May 19, 2016

"But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 2:18

Talk is cheap!

Anyone can say anything! But unless you can back up your claims with action your words are empty.

I could say that I can beat Jason Day in golf, but until I actually get it done, my words would be empty and my claims foolish.

Saying that I could slam dunk a basketball over LaBron James would be a delirious claim I could never substantiate. Until I would do it no one would believe it.

The writer of Hebrews stated, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."

Certainly, faith has an invisible component, but it also has a tangible aspect. Faith is a spiritual connection with an invisible God that results in visible and tangible evidence. Faith does not deal in wild or fanciful claims. Faith is not delusional.

Real faith, the faith that James talks about, makes an invisible God believable by the visible actions and attitudes that it transforms. When a man who once was a degenerate alcoholic and womanizer suddenly becomes sober and chaste, that indicates something substantial happened. What is behind this incredible transformation? Faith! You cannot doubt this man's faith because his life has dramatically changed.

Faith is a connection between two realities - an unseen spiritual reality and a visible physical reality. While faith originates in the unseen world it is expressed and validated in the realm of sight and sound.

What you think about faith and God are important. What you feel about God matters. But according to James, what really matters is what we do. That is what people see and what people see is what is real to them.

Making faith real - making God believable - is one of the things we are called to do as Christians.

How about you?

Are you talking a good game but not really delivering with the behavior and attitudes? Or is your life indisputable evidence because of your deeds, your attitudes, and actions?

Believers are to make faith believable by what they do!

Secret Service Saints

"His lord said to him, Well done, good and true servant: you have been true in a small thing, I will give you control over great things: take your part in the joy of your lord." Matthew 25:23

This is the age of the 24/7, 365 news cycle so everyone is looking for the next big personality and the next spectacular story. It is understandable in a medium that must draw ratings to survive (unless you are CNN or MSNBC).

But often lost in this are the people who really make America work and who are the genius of America's greatness. These are the millions who do the right things for the right reasons every day. Their faithfulness in the "small things" form the backbone of our culture. Maybe they are unnoticed by the mass media but not by the people who benefit from their dependability.

Perhaps you are one of these dependable "go to" people and wonder if anyone notices or who cares. If you are wondering whether it is worth it I have good news for you! According to our verse for this morning, God notices small things done well! (He also keeps track of the things done wrong!)

The Bible is replete with stories of "back bench" people who just showed up every day and did small things well.

My favorite is Andrew. He was one of the disciples who didn't get much notice but the few times he shows up in the New Testament he is bringing someone to Jesus.

It was Andrew who brought his brother, Peter to Jesus. Peter became an essential player in the establishment of the Church. It was Andrew who brought the little lad with the lunch to Jesus. Five loaves of bread and two fish - a simple lunch and a small act of generosity "hooked up" by Andrew. Remember how that turned out? Miraculous!

In forty-five years serving in local churches I have developed a profound appreciation for those servants who labor in obscurity doing those tasks that no one else wants to do but are essential to the function of the church. While most never get the notoriety they deserve, Jesus notices and He keeps track. Without those choice servants there would be no great churches like Saddleback or Shadow Mountain, or Willow Creek or First Baptist of Atlanta, or Spotswood or Parkway Wesleyan - or FredWes. Apart from those scores of unheralded heroes no one would have heard of Rick Warren, or David Jeremiah, or Bill Hybels, or Joel Osteen, or Charles Stanley, or Andy Stanley - or, you name it.......

Think about it, some unknown person changed Charles Stanley's diaper in a church nursery somewhere in Southern Virginia. Someone told Bible stories to Rick Warren and helped him fall in love with Jesus. You have no idea what God will do in the lives of those you care for or teach Sunday after Sunday that you sacrifice your opportunity for worship in order to minister to them.

Here's what I know about faithful servants in a local church. The secret service saints ministering in the shadows do more to make churches great and pastors successful than the other way around. So, here is my tribute to those of you who serve!

I love you! I appreciate you! I know the value of what you do! And to a much greater extent - so does God!

May 17, 2016

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:10-14

Fighting fear is a full-time effort. If you don't get the best of it you can be sure it will get you.

We have been drawing from Psalm 27 to learn from the Shepard King how he learned to overcome fear. Through the first two-thirds of chapter I have drawn from his wisdom to show you:

To Find Your Place in Him, Vv. 1-6 - He Offers Protection

Seek His Face, Vv. 7-9 - He Offers His Presence

In this final third of the Psalm we are told to Rest in His Grace!

Actually, the fact is His protection and His presence ARE part of His grace as well.

One of the fears that haunts the human heart is the fear of not belonging. But you are promised that God will make sure you will always belong to Him. He will always receive you into His grace!

Even in the rare circumstance that a parent would forsake you. Or, in the even more rare situation that BOTH parents would dessert you - God will receive you into His grace.

When you rest in the blessings of His grace you never need to fear not belonging. You will know you belong to Him!

Another fear that dogs many people is the fear of not being good enough.

If you trust in your own moral goodness or your good works to secure your place in eternity, how do you know for sure that you are good enough or how can you be sure you have done enough good things to outweigh the bad?

Here is great news for those plagued by that fear! The grace of God removes it!

How?

Grace means that God provided for your moral goodness and accomplished the good work when He sent His Son, Jesus, to the cross. Upon the cross, Jesus atoned for all your sins and immoral behavior by dying for your sins. And He did the good work of become the sacrifice to atone for your sins. So, when you receive His grace and rest in it, you need not fear any more! As you remain in His grace you can rest in the knowledge that everything He has is yours and everything He is will be developed in you!

The grace of God in Jesus Christ provides all you need to live in right relationship with God and to live out His righteousness every day!

Are you hiding in His righteousness or are you still trying to earn it?

Do you face eternity without fear?

If you have fear you are probably not resting in His grace.

Sonlight

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Why are my sins important to anyone else - unless I happen to sin against them? James seems to indicate that my sins could be a problem to you and and yours to me because the church is a body - The Body of Christ!

I guess the first question to ask is, "What is the Church?"

As I mentioned, the church is the Body of Christ, but the name for the Church in Scripture is "eklessia". It literally means "called out". The Church is the Body of the "called out ones".

Called out from what? Called out to what?

Good questions!

Being the Body of Christ you can easily reason that the Church would be called out from sin. Don't you think that is reasonable? So, if you are called out from sin and you continue to sin how does that impact the Body? If I continue to sin or if I sin against you, doesn't that impact the Body?

Being the Body of Christ you can also logically assume that we are called out to God. I mean, who is it that would call us out of the world other than God? So, if the Church is called out from sin and to God, how do you think sin affects that?

Being the Body of Christ we are called together. You are called out and I am called out and together we are the Church. So, if we are called out together how does sin impact that relationship? If I sin against you doesn't that create some stress or tension in our relationship? Of course. And vice versa.

Think about what sin does. Sin separates us from God. How can that be good for the Church that is called out by God for God?

Sin also complicates. Once Adam and Eve sinned their lives got immediately complicated. Sin harms relationships, impairs judgment, stirs up guilt and alienates us from God. How does complicating life enhance the Church? It doesn't!

Just those two problems caused by sin are damaging enough to the Church to make the case that sin needs to be dealt with within the Church if the Church is to fulfill its mission as the Body of Christ called out of the world.

James prescribes drastic action to deal with sin. Confess them to each other and prayer for each other. When you know what my sins are and I know what your sins are then I can pray specifically for God to strengthen you. I can also do something else significant, I can hold you accountable. You can hold me accountable. We will each know how seriously the other is dealing with our sins. Transparency and accountability are effective weapons against sin in the church. If I am intentionally standing against my sin and you are standing with me against my sin, doesn't it make sense that I will be stronger in resisting sin?

Sin prospers in the darkness but withers in the sunlight (Sonlight) of truth. James says expose it to the light of truth and shine the searchlight of accountability on it and you will be healed! When you are healed and I am healed guess what happens to the Church? Health!

So, why wouldn't you want to do that? 

There is a direct connection between holiness and church health! The holier a church becomes the healthier it grows. 

What church wouldn't want that?

May15, 2016

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2

This is a GREAT Psalm!

Why?

Because it reminds you that you can live life in "3-B"!

Shouldn't that be "3-D"?

No, it is "3-B", as in "three times blessed"!

How so?

Look at those first two verses of Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose:

1) "transgressions are forgiven"

2) "sins are covered"

3) "sin the Lord does not count against him"

Doesn't that sound good?!

Let me make it sound even better!

Transgressions refer to the deliberate disobedience of a known law of the God. It is severe because it involves a willful sin against God.

Sins involve doing what I want without considering what God wants. It means satisfying the flesh at the peril of the spirit.

The other reference to sin denotes an act committed in a moment of anger or passion. It is something done thoughtlessly that hurts you, others and God.

Some believe that this Psalm was written in regard to David's terrible sin with Bathsheba and against her noble husband, Uriah. In committing those despicable acts he sinned willfully, he sinned selfishly and he sinned in a moment of unchecked passion.

Imagine the shame and guilt that came as a result of those heinous acts. His remorse is evident in the 51st Psalm as well as in this one.

No wonder David rejoiced in the "3-B" grace he received from his God. Imagine the joy of having his transgressions forgiven, his sin covered and his sin not counted against him!

He lived life in "3-B"!

What about you? Are you living in "3-B"?

May 14, 2016

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothingby taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus’ descent into greatness is chronicled here in Philippians 2:5-11. Or, in other words, here is how Jesus became an "I AM 3rd" person.

Sovereign, V. 6 - “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”

Jesus voluntarily gave up what most of us secretly desire - sovereignty! He didn't grasp or cling or crave His power and nature but relinquished it to become human.

Servant, V. 7 - “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”

Jesus went from sovereignty to servanthood.

The Greek literally means that “He emptied Himself.” He was still God BUT:

• He willingly gave up His glory to become a servant.

John 17:5 - “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” 

• He gave up His honor.

Isaiah 53:3 - “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

• He rejected His riches

2 Corinthians 8:9 - “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

It wasn’t that Jesus lost any of His divine attributes; He simply chose to not use them. He had the prerogative of Majesty but chose the place of a menial servant.

Submission, V. 8a - “And being found inappearance as a man.”

As God, He emptied Himself, as man He humbled Himself. In this step down, Jesus voluntarily submitted Himself to hunger and pain and tiredness and emotions and other human limitations, and yet never sinned.

Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” 

Sacrifice, V. 8b - “He humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!”

In this final step down, we see exactly why Jesus came to earth. He was born to die. His death was no accident; He came on purpose to die in our place.

Death on a cross was brutal and barbaric and was not even talked about in polite Roman society circles. Ancient writers used to say that to die on a cross was to die a thousand times before you take your last breath. May I suggest that this was not the worst of it for Jesus? The most painful element of his death is that when He died, all the smelly sins and terrible transgressions of the entire world were placed on His shoulders. And when He hung on the cross as our sacrificial sin substitute, God the Father had to look away, causing the Son to cry out in agony,  Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Because He was fully man He could take our punishment upon Himself and because He is fully God, the shedding of His blood satisfied divine justice. Jesus is both just and the justifier.

 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Aren't you thankful for your salvation?

Jesus became an "I Am 3rd" person in order to purchase your salvation. In so doing, He changed our world for time AND eternity! He descended into greatness! He lowered Himself from a SOVEREIGN, to a SERVANT, to SUBMISSION and to a SACRIFICE.

That's the process of an "I Am 3rd" person and the source of it's power.

Are you ready to be an "I AM 3rd" person and descend into greatness?

May 13, 2016

The Apostle Paul was locked up in a prison and the Philippian Church was struggling due to self-serving and self-seeking people.

Since Paul was unable to preach or teach many of the preacher "wanna be" types were taking the occasion to promote themselves and attempting to out-preach each other.

Concerned by the rising tensions in that church he wrote this letter to address the issues truthfully and directly. Essentially, he called on them to become "I Am 3rd" people like him and like Jesus.

Essentially, Paul reminds these believers of the power of an "I Am 3rd" fellowship. They have had a good thing going in the Philippian church if they were to lapse into selfishness it would destroy their fellowship. He writes:

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion.”  Philippians 2:1

Normally the word “if” conveys doubt. But here Paul is using a Greek grammatical form that actually expresses certainty. He’s really saying, “If such-and-such is true – and I know that it is.” A better translation than "if" would be “since.” 

Since you have encouragement in your relationship with Christ AND since you have the benefit of His comfort through His love and His Spirit And you enjoy His tender compassion you should be an "I Am 3rd" person!

Every Christian has received these blessings and every fellowship should be united around these blessings!

II Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."     

So, if God has given us everything we need why are we why have we lost our culture?

Could it have anything to do with the fact we have made our church fellowship too much about us and not enough about Him?

Here's a couple of hints:

Jesus was an "I Am 3rd" person and He STILL impacts culture more than anyone who ever lived! He changed the world every time and every place that His followers were willing to be "I Am 3rd" people.

Paul was an "I Am 3rd" person and He changed the world with his preaching, his teaching, his writing his holy life and his missionary/church-planting journeys.

The "I Am 3rd" life works every time it is tried. Give it a try in your family first and then in the fellowship of your church!