January 20, 2017

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Today is a big day in America as it always is when we inaugurate a new President. Hundreds of thousands will pour into Washington D.C. for this great event that celebrates the peaceful and orderly transfer of power. Some will come to participate in this significant event, some will come to peek in on it and some will come to protest.

Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on the steps of the U. S. Capitol Building. One of the primary reasons he was elected had to do with the weak economy and his promises to strengthen it. I hope he succeeds in that goal.

Everyone is concerned about the economy because everyone is affected by it. No wonder that when Christ began His public teaching ministry He taught about God's economy. In case you are wondering, that is the central theme of the Sermon on the Mount. God does business far differently than we do and with a different currency. He wants you and me to do business with Him in a way that brings the Kingdom of God to earth.

The currency of God's economy is love!

His business is transforming selfish sinners into surrendered saints! He is very good at it! Every sinner who trusts Jesus to be his savior is a net profit for God!

I know this because I am one of those who have been changed, by His love and His mercy and His grace!

And I gladly give Him everything I treasure most so I can know His love and enjoy living in it!

Where is your heart this morning?

Do you treasure anything more than you treasure Him?

Where your treasure is there you will find your heart!

January 19, 2017

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

When you hear this verse what do you think it is asking you to give?

Probably money, right?

That's how it is usually presented when pastors preach on it. But let's look at it in context with the previous verse:

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:37-38

Maybe it's not just about money.

How about even more context.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:27-38

Hmmmmm.......doesn't really talk about money at all does it? It talks about having a generous heart and a giving spirit. 

Would money be included in that? Sure it would but that is not the primary point of this teaching.

Let's look at a parallel passage and see what we can learn.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2

Again, nothing is said about money is there?

You may recognize these passages as from the Sermon on the Mount. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is describing what the Kingdom of God is like and what people are like who live in that kingdom.

The Kingdom of God exists in the hearts and minds of God's people. It is about how they live and how they think. Through His people God seeks to connect the limitless resources of Heaven with the seemingly limitless needs on earth. Therefore, God's people are to give according to the needs of others not according to their own resources understanding they are channels or conduits through whom God gives. 

Think about it. God can only be as generous as your generosity permits Him to be!

"With the measure you use it will measured to you."

You give generously so God will generously give through you!

January 18, 2017

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

In the middle of His first great public teaching that came to be known as The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gets to the heart of a central issue with the human heart - MATERIALISM. Your heart and my heart is drawn to money and material possessions.

You have no interest in a certain bank. You drive by bank buildings everyday without even noticing. But that changes when you open a savings account and put your money in there. All of the sudden you find yourself drawn there frequently to make deposits or withdrawals. You want that bank to be secure and financially solid.

The New York Stock Exchange has no significance to you until you buy a stock or invest in a mutual fund. Then you will go online every day and track how your money is doing.

You know you need a place to live. Everyone needs shelter and safety and privacy. So, you begin looking at houses and you try to keep your emotions at bay so you can make a rational and intelligent decision. After you have searched for awhile you find a house that meets your needs and fits in your budget so you put money down and buy the house. Immediately, your attitude changes toward that house! It is no longer a house it is a HOME - your HOME! 

Why?

What changed?

You put a lot of your treasure into that house and your heart followed your treasure! Right?

That's the reality than Jesus knows about you and wants you to understand about yourself! Your heart follows your treasure. So if you want to get your heart in the right place put your treasure there and your heart follows!

So, let's go back to Matthew 6:21 and put it into context. I mentioned that this verse comes out of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. And what is the main topic of the Sermon on the Mount?

Here's a hint from several verses later in this chapter:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Jesus, in Matthew 5, 6 and 7 is describing the Kingdom of God. AND, He is calling you and me to be a part of that Kingdom because within that Kingdom is the blessed life!

How do I get into that Kingdom, Brad?

You throw your heart and your treasures into His Kingdom, His Kingdom principles and His Kingdom purpose. 

A high jumper was interviewed by a reported following his world record leap. The reported asked, "How did you manage to jump higher than any human being has ever been able to jump before?"

The new record-holder replied, "I just threw my heart over the bar and my body followed."

That's what Jesus is saying! Throw what you treasure most into the Kingdom of God and your heart will follow. And then keep doing it! That's what Jesus means when He said, "Seek first His Kingdom...." put your first things and best things and most precious things into God's Kingdom and your heart will be invested!

By the way, there is a promise Jesus tossed in there at the end did you get it?

"and all these things will be added to you as well."

What are "all these things"?

If you back up to the previous few verses you will discover that "all these things" refers to food, clothing, shelter - the things we naturally treasure with our hearts. When you get your heart in the right place He will be able to place the right things in your heart and also in your hand!

So, where is your heart this morning?

The better question is, "Where is your treasure because that's where your heart will be."

January 17, 2017

"Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves." Romans 12:9-10

"Love each other deeply" says the Scripture. The word that is used is the word for "brotherly love". Within the fellowship of the church you are to love others like family. The "phileo" type of love is the highest measure of love which human beings are capable of sharing. It refers to a genuine warm emotional feeling of fondness and familiarity. In other words, when you love a fellow Christian give it all you've got. Don't hold back.

Why should you not love your fellow believers like you love family? After all, you have the same Father. If you love God you certainly should love those in your church fellowship who also love God. You love them because God, your Father loves them. You love them deeply because they are spiritual family.

And why should you not love your fellow believers who not only share you Father, but also share your faith. Faith is a powerful force in the life of a believer. Faith is a set of beliefs about Who God is, how He operates, how He loves you and what He wants you to do and to become. A common system of beliefs and values can form a strong bond for friendship and fellowship among believers in a local church. Sharing strong beliefs at the core of your being with other believers is a strong uniting factor.

Also, when you worship and work together within the fellowship of a church you share the same focus. You want that fellowship to prosper and grow. The people and the pastors and the ministries of that church has inspired you and instructed you and invested in you over the years and it has become an important part of your life. Because you value that you value others who share your passion for the the health of that church. You are a team, you are members of the body who are working together to achieve shared goals. That is a strong common bond.

Love one another deeply as you would a brother or a sister. Live in unity and harmony with them. Share spiritual community as you worship together , serve each other and reach out to the needs in your city.

Having the same Father, the same faith and an identical focus are important factors in loving each other deeply (like brothers or sisters) within a local church fellowship. It is a powerful bond! It will bless you in your spirit and build you in your spiritual development!

Do you have a brotherly love for those who worship with you? 

If not, why not?

January 16, 2017

"Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves." Romans 12:9-10

Who doesn't want true love? Who wouldn't benefit from it? What church couldn't use more of it?

True love is hard to find. Maybe that is because it is hard to do.

In these two verses Paul gives us perhaps the most concise description of true love found anywhere - even more concise than I Corinthians 13.

Life is all about relationships and therefore, love is essential. God wired you to thrive within loving relationships but sin infected your nature with selfishness and selfishness is the great "anti-love".

So, the reason why it's hard for you to love others is because you love yourself more. Until you want to love more than be loved you will struggle with true love. Wow, that's honest!

Perhaps that's why this verse describing true love begins by demanding honesty. Until you are honest about your lack of love how can you ever hope to honestly love?

Selfish love is manipulative. It always look for an edge or an angle to get what it wants. When you are angling for what YOU want you will not be interested in what others want. Self-love is the "anti-love". Insincere love uses people rather than serves them. When others feel used by you not only do they not feel loved by you, it is demeaning to them. No one wants to feel like an object.

How do you get over the self-love so you can love others with a sincere love?

Back to the honesty! True love begins with repenting to God for your self-love. Call it what it is - SIN. The root of all sin is selfishness and that must be dug out by the root! Only the God of perfect love can do that.

The antidote for self-love is God's love. Maybe that is why Jesus commanded us to "Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". Until you love God more that you love yourself it will be impossible to love others and not try to manipulate them. Actually, you will try to manipulate God, too!

Get over it! Root out SIN and get sincere!

January 15, 2017

"Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves." Romans 12:9-10

Everyone wants love. Everyone needs love. Very few know how to give it. Many have trouble receiving it.

Tucked into the center of this incredible chapter about finding our purpose is this admonition to learn how to love. Could it be that love is at the heart of our purpose?

Uh..........yes!

Once the ego, and the evil and the emotions have been surrendered, and once the mind has had a supernatural transformation (by the way, the word for "transformation" is the root word for "metamorphosis" - which is what happens when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly). What happens in your heart and mind is no less miraculous than that!

When you have removed the obstacles to loving God and of receiving His love, you have positioned yourself to think and act in loving ways. One expression of that is serving in the Body using your spiritual gift.

So, the result of heeding these admonitions will be unity and community in the Body. As hard as it is to get there, how in the world do you maintain it?

Unity and community are preserved by maturity. Mature love will keep the Body healthy and growing.

What is mature love? What does it look like? What are the characteristics that mark this love? That will be the theme of our posts this week.

Mature love is sincere. Sincere means "real", not "phony", not "faked". The origins of the word "sincere" comes from two words meaning "without wax". Interesting, eh? It comes from a practice common to unscrupulous potters when they sold their wares in the market. Occasionally as the pots were being fired in the kiln, a few of them would crack. You have known enough crackpots in your lifetime to know that doesn't work. But rather than take the loss on the pots that had cracked the dishonest potter would melt wax and seal over the cracks and paint the pottery to hide their deception. Then they would sell the defective pots at full price. Only when that pot sat in the sun and the wax melted did the buyer realize he had been swindled. So, to protect their own business and reputation, honest potters would put up a sign at their booth that said "Sine Cere" - "without wax".

Mature love does not try to cover the cracks in its life nor does it reject others for the imperfections they have. As Peter admonishes, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8 Mature love lets the love of God seep through the cracks of their life and into the cracks of others!

Do you love with a mature love? 

Do you know someone who loves you like that?

January 14, 2017

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:3-8

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan, "While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. It was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies, and begin my two-day journey back to the hospital. Upon arriving at the city, two men were fighting, and one was seriously injured. I treated his injuries and told him about Jesus Christ. I then traveled two days, camped overnight, and arrived back home without incident.

Two weeks later I repeated my journey. When I arrived back at the city I was approached by the young man whom I had treated. He told me he knew I carried money and medicines. He said "Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But just as we were about to jump your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards!"At this I laughed and said that I certainly was all alone out in that jungle campsite. But the young man pressed the point, saying, "No Sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw them, and we all counted them. It was because of those 26 armed guards that we were afraid and left you alone."

At this point in his message, a man in the audience jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked the exact day that incident happened. The missionary told him - and the man excitedly told THIS story - "On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here, and I was preparing to play golf. I was about to tee off when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Holy Spirit was SO STRONG, I called men to meet me here to pray for you. "If you were here with me that day to pray please stand up?" The men who met together to pray stood up. The missionary wasn’t really concerned with who they were - but he wept as he counted their number -You guessed it - there were 26!

In these verses of Romans 12, Paul urges the believers with the importance of knowing the part they are to play in the local church AND to make sure they play that part. The part you should play is determined by the spiritual gift you have been given. Discover it and then faithfully use it by serving in the church.

Those 26 men in Michigan who had the gift of intercession were faithful to play their parts and they saved the life of their missionary friend!

How do you discover your spiritual gift?

Experiment

One way is to volunteer for a variety of areas in your church where you can serve discover what you enjoy doing and what you don't. You can also find out where you are effective and where you aren't.

Experience

Look back over your weeks and months or years of serving God in the church and see where you have made a difference. Talk with your pastor and see what he thinks your gifts might be. Where you have seen spiritual fruit develop from your ministry is a good indication of your giftedness.

Enlist

Ask your pastor if he has a spiritual gift inventory that you can take to help you identify your gift(s). At FredWes, that is part of our membership training class. Everyone who joins our church as a member know what his gifts are and can enlist in ministry according to their giftedness.

God has given you a "measure of faith" - a special gift enabling you to serve Him by serving your brothers and sisters in the church. If He has given you a gift, shouldn't you unwrap it? Shouldn't you do your part?