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Trust in the Lord with all your heart

February 15, 2009 by William Higgins

I want us to look at “Trusting in the Lord with all our heart” this morning. We all have trying and difficult times that we go through. And some of us are going through them right now, whether known to others or not.

And in our times of testing and weakness, we need to be reminded to trust in the Lord.

I want us really just to soak in the Scriptures on this topic; to immerse ourselves in them this morning to help us and encourage us wherever we are at.

And so we will look at numerous texts from the Old Testament on this. I encourage you to let the Word work its way into your minds and then down into your hearts so that it can transform you; your outlook and your actions. And also strengthen you to carry on.

We begin with . . .

The meaning of trust

This comes from the words that are used in our verses that we will look at in a moment:

  • The word for trust used in most of these verses, means – “To trust in, rely on, or put your confidence in someone or something.”
  • Another word for trust in our verses means – “To take refuge in.”

Putting all this together into a definition: Trust means that you rely on God’s character and power to take care of you; that you look to God to care for your needs – your salvation, your help and guidance.

It’s definitely not just a feeling. It’s a choice that shows up in how you respond; how you act in concrete situations of distress and need.

Now lets look at how . . .

We can trust God in any situation 

First of all, when we are fearful of danger. In Psalm 56:3-4 David is dealing with the fear of what the Philistines, his mortal enemies, might do to him. He says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Psalm 91:1-4 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” In the midst of the fear of snares, and deadly pestilence we are to trust in God to take care of us.

We can also trust God when we are oppressed; that is, when we are suffering under those who do us wrong; who mistreat us. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Psalm 31:14-15 says, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!” As the psalmist says, “my times are in your hands.” Our very lives are in God’s hands and so we must entrust God with our lives in these situations of trial.

We can also trust God when we need vindication; when we have been wronged and need God to intervene and make things right; to set things straight.

Psalm 37:3-5 is written about those  in Israel who are oppressed by the powerful and taken advantage of. It says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” What is the desire of the heart of the oppressed? Deliverance and justice. The message here is – trust in God, and he will act for you.

We can also trust in God when we are confused; when we don’t know the right way to go. Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.”

The familiar and beloved Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” God will show us the way.
 God will guide us and help us when we don’t know what to do; when everything is all darkness. As Proverbs says, when we trust in God, “he will make our paths straight.” He will show us the way.

Scripture also teaches us . . .

What we should not trust in

These are God “substitutes;” what we are tempted to rely on in our difficult situations instead of God. Or perhaps, when we don’t fully trust in God. We want God, but also a little bit more; something else to help us besides just God. We’re not sure God is enough so we need some backup, as it were. Here are five examples:

1) Our own understanding. This is our own human knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in their own wits are fools.”

God’s ways are beyond us. They are counterintuitive. They are upside down from our point of view. And so we can’t always trust our own thinking. We have to follow God’s way.

2) We are also not to trust in powerful People. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”

Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

3) We are also not to trust in wealth. Psalm 62:10 says, “If riches increase, set not your heart on them.” This is always tempting for us. We look to our wealth to provide for us and give us security. But God is our trust.

4) We must also not trust in military power. This is the power of the flesh, of human force and violence. Psalm 44:6 says, “For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.” Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” God is the source of our safety and protection.

5) We are also not to trust in mere religious institutions. In Jeremiah 7:4, the prophet said to those who thought that God would not judge them simply because the Temple was in their city, Jerusalem. He said, “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’”

Instead of listening to God and obeying, they trusted in a building – to their own destruction.

Well, if these God substitutes – our wisdom, powerful people, wealth, the military, religious institutions, if these are things we should not trust in because they won’t come through for us. Let’s look now at . . .

Why we can trust in the Lord

First of all, because the Lord is able to help us. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Psalm 62:8 along these same lines says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

God is solid as a rock – an everlasting rock, and he can give us refuge in any circumstance.

And not only is God able, God is faithful to help us. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” 

Psalm 22:4-5, taking a historical perspective says, “In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”

God doesn’t change. God will not forsake us when we trust in him. God comes through for us to help us. God will deliver us, or God will go through the difficulty with us and bring us out on the other side victorious.

Lets end with some . . .

Promises for those who trust in God

  • Psalm 32:10 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.”
  • Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.”
  • Psalm 125:1 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” We are stable and strong with the Lord’s strength.
  • Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” We are rooted and nourished and bring forth fruit even in hard times.
  • Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” God gives us of his peace in the midst of it all.

So, wherever you are at today, just as the Scriptures say – give yourself fully into God’s hands and trust in the Lord to deliver you, to take care of you, and to provide for you. He is faithful and he will surely do it.

William Higgins

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A Note on the Martha and Mary Story in the Context of Luke 10

February 7, 2009 by William Higgins

This story comes right after Jesus’ conversation about the two greatest commandments and the story of the good Samaritan – which illustrates the second commandment to love your neighbor. In the same way this story of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him becomes an illustration of what it means to love God. To learn from and be in the presence of Jesus, who makes God’s word and presence known to us, is to love God.

The Martha and Mary story also illustrates the priority of loving God as the first commandment over serving the needs of others – which Martha was doing. We are to do both and there is a time and a place for each, but loving God takes priority.

It is also interesting, in keeping with Luke’s emphasis on the lowly and outcasts, that the illustration that Jesus uses for both commandments is one of these. The Samaritan illustrates the second commandment. A woman illustrates the first commandment. (Alan Culpepper – The Gospel of Luke)

This section of Luke 10 can be seen as an inverted outline (chiasm):

A. The command to love God – v. 27

        B. The command to love your neighbor – v. 27

      `B. An illustration of neighbor love – vs. 30-37

`A. An illustration of loving God – vs. 38-42.

William

Posted in Luke 10 | Tagged , , |

The Better Part – Luke 10:38-42

February 7, 2009 by William Higgins

[This is a message from 6/24/01 on the Martha/Mary story]

This familiar story turns on a contrast between two good things: kingdom service/hospitality and listening to the word of the kingdom.

First of all there is kingdom service and hospitality

In v. 4 we are told that Martha “is distracted by much service.” And she was upset her sister Mary left her to “serve alone.”

In Luke’s gospel (and as well his book of Acts) “service” is a good thing:

* In Luke 4:39 Peter’s mother in law was healed and got up to “serve” Jesus and the others in her house.
* In Luke 8:3 there were several women who had been healed, who “provided” for Jesus’ needs while he traveled.

* The word means to provide food and hospitality; to take care of someone’s needs.
* This word is also the same word that is used for the Deacon work described in Acts 6, where the seven served food to the needy in the church.

Earlier in Luke 10:8 Jesus talked about how his disciples are to accept such service as they traveled about preaching. When they were “welcomed” into people’s homes they were to eat what is set before them.

And this is exactly what Martha is doing in Luke 10:38 when she “welcomed” Jesus into her home and was busy with hospitality needs.

Second, there is listening to the word of the kingdom

In v. 39 we are told that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what Jesus was saying.” She took up the position of a disciple and was learning his way.

In Luke “listening” is a very important word:

* In Luke 8:8 Jesus says, “let anyone with ears to hear, listen.”
* In Luke 8:18 Jesus says, “pay attention to how you listen.”
* In Luke 9:35, God says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son . . .. Listen to him!”

Listening is the first and crucial step in being a disciple of Jesus.

This  brings us to . . .

The Point of Contrast

Martha is “distracted by much service” from listening to the word of the kingdom. And not only this, but she intends to distract Mary too; to take her away from Jesus’ feet.

Jesus responds – there “is need of only one thing” – which is listening. Service is good, but the “better part” is learning the way of the kingdom and this “better part” will not be taken away from Mary.

Now lets look at three applications that come from this story:

1. We must beware of the “Martha Syndrome.”  That is, someone who diligently and consistently works for the kingdom, but 
* who is so busy that they are distracted from the one thing that is  needful – listening to the word
* who is so busy that they are distracted from the better part of sitting at Jesus’ feet

This can happen to any of us. We get so busy in serving the Lord that we are drawn away from the very one we desire to bless and please.

2. The role of women in the Jesus movement.

In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus makes it clear that the presence of the kingdom messes up traditional social conventions. For instance in vs. 59-60 when the man asked to go bury his father before he came to follow Jesus, Jesus says that the kingdom takes priority even over this.

So also here. The traditional role for women was to do the hospitality chores; the serving. Martha was fulfilling this role and pressuring Mary to get with it.

But Mary takes up the traditionally male role of a disciple, learning from Jesus.

Jesus is saying in this story that the “better part” of discipleship is also for women. They are not bound to serve the kingdom in only traditional female roles of hospitality and service.

So even though it breaks social convention, Mary’s listening to Jesus and becoming a disciple “will not be taken away from” her. The kingdom takes precedence over such social conventions.

3. In our own church, when these two good things collide – service and listening to the word – we need to make sure that listening wins out.

Now, women still do more service and hospitality at our meals and beyond, than do the men. So women, I say to you especially, beware of this and never let it distract you from listening and worship.

Let the food burn up; let it get cold, let the fellowship meal be late. Choose the better part. Don’t be distracted by much service.

And men this is what I say to you – learn to serve! Never force women into social conventions that distract them from their being disciples of Jesus on an equal basis with you.

William Higgins

Posted in Luke 10 | Tagged , , , |

God’s People

January 25, 2009 by William Higgins

Today the Elders and I are introducing to you a proposed  Cedar Street Baptism and Membership Covenant for our congregation. What this is really about is understanding and remembering who we are, what we are about, and what binds us together as God’s people.

Since we’re introducing this, I thought I would share with you this morning on the theme of “God’s People” and highlight portions of the Covenant in the process.

First of all . . .

God calls us to be a part of his people

God’s purpose has always been to form a community, not just save individuals; to have a community of the redeemed.

Our culture is so individualistic that we sometimes reduce our faith down simply to a personal relationship with God. When, in fact, it is that, as well as being a part of God’s new people; being in God’s covenant community.

We know this was true in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 7:6 Moses said to Israel, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
In Isaiah 43:20-21 the Lord speaks of “my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

That this is still true is evident in 1 Peter 2:9 which refers back to these two verses (and others) and applies them to Christians. It says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Notice the same themes – a chosen people; a people of his own or treasured possession.

God seeks for a people who will follow after him; a community that is his own; that will proclaim his praise to the world.

And so sisters and brothers, those who are God’s are to be a part of God’s people.

  • This is certainly a part of what baptism is about. When we are baptized, we become of our own mature choice, a part of God’s people. As Acts 2:41 says, those who were baptized were added to the church body in Jerusalem.
  • And we are to continue to be a part of God’s people, active, engaged, fully committed and participating throughout our lives. As Hebrews 10:25 says, we are not to neglect “to meet together, as is the habit of some.”

We are to be a part of God’s people. This brings us to the question . . .

What does it mean to be a part of God’s people?

1) It means that we confess our faith in Jesus. Matthew 16:15-18 records this conversation. Jesus said to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! . . .. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church . . ..”

Jesus is saying – it is on the foundation of this apostolic confession of him as Savior that God’s people is built.

And so to be a part of God’s people means that: We confess our faith in Jesus as our Savior.

[The covenant we are proposing calls us to this in the first section on confession under questions 1, 3, and 6.]

A second aspect of what it means to be a part of God’s people is that . . .

2) We confess our experience of salvation. In Acts 2:38 Peter said to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, “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.”

Here on this day, when the church was fully formed by the coming of the Spirit, what does Peter tell the crowd to do, which leads to their being a part of God’s people? He points to several spiritual experiences:

  • He speaks of repentance; a change of heart; sorrow for our wrong deeds, which comes from God working in us.
  • He speaks of the forgiveness of our sins; of experiencing God’s mercy and release from our sins, our guilt and our shame.
  • He speaks of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit; of having God’s Spirit come into our heart and give us new life and power.

So to be a part of God’s people means that: We confess that we have experienced God’s salvation in our lives.

[Again, the covenant, in section one, calls us to confess this in questions 2, 4 and 5. And just as Peter also notes in Acts 2 we acknowledge that we are willing to be baptized as a testimony to this inward spiritual transformation in question 7.]

Finally, with regard to what it means to be a part of God’s people, the fruit of our faith in Jesus and the salvation he gives us is found in new kind of life . . .

3) We commit to love God and others from now on. Matthew 22:36-40 recounts a discussion of what God wants from us as his people. Someone asked Jesus, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”

All that God wants; God’s will for his people is summed up in these two commands to love.

So to be a part of God’s people means that: We commit to love God and others.

Now, love of God and others is not just a warm fuzzy feeling, an emotion, or an inner intention:

  • To love God means to obey God – I John 5:3. This verse says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.”
  • To love others is to act in practical ways to help them, as Jesus teaches in Luke 10:30-37 in the parable of the good Samaritan.

[The covenant we are proposing calls us to this kind of love of God and others in the second section on commitments. There are two sections on love of God and three sections on loving others.]

Alright, we have looked at how God wants us to be a part of his people, and what this means: confessing our faith in Jesus, confessing our experience of salvation and committing to love God and others. Let me end by saying that . .

It is a blessing to be a part of God’s people

Oh its true, since we are all human and weak and fail, we will experience problems. If you have been a part of any church (there is no perfect church) for long enough:

  • you will be involved in misunderstandings and conflict
  • you will see pride, hypocrisy, thoughtlessness, gossip and sometimes downright meanness
  • you will see the full range of human sin

And it will cause disappointment for sure. We don’t always live up to the ideals that are in the Scriptures and that we have attempted to spell out in the covenant.

But let me say, that God is also here among us, and in the midst of his people throughout the world. God’s Spirit is at work in our midst to bless us.

And God helps us to move beyond our fleshly human weakness, and to turn away from our self-centeredness and our pride. God does his work in us and we see the fruit:

  • when we walk with each other through hard times with encouragement and support
  • when we struggle hard to work through conflicts and seek peace with each other
  • when God uses us to minister to each others’ needs
  • when we love each other deeply from the heart and sacrifice for each other

This is God at work.

We are blessed to be a part of God’s people – to have fellowship, community, common experiences, bonds of love, commitment to each other and our shared goals, and the strengthening that all this gives – which we wouldn’t have if we just isolate off by ourselves.

God calls us to be a part and he does so for our own good.

William Higgins

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Do You Know The Lord?

January 18, 2009 by William Higgins

We are looking at Jeremiah 22:13-19. This is an oracle, or prophecy against Jehoiakim, one of the last kings of Judah – before Jerusalem was destroyed and they were taken into exile in Babylon.

This oracle is a part of a larger set of prophecies against the kings of Judah which lay out what these kings were supposed to have been doing, but didn’t – and so were judged. Let’s look for a moment at . . .

What God Wanted

This comes from chapter 22:3. The kings were to “do justice and righteousness.” This verse goes on to expound what this means:

  • To do justice and righteousness means don’t take advantage of the weak, outcasts, the marginal, the needy in society, which is oppression. The verse itself says, “Do no wrong or violence to the resident alien (immigrant), the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.” In other words, don’t be an oppressor.
  • And also, to do justice and righteousness means that you stand up for them; that you make sure the weak are not taken advantage of by others, that they are not oppressed. Again, v. 3 says, “deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed.” In other words, don’t let the rich and powerful take away what the poor and weak have.

This is what God wanted, and this brings us to our text in vs. 13-19 and . . .

Jehoiakim’s failure

Despite this charge from God, Jehoiakim decided to focus on living in great luxury; to focus on himself.

v. 14 speaks of him as saying – “I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms.” It goes on to describe him as one “who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion.” These last two were luxury items in that day: cedar paneling and red paint; and, of course, it was a luxury to have spacious upper rooms and a “great” house.

In v. 15 the Lord rebukes him. “Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?” Do you think you are great because you have more cedar paneling than the kings around you? The Lord is saying, you aren’t defined by your luxury; by your level of self-indulgence.

We also learn from our Scripture that Jehoiakim pursued this self-indulgent luxury by oppression. v. 13 speaks of him as one “who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages.” We see here the exact opposite of God’s charge to do justice and righteousness.

v. 17 gives God’s assessment of him: “you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

  • He was not concerned about the weak, but only himself, his luxury
  • And not only did he not take care of them, he used the weak to make himself richer

Jeremiah points out that Jehoiakim didn’t learn from his father – Josiah. Josiah was a model king. Even though he died on the battlefield, he was held up as one of the most righteous of all the kings and descendents of David.

v. 15-16 says, “Did not your father (Josiah) eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well.” He’s saying: Your father did just fine. He had all his material needs met, but he also did justice and righteousness; he took care of the weak; he took up the cause of the needy and poor. He kept the charge of God.

Finally, we hear of Jehoiakim’s judgment which speaks to the seriousness of God’s charge to do justice and righteousness.

In v. 13 the word “woe”, which begins our passage, comes from a funeral context. It is a pronouncement of death against Jehoiakim.

The prophet goes on to say, “With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” – v. 19. And he will not be mourned – v. 18. A grim judgment for sure.

But this passage also helps us to see . . .

The root problem in Jehoiakim’s life

vs. 15-16 talk about doing justice and righteousness, and taking care of the poor and needy, and then God asks a question: “’Is not this to know me?’ declares the Lord.” Isn’t doing justice and caring for the weak what it means to know me, God asks. The answer, of course, is yes!

The root problem was that Jehoiakim didn’t know the Lord. He was in charge of representing God as king of Israel, but he didn’t know who God is; God’s character; God’s heart.

If he had known the Lord, then he would have known what Moses taught in Deuteronomy 10:18, that “the Lord executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

He would have known the sentiment expressed in Psalm 35:10, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

He would have known the truth of Psalm 146:7-9 which speaks of God as one “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. . ..” It says, “The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down . . .. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless . . ..”

His actions showed that he obviously did not know the Lord.

This brings us to the question of the morning –

Do you know the Lord?

We each have to examine our lives and ask this question of ourselves, given that God calls all of us to “do justice and righteousness” not just the kings of old. As Amos 5:24 says to all God’s people – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever- flowing stream.”

  • And so in as much as we have power and resources we are not to take advantage of the weak. As Isaiah 10:1-2 says to all God’s people, “Woe to those who . . . turn aside the needy from justice and . . . rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!”
  • And, in as much as we have the ability and resources we also are to help those who are weak and in need.  As Isaiah 1:17 says to all God’s people, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

We are not to be like Jehoiakim who sought greater luxury and self-indulgence, without concern for the weak and needy around him. He built up his luxurious house and lived well – while the weak suffered all around him.

Rather, we are to do what is right and care for the needy. Those who are vulnerable and cannot care for themselves.

The message today is show that you know the Lord – that you know God’s heart, his compassion, his mercy, who God truly is; that God’s heart is your heart. Show that you know the Lord by acting to care for the weak; standing up for them and helping them.

There are so many situations of injustice in the world; where people are oppressed; where the innocent are victimized, taken advantage of; enslaved and killed.

Crushing poverty in Haiti and Bangladesh; a genocidal war in Darfur, the latest of several such over the past few decades; a humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe – one current example – and we will hear of many more before this new year is over.

The poor, the weak and the needy are all around us. And we learned last night about how the global food crisis affects those in the Gambia where Gary and Denise serve. The poor, the weak and the needy are also here in our own country, and in our own neighborhood.

And so we have many opportunities to act; to show that we know the Lord.

As you know, today many of our youth will begin fasting for 30 hours to raise money to feed hungry children. Perhaps you have seen the statistics that have been in your bulletin inserts:

  • Every day 26,000 children under the age of 5 will die because of hunger, disease and poverty
  • 14,000 will die from malnutrition alone
  • One child every 7 seconds

Many of you have already given – but if you haven’t it isn’t too late. I encourage you to do this. You will not only help children who are hungry, you will help our young people to gain more experience in doing what is right and caring for the weak. And we will all be doing what God wants; what is God’s very heart – standing up for and helping the needy.

Lets end with Jeremiah 9:24. This is the Lord speaking: “Let those who boast, boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Let us go forth and delight in these as well.

William Higgins

Posted in Jeremiah 22 | Tagged , , , , |

The Only Thing That Will Matter On The Final Day

January 4, 2009 by William Higgins

I spent a lot of time in school in my life, probably too much. But its left me with a certain mentality. In any class I wanted to know, “What am I responsible for?” “What’s going to be on the final exam?”

And so when I think about my faith and about the last day; the final judgment, I think in a similar way – “What am I accountable for?” “How will I be judged?” I want to know what really matters, so that I can be prepared.

And so this morning I want us to look at the Scriptures to help us all to know how to be prepared for when Jesus returns. What is it that will really and truly matter on the final day?

And let’s just get to the point here:

Jesus said in Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he or she has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

And again in Romans 2:6-8 – “He will render to each one according to his or her works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

The answer is quite simple. We will each be judged based on what we have done, whether good or evil. What we have done is the only thing that will matter on the final day. This is what we are accountable for.

Let’s look at this more closely by noting what will not matter . . .

1. It won’t matter what you have said about your faith; your religious professions. “I’m a Christian.” “I believe.” You have prayed the sinner’s prayer. You have confessed that “Jesus is Lord.”

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

This is talking about the final day when we all stand before Jesus. There will be some who confess Jesus as Lord, but they will not make it in.

Who will enter into the eternal salvation of the kingdom of God? Jesus said, “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

  • What matters is not what you say by way of religious profession, it is your deeds of obedience.

2. It won’t matter how correct your beliefs are. You may well know all about Jesus’ second coming. You may know the Bible better than anyone else. You may know the historic creeds of the church. But that doesn’t get you very far.

James talks about correct beliefs in part when he talks about “faith” in  James 2:14; 18-19 – “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? . . . But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.”

The demons have correct beliefs. They know that “God is one,” that is, that there is one God; the Shema. But they do not have correct behavior, and so they shudder.

The same is true for us, if we only have correct beliefs, such a faith won’t save us.

  • What matters is not how orthodox your beliefs are, what matters is your deeds based on these beliefs.

3. It won’t matter if you exercised gifts of the Spirit in Jesus’ name. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 – “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Here we have people who have gifts of the Spirit (prophesy), who have cast out demons and have done miracles in Jesus’ name.

But Jesus focuses in on the fact that they were disobedient; they were “workers of lawlessness.” They will not make it in.

  • What matters is not manifestations of the Spirit, it is your obedience to God.

4. It won’t matter if you did what is right according to the standards of others – so that others can look on and say, “What a good person!” “What a religious person!” So that the world can say, “What a clean-cut, straight-laced person!” “What a decent moral person!”

You can spend your whole life living up to human-made standards, and miss the mark that God sets.

In a context of talking about God’ will, Jesus said in Matthew 23:10 – “You have one teacher, the Messiah” Jesus teaches us what God’s will is and we are to do what he says.

Remember the rich young ruler? He kept all kinds of commands, and must have come across to others as very righteous. But he did not do what Jesus asked of him, and according to Jesus, would not enter the kingdom of God.

  • What matters is doing the will of God according to Jesus

5. It won’t matter if you used to do the deeds of Jesus, but stopped. Ezekiel 18:24 – says it about as clearly as you can – “But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”

In the New Testament, in Matthew 24:45-51 in a parable about his second coming, Jesus teaches that the disciple who is doing his will when he returns will be blessed. But the disciple who changes and then acts wickedly will be thrown into hell.

  • What matters is not what you used to do, it is that you continue on in doing the will of God according to Jesus.

6. It won’t matter if you did the deeds of Jesus – if you did them without love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3 – “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

These are deeds of Jesus: Jesus talks about selling your possessions and giving to the poor in Luke 12:33. And Jesus talks about taking up your cross and losing your life in Mark 8:34-35.

But if you don’t do these out of love for God and others, Paul tells us, then you gain nothing.

  • What matters is not just doing empty outward actions, it is doing the deeds of Jesus out of love.

As you can see from all these different angles, when you stand before God and the Lord Jesus to give an account for your life, the only thing that will matter is that you have continued to do what Jesus taught out of love for God and others.

Now if you ask . . .

Why does God look at our deeds?

Why doesn’t God just look in our hearts to see if we have faith; to see if we have been born again; to see if we have received the grace of his salvation? The answer is that what is in our hearts, is what comes out in our deeds. What is within is what comes out in our words and actions.

It is just as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17, “You will recognize them by their fruits. . . . Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” All God has to do is to look at our deeds and he knows what is in our heart.

And since you can’t continue to do what Jesus teaches out of love without God’s work of salvation, and God’s continuing grace, and God’s continuing forgiveness when we fail, because its impossible to do all this in our own strength – the deeds are the evidence of God’s grace working in our lives.

A Plea

If you are a Christian here this morning, hear what the Scriptures clearly teach us – God will judge your deeds. Are you ready?

Don’t be deceived thinking that because you have said the right things, or you have correct beliefs, or you have amazing spiritual gifts, or you are a decent person by the world’s standards, or you used to be faithful, or you can look like a Christian to others – that you are OK.

Deal with the sins in your life that you knowingly choose to do over and over again!

Let the grace of God work its work in you so that your life will bear forth the fruit of righteousness; the fruit of continuing to do what Jesus has taught us, out of love for God and others. Turn from your disobedience and let God do his work in you.

And if you’re here and are not yet a Christian, turn from your unrighteousness and receive God’s grace of forgiveness and new life. And let God transform you from within so that the fruit of righteousness begins to spring forth in your life; so that you too can be ready to give an account on that final day.

William Higgins

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The Kind of Leaders Jesus is Looking For

December 28, 2008 by William Higgins

We are beginning a process of electing a new Elder in our congregation. And this is significant, because Elders are important leaders in a Christian congregation.

To help you as you think and pray about nominations for this, and to also help you more broadly on the topic of Christian leadership – I want us to focus in this morning on “The Kind of Leaders Jesus is Looking For.” 

Our Focus Text – Mark 10:42-45 

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” 

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Good News of a Great Joy

December 21, 2008 by William Higgins

I want us to think briefly on a theme that was interwoven throughout our program today and the Christmas story itself, and that theme is joy.

This comes from Luke 2:10-11.  The angel of the Lord came to the shepherds and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord.’”

We live in a world that is often not joy inducing. Just look at the headlines on any day, in any given paper and you will see stories and pictures of suffering, injustice, and death. And in our own lives we all experience our share of pain, sadness and even despair at times . And because of this – – – we often struggle with joy.

And yet the angel of the Lord comes and says, “I bring you good news of a great joy.”

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Jesus’ Birth & Ministry Were Foretold

December 14, 2008 by William Higgins

As we saw last week, the death and resurrection of the Messiah was foretold and prophetically pointed to many centuries before, in the writings of the Old Testament.

And we saw in Luke 24:25-26 how Jesus himself taught his disciples that the prophets foretold that the Messiah should suffer first, and then enter into glory.

Today we look at how Jesus’ birth and ministry were foretold by the Scriptures.

Now, some of these Scriptures are straightforward prophet predictions about the Messiah, which find fulfillment in Jesus.

And some of these Scriptures present what we call “types” of Jesus, as we saw last week. These are models or images of Jesus that come from various individuals, especially David, or the nation of Israel as a whole.

  • So, what happened to David, for instance, becomes a prophetic picture of Jesus’ life.
  • So, what David said, for example, become prophetic pronouncements about or from Jesus.

What happened before, in Israel, foreshadows what happens in Jesus, who is the true fulfillment of all of God’s plans and purposes.

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Jesus’ Death & Resurrection Was Foretold

December 7, 2008 by William Higgins

We have entered the season of Advent. This is a time when we look forward to our celebration of the birth of Jesus and his coming to earth.

What I would like for us to think about for Advent this year, is the amazing way in which the coming of Jesus was foretold, foreshadowed and prophetically pointed to so many centuries before he came.

And today, in connection with our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, I would like for us to look at some of these Old Testament texts that focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection.

These are important Scriptures because, the idea of the Messiah dying and being raised from the dead was not something that was generally expected. Even Jesus’ own disciples didn’t know what to think of all this when it happened. But yet it was there to be seen for the one with eyes to see.

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