December 7, 2012

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”⁸ 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.”⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  Luke 19:1-10

 

Christmas proved the love of God beyond any doubt when God sent His Son, Jesus to be the Savior of the world.

 

God proved that He is serious about sin because Jesus came to conquer the power of sin and satisfy the penalty it demands. We saw last Sunday that God hates sin because He loves people and sin destroys people.

 

In this Scripture text, Luke tells you that God loves you because He sent Jesus to seek those who are lost. You were once lost. God is serious about seeking

 

This story of Zacchaeus is perhaps the classic illustration of Jesus in the role of the seeker. Over the next several posts I want to show you four inspiring insights of the Seeking Savior.

 

1) Jesus knows what you hope, v. 3

2) Jesus knows where you hide, v. 4

3) Jesus knows where you hurt, vv. 2, 5, 7

4) Jesus knows when to help, v. 9

 

Zacchaeus was a lonely and miserable little man. So when he heard Jesus was coming to his town hope arose within him. "If this Rabbi was Who they say He is maybe I will have a chance. I need to make sure I meet Him when He comes."

 

In verse three you can see that once Zacchaeus arrived at the place where Jesus would be passing, he discovered that being diminutive in stature he was unable to see over the crowd. And for the moment his hopes were dashed.

Determination and desparation can inspire creativity and Zacchaeus climbed a nearby sycamore tree to get a better view of the approaching Lord. Where once he had hoped to be seen by the Messiah, now he was just hoping to be able to see Him. And from his lofty perch he was able to get a great view of Jesus.

Much to Zacchaeus' surprise, as Jesus was passing by the sycamore He stopped, looked up at Zacchaeus and calling him by name said, "Come down immediately! I need to go to your house today!"

Zacchaeus couldn't believe his good fortune! This was so much more that he could ever have hoped for! This famous Rabbi wanted to visit with him in his own home! He scurried down the tree!

God understands your hopes and dreams. You want to be a good person. You want to be happy and have significance. You want your life to matter. You want to have the peace of knowing you are right with God. You want the assurance of Heaven when you die. Those things can only be found in a relationship with God.

Whether you realize it or not, God knows that only through Christ can you have those hopes fulfilled. Only through salvation can your fondest hopes be met. That is why He sent His Son to seek and save those who are lost - and those who have lost their hope.

Christmas proves that God's love is serious!
 

 

 

 

 

December 6, 2012

^"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Ephesians 1:3-6

 

"We love because he first loved us." I John 4:19

 

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Rev. 3:20

 

What a blessing to have a God who seeks you!

 

Most of the false gods, past and present, are gods who remain aloof and detached from their adherents. In some instances, there are gods who are vengeful and vindictive. They delight in being unapproachable.

 

Not your God! Not my God!

 

Our God, the God of the Bible, wants to be known and has a deep desire to know you! He has used all of His vast might and power to make it possible for you to know Him and to be known by Him.There is nothing more He can do - except seek us and call us to Himself.

 

And, He does that constantly! Like the Prodigal's father, God stands daily on the road home hoping to catch a glimpse of you heading toward Him. As in the Garden, God comes seeking you so you can walk together in communion and fellowship!

 

Our God, your God, came in the Person of His Son, Jesus born in a manger in Bethlehem on that first Christmas "to seek and to save those who were lost".

 

Just think about the most Holy and powerful Being in all the universe - the very Creator of this universe - has a passionate desire to know you and seeks you for a personal spiritual relationship!

 

Contrast that to the petty pagan gods worshipped by others. What a glorious difference!Pagan gods make unrealistic and burdensome demands on their people that change on a whim and offer no guarantees. Our God sought us, continues to seek us and comes to our door seeking a relationship with us!

 

What a God!

 

The question is, "Will you be found by a seeking God?"

 

"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 5, 2012

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

You know you can believe God loves you because He proved His love by sending His Son, Jesus!

Jesus proved His love for God AND for you by leaving Heaven, coming to earth, living an obedient life, dying for your sins and then arising from the dead to conquer death.

John 3:16 reveals God’s Perfect Plan For Helping Imperfect People Get Into A Perfect Place For Eternity!

It is only because of this perfect plan for imperfect people that any of us have hope of spending eternity with Him!

God loves us!

Jesus proved it by coming to be our Savior!

So what is your part in this perfect plan for imperfect people?

BELIEVE!

What does it mean to truly believe?

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DESIRE

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

 ^“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.” Matthew 22:37-38

If an imperfect person like you, wants to get to God’s perfect place for eternity, you must desire God more than you desire anything else!

You must realize that life is supposed to be about Him NOT about you!

God will cannot be your God if you desire anything more than you desire Him. Whatever you desire more than God – that is your god!

You must desire God more than you desire that next cigarette or that next drink or the next high. You must desire Him more than money, more than possessions, more than power, or popularity or position. You must desire God more than any other relationship.

If you say you believe in God but you don’t desire Him more than anything – you don’t believe.

That is what it means to believe! It means to choose God as your chief desire EVERY TIME!

Does that describe you? Do you desire Him more than anything?

If you don’t desire Him more than anything else, you don’t believe like He wants you to believe.

That’s what it takes for imperfect people to get into His perfect place!

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DEVOTION

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

Being devoted to God means you give yourself, your life to obeying Him, obeying His Word (The Bible) and pleasing Him above your own pleasure.

Perfect devotion means every time you your desires come into conflict with His desires you choose His desires.

That is what Jesus did! He was devoted to God, His Father, and God wanted to redeem the world from sin. For that to happen, Jesus would have to leave Heaven, come to earth and humble Himself into a human being. Then, as a human being He devoted Himself to obeying God.

Do you think He WANTED to be beaten and spat upon? Do you think He REALLY wanted to suffer on a cross? He endured those things because He was devoted to God.

A believer must devote himself to obeying God and doing God’s will.

That is how imperfect people are able to get to a perfect place for eternity!

Does that describe how you believe?

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DECISIONS

This is where belief really becomes practical as well as powerful.

For imperfect people to get to a perfect place forever you must make every decision based upon His desires and His will.

Believing in God means you make all your decisions according to what pleases God.

Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Joshua said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Decisions result in actions and attitudes and have consequences in your life and family

Believers ask before making decisions ask, “What does the Bible say?” Or, “What would Jesus do in this situation?”

Does that describe your faith? Is that how you express your belief?

Christmas demonstrates that a Perfect God has a perfect plan for imperfect people to get into a perfect place for eternity! But it requires imperfect people to believe and believing means – "Be Perfect In Your Desires, Be Perfect In Your Devotion and Be Perfect In Your Decisions".

God loved!

Jesus came!

You MUST believe!

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December 4, 2012

 

Yesterday I talked about Christmas as proof that God loves you because He is serious about sin. He hates sin because He loves people and sin hurts people.

This Sunday I will talk about how God proves His love because He is serious about seeking. That got me wondering if the Bible talks more about God seeking us or about us seeking God. I haven't found a definite answer yet but I suspect He is the greater Seeker.

A lot of the basis for God seeking us is from stories in the Bible about specific people, or groups of people (mainly Israel).

 

Most prophets in the Bible, God has to pursue to do his work and to give a message to his people. Think about Moses. Moses denied his ability to speak and be a leader of God's people, but he pursued Moses until he was convinced of God's plan for him. In the story of Jonah God wants Jonah to be a prophet to the people but he runs away. He keeps running while God pursues him to the point where he finds himself on a boat in the middle of a storm and Jonah comes to terms with God's plan. Through God's seeking of Jonah (as a prophet to the people, and thereby seeking his people), he sends a fish that swallows him and puts him back on shore.

In the New Testament Jesus sought out most of those who became His disciples. He sought the woman at the well. He sought Zaccheus.

Jesus told several stories about a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son that were desperately sought.
 

As far as verses go this is what I found just quickly when I came across this question.

 

Luke 19:10 - "And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those who are lost."

 

Romans 5:8 - "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

 

John 6:44 - "For people can't come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them from the dead."

 

Proverbs 8:17 - "I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me."

 

Luke 11:9-10 - "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks."

 

While some of the verses talk about us seeking God, it also shows that God is right there when we seek him. He is seeking us by providing the answers and knowledge we're looking for right in front of our noses.

And it is true because of Christmas!

December 3, 2012

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" Romans 5:12-17

 

Jesus was born to be the second Adam!

Why would He want to do that?

Because the first Adam blew it big time!

The second Adam had to undo what the first Adam did.

The first Adam was hand-crafter by God. Therefore, he was created with a sinless nature so He could walk with God.

 

The second Adam was concieved by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, therefore, He was born sinless. Not only could He walk with God, He came from God and was in fact, God in the flesh!

 

The first Adam was placed in Paradise and enjoyed a personal intimate friendship with God every day - until he rebelled and was expelled.

 

The second Adam was in Paradise but left it to come to earth. He gave up His paradise to suffer and die in our world in order to regain access to Paradise for you and me!

 

The first Adam was perfect but sinned because he wanted to be God.

 

The second Adam WAS God but became man - albeit a perfect man - for one reason, so He could die to atone for our sins! He had to be sinless so He could take our sins upon Himself!

 

Christmas is about the arrival of the second Adam! The second Adam means a second chance!

 

The good news of Christmas is that God is the God of second chances! Jesus proved it!

December 2, 2012

"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:31-33

 

Mary was the first to hear of the new thing God was about to do! Everything was about about to change! God was about to move upon His people with a new work in a new way and the world would never be the same! There was "good news of great joy" about to be revealed in the Person of Jesus - God in the flesh!

 

Ritual and rules and religion and, especially, religious leaders had relegated God to the fringes of their existence. They had strangled the life and joy out of seeking and serving God. There was no love, no freedom, no fellowship, and no life in their religious observances. For centuries they had been going through the motions mouthing the words and clinging to spiritual pride born from the false hope that they were "the chosen ones". Although their priests, scribes and religious leaders knew all about God, few of them actually knew Him.

Dead things need to be buried or revived. What they were trying to bury, God was about to revive. An amazing spiritual revival was just one obedience away! God needed a person, a vessel, through whom He could channel His power and accomplish His will.

 

Enter, Mary. She was the one God had chosen through which to bring a transforming visitation to His people. If you will - a revival. If Christmas is about anything it is about revival. There certainly would be no hope for revival if Christ had not come and Christ came at Christmas!I hear a whole lot of talk about revival. I hear people saying how badly our nation needs revival or our church needs revival or our people need revival or our preachers need revival and they are right! We certainly could benefit from all of the above. But please define revival! I am not sure I am clear on what they are wanting. Perhaps they are not either. My guess is they are thinking of a scheduled series of meetings with a firey evangelist preaching and some inspiring musicians who will come and whip them up into a spiritual and emotional frenzy.

 

Here is what two of the greatest evangelists and revivalists of the last century and a half had to save about revival:

 

Charles Finney, perhaps the most anointed evangelist since John the Baptsist, noted this about the role obedience and sacrifice play in revival, “Revival is nothing more or less than a new obedience to God!”

A. W. Tozer, one of the spiritual giants of the 20th century added this thought, "Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience."

 

Revival is a direct result of obedience. Obedience moves God from the edges of our live to the center. Obedience allows God to cleanse us from the dead works of religion and sweep in with the refreshing, life-giving wind of relationship!

On this historic day when the angel appeared to Mary, He was indicating that a great move of God upon her and through her was just one obedience away!

 

Could it be that revival, a fresh move of God upon you, is just one obedience away? Is it possible that you need to stop wishing for revival or praying from revival and simple "obey" for revival?

 

Is there a "dead spot" in your spirit? Is there a point of disobedience that is preventing God from moving upon your heart and spirit?

 

Look what happened to our world when Mary chose to obey! Look how she did it, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Her obedient response to God brought a revival that continues to this day!

 

Is there a point in your life where you have pushed God to the edges by your disobedience? Will you allow God to move to your center by praying with Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.”

December 1, 2012

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:6-8

 

Therein is the power of the Christian Story. God sent His Son to pay the penalty for your sins! That act is called the “atonement”.

 

The Christmas story has several strong implications:

 

1) God takes sin so seriously that He sent His Son to deal with it.

2) So, either He didn’t love His Son very much OR He loves you as much as He loves His Son!

3) Which do you think it is?

 

THE ANSWER IS HE HATES SIN BECAUSE HE LOVES PEOPLE AND SIN DESTROYS PEOPLE.

 

SIN = Saying “No” to the Father and “Yes” to the Flesh

 

I. THE FIRST ADAM, Genesis 3

 

Sin Wrecked People, 3:1-13

 

GOD HATES SIN BECAUSE HE LOVES PEOPLE AND SIN DESTROYS PEOPLE. HE IS SERIOUS ABOUT SIN BECAUSE HE’S SERIOUS ABOUT PEOPLE.

 

1) Sin Contaminates – V. 1 – “Did God really say……?”

                                  V. 3 – “You will not surely die….?”

                                  V. 5 – “You will be like God…..”

 

When Adam and Eve listened to the serpent and said "No" to the Father and "Yes" to the flesh, it forever changed how humans think. Once deceived, now our minds are contaminated by sin.

 

2) Sin Alienates – V. 7 – ^“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together……”

 

Once they said "No" to the Father and "Yes" to the flesh, their innocence was gone and forever replaced by shame and self-consciousness.

 

3) Sin Isolates, V. 8-10 – They hid themselves

 

Adam and Eve went from a perfect relationship characterized by innocence and intimacy to one of distrust and dishonesty.

 

 

4) Sin Separates, V. 9 – They hid from God

 

Knowing they had disobeyed God they couldn't face Him so they hid. Sin took them from walking and talking with Him to hiding from Him.

 

This is provides tragic proof of how sin destroys people and relationships - two things God loves and desires. He hates sin because sin destroys these things He loves.

 

Sin Wrecked Paradise, 3:16-21

 

This beautiful garden that God had created and blessed was suddenly cursed and broken.

 

“All of creation groans………” Romans 8:22

 

 

God is serious about sin because sin destroys what He loves. He couldn't allow that to stand. Sin could not continue its destructive assault. God immediately announced a plan - Genesis 3:15 - "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

 

The plan of redemption began to unfold and the countdown to Christmas began!

 

 

 

 

Cross references:

1. Romans 5:6 : Mk 1:15; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10
2. Romans 5:6 : ver 8, 10
3. Romans 5:6 : Ro 4:25
4. Romans 5:8 : Jn 3:16; 15:13; 1Pe 3:18; 1Jn 3:16; 4:10