounter this woman when she was hurting, He gave her hope that she could change and gave her help to actually change. If you know the Scriptures, you will remember that later, after she had changed, she ministered comfort to Jesus at a moment when He was hurting.

You are called to bring life-change to a lost and dying world. Learn to recognize the change points!

June 21, 2012

^"When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:7-15

John Maxwell gives this helpful insight into understanding change:

People change when they …

Hurt enough they have to,

Learn enough they want to, and

Receive enough that they are able to.

Followers of Christ are in the life-change business! That is because God is in the life-change business. No one can come in contact with His transformational power and remain the same!

I am giving some Biblical example of lives that changed when Jesus approached them at change points in their lives.

Yesterday, I wrote about Zacchaeus. Today I call your attention to the woman at the well. When she encountered Jesus she was definitely hurting. The fact that she was coming to the well during the noon hour was evidence of that. All the "respectable" ladies came early in the morning and later in the afternoon to avoid the heat. But the "bad girls" came during the middle of the day to avoid the shame and scorn that would be heaped upon them if they met people there.

I think it is safe to assume that Jesus was waiting at the well during the middle of the day for that very reason! He knew that who ever He met would be a hurting, needy person who was at a change point in their life.

Do you know some one who is hurting? Will you be willing to meet them at their change point?

Once Jesus connected with her hurt, He then shared help and hope with her by giving her the gospel.

Are you prepared to share the good news of the gospel with a hurting person?

Jesus connected with her hurt and shared His hope and finally, He showed her how she could receive the power to change. He identified with her thirst and offered he living water that would satisfy her thirst forever!

She changed because she hurt enough that she wanted to. She changed because Jesus was there to give her the knowledge that she wanted to. And, she received the power from Jesus that transformed her.

She hurt, she hoped and then she received Him! That is how change happens!

When was the last time God was able to use you to bring His change to a hurting person?

June 20, 2012

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:1-10

Jesus came to seek and to save those who are spiritually lost.

What did you come to do?

If you are a Christian, a follower of Christ, you are commanded to do as He did - look for lost people to win.

So, what should you look for when identifying someone you could reach?

John Maxwell gives this helpful insight into understanding change:

People change when they …

Hurt enough they have to,

Learn enough they want to, and

Receive enough that they are able to.

In other words, Maxwell is saying that there are three main change points in a person's life.

A person who is effective in reaching lost people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, knows how to recognize someone who is at a change point in his life.

Zacchaeus is a good example of one who was at a change point and Jesus recognized it and stepped into his life.

Zacchaeus was hurting because, as a tax-collector, he was despised and had no friends. He was a Jew collecting taxes from other Jews for the hated Romans. That was not a way to make friends or influence people.

So, he hurted enough to want to change. He knew what he was doing wasn't working and he was looking for something that would. When he heard about Jesus coming to his village he knew that he had to meet this amazing Teacher.

Jesus, quickly recognized Zacchaeus was at some change points and took advantage of this vulnerable time to give Zach what he needed in order to experience a fundamental change in his life.

This is a great lesson for those of us who are called and commissioned to "seek and save" lost people.

Who do you know who is at a change point in his life?

Do you know some one who is hurting?

Do you know some one who is just begin a healing process and is looking for a better way to live?

Do you have some one in your life who is highly motivated toward self-improvement but misguided in that search?

Spiritual transformation happens at change points!