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Moving Forward

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 8, 2011|

We are talking about our congregation’s future today. And I want to begin with a bit of recent history. Leadership has been working at ways for our congregation to move forward for quite a while now. Long before the two services plan was offered. And after it wasn’t accepted, we certainly have worked hard. Many hours of meetings. For myself, and I am sure others, many more hours of thinking and praying and working at this.

This is important because it is about vision for the future; our future. And it’s important that any group, our own church included, has a sense of direction and purpose; that we know we are going somewhere and somewhere good. Of course, you can never control the future and what will happen. But at least with a plan you can be intentional about setting a direction and moving toward some specific goals.

As Elders and church council members I believe we have come to a point of clarity on moving forward, although we will ask for your blessing at our annual meeting in July. (And you will be able to see the details then).

But before we get to moving forward,  first –

Some words of encouragement

I guess it’s just a part of human nature that it’s much easier to see the negative in things rather than the good. Right? We often focus on all that we should be doing better as a congregation; all the areas we are weak in compared to other churches. We don’t often think about what we do well, and where we are gifted; where God has blessed us.

Let me give you some examples of this, and then I will let you give some as well:

  • Our children and young people – what a good group we have, and we want to invest in their lives.
  • Our musical gifts and worship times
  • We have many who are willing to work with their hands to serve others – service trips, MDS, helping members with needs.
  • We have many people who are highly committed and work hard at serving the Lord. And I thank God for each one.
  • We like to have fun with each other – eating, hanging out, joking, laughing.

Also mentioned by the congregation –  our Pastor (and, of course, I joked that I would pay Dale for saying that after the service). We have many good teachers in our congregation. And we are a multi-generational church.

These are all precious gifts from God. And we should be thankful to be in a congregation so blessed!

Brothers and sisters, let’s have a good image of ourselves. Not because we are anything, but because God is good to us. And let’s build on these good things as we move forward.

Now let’s talk about the future. First of all, we want to –

1. Make involvement in ministry the center of our church

Romans 12:4-6 says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them . . ..”

Everyone of us has gifts and abilities, given by God. And as Paul says, we want you to use them!

So we want to shake up how we are organized. We don’t want to focus on administration so much and simply coming to meetings (too much of which can suck the life out of the best of us). We want to focus on a number of ministry teams, building on what we already have, and having a flexible structure so that as God leads, others can be formed.

For instance we are now working on creating a “Hospitality Team” which will focus on welcoming visitors, and also will bring together other roles we already have that are related to this. We want to make this a focal point of ministry. And we want to do it well.

Each such ministry team will be led by someone who has gifts and a passion in that area of ministry. And they will be encouraged to give leadership and be creative. And then we will recruit others to help out, who also have gifts and a desire to serve in that area.

So this change is about unleashing people to serve out of their strengths. Because when people are acting out of their gifts and their passions, the work, although it can be hard and time consuming – is life giving. There is joy in it!

So there is a change in organization involved, but we also want to shake up our thinking about ministry.

  • Under the supervision of the Elders, we want to give leaders freedom to lead and be creative.
  • We want to get everyone involved in some way or another with ministry – according to the grace that God has given them. This should be seen as normal, not exceptional – from our seniors all the way to our youth.
  • And we want to learn to be flexible. If people come forward with a vision and gifts, new ministry teams can be put together. And if there is no longer a vision or a person wanting to serve, the team can cease. We need to learn to ask. ‘Where is God working among us?’ ’Where is God stirring up vision and giving us people with gifts?’ And we need to pursue this.

Second and just briefly, we want to –

2. Be prepared in practical ways for growth

This comes as an expression of our faith – that God will work among us.

So we will be working at putting in place a five year plan for our building and grounds. We have at various times bumped up against the limitations of our facilities, since I have been here and even before.

As we grow, as God works among us, we want to have a pathway in place; a roadmap for how to move forward and what steps are involved. We want to be ready.

We make this plan in faith, and we will enact it a step at time, as there is need. Whether it’s in five years or not.

Alright, having put in place a way for people to use their gifts in ministry, and having in place a plan for what might come of it, third, and most importantly, we want to –

3. Invite God to work through us

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” I know I certainly don’t want to labor in vain. So we need to seek God.

God is the key. Because it is God alone who brings real growth, and fruit that remains. As Paul says, it is “God who gives the growth” – 1 Corinthians 3:7.

How this works is a mystery to us. As Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” – Mark 4:26-29.

We just tend the garden, but God has to act to bring life and growth. So this is a matter of prayer and seeking after God.

This is what I believe

I believe if you aren’t moving forward, you are moving backward. There is no neutral in the Christian life.

I believe that if we just focus on being comfortable and doing things like we always have – we’re gonna find ourselves a few years from now asking, ‘Why don’t we have any new people?’

I believe God wants to move among us; that God wants to do something special among us.

I believe that God has given each of us gifts for his kingdom which he can use to move among us. And that none of us will find true joy until we do serve the Lord. Because this is what we were created for.

I believe that God wants to touch people’s lives through us. And that there are people out there waiting for us to kick it into high gear, so that they will be touched and transformed and turned into those who minister to others as well.

What I am asking of you

I am asking you to believe that God can and will work in us and through us in powerful new ways. In other words, I am asking you to have faith; to be excited; to have expectation; to be looking forward to what God will do among us.

I am asking you to be committed; to give more priority to this church body than to other activities, worthwhile as they may be. I am asking you to invest yourself in this congregation; your time and your resources.

Finally, I am asking you to use your gifts. Find out what they are, and then don’t be shy. Be teachable, but be bold to step out and serve.

William Higgins

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A Christian response to a terrorist’s death

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 4, 2011|

I am a news junkie for sure. So when I saw the president was going to make an announcement at 10:30 PM I knew it must be important. I stayed up even as the announcement time kept being pushed later. And sure enough it was important – Bin  Laden was killed.

However, as I saw people begin to celebrate I had mixed feelings. Yes, I believe justice caught up with him. He was a cold blooded murderer and his killing is justified in terms of how this world deals with evildoers, which God uses. And I can understand why people would celebrate, in that we might think that the nation is more safe now, or that now there might be less war. But to specifically celebrate the death of a man? This is different. For the non-Christian this may be no big deal. But as a Christian I could not join in for several reasons.

1. Scripture teaches us that God was not celebrating. God says, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,” speaking of sinners in Ezekiel 18:32.  Bin Laden was created by God, a person in the image of God, who threw this away. This is sad. God so loved the world, including terrorists, that he sent his Son to die on the cross for them, so that they could be saved. And as the rest of the passage in Ezekiel 18  makes clear, God would have forgiven him if he had repented. (It is only by this grace that any of us are not judged by God.) This is when all of heaven rejoices, when a sinner repents – Luke 15:10.

2. Scripture calls us to love our enemies. Jesus said,  “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” – Luke 6:27-28. I do not think that we would ever rejoice in the death of someone we love, even if they are evil. It is tragic, not a time for celebrating or gloating.

3. Scripture specifically teaches us not to rejoice in this. Proverbs 24:17 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.” This is wrong. As v. 18 says this displeases the Lord and can make his anger turn away from the evildoer. The meaning may well be that God’s anger will turn to the one who rejoices.

William Higgins

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Don’t love the world. 1 John 2:15-17

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 10, 2011|

We are looking at a familiar passage today – 1 John 2:15-17. And we’re looking at its clear word to us – Don’t love the world.

Now these verses can stand on their own; you don’t have to  go through the whole letter of 1 John to make sense of them. And so I want us just to take these verses today and work at understanding what the message is here for us.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

We begin by asking what “the world” means. It is used six times in our three verses.

Some background

In Greek the word is “Cosmos.” We use this transliteration in words like ‘cosmology’ or ‘cosmic’ or ‘the cosmos’ – as in the universe. It’s used 78 times in the Gospel of John and 23 times in 1 John, which is a lot.

It can mean several different things, but here are some that are more relevant to our passage, from the writings of John:

  • It can mean “the earth,” as in the natural world – John 11:9. Here Jesus talks about how the sun lights this world.
  • It can mean “the people” who live on the earth – John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son . . ..” Here it means all the people in the world.

But it can also have a very negative meaning, something like the world system that stands in opposition to God. This system is made up of people, spiritual powers, values, ideas, institutions and nations. And it promotes a way of life that is not submitted to God’s will or God’s values. And this is what we are dealing with in 1 John 2:15-17.

Here are some Scriptures that speak to this understanding of the world in John’s writings:

  • John tells us that, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” – 1 John 5:19.
  • It is a place of “darkness” and “evil” deeds – John 3:19.
  • Jesus said that, “the world does not know” God – John 17:25. It doesn’t understand God or have a relationship with God.
  • “The world . . . has hated” Jesus – John 15:18.
  • And as John says, “do not be surprised, sisters and brothers, that the world hates you” – 1 John 3:13.

As we see from these last verses, there is conflict between God and those who live by God’s values, and the world and those who live by its values. The world can take two different approaches. It can persecute Christians. Or more commonly in our context it seeks to lure us with what Scripture calls ‘the passing pleasures of sin’ (Hebrews 11:25). Either way it’s trying to get us to walk according to its values and not God’s.

Now let’s look at –

The world in 1 John 2:15-17

We get a bit more specificity here. That’s because, when John says in v. 15 – “Do not love the world . . .,” he also says “. . . or the things of the world.” And then in v. 16 he says more about what he means by the things of the world. “For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

So we have three things highlighted here. 1) the desires of the flesh. These are the desires that come from within us; our fallen humanity. Things like greed, wrongful sex, excessive food, excessive comfort, revenge, a desire to be popular, rebelliousness – whatever can come out of hearts that are not submitted to God.

Here are a couple of Scriptures that talk about the desires of the flesh with examples: 1 Peter 4:3 – “living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” Galatians 5:19-21 – “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies . . ..”

When God is not giving us guidance, direction or a framework of values, we find it in these desires of our flesh.

2) the desires of the eyes. This refers to the same kinds of things. The difference is that these are the desires that come from what we see around us that tempts us. When God is not giving us guidance, direction or a framework of values, we find it in what we see in others in the world.

3) pride in possessions. This one is pretty specific. It has to do with our material possessions that we have accumulated. More broadly it has to do with our status in life. When God is not giving us guidance, direction or a framework of values, we find it in what wealth or social standing we have.

The world promotes all three of these. It tells us to follow these desires and goals. Because this is how you will find meaning; this is how you will be happy; this is how others will respect you.

What we’re talking about in all this is –

Worldliness

This isn’t a word you hear very much anymore. I was a part of what is called the ‘holiness movement’ for a while. The college I went to was a part of this tradition. And worldliness was a big topic. But frequently, as in other traditions (Mennonites), it meant doing things that stood outside of church culture. For instance going to a movie theater (even if it was a Billy Graham movie). Or a certain style of dress that was deemed unacceptable, even if it was modest. Or a certain kind of music that was different (usually louder).

But we trivialize the concept when we do this. Does not being worldly really mean just being a generation behind in styles, music and technology? Or stopping at a certain point in history and not moving forward anymore?

No. Worldliness has to do with values and attitudes and behaviors that go against God’s will. Things like we have seen already: sexual immorality, drunkenness, greed, and boasting in your possessions. You can listen to the right style of music, dress properly and still do these things!

Worldliness has to do with wrong values like craving power and control; always wanting to be better than others, or lording it over others (Mark 10:42-43). This is the goal of your life, instead of humbly serving others.

Also big in our society is seeking the praise of people. We are very concerned with what others think about us, but not too concerned with what God thinks of us, even though this is most important of all.

Another example from American culture is our worship of celebrity idols. We give them our offerings of money and time; we do what they say; we honor and worship them.

The world operates according to these values. And when we love these things; when we do them – we have been lured into worldliness.

Finally our verses speak to –

Why you shouldn’t love the world

There are two reasons. 1. Loving God and loving the world are mutually exclusive. John says this in v. 15 – “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” You’re not loving God if your loving the world. You can’t have both at the same time. That’s because the things of the world are a part of a system that opposes God. As John says in v. 16 – “For all that is in the world . . . (all that we have looked at) is not from the Father but is from the world.”

There is a conflict between God’s values and the values of the world. And let me say it again, when you choose to love the world, you show that you do not love God. You have forsaken God.

The great and fatal mistake of so many Christians is to not understand this. They think they can have both. And you cannot. You really do have to choose. One or the other. God or the world. If you try to have both, you have made your choice for the world, since God requires our complete commitment.

2. You will be doomed along with the world. John lays out a basic contrast in v. 17 – “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The world’s time is just about up. It doesn’t have a future. So if you make yourself a part of the world system that opposes God; if you follow its desires, you will perish with it in God’s judgment.

But here is the contrast – if you do God’s will; that is you love God and not the world, you will abide forever. There’s a future in this, even if it is hard now.

And that future is being a part of an eternal kingdom that will not pass away. It will remain forever. You will remain forever.

————–

So I encourage you to hear the message today – don’t love the world! Give yourself fully to God, to love God with all your heart. Don’t allow the world to lure you away and destroy your love of God and your hope for the future.

William Higgins

 

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Prayer Amplifier #2 – Almsgiving

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 20, 2011|

We’re talking about prayer again today. Last week we looked at fasting as a prayer amplifier. That is, a way of increasing the effectiveness of our prayers. In the words of Isaiah 58:4, a way of making our “voice to be heard on high.”

We saw how fasting makes our prayers more effective because it’s a way of humbling ourselves before God when we pray. And when we are lowly, we are closer to God; when we are truly humble, we gain God’s favor.

This week we look at almsgiving as a prayer amplifier. Let’s start with –

Some basics on alms

And we begin with the question what are “alms”? It’s not a common word today. It means giving aid to the poor and needy. The word comes from a Greek word whose root means “mercy” or “compassion.”

Isaiah 58:7 gives a good description of almsgiving. It means “to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; (and) when you see the naked, to cover him.”  Jesus gives a number of examples of alms in his teaching on the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:35-36. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Alms in the Law. Giving to the poor was encouraged for individuals in the Law. For instance lending money to the needy (Deuteronomy 15:11). And these loans were forgiven every seven years, which means some of them became gifts.

But the Law also required alms of everyone at points. The third year tithes (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) were stored up and used to feed Levites, immigrants, orphans and widows. And harvest was left in the field (Leviticus 19:9) in order for the needy to gather it and have something to eat.

Alms in later Judaism grew in importance. Giving alms was considered second in importance only to study of the Law (or Scripture). It was considered greater than all other commandments. It even became Synonymous with the word “righteousness” it was so highly esteemed.

We are to give to the needy

If there might have been a question about fasting, there is no dispute about this. It is an expression of love for the person in need, and it is an expression of righteousness on our part.

Jesus taught about giving alms a lot. Here is just one example, “Sell your possessions and give alms” or give to the poor – Luke 12:33. He is saying, take of your excess and help those who don’t have enough.

Paul also taught giving alms, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” –  Galatians 6:10. ‘Doing good’ is another way to say helping the needy.

Jesus also practiced giving alms – John 13:29. As did Paul, as we see in the case of the Jerusalem offering for the poor in Jerusalem – 1 Corinthians 16:1-3.

There are a number of –

Scriptural promises

– connected to giving alms, and I want us to see some of these.

  • Proverbs 22:9 – “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”
  • Proverbs 28:27 – “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”
  • Psalm 41:1 – “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him.”
  • Psalm 112:5 – “It is well with the one who deals generously and lends.”
  • Proverbs 14:21 – “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.”

Alms as a prayer amplifier

The connection of prayer and the giving alms to the blessings in these promises comes out in several places:

1. Matthew 6:2-5. Here alms are spoken of as a way of seeking the reward of God’s attention or favor. And in this passage it is linked to prayer and also fasting. This is, in fact, why these three things are grouped together by Jesus. Prayer is seeking God and giving alms and fasting are prayer amplifiers.

2. Isaiah 58. We looked at this last week because it also talks about fasting. v. 7 says if you give alms, that is, if you help the hungry, help the homeless and clothe the naked, then v. 9 says, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Your voice will, for sure, be heard on high by God – v. 4.

3. Acts 10. In this example of Cornelius the connection between alms and prayer comes out clearly. v. 2 says that Cornelius was “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.”

Then one day an angel came to him and said in v. 4 – “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” As Cornelius recounts this in v. 31 the angel said, “your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.”

So God answered his prayers, sending Peter to him to preach the gospel. And this great favor came to him, in part, because of his almsgiving and prayer. As the verses say, your alms have been remembered. And so when he prayed God heard his prayers and blessed him.

Why do alms make our prayers more effective?

The basic idea is that when we give alms it pleases God very much; it gains God’s favor. There are several different ways of saying this:

1. Giving alms is lending to the Lord. And God will repay you, when you call out in your time of trouble. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

2. Almsgiving is a sacrifice that gains God’s favor. The language in Acts 10 is sacrificial language, his alms “ascended as a memorial before God.” It is like a burnt offering in the Old Testament, the smoke of which went up into heaven before God.

Hebrews 13:16 uses similar imagery. It says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” After receiving a gift of alms, Paul says in Philippians 4:18-19 – “I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

3. The prayers of the righteous carry more weight. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” And almsgiving is very righteous. As we saw, often the word for alms was synonymous with the word for righteousness, the association was so close.

Let me end with a caution on giving alms from Jesus.

Beware of false seeking

In other words, don’t give alms in order to seek the attention of people; to show that you are spiritual or righteous. We always have a way of taking something good and then making it self-centered. And this is the case here.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:2 – “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Jesus is saying, they will get nothing from God because they already got what they wanted – the people’s attention.

Rather, Jesus says in Matthew 6:3-4 – “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

When we give to help others (besides showing love for the person in need) we are to focus on getting God’s attention alone; or pleasing God. And then God will see what we do in secret, and remember it. And when we call out in our time of need – our prayers will be amplified. The intensity of our concern will be fully conveyed to God for consideration. As I said last week, this doesn’t force God’s hand but it makes sure that we are heard and fully considered by God.

William Higgins

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Prayer Amplifier #1 – Fasting

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 13, 2011|

(edited) How many of you would like your prayers to be more effective? When I say ‘prayer amplifier’ I mean something that will do precisely this; something that will make our prayers be heard on high.

I want us to look at two prayer amplifiers. And today, the topic is fasting.

Some basics on fasting

Fasting means refraining from all food for a time. Another way of talking about fasting is to say that someone is “eating no bread” (Luke 7:33) with bread standing for food. We call other things fasts today, but in the Bible it means no food.

The Day of Atonement fast is the only one required in the Law of Moses. This was an annual, national fast (Leviticus 16:29). Although a fast could be called in any time of crisis (Joel 2:12-13).

There are a number of examples of individual, voluntary fasts in Scripture. And in later Judaism this kind of fasting became quite prominent. In Jesus’ day many fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays (Luke 18:12).

Should we fast?

We don’t talk much about fasting anymore. But the answer to our question is certainly yes, with regard to individual, voluntary fasting.

You can see this first of all in Jesus’ teaching. Matthew 9:14-15 – “Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’”

Jesus is saying, since he is present with them, they are to be joyful and celebrate – like at a wedding. And in Judaism wedding guests were released from ordinary religious duties.

But after he is taken away, that is, after he is killed, “then they (his disciples) will fast.” And this refers to us as well. In the time that we live in, Jesus says, we will fast.

And then in Matthew 6:16 Jesus said, “And when you fast . . .” and then he goes on to talk about how to fast correctly. We will look at this Scripture again in a minute, but clearly Jesus is giving instructions that assume his disciples will fast.

You can also see that we should fast from various examples in the New Testament:

  • Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before he began his public ministry.
  • The early church fasted – Acts 13:2-3. Paul and Barnabas were chosen for and then sent off to their missionary work with “fasting and prayer.”
  • Paul fasted – Acts 14:23, when he appointed Elders with “prayer and fasting.”

These examples of fasting become a recommendation to us to fast as well.

OK, so we should fast, but –

What’s the point of fasting?

One reason we don’t practice it more, I believe, is that we don’t understand what it’s all about; what we are doing when we fast. We have images of monks and asceticism; of useless torturing of our bodies like Paul warns against in Colossians 2:18; 23. But this isn’t what fasting is about.

Fasting is an expression of humility or lowliness. The point is that you want to humble yourself. You are putting yourself in a place of weakness. The language used in Leviticus to speak of fasting is literally “to afflict oneself.”

Sometimes this lowliness is connected to repentance. Joel 2:12 says, “’Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’” It is a way of abasing yourself before the Lord due to your wrong choices and is a part of repentance.

Sometimes lowliness is connected to mourning. David fasted as he mourned the deaths of Saul and Jonathan – 2 Samuel 1:12. And Jesus connects fasting with mourning in Matthew 9:15, a passage we just looked at. He uses the two words interchangeably.

The point in all of this is that fasting is an expression of humility and lowliness.

So when you combine fasting and prayer, and they are often connected in Scripture, it means that you are praying from a lowly place; that you are humbling yourself before God as you pray. This is the point of fasting and prayer. And –

This is why fasting amplifies our prayers

By humbling yourself, you are putting yourself in a place that gains God’s utmost attention. As Psalm 138:6 says, “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.” Proverbs 3:34 says that the Lord gives “favor” to the humble. And James 4:6 says that God “gives grace to the humble.” God hears those who humble themselves before him.

  • That this is true can be seen in Isaiah 58:4, which says that fasting can “make your voice to be heard on high.”
  • And this can also be seen in Matthew 6 where Jesus talks about fasting as one of three ways to seek “the reward” of God’s attention, in connection with prayer.

When you add fasting to prayer it is a way of getting God’s full attention, as it were.

Now, this doesn’t mean that just because you fast, or fast for a really long time, that God has to grant your request. You can’t force God’s hand. For instance, David fasted so that his first child from Bathsheba might live, but the child died – 2 Samuel 12.

But it does makes sure that you are heard and the intensity of your desire is fully conveyed to God for consideration.

An example of the power of fasting and prayer can be found in the story of Ahab, who was perhaps the worst Israelite king of all. Elijah warned him that God was about to judge him and destroy his whole household. 1 Kings 21:27 says, “And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.” And then in v. 29 the Lord said to Elijah, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days. . ..” God gives a very evil man a measure of mercy because of his humble fasting.

At the end here, let me give you some cautions connected with fasting. First, when you fast –

Beware of false lowliness – Isaiah 58:3-9

In v. 3 the people complain to God, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?”

God’s answer in v. 5 is that outward expressions of humility, bowing down with sackcloth and ashes, aren’t enough. True lowliness doesn’t have to do with outward appearance.

And besides in vs. 3-4 we see that they weren’t truly lowly, but were lifting themselves up by putting others down; that is, they were oppressing others.

In vs. 6-7 they are told to start lifting others up and helping them – the poor, the oppressed and the hungry. Here, lowliness means to lower oneself to help the needy. This is what God cares about, not sackcloth and ashes.

If God didn’t hear them before, as he says in v. 4 – “Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high,” fasting with true humility gets God’s attention. Isaiah 58:9 says, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’”

Second, as you fast –

Beware of false seeking – Matthew 6:16-18

That is, when you seek God with prayer and fasting, make sure you are not seeking to get other people’s attention instead. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” They are trying to get others to see how devout they are. So they are actually seeking praise for themselves.

Rather, seek the attention of God alone when you fast and pray. Jesus said in Matthew 6:17-18, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.”

If you don’t get what you seek, because you are seeking the attention of others, the promise is that, if you seek God you will be rewarded. Jesus said in Matthew 6:18, “your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

So I commend this to you today. If you haven’t tried it before, do so. If you have, continue on. Lift up your concerns to God with fasting and prayer. If you have questions about the practical issues of fasting, I’m no expert, but I will be happy to try to help you.

William Higgins

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Where would I be if Jesus hadn’t died for me??

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 6, 2011|

Lord’s Supper Devotional

We are celebrating the Lord’s supper today. And as we do we see a picture of Jesus’ death: the bread is broken and the cup is poured out. This is a representation to us of how his body was broken and his blood was poured out on the cross.

So as we remember Jesus’ death this morning I want us to focus in on a question – ‘Where would I be if Jesus hadn’t died for me?’ or ‘Where would you be if Jesus hadn’t died for you?’

For some of us, this is kind of hard – at least to be specific. For instance I began walking with the Lord when I was 14 – that’s when I was baptized and really began to take God seriously. What would my life have been like without this?

Others of us lived long enough in sin to have good idea of what our life would be like without Jesus. So perhaps it’s a bit easier.

This is how we will go about it. First I want us to look at Paul’s life before Christ. Then I want to say a few words about myself. And finally I will invite you to share briefly as well on the question – ‘Where would I be if Jesus hadn’t died for me?’

Paul

Paul was a proud Israelite, a religious scholar and a devoted zealot for the cause of Judaism. In Philippians 3:5-6 he speaks of how he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless.”

In Galatians 1:13-14 he said, “For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”

We see in these verses that he was a person of exquisite credentials with regard to Judaism. He was zealous, so much so that since he felt Jewish Christians were apostates to Judaism he persecuted them. And he was righteous, at least according to one standard.

But even with all this, his credentials, zeal and right behavior, he was going in the wrong direction. So wrong in fact that he found himself opposing God. He was sinning against God.

In 1 Timothy 1:13 he says, “. . . formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” This is now looking back at his life from God’s point of view. And then in v. 15  he says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” And I believe he is specifically talking about himself.

Just like so many people today, he was successful and hard working – but he was working toward the wrong goal.

Without Jesus’ love and death for him he would still have been in this life – zealously going in the wrong direction; fighting God. But Jesus took him and made him an apostle among apostles – and one who did a great work for God.

Myself

Let me say a few words about my own life. If Jesus hadn’t died for me I would still be under the guilt and shame of all my evil deeds. Carrying around this burden or living in denial. I was not a particularly “bad” person outwardly, but I was under the sway of that twisted self-centeredness that all of us are born with, that leads us to sin.

If it wasn’t for Jesus I would be stuck in the brokenness of my flesh; stuck with all of my weaknesses. The Spirit of God wouldn’t have come into my heart and changed me and help me to be different. A specific example would be anger. I was angry  growing up – ready to fight with anyone verbally or otherwise

If Jesus hadn’t died for me, I wouldn’t know God. I wouldn’t have a relationship with God. I don’t know what life would be like without being able to come to God in prayer; without God speaking to me, comforting me and helping me.

If it weren’t for Jesus I would have no hope for the future; that is for a life beyond this one where what God always intended for us will actually come to pass. And not the suffering and evil of this world.

If Jesus’ hadn’t given his life for me, I wouldn’t have a sense of life direction and purpose. This is a big one for me. For instance, if it wasn’t for Jesus calling me, I wouldn’t be up in front of people all the time. If you think I am shy now, you should have seen me before. If I didn’t think this was God’s will, and that God wouldn’t help me, I wouldn’t do it.

Also, if it wasn’t for Jesus, I would never have gone through the schooling that I did – college, seminary and graduate school. I was an average student in high school. I didn’t really care about school. But I did all this, more than I thought I could, because I felt that Jesus wanted me to.

And also, if it wasn’t for Jesus I would not have moved all over the country following after his calling on my life.

I have purpose now. I know what my life is about. And it brings be contentment and joy. And it has eternal value. Without Jesus I wouldn’t have any of this.

Others

And now I invite you to share – ‘Where would you be if Jesus hadn’t died for you?’

William Higgins

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We Say We Are Christians. But Are We? A test from the words of Jesus

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 16, 2011|

A lot of people claim to be “Christian” today. In fact in the world it’s estimated that there are 2.1 billion Christians, about a third of the world’s population. And in the United States some 75 percent of adults would identify themselves as “Christians.” But when we take a long hard look at the world and our own country, the question has to be asked – What does it really mean anymore to call yourself a Christian?

  • Does it mean that you were born in a certain country?
  • Or that you go to church?
  • Or that you went to church as a kid
  • Or that you have participated in certain rituals?
  • Does it mean that you like Jesus?
  • Or are you really just saying that you aren’t a Muslin or a Buddhist or an Atheist?

What does it mean to be a Christian?? Let’s look at this. We begin with –

Some basics

To be a Christian surely means that you have asked for and received the forgiveness of your sins through what Jesus did for us on the cross. And to be a Christian surely means that you have asked for and received the Spirit of God into your heart, who gives new life and a living relationship with God.

These are God’s gifts to us; the expression of God’s wonderful grace. But it also means something more. It has to do with-

Our actions

– not just what happens hidden away within our hearts. Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” – Matthew 7:21. Many people call Jesus “Lord,” 2.1 billion. But real Christians are those who do what he teaches; who do the Father’s will.

After all, anyone can claim that Jesus is their Lord. And also, anyone can claim to be forgiven or to have received God’s Spirit in their heart. But as Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” – Matthew 7:20. Real Christians are known by their actions.

Now does this mean simply living a good moral life? Jesus certainly taught us to be good, moral people. He said that we shouldn’t commit adultery, murder, steal or lie. And we should honor our parents – Luke 18:20. And he also forbade sexual immorality, malice, deceit, envy, slander, and arrogance – Mark 7:20-21.

But even those who opposed Jesus, the Pharisees, were good, moral people along these lines. No, Jesus expects more than this. He said to his disciples, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 5:20. He then goes on in Matthew 5-7, in the Sermon on the Mount, to describe what kind of actions are necessary to be his disciple.

Are you a Christian? Do you do what Jesus teaches? Here’s –

A test from the words of Jesus

Below are seven examples, from the Sermon on the Mount. See how you do.

1) How is my anger? Listen to Jesus – “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother, you will be liable to judgment . . . and if you say ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” – Matthew 5:21-22.

I can honestly say that I have never murdered someone. So I can check this off the list of being a good moral person, right? Wrong! Jesus expects more.

God is not just concerned with murder, but also with my anger that strikes out to insult and verbally tear down another person.

The question is – “What about my angry words?” Jesus calls me to use my words to build others up, not tear them down.

2) What about lust? Hear Jesus’ words, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that  everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:27-28.

Faithfulness to my spouse also includes not looking at another with strong desire. I must be faithful to my spouse, even with something like a small lustful look. What about my lust?

3) Do I have integrity? This is Jesus – “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not break your oath, but carry out the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all . . .. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No.’” – Matthew 5:33-34; 37.

God wants me to keep the commitments I make to others without the need for swearing oaths. I am simply to be honest and keep my word. How is my integrity?

4) Do I love my enemies? “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . ..” – Matthew 5:43-44.

I am not just to love those who love me. Everyone does this. You know, if you are good to me I will be good to you. No. I am also to love those who hate and harm me. I am to return good to those who give me evil. Do I love my enemies?

5) Do I put on a show? Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them.” – Matthew 6:1.

I am not to give offerings, pray or fast or do anything else just so that others will notice me. I am to do these things solely because I love and desire to please God.

Do I try to impress others with how I practice my faith so that they will think more highly of me than they should?

6) Am I generous with others? Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . .. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . ..” – Matthew 6:19-20.

Jesus is talking about giving to the poor here. Instead of setting aside wealth for my comfort and security (storing up treasures on earth), I am to share what I have with those is need, which results in treasure stored up in heaven.

Do I cling to the blessings that God gives me so that I don’t share? It has to be one way or another – either treasures stored up on earth – or in heaven. Which will it be?

7) Am I merciful? Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.” – Matthew 7:1.

When I see someone sin, I am not to dismiss them as condemned by God. I am to work and pray for their repentance. And if they have sinned against me, I am to give mercy and then forgive them when they repent.

Am I merciful, or do I judge and condemn?

———–

So this is the test – our actions; these specific actions (and more). How did you do?

Let me share one last thing –

Don’t be Discouraged!

Even when we have tried, we have all failed at one point or another trying to live this out. And so we must continue to seek God’s forgiveness.

But we must also press on to live as Jesus teaches. And this is my point – to give up is to be a Christian in name only; it is to be one who simply calls Jesus “Lord,” but does not do the will of the Father in heaven.

The standard for our actions is high. But it is not impossible, because God helps us. As Jesus said, “What is impossible for us, is possible for God” – Luke 18:27. Jesus said this after the rich young ruler felt that it was too hard to do what Jesus taught. It is true, we can’t do it in our own strength, but we can with God helping us.

God makes it possible for us to obey him in each of these areas. As Jesus promised, if we ask, it will be given to us. God will give us the Spirit to empower us to do what he calls us to do (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:13).

William Higgins

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Eight ways you can support our congregation

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on January 9, 2011|

I believe that God gives us our local church as a gift – to strengthen us and to support us in our Christian lives. And with the influence of the world all around us and the weakness of our flesh – I also believe that it is difficult, if not impossible, to be a healthy, growing Christian without being a part.

But your local church, Cedar Street, also needs you so that we can be strong and effective as a Christian community. And so I want us to look today at some things you can do, or can continue to do, to support our congregation.

Now I was sick all week. So I will share what I have and then ask for your input at the end.

1. Come regularly

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

When we meet together we are able to make each other stronger. We grow in our faith together by stirring each other up and encouraging one other, as the Scripture says. When we don’t, these things don’t happen to the same degree.

So you need to take this into consideration for the sake of your own Christian growth. But also for the sake of the effectiveness of our congregation. When you aren’t here, you aren’t able to encourage and stir others up. The congregation isn’t all that it can be. Sharing fellowship is a powerful thing. We draw strength from each other. And this requires coming.

So we need to consider how we prioritize our weekends. Is church the first thing we cut, when it’s been a long week or if we have plans for the weekend??

2. Invite others to come

In Luke 14 Jesus tells a parable about how a man invited many to come to his feast. But most, those whose lives were busy and going well, didn’t want to come.

And so the man told his servants, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” (Luke 14:21). But there was still room, so he said, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23).

The man, who represents God, wants his house to be full. He sent out three different invitations.

  • And just as in the parable, God wants people to be a part of what he is doing in the kingdom of God and with his people, the church.
  • And just as in the parable, we, his servants, are to invite people to come, so that his house can be full.

And this is the primary way that we will grow and reach out, as we have seen before. It happens when you invite others to be a part.

3. Pray for our congregation

In Ephesians 6:18 Paul talks about “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . ..”

And in the same way, we need to pray for each other and for our leaders and the vision of our congregation. We need to pray for our ministries and for renewal.

Don’t assume or take for granted that someone else is praying. You know, the pastor is paid to do this. No! You pray also. It’s about all of us imploring God for him to do a great thing in this place for his name’s sake.

Can we really expect to grow in our faithfulness and effectiveness without this? I don’t know about you, but I want God to do something special here, that goes beyond the weekly routine; that makes the kingdom of God a reality in our midst in a new and powerful way.

4. Give of your finances

If someone were to ask me, “How much should I give?” I would tell them that I don’t think there’s a set amount for giving in the New Testament. The tithe of 10 percent is a good place to start with a goal of being even more radically generous. (Most people end with the tithe, but it’s better seen as a place to start). As our faith grows and we see that God does indeed keep his promises to us to take care of our needs when we give, then we can step out and give more.

Scripturally, we are to give to those who minister the word to us.

Paul says, “the laborer deserves to be paid” – 1 Timothy 5:18; Matthew 10:10.

This is applied to pastors and missionaries.

And we are to give to help the poor among us.

Jesus said, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy” – Luke 12:33.

When you have more than you need (that is, shelter, food and clothing) give to those who have needs. First give to the needs in our congregation and fellow Christians. Then also give beyond this to any who lack.

And practically speaking, whatever else we commit to, like a building, electricity and water – we need to give to cover these expenses as well.

5. Use your gifts to minister

1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Each of us have a gift from God. Find out what God has blessed you with in terms of spiritual gifts and also natural abilities. And use these to strengthen our body and to minister to people’s needs.

And, given the experience I have as a pastor I would say also – do this in a way that builds up the body, working with the leaders and others. Not in a way that focuses on yourself or brings division to the congregation. And also, listen to counsel when it comes to discerning what your true gifts are. Sometimes we need input to know what our gifts are and what they are not. Someone might think they are musically gifted, but in fact are not. And they need to be told this in a kind way. And someone might have a gift of encouragement, but isn’t aware of it or doesn’t have enough self-confidence to use it. And so we need to give them a boost to step out.

The bigger point is that each of us need to move from being one who is primarily ministered to, to being one who ministers to others. This is what growing and maturity is all about. It’s time to grow up! You can’t be spoon fed your whole Christian life. Move from being just a receiver to being a giver.

6. Help out wherever needed

I looked for a text for this and came up with

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might . . ..”

There are lots of things “to do” that could use your focus and might in a congregation. And much of it doesn’t require a special gift, or special training, or a special calling. Some things just need to be done, like keeping up the grounds, fixing things and cleaning up.

Or to go in a different direction, you say your gift isn’t evangelism, but you can come Christmas caroling or help hand out invitations for church events. You feel your gift isn’t being up in front of people, but you can teach a children’s Sunday School class.

All of us need to work, in whatever way we can, for our community to be vibrant and healthy.

7. Work through relationship difficulties

Personality conflicts, disagreements, misunderstandings – these are normal in any human relations. And we also often fail one another.

  • Being Christians doesn’t mean these things will never happen.
  • What makes us Christian is that we care enough to work through things in a loving way.

In Mark 9:50 Jesus said, “Be at peace with one another.”

He knew we would need to work at this. And he doesn’t mean fake peace – where you just pretend things are OK and sweep things under the rug. He means working through things so there is reconciliation.

For instance in Matthew 18:15 Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.”

He is saying, don’t pretend, but deal with things. We need to work things out in love, because without healthy relationships with each other we become weak and easily divided.

We don’t all need to be “best friends,” but we need to get along with each other so we can do the work of the kingdom together.

8. Have the same attitude as Jesus

Paul says in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

He goes on to say that we are to have the same attitude as Jesus, who became our servant and sacrificed for us. Even though he was the Lord of all things, he humbled himself to serve us.

So it’s not about me – or you, so that we might ask:

  • Why am I not being recognized for all I do??
  • Why doesn’t the church do things the way I want them done?? You know, the right way.
  • Why aren’t my needs being met??
  • Why aren’t people giving me enough attention??

We have to set aside our self-centeredness and care about others. We need to ask, “How can I help?” or “How can I give to someone’s needs?” It’s not about getting what I want. It’s about what I can give to others. As Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life . . ..”  In the same way, we need to lay down our lives for each other.

William Higgins

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Think you have a secret??

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2011|

We’re talking about secrets today. A secret is something hidden or concealed; something unknown to others.

Not all secrets are bad. You might be keeping a confidence regarding something private that someone told you. And that’s good.

But often our secrets are things that we’re trying to hide, because we don’t want anyone to know – because it won’t reflect well on us.

I remember, when I was a kid, my father was an artist and even though he didn’t go to church, my mother’s parents’ church asked him to paint a rather large mural as a background for their baptismal.

Well, my father had a studio in our house and when he was working on this, he let me mess around some with a paint brush. I think it was painting little birds flying in the air. Something really simple. Anyway, he ended up starting over completely.

But I told my grandfather that I helped paint a part of the mural and played it up, even though what I did was covered over. So every time I came to church there my grandfather would ask me, “now which part did you paint?” And I felt bad. I hadn’t painting anything on the picture he was looking at. But I had to keep it a secret because of what I said before.

Now, of course, I know that he knew my secret and was just messing with me . But I didn’t want him to know the truth, which meant I had to keep lying so I didn’t look bad.

A really good secret is one that no one knows about, right? Not like in my case. For instance when you:

  • gossip about someone – you look around and don’t see anyone else, so you think, “Hey, no one knows. I’m all good.”
  • cheat on a test to get a better grade or fill out tax forms wrong to save some money – you think, “No one saw me, so it’s OK.”
  • look at pornography in a magazine or online – you think, “No one’s home, so I’m safe.”

But my point today is that this isn’t true. And that’s because –

God is everywhere

– whether we are aware of his presence or not. Jeremiah 23:24 says, “’Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”

Now this doesn’t mean that God is in relationship with everyone. Or to say it another way, that everyone is conscious of God’s presence. Most are not. To be in relationship with God is to experience a whole different level of God’s presence. But apart from this relationship, God is still present everywhere in a more general way.

And since God is everywhere –

God knows everything we do

Let me highlight several Scriptures to bring this truth home. In Psalm 139:7-8 the psalmist begins by asking, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” He can go to the highest place in all creation or the lowest place, the realm of the dead – and God is still there.

And as he says in v. 2 – “You know when I sit down and when I rise up.” God knows everything we do, even as little a thing as sitting down and then standing up. God takes note!

Psalm 33:13-15 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he . . . observes all their deeds.” Notice all the “alls.” God sees everyone and everything they do.

Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” God watches all that we do, both good and bad.

But not only this –

God knows everything we think

1 Chronicles 28:9 says, “The Lord searches all hearts.” In Luke 16:15 Jesus said, “God knows your hearts.” Psalm 44:21 takes it a step further and tells us that God “knows the secrets of the heart.”

And this leads me to my point this morning –

There is no hiding from God

God knows everything we do and everything we think. Hebrews 4:13 says, “No creature is hidden from God’s sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Here we see that God not only knows everything; we are naked and exposed before him – but we will have to give an account for everything we do and think – even those things that we think are our ‘little secrets.’

As Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

You can hide a secret from others. You can even bury them so deep that you hide them from yourself. But you can’t hide your secret from God. God knows them all.

As a side note here, on the final day everyone will know all our secrets. God knows everything already, but at the judgment everyone will. 1 Timothy 5:24 says, “The sins of some men are conspicuous (e.g. obvious or well known) going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later (that is at the time of judgment.)” As Jesus said in Luke 12:2-3, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” There will no longer be any secrets.

Given that God is everywhere and knows all that we do and think –

We need to be more careful about what we say and do!

Think about in school, when the teacher is out of the room. Kids get loud and say and do things they normally wouldn’t. But when the teacher comes back it gets quiet. And I also know from my own experience being a pastor that when I come around, at times the conversation stops or changes.

Well, what we have to learn is that even when no one else can see what you are doing or hear what you are thinking – God is right next to you looking at what you are doing and hearing what you are thinking. It’s like the teacher is in the room or the pastor is, but it is much more than this. God is in the room.

And have you ever said something that was supposed to be a secret but someone else heard? Isn’t it a terrible feeling? Well why don’t we have that feeling, knowing that God is hearing us? Is it because we don’t believe that God is listening?

If you do believe this truth, then before you:

  • gossip about someone – you don’t, because you realize God is right there listening.
  • cheat – you stop, because you remember God is right next to you watching.
  • look at pornography – you recognize that God is there and so you remember to do what’s right.

Finally, a word of encouragement concerning God’s presence. It’s not all about God watching and us being accountable. The truth that God is everywhere means that –

God is also near to help us

– in our moments of temptation and struggle. Especially those of us who have a relationship with God.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the entire earth, to strengthen those whose heart is true to him.” The one who has all power, the source of all encouragement, the one who has everything that we need to overcome – is present and willing to help. God is looking to strengthen us to do what is right.

So we need to call on God for help.

  • What if you were trying to cut down a large tree with an old ax, and a logger was standing next to you with a new chain saw the whole time? Does this make any sense?
  • Or what if you were struggling to dig a trench, and a friend with a backhoe was sitting there the whole time. Does this make any sense?

In the same way it doesn’t make sense to ignore that God is right next to you all the time ready to help and to encourage. Call on God. He has what you need to make the right choices.

William Higgins

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Give Thanks For God’s Love

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on November 21, 2010|

I want us to look at the theme of God’s love today, as this is reveled to us in the unfolding story of Scripture, and then even up to today. And I want to do this to show us and to remind us that we ought to give thanks for God’s love to us. Whatever else we have to give thanks for in this season, above all we should give thanks for this.

We begin with –

The beginning

God loved us so much that, he brought us into existence. Having thought of us before the foundation of the world, God acted to create us and give us life. And he gave us a place to live, the earth, and provided for our needs.

Psalm 8:4-6 says, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet”

God loved us so much that despite our wrongdoing, he worked for our salvation and restoration. Adam and Eve rebelled in the Garden, but God sought our redemption. Cain ruthlessly murdered his brother Abel, but God raised up another, Seth, through whom salvation would come. At the time of the flood, human wickedness sunk to the depths of depravity, but God chose a remnant and saved Noah and his family. Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.

God loved us so much that he called Abraham to be the father of many nations and the source of our salvation. God said to him, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” – Genesis 12:3. And God gave him a son, Isaac, and a grandson Jacob, who had twelve sons.

God loves us so much! If you believe this, will you say “amen” this morning?  This brings us to –

The time of Israel

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God brought his people out from Egypt and into the land of promise. As Psalm 136:13-14 says, he “divided the Red Sea in two, and made Israel pass through the midst of it . . ..” As Deuteronomy 4:20 says of Israel, “the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance.”

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God gave Israel his word through Moses to guide them. Nehemiah 9:13-14 says about God, “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments . . . and a law by Moses your servant.”

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God bore with Israel as they rebelled against his will in the time of the judges. The people continually strayed from God’s word doing what was right in their own eyes. And they suffered the consequences. But in mercy, God did not let them perish.

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God established David as king to protect and guide Israel. And he became a model of the promised One who was to come, the Messiah and Savior.

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God bore with them as Israel’s kings rebelled. Think of Solomon’s idolatry, the divided kingdom, the complete failure of the Northern kingdom, and the many evil kings of the southern kingdom. Yet God was patient and merciful.

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God spoke to them by the prophets to call them back to his will. As judgment loomed, 2 Chronicles 36:15 says, “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.”

Because his steadfast love never ceases, God brought his people out of captivity and brought them home. God had sent them away into exile in Babylon because of their sin. But Nehemiah 9:31 says, “In your great mercies (God) you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” God reestablished them in the land of promise.

God’s steadfast love for his people truly never ceases. If you know this to be true will you say “amen”?  This brings us to –

The fullness of time

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, God sent his son, Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, to save us. As the angel said to Joseph, “he will save his people from their sins” – Matthew 1:21. God knew we could not save ourselves. So he came to us. God became one of us. God did what it took to bring us salvation.

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, Jesus taught us God’s way. Mark 6:34 says, “Jesus . . . saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

He taught us to turn away from our wrongdoing – and to live a life of love and mercy. And as Mark 1:22 says, “they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority . . ..”

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, Jesus healed people of their ills. Matthew 14:14 says, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

He healed lepers, the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed – he even raised the dead. And the people said, “We never saw anything like this!” – Mark 2:12.

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, Jesus set people free from the evil one. He cast out demons with a mere word. “And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anyone like this seen in Israel’” – Matthew 9:33.

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, Jesus laid down his life for us to save us from our sins. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” – John 15:13. And this is exactly what he did for each one of us.

As he said, his death was “for many for the forgiveness of sins” – Matthew 26:28. He died so that our sins could be forgiven.

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, the resurrected Jesus gives us new life by the Spirit. As he said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life.” And he told his disciples, “receive the Holy Spirit” – John 20:22. They received new life and the power to live a different kind of life.

As an expression of God’s deep love for us, Jesus commanded this salvation be offered to all. He said “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” – Luke 24:47. It is for everyone who will receive it.

If you have received God’s deep love for you, will you say “amen”?  This brings us to –

Today

God cares about each one of us, and so he searches after each of us until we are saved. God is not content with the sheep already in the pen. But as 1 Timothy 2:4 says, God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

God cares about each one of us, and so he wants us to know what our purpose in life is; what his plan is for us. God want us to walk in this so that we can find true meaning and significance and peace.

God cares about each one of us, and so he provides for our needs and watches over us in our everyday lives. God doesn’t leave us alone, he continues to walk with us and help us in our times of trial.

If you know God’s love and care for you in these ways, will you say, “amen”?

 

And if you know it, how can you not give thanks for it? Such amazing, indescribable, persistent love. Such undeserved love, freely given to us. We must give thanks for such a priceless gift!

If you don’t know God’s love in your life, open up your life to him. As the apostle Peter put it, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” – Acts 2:38.

  • Ask for and receive the forgiveness of your sins
  • Ask for and receive new life by the Spirit

Receive these gifts of love from God and then you will truly have something to be thankful for. Even if nothing else is going right for you – you can thank God for his love.

William Higgins

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