A Heart for God's Glory

Finding and Following the Lamb of God

2012-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." (John 1:43)

We seek Jesus because Jesus has been seeking us. When we seek Jesus, we will find Christ; when we don’t seek Jesus he will find us and he will give us a new name. We follow Jesus because Jesus has found us. Jesus has authority to call anyone he wants to follow him, regards of who they are or who they are not, because he has the sovereign authority of God to determine our destiny. Jesus is our ladder to God!

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) - Matt Redman

2012-01-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
103:1

Amazing Grace/No Not By Might/Are You Washed - Robin Mark

2012-01-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Fishers of Men - Rhonda Vincent

2012-01-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

"Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
Mark 1:17

Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Peter, John, and James
Could never be the same
After they heard him say
I'll make you fishers of men.

Cast your nets aside
and join the battle tide
He will be your guide
To make you fishers of men.

Jesus bore the cross
To gather in the lost
Oh what a might cost
To set us free from sin.

The Powerful Faith of Witness

2012-01-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

“I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (John 1:34)

Jesus is the promised hope of God, the preeminent power of God, and the presence of one true God! We “bear witness” to that message when we boldly live out our “faith” in God before the world we live in. God has given us “a voice” to use to point people to Jesus!

Creation Calls: Are You listening? - Brian Doerksen

2012-01-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Psalms 19:1-5

The Fullness of God in Jesus Christ

2012-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16)

Jesus is the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Word of God, the Light and Life of God; the Sovereign Savior of the World who empowers spiritually powerless sinners to believe and fully receive him as their Lord and Savior; the Sovereign Grace of our Salvation who is full of grace and truth – and from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace!

The Powerful Presence of the Prince of Peace

2011-12-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Isaiah 25:6-9

Excerpt from “Jesus, Light of the World: Prince of Peace” – 2011-12-25

In hearing the Father’s call for is life, Jesus came down to earth, grew in grace, obediently walked into the waters of baptism, healed the sick, cast out demons, preached the gospel, and challenged the spiritually arrogant of his day. As a result, they beat him and hammered his body to a cross where He was left to die. Under the weight of our sin Jesus’ body did die - but by the power of the living God he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven – fulfilling the promise of God proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah - the completed action of God as promised.

Just before he died, Jesus cried out: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). From God’s first promise in the Garden to his birth, from his death to resurrection, from this day and on into eternity - Jesus is our fulfilled promise that our war against God! And while our battle against sin, evil and death is not completely over here on earth – we have a completed promise from God that we have victory! The “Prince of Peace” has arrived; The banquet is prepared; the covering of sin has been removed; death has been swallowed up; our tears and our reproach have been wiped away - and our battle cry is “Behold, this is our Savior! He has arrived, we are saved! Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation!”

The night before he went to the cross Jesus said: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:32-33). The peace we are promised in Jesus Christ is a peace is a peace that is not overwhelmed by adversity, overshadowed by fear or overclouded by guilt. The peace that Jesus gives us is not the absence of war, but rather the confidence that he is with us always, regardless of trouble or trial. The “Prince of Peace” brings not the absence of danger but the overcoming presence of the living God through Jesus Christ even in the face of death. In the words of the great Puritan prayer: “I am not afraid to look the king of terrors in the face, for I know I shall be drawn, not driven, out of the world.” The great Charles Wesley once wrote:

In times of trouble I rest beneath the Almighty's shade, my griefs expire, my troubles cease; Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed, wilt keep me still in perfect peace.

Hope Has Come – Stephen Altrogge

2011-12-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

Let us join with the angel voices
Let us join their happy song
All of heaven and earth rejoices
For the Lamb of God has come
He has come to rescue sinners
Come to meet our desperate need
He was born to bring forgiveness
Born for Calvary

Alleluia hope has come
Alleluia Christ has come
We once were slaves in misery
Till You appeared and set us free
Alleluia hope has come

Let us lay our gifts before Him
Let us magnify His name
With our thankful hearts adore Him
For the Lord has come to save
He has come to break sin's power
He has come to set us free
Hope was born that glorious hour
Christ the mighty King

Loving Our Children as Our Father Loves Us

2011-12-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
Psalms 89:26-29

Excerpt from “Jesus, Light of the World: Everlasting Father” – 2011-12-18

When children see their fathers passionately and intimately loving God in their everyday lives, they will become the children of God that God has purposed for them. There is no activity, no developed skill, no natural talent, no experience that can ever do that. God is our Father and we are His children. God did not sit on the sideline and encourage and exhort us; in Jesus Christ, He went in and played the game with them. Through Jesus Christ, God lived with us, loved with us, cried with us, laughed with us, hungered with us, struggled with us, suffered with us, died with us. God doesn’t just watch His children grow up, He rolls up His sleeves, gets down on the floor, and wrestles with them through the issues of everyday life with His children. We fathers are to do the same with our children, with our families. God is our “Everlasting Father.”

The Prevailing Power of our Mighty God

2011-12-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2

Excerpt from “Jesus, Light of the World: Mighty God” – 2011-12-11

In all of the times of struggle, trial, pain and suffering we go through in this life - we can prevail, we can persevere in trusting, loving, seeking and gratefully finding our greatest joy and satisfaction in our “Mighty God” - when we fully embrace the reality that God has prevailed and will always prevail until the end of time. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, free of our sin which so easily entangles us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. In Christ we too shall sit with the Father, wrapped in His glory, immersed in His perfect peace and joy and love. Like Thomas Edison may we persevere in the midst of discouraging odds, and as a result may our lives shine where there once was darkness. May we run the race of life like Beth Anne the marathon runner, giving our all, knowing that with the power of our “Mighty God” we will finish the race and prevail to the very end, even if it seems like all seems lost. There will be a day, paraphrasing the words of Thomas Edison, when “the sight we so long desire will finally meet our eyes” – and we will find ourselves in the presence of the light that saved us from the darkness forever.

Out of a mountain of failures, a light was born. Out of our mountain of our failures, Jesus was born. God is still at work prevailing and persevering in the lives of those who trust Him, who love Him, who seek Him, and who gratefully find their greatest joy and satisfaction in Him. The truth of history tells us that God will prevail. In the season of celebrating the birth of God’s promised hope, may you know the never-ending joyful reality of the prevailing love of our “Mighty God” - that powerfully persevered on the cross of Calvary, and that will continue to joyfully prevail and powerfully persevere in every struggle, every trial, every pains and every suffering you experience in this life. Because our “Mighty God” persevered and prevailed, someday we will also persevere and prevail, and be with him in glory!

Emmanuel – Chris Tomlin

2011-12-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

What hope we hold this starlit night
A King is born in Bethlehem
Our journey long, we seek the light
That leads to the hallowed manger ground

What fear we felt in the silent age
Four hundred years can He be found
But broken by a baby's cry
Rejoice in the hallowed manger ground

Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God incarnate here to dwell
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
Praise His name Emmanuel

The son of God, here, born to bleed
A crown of thorns would pierce His brow
And we beheld this offering
Exalted now the King of kings
Praise God for the hallowed manger ground

Oh, praise His name Emmanuel

My Soul Magnifies the Lord – Chris Tomlin

2011-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

Good news of great joy for every woman, every man
This will be a sign to you, a baby born in Bethlehem
Come and worship, do not be afraid

A company of angels ”Glory in the highest
And on the earth peace among those on whom His favor rests”
Come and worship, do not be afraid

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me

Unto you a child is born, unto us a Son is given
Let every heart prepare His throne in every nation under Heav'n
Come and worship, do not be afraid

Of His government there will be no end
He'll establish it with His righteousness
And He shall reign on David's throne
And His name shall be from this day on
Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father

The Story of Christmas - An Animation

2011-12-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Wonderful Will of God’s Sovereign Plan and Purpose

2011-12-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”

Isaiah 46:9-11

Excerpt from “Jesus, Light of the World Wonderful Counselor” – 2011-12-04

We are entering a season when we remember and celebrate the wondrous fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Jesus Christ, emptied Himself from God, entered this world as a human being and lived as God among us. He hungered, he laughed, he cried, he slept, he ate, he got tired, he got hurt, he loved, and he was hated. He lived a common human existence in our midst. In being God among a people who see themselves as their own god, Jesus found Himself beaten, whipped, crucified and murdered on a cross. Those who killed him buried him in a tomb, hoping to bury their own guilt and pride and egos with him. But much to their chagrin Jesus rose from the dead, walked this earth, then rose again into heaven glorifying the name and honor and power of the one and only God who faithfully carried out the promise and purpose and plan He had made before creation ever existed. All according to Gods is will, God’s plan and God’s purpose. The birth of the Savior some 2000 years ago was an act of God’s will which caused a wonderful thing to happen to us because of God’s steadfast love for His people which was carried out according to His sovereign plan and divine purpose. Because it is so, we now have opportunity to be loved, to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be restored, to live the life God created us for. All according to God’s sovereign plan and divine purpose - Jesus was and is our “Wonderful Counselor.” God has a will, a sovereign plan and a divine purpose for each one of us.

Psalm 22 - Ryan Ferguson

2011-12-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
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.
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
"He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"
Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet-- I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
Psalm 22:1-31

The Restoration of God through One Another

2011-11-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

Excerpt from “Walking with God and One Another in Sharing Jesus” – 2011-11-27

Praise God that the Bible tells us that our God is a not a God of criticism but a God of restoration. The bloody cross of Christ is proof of that. We see God’s heart in Jesus Christ, who gave his life so that we might be restored back to Himself. God is a God of holiness and righteousness and justice who condemns sin and who condemns the behaviours and actions and that result from the sin that lives within us. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we might be restored back to God through Jesus Christ. This is the cry of our fallen hearts, the ache and yearning of our lost souls. In Psalm 51:12 King David cried out, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation!” and in Psalm 23:3 he praises his restoration back to God: "He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake."

And so we must take care not to look at one another with critical hearts. I’m reminded of the story about a wife who came home to find her husband shaking frantically and wildly dancing all around in the kitchen. She saw a wire running from his waist towards the electric frying pan. Thinking that he was being electrocuted, she grabbed her son’s baseball bat from the corner, and intending to get him away from the deadly current - she knocked him to the floor, away from the frying pan, breaking his arm in two places. It was then she realized that her husband had just been listening to his IPod.

We must take care not to swing at people when it seems they are struggling or in trouble or who are not living up to our expectations – but rather we should be seeking to help them. Maybe you remember the television commercial that showed an elderly woman lying on the floor shouting, “Help me, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up?” Brothers and sisters, there are times when we fall in our spiritual lives, and we can’t get back up by ourselves - and we need “one another” to get back up and walk.

Bearing the Fruit of Grace through God’s Word

2011-11-21T21:12:00.000-08:00

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

Excerpt from “Walking with God and One Another in God’s Word” – 2011-11-20

In Mark 4:20 Jesus said those “who hear the word and accept it” will “bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." Jesus is telling us here that when we have God’s Word in our hearts we will bear fruit. Our Lord supports this in the Gospel of John: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The fruit-bearing Jesus is speaking of here is the fruit-bearing that first takes root in the heart of the follower of Jesus - who has Jesus “abiding” (present, living in, remaining) in their heart. The Bible tells us that the fruit that we bear with Jesus living in our hearts is the fruit of the Spirit— "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). Only when the “abiding” Word (Jesus) takes root in our hearts can we bear any of the spiritual fruits. In John 17:17 Jesus prayed: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." To word “sanctify” means to “to make holy.” The Word of God is the means the Holy Spirit uses to “sanctify” us, to make us more holy. Our holiness, our Christ-likeness, is what makes us more fruitful to God and to others. But if the “word” of God does not abide in us and take root in our hearts, we cannot bear fruit for God. Our walk with God will neither be consistent nor fruitful if we do not consistently spend time “abiding” in God’s Word.

In Acts 20:32 the apostle Paul said this to the elders of the church in Ephesus: “Now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The apostle is telling us here that the Word of God is the means by which is the power of the grace of God comes into our lives. The gospel of John tells us the same when it says: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . and from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” When the Word becomes flesh in us we receive grace upon grace. And so reading, studying, hearing, meditating and memorizing and preaching and teaching and discussing the Bible is not a boring, passive activity - but rather a joy-filled, passionate, life-saving, life-building, life-sanctifying activity of God’s grace!

Our Ability in the Faithfulness of God

2011-11-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13)

Excerpt from “Walking with God and One Another in Accountability” – 2011-11-13

This verse is often used to support the idea that God never gives us more than we can handle – but that idea in itself is not biblical. God’s Word tells us that God is always giving us more than we can handle because if He didn’t, we wouldn’t need Him. And we need Him because as fallen sinners we do not even have the “ability” to keep ourselves from sinning. This is what Paul wrote about in Romans 7:18: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ABILITY to carry it out.” The only power, the only strength, the only “ability” we have to keep ourselves from being overtaken by temptation is the strength, the “ability” we receive when we submit and surrender ourselves to God. And when we do – “God is faithful.”

Resting on God

2011-11-06T19:17:00.001-08:00

Resting on God

O God, most high, most glorious,
the thought of Thine infinite serenity cheers me,
for I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
but Thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
they stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bond, Thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out of confusion,
and my defeats are Thy victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

I come to Thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
to leave every concern entirely to Thee,
every sin calling for Christ's precious blood;
revive deep spirituality in my heart;
let me live near to the great Shepherd,
hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
that I may bear its reproach, vindicate it, see Jesus as its essence,
know in it the power of the Spirit.

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
unbelief mars my confidence, sin makes me forget Thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to Thee,
that all else is trifling.
Thy presence alone can make me holy,
devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.

From "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotion" edited by Arthur Bennett

Reconciling with One Another for the Grace of Forgiveness

2011-11-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

Excerpt from “Walking with God and One Another in Reconciliation” – 2011-11-06

Reconciling is hard and complicated because relationships are hard and complicated – because we are fallen and sinful. We live in an age that is saturated with entitlement and rebellion and cynicism; it is all around us and it is all in us. And because it is so - we are all guilty of hurting or offending others from time to time. We may not have meant to or are not aware that we have – but we have and now there’s not only hard feelings and but also gulf in some of our relationships. Now we normally justify what we have said or done because we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions but everyone else by their actions. This is because our inherent sinful pride tends to we see our motives as pure – when in reality that is rarely the case.

Yes, reconciliation can be difficult. But just because it is difficult doesn't mean it is not right. In fact God commands that we do so. The purpose of going to those we have hurt or offended us is two-fold. First, it is be reconciled. And second, it is to be an instrument of God’s grace. You see the key to reconciliation is forgiveness. In humility we go to those we have hurt and offended and say to them, “Forgive me. I was wrong.” If they accept this, reconciliation begins. If they are not open to forgiving, it is in the hands of God: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” When we ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt or offended we are allowing ourselves to be instruments of God’s grace – because reconciliation is the objective of forgiveness. This is God’s heart for us, who reconciled us to Himself when, “He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

The Surrender Empowered Humility of God Empowered Exaltation

2011-10-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in Humility” – 2011-10-30

Our sinful pride will always cause us to humbly exalt ourselves. But our text for today calls us, commands us, to another way. The truth is, we cannot exalt ourselves – only God can do that. And God will not “exalt” us until we take our proper place before Him. Three different times (Mt. 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14) Jesus said: “he who humbles himself will be exalted." In all of these cases – and in our text for today – the word “humble” is in the passive mood, which means “humble yourselves” literally could be read “allow yourselves to be humbled.” We cannot be humble ourselves. God must be the one to humble us, but we must surrender and submit to Him first. We will always naturally resist being humbled because we are naturally prideful in our sin. Before a horse can be of any use, that horse must be broken of its self-will. It must be brought to the place of submission. Likewise, before we can humbly be of any use to God, we must first be broken of the self-will of our pride. It’s our fallen sinful nature to defend ourselves, to deny that we are prideful. But we are prideful, so God calls us to humble ourselves before Him and when we do “he will exalt” us. 1 Peter 5:6 says: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” What does it mean to be “exalted” by God after we have “humbled” ourselves before Him? This is where our second text that we are looking at comes in. 1 John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The context of these words from the apostle John is acknowledging the true depth of our sinful nature.

When we do “confess our sins” God will then faithfully “forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” – which means that we will then become righteous by the sacrificial work of the cross of Christ. And at “the proper time” – either on the day we die or on the day the Lord comes back, whichever comes first - God Himself will “exalt” us! And God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain (Revelation 21:4); And we will see His face, and His name will be on our foreheads. And night will be no more. And we will need no light or lamp or sun, for the God will be our light, and we will reign with Him forever and ever (Revelation 22:4-5); Jesus said: "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh!” (Luke 6:21).

Confessing Our Sin for the Greater Healing

2011-10-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in Confession of Sin” – 2011-10-23

We are to use our tongues to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another. Note how this sentence is grammatically connected: confession of sins to one another plus prayer for one another equals healing. The inference here is that there is that there is some sickness in life that is the result of unconfessed sin in our relationships with others. The first step in that healing process is to confess our sin to those we have hurt and then pray for them. Now there are proper guidelines and boundaries in doing this. James is not telling us we are to publicly confess our sins to the entire church. There may be specific instances where public sin must be confessed publically, we see that in cases of church discipline. But we must never confess sin beyond the circle of that sin’s influence. We know from texts like Matthew 18:15-20 that private sin is best dealt with privately. God is urging us in His Word today that if we have sinned against someone, we are to privately confess our sin to the one we have offended and to seek their forgiveness and pray for them so we might be reconciled, just as Jesus taught us to. . .

Walking with God in confession of sin means that if sin is the root cause of our sickness then we must confess our sin so we can be forgiven and pray again for healing. Yes, there are sins that will cause us physical sickness – but the greater sickness caused by sin is the effect sin has on our soul. Sin breaks our fellowship with God. Sin rejects the cross of Christ. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

1 John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession of sin restores us back to God. Confession of sin cleanses us anew with the blood of Jesus. Confession of sin empowers the Holy Spirit to once again rise up in our hearts. Confession of sin agrees with God that we are guilty and humbly receives the mercy of God that was brought by the violent grace of the cross. Like the scraping of barnacles off the hull of a ship so it can move freely again - confession of sin frees us from the bondage of guilt and shame so we might joyfully live with God and fully live for God. Confession of sin deepens our hearts and heals our souls and fill us with joy, humility and gratitude like a child who needs to own up to their rebellion before Mom and Dad – but not to earn God’s love, but to know it, to live in it, and to fully rest in it. Romans 8:14-15 says: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’"

The Blind Spot of Loving Ourselves More Than God

2011-10-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! (Lamentations 3:40)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in Self-Awareness" – 2011-10-16

When struggle and suffering and pain come into our lives, our fallen sinful tendency is to complain and grumble and protest and question God as to why we have struggle, suffering and pain in our lives. That is our fallen, sinful tendency because, like Narcissus, our fallen, sinful tendency is to stare into the deep pool of own reflection rather than keep our eyes on the One in whose image we were created. Because we are so often madly in love with our own reflection, we are unable to see even the true depth of our own sin. The very fact that the chosen people of God Jeremiah was writing about questioned God’s motives and goodness proves they were not self-aware of how blind they were to their own sin.

Jeremiah lived during troubled times. He became a prophet during the reign of Josiah, who was the last faithful king in Judah’s history. Josiah’s death was the beginning of the last years of the nation of Judah. Within two short decades the great blessing and prosperity of the people of God was gone- replaced by political, social, financial, moral, and spiritual decay. God had warned them through not only Jeremiah but also through the prophets Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah that this is what would happen if they continued their persistence in focusing on themselves and their continual wandering away from God. And they ignored the warnings because they could not see their sin beyond the blind-spot of loving themselves more than God – and untold struggle and suffering and pain came into their lives, and they still couldn’t see their sin.

The Proper “View” of Worship

2011-10-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in Surrender” – 2011-10-09

Worship is our response to the revelation of who God is in view of the reality of who we are. In view of how lost he was in his fallen, sinful nature and how spiritually proud he was as a Jew - Paul responded in worship to the revelation of the constant, abundant “mercy” and “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge” that God had poured into his life and the life of God’s chosen people who had so willfully rebelled and rejected God: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen!” When we see our desperate need in view of the revelation of God’s undeserved mercy towards us, our spontaneous response should be heartfelt praise and passionate worship.

True worship is not about music or emotions or what happens in this building on Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. True worship is about being overwhelmed with the reality that we are seeing God in all His mercy and sovereignty and joy and holiness and love and grace and power and truth and glory more clearly than we have ever seen Him before – because God’s mercy and sovereignty and joy and holiness and love and grace and power and truth and glory penetrates our hearts and souls more deeply than they ever have before - because we clearly see our great, deep, desperate need for God and His mercy and sovereignty and joy and holiness and love and grace and power and truth and glory than we have seen it before. That is exactly the true worship of God Paul was experiencing here.

Our struggle with worship is that we tend not enough time looking at God and too much time looking at ourselves. We tend to define worship in terms of whether we liked the music or how we were emotionally moved or whether or not we liked the sermon or how long the service went. But none of those kinds of things are about God – they are about us. Worship is our response to the revelation of who God is in view of the reality of who we are. Our worship of God will improve when look to God instead of at ourselves - and when our opinion about worship stops being the standard for worship.

You see when you do truly and deeply and passionately fall in love with someone - you stop measuring, manipulating, or trying to control what happens to you. You find yourself so swept away with the one you love that you really don’t pay much attention to yourself anymore. You are entirely taken in with the one who has taken your heart. That’s true for human relationships because that’s how we were created to be in our relationship with God. Paul was genuinely overwhelmed by who God was when He was writing about God. In seeing who God truly was in view of his desperate need for God, Paul was grabbed by God in a way that we all should be grabbed by God so that real worship can take place.

Let Your Kingdom Come - Bob Kauflin

2011-10-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

Let Your Kingdom Come

Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we
Pray Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
Let Your kingdom come

Give us Your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform Your wondrous deeds
through those who are weak
Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
By grace we'll preach Your gospel
Till our dying breath

Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
Let Your kingdom come

The Power of God in the Will and Work of Fallen Humanity

2011-10-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in the Power of God” – 2011-10-02

Paul is telling us here that God energizes, God empowers us in at least two ways. He energizes us both “to will” and “to work” (to do) what is pleasing to God (“for His good pleasure”). Without God’s empowerment within us, without God’s energy within us, there would be no will, no desire for us to do anything that is pleasing to God – and if even if we had the will, the desire to do what was pleasing to God, we would not have the energy, the power, to do so! Brothers and sisters, we can never take credit for anything good or godly we have done because “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Now there is and always has been and always will be a debate about how God “works” in us like this. We still suffer from the lack of humility and disobedience in the Garden because this debate has to do with us – how much good is in us, how sinful we really are, and how much free will that we have regarding our salvation and our ability to walk with God. There is a truth in tension here that cannot be solved with our human minds; God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). But we do know what God says about this in our text for today. God’s word clearly tells us the work of our salvation - and our desire and ability live out that salvation in a manner that would please God - is absolutely and totally dependent on God in being the source of our power and God being the One who is always working with His power within us: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for (because) it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We are powerless without God.

Deep down inside our souls we all know this. Deep down inside we know that before Christ was in our hearts we were dead to the things of God. And when Jesus did come into our hearts – we came alive! Some of us have forgotten what it was like without Jesus. Some of us have forgotten we have another life within us: God’s life, the presence of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. Yes, our hearts, our lives and our wills are involved in this too. But the truth is we never could come to faith without God’s sovereign divine intervention. But it’s also true that we would never have come to faith had we not chosen God. But we also saw last week that without God’s help – His energy, His power – we would not have chosen Him: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Romans 7:18). Without God’s power we are powerless; without God’s power we do not have the ability to do what is right. But with God’s power we can live above our sinful nature and we can do what is right. In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul writes: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” The power of God through the cross of Jesus Christ is the power at “work” within us when we live out our lives in humble obedience for God.

God You Reign - Lincoln Brewster

2011-09-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

God You Reign

You paint the night, You count the stars
And You call them by name
The skies proclaim, God, You reign
Your glory shines, You teach the sun
When to bring a new day
Creation sings, God, You reign

God, You reign, God, You reign
Forever and ever, God, You reign

You part the seas, You move the mountains
With the words that You say
My song remains, God, You reign
You hold my life, You know my heart
And You call me by name
I live to say, God, You reign

God, You reign, God, You reign
Forever and ever, God, You reign
God, You reign, God, You reign
Forever and ever, God, You reign

Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Hallelu
Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Hallelu

God, God, You reign, God, You reign
Forever and ever, God, You reign
God, You reign, God, You reign
Forever and ever, God, You reign

The Power of Christ in our Personal Weakness

2011-09-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18)

Excerpt from “Walking with God in Personal Weakness” – 2011-09-25

Christians still sin. Over and over again, Paul, the mature apostle of God tells us that he still struggled with sin. But the fact that Christians still sin is not the whole story. Many of you may have seen the bumper sticker that says: “Christians are not perfect, they are just forgiven.” It is true that we are not perfect, and it is true that we are forgiven, but that’s not the end of the story either. In verse 15 Paul says: “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Christians still sin, but that’s not the end of the story because there is something inside of us that does not want to sin. There is within our souls an ache for God; there is within our hearts a desire to do what pleases God. Christians still sin, but we have within us something more powerful than our desire to sin – we have the indwelling Spirit of Jesus fighting for us! Ephesians 3:16 says in him we have been “strengthened with power through his Spirit” in our “inner being.”

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul tells us of a time when he was battling “a thorn . . . in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) – and he pleaded three times that God would give him victory in that war of the flesh. But Jesus himself spoke to Paul and said to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul’s responded by saying: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Brothers and sisters, there are wars going on in the world and there are wars going on inside of each one of us. May God bless us with a supernatural sensitivity to the reality of the battle within our hearts – and may God also empower us to declare the desperate weakness of our sinful nature, so that we might to gain victory in on-going war for our souls – as we bathe in the powerful sufficiency of the grace of Jesus!

‘Till Death Do Us Part?

2011-09-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

On September 15, 2011 religious broadcaster Pat Robertson publicly stated he believes that a man or woman is fully justified seeking a divorce if their spouse is suffering with Alzheimer’s disease because "if you respect that vow, you say 'til death do us part,” having Alzheimer’s "is a kind of death." Robertson’s statement made national headlines because Even for those who have a more liberal view of divorce, abandonment of a spouse who has a sickness or disease seems to go beyond the norm.

In Colossians 2:8 the apostle Paul writes: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Clearly Pat Robertson’s theology and morality are not rooted in the truths of God’s Word. While there is no verse in the Bible that states “till death do us part” – the statement itself is clearly supported biblically. Jesus himself made a clear statement regarding marriage and divorce.

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9)

Below I have post the original article by Pat Robertson – along with two responses in which I am full agreement with (one from Justin Taylor and the other from Russell Moore). At the end I have included an article from Christianity Today which is an interview with Robertson McQuilkin, where he speaks of his response in being faced with a spouse who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. I have also include a YouTube audio of a statement he made about being marriage to someone with the disease.

Pat Robertson says Alzheimer's makes divorce OK

September 15 2011 - The Associated Press

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his "700 Club" viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death."

During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.

"I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her," Robertson said.

The chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, which airs the "700 Club," said he wouldn't "put a guilt trip" on anyone who divorces a spouse who suffers from the illness, but added, "Get some ethicist besides me to give you the answer."

Most Christian denominations at least discourage divorce, citing Jesus' words in the Gospel of Mark that equate divorce and remarriage with adultery.

Terry Meeuwsen, Robertson's co-host, asked him about couples' marriage vows to take care of each other "for better or for worse" and "in sickness and in health."

"If you respect that vow, you say 'til death do us part,'" Robertson said during the Tuesday broadcast. "This is a kind of death."

The Gospel-Emptying Cruelty of Pat Robertson

Justin Taylor, September 15, 2011

Sometimes I think the category of “righteous anger” was created to respond to people like Pat Robertson.

His latest cringe-inducing statement is that a man should divorce his wife suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and “start all over again” if he is lonely and in need of companionship. When asked about the vow “to death due us part,” Robertson responded that “if you respect that vow,” then Alzheimer’s can be viewed as “a kind of a death.”

The best counsel is usually to ignore Robertson. But when a professing Christian says such cruel and worldly things, it also presents an opportunity to reexamine gospel truth afresh. In that regard Russell Moore has provided a wonderful service for us. He rightly writes that Robertson’s statement “is more than an embarrassment. This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Christ, the Church, and Pat Robertson

Russell Moore, September 15th, 2011

This week on his television show Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson said a man would be morally justified to divorce his wife with Alzheimer’s disease in order to marry another woman. The dementia-riddled wife is, Robertson said, “not there” anymore. This is more than an embarrassment. This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Few Christians take Robertson all that seriously anymore. Most roll their eyes, and shake their heads when he makes another outlandish comment (for instance, defending China’s brutal one-child abortion policy to identifying God’s judgment on specific actions in the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, or the Haiti earthquake). This is serious, though, because it points to an issue that is much bigger than Robertson.

Marriage, the Scripture tells us, is an icon of something deeper, more ancient, more mysterious. The marriage union is a sign, the Apostle Paul announces, of the mystery of Christ and his church (Eph. 5). The husband, then, is to love his wife “as Christ loved the church” (Eph. 5:25). This love is defined not as the hormonal surge of romance but as a self-sacrificial crucifixion of self. The husband pictures Christ when he loves his wife by giving himself up for her.

At the arrest of Christ, his Bride, the church, forgot who she was, and denied who he was. He didn’t divorce her. He didn’t leave.

The Bride of Christ fled his side, and went back to their old ways of life. When Jesus came to them after the resurrection, the church was about the very thing they were doing when Jesus found them in the first place: out on the boats with their nets. Jesus didn’t leave. He stood by his words, stood by his Bride, even to the Place of the Skull, and beyond.

A woman or a man with Alzheimer’s can’t do anything for you. There’s no romance, no sex, no partnership, not even companionship. That’s just the point. Because marriage is a Christ/church icon, a man loves his wife as his own flesh. He cannot sever her off from him simply because she isn’t “useful” anymore.

Pat Robertson’s cruel marriage statement is no anomaly. He and his cohorts have given us for years a prosperity gospel with more in common with an Asherah pole than a cross. They have given us a politicized Christianity that uses churches to “mobilize” voters rather than to stand prophetically outside the power structures as a witness for the gospel.

But Jesus didn’t die for a Christian Coalition; he died for a church. And the church, across the ages, isn’t significant because of her size or influence. She is weak, helpless, and spattered in blood. He is faithful to us anyway.

If our churches are to survive, we must repudiate this Canaanite mammonocracy that so often speaks for us. But, beyond that, we must train up a new generation to see the gospel embedded in fidelity, a fidelity that is cruciform.

It’s easy to teach couples to put the “spark” back in their marriages, to put the “sizzle” back in their sex lives. You can still worship the self and want all that. But that’s not what love is. Love is fidelity with a cross on your back. Love is drowning in your own blood. Love is screaming, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

Sadly, many of our neighbors assume that when they hear the parade of cartoon characters we allow to speak for us, that they are hearing the gospel. They assume that when they see the giggling evangelist on the television screen, that they see Jesus. They assume that when they see the stadium political rallies to “take back America for Christ,” that they see Jesus. But Jesus isn’t there.

Jesus tells us he is present in the weak, the vulnerable, the useless. He is there in the least of these (Matt. 25:31-46). Somewhere out there right now, a man is wiping the drool from an 85 year-old woman who flinches because she think he’s a stranger. No television cameras are around. No politicians are seeking a meeting with them.

But the gospel is there. Jesus is there.

Living by Vows

Robertson McQuilkin in Christianity Today, February 1, 2004

After his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, college and seminary president Robertson McQuilkin found himself torn between two commitments, two divine callings. At the request of the CT editors, he shares the story of his struggle:

It has been a decade since that day in Florida when Muriel, my wife, repeated to the couple vacationing with us the story she had told just five minutes earlier. Funny, I thought, that's never happened before. But it began to happen occasionally.

Three years later, when Muriel was hospitalized for tests on her heart, a young doctor called me aside. "You may need to think about the possibility of Alzheimer's," he said. I was incredulous. These young doctors are so presumptuous—and insensitive. Muriel was doing the same things she had always done, for the most part. True, we had stopped entertaining in our home—no small loss for the president of a thriving seminary and Bible college. She was a great cook and hostess, but she was having increasing difficulty planning menus. Family meals she could handle, but with guests we could not risk missing a salad and dessert, for example.

And, yes, she was having uncommon difficulty painting a portrait of me, which the college and seminary board—impressed by her earlier splendid portrait of my predecessor—had requested. But Alzheimer's? While I had barely heard of the disease, a dread began to lurk around the fringes of my consciousness.

When her memory deteriorated further, we went to Joe Tabor, a neurologist friend, who gave her the full battery of tests and, by elimination, confirmed that she had Alzheimer's. But because she had none of the typical physical deterioration, there was some question. We went to the Duke University Medical Center, believing we should get the best available second opinion. My heart sank as the doctor asked her to name the Gospels and she looked pleadingly at me for help. But she quickly bounced back and laughed at herself. She was a little nervous, perhaps, but nothing was going to get her down.

This time we accepted the verdict. And we determined from the outset not to chase around the country every new "miracle" treatment we might hear about. Little did I know the day was coming when we would be urged-on average, once a week-to pursue every variety of treatment: vitamins, exorcism, T chemicals, this guru, that healer. How could I even wife 1 look into them all, let alone pursue them? I was grateful to friends who made suggestions, because each was an expression of love. But for us, we would trust the Lord to work a miracle in Muriel if he so desired, or work a miracle in me if he did not.

One day the WMHK station manager, the program manager, and the producer of my wife's morning radio program, "Looking Up," asked for an appointment. I knew an occasional program she had produced was not used, but the response to her monologue of upbeat encouragement continued to be strong. Though the program was designed for women, businessmen often told me how they arranged their morning affairs so they could catch the program.

As the appointment began, the three executives seemed uneasy. After a few false starts, I caught on. They were reluctantly letting me know that an era was ending. Only months before they had talked of national syndication. I tried to help them out. "Are you meeting with me to tell us that Muriel cannot continue?" They seemed relieved that their painful message was out and none of them had to say it. So, I thought, her public ministry is over. No more conferences, TV, radio. I should have guessed the time had come.

She did not think so, however. She may have lost the radio program, but she insisted on accepting invitations to speak, even though invariably she would come home crushed and bewildered that her train of thought was lost and things did not go well. Gradually, reluctantly, she gave up public ministry.

Still, she could counsel the many young people who sought her out, she could drive and shop, or write her children. The letters did not always make sense, but then, the children would say, "Mom always was ,a bit spacy." She also volunteered to read textbooks for a blind graduate student. The plan was to put them on tape so that others could use them. I was puzzled that those responsible never used them, until it dawned on me that reading and writing were going the way of art and public speaking. She was disappointed with each failure and frustration, but only momentarily. She would bounce back with laughter and have another go at it.

Muriel never knew what was happening to her, though occasionally when there was a reference to Alzheimer's on TV she would muse aloud, "I wonder if I'll ever have that?" It did not seem painful for her, but it was a slow dying for me to watch the vibrant, creative, articulate person I knew and loved gradually dimming out.

I approached the college board of trustees with the need to begin the search for my successor. I told them that when the day came that Muriel needed me full-time, she would have me. I hoped that would not be necessary till I reached retirement, but at 57 it seemed unlikely I could hold on till 65. They should begin to make plans. But they intended for me to stay on forever, I guess, and made no move. That's not realistic, and probably not very responsible, I thought, though I appreciated the affirmation.

So began years of struggle with the question of what should be sacrificed: ministry or caring for Muriel. Should I put the kingdom of God first, "hate" my wife and, for the sake of Christ and the kingdom, arrange for institutionalization? Trusted, lifelong friends—wise and godly—urged me to do this.

"Muriel would become accustomed to the new environment quickly." Would she? Would anyone love her at all, let alone love her as I do? I had often seen the empty, listless faces of those lined up in wheelchairs along the corridors of such places, waiting, waiting for the fleeting visit of some loved one. In such an environment, Muriel would be tamed only with drugs or bodily restraints, of that I was confident.
People who do not know me well have said, "Well, you always said, 'God first, family second, ministry third.' " But I never said that. To put God first means that all other responsibilities he gives are first, too. Sorting out responsibilities that seem to conflict, however, is tricky business.

In 1988 we planned our first family reunion since the six children had left home, a week in a mountain retreat. Muriel delighted in her children and grandchildren, and they in her. Banqueting with all those gourmet cooks, making a quilt that pictured our life, scene by scene, playing games, singing, picking wild mountain blueberries was marvelous. We planned it as the celebration of our "fortieth" anniversary, although actually it was the thirty-ninth. We feared that by the fortieth she would no longer know us.

But she still knows us—three years later. She cannot comprehend much, nor express many thoughts, and those not for sure. But she knows whom she loves, and lives in happy oblivion to almost everything else.

She is such a delight to me. I don't have to care for her, I get to. One blessing is the way she is teaching me so much—about love, for example, God's love. She picks flowers outside—anyone's—and fills the house with them.

Lately she has begun to pick them inside, too. Someone had given us a beautiful Easter lily, two stems with four or five lilies on each, and more to come. One day I came into the kitchen and there on the window sill over the sink was a vase with a stem of lilies in it. I've learned to "go with the flow" and not correct irrational behavior. She means no harm and does not understand what should be done, nor would she remember a rebuke. Nevertheless, I did the irrational—I told her how disappointed I was, how the lilies would soon die, the buds would never bloom, and please do not break off the other stem.

The next day our youngest son, soon to leave for India came from Houston for his next-to-last visit. I told Kent of my rebuke of his mother and how bad I felt about it. As we sat on the porch swing, savoring each moment together, his mother came to the door with a gift of love for me: she carefully laid the other stem of lilies on the table with a gentle smile and turned back into the house. I said simply, "Thank you." Kent said, "You're doing better, Dad!"

Muriel cannot speak in sentences now, only in phrases and words, and often words that make little sense: "no" when she means "yes," for example. But she can say one sentence, and she says it often: "I love you."

She not only says it, she acts it. The board arranged for a companion to stay in our home so I could go daily to the office. During those two years it became increasingly difficult to keep Muriel home. As soon as I left, she would take out after. me. With me, she was content; without me, she was distressed, sometimes terror stricken. The walk to school is a mile round trip. She would make that trip as many as ten times a day. Sometimes at night, when I helped her undress, I found bloody feet. When I told our family doctor, he choked up. "Such love," he said simply. Then, after a moment, "I have a theory that the characteristics developed across the years come out at times like these." I wish I loved God like that-desperate to be near him at all times. Thus she teaches me, day by day.

Friends and family often ask, "How are you doing?" meaning, I would take it, "How do you feel?" I am at a loss to respond. There is that subterranean grief that will not go away. I feel just as alone as if I had never known her as she was, I suppose, but the loneliness of the night hours comes because I did know her. Do I grieve for her loss or mine? Further, there is the sorrow that comes from my increasing difficulty in meeting her needs.

But I guess my friends are asking not about her needs, but about mine. Or perhaps they wonder, in the contemporary jargon, how I am "coping," as they reflect on how the reputed indispensable characteristics of a good marriage have slipped away, one by one.

I came across the common contemporary wisdom in this morning's newspaper in a letter to a national columnist: "I ended the relationship because it wasn't meeting my needs," the writer explained. The counselor's response was predictable: "What were your needs that didn't get met by him in the relationship? Do you still have these same needs? What would he have to do to fill these needs? Could he do it?" Needs for communication, understanding, affirmation, common interests, sexual fulfillment—the list goes on. If the needs are not met, split. He offered no alternatives.

I once reflected on the eerie irrelevance of every one of those criteria for me. But I am not wired for introspection; I am more oriented outward and toward action and the future. I even feel an occasional surge of exhilaration as I find my present assignment more challenging than running an institution's complex ministry. Certainly greater creativity and flexibility are needed.

I have long lists of "coping strategies," which have to be changed weekly, sometimes daily. Grocery shopping together may have been recreation, but it is not so much fun when Muriel begins to load other people's carts and take off with them, disappearing into the labyrinth of supermarket aisles. Or how do you get a person to eat or take a bath when she steadfastly refuses? It is not like meeting a $10 million budget or designing a program to grasp some emerging global opportunity, to be sure. And it is not as public or exhilarating. But it demands greater resources than I could have imagined, and thus highlights more clearly than ever my own inadequacies, as well as provides constant opportunity to draw on our Lord's vast reservoir of resources.

As she needed more and more of me, I wrestled daily with the question of who gets me full-time-Muriel or Columbia Bible College and Seminary? Dr. Tabor advised me not to make any decision based on my desire to see Muriel stay contented. "Make your plans apart from that question. Whether or not you can be successful in your dreams for the college and seminary or not, I cannot judge, but I can tell you now, you will not be successful with Muriel."

When the time came, the decision was firm. It took no great calculation. It was a matter of integrity. Had I not promised, 42 years before, "in sickness and in health . . . till death do us part"?

This was no grim duty to which I stoically resigned, however. It was only fair. She had, after all, cared for me for almost four decades with marvelous devotion; now it was my turn. And such a partner she was! If I took care of her for 40 years, I would never be out of her debt.

But how could I walk away from the responsibility of a ministry God had blessed so signally during our 22 years at Columbia Bible College and Seminary?

Not easily. True, many dreams had been fulfilled. But so many dreams were yet on the drawing board. And the peerless team God had brought together-a team not just of professionals, but of dear friends-how could I bear to leave them? Resignation was painful; but the right path was not difficult to discern. Whatever Columbia needed, it did not need a part-time, distracted leader. It is better to move out and let God designate a leader to step in while the momentum is continuing.

No, it was not a choice between two loves. Sometimes that kind of choice becomes necessary, but this time responsibilities did not conflict. I suppose responsibilities in the will of God never conflict (though my evaluation of those responsibilities is fallible). Am I making the right choice at the right time in the right way? I hope so. This time it seemed clearly in the best interest of the ministry for me to step down, even if board and administrators thought otherwise.
Both loves-for Muriel and for Columbia Bible College and Seminary dictated the same choice. There was no conflict of loves, then, or of obligations.

I have been startled by the response to the announcement of my resignation. Husbands and wives renew marriage vows, pastors tell the story to their congregations. It was a mystery to me, until a distinguished oncologist, who lives constantly with dying people, told me, "Almost all women stand by their men; very few men stand by their women." Perhaps people sensed this contemporary tragedy and somehow were helped by a simple choice I considered the only option.

It is all more than keeping promises and being fair, however. As I watch her brave descent into oblivion, Muriel is the joy of my life. Daily I discern new manifestations of the kind of person she is, the wife I always loved. I also see fresh manifestations of God's love-the God I long to love more fully.

In Sickness and in Health: A Man of His Word - Robertson McQuilkin

Blessed by God to be a Blessing to Others

2011-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2)

Excerpt from “The Joy of Repentance: Walking with One Another” – 2011-09-18

Everyone who lives on this earth with us is on a journey through life. And many around us are on a spiritual journey that is empty, joyless and hopeless – a journey that will ultimately lead to an eternal darkness and death. In Christ, we are exiles here on earth who are on a journey to go back home to the place “laid up” for us “in heaven.” But God has not blessed us with that for ourselves. He has blessed us so that we might bless others, so that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed." God has placed us here to walk with Him, so that we might walk with one another. And God has placed us so that we might walk with Him, so that we might bless those who are not walking with Him – so they would walk with Him also.

How do we do that? We smile. We greet those who cross our paths. We listen and respond. We show grace to everyone. We start conversations. We listen. We encourage. We tease. We give. We share. We love everyone. We care. We help. We ask questions. We listen. We look for those who are alone and we talk to them. We watch people. We pray for people. We pray with people. We pray without people. We look for opportunities. We create opportunities. We ask people what they think. We listen. We work with people. We play with people. We start conversations because people yearn to be connected and belong. We ask questions because people want to be heard. We listen to people because they want to be valued. We listen to people because they are on a journey, just like we are on a journey. We ask them where they are going. We listen. And when they ask questions, we bless them with God’s blessing.

Too Heavenly-minded to be of Any Earthly Good?

2011-09-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. (Colossians 1:3-5)

Excerpt from “The Joy of Repentance: Walking with God” – 2011-09-11

What is the hope, the anticipated objective reality laid up for us in heaven? Well Paul doesn’t specifically tell us here, but he does in Titus 2:13 when he speaks of “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” In Colossians 3:4 he says: "When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." And in Colossians 1:27 he defines what heavenly minded people look like: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Now the reaction to this that often arises is - that we need to take care that we do not become so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good. My experience in this – in having been baptized in the Catholic faith, raised in the Charismatic faith, confirmed in the Lutheran faith, saved in the Fundamentalist faith, taught in the Reformed faith, and served as a pastor in the Evangelical Free and Baptist faith – is that I have never met anyone who was that so heavenly minded that they were of no earthly good. I have met folks who are so self-centered in their heavenly-mindedness that they were of no earthly good – because they are constantly letting people around them know how heavenly-minded they are. Those who I have know who were truly heavenly minded lived it out humbly and quietly – and their earthly lives transformed many others lives.

John Piper tells us that the Bible, “teaches and shows that a strong confidence in the promises of God and a passionate preference for the joy of heaven over the joy of the world frees a person from worldly self-centeredness, from paralyzing regret and self-pity, from fear and greed and bitterness and despair and laziness and impatience and envy. And in the place of all these sins, hope bears the fruit of love.” Hope bears the fruit of “faith in Christ Jesus and of the love” that we are to have for one another and for others. I would argue that one problem the contemporary church does not truly wrestle with today is being too focused on heaven. The problem the church struggles with is retreating from the world and spending most of their time together in the building, indifferent to the desperate needs of the lost people around them. The problem professing followers of Jesus Christ wrestle with is spending too little time reading their Bibles and praying and listening to God and serving others and having conversations with all kinds of people they do not know - because most of their time is being taken up just living for themselves.

To be heavenly minded means you understand that you are currently in exile here on earth, and that you are on a journey to go back home to the place “laid up for you in heaven.” Heavenly-mindedness frees us from the bondage of worry and anxiety and pride and addictions and bad habits and sinful attitudes and self-centered routines - because so much love and faith is bearing fruit in our lives, that we have little time to spend on anything else. As the fountains of faith and love flow out from the powerful, freeing confidence of our hope in Christ, the light of eternity burns away the shadows of worldly mindedness.

Glory to God Forever - Steve Fee

2011-09-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

The Creative Work of God in Christ

2011-09-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Excerpt from “Working for God” – 2011-09-04

However you and I might feel about the concept of work, the reality is that God Himself created the idea of work. In the very first verse of the Bible, we read: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God began everything by going to work. It was a creative work, but it was work nonetheless; Genesis 2:2-3: "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." And even though God rested from His original created work, He continues to work even today. Philippians 2:12-13 calls us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Take some time and read the entirety of Psalm 104, which praises God as our Supreme Creator and celebrates of His continuing work of grace in the world and in our lives.

Jesus, while he walked this earth, worked also. He was a common, ordinary man who was born in a stable, worked as a carpenter, and preached from a fishing boat. He grew tired; he became hungry; he ate and drank and walked with common, ordinary men and women. He died a death as we all will die a death; and because he rose from the dead, he is still at work in the world and within our hearts. In John 5:17 Jesus said: “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” Since the resurrection, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit now works on behalf of the Father and the Son within us, as Titus 3:5 tells us that "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." In surrendering one’s life to God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that creative work of God it to continue on in our lives; Ephesians 2:10 tells us “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand - Jars of Clay

2011-08-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

“And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them.
Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies,
which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.”
Joshua 22:4

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie

All o'er those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day
There God, the Son forever reigns
And scatters night away.

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land

No chilling wind nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore
Where sickness, sorrow, pain and death
Are felt and feared no more

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land

When shall I see that happy place
And be forever blessed
When shall I see my Father's face
And in His bosom rest

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promise Land

God Will Not Be Found Near Our Sin

2011-08-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Excerpt from “The Blessed Sovereign Grace of God” – 2011-08-28

Isaiah tells us God is calling us to “seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” This implies that God may not always be “found” and that God may not always be “near.” Our God is speaking here of a time when He would allow His people to be carried off into exile in Babylon because they chose other gods over Him. He calls every person who would be carried off into exile to seek Him and find Him while there was still time. This echoes previous words spoken by Moses who said: “You will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29). These are words not only for Israel but also for those of us at Arrowsmith.

The threat of exile really isn’t an issue or a problem for us here today: we’re sitting pretty comfortable and secure right now in life. And that’s our problem: the culture and society we live in has convinced us we are comfortable and secure. But the reality is, tomorrow or next week or next year, things might be different. But terrorists and earthquakes and hurricanes and cancer should open our eyes to the reality that in the near future God may not be so easily found or near. James 4:14 says: "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." It is possible that the Lord may be found tomorrow, that he may be near tomorrow. But we don’t know that. What we do know is that is that we don’t get our hearts right with God today, it may be too late to “seek” Him tomorrow. What keeps us from seeking God and calling upon God “while he may be found . . . while he is near”? One word we have already looked at: independence. In being created God’s image, we were created with a natural bend towards seeking to have a personal, intimate relationship with God. Yet, sin has so infected and so perverted God’s original intent, that we now view our God-likeness as the right to be independent like God. Mark Dever has written that “Some even talk of God Himself as if He were made in the image of man, rather than the other way around.”

It was in Garden of Eden where we not only lost our sense of true innocence, but also our sense of total dependence upon God. One of the greatest after effects of the fall is that without realizing it, we’ve now become dependent on sin rather than on God. In our fallen nature, sinful thoughts, lifestyles, and actions become deeply held beliefs and firmly established patterns. Our lack of dependency upon God coupled with our dependency upon sin is why we find it so difficult to abandon the sinful thoughts, lifestyles, deeply held beliefs and firmly established patterns that we hold onto that are not of God. This is why in verse three God said: “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” We cannot “seek the Lord” and be dependent on sin at the same time. The Lord will not be found in or near sin. God will be found – painfully so - at the end of our sin. But God will not be “found” in our sin or “near” our sin.

God Love Us Too Much to Leave Us Alone

2011-08-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12).

Excerpt from “ The Blessed Warning of God” – 2011-08-21

Prior to the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, man and woman, in having been created in the likeness and image of God were good by nature. As they enjoyed God in all His fullness, they were relational, rational, and possessed a heart that treasured God above all else. But when Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God and do things their own way and go their own way. The core of our existence is rooted in this paradox: though we are drawn to God because He created us to be in a deep, intimate relationship with Him and to be joyfully dependant on what Him - we still continue to be both reluctant to fully love God and treasure God, and constantly resistant to fully live for God.

The comfort, sin and selfishness of humanity have now become the star in this contemporary drama we call life. God is on stage today, but only in a supporting role as He is being asked to adjust to the many cultural expectations of our time. But God will not allow His name to be profaned indefinitely. Though He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, He will not tolerate forever those who will not give Him their whole heart and who regard something or someone else more worthy than Himself: “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other” (Isaiah 42:8). Yet while there can be deadly consequences when we do wander away from God, God still lovingly warns us to return back to Him when we do wander. He loves us too much to leave us alone: "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12).

The Greater Works of God

2011-08-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

Excerpt from “The Ripple Effect” – 2011-08-14

As you read the account Jesus’ ministry, you will notice that vast crowds followed him when did miracles, and entire cities would turn out to hear him speak - yet when he came to the end of his life, when Jesus faced the cross, the crowds were all gone. Only a handful stood at the foot of the cross. By every human reckoning the physical life and ministry of Jesus was a total failure. His physical miracles did not change people’s hearts; they merely touched the surface of their lives. In John 15:16 Jesus said to his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide (remain), so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” It is significant that the ones whom Jesus touched, healed and taught would not stand with him at the test of the cross - but the ones who Jesus chose to walk with him during his life on earth ultimately went out and touched and healed and taught with the power of God - and thousands came to faith in Christ all across the length and breadth and width of the Roman Empire.

And when the time of testing came for the men, women, and children who had been touched, healed and taught by the disciples – they were willing to face lions, endure torture, put on the rack, bound up in bags and thrown into the sea, burned as living torches, mangled and mashed and twisted and torn apart, rather than to deny Jesus. “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide (remain).” Is this not “the greater work” of God? Anything that is done to our flesh is merely temporary,, but that which is done to our hearts is eternal. All those whom Jesus healed or raised from the dead died again. There is no record of it, but Lazarus must have died again, even though Jesus raised him from the dead. We will all physically die and so, what is done to the heart and soul is a “greater work.” The power of God through the risen Christ alive and at work in our hearts and souls - above and beyond the circumstances of this life - are the greater works of God!

Treasure - Iona

2011-08-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

Treasure

Consider the flowers of the field
In their beauty
More lovely than even the clothes of a king
Consider the birds of the air
Flying high, flying free
You are precious to me

Where your treasure is
There is your heart

If a son asks his father on earth
For fish or for bread
Who among you would give him
A snake or a stone
How much more does the Father above
Have a heart full of love
For the children that He calls His own

The Grace of God in Our Time of Need

2011-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

Grace Active

Lord Jesus, great high priest,
Thou hast opened a new and living way
by which a fallen creature can approach Thee
with acceptance.

Help me to contemplate
the dignity of Thy Person,
the perfectness of Thy sacrifice,
the effectiveness of Thy intercession.

O what blessedness accompanies devotion,
when under all the trials that weary me,
the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me,
the infirmities that oppress me,
I can come to Thee in my need
and feel peace beyond understanding!

The grace that restores is necessary to preserve,
lead, guard, supply, help me.
And here Thy saints encourage my hope;
they were once poor and are now rich,
bound and are now free,
tried and now are victorious.

Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess,
but not more than is found in Thee,
the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells.
To Thee I repair for grace upon grace,
until every void made by sin be replenished
and I am filled with all Thy fullness.

May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened,
that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation.

Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all
the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity,
the losses of substance, the death of friends,
the days of darkness, the changes of life,
and the last great change of all.

May I find thy grace sufficient
for all my needs.

From "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotion" edited by Arthur Bennett

Where is the Boundary of Your Faith?

2011-08-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

“A center without a circumference is just a dot, nothing more. It is the circumference that marks the boundary of the circle. To eliminate the boundary is to eliminate the circle itself. The circle of faith cannot identify its center without recognizing its perimeter.” - Thomas C. Oden, "The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity"

"For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." - Jesus, Matthew 17:20

The Low Cost of Following Jesus

2011-08-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. (1 Kings 19:21)

Excerpt from “Burning Your Plows” – 2011-08-07

There are those who are in ministry who brag of how much they’ve given up for their calling, how great a cost they had to pay. Yet if you have truly considered the cost of God’s call for your life – you come to understand that there is not real cost at all. It really costs us nothing to follow Jesus because he already paid the cost. We give up nothing for following Jesus because Jesus is everything. In Philippians 3:8 the apostle Paul writes: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Compared to the cost of the cross; compared to who we would be and where we would be without Jesus as our Lord and Saviour; compared to the joy of salvation and the glorious riches to come - there is nothing in this life that truly has worth outside of Jesus. We may give up many things, but compared to the worth of Christ - we give up nothing. Because Jesus is everything and it costs us nothing - he calls us to follow him to the point of no return.

Listening to Ourselves Rather Than Listening to God

2011-07-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

“. . . the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

Excerpt from “Who Are You Listening To?” – 2011-07-31

God knows our hearts; He knows we are amazed and respond with great emotion when we witness external displays of His power. But God seeks a response that is much deeper. He knows that our hearts, our spirits, the depths of our souls will respond to His voice. His “voice” we read is like “the sound of a low whisper.” (Other Bible translations: NASB =a sound of gentle blowing NIV = a gentle whisper, NEB = low murmuring sound, JB = sound of a gentle breeze, KJV = still, small, voice). The word in the original Hebrew means “the tone of a small, gentle, whisper.” This is the sound of God’s voice - the soft quiet voice of God that speaks to our souls, that illuminates our minds, that stirs our hearts in a way loud physical displays of power cannot. The voice, the whisper of God is a language of the heart – and that’s why we have a hard time hearing God. Paul Miller gives us a clue in his book “A Praying Life” when he states our real problem in not our busy lives but our busy hearts. Instead of hearing “the sound of a low whisper” of God in our hearts, we more often hear the loud pounding drumbeat of how busy we are focusing our hearts on ourselves and on our busy lives.

Some years ago U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt decided to test the listening skills of those he met. One evening at a White House reception he greeted each guest with a handshake and a smile and said: “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” No one even noticed; most of them said: “Well, how lovely!” or “Keep up the good work!” However there was one diplomat at the end of the line who said: “Well I’m sure she had it coming to her.” President Roosevelt’s test proved what most of us already know: we just don’t listen to things that are said unless it is about us or if it affects us. The reason we don’t hear God’s voice is because we can’t hear His voice above the noise of our own voice.

There is Only One God of the Heavens

2011-07-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sect Leader Warren Jeffs' words to Judge Barbara Walther – July 29, 2011

"I, the Lord God of heaven,
ask the courts to cease the prosecution of my holy ways.
There will be a judgment against all those who prosecute the church.
I shall let all people know of your unjust ways.
I will bring sickness and death. Let this cease."

God's Words from Isaiah 42:5; 9

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
". . . I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other."

Worship Who God Is, Not What God Does

2011-07-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

“Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life . . . he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, 'It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life.'" (1 Kings 19:3-4)

Excerpt from “Walking the Deserts of Life” – 2011-07-24

We must not put our trust in the wonders (miracles) of God more than we do God Himself. The Bible tells us that purpose of the miracles of God is to reveal the power of God. The miracles Jesus did while he was on earth were done to reveal that he was God. Jesus said: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise” (John 5:19). While miracles are of God, they are not God. But there are times we worship miracles more than we worship God. Jesus knew that; that’s why he said to the crowd: "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe" (John 4:48); “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:22).

We worship wonders/miracles of God more than we worship God when we put our trust in what God can do for us more than simply who He is. We worship wonders/miracles when we get angry for God for not answering our prayers; when we expect He will bless us in spite of our disobedience or our lukewarm commitment to Him; when we complain ungratefully about our circumstances and situations in life; when we crave and love the blessings and gifts of God more than we crave and love God Himself. We must never forget that wonders/miracles are not God – God is God.

God does not always come through the way we would expect. God does not always work the same way. Joshua and God’s people discovered that as they entered and fought for the Promised Land. They took each city in a different way, and if they didn’t obey God’s instructions to “t” is cost them dearly. By the time Jericho rolled around, marching circles around the city, shouting and blowing horns didn’t seem so strange anymore. They were used to God doing new things in different ways. In Isaiah 55:8-9 God says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Jesus said: "Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5). He also had his own mountaintop to valley experience. In Mark 1:11-13 we read that when Jesus was baptized God proclaimed: "’You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’ The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.” Driven into the wilderness to face temptation, Jesus was victorious not because of a miracle - but because God was with him. God did not tell Elijah to put his faith in the brook, the ravens, the flour, the oil, the altar, the stones, the fire, or in the thunderstorm. Like Elijah we are to trust in God alone.

The Blessings of 30 Years of Marriage

2011-07-25T16:43:00.001-07:00

Last Monday Nancy and I celebrated 30 years of marriage together. As we have looked back over our lives together, we stand amazed at the many ways God has been so faithful to us throughout the years. Yes, God is good . . . all the time! I have also been blessed by God to have been given Nancy as my wife. She is a special gift far more I could ever have asked for. Nancy has shown me more grace, mercy and love than I ever deserve. It would be easy to say to her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all!" (Proverbs 31:29).

On our anniversary we were also humbled and blessed to have our daughter Jennifer post the following:

30 Things I've Learned From My Parents...On Their 30th Anniversary

by Jennifer Botzet

1. What it is like to be loved in spite of the fact that you can be a serious pain sometimes.

2. How to live life with no fear.

3. God's sovereign hand shapes pain and suffering into something beautiful.

4. A food fight in the middle of dinner can be an effective way to resolve an argument.

5. When God calls you to go somewhere and do something...you just do it without asking why.

6. Doorstops keep wolverines away from your house.

7. You shouldn't quit playing baseball just because you got hit in the head by a wild pitch and then five minutes later by a line drive...in the same spot. Seriously, you'll be fine.

8. Memorize Scripture and use it as a way to guide prayer.

9. Camping is only camping if you have to haul all your gear on your back, canoe for eight hours into the wind, be paranoid about bears, sleep on rocks, sustain a few minor injuries, be a bit hungry because you can't eat another bite of fish or trail mix, and go without a shower, bathroom, phone, or seeing other human beings for at least a week.

10. Every single thing is from God's hand - even those things that break you and cause many tears. This is a reason to give Him praise.

11. "Happy Birthday" is meant to be sung as painfully and intentionally off key as possible.

12. You always finish what you start.

13. How to ride a horse, and how to not fall off of said horse when he does something unpredictable (because at some point...he will).

14. If you don't have money to buy something...then don't buy it.

15. How to milk a goat without making it angry and causing it to kick you in the face.

16. Read books that are difficult to understand.

17. Listen to sermons by people that are way smarter than you are.

18. Things that are hard are good for you.

19. Face hardship with the joy of the Lord as your strength.

20. Family is a merciful gift from God.

21. I am an undeserving, dirty, rotten sinner, and Jesus is a merciful, loving, and gracious Savior.

22. Pray as often as you breathe.

23. The cute baby calf you named, bottle fed, and that grew up into a big cow...she's for eating (actual dinner conversation: "Is this Gretchen?" "No, I think this roast is Freddie...").

24. The best way to find answers to your questions about the Bible...is to read the Bible.

25. Having no real roots or home on this earth is a good thing. It is a blessing and a reminder of where I really belong and where I will someday be.

26. To live with no regret is to walk in utter obedience to God even when what He is asking you to do doesn't make sense.

27. Grades are not as important as what you learn...and your perfectionist tendencies can be sinful.

28. You will be a work in progress until the day you are in glory.

29. The only opinion you should care about is God's.

30. You are wasting the short time that God has given you on this earth if you are not striving to glorify Him in all you do and loving Him with all that you are.

The Glory of God in Cerebral Palsy

2011-07-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hearing God Beyond Our Own Voice

2011-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

“Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain” (1 Kings 18:41).

Excerpt from “Winning the Race” – 2011-07-17

If we believe in Jesus, if we possess a heart conviction that leads to total trust and total commitment to him, pursuing Jesus so we might know him so intimately that we can hear his voice should be the number one priority of our lives. The integrity of our daily walk through life for God depends on us hearing God’s voice; the hope of our future life with God depends on us hearing God’s voice. How we run the race God has called us to for His glory will reveal whether or not we are hearing God’s voice. It’s hard to hear God’s voice today. Because we live in a culture that is so saturated with narcissism, entitlement and selfishness - we tend to confuse our voice with God’s voice. Sadly the line between the Spirit of God and our personal emotions has become so blurred that there are now many in the community of faith who claim the gift of discernment, when in reality they have the gift of opinion.

This is why we need the Word of God and one another. God’s Word, the Bible, will give us guidance regarding what is of God and what is of us. Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” But we also need one another to know what is of God and what is of us. The Bible is full of one another texts that calls each one us to commit ourselves to a faith community for accountability, growth, mission and mutual discernment.

If we truly know the one true God we will hear His voice. If we know God, we will be able to see and hear beyond our own opinions, beyond what we see and hear in this world. It is then we can press on in our faith, during times of change and struggle, when things look and sound and feel different, dismal or dark - for in the hands of our risen Christ we can and will have faith and believe that what our most sovereign God has in store for us is greater than what we see and hear and feel. True faith, true belief in God will ultimately lead us to personally and intimately know God.

Augustine - Loving God is Not a Vague Feeling

2011-07-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Augustine's prayer, from his book "Confessions" -

My love of you, O Lord, is not some vague feeling: it is positive and certain. Your word struck into my heart and from that moment I loved you. Besides this, all about me, heaven and earth and all that they contain proclaim that I should love you, and their message never ceases to sound in the ears of all mankind, so that there is no excuse for any not to love you. But, more than all this, you will show pity on those whom you pity; you will show mercy where you are merciful; for if it were not for your mercy, heaven and earth would cry your praises to deaf ears.

Do Christians Have to Go to Church?

2011-07-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

Pastor Mike McKinley, author of Am I Really a Christian?

Do Christians have to join a church? from Crossway on Vimeo.

from JT

We’re Worse Than Broken

2011-07-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Posted By Randy Newman 2011-06-24 on The Gospel Coalition blog

I’ve been hearing the word brokenness a lot lately. In casual conversations and from up-front speakers, the term has become synonymous with sinful. In fact, for many, it has replaced this older, more-bothersome word.

To some extent, this makes sense. Our experience of alienation from God does indeed feel like we’re broken. We’re not living the lives we were created for. We’re not connecting with others with the level of intimacy we were designed for. We’re cut off from the kind of connectedness with God that he intended.

But I’m concerned with the reduction of the full and multifaceted concept of sin, as it is described in the Scriptures, into a buzzword that feels more at home in our therapeutic culture than in God’s Word. My concern is twofold.

For believers, the word doesn’t go deep enough to move us forward in sanctification. God describes our sin many ways—almost all of which are far worse than “broken.” We’re rebellious, idolatrous, lost, enslaved, disobedient, adulterous, and—in case the point wasn’t pressed far enough—dead. If we see our sin as mere brokenness, our repentance and abhorrence at sin won’t push us in the opposite direction hard enough. And our appreciation of the cross as the only cure will be replaced with self-effort and legalism.

For non-believers, when they hear us speak of our brokenness, there is common ground, to be sure. But we fail to convey the dire straights that only the gospel overcomes. Most people in our world today hear “brokenness” as something that is done to us, something we are victims of. But the Bible’s description of sin is far more active than passive, more something we do—willingly, rebelliously, idolatrously, and knowingly—rather than something perpetrated upon us by others against our will, contrary to our nature, or different from our cravings. When people hear that our biggest problem is that we’re broken, the gospel seems like a strange fix. Jesus’ death on the cross seems extreme and unnecessary, the maniacal overreaction of an overzealous deity.

Thoughtful faith and faithful thinking involves the careful choice of words that come out of our mouths and reverberate in our minds.

Commitment Beyond the Middle Ground

2011-07-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. (1 Kings 18:21)

Excerpt from “Carmel-Coated Christianity” - 2011-07-03

When you are standing for God, there is no middle ground. In the New Testament we read that King Herod thought he could. He feared John the Baptist, knowing that he was a just and holy man, a man of whom the Bible said carried the spirit of Elijah. Herod enjoyed hearing John preach, but he never repented of living in sin with his brother’s wife, a sin which John boldly and continually confronted him about. Those of you who know the story know that eventually Herod was faced with choosing between killing John the Baptist or losing his wife’s favor. Rather than choosing to embrace the message of repentance, Herod chose to execute the messenger – which cost Herod his life in the end.

When Elijah came to Mount Carmel, the middle ground disappeared. When John the Baptist challenged people to repent and turn to God, the middle ground disappeared. When Jesus walked this earth and demanded those who desired to follow Him must fully and totally surrender their hearts and lives to him and to him only - the middle ground disappeared. At the return of our Lord Jesus the middle ground will disappear for good. When it comes to God – there is no middle ground.

The very nature of who God is confronts us to make a choice about our commitment to Him. As we slowly but surely approach the end of the age, God is in the process of destroying all middle ground - for by His holiness God hates and rejects anything and everything that is spiritually lukewarm. In Revelations 3:16 Jesus said: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” To be a born again follower of Jesus Christ means you will be different than the world; humility and sacrifice and God-centeredness will clearly stick out in a culture that is saturated with pride and entitlement and self-centeredness. Jesus said: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

The Sign of a False Prophet

2011-06-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

“Beware of false prophets . . ." (Matthew 7:15)

Joyful, Humble Proof of a True, Deep, Real Relationship with God

2011-06-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

“Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is her’; and he will kill me." (1 Kings 18:13-14)

Excerpt from “Who is Your Master?” - 2011-06-26

Obadiah admits here that he has been trying to serve two masters. While he does attempt to argue that God is his master; his complaint reveals who his true lord and master was -- Ahab. His greatest fear was not that he was working against God, but the fear that Ahab would have him executed for not personally delivering Elijah to Ahab himself. But the problem is, Jesus said: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Jesus also said: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). When we try to serve two masters, we will be forced to make one choice.

This puts us face to face with the convicting words of Jesus from Matthew 7:21-23: “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. 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.’” Like Obadiah, it doesn’t matter how many good or godly things we’ve done, or how much of the Bible we know, or how much money we’ve given, or how long we’ve served in church, or even if God has done great things in our lives. Jesus is saying that doing things for God and knowing things about God mean nothing if God is not the absolute sovereign Lord and Master of your heart and soul. Doing things, knowing things, saying things for God and having an intimate relationship with God are two completely different things.

But there is a tension here. You can do and know and say good and godly things for God without a true, deep, real relationship with God - yet the proof of having with a true, deep, real relationship with God is that you will do and know and say good and godly things for God. And so how can you tell if what is done and known and said for God is done out of a true, deep, real relationship with God? Two words: Humility and joy. A heart attitude of joyful humility reveals the difference between whether what one does or knows or says flows out of a true, deep, real relationship with God. A soul that has a true, deep, real relationship with God humbly proclaims God as Lord and Master – and joyfully does and knows and says what gives glory to the Lord of Lords, the King the Kings.

Sometimes Religion is Funnier Than You Think

2011-06-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

On June 15th an Australian anchor's attempt to joke with the Dalai Lama backfired.

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl

2011-06-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl: Wide Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World is one of my favorite books I have read of late. Nate Wilson's writing has been described as a cross between C.S. Lewis and Jerry Seinfeld - and I would add a dash (a really large dash) of G.K. Chesterton.

Wilson's ability to see real life from not only underneath the surface but also deeply beyond what most of us see is joyfully stunning. The simplicity and depth of this book both refreshed and restored me. I highly recommend it!

A "bookumentary" DVD has recently been created and is now available. I look forward to reading/seeing/hearing it! A sample of chapter three from the DVD is below.

The Sovereign Purpose of God in Seasons of Dryness

2011-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 1 Kings 17:7

Excerpt from “God’s Endless Provision” - 2011-06-19

There are times in life when our brooks dry up. Maybe you don’t have everything you want, but your needs are being taken care of - but then just suddenly, your brook dries up. Maybe your job may is not the best but your needs are being taken care of - but then suddenly, without warning, your brook dries up. Maybe you’ve been pretty healthy most of your life – but then suddenly, your brook dries up. Oftentimes the things of life – health, family, employment, recreation, education, faith – are just rolling along or even thriving, and then one day - the brook dries up. What we thought was going to continue, what we took for granted, is suddenly gone - and we begin to worry and wonder why.

God’s Word tells us that the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land. But the truth is - God was still in control. He is the one who makes is rain. God’s grace is always more than sufficient. If God can command ravens, He could have commanded that brook to continue to flow, even during dry times. God watered a million Israelites and their flocks in the desert with enough water; surely He could have watered one man for a period of time. But that wasn’t God’s will. Nor was it His purpose or plan. It was also not the will of God that Elijah stay at Cherith, for there was still greater work to be done in Elijah’s life, greater work ahead in his life for the glory of God. When our brooks dry up God is calling us to change – and move to the next place where he has something for us to do.

Nothing dramatic or awesome happened at the Cherith. The Cherith was not for miracles nor for provision nor for protection nor for prosperity, nor for health or wealth. Cherith was about trusting God; Cherith was about obedience in the face of trial. Cherith was about preparing Elijah for the greater things to come in his life. When our brooks dry up, God is preparing us to be used for something greater for the cause of His glory– if we respond with obedience.

On a Blog Sabbatical Until 2011-06-19

2011-06-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

How Oprah Became a Messiah

2011-05-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Blog posting by Kathryn Lofton, author of "Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon" - special to CNN

In an era in which religion was increasingly portrayed as either idiotic or extremist, Oprah plotted a middle way in which her viewers could be both believers and critics, both consumers and missionaries. She criticized religious institutions on her show but she encouraged spiritual practices. She encouraged everyone to buy her favorite things but also to offer the gift of themselves to the world.

To be sure, Oprah’s message focused on a particular audience. Women disproportionately found comfort in the set of problems Oprah introduced as hers (and, therefore, yours).

Yet it is important to note that her corporate makeover increased not only her spiritual consequence for women around the world, but also her profit margin. Beyond the show’s new look and focus, she began to develop her brand, including, eventually, her book club, magazine, web site and her Angel Network. Her spiritualization enhanced her media incorporation. . . .

Over time, Winfrey developed a careful programming slate that seemed less overt in its converting ambitions. She invited fewer and fewer spiritual advisers, for example.

But as the star of her own spiritual transformations, she was eventually able to provide any answer to any problem. If contemporary authors caused her troubles, she turned to her bookshelf for classic authors to discuss. If American students seemed disinterested in her uplift, she turned to Africa to start a school. Her spirit became increasingly articulated as a global phenomenon. . . .

Oprah represented humanity’s ceaseless interest in spiritual responses to personal problems. We now live in her world: one of first-person confessions, required makeovers, and spiritual consumption.

The measure of her consequence will be not in whether or not she mattered to you, but whether the world you occupy looks more like hers than you know.

To read the full blog-posting click here.

Still Waiting for Jesus . . .

2011-05-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

"Beyond the shadow of a doubt,
May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the Day of Judgment."
Harold Camping

"Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray."
Jesus Christ
(Matthew 24:11)

Living in the Light of Eternity

2011-05-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalms 90:10-12)

Excerpt from “Prayer of Surrender for the Life of God” – 2011-05-22

Though we are saved by the sovereign grace of God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from eternal death - we still will face physical death in this life. Death is a reality of life. The mortality rate for fallen, sinful human beings is still 100%. And this is where we who claim Jesus should shine. But way too often we do not. If we truly believe heaven is the most glorious place in the universe, then we should not see death as such a great tragedy. J. I. Packer says that in every century before us, Christians saw life on earth as a preparation for the eternity to come; followers of Christ used to believe the axiom that it’s “only when you know how to die, can you then know how to live.”

I not so sure we believe that that anymore. We have lost our grip on death; the materialistic culture we live in has taught us that this life is the only life worth enjoying - and we are so busy with our life here on earth we have lost our natural God-created sense we were really made for eternity. Don’t take me wrong here; I am not advocating we should be pursuing death. Death is our enemy. It is not romantic, glamorous or heroic. We were not created to die. But death has been defeated by Jesus. Physical death is the outward sign of the eternal separation from God that is His judgment – God’s “wrath” - on our sin. But for those who have fully surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, death’s sting is withdrawn. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 tells us: "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." While we do not know when Jesus will come for us – by death or by rapture – we are to live our lives in preparation for eternity. In the words of the Puritan Prayer: “May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

Praying Through Logs for Correction

2011-05-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalms 139:23-24)

Excerpt from “Prayer of Wonder for the Sovereignty of God” – 2011-05-08

We all know how easy it is to recognize sin and evil at work in other people - and how hard it is to recognize when sin and evil are at work in our own lives. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:3-5). When David asked God to “know my heart . . . and know my thoughts” he was not merely asking God to examine him and then tell David what He had found. David was pleading for God’s correction: “lead me in the way everlasting!” This should be our prayer too. The truth is we almost always pray that God would correct others - because our own need for God’s correction is blocked from our view by the three story log home that we’ve built on the foundation of the sinful pride of our fallen hearts. We are all deeply in need of God’s correction.

Immersed in the deep waters of the all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful, most holy character of God – David realized he was drowning in his sin; so he prays God would “know” him and “lead” him to walk in “the way everlasting.” That “way” Jesus said is his “way” - the “way” of the cross. Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matthew 7:13-14). It’s not by coincidence that Jesus said this just a few verses after he spoke about specks and logs that can get in our eyes when we look at others rather than ourselves.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

Yogurt and Morality

2011-05-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Fear of God and the Inheritance of Faith

2011-05-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him. (Psalm 103:17)

Excerpt from “Prayer of Praise for the Steadfast Love of God” – 2011-05-01

While our bodies are made out of dust and our lives may be brief like the grass and flowers – “the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting . . . Bless the LORD, O my soul!" But again we hear the same condition attached to God’s khesed – “on those who fear him.” Yes, we are fallen and sinful, frail and fragile; we were dust and we will be dust. And so our only hope is in the character of God and the glorious wonder of His “steadfast love” - His loving, faithfulness in who He is, to all who “fear” him. “And his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.” God has no grandchildren. We do not genetically pass on our faith in Jesus Christ to our children; saving faith does not naturally rub off from parents to offspring. Each and every man, woman and child in this world will stand before God on their own to answer for their choices, thoughts, behaviors, and activities in this life. Whatever age, God’s “steadfast love” in our lives is to be rooted in our “fear” of God: an awe, respect and reverence “fear” of God – and a dreadful, deadly, terror-filled (what could happen to me without God) “fear” of God. And the place we are to live out that “fear” of God, is here on earth – between the dust of creation and the dust to come. It is here that we to “keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments” – by showing respect and reverence for each other, and for those whom God has put in authority over us; and by not taking God’s “steadfast love” for granted, considering what would happen to us without God.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

The Palatable Gospel According to Rob Bell

2011-04-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing . . ." (Matthew 7:15)

The Love of God in Death and in New Life

2011-04-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was . . . he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." (John 11:5-6; 43-44)

Excerpt from “The Love of Christ and the Defeat of Death” – 2011-04-24

The Bible tells us that for the sake of love – love for Lazarus, Mary and Martha; for Jesus’ disciples and for the Jews who were watching all this; and for you and I here today, for the sake of God’s greatest love for us, Jesus glorified God by raising Lazarus from the dead. But was it really loving for Jesus to bring Lazarus from the infinite joy of eternal life back in a world soaked with sin, suffering, pain and struggle and, in the end, to again face the horrible enemy of death a second time? While it may have been loving for Lazarus’ family and friends – it may not have been the same for Lazarus. God loved Lazarus and his family and friends and took him out of heaven in order to show the power of Christ over death. And God loves us and our families and our friends when he takes us and our loved ones out of this world and puts us in the joyful glory of heaven. Both are “for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” But that glory seems too distant from our experience. None of us wants life to be over at birth or at death, and so we most often fight for life at any cost. The thought that we simply have just few short years of time here on earth is despairing for some and desperately hopeless to others. But we must remember that life is a precious, beautiful gift from God; it is His to give and it is also His to take away. The truth of the resurrection is that in surrendering your heart and life to Jesus - when death comes to take your life, God will give it back again forever. Jesus said that even if we die, we will live. In other words, just as he came forth from the grave on the day we celebrate this morning, so also will we come forth from our graves in the great resurrection morning. It is the destiny of all of God’s children to come forth from death to new life in his eternal kingdom. Christ led the way. He is the resurrection. He is the Life. Because he lives, we will also live.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

The Sovereign Creativity of God

2011-04-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Excerpt from “Prayer of Repentance for the Mercy of God” – 2011-04-17

There is a story I’ve told before about two guys who were college students living away from home who were talking together one day, and their conversation drifted from politics to sports to ultimately cooking. One of them said, “I got a cookbook once, but I could never do anything with it.” The other one said, “How come?” To which the first one replied: “Too much work. Every one of the recipes in the book began the same way - ‘Start with a clean dish.’” This is our problem with God. Because God is holy in every fiber of His supreme being – and because we are fallen sinners who possess a fallen sinful nature – our hearts will always be dirty, set against God - unless God Himself cleanses it for us.

David prays that God would “create” in him a “clean” heart and “renew” in him a “right spirit.” This is the renewal David was praying for. David has been praying that his old life, his old heart, his old sins would be blotted out and put to death. Yet he still knows his heart is inclined toward sin and evil – and it’s easy to do what comes naturally. David prays: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Note that David doesn’t offer to do this himself. In fact, he knows that he can’t; that’s why he asks God to do it. The word “create” in the Hebrew here is the same word used in the first chapters of Genesis in reference to when God created everything. In fact the Hebrew word for “create” it is a word used only of God in the Bible. It means to create something out of nothing. Human beings can duplicate, fashion, arrange, mold or remodel things – but we can never create anything in the true sense of the word. We cannot bring into being something that never existed before. But God can. And He does!

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

Singing an Old Song That's New Every Morning

2011-04-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalms 96:1-4)

Excerpt from "Prayer of Worship for the God of All Nations” – 2011-04-10

If you have surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ, the Lord has put a “new song” in your heart. It’s an old song, almost 2,000 years old now - but it is also a song that is new every morning. It’s a song we read of in Revelation 5:9-10: "And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’” The song we sing is the song of the great victory God has won in Jesus Christ over sin and death that sets us free and calls us back home to God. It’s a song of the glory of the Lord, which we have come to know in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s a song we are to invite all every nation, every people group, every family, every person in the world to join with us in singing – for its God’s desire to create one family out of all the families of the earth. And it’s a song we are not just sing, but also to live out in everything we think, say and do. And yes, it is an old song - but it’s a song that never gets old. Singing about Jesus is a “new song” every moment of every day!

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE -

Doxology - Michael Gungor

2011-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Thomas Ken, 1674

Our Greatest Need: Rescue from Fear

2011-04-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:4-7).

Excerpt from "Prayer of Gratitude for the Rescue of God” – 2011-04-03

Aside from our own experiences with God, there is nothing more powerful than hearing the personal testimony of others as to how God sovereignly responds with mercy and grace to someone in need. Again, David humbly acknowledges it was God who rescued him from his difficult struggle. David prayed and God “answered . . . and delivered.”

David tells us that God delivered him from all of his “fears.” What is significant here is that David is not stressing his deliverance from the danger being executed by Abimelech; what David is stressing is his deliverance from all of his “fears.” There is no doubt that David expected he would find himself in dangerous situations. Those who are committed to living for God will find themselves opposed by evil and living against the grain of the world. Jesus himself said: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account" (Matthew 5:11).

In verse 19 David writes: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” The righteous of God should expect affliction. But God promises He will deliver His own out of dangerous situations - just as He removed David from the hand of Abimelech. But sometimes the way God delivers His own out of dangerous situations is simply to be with us in our dangerous situation. In Deuteronomy 31:6 Moses told God’s people: "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” David prayed he would be delivered from his “fears” so whether he was removed or remained in a dangerous situation, his countenance would reflect his trust in God: “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

David understood that even if he was rescued, that wouldn’t stop his “troubles.” The Philistines would continue to despise the Israelites; when given the opportunity, Abimelech would come after David again. Followers of Jesus do not live their lives devoid of trouble. Yet God promises he will protect us by saving and delivering us from being defeated by our troubles: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” Our protection is the presence of God - “the angel of the Lord.” In any circumstance and every situation we can praise God knowing that He will save and deliver us when we humbly and desperately seek His presence in our time of greatest need.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

Atheists Don't Have No Songs - Steven Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers

2011-03-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Cross-centered Confidence of Trusting in God

2011-03-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. (Psalm 25:1-3)

Excerpt from "Prayer of Confidence for the Guidance of God” – 2011-03-27

David prayed that God would guide him through a difficult time when he was struggling with fear, loneliness, guilt, and confusion. David could pray with confidence for God’s guidance during his time of struggle because he trusted God. In his struggles David turned to God; he lifted up his soul to the God without shame because he trusted God would answer his prayers. To “be put to shame” is to be publicly shown to have trusted in someone or something other than God in times of trial and trouble. To be “wantonly treacherous” is to trust in someone or something that is unworthy of that trust.

This is where the rubber hits the road for those of us who claim Christ. Because we are fallen sinners who live in a fallen sinful world, our fallen sinful nature default in times of difficult situations and circumstances is to trust in ourselves - in our choices, our decisions, our reason, our gifts, our skills, our strength, our power, our will. And even when we do first turn to God, because of our fallen sinful nature, our tendency is to demand or suggest or manipulate or make deals with God in order to have the outcome we desire for the situation or circumstance work out according to our plan and purpose. This trusting in ourselves began with the first sin in the Garden, when we bought in to the suggestion of the evil one that God was holding out on us. . . .

Our fallen, sinful desire to trust in ourselves reveals how naked we are in not being able to control anything. We live every moment of our lives trusting in someone or something other than ourselves. We trust the cook at the restaurant will properly cook our food. We trust our employers will pay us. We trust the bank will give us back our money. We trust every driver who drives a car will not run into us. We trust our spouses will love us. We trust our friends will not betray us. We trust our hearts will keep beating and our lungs will keep breathing. Trust is the glue that holds our lives together.

If we trust people, we get what only people can do; if we trust money, we get only what money can do; if we trust ourselves, we get what only we can do. But if we trust God, we get only what God can do. We are saved from our sin and eternal death not because of who people are or what money is or we can do - but because of who God is. We are saved from our sin and eternal death because Jesus entered our fallen, sinful struggle with fear, loneliness, guilt, and confusion and made it his own – sacrificing it all on a bloody cross. We can trust Jesus in any circumstance and every situation we will ever face in life: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.” Because King David knew he could trust God, David knew he could pray with confidence for the guidance of God in his time of struggle.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

Technological Temptations to Distractedness - John Piper

2011-03-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

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. (1 John 2:15-17)

"Be Still and Know that I am God!"

2011-03-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Why can't we predict the next big quake?

CNN - March 21, 2011

Why can't seismologists predict earthquakes? It's a question and a frustration that understandably springs to mind in the aftermath of a tragedy like the one that continues to unfold in Japan.

In the 1970s and 1980s (not exactly ancient times), leading scientists were quoted in the media expressing optimism that reliable, short-term prediction was just around the corner. Several decades later, the earthquake science community is older and wiser.

We have learned, in short, that prediction is a tough nut to crack. To make the kind of accurate, short-term predictions people want, one would need to identify a reliable precursor -- some signal that we could observe that tells us that a big quake is imminent.

Any number of possible precursors have been suggested and explored. Many seemed promising, but none has stood up to rigorous examination. So far as we have been able to tell, the earth simply does not provide any observable signal to tell us a big quake is on the way. . . .

Click here to read the entire article.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. . .

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth. . . .

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 46: 1-3; 8; 10

Created for Joy

2011-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalms 16:9-11)

Excerpt from by "Prayer of Joy for the Protection of God" – 2011-03-13

David took comfort in the fact that God would not, at that time, allow his body to die and decay in the grave. Because God was David’s “refuge” and “portion” and “cup”; because God had promised him a “beautiful inheritance”; because God had given him “counsel” and “instructed” his heart; because he had “set” God before anything else - David was not “shaken” and he rejoiced because with God his “flesh” could “dwell secure” even when confronted with death. Death posed no threat to David because David was already experiencing the great joy of communion and fellowship with the Lord. Because David had such an intimate relationship with God, he knew God would not permit death and the grave to interrupt the joyful communion and fellowship he was currently experiencing. But even when that day came, David could also proclaim: “My heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure” because the “path of life” he had already walked in God’s presence in this life caused him to know the joyful anticipation living in God’s presence in the future: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” . . .

In Philippians 1:21 the apostle Paul said: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." What Paul is saying here is the person who fully trusts in Jesus - whose security is in God - is a person who is full of joy because they know they really have nothing to lose in this life; Jesus (who is God) is everything! Augustine once prayerfully wrote: “You have made us for Yourself O God, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in You.” Since we were and are made for God, then it is only in Him that we shall be profoundly contented and know our greatest delight and joy. In His presence there will be “fullness of joy” and in His right hand we will find “pleasures forevermore.” But we struggle in life -because don’t see it that way. We have no problem recognizing the distress of a fish out of water. The fish gasps, it twitches, it convulses. As soon as it's put back into the water it soon swims away without much distress. While we aren’t fish, we are people – human beings created by God in the image of God to live for the glory of God. We weren’t created to live in water - but we were created to live in the living presence of God. Because of our sin, we were cast out of the living presence of God (out of the Garden) – and now like fish out of water we gasp and twitch and convulse and struggle and fear because we are out of our created element, out of the living presence of God. We are no longer in the environment for which we were made - apart from which we are always going to be distressed.

Yet we don’t see it that way. We are so used to living out fallen sinful lives in a fallen sinful world that we don’t see our struggles as being the real struggle of living out of the presence of God. While it is true we are always in God’s presence - the “presence” David spoke of and the “presence” the Bible speaks of us is the deep, joyful, intimate, relational, communion presence of God we were created for.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

The Days of Elijah - The Awesome Day of the Lord

2011-03-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." (Malachi 4:5)

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The Glory of God in the Reality of Hell that Leads to Heaven

2011-03-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in the Second Coming: The Consummation of God's Grace” – 2011-03-06

At the final judgment God will sovereignly declare His complete and final victory over Satan. The evil one will be sent with his followers to be tormented in eternal hell, separated from God forever. Revelation 20:10: "The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." God’s Word also tells us that those who have rejected the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who have not fully given their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, will be there also for an eternity of pain and torment: 2 Thessalonians 1:9:“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” Hell is one of those subjects that makes people uncomfortable. The reality of hell is not without its controversy. Some people don’t believe in hell. Some say it is only the grave with no consciousness; others see it is a temporary place of correction. The most common argument against hell is that a loving God would never punish people in eternal torment. Yet the Bible clearly tells us there is a hell and that our loving God does send people there. Jesus said: "Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:40-43).

Yes God is loving but He is also holy and just; He must punish sin. The Bible clearly tells us that hell is a real place. Hell is not unconsciousness; it is not temporal. Hell is a place of horrendous suffering, eternal pain, and unbearable torment. Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven; because hell is real and because he is loving Jesus spent a lot of time warning people not to go there. Hell is painful, conscious and eternal. Those without God’s grace through Jesus Christ are destined to go there forever. Brothers and sisters, the real issue here is that there are many around us - family, friends, neighbours - who are headed to hell. They need Jesus. They need God’s grace. May the Lord stir us up to earnestly, lovingly, and boldly warn as many people as we can before it’s too late.

We must warn them by telling them about Jesus because those who have fully surrendered their hearts and lives to him as Lord and Saviour will not to go hell - they will go to heaven. In having received the fullness of God’s grace they will be recognized as being sovereignly chosen, called, regenerated, converted, justified, sanctified and glorified with Jesus. At the judgment those in Christ will know the grace and joy of being blessed by being intimately forever in God’s presence. Heaven will be more beautiful and glorious than we could ever imagine. 1 Corinthians 2:9: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him."

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

The Soul of Man Never Dies - Tony Rice & Ricky Skaggs

2011-02-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
(Psalm 22:25-26)

The Soul of Man Never Dies

To Canaan's land, I'm on my way,
Where the soul of man never dies.
My darkest night will turn to day,
Where the soul of man never dies.

No sad farewells. (Dear friends there'll be no sad farewells.)
No tear dimmed eyes (There'll be no tear dimmed eyes.)
Where all is love, (Where all is peace and joy and love.)
And the soul never dies. (And the soul of man never dies.)

The love light beams across the foam,
Where the soul of man never dies.
It shines and lights the way to home,
Where the soul of man never dies.

The rose is blooming there for me,
Where the soul of man never dies.
And I will spend eternity,
Where the soul of man never dies.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever."
(John 6:51)

The Glory of God in the Purpose of the Church

2011-02-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in the Church: People of Grace” – 2011-02-20

The glory of God’s grace in the church is that the purpose of the church’s existence on this earth is the same purpose for which we were created. In Isaiah 43:7 God said: “Everyone who is called by my name . . . whom I formed and made . . . I created for my glory.” As the church is to be the living visible presence of Jesus Christ on earth, it also to reflect the living visible purpose for which Christ came into the world. A few hours before he was crucified Jesus looked up to the heavens and said: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (John 17:1). In our text for today Paul writes: "For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” We in the church are to live out the undeserved abundant, unending grace of God we received from our crucified Saviour. Paul clearly defines that purpose in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

The purpose of the church is to glorify God. Period. The purpose of every individual Christian and every Christian church is to glorify God. Whether we are worshipping or teaching or serving or praying or eating or drinking or sending out missionaries – the ultimate purpose in all that we do is glorify God. As Paul wrote of the basics of the faith to the church in Rome he said: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6). When corresponding with the church in Ephesus he wrote: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

God is saying to the church, the people of God: “Glorify Me!” The purpose of our very existence, as individuals created in the image of God’s glory, is to live for God, and thereby reflecting His glory. What does the church look like when it is glorifying God? The church is to look like God. Too often we make the mistake of changing what we do and how we do it in the church in order to be more relevant to our culture and the world we live in. The reality is, we as the church will be most relevant to our culture and to the world we live in – when we not like our culture and the world we live in. Those in our culture and in the world we live in are in desperate need of God’s grace – and we will be most relevant to those in our culture and in the world we live in when we are most like God - by extending God’s grace to them by sharing Jesus Christ with them – “so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

What does a church that looks like God look like? Grace. A church that looks like God looks like the grace of God. The church that looks like the grace of God is an imperfect collection of fallen, humble, desperate, self-denying, passionate, Christ-dependent, God-centered, Holy Spirit empowered people gathered together around a bloody cross - whose joy is in an empty tomb and whose eyes are ever on the horizon as they live out their lives fully committed to the One who gave them life. Our common ground together as a church is not the lie that we are perfect or good, but that we would all be lost were it not for the grace of God that we have been given through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

Glory Bound - The Wailin' Jennys

2011-02-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:8

"Glory Bound"

When I hear that trumpet sound
I will lay my burdens down
I will lay them deep into the ground
Then I'll know that I am glory bound

I'll be travelling far from home
But I won't be looking for to roam
I'll be crossing o'er the great divide
In a better home soon I will reside

Hallelujah

When I'm in my resting place
I'll look on my mother's face
Never more will I have to know
All the loneliness that plagues me so

So I'm waiting for that train to come
And I know where she's coming from
Listen can you hear her on the track
When I board I won't be looking back

Hallelujah

Irresistible Grace Overcomes Desperate Depravity

2011-02-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in Salvation: Grace Received” – 2011-02-13

Because of the fall - sinful humanity is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately corrupt. Our wills are not free; we are enslaved and in bondage to our fallen nature. Given the choice, will choose ourselves over God.

Humanity’s rebellion against God is total not in its depth but in rather in its width. Human beings are not entirely sinful, but sin has extended into our entire being. The effect of the fall is that sin has infected every fibre and part of our person – our physical body, our thinking, our emotions, our spirits and our will. Even when it appears that we are doing things which are morally good, the sin in our hearts and our souls warps our motives, thoughts, intents and agendas away from God and towards the fulfillment and satisfaction of self. This is what the Bible calls sin.

Romans 3:23 says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 then says: "The wages of sin is death.” Because of the fall, we are all helpless and dead in our sin. Because sin extends into every area of our lives, we are therefore totally deserving of the punishment of eternal death. Since we all are “dead” in our sins, it is impossible for us to desire to make the moral and spiritual choices which God requires, whether it be for salvation or for everyday life. This is our natural condition apart from God’s grace. Terrorism, racism, war, abortion, aberrant sexuality, political division, cultural immorality, and spiritual self-centeredness are all proof of this.

Because we are totally depraved and dead in our sins – we can only receive salvation by God’s grace. Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved.” Since we are dead in sin, we cannot respond to God unless He enables by His grace us to overcome our sinful rebellion. It is by the powerful intervention of the Holy Spirit that radically depraved sinful hearts are awakened and then respond to the call of salvation. In John 6:44 Jesus said: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”; John 11:12-13: "To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God"; Romans 9:16: "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." We respond to the grace that God extends us – even in our total depravity, when we dead in our sins – because God’s grace cannot be resisted. By His grace, His sovereign will is always sovereign over our fallen, sinful self-will.

When we finally understand the depth of our sinful, fallen nature – we then begin to understand the depth of God’s sovereign grace.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

Mercy Always Comes Running

2011-02-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a recent posting by Tullian Tchividjian illustrating how God's Law leads us to God’s mercy.

A friend of mine recently told a silly story about a man standing at the gates of heaven waiting to be admitted. To the man’s utter shock, Peter said, “You have to have earned a thousands points to be admitted to heaven. What have you done to earn your points?”

“I’ve never heard that before: but I think I’ll do alright. I was raised in a Christian home and have always been a part of the church. I have Sunday school attendance pins that go down the floor. I went to a Christian college and graduate school and have probably led hundreds of people to Christ. I’m now an elder in my church and am quite supportive of what the people of God do. I have three children, two boys and a girl. My oldest boy is a pastor and the younger is a staff person with a ministry to the poor. My daughter and her husband are missionaries. I have always tithed and am now giving well over 30% of my income to God’s work. I’m a bank executive and work with the poor in our city trying to get low income mortgages.”

“How am I doing so far”, he asked Peter.

“That’s one point,” Peter said. “What else have you done?”

“Good Lord…have mercy!” the man said in frustration.

“That’s it!” Peter said. “Welcome home.”

My friend who used this silly illustration ended it by saying, “Teach the law. The Psalmist called it perfect. Teach it until people are sick of it and cry out for mercy…Mercy always comes running.”

The Glory of God in the Freedom of the Spirit

2011-02-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in the Holy Spirit: Imparter of Grace” – 2011-02-06

The “freedom” we receive from “the Spirit of the Lord” is fully knowing that we can do nothing to gain God’s favour or earn God’s acceptance or fulfill God’s law except to fully surrender our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ. The “freedom” we receive from “the Spirit of the Lord” is accepting the truth that because of our sinful nature - anything and everything we are or we do and we have that is of any value and of any worth comes to us only by the grace of God because we are not “sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” The “freedom” we receive from “the Spirit of the Lord” is embracing the joyful reality that the Holy Spirit lives within us - and as we surrender our hearts and lives to Jesus, and in humbly acknowledging the depravity of our sinful nature, and affirmed our absolute and total need for God’s grace – the veil begins to lift.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

How Great Thou Art - Alan Jackson

2011-01-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! (Psalm 92:5)

The Glory of God in Creation

2011-01-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
And God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:1-5

The Glory of God in Jesus Christ: Justifying the Ungodly

2011-01-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in Jesus Christ: Deliverer of Grace” – 2011-01-23

Paul's letter to the Romans is a description of the power of God let loose among the ruin of men, women, and children. This letter is about the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is about God and about the reality that God made a way, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to justify the ungodly. The Bible describes the ungodly as you and I, as us all, as everyone - because without God, without Jesus Christ, we are “all” ungodly: “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22-23).

The book of Romans reveals that God sees our hearts and that God understands our hearts – and that none of us is able to stand upon his or her own righteousness in the presence of God: “None is righteous, no, not one.” This is not the kind of news we like to hear. It rubs against the grain of our self-worth and self-esteem. Yet this is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see if you understand that you are ungodly to start with - then you can be justified, because we have a God who has made a way to justify the ungodly. If we are ungodly, we qualify. But if in self-righteousness we refuse to acknowledge that we are ungodly – we have no hope.

But there is hope in Jesus.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

Feasting on the Grace of God

2011-01-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
Psalm 36:7-9

"Eating Grace By Grace" posted by Douglas Wilson – 2011-01-15

One of the glories of the new covenant is that we get to eat and drink our salvation. In the Garden of Eden, our first parents were privileged to eat their communion with God in the tree of life. And after our fall into sin, it is significant that the gospel is presented to us as a restoration to that same tree of life.

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2).

But how do we eat this salvation? How do we bite, chew, taste, and swallow? How is that done? The biblical answer is that we do all this by believing. We do this by faith.

As Jesus introduces His discussion of what the manna in the wilderness represented, which was the bread of life that Jesus Himself was, He said this. “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).

Biting, chewing, tasting and swallowing are the work of God. And how do we do this work of God? We believe in Jesus. How can we do that? We cannot do that unless God gives us the gift of faith. Faith is not something we can generate on our own steam. Faith is not something we can pull up by some kind of self-effort. Faith is grace. You eat grace, and you eat by grace. And this is why we say grace. Come, and welcome.

The Glory of God’s Grace in Leadership

2011-01-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood . . . And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:28, 32).

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in Scripture: Grace Revealed” – 2011-01-16

Before a pastor or an elder or husband or a father or leader or teacher of any kind can watch over someone else’s life - they must first “pay careful attention” to their own lives. For those of us who claim Jesus, that means our talk, walk and lives must line up with God’s Word.

We who are leaders in the church must live our lives for God before we can speak into the lives of others. It’s like the instructions we receive regarding how to use an oxygen mask on commercial airlines. Adults are told to place the oxygen mask on themselves first, and then to put a mask on any small child that might be with them. This is because the person who does not first put the mask on themselves, will not be able to help little children who cannot help themselves. In a same way pastors, elders, and leaders of God’s people must first tend to themselves by seeking to deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ – before they will be able to pastor, shepherd, lead the flock of God. . . .

The “word of his grace is able to build (us) up” because it begins with the raw materials of our sinful lives. “The word of his grace” builds new lives out of ruined lives, order out of confusion, security out of fear, strength out of weakness, stability out of uncertainty, beauty out of ugliness, love out of hate, peace out of war, life out of death. When we read, study, teach, meditate, hear, memorize and preach “the whole counsel of God” we receive the “inheritance” of “the word of his grace” - in order to live above and beyond our sinful nature, and above and beyond the forces of our sinful, fallen world.

The charge to "pay careful attention to yourselves” and read, study, teach, meditate, hear, memorize and preach “the whole counsel of God” is not just for pastors, elders, overseers and church leaders. If you are a father or mother or a supervisor or a business owner or a carpenter or a student or a fisherman or a salesmen or a handyman - or if you are retired or a husband or a wife or a son or a daughter - this charge is for you too. If you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ – you should passionately and joyfully be living your life by “the whole counsel of God” by “the word of his grace.” Each one of us is called to be a leader; we should be leading others to Jesus by “the word of his grace.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

The Glory of God’s Grace in Humility

2011-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. . . . and after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5: 6-7;10)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God in Humanity: In Need of God’s Grace” – 2011-01-09

Sir Edward Elgar was a British composer who wrote oratorios, symphonies and operas at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of twentieth century. One day he was listening to a young woman, a soprano with a beautiful voice singing his music. And she was singing exquisitely. She had a beautiful voice technically – and she sang with clarity, range and wondrous purity. Yet someone overheard sir Elgar say, "She will be truly great when something happens to break her heart." Though she had a beautiful voice – this woman was a still missing a deeper dimension of authenticity.

We are a desperately needy people. We were created by God to glorify God, but because of our sinful nature, wrought in the Garden of Eden, we are totally helpless and dead in our sin. When that truth finds its way into the depths of our heart – we will then begin to sing of the grace of God with the deeper dimension of authenticity of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. The glory of God in humanity is that the “God of all grace” has provided for a desperate needy people who are in great need of God’s grace.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

The Glorious Eternal Purpose of God’s Sovereign Grace

2011-01-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Excerpt from “The Glory of God as Provider of Grace” – 2011-01-02

Our adoption by God is rooted in the eternal purpose of glorifying God’s grace: “to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” In the original language the phrase “to the praise of His glorious grace” literally reads “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” What this means is that God chose us “before the foundation of the world” - and adopted us in spite of our unworthiness as fallen sinners once we were born into this world – “for the purpose of His will” to make His grace look glorious. Why God did save us? For "the praise of the glory of His grace” . . .

. . . God’s central purpose in choosing, adopting and saving us from the enslavement and condemnation of our sin is not to make us happy or to provide us with His blessings or to help us escape the torment of hell. God’s purposes are eternal, not temporal. God saved us "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”. . .

When that day comes the entire universe will be filled with the glory of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, the Son of God - the King of kings and Lord of lords. And that glory, the Bible tells us, will be in the making His people the showcase of His sovereign grace towards them. Jesus will fill the universe with his glory by showing the universe how he chose us, how he predestined us, how he adopted us, how he came for us, taught us, suffered for us, died for us, rose for us and reigns with us; how he called us and justified us and cleansed us and keeps us and will raise us up through him and will glorify us in him and will satisfy us with him forever and ever - “according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

What Wondrous Love is This, O My Soul!

2010-12-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
Psalm 31:7-8

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

The Grace of God in Times of Great Need

2010-12-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna . . . and coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:34-36, 38)

Excerpt from “The Good News of Great Joy for All People” – 2010-12-26

As Mary is pondering the “sword” that will “pierce” her “soul” for the cause of the fulfilled promise of God - Luke introduces a second person into our text for today, whose name is “Anna.” Anna was a woman of at least 84 years of age; she was married for seven years before her husband died, and lived the rest of her life in the temple as a widow: "She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” Now Anna was in the temple for the same reason Simeon was. She was “worshiping with fasting and in prayer” while waiting for the Messiah, the Savior to come. And we read that “coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Yet, the deeper reason of why Anna is in this story at this point is revealed by looking at the meaning of Anna’s name. “Anna” means “grace.” Just after Simeon told Mary a “sword” will “pierce” her “soul” for the purpose of fulfilling God’s promise - God sends Anna (“grace”) into her life to thank God for the fulfillment of His promise. Anna (“grace”) could do so because Anna had endured the heart-piercing experience of the loss of her own husband by running to God and clinging to Him with a life of service and devotion. Mary would need the full extent of God’s grace in the days, months and years ahead; God’s grace would be with her, just as Anna (“grace”) had always been in the temple. As with Anna, God’s grace is always with us when we full commit our lives to Him. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

The Good News of Great Joy: God is For Us

2010-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

. . . there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)

Excerpt from “The Good News of Great Joy for All People” – 2010-12-24

Consider for a moment that you’re God (which a lot of us consider quite often) and you want to announce to the world the most stunning, amazing, incredible, joyous news ever; an event which will literally change the course of history – the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Saviour of the world, the One for whom the nation of Israel has been waiting and hoping and praying for – for thousands of years, the One for whom all of fallen humanity has been waiting, hoping and praying for since the first sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. He has finally come! Who do you announce it to? Surely not to shepherds! Some years ago when Princess Diana’s sons Harry and William were born, they didn’t send a messenger down to the docks to break the news first to the longshoremen; they didn’t issue personal invitations to the cab drivers of London to come visit Diana and her new baby in Windsor castle. No, I’m sure any announcements that were sent out were printed in gold leaf - and hand delivered to political leaders and foreign heads of state.

Yet God announced the greatest and most important news in all of history to a bunch of religious and social outcasts of ill repute, who were considered to be unclean and unworthy by human standards. But God does not live by or work according to human standards; He sees people much differently than we do. By choosing these lowly, unworthy shepherds to be the very first to receive the “good news” of Christ’s birth, God was sovereignly and providentially demonstrating that Jesus was not going to be the Saviour of only the political and social and religious elite – the kings and governors, popes and priests – but that Jesus would be the Saviour of all kinds of people - regardless of race, or intelligence, or education, or wealth, or profession, or political power, or social standing, or any of the other standards human beings judge by. God offers His love and mercy and grace to “all people” who will trust in Jesus and surrender their lives to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This is - “good news.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger . . .

2010-12-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

from Worldmag

Good People All, This Christmas Time

2010-12-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Wexford Carol

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born

The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town
But mark right well what came to pass
From every door repelled, alas
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox’s stall

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God’s angel did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear
Arise and go, the angels said
To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you’ll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born

With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went the babe to find
And as God’s angel had foretold
They did our Saviour Christ behold
Within a manger he was laid
And by his side a virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife

There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at his feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.

from JT

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength – Anthony Griffith

2010-12-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

“Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

During this Christmas season I have been focusing on the theme of the joy that comes in knowing Jesus. Anthony Griffith is a Christian comedian who exemplifies that kind of joy. The first video is a clip from one of his stand up routines; the second the testimony of his joy in the Lord.

Enoch walked with God . . .

2010-12-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

An Afghan man walks on the street as the sun sets in southern Afghanistan.
Photo by Marko Djurica (REUTERS) from The Big Picture.

The Presence of Jesus Turns Fear into Joy

2010-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 2:10)

Excerpt from “The Joyful Presence of God” – 2010-12-19

The night Jesus was born some shepherds who were not far from the stable where Mary and Joseph were staying, found themselves face to face with an angel, who said to them: “Fear not.” In the first chapter of Luke we read of an angel saying the same to Zechariah and Mary (verses 13 and 30). I’m sure we all would experience some degree of fear if suddenly the darkness of night was filled with glorious light and we were confronted with supernatural being - as in the words of J. Vernon McGee: “When the supernatural touches the natural it always creates fear.” The truth is any sinner here on earth would fear the presence of a holy God. Even as Christians we will fear because while we may be saved, we are not yet fully sanctified. When faced with God we will fear because we still have sin in our hearts and lives, Hebrews 10:31 tells us: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

But even though it would natural for fallen sinners to fear the presence of a Holy God, God sends word this morning that we are to, “Fear not!” In Hebrews 2:14-15 we read that Jesus came into the world and went to the cross for us so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." In Christ we no longer need fear death – nor do we need fear anything that might happen to us in our journey through life on earth. Jesus said: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart (“Fear not!”); I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The message of Christmas is that Immanuel (“God with us”) has come – and we need not fear death or anything in life because God is sovereign over all things, and His presence is “with us” and within us in the person of Jesus Christ. The Word of God proclaims this truth: "Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you; I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness . . . Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall wear . . . Cast all your anxieties on God because he cares for you . . . The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid? . . . The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” We need not fear because Jesus came to replace fear with joy. Faith in Christ is about joy. This is more than just the joy of being rescued from the deadly consequences of our sin – but even more so about an abundant joy we can know through a deep, intimate relationship with God in Christ. Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). This doesn’t mean that everything in life will be joyful, but rather that in the face of struggle, trial and suffering – and even death – we can know a joy in God through Christ is superintends any struggle or trial or suffering or death we are facing. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he told the Philippians and Thessalonians to "Rejoice always, and again I will say rejoice." Always? Yes, always! Even with tears of grief and pain; "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," Paul would say (2 Corinthians 6:10).

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –

A Prayer for Senior Adults

2010-12-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
Isaiah 46:4

Immanuel: God is Always With Us

2010-12-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23)

Excerpt from “The Fulfilled Promise of God” – 2010-12-12

A story is told a grandfather found his grandson jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his voice. When little Johnnie saw his grandfather, he reached up with his little chubby hands and said, "Out, Grampa, out." It was only natural for the grandfather to reach down to lift him out of his predicament, but as he did the mother of the child stepped in and said: "No, Johnnie, you are being punished--so you must stay in." The grandfather was at a loss to know what to do. The child’s tears and little hands reached deep into his heart. But the mother’s firmness in correcting her son could not be taken lightly. But the grandfather found a way to help his grandson. He could not take the little boy out of the playpen, and so he climbed in with him. That is what God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, did for us at the cross. That is the meaning of Christmas. In leaving heaven for earth God climbed into our punishment for sin “with us.” The Bible says: "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." C. S. Lewis put it this way: “God became man to enable men to become the sons of God.”

Yet, God was not just “with us” the few years that Jesus walked on this earth. On the night just before he was arrested and nailed to the cross Jesus made the following promise to those who would follow him: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever . . . whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17). God also fulfilled the promise - as God breathed His life-giving Spirit into us at creation, and as He breathed His Holy Spirit into Mary so she would conceive Jesus, so Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into God’s people at Pentecost. Jesus is still “with us” because the Bible tells us that after he was crucified, died, rose from the dead and then ascended into heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to live within us. God, in Jesus Christ, came to be “with us” by the power the Holy Spirit – and God, in Jesus Christ, is now within us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. What this means is that God is “with us” as this very moment and “with us” forever, because Jesus is “with us” at this very moment and “with us” forever – because the Holy Spirit is within us at this very moment and within us forever.

Jesus promised us it would be so. In Matthew 28:18-20 we read that Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus Christ is “Immanuel” is “God . . . always . . . with us” – the fulfilled promise of God.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SERMON HERE –