The Covenant Community

"On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”   Exodus 19:1-6

There is a subtle but significant change that happens during these verses. Did you catch it?

In verse 3 it refers to the "house of Jacob". You remember Jacob don't you? He was their troubled ancestor who manipulated his twin brother to get his inheritance, then tricked their father to steal his brother's blessing. Jacob was later tricked in turn by his uncle who required Jacob to work for seven years to get to marry his true love only to find after the wedding that he had been given the wrong sister for a bride. He had to commit to seven more years to get the woman he loved.

The Jacob wrestled all night with an angel, an experience that changed his life and his name. As the angel said to him at sunrise, "Your name will no longer be Jacob......It will be Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed." Genesis 32:28

Up until this point, the group of Jacob's descendants standing before God in Exodus 19 had only been known by their family name. They were of the "house of Jacob." Now they became the "sons of Israel". At this defining moment in their history, we witness in some ways the birth of the nation of Israel, God's people, a new day in their relationship with God.

This covenant community would no longer be known just for where they had come from.They would now be known for who they were- the people of God, His own unique possession created to carry out a crucial role in reaching the nations and to fulfill God's kingdom purposes.

The statement from the last part of Exodus 19:5 confirms this fact. When God said, "You will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is mine," He was not simply affirming His ownership of the physical earth, His rightful claim as Creator. He was also using this phrase to describe His relationship with Israel - not to give them privilege and standing alone but to give them purpose. They were to be possession, not to be admired on a shelf but to be maneuvered full forces into the world.

Will you attempt today to serve God as His movable possession, seeing the world through His eyes of love wherever you go?

October 5, 2017

"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

If we were in a room together and I told you that there were two doors we could go through to exit the room,one door marked "blessing" and the other door marked "cursing," I doubt if either of us would rush to the door marked "cursing". Yet that is what we do every time we disobey God's Word.We choose cursing over blessing. We choose death over life. We place ourselves in spiritual danger and render our lives ineffective in god's service. We lose sight of the kingdom.

This doesn't mean that our salvation is based on our performance. But it does mean that our obedience can directly impact God's blessing upon us. Our obedience also affects how useful we are to Him for His kingdom work.

God calls His people to be steadfast and faithful. If we couldn't be obedient to him, He wouldn't expect it of us. If we couldn't do what He has said, He wouldn't expect it of us. If we couldn't do what He has said, He wouldn't have said it.Therefore, His "if-then" challenge should greet our ears with a note of encouragement.

Yes, we can keep His covenant.

Yes, we can be productive.

Yes, we can live as consistent kingdom citizens.

We know that God will keep His side of the bargain. And we are also sure that He will give us everything we need to hold our side as well.

Maybe you have been disobedient, but His covenant still stands. This kingdom still calls to you. This God who promised to the people of Israel still stands beside you this very day keeping His promise - drawing you back into fellowship, offering you freedom in place of failure.

He wants you close. He wants you near Him. He wants you to experience the fullness of the covenant every day. God has greater blessings in store for you. They hang in the balance of your balance.

If you will confess your disobedience to God and receive His full pardon as promised in I John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us sins ans to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The Virtue Of Perseverance

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance." II Peter 1:5-6

During a Monday night football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the announcers observed that Walter Payton, the Bears’ running back, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, "Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!" Walter Payton, the most successful running back ever, knows that everyone --even the very best-- gets knocked down. The key to success is to get up and run again just as hard.

As an admirer of the late Walter Payton and an avid Bears fan I probably saw most of those yards he gained in his illustrious career. Just doing some rough math, if you figure that Walter gained over 14,000 yards at 4.6 yards per carry it means he  got tackled over 3,000 times. There were times that he got tackled for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. And each time he got up, ran back to the huddle and carried the ball just as hard the next time. Eventually, he would cross the goal line.

That is a good example of perseverance, a virtue recommended by Peter as a sign of spiritual maturity.

In the language of the New Testament the word used for perseverance is "hupomone" and it means "steadfast" or "endurance" and has the connotation of not just enduring but of turning a hurtful situation into helpful outcome.

Of course, the only way to turn pain into gain is through the power of God. But that power must be lived out by continuing to get back up each time you are knocked down and run just as hard as you did before.

Perseverance is the spiritual virtue of being determined to do the next right thing even when you don't feel like it. Perseverance is doing the next right thing even when you are being done wrong. Perseverance is doing the next right thing when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. Perseverance is doing the next right thing even when you know it will cause you more pain for doing it.

It was through perseverance that Jesus endured the cross. Jesus illustrated the essence of "hupomone" by suffering an extremely painful and unjust death BUT through that death He turned a very bad thing into the ultimate good thing. Enduring the agony of the cross allowed Him to experience the joy of the resurrection! THAT'S PERSEVERANCE!

Walter Payton became a Hall of Fame running back by persevering despite being knocked down thousands of times and getting back up each time to run again. He gained nine miles 4.6 yards at a time! THAT'S PERSEVERANCE!

Have you been knocked down? 

Are you hurting and wondering what to do?

Persevere! Get up in the power of God and do the next right thing!

October 3, 2017

"For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring." Acts 17:28

The Apostle Paul was preaching in Athens and noticed that they were very religious but did not know the One true God or His Son Jesus. In their shrines they had many idols to many idols and to make sure they did not miss a god or offend a diety they built an idol to "the unknown god".

Paul saw an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and began to tell them about this God Who was knowable, Who wanted to be known, and Who "was not far from them."

What Paul told them about God, we could stand to hear. Let's examine it more closely:

The Centrality of Christ - "In Him....."

God will not settle for being "a" god. He must be "the" God. There is no god like our God. He is beyond compare. He created you for Himself. He put within you a "God-shaped" void that nothing else can satisfy. You were never designed to be happy or fulfilled without having God squarely in the center of His will.

The Vitality of Christ - "....we live and move......

When God identifies Himself as the "Alpha and Omega", the beginning and the end, He is acknowledging that all life begins and ends with Him. Since that glorious and ancient day when He commanded, "Let there be....", life has flourished on this beautiful planet. And He personalized life when He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that His life could flourish within us.

The Identity With Christ - "....and have our being."

Paul was speaking to men who were very religious and somewhat superstitious. They wanted to make sure that they covered their bases spiritually. If there was a god they needed to know - they wanted to know him. It was important for them to be right with their gods. I imagine that the Great Apostle was moved by their sincere desire to be right with a God they had yet to know. So he sweetens the deal by promising that this unknown God, his God, is One Who knows you, can be known by you, and wants to dwell in you. This God is so vast and so good that you can lose yourself in Him - and only when you lose yourself in Him do you find yourself! Some of them did!

Have you?

October 2, 2017

"And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Luke 9:22

When Jesus foretold his future He also predicts yours. That is, if you dare to be His disciple.

What a contrast to the attitude of many Christians today. Where did we get the idea that following Jesus is guaranteed to make you healthy, wealthy and generally bullet-proof? It certainly didn't come from Jesus.

When did happiness become our goal? When did possessions become our passion? When did health become the measure of our spirituality? And what have these misdirected values done for the state of our Faith or the strength of our churches?

Being a disciple will cost you something! No, actually, being a disciple will cost you everything! Jesus gave up everything for you and me. What makes you think you can get through life easier that your Lord? How can you expect to follow Him and get a free ride? When did Jesus become your Santa instead of your Savior?

I guess you must understand the purpose of discipleship if you are going to grasp the price. God is not interested in making you happy. Happiness is SO overrated in our culture and it has infested our churches. God is committed to your holiness, although holy people do end up happier! Holiness requires some pressure and some purging to purify your heart and mind and spirit of its selfishness.

Discipleship is about a series of deaths and resurrections that lead to your ultimate eternal resurrection. Death is painful. Nothing dies easily - wrong motives don't, impure thoughts don't, sinful habits surely don't and selfish desires will battle to the end.

So, you want to be a disciple? Prepare for some pain - pain that will prepare you for Paradise!

October 1, 2017

“Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:7-15

Like the sheep in Psalm 23 you should be one satisfied sheep! I have spent the better part of this week reminding you of how good your Shepherd is! So, if there is still anxiety or discontent stirring in your soul it could be that you are not following Him as well as you should!

May I share a true story to further illustrate the blessings and benefits of following this Shepherd Who is a personal shepherd and a powerful shepherd and a promising shepherd?

Here it is:

In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off one of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was mauling this sheep and blood was flying.

The shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf, and the wolf turned on him and began attacking him. He bit him over and over while the shepherd was striking him with his staff, and finally with one final blow of his staff, he killed the wolf as he himself collapsed into a bloody heap.

He managed to crawl over to the half-dead sheep, and began to bandage its wounds.

He gave it some water, and then took it in his own bloody arms, and shepherd and sheep went to sleep together. The next morning the shepherd was found dead, his body literally draped over the sheep to comfort it and keep it warm. The following day the headline in the Jerusalem paper said, “Sheep Alive, Covered in Shepherd’s Blood.”

That is the testimony of every sheep and lamb who is under the care of the Good Shepherd. Why would you not follow Him closely? Why would you not completely trust a Shepherd like that?

Any other shepherd is a hireling who comes to steal, abuse, or kill the sheep. There is no comparison between the Good Shepherd and any other. There is really no comparison between sheep under the care of the Good Shepherd and those who are not. You can tell the difference by looking! There is a noticeable difference!

As the storm clouds gather and the threats increase and the world becomes significantly more dangerous, you cannot afford to be led or cared for by anyone other than the Good Shepherd because no matter how perilous the times that lay ahead - IF THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD, YOUR FUTURE IS YOUR FRIEND!

Hallelujah!

September 30, 2017

^"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing."  Matthew 26:36-44

God the Father loves us to LIFE with His tender love.

God loves us to DEATH

God’s love has a tough side to it.

Committed love means:

1)    It Has A Purpose

“There are two great days in a person’s life -- the day we are born and the day we discover why”.  SOURCE: William Barclay

YOUR PURPOSE IS TO LET GOD LOVE YOU SO YOU CAN LOVE HIM AND BEGIN TO FEEL LOVED SO YOU CAN LOVE OTHERS.

2)    It Has A Price

In The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:  “The cross is laid on every Christian. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death–we give over our lives to death. The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

To know the love of the Father in its fullest you will need to die. You must die to sin and self which keep you from receiving all the love God has to give you. If it required a cross for Jesus what makes you think the price will be lower for you?

3)    It Has A Promise

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Heb. 12:1-3

Our Lord Jesus was willing to endure the unspeakable shame and agony of the cross because He knew the promise that awaited Him - and all those who would believe in Him.

In these two great portions of Scripture - The Prodigal Parable and the Prayer in the Garden - we have seen three different responses to  God's love:

REBELLION – The Prodigal

The story is told (by Ernest Hemingway) of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained to the point of breaking. Finally the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “DEAR PACO, MEET ME IN FRONT OF THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE AT NOON. ALL IS FORGIVEN. I LOVE YOU. YOUR FATHER.”

The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office, 800 “Pacos” showed up.

This younger son who became the Prodigal did not receive the love of his father. Instead, he took advantage of that love and indulged himself at the expense of the father's love.

Is that how you treat the love of your Father? Do you selfishly grab the rewards but refuse the responsibilities and the relationship?

You will never know the love of God if that is how you respond to His goodness and grace.

RELIGION – The Older Son

“Religion is hanging around the cross, Christianity is hanging on the cross.” — Stephen Hill

Buddhism has a story similar to the story Jesus told about the Prodigal Son. In the story Jesus told, the father sees his wayward son, and runs to greet him. The prodigal says he no longer deserves to be considered a son, but the loving father throws a party for him and freely restores him to his full honor as a son.

In the Buddhist story, the father finds his wayward son and arranges for him to be given a menial job. Through many years of working as a slave, the son eventually earns his way back into his father’s good graces.

Those two stories illustrate the biggest difference between Christianity other world religions. It’s really simple. You study all the religions of the world and they come down to one word: DO. What can you DO to have religious success in life? What must you DO to earn favor with God? All the religions of the world come back to the word DO.

Here’s the difference. Christianity is all about DONE. It’s about what Jesus Christ has already DONE for us. It’s about God giving Himself to us in the person of Jesus. It’s about Him dying for our sins so that we can enter into salvation. It’s not about what we must DO to earn salvation. It’s about responding to what has already been DONE for us. That is a huge difference.

The older son was not rebellious like his foolish little brother, but neither did he enjoy the relatIonship with his father that he could have and should have. He tried to earn the Father's love and felt entitled to all the status, the security, the safety and the supply he enjoyed by virtue of his birth.

He illustrates those who hover near God and faithfully perform their religious rituals but never really know relationship with the Father or receive His love.

Does this describe your spiritual condition?

RIGHTEOUSNESS – Jesus

The third response to the Father's love is how Jesus responded. Even after He experienced the tough side of God's love, after He had heard the Father refuse Him three times when He had prayed to be spared from the cross. Still He chose to do the right thing and obey the will of the Father despite the incredible suffering it would cost Him.

Jesus valued relationship with the Father greater than His own life. He decided He would love God more than life itself. As a result, He received the love of God in ways that few others ever have known.

Is that how you love God? Are you more committed to being right and remaining in relationship with God than playing it safe and avoiding the pain?

Three ways to respond to the AMAZING love of God:

Rebellion?

Religion?

Righteousness?

Which will you choose?