Joy Delivered

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Luke 2:8-20 

The shepherds in this passage could have been keepers of the Temple sheep.  We don't know but can speculate this because regular worship for Jews required sheep for sacrificing.   While being a shepherd was in one way a lowly and lonely job, if you were caring for the Temple sheep, it was a sacred job. 

You may recall that in the Old Testament God would present himself to men as a bright light.  Exodus 3 records the story of the brightly burning bush that was not consumed by the fire that burned it. Abraham was astounded by it and when he stepped closer a voice from the bush said, step back, you are on holy ground.  Ezekiel says he saw God surrounded by a wonderful brightness and ceaseless fire.  David in Psalm 18 writes, "God is surrounded with clouds which are outshone by His brightness."  According to Exodus 40, God "rested" by day as a cloud over the Jewish Tabernacle and His fire would hover over at night so all of Israel could see and know that their God was with them. 

In the New Testament we find the story of Saul's conversion.  God appears to him in such a bright light that the man is blinded.  Later his sight returns, his name is changed to Paul and the man who was once killing Jesus-followers started preaching to convert men and women to the Jesus way.  That is the power of light, of God, to change us. 

The Message translation of Luke 2:8 says, "There were shepherds...God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them."  It also says that the shepherds were scared by the light.  But next the angels spoke from the light and told them not to be afraid because something fantastic has just happened.  The angels said, "Today a Savior has been born to you.  He is the Messiah and the Lord."

The shepherds were Jews and in the Old Testament writings, savior meant, one who delivers people from harm and evil.  Messiah meant, anointed by God and anointing was a special process.  Lord means both one who is in control and one who is deity. 

Imagine being one of the shepherds.  You are working your regular night shift and the heavens open with a brilliant light and music show with angels telling you that something huge had just happened over in Bethlehem.  Well, rather than wonder if they had dreamed the whole thing, they ran as fast as they could to the place the angels had directed them to go to. 

Since they were probably thinking that this is all too wild and too good to be true, they were shocked to find the baby.  At that moment they became the very first missionaries.  They told everyone what they had heard and seen and that what the angels said turned out to be completely true.

Next we read that Mary didn't understand what was happening.  It says in Luke that Mary "pondered" what was happening to her.  This is a clue to us that while God is working in us and through us to bring about his purpose and his glory, we might not understand what is happening at the moment it is happening.  Like Mary, we need to stay calm, think, and keep trusting. 

Let us be the shepherds today.  Let us know that we have seen the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.  We have seen the one who changed everything.  Now, what do we do?  We, "Glorify and praise God for everything we have seen and heard."  We leave here singing, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!"

One Man's Catastrophic "No"

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Luke 2:1-12, Matthew 1:18-25 

Audio file is at the end of this text.

Bethlehem was called the City of David because King David ruled from there and Luke 2 tells us that Joseph was from the "house and linage of David." While Joseph did not live in Bethlehem, he must have owned property there which is why when the Romans demanded a census be taken, Joseph had to go to Bethlehem.  Had he not gone, his property could have been considered abandoned and thus confiscated by the Romans.  Some scholars believe that Mary also owned property in Bethlehem in her own right which is why she made the rough trip at a very inconvenient time for her. 

Others say that Mary went because the process of claiming one's property in the census would take some amount of time that could not be predicted and she didn't want to be separated from her husband when the baby came.  Others comment that Mary was probably happy to get out of town with her husband and away from the mean neighbors who assumed that she and Joseph had been intimate and that they had to get married.  Giving birth out of town then could have been a psychological relief.   

Imagine Joseph's courage.  He was probably around 20 years old and he had to stand up to the community and face down the people who thought that Mary and whoever it was who made her pregnant should be stoned.  That was Jewish law.  Leviticus 20 lists the laws about sex outside of marriage and the traditional punishment was death by stoning. So instead of renouncing Mary and unwinding the engagement when she told him she was pregnant, he stuck by her.  He wanted to believe her when she said that an angel had told her that she was to give birth to the Son of God.

Matthew 1:18 tells us that God also came to Joseph in a dream and corroborated Mary's story.  This must have been when Joseph really trusted.  It was personal with him now.  He had heard from God and trusted God for himself and he no longer had to rely on another person's experience with God.  He no longer had to depend on Mary's story, he could throw in with God.

These young people did not allow the circumstances to determine their faith.  They faced the bullying crowd and their faith in God filled them with courage.  Mary said, "yes" to God and Joseph said, "yes" to God while then and now so many say, "No."  Because two young Jews trusted God, the whole world changed.

When the couple arrived in Bethlehem Joseph knocked on doors to find a room for the night.   The could have paid for a decent hotel room because we know they were land owners and not asking for charity.  However, the town was packed due to the census so the now infamous innkeeper who sent them to his stable is the one I want you to think about.  In the search for a room surely others had already rejected the holy couple but this guy came up with an OK solution so he made it into the story.

What might have happened had the innkeeper made room in his home for the couple?  His whole life would have changed.  He would have been calling up his friends and telling them, "Hey come quick, God is visiting in my home!  I'm cooking up a fresh pot of gumbo."  Instead, the innkeeper said he had no room, only a stable they could use.

God was born anyway.  God comes in spite of us and here we witness one man's catastrophic "No." Because he said, "No," the innkeeper missed it all.  Will you miss it all?  God's looking for a room.  He is knocking on your heart and asking, "Will you let me in?"  

12 18 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

No Going Back

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Matthew 2:1-12 

Audio file is at the end of this text.

Many Christmas images have somehow evolved over the centuries to include three wealthy men on camels arriving at the manger on the night that Jesus was born. It's convenient to show how shepherds, the lowest class of people, were joined by the affluent and all together they fell on their knees in awe of this newborn whose birth was announced by angels and lit up by a bright star in a dark sky.

However, scholars tend to agree that Jesus was about two years old by the time the wise men arrived to see the baby they believed was prophesied to come.  They had been studying the writings of Daniel and had respect for him as it was Daniel who had won King Nebuchadnezzar's trust.  These magi were not Jews which is an important point.  While we discover in the Bible over and over that Jews rejected God's teachings and many rejected Jesus, these magi were the first high-profile "pagans" to believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise.

And think about how persistent they were in their search.  This passage says that, "A band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem form the East.  They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews?  We observed a star in the Eastern sky that signaled his birth.  We're on a pilgrimage to worship him."

Do we really pursue God?  Do we run to find him?  Do we truly seek Him for ourselves as these wise men did?  How often do we pray for a minute or two then give up?  How often do we promise obedience then fall back to the old ways?  These wise men, who should have had all the answers due to their scholarly lives, were smart enough and disciplined enough to search for the one who would change everything for the better.

King Herod heard they were in town and got scared.  If these wise men believed there was a new king in territory they probably knew what they were talking about.  King Herod was evil and wanted to kill any potential competitor so he asked the wise men to come back and tell him when they found the child.  King Herod said, "Go find this child.  Leave no stone unturned.  As soon as you find him, send word and I will join you in your worship."  While Herod said he wanted to worship the,  "King of the Jews," really he only wanted to destroy what could turn out to be a huge problem for his ability to hold on to power.  His motivation was to keep things as they were.

Matthew 2:3-6 reports that the King is in a frenzy and he calls his own religious scholars and asks them what they know about a "Messiah" that is to be born.  They tell the King, "Bethlehem, Judah territory.  The prophet Micah wrote it plainly.  'It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.'"

Let's stop here a minute.  It is so clear that Jesus came to save us from ourselves because no matter what the circumstances, we are our own worst enemy.  Jesus came to be our personal shepherd.  The 23rd Psalm says, "The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want."  Can you grasp this now at Christmas?  Jesus came just for you.

Matthew 2:9-10 says that the wise men heard King Herod and they set off and, "the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies.  It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child."

Let's be the wise men.  Let's focus on the star and let it lead.  The Holy Spirit inside of you is the star and it is the light; the direction to Jesus.  Need a map, a way, a path, a direction for your life?  Follow the star.

What happened when the wise men saw the child?  They fell on their knees!  Again, let's be the wise men.  Let's fall on our knees at the feet of Jesus.  This is outward expression of our hearts recognizing that we are helpless without Him.

Next, they laid gifts in front of the child.  Three gifts.  Could this be one gift for God the Father, one gift for Jesus the Son, and one gift for the Holy Spirit?  These wise men seemed to be saying that they grasped the big picture.  Can we?  Do we?

Finally, let's learn from the wise men that they did not go back.  They did not return to Herod as they had been instructed to do.  They rejected the past and they leaned into the light.  It would have been easier to get back home by simply reversing course.  It was a familiar path.  But, they were changed.  They had seen something unlike anything they had ever seen before and while it would require faith to reject the past, they were up for it.

They said, "No" to the Herod path and found their way to the promised land.  You can too.  Once you've seen Jesus, there's no going back.  Just follow the star.

12 11 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Go and Sin No More

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John 8:1-11 

Audio file is at the end of this text.

In this passage we find the established religious leaders trying to trap Jesus in theological questions.  Jesus arrived at the temple early on this day and he sat down to teach anyone who was there to learn.

The old guard was raging with jealousy.  They were tired of being upstaged by this young man who came out of no where.  He had no degrees, no titles, and no standing in the circle of thought leaders that dominated the teaching in the temple.  They did not consider him to be legitimate and they wanted to destroy him in front of the people who had come to listen to him.

What they did not know is they were dealing with the one who wrote the laws.  The Pharisees and scholars brought a women into the temple and had her stand in the center surrounded by men.  Women and children had to stand back away from the center as this area was designated for men only.  They said to Jesus that this woman was,"caught in an act of adultery and the law given by Moses gives orders to stone such persons.  What do you say?"

Let's take a look at Leviticus 18:20.  It says, "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death."  In Deuteronomy 22:22 it says, "If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both must die.  Purge that evil from Israel."

What is missing from the temple scene?  A man.  We don't know why the religious leaders only brought in the woman.  Who knows, maybe the man paid off the leaders.  It is clear the the old law says this woman, if guilty, should die.

But, we know that Jesus came to seek and to save us, not to condemn us.  Jesus came to show us how to live good lives from the inside out and this was a concept that the legal scholars did not grasp and if they had it would have put them out of business.

Jesus said to the scholars, "The sinless one among you, go first:  Throw the stone."  One by one, starting with the oldest, the "smart ones" walked away.  Now comes the best part!  Jesus asked the women,  "Is there is anyone here trying to condemn you?"  She said, "No one, Master."

She called Jesus, Master.  This tells us that she had come to faith in Jesus and Jesus had washed her white as snow.  Jesus took away her old spirit and gave her a new one.  Now Jesus could say, "I don't condemn you.  Go and sin no more."  It says in 1 John 1:9 that if we come to Jesus and confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  

 The scholars in the story relished catching people doing wrong and they enjoyed pointing out the flaws in others.   This is how they maintained their power in that culture.  Jesus teaches us with this story that no human being is qualified to judge another human being.  Judging is God's job and this should be a great relief to all of us.  It should make you feel free and save in God's hands that he will make the world right in his time.

While you need to use good judgment regarding who you associate with, you are not to put yourself above any other person.  Don't find yourself in the position of the Pharisee.  Don't worry about others; follow the commandment, "Go and sin no more."

11 27 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

No Scorecard Required

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James 1:26-2:13 

Audio file is at the end of this text.                  

James was bold and powerful.  He makes it very clear in his writing how we are to act as followers of Christ.  We have said many times that God only wants our trust; he is not keeping a scorecard.  This is difficult for all of us especially for me as a coach and for any athletes here today.   We keep score and the score is how we measure our success at the end of every game.

However, by trying to keep up with all of our good deeds and rack up "points" to win God's favor, we are putting God in a box of our own making.  We do this because it makes sense to us.  We are much more comfortable measuring ourselves against other people and thinking that by being better than another person we will work our way into heaven.  Forget this.  You cannot earn God's favor because God gives it to you as a free gift when you choose to accept it.  

Let's try to answer the questions:  What pleases God?

What is pure religion?

Now that you trust God, what does your life look like?

James lays down a big challenge when he says in verse 26 that talking is not religion.  The Message translations says, "talking a good game...is hot air.  Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this:  Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight and guard against corruption from the godless world."

James is calling us into the service of all people who are in need.  This makes the challenge so big and so bold that we can never get it all done but we try to do whatever we can whenever we can to lighten the burden for others. 


Avoiding corruption is as big a challenge as taking care of people in need.  Football coach, Lou Holtz, had one rule for his players and he called it the Do Right Rule.  He told these college athletes that they know what is right and what is wrong and in every situation he expected them to, "do right."  And if they had a doubt about what was right or wrong to do, just don't do it.  Rather than making a big list of rules for his players like, go to class, make your grades, avoid tobacco and alcohol and drugs, be in bed by curfew, he just said, do right.

Saturday night I performed a wedding and I told them than their home is sacred and they must protect it.  I advise every young couple and you too, do not associate with people who pull you away from God, only associate with people who pull you toward God.

I am not saying that you should judge people because that is God's job.  I am saying that you should use good judgment to protect yourself from a terribly corrupt culture.

James warns us not to elevate people with money while ignoring people who appear to have less than we have.  He reminds us that God looks at the heart and that God revealed himself in Jesus first to the poor.  Think about how God ministered to the spirits of Africans who were enslaved by their own people, crammed into ships and brought to a foreign place and made to work for nothing and treated like animals!  Those same people sang worship songs of praise as they worked in the field and out of this extreme abuse the songs we now call Negro Spirituals were born.  This music could only happen because God was taking care of the poorest.  Since God favors the poor then we should favor the poor.

Then finally James says, "Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free.  For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly.  Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time."

What is the Rule that sets us free?  Jesus reduced all the past instructions down to:  1)  Love the Lord your God and, 2)  Love your neighbor as yourself.  We are free from the old laws that bind, the big lists that go on and on.  This brings to mind Martin Luther King's speech, "Free at last, free at last.  Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."  If you have Christ, you are free and there is no scorecard required.

11 20 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

From Check List to Mercy

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Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 10:25-37  

Audio file is at the end of this text.                  

Today we continue with the idea that some cling to and that is if a person is good enough and nice enough a person can by their own achievement work their way into heaven.  Let's look at Matthew 5:17-20 where Jesus says,

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Have you ever seen the Chinese language written out?  Doesn't it make your head spin? There are large stokes and even small dots and slashes and each mark means something. The same is true for Arabic.  So when Jesus says, "the smallest letter or stroke" he is teaching the people of his day in a way that they understand very clearly.  Jesus is saying that he is not throwing out the old laws that were given to the Jews and that every detail matters. 

Jesus says he has come to complete what our Father God started.  Let's stop here.  First, the old law was for Jews only and Jesus changed that and said, all people who call upon him are God's chosen ones.  Second, when we choose to follow Jesus, we choose to make an effort to follow the old law.

No person alive can say they have followed the old laws under their own power, but, we know that God sees us trying and try we must.  And, the best news is that with Jesus, all things are possible.  This is what is new in the New Testament. 

When an Old Testament expert tried to find a loophole in Jesus' teaching, the expert asked, "Who is my neighbor?"

The answer Jesus gave blew away 2,000 years of tradition.  In Luke 10:25-37 we read the famous story of the Good Samaritan... While traveling a man was robbed and left for dead at the side of the road.  A priest walked by and saw the man but passed by on the other side of the road.  Next a Levite saw and ignored the suffering man.  We might call the priest and the Levite paid church staff if we were writing this story today.  Both men were called "men of God" in that culture.  And remember that a Levite is a descendant of the Hebrew tribe of Levi and this is the tribe assigned to the temple duties.  This wasn't someone new to the faith; this was a person who came from thousands of years of law-studying ancestors.  Some argue that the priest and the Levite might have assumed the man was dead which gave them the perfect excuse not to do anything since they were not to touch dead bodies.  Nice work if you can get it.

The third person who saw the injured man was a Samaritan.  In that day, Jews did not speak to Samaritans and thought Samaritans were unclean because Samaritans did not follow the Jewish law and they were simply born inferior.  This Samaritan stopped everything he was doing to help the man.  He not only gave him first aid on the spot, he put him on his donkey, took him to an inn, paid the innkeeper for three weeks of lodging and said he would come back and take care of any additional expenses.  Jesus ended the story by saying to the Jewish law expert, "Go and do the same." 

The old law taught, "love your neighbor as yourself" so the expert was obligated to do this.  But, before Jesus came, Jews interpreted this law to only apply to other Jews.  The bar has been raised and Jesus teaches that the neighbor is the one who shows mercy and that every human being is a precious child of God.

Let us pray that God gives us each the heart to, "Go and do the same."

11 13 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Love Trumps Law

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Galatians 3:24-27; Luke 10:25-29; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:17-18  
Audio file is at the end of this text.                  

You can't work your way into heaven.  You might think it satisfying when you put your head on your pillow at night to count up all the good things you did that day and compare yourself others.  It might make you feel good about yourself because you know others could not possibly have done as many good deeds today as you did and you know for sure you're better than the people in jail.

This is what we tend to do, we tend to judge our good works against the work of others.  Romans 3:10 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one." Ecclesiastes 7:20 says. "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." So all of our effort to earn our way to God or work our way into heaven is wasted energy.
 
Here in Galatians 3:24-27, Paul is teaching that Jesus came to save us from the law since generations had proved that humans simply cannot stick to the rules.  Adam and Eve started the downward path and until Jesus came, we were stuck in our failure. This passage says that the law was to protect us from ourselves just like an adult protects a child.  The Message translation reads, 

       "The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them form danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set our for. But now you have arrived at your destination:  By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God.  Your baptism in Chirst was not just washing you up for a fresh start.  It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe -- Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise."


This faith we put on then changes everything and we don't need the law to save us from ourselves, we only need Christ.  Trusting Christ is what takes you to heaven.  Trust not work; faith not law.  

Following "the law" was the way of Judaism.  The law started with the Ten Commandments then grew into over 600 laws and out of this big list, Jesus made it clear that we are to focus our lives on just two.   But, they might not be considered law because they are very hard to define and some might say too big to pin down.

Look at Deuteronomy 6:5.  There it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  Leviticus 19:18 says, "...love your neighbor as yourself."

So Paul says, the era of the law is over and Christ has changed everything.  So how are we to live if the law is thrown out?  Turn to Luke 10:25-28.  Here Jesus is confronted by a religious law expert.  This man was trying to trap Jesus so he asked, "How do I get eternal life?"  Jesus knew the man knew the law so Jesus said, "What do you think?"

The man recited Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 and Jesus said, "Good answer.  Do it and you'll live."

Most of us in this room realize that without God's power working in our lives, we can't do the only two things Jesus requires.  You cannot work your way into heaven but faith and trust will take you there.

11 6 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Trust = Peace

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Galatians 2:11-14; John 14 and 15   --   Audio file is at the end of this text.                  
How is it that we dare to ask God to listen to us?  How is it that we dare to pray for help, for guidance, or for peace in our hearts?  Who deserves to talk to God?  Who can ask God for help and receive it?  We come boldly because we believe that the Bible is God's word and in it God makes it perfectly clear that he made each of us, he loves each of us and he expects each of us to depend upon him.

God's first formal set of instructions came in the form of  The Ten Commandants.   Our ancestors were never able to live up to what are still the rules that will guarantee a good life.  The only problem with rules is not one person who has ever lived has been able to live up to them.  The "fall" resulted in our cursed lives, but, God loves us so much that he gave us a new way to realize our potential. He gave us a new way to come to him boldly and without shame.

In Galatians 3:11-14 we read, "Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because, 'the righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, 'The person who does these things will live by them.' christ redeemed us from the curse of thelaw by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This means that we can't please God by only being a good person. We can't get God's attention by doing works and comparing ourselves to other people and saying to God and to ourselves, “Well I am better than that person because I do more good for my neighbors than he does.” Forget that strategy as you will always fall short.

When Paul was writing to the Galatian churches he was reminding them that while the rabbis were demanding more from them, God was only demanding faith. Paul is saying here that the curse of the law was finished, retired, and made obsolete by Jesus' death on the cross. Jesus' life, teaching, cruel and bloody death followed by his resurrection is what saves us.

All God wants is our trust in him. All God wants is our total faith that he not only made us, he has saved us from ourselves. He made us all his sons through the sacrifice of Jesus and thus we stand amazed in the presence of God knowing that he hears us.

How do we go to God? How do we live? We live by faith. We live by trusting that God, our creator, will keep his promises to each of us. Then how do you know that you are trusting God for every detail of your life? You will have the “peace that passes all understanding.” 

October 30, 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Lead with Grace and Kindness

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Matthew 15:21-39  --  Audio file is at the end of this text.

We've entered a Presidential election cycle and something happened a few days ago about which I want to comment.  The pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, made very harsh comments about the Mormon religion and I believe this is unfortunate.  Mormons do not believe in the trinity and consider Jesus to be the son of God, not God.  I agree with Dr. Jeffress of Dallas that this is not what the Bible says and that as people of the Word, we would assume that most Mormons are not Christ-followers.


However, how are we as Christians to confront those who don't agree with us?  I don't believe in being confrontational and I do believe that this is what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 15.  Jesus was very busy healing people and in this passage a woman begged him over and over to heal her daughter.  This woman was a Canaanite and Jews did not speak to Canaanites as they considered them unclean.  Was Jesus harsh and judgmental?  Was he rude and disrespectful?  No, he was patient.

The disciples were annoyed by this Canaanite woman and Jesus seemed at first to be focused on other problems and he ignored her.  But she was persistent and finally Jesus recognized her tremendous faith that she had placed in him and he granted her request.  Matthew 15:28 says, "Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment."

Does it make sense that those of us who have taken Christ as our personal savior and who have the Holy Spirit abiding in our hearts can take the gracious way when it comes to our interactions with people who don't agree with us?  Of course.  We need to stand out because of our grace and kindness not because of our over-bearing condemnation.

The Bible records two events when Jesus fed thousands of people when he multiplied a few loaves of bread and few fish.  In the first story he fed Jews and in this story he fed people he, as a Jew, was taught to not only ignore but to look down upon.

Did Jesus spend any time condemning the Canaanites?  No, he spent all of his time ministering to their physical needs through healing and feeding.  It was then he had their attention to preach to them his message of love.

His disciples thought all along that Jesus was all about the Jews and that Jesus would wipe out the Roman Empire and become the King like they had in the days of King David.  We know now that Jesus came to save each of us and his salvation takes us beyond a single throne.  Jesus saves each of us to follow him here and into eternity.

Did  Dr. Jeffress draw Mormons to him as Jesus drew in the Canaanites?  I don't think so.  Presenting Christianity should never be confrontational.  When you have Christ, you have the peace that passes all understanding and there is no need to be negative.  Let each of us think before we act or speak:  will my actions and speech bring glory to God?  Do I draw people in with my love and compassion?  Do people want what I have that they can't see but they realize it is good?  Our daily prayer should be:  Father, let Christ shine forth from me so that my life will draw the world to you.

10 23 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Strip Down

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Hebrews 12:1-3  Note:  Audio file is at the end of text.     1.  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.  2.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This passage makes it clear that Paul understood sports.  The Greeks invented the Olympic games sometime before 800 BC and Paul was probably a fan and he starts off this chapter by pointing to the activity of the fans who are pulling for those of us running the Christ-follower's race. 

Paul appeals to us to look up and know that the saints who have gone before us are cheering us on. From the heavenly bleachers God is watching you and so are great people of faith who left this earth to be with God.  

Friday night at the football game, toward the end, our fans started making some noise.  They were cheering on our team and we could hear them and it made a difference.  When the other team was less than three yards to the goal, our fans got loud and encouraged us to hold them back and we did. For four downs we kept them from scoring so we won the game, 41-0. 

In Hebrews 11 Paul lists some of the members of your fan club.  There is Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and even the converted prostitute, Rahab.  All have walked this earth, all have struggled and all eventually put their faith in their creator God.  They know how hard life is and the testimony of their lives should motivate each of us never to give up on God.

How do we run this marathon called life?  
How do we stay encouraged not to give up?

Glenn Cunningham was a runner who can teach us about not giving up.  He was severely burned when at the age of eight he went to school early to light the heater and an explosion occurred.  He was engulfed in flames and his legs were so damaged that doctors wanted to amputate them.  Glenn would not let them and he went on to set track records.  According to MyHero.com, "For three years, from 1932 to 1934, he won the Big Six indoor titles and was at the Olympics again in 1936. Then in 1938 Cunningham became the world's fastest runner as he set a new record at Dartmouth College."

While preparing to attempt to run one mile in under 4 minutes, Glenn Cunningham, was warming up which was hard for him due to his old injuries.  Other runners could do a few stretches then rest until it was time to run. Glenn had to run long distances before his muscles would begin to warm to be ready for a race.  This day he was thinking he could get rid of some of the fabric on his shorts so he asked someone to cut a V shape out of the sides of his shorts.  You see, he was trying to lighten his load.

Surely Paul had watched the Greeks run and they ran nearly naked and that makes sense.  Paul says in The Message translation, "Strip down, start running--and never quit!  No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins."   Just as Glenn tried to lighten the weight of his shorts, Paul tells us to get rid of the sin that bogs us down.  He says,  "throw off the sin that so easily entangles."  For us in this room that does not mean stop cheating, stealing and murdering.  You are not the cheating, stealing, murdering types.  I know most of you and would be shocked to hear that you pulled out a gun and shot someone.  What are the sins that "so easily entangle" us?  Probably things like depression, greed, envy, jealousy, gossip and self-pity to name a few.

We get comfortable with these sins and use them as an excuse to do less for the cause of Christ.  We don't have the energy to lend a helping hand or say a kind word to someone who needs encouragement because we are carrying around a backpack full of greed or self-pity.  Having a relationship with Christ is not about what you can't do it is about doing and this takes fitness.

While you work on dumping out the backpack and cutting off the fat and parasitic sins, you must keep your eye on the finish line. The passage says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus." In track, its a tape, in baseball, it's the ball.  Keeping your eye on the ball is the only way to hit a baseball.  It's the only way to catch a baseball.  Focusing your eye on the target for where you want to throw the ball is the only way to hit the target.  You can float off course if your mind is lazy and you can wonder off the track or off the field if you forget what game you are playing.

Paul is saying that the goal is heaven and we reach it by focusing on Jesus no matter what is going on around us.  Some of those saints who are cheering you on died for the cause of Christ.  And, it is the life of Jesus Christ that saves us.  His life, his death  -- a gruesome, painful, long, slow, horrific, death -- teach us that no matter what pain or problems our race presents, if we focus on Jesus, we'll finish with honor and glory as He did.  You'll rise as Jesus did.  You'll win, you'll score, you'll see victory.

The track is ready, the gun has sounded and the fans are watching.  Your life as a follower of Christ is the race and millions line the track as you run this marathon.  They are clapping and cheering for you.

10 16 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Secret Steps to Success

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I Thessalonians 4:9-12; John 15:1-17 
Note:  Audio file is at the end of this text.           

Yesterday many of us attended the funeral of Rene Naccari.  He was 87 and part of the group that some have labeled, "The Greatest Generation".  He enlisted in the Navy right out of high school and was shipped to the Pacific to fight with others who believed that they should sacrifice for their country.  After the war he got a college education,  married,  raised five children and worked for Texaco.

Some of his neighbors from his generation spoke at the funeral and they talked about how they all helped each other rear their children and keep their homes and yards in good repair.  Everybody pitched in on the hard projects that were made easier when many hands joined in the work. 

Sadly, I am part of the generation that has turned out to be self-centered.  Somehow, these hard-working parents of ours made our lives so easy that we developed a sense of entitlement and it looks like, in general, the next generation is more like us than Mr. Naccari.


So let's turn to two scriptures that tell us how to get back to living more like our parents and grandparents who put their faith, their country and their family above self.

In Thessalonians Paul is writing to the Jesus followers and reminding them of what Jesus himself said that is recorded in John 15.  He says,  "I am telling you all the secrets of God our creator.  I am telling you that you I have loved you and will lay down my life for you because of my love for you.  And, I expect you to love others as I have loved you.  This means you must be willing to lay down your life for others.  This is my command:  Love each other."

Paul assumes everyone in the church at Thessalonica remembers these words of Jesus and then he adds more.  Paul writes, 

⁹ Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. ¹⁰ And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, ¹¹ and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹² so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

From the starting point of loving so much that we are willing to die for another person, Paul gives us three steps to success in life here on earth.  

First, live a quiet life.  Don't be bragging and bringing attention to yourself.  This is like Mr. Naccari and his friends.  They didn't have vanity plates on their cars, they didn't try to jump ahead in line, they didn't assume that they deserve anything without working for it.   We need to do our best at every task and even do the work before we are asked and we need to let the results of our efforts speak for themselves.

Second, mind your own business.  Take care of yourself and don't worry about the other person.  UCLA Coach John Wooden lead his basketball team to 10 national championships and he practiced this key to success.   When he was asked how he prepared to beat the competition he said he never thought about the other team he only worked to prepare his players to do their very best.  This scripture is telling us to spend our time improving ourselves rather than wasting time thinking about and worrying about what someone else is doing or what someone else has achieved.  

Third, work with your hands.  This to me means you have to roll up your sleeves and be willing to get dirty.  This is for sure what we saw our parents and grandparents do.  They worked the soil, built their houses with their own bare hands and were willing to do for themselves what had to be done to provide for their families.  They didn't ask for a handout from the government or complain that they didn't have steak on their tables every night for dinner.

10 9 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Think On These Things

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Philippians 3:12; 4:8-9

To prepare for communion this morning, let's reach back in Philippians to 3:12.  This famous verse says we must, "forget what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Paul is saying we need to confess our sins of the past, accept the forgiveness Jesus promises and say we're sorry to those we have hurt.  This is a cleansing exercise that we should do daily and especially prior to receiving communion.  Paul uses the athlete as a  powerful metaphor.  Imagine going to a track meet to watch runners compete and you see them line up at the staring line.  You see them in the sleeveless t-shirts and shorts made of thin fabric and we know that these uniforms have been improved and made lighter through years.  The runners don't want any extra weight to carry or even any drag caused by too much fabric blowing in the wind.  But on the line you see one runner who has a backpack and you learn it is full of books.  You don't know why anyone would want to compete carrying a load of books, right?

Well, that is what we do when we start a new day carrying around our mistakes of the past.  Every mistake is like a page in a book and then we bind the books and date them so we can keep track of our storied lives.  When Paul says to forget what lies behind he means toss out those books full of pages listing your past failures, get rid of the backpack and run free.

Then in 4:8 Paul tells us how we are to think while we are running the race toward our goals.  He says, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Verse 9 packs a powerful punch.  Paul says that if we think on the right things, "the peace of God will be with you."  Maybe at the core desire of all our hearts is the desire for peace and here we see exactly how to get it.

God is our parent.   The Bible says that God knitted us together in our mother's womb and the Bible is clear that we are all God's children made in God's image.  Right now I am working on a case that will come to trial soon about a basketball player who died playing the game.  The prosecution is trying to blame to coach and I will be an expert witness to show that it was not the coach that caused this untimely death of a young athlete.  In the depositions I am reading there is one given by a doctor who describes how the values of our heart begin to form at just 12 weeks.  This is scientific evidence that God knits us together in our mother's womb.

God wants all the best for you so just tell him what you want, thank him for hearing your prayer and trust him to work in your life.  While you are trusting God, think true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable thoughts and your wait will be in peace.

Don't Worry Be Happy

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Philippians 4:4-9; Matthew 6:25-33 

This week one of our former students was murdered.  Major Heath Kelly was only 35 years old and serving in the National Guard and in a senseless killing spree he was shot down.  When we went to visit with his grandmother she said, "I feel sorry for the shooter.  He had no life."

While she had every right to be angry and bitter at her loss, she displayed a living testimony that only Christ can make happen in a heart.  Lots of people say they are following Christ but in this situation, I saw Christ being lived out through a  most terrible situation.  How can a grandmother rejoice when she has lost her grandson?  This is only possible because she has allowed Christ to fill her heart. She said she is happy she had him in her life for 35 years. 


How does this woman minister to me when I was supposed to be ministering to her?  She is living out what Paul is teaching here in this passage.  Verse 4 says, celebrate God and verse 5 says to be aware that God is near.  He is right here, right now to comfort, lead and love you in the right direction.
Bible scholar, Eugene Peterson, says that Philippians is Paul's, "happiest letter."  Joy and happiness is a signature trait of Christians.  And, since worry is a huge thief of happiness Paul takes time to make it clear that a Christian has no business worrying.

Verse 6 says don't worry or fret about anything.  He goes on to tell us to substitute a worry with a prayer. This is excellent psychology since our mind is busy and the worriers can train themselves to replace worry with something rather than trying to empty that mind space.  The next time a worry floods your mind, say, "Lord, please take this problem. I can't handle it but I know you can. Thank  you."

We are pretty sure that Paul never heard Jesus preach since Paul was running around trying to kill the Jesus followers.   In Matthew 6:25-33 we can read what Jesus said about worry and much later Paul writes a similar sentiment.  The topic must be so important we need a double dose.

Jesus says, just look at nature and see that it doesn't worry.  The birds and the flowers do their thing while we humans get confused and fill our minds with needless worry.  Matthew 6:33 says that God will give us whatever we need for this day.  My father used to say, don't borrow trouble.  This means that if we live one day at a time and trust God just for today, we'll stay in the sweet spot of joy.  This frees us to do the only two things Jesus told us to do:  love God and love our neighbor. 

Singing the Sermon

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Most Sundays we sing three or four hymns in a service and then there is a sermon. Today, we will sing the sermon and you will compose the sermon by selecting the songs we'll sing. Anyone who has a favorite, please raise your hand and call out the page number. We'll sing the first verse of as many songs as time permits.

I've found a friend, who is all to me. His love is ever true. I love to tell how he lifted me and what his grace can do for you. Saved, by his power divine. Saved, to new life sublime. Life now is sweet and my joy is complete for I'm saved, saved, saved.

I can hear the savior say, thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness watch and pray. Find in me, thine all in all. Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.

Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me. Not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious. Sweetest that ever was heard. Tell how the angels in chorus, sang as they welcomed His birth,“Glory to God in the highest!Peace and good tidings to earth.” Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious. Sweetest that ever was heard.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds they hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. How great thou art, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. How great thou art, how great thou art.

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus Saves! Jesus Saves!
Bear the news to every land, Climb the steeps and cross the waves.
Onward 'tis our Lord's command. Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

There's a call comes ringing ore the restless waves, send the light, send the light.
There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, send the light, send the light.
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light, let it shine from shore to shore.
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light, let it shine forever more.

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit. O what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Years I spent in vanity and pride. Caring not my Lord was crucified.
Knowing not it was for me he died at Calvary. Mercy there was grace and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burden so found liberty at Calvary.

Some say that Saint Augustine (335-430 AD) was the most important figure in the ancient Western church and he wrote this about the power of singing.

"For he who sings praise, does not only praise, but also praises joyously; he who sings praise, is not only singing, but also loving Him whom he is singing about/to/for. There is a praise-filled public proclamation in the praise of someone who is confessing/acknowledging (God), in the song of the lover there is deep love."

Maybe because we know he said this, some attribute to Augustine,
"He who sings prays twice."