August 16, 2011

“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it. But the Lord God gave the man this warning; ‘You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die.’” Genesis 2:15-17

God has always demanded honor. After all, He IS God, what else SHOULD He expect? And God interprets honor in terms of obedience. If you claim to honor God but do not obey Him, He is not honored.

God created Adam in order to enjoy fellowship with him and God was honored through being in perfect relationship with Adam. Adam was honored through being the crowning touch of God’s creation. God further honored Adam by creating a companion for him. Adam and Even were to honor each other and together they were to honor God. When they did, life was………well, perfect!

We can see that honor is the foundation upon which healthy relationships are built. Is it any wonder that the wedding vows include the promise to “love, honor, and obey”? Honor and obedience strengthens relationship. Failure to obey dishonors a partner and weakens the relationship.

You can trace all of the sin and shame that pollutes human nature to the moment when Adam & Even dishonored God by disobeying Him with the forbidden fruit. They were urged to do so by the Serpent, Satan, the master of dishonor. He convinced them that they could disobey God without dishonoring Him. They were wrong! Dead wrong.

The immediate result of Adam and Even dishonoring God was their sense of shame. That was evidenced when they hid from God and made coverings for themselves. And as their ancestors, we inherited their shame and disobedient nature.

Does obedience really matter? It does if you want to honor God! You cannot honor God while you are disobeying Him. That is a devil of an idea.

You were created to honor God through obedience. Shame on you if you don’t!

The Deal: God is not honored by your good intentions, He is honored by your obedience.

August 15, 2011

What a Savior we have!

In John Chapter 6 we see Him as the Bread of Life! He bids us to feed on Him.

In John 8 He identifies Himself as great than Abraham.

In Chapter 9 he presents Himself as the Light of the World and illustrates it by healing a blind man!

Wow! What a Savior!

Moving on to Chapter 10 he refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. His description sounds a lot like Psalm 23!

As a pastor friend of mine once declared, "When the Lord is your Shepherd - the future is your friend!" Here's why:

He Leads Us!

A hireling or a sheep rustler drives the sheep, but the Good Shepherd leads us. He leads us into the safety of His presence! He leads us into the security of His pasture! He leads us into the abundance of His truth. He speaks gently to us and calls us by name as He leads us. Think of that, the Good Shepherd knows your name!

He Loves Us!

A hireling or a rustler has no regard for the sheep. They mean nothing to them. To them the sheep are a necessary inconvenience. They lead the flock only for their own personal benfit. So when the sheep are threatened, they will flee to protect themselves. But the Good Shepherd loves His sheep. He provides for them. He protects them. He prays for them. He will give His life to save them. Think about that! You are loved by the Good Shepherd!

He leads us. He loves us. And:

He Laid Down His Life for Us.

Verse 10 sums up the desire of the Good Shepherd and the destiny of His sheep:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full!"

To quote my friend - "When the Lord is your Shepherd, the future is your friend!"

August 14, 2011

The word for today is "preparation". Are you preparing? Are you prepared?

 

Reading this morning in II Chronicles and in John 10 the importance of preparation became obvious. Preparation for what? Preparation for the presence of God.

Solomon is fulfilling his destiny and the dream of his father, David, by building the Temple of the Lord. The first five chapters of this book go into great detail - painstaking detail of all the people, the plans, the contributions, the materials, and the procedures that went into preparing for the building of God's Temple. Why all the attention to detail? Because they were preparing for the presence of God!

When the building was done and the details completed, the significant moment arrived when the Ark of the Covenant was carried into the beautiful new Temple. With great joy and ceremony it was placed in it's specially prepared place. Here is the dramatic moment:

"The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. II Chronicles 5:7-14

Wow! What a moment! How would you have liked to been there for that! All the hard work and planning paid off! It was well worth it!

In the second half of John 10, Jesus is being hassled by the religious elite questioning His miracles and his claims of being the Son of God. Despite ample evidence to the claims He was making, they refused to believe and continually challenged Him. Once they picked up stones to stone Him but He avoided them and later they tried to seize Him but He slipped away and got out of town.

The change of scenary made a significant difference. Here's the story:

"Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus." John 10:40-42

In one place Jesus had nothing but resistance, but in this place He had nothing but results. What was that about?

Simple, it's that "P" word again - "preparation" ! John the Baptist had preached and taught and ministered in that area and prepared the way for Jesus.

It seems obvious to me that God honors prepartion.

We crave the presence of God but we don't like the hard work involved in the preparation. We show up at worship or LIFE group and expect the leaders to produce the presence of God. While it is their responsibility to adequately prepare, it is incumbant on each of us to show up prepared.

Preparation is hard and tedious - but the payoff is well worth it! What are you doing to prepare for God's presence?

August 13, 2011

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:9-16

If I have not yet made the case for the truth and reliability of God's Word, let me try one more time.

First, let's review. The evidence we have presented to this point:

1) Fulfilled Prophecies - every prophecy concerning Jesus was fulfilled completely.

2) Historical Accuracy - if measured by the same standards as other commonly accepted ancient documents, the Bible would fare well.

3) Miraculous Preservation - for ages the Scriptures have been under attack by kings, emperors, and czars. These tyrants have tried to destroy copies if the Bible, killed the people who printed them, and arrested those who possessed them. Still, the Scriptures not only survived, but remain a number one best-seller!

4) Unity of Structure - The Bible was written over 1,500 years by 40 different writers in three different languages on three continents and yet there is a single theme - the redeeming love of God!

5) The Influence for Good - It can easily be documented that everywhere the Bible has been honored and taught, the social climate and culture have been superior to non-biblical cultures. That has been true throughout biblical history. No other sacred writing has impacted history to a greater extent than the Bible.

So, faith in the Bible is well-founded. However, there is one more convincing and powerful proof for the veracity of the Word. What is it? It is the proof of a changed life!

When someone begins to study and believe and live by Biblical truths, that life changes dramatically. People who used to be hateful, suddenly become loving. Why? The power of the Word? People who once were very selfish, suddenly begin devoting their lives to serve others. Why? The power of the Word. The Word of God has tranforming power!

How can you see that power in your life?

Love the Word

Is the Word of God a controlling passion in your life? Do you love it more than life itself? Light the Psalmist, you should delight in His Word. When you do it will transform your heart and mind.

Learn the Word

The Psalmist hid God's Word in his heart. That takes time and effort and study. Read it. Memorize it. When you do it will transform your heart and mind.

Lean on the Word

What do you depend on when you have to make a tough decision? Where do go to find strength during a difficult time? When you need encouragement, where do you go to find it? Jesus leaned on the Word - even though He WAS the Word! When you lean on the Word you will find it transforms your life.

Live the Word

If you are a believer in Christ and a lover of the Word, I am guessing that you chose that way because of a significant person in your life who lived out the Word. For me it was a man named Ralph Westafer. He lived out the Word so well and with such passion that it was hard NOT to believe in the Word. I'll bet you know someone like that.

Will you commit to become someone like that?

August 12, 2011

"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." Psalm 51:3-4


Sin may be in but sin is serious - seriously destructive.

 

King David, one of the godliest men in the Bible, was overcome by a moment of lust and committed a heinous sin. Then he compounded it by having her husband killed.

Destructive. Despicable.

 

As we focus on the anguish of the King, we get a sense of the awfulness of sin. Here's how damaging it can be:

 

Sin Desecrates

 

David's sinful acts had wreaked destruction on the sacred trust he had with God and with Israel as the King.

 

Also, he desecrated his marriage as well as the marriage of Uriah and Bathsheba.

His lustful fling destroyed two marriages and an innocent loyal life.

 

Sin Alienates

David's flagrant disobedience alienated him from his good conscience. It set him at odds against what he knew was right and holy. His peace was gone. His joy was gone. His fellowship with God was badly strained.

Sin Humiliates

Once David came to his senses (willful sin is much like temporary insanity) he could hardly believe what he had done. This man who loved God so much had dishonored God. This man who held the Kingship in such high esteem had dishonored the throne. This man who revered the Army of God, had violated military honor by betraying one of his loyal officers.

Everything good and sacred to this Honorable man had been dishonored by his indulgent act. This was so opposite of what he desired and dedicated his life to, he could hardly believe what he had done. He completely humiliated himself and all that he loved.

 

Sin Separates

God is Holy. That means He cannot sin nor can anything sinful exist in His presence. We are sinners by nature. We are sinners by habit. Therefore, our nature is incompatible with God's nature and that separates us from Him. We can have no fellowship with Him. He is a stranger to Him and we to Him.

David, who had been chosen by God and had entered God's presence through obedience and imputed righteousness was now separated from God. How tragic!

Sin Complicates

God exists in unity with the Son and the Spirit. Three in one through the mystery of the Trinity. God exists in the simplicity of love, holiness, and eternity. He created man for a simple fellowship of love and creativity. Because He wanted man's freewill to matter, He gave Adam one option to obey - don't touch the Tree of Life. As long as he abides by that simple rule, he had a perfectly simple existence. But his willful rebellion against God immediately complicated his life. Humanity's plight became exponentially more difficult.

David's world became incredibly complicated by his sin. Yours will, too.

Enough already? Have I made my point? Sin is destructive.

 

Fortunately, God is merciful. Thankfully, a merciful God sent His Holy Son to assume the desecration, the alienation, the, the humiliation, the separation and the complications of our sins so we can know the holiness, purity and simplicity of living in His love!









That's serious!

August 11, 2011

"I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against God" Psalm 119:11

Americans like the “bottom line” so let’s get to the bottom line for this verse. How does that sound?

This little verse with a big message is, in fact, the answer to an important question posed in verse nine, “How can a young man keep his way pure?”

So, the bottom line is that everything we have studied so far only matters if you are interested in living a pure and holy life. Others need not apply.

David, the Psalmist declares that the reason he hides the Word of God in his heart is because he doesn’t want to sin against God. If sin doesn’t bother you the Word won’t matter that much.

Logically, if staying pure and holy in all your thoughts and actions is important to you then you will meditate and memorize the Word of God. Therefore, if you are not meditating or memorizing the Word of God it would indicate a lack of interest in holy living.

If you have filed your Bible in the “inspiration reading” section of your mind or if you keep it on hand as a reference book you are not that concerned about sin. Very, very dangerous!

Here in this last half of the verse, are contained two very important truths about sin. Before we wrap our consideration of this verse allow me to point them out.

First, he says that sin is a choice – “that I might not sin”

One of the main blessings of salvation in Christ is it can free you from the power of sin. You no longer have to live as a slave to it. The main message of the Cross is Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for your sins that you can be free!

Every sin is preceded by a thought. If you entertain that thought it becomes a temptation and when you dwell on that temptation it usually leads to sin. So, before you sin you have to run a couple of red lights. You sin because you choose to. For someone who claims to be a Christian, that is exceedingly dangerous.

Think about it. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness He had to rely on quoting the Scriptures He had hidden in His heart. If Jesus Who WAS the Word had to rely on the Word to resist sin, what makes you think you can ignore your meditation and memorization?

Second, he says that sin has a consequence – “against God”

When you sin it is against God. When you choose to sin you choose against God. When you refuse to humble yourself to the Word to meditate on it and memorize it you are choosing against God’s wisdom and truth.

I am not sure you want to do that. You probably don’t want to do that. You certainly shouldn’t do that!

You also sin against yourself in that your sin breaks your fellowship with God AND you are the one who will have to live with the consequences of your sin.

Sin complicates your life. Sin alienates you from God. Sin has consequences that you can choose to avoid. Why wouldn’t you? You can choose purity from sin or you can suffer the penalty of sin. It is all dependent on what you do with God’s Word.

That’s the bottom line.

August 10, 2011

"I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against God" Psalm 119:11

“ In My Heart”

God’s Word is light and life to those who believe. But it is only effective for those who know how to read it, study, it and apply it to daily living. The Psalmist knew how and it enabled Him to overcome sinfulness.

To hide the Word in your heart you need to know how to get it there. You don’t hide the Word by accident nor do you wake up one morning to find yourself Biblically literate. You can’t use your Bible for a pillow and hope it sinks in by osmosis.

How do I get it into my heart?

Meditate

Now what does this meditation involve? The word "meditation" in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to yourself the Word of God day and night and to speak to yourself about it.

Max Lucado says that meditation is essentially the same process as worrying and if you can worry you have the ability to meditate!

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” Psalms 19:14

"O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all". 1 Timothy 4:15

To meditate on God’s Word you must get alone in a quiet setting where you can read it and think about and pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. The goal of meditation is threefold:

1) To communicate with God

2) To convicted or inspired by it’s truth.

3) To conform your life to God’s truth.

Will you meditate on God’s Word so it can be hidden in your heart and revealed in your habits?

Memorize

Another important aspect of hiding His Word in your heart goes beyond meditating and on to memorizing it – storing it in your mind. Don’t say you have a bad memory or that you can’t memorize! The biggest barrier to memorization is that “stinkin’ thinkin’”. Memorizing requires more time and effort than some want to invest in it, but everyone CAN memorize.

Here is the process you can commit to:

1) Read it

2) Repeat it – say it over and over and outloud.

3) Record it – write in on a flash card or record it on a CD so you can listen while traveling to work and back.

4) Recite it

5) Remember it – if you can recite it verbatim you have memorized it.

The word hidden in your heart and in your mind will enrich your life and elevate it beyond your wildest dream!

Something is written on your heart. Something will affect your thoughts and influence your behavior. If that “something” is not the Word of God you evidently have not been meditating on it or memorizing it.

If you find yourself worrying you probably are not memorizing and if you are not memorizing you have good reason to worry!