April 2, 2012

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep"..........."When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? "Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Cor. 15:14-20 & 54-58 Life is about figuring out what matters and what doesn't. The sooner you figure that out the better your life will be. Some never figure it out. Usually, you figure out what matters through being told what matters by someone who matters a lot to you. Most often you are taught what matters by your parents because they matter most to you and you learn to value what they value. Over time, as you mature, you begin to develop your own value system to determine what matters most to you. If you are a Christian you must ultimately develop your value system according to the truths and people who are recorded in the Bible. When you decide that Biblical values will matter more to you than material or temporal or cultural values you will begin to experience some push-back and that pressure forces you to regularly examine and evaluate what matters to you. That can be a healthy process! Perhaps you are in that process right now. So, what matters most to you? What should matter to you is what matters to God since pleasing Him should matter most to you. In this message to the Christians at Corinth, Paul states clearly and confidently that what matters most is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! That is why Easter is such a big deal! Easter is a big deal because the resurrection IS THE DEAL! Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He was a liar, because He promised His disicples that He would return from the dead. Without the resurrection, God is a failure, because His plan for redeeming the human race depended on His Son dying and then rising from the grave. And, as Paul says his preaching is useless, as is your faith, and we are fools or liars, we are trapped in our sins, and we have no hope in life or at death if Jesus did not die for you and me and if He did not arise from the dead. Without the resurrection of Jesus, nothing matters. With the resurrection, every promise in the Bible matters! Without the resurrection the Bible is a fable and the Old Testament Prophets are fools. With the resurrection, God has proven He has power over sin and death! His power matters! With the resurrection we have the hope of our own resurrection! That matters! God made sure the resurrection matters because He wants you to know how much you matter to Him! Jesus' resurrection matters because it is the heart of the matter! Will you bow before the Father and thank Him for the Resurrection of Jesus? Will you stand up and rejoice that you serve a Risen Savior? Will you go to your church Sunday and worship for all you're worth? Will you worship like it matters? Worship matters because He matters. And He matters because of His resurrection! HE'S ALIVE! HE HAS RISEN AS HE SAID!

April 1, 2012

"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:36-40

One thing is undeniably true about love - it always shows! I can't imagine that you would have a real true love for someone and not have it show.

So, if you have a real love for God others will see it. If they don't, maybe you don't. Francis Chan asks a probing and defining question in Chapter 6, where he quotes John Piper’s challenge from “God is the Gospel”:

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation— is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?"

That IS the question isn't it?

How will you answer?

What will you change?

March 31, 2012

^"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing  associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:9-21

Here is what AMAZING LOVE looks like:

Sincere Love - "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good", V. 9

Selfless Love - "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves", V. 10     "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." V. 16 

Serving Love - "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." V. 11

Spiritual Love - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." V. 12

Sharing Love - "Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." V. 13

Suffering Love -  "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." V. 14

Sympathetic Love - "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." V. 15

Strategic Love - "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord.  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. ”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Vv. 17-21

Does this description match the way you love God and others? Do you have sincere, selfless love that serves others? Do you have a spiritual love that leads you to share with those in need and to bless others even when you are suffering? Are you able to celebrate the successes of others as though they are you own? Do you share the grief of others?

AMAZING LOVE does! And this sort of love overcomes evil with good.

March 30, 2012

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

If I need to fill the tank on my Toyota I don't pull up to a garden hose, I go to the Sheetz. When I need a hair cut I don't go to the butcher shop. And, if I need Chinese carry-out I don't go to Colonel Sanders.

In life, we have to learn where to go to get what we want.

For the past 40 days we have been reminded that when you want love you had better go to God. No one loves like Him and no one gives love as freely as Him.

Our verse from James promises that when you draw near to Him He will come and bring His love. No where is that illustrated more clearly than in another one of His parables, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Especially in this portion, watch,  “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:17-20

Just like the young son in this story, most of us have gone to the wrong places in search of love and come up empty - or worse. But then, when we came back toward Him HE RAN TO US!

How great is THAT picture? What do you think about a God Who comes running to you? I mean REALLY! A God Who loves you so much He runs to you when you take a few small steps toward Him. You can trust a God like that! You can cling to a God like that! You can love a God like that and let Him love you!

Will you?

March 29, 2012

"While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. " Luke 8:4-15

God's love is amazing! You have been reminded of that in powerful new ways during this study. And God's love is available. That, too, has become evident during the reading of CRAZY LOVE!

Now all that is left is to understand how to receive it and Jesus provides a powerful insight through His parable of the sower and the seed. To receive God's love and have it take root in you spirit you must cultivate good soil in your spirit.

For the longest time I saw this parable as representing four different people with four different spiritual conditions. I guess that can be one of the interpretations, but more helpful to this study is the understanding that in order to produce good soil you must deal with the thorns and the hard places and the shallow spots in your spirit.

Hard soil will not allow the seeds of God's love to take root unless you break it up. Hard soil is the result of disobedience. When you hear God's Word but refuse to heed it your heart gets hardened. Be careful when you go to church Sunday after Sunday and hear the messages but fail to mind the Holy Spirit's promptings. Obedience cultivates good soil, disobedience does the opposite.

Shallow soil allows seeds to sprout but not to put down roots. Without roots there can be no lasting growth and never any fruit produced. The purpose of seeds is to produce fruit not roots. What does shallow soil signify? It represents a disinterested approach to faith - a religious observance rather and a relationship. To cultivate good soil you have to engage your heart, not just your head.

Thorny soil is overgrown with weeds that compete with the seeds for moisture, sunlight, and nutrients. If you have healthy weeds you will have struggling seeds that will eventually be choked out. Thorny soil repesents the distractions of life that keep you from focusing on things that produce growth. The only way to get a fruitful harvest is to pull the thorns out by their roots. Weed grow quickly and require constant attention, attention that should be given to spiritual growth.

Good soil requires great effort! If you don't obey God you won't have good soil. And if you don't pray you will have shallow soil not good soil. And if you don't stay focused you will be choked by the thorns of stress and distracted living.

So, the better your soil, the better God's love will take root in your soul!

How is your soil?

Which soil best represents the condition of your soul?

What do you intend to do about it?

March 28, 2012

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”  John 21:15-19

How many times do you get a second chance at love? When it comes to people, there are no guarantees. With God, there are ALWAYS second chances (and third and fourth and fifth....)! That is the big amazing truth you are wrapping your heart and mind around over these past five weeks. Even though it will take all of eternity to fully understand His CRAZY LOVE, the more you know about it the better it looks.

God's love is unchanging and unconditional. It is not about who you are but Who He is! His love is rooted in His Character, therefore it is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! He will not love you more when you act like Mother Teresa nor will He love you less when you act like Charlie Manson. HE JUST LOVES WITH A CRAZY LOVE!

You don't have to earn this love you just need to receive it! Over the past two weeks we have been learning how to clear obstacles from your life to create more space for His CRAZY LOVE to occupy.

In this Scripture text above you see one of the more poignant moments recorded in the Bible. The resurrected Jesus has come seeking some quality time with His closest followers and hoping to restore Peter after his monumental denial of His Savior. In this revealing encounter between The Master and Peter, you can gain some insight into how love grows and develops within a believer's heart.

After they had enjoyed a breakfast on the beach, Jesus found some alone time with Peter and immediately questioned him three times about his love for Him. It is probably significant that he asked Peter three times because Peter had denied Jesus three times.

This encounter is rich in great truths about the love of God but I want to zero in on the three answers Peter gave to Jesus' three-fold questioning of his love. The significance is in the different words used for love in the original language of the New Testament.

Each time, Jesus asked Peter if he loved (agape) Him but each time Peter answered, "You know I love (phileo) you."

"Agape" love is CRAZY LOVE - it is unconditional supernatural love like God has for you, while "phileo" is a fondness like the love you would have for a friend or a family member.

So, Jesus was asking Peter to commit to a CRAZY LOVE commitment but all he could get was a casual love. For purposes of this lesson I want to trace the process of learning to love Jesus like this:

Loving God begins with a fondness for Jesus when you receive Him as Savior. That is how Peter responds - "I like this feeling!"

From that beginning love grows to a friendship with Jesus as you learn to walk with Him and talk with Him. That is essentially how Peter responds - "I love this fellowship!"

Love should grow to the next level when Jesus asked Him the third time hoping that Peter would confess to a full and holy love - "agape". But Peter's response was more like this - "I love this faith and I will try to live it".

Peter, still smarting from the pain of having denied Jesus and disappointing himself was very hesitant to over-promise to Christ and fail again. But I believe he answered as sincerely as he could and I think he did love Christ as much as humanly possible. And I think that traces the progression of love for Christ: from a feeling level to a friendship level to a faith level.

There was a day that Peter was finally able to confess "agape" love! But it wasn't because of anything he did or anything he stopped doing, it was on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit of God fell upon him and filled him with "agape" (CRAZY LOVE)! That changed Peter forever and empowered Peter to change the world!

What is most crazy about CRAZY LOVE is that you cannot love God as He desires to be loved and deserves to be loved - at any level unless you receive His love. And you can only receive it to the level that you have prepared your heart through denying self and dying to selfishness.

Are you ready to stop trying to earn His love and just let Him love you?

Have you prepared your heart to receive His love at a deeper level?

Are you ready to move from "phileo" love to "agape" love? Will you renounce your shallow love and receive His supernatural love?

March 27, 2012

^"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone."  Romans 12:9-17

Watch the video clip below which demonstrates how powerful CRAZY LOVE can be when it is expressed sincerely and humbly.

http://youtu.be/ZhG-tkQ_Q2w

Wow! That man showed Penn Gillette some CRAZY LOVE!

Here are a couple of questions:

Would you have offered the Bible?

When was the last time you showed some CRAZY LOVE to an atheist?