One Week Later...

 

A preacher visits an elderly woman from his congregation. As he sits on the couch he notices a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table. "Mind if I have a few?" he asks.

No, not at all!" the woman replied.

They chat for an hour and as the preacher stands to leave, he realizes that instead of eating just a few peanuts, he emptied most of the bowl.

"I'm terribly sorry for eating all your peanuts; I really just meant to eat a few."

"Oh honey, that's all right," the woman says. "Ever since I lost my teeth all I can do is suck the chocolate off them."

Today’s Scripture reading is from John 20:19-31:

¹⁹ That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.  ²⁰ As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! ²¹ Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” ²² Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”  ²⁴ One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came. ²⁵ They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”  But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”  ²⁶ Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”  ²⁸ “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.  ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”  ³⁰ The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His Name.

This is the Word of God, for the People of God…Thanks Be To God. 

“One Week After Easter."

Seven short days ago, we celebrated the resurrection!  And here we are.  One week after Easter.  How was THIS week for you?  Is the excitement of our Risen Savior still in you?  Has it begun to fade?  Has it vanished all together? 

There comes a time when we must live the resurrection.  That is not always easy.  There are days when we prefer to just stay in bed, pull the covers over our head, and close out the world.  Some days it seems easier and safer to lock the doors of our house and avoid the circumstances and people in our world.  Sometimes we just want to run away, hide, and not deal with the reality of our lives.

Every time, however, we shut the doors of our life, mind, or heart, we imprison ourselves.  For every person, event, or idea we lock out, regardless of the reason, we lock ourselves in.  That’s what has happened to the disciples in today’s gospel reading.  It is Easter evening, the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection, the day they saw the empty tomb, the day Mary Magdalene announced, “I have seen the Lord.” The disciples are gathered in the house, the doors are locked with fear.  

A week later, they are in the same place.  It is the same house, the same walls, the same closed doors, the same locks.  Nothing much has changed.

Jesus’ tomb is open and empty, but the disciples’ house is closed…the doors tightly locked.  The house has become their tomb.  Jesus is on the loose, yet the disciples are bound in fear.  They have separated themselves and their lives from the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Their doors of faith have been closed. They have shut their eyes to the reality that life is now different. They have locked out Mary Magdalene’s words of faith, hope, and love. They left the empty tomb of Jesus and entered their own tombs of fear, doubt, and blindness.  The barricaded doors have become the great stone sealing their tomb.  They have locked themselves in.  The doors of our tombs are always locked from the inside.  All this, and it has ONLY been one week.

I wonder, one week after Easter, is our life different?  Where are we living?  In the freedom and joy of resurrection or behind locked doors.  How is our life different after Easter?  If the answer is “it isn’t,” what are the locked doors of your life, heart, and mind?

When John describes the house, doors, and locks he is speaking about MORE than a physical house with walls, doors on hinges, and deadbolts.  He is describing the interior condition of the disciples. The locked places of our lives are always more about what is going on inside of us rather than around us.

What are the closed places of your life?  What keeps you sealed in the tomb?  Maybe, like the disciples, it is fear. Maybe it is questions, disbelief, or the conditions we place on our faith.  Maybe we find ourselves like Thomas…the only disciple left out.  The only disciple with nothing but words to go by.  The one disciple most like us today.  Thomas spent that entire week wrestling alone with his doubts.  Yet, Jesus does not lecture, chastise, or discipline him for doubting, instead Christ wishes him peace, and in His mercy, He gave Thomas that which he needed the most to move beyond his doubt.  

Perhaps it is sorrow and loss reaffirming in you to lock yourself behind closed doors.  Maybe the wounds are so deep it does not seem worth the risk to step outside.  For others, it may be anger and resentment.  While some just seem unable or unwilling to open up to new ideas, possibilities, and change.

But Jesus is ALWAYS entering the locked places of our lives.  He comes EASTERING in us.  Often unexpected, maybe uninvited, and sometimes even unwanted He steps into our closed lives, closed hearts, and closed minds.  Standing among us He offers peace and breathes new life into us.  When we unlock the doors, He give us all we need (sufficient grace), so we may walk into a new way of being.  We witness this is happening ALL THE TIME.

Throughout the storms of life, strangers become friends.  While a Pastor heals after a miraculous surgery, individuality is giving way to unity!  Hope lies in the midst of destruction.  Christ stands among His people saying, “Peace be with you.”  Breathing life into what looks lifeless.  In the midst of everyday living, Christ enters saying, “Peace” even when the winds of change are blowing.”  

On Monday morning after five months of flawless planning and praying, my husband and I received the news that our daughter Gracie would not be coming home with us in the beginning of May…all proceedings/legalities of the adoption had fallen through with no hope of agreement.  We stood in silence crying.  Sorrow and confusion threatened to close our doors.  Yet Jesus stands in the midst of that sorrow.  “Peace be with you.”  His breath carries us through each day and calls me to testify of this merciful act this morning.

Regardless of the circumstances, Jesus shows up bringing, offering, and EMBODYING PEACE.  Regardless of everything, Jesus comes giving, offering, and EMBODYING LIFE.  Life and peace are resurrection reality.  

They do not necessarily change the circumstances of our life and world.  Tornados will still form, the hungry still need to be fed, and loved ones will die.  But the life and peace of Jesus’ resurrection enable us to meet and live through all this journey has to offer—every triumph and tragedy.  He gives us His peace, His breath, His life, and then sends us out.  We are FREE to unlock the doors of our lives and step outside into His life.

Would you pray with me? 

      Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the freedom we have in You, and for your constant & consistent “eastering” in us.  Please enter into those locked places of our lives and breathe into us your peace.  In the Strong Name of Jesus, I pray…AMEN. 

Closing Blessing:  May the resurrection reality of His Life and Peace be spoken into your hearts today.  In the midst of your journey, Jesus stands, calling for you to step outside into His life.  Unlock the doors, go in peace, and AMEN.

 

Sunrise Travels

This morning’s Scripture reading is from Mark 16:1-8: 

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. ³ On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. ⁵ When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, ⁶ but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. ⁷ Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”  ⁸ The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.

~*~

The three women had an idea of what to expect early that Sunday morning. What they experienced was another matter all together.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome – the three women whom Mark said witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion – were on their way to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. Even though Jesus had already been anointed at Bethany, these three women wanted to do one last act of devotion and love to Jesus. They wanted one last opportunity to care for the man who had cared so much for them and his other followers.

It is a loving act that these three women came to Jesus’ tomb to perform. Keep in mind that on Friday – three days by the Jewish way of keeping time – they witnessed Jesus’ betrayal and his violent, brutal death on the cross. I think we can excuse the fact that the prophecies about Jesus’ death were the furthest from their mind. These were words that Jesus spoke. He said that on the third day, he would be resurrected. For the women, this truth did not resonate in their hearts. They were focused on the obstacle that was ahead of them. How would they be able to roll away the heavy stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb? They were in mourning and, perhaps, doubted what Jesus said about his resurrection.  Their sorrow may have blinded them.

What they knew was this: their Master, their Friend, their Teacher, and their Lord was dead. On this first day after the Sabbath, these women wanted to care for him in the only way they knew how – by giving of themselves.

You can imagine their surprise when they arrived at the tomb – the same tomb Joseph of Arimathea had used to bury Jesus on Friday – and saw that the stone had been rolled away. This is not what they expected to see. They expected things to be as they were on Friday, but what they witnessed on Sunday morning was the beyond from their expectations. They didn’t expect to see an empty tomb! They expected to see Jesus in his burial clothes and, yet, Jesus was not there!

The three women were still focused on Friday. When they saw the tomb was empty, it wasn’t an immediate confirmation that Jesus was risen from the dead. Their first reaction was one of FEAR. Where did they take Jesus? The women assumed that someone had come to the tomb and taken Jesus’ body overnight.

It wasn’t until they saw the angelic messenger that they realized the reality of Friday afternoon had been eclipsed by the authenticity of Sunday morning. The messenger stood before the women and proclaimed: “He is not here! He is risen!” Sunday has come! A new reality has taken place. Jesus is resurrected. The prophecy of his death and resurrection was true.

These three giving, loving, and compassionate women who had decided to set out to care for Jesus would be the first to learn the most important news ever delivered in human history. They were the first to realize that Friday was not the end of the story, because Sunday is the new beginning. Our story does not end at the cross, but begins with Jesus’ resurrection. This is not a resuscitation of life. It is much deeper. On that Easter Day, Jesus’ resurrection secured the victory over humanity’s sin and death itself.

As we gather for this Easter morning, it is because Jesus is alive that we celebrate today. Betrayal could not keep Jesus from fulfilling the Father’s mission for him. Death could not prevent Jesus from being the Messiah who redeemed humanity and inaugurated the kingdom of God. Hope is alive.  Jesus is alive.

Easter is important. The resurrection is crucial.  For without the resurrection, there is no hope, no potential for faith. There would have been no powerful and life-changing meaning behind Jesus’ words. Without the resurrection, there would be no reason for us to be here today or any day. Jesus’ teachings and life would have just been simply inspirational ideas on how to live a better life, but would be void of His awesome majesty. Even more, Jesus’ death would have been in vain.

But the tomb is empty. Jesus is not here! He is risen! Sunday morning came!

It was a new reality that came on that Sunday morning. We cannot remain a people of Friday afternoon, who cry out “They killed my Lord!” We are a people who shout with loud Hosannas “My Savior lives!”

This is a powerful certainty. By this very act, all who would believe that Jesus lives and secured the forgiveness of sin is given the greatest gift, through faith, of a relationship with the Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit.  Today, we can place our hope in the fact that Jesus did secure the forgiveness of humanity’s sin, because he lives today and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  Sin and death have no power over us anymore.

A new hope came on Sunday morning. It is a hope that is still beautiful. A hope that is still relevant in a world that believes that faith is not something worth having. We know that is not the case, because our Savior lives!

Today, we are not a people of Friday. Just like the three women who were the first to witness the tomb being empty, we are people of Sunday morning. We worship today in anticipation that something happened on that day, something beautiful and powerful, and it is as life changing then as it is today.

Let us shout that Sunday came!  The tomb is empty! Jesus was not found there. He is Risen! Glory be to God!

What the Shrink says...

While earning my degree at Saint Ambrose University, I remember studying about a psychiatrist named Karl Menninger.  He was quite well known for his presentations and lectures about mental health.  Upon completing one of his talks, Dr. Menninger answered questions from the inquisitive audience.  Someone stood and inquired, “What do you advise if a person feels like a nervous breakdown is coming on?”

His educated reply would shock not only the audience but also me as I expected a new theory/treatment.  He responded, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find somebody in need, and help that person.”

His words of counsel instantly draw up the Scripture, John 13:34 “Love one another…”  However, it also linked with my Bible reading this morning of Proverbs 28:27, which states:  “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.”  When we are giving, we lack nothing!  How awesome is that?!  Lacking nothing means God can and does fill us with His heavenly peace and stability of mind.  Dr. Menninger prescribed a remedy that Jesus, the Wise Counselor, has already taught us. 

Getting our minds OFF ourselves can often be the best thing mentally we can do FOR ourselves.  God reveals to us the benefits and joys of loving others.  In the moments that we focus on others through His compassion, we drastically witness the ceasing of our spiraling negative thoughts and self focus.  It opens us up for HIS light to pour in and our lives to pour out!  I think this is why God called “loving” to be a commandment and not a suggestion.  Our Father’s requirement will not only bless those around us but also give us some much needed “warm fuzzies.” 

So I challenge you…If you’re feeling a little depressed, anxious, or scared, go out and love in/through His Name.  There is always someone who could use your smile, kind words, or hugs. 

I promise our Great Physician’s guidance and care for you will bring the most profound healing.  AMEN.

 

I Double Dog Dare You!

Romans 6:4-10:  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  ⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.  ⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.  ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.  ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.

The Lenten Season is a time for reflection, repenting of our sin and returning to God. During Lent we confront the presence of evil in the world, the reality of temptation and human sinfulness. However, it is in acknowledging human sinfulness and the need for repentance that we find our way to return to God who is merciful and gracious.

When was the last time you felt really alive? Like all your senses were on “high alert,” your energy up, enthusiasm radiant, you felt “on top of the world?” Can you even remember the last time you enjoyed life so much that you laughed till your stomach ached, or the last time the alarm went off in the morning and you smiled when you heard it because you just couldn’t wait to launch into another day?

Or do you more often feel like life is dull, dull, dull.  Insignificant. Unexciting.  You find yourself hanging a poster of Ecclesiastes 1:2 on your fridge door – “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.’”  Do you feel that life is drudgery and disappointment.  Nothing but routine.

I’m not talking about temperament here – we all know people who are just naturally “bubbly” and seem to be really “alive” all the time. That is often a function of temperament – I’m talking about more than that. I’m talking about how you feel about your life – does it feel full, meaningful, significant and alive or does it feel empty?

I don’t what I call “TV commercial” living. You know what I mean – beautiful people, nothing wrong, happy happy happy, fun fun fun. That is not reality, its marketing. It is a deliberately false image carefully designed to sell a product.

I AM talking about how you feel about your life in those quiet moments of reflection – those moments, however brief, when someone who cares about you looks you in the eyes and says, “how are you really doing?”

Jesus said, in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”  By “the thief,” He means, of course, the devil.  He contrasts the devil’s desire – to steal, kill, and destroy, meaning to rob us of life, joy, and happiness – with His desire, which is to bring us life “to the full.”

So it is clear to me from Scripture, both Romans 6 and elsewhere, that God’s desire for us is to know a fullness in life here on earth. His desire is that we could in all honesty respond to that question, “how are you really doing?” across the coffee shop table by saying: “life is good.  It isn’t easy, it isn’t uncomplicated, but at the root, it is good.”

As you ponder through Lenten reflection, what is your answer to my question?  Think a moment.  How are you really doing?   Is it possible that you have been robbed of the life and the joy that God desires for you?  The thief has slipped into your life and stolen something that does not belong to him, and has replaced the true life that God desires for you with misery, disappointment, and disillusionment.

Let me clarify once again: I’m not talking about an easy life devoid of difficulties or challenges. I’m not suggesting that Jesus is here promising a life of luxury and without any pain.  I’m talking about how you feel about your life one step deeper: in the midst of all that is “life” here on earth – which includes challenges, disappointments, sickness, and loss – in the midst of all that, are you still truly alive?  Alive like Jesus!

As we walk through Lent, towards the Easter season, I want to focus on the fact that Jesus is Alive, what it means to us, and how we live.

There is a deliberate progression: it begins with belief. Believing brings the gift of the Holy Spirit.  When the Spirit comes, there is freedom.  When we are free, we can journey with Jesus again.

And that brings us here tonight: in the journey, Jesus’ desire is that we have “life to the full.”  Will you begin to live for the first time or again?  I double dog dare you.

In the beginning of this message I read part of Romans 6; these Scriptures talk about the life we have in God because of what Jesus did on the cross.

A. Life begins with death (vs 1-4):

The first four verses talk about the effect Jesus’ death on the cross has on our sinful nature.  He talks about us being “buried with Jesus” – about participating in His death – and uses the imagery of baptism to convey this idea.  As we go under the water, we participate in Jesus’ death – we become partakers of it.  Verse 4 makes the reason clear:  “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death.   And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live NEW lives.”  The point is we can live and should live “new life” DAILY…the new life Jesus talked about in John 10 which is abundantly full, rich, and satisfying.

B. United in resurrection (vs 5-10):

Verse 5 makes the transition: “…We will certainly also be united with Him in his resurrection.”  Paul completes the circle – since we are united in Jesus’ death, we are united in His resurrection.  This is the second part of the baptism imagery…we rise again.

If you stop and think about this, it is really an amazing thought.  We share – not just for eternity but now as well – in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We participate in it on a spiritual level…we are part of it – it effects us.  The next couple of verses clearly state – our old nature, the sinful nature, is crucified with Jesus on the cross and now, since it is dead, it no longer holds us in slavery.  Instead, we have new life – life no longer controlled by our nature but rather by the new creation that God gives us.  We are “in Christ,” both in His death and His resurrection.

I think many of us kind of grasp the first part – being united with Jesus in His death. We understand that He took on Himself our sins, and our old nature is buried with Him through His atoning death on the cross. That part we sort of understand. But this second part needs work – I don’t think we really understand what it means to be united with Him in His resurrection.  We start to think perhaps that part of it is in the future.  You know when we will actually participate in resurrection ourselves after our own death.  But that is not what Paul is talking about here in Romans 6 by being united with Jesus in His resurrection – he isn’t talking about the future... He is talking about the new nature we have NOW after our old nature is put to death.  He is speaking about how we are to live and experience life NOW as a result of participating NOW in the resurrection of Jesus.

To put it simply, NOW we are NEW.  Now we are re-created, we have a new nature that is not manipulated by sin but controlled by the Holy Spirit.  The Gospel is not just that our sins have been paid for – but it is also that we now have new life!  We have resurrection life!!

Imagine for a moment that you live in an old, run down, dilapidated shack.  Like the ones you see on World Vision pictures from 3rd world countries – rusty metal kind of thrown over top of a couple walls full of holes.  No running water.  No toilet.  Dirt on the floor when it’s dry, mud when wet. Crude fire pit in the middle for cooking…when there IS something to cook.  Imagine that is where you live.  Spiritually speaking, that is the old nature.  When we are united in Christ’s death, that rusty shack is instantly removed, and in its place we receive a gorgeous, beautiful palace.  Clean, spacious, elegant, and extravagant.  When we are united in Christ’s resurrection, we receive the incredible gift of a new nature that is as different as an old shack to a palace.

And all of that means…we are to live differently.

C. New life lives differently (vs. 11-14):

Romans 6:11-14 cover this principle…Paul basically says, since you have new life in Jesus’ resurrection, live like it!  He says: “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God” (vs. 11); “do not let sin reign” (vs. 12); “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin” (vs 13); and “sin shall not be your master.”  In other words, stop living in the shack and reside in His mansion instead.

He describes what our new life looks like: “count yourselves ALIVE to God in Christ Jesus” (vs. 11); “offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer yourselves to him as instruments of righteousness” (vs. 13); and of course, this wonderful truth, “you are no longer under law, but under grace.”

He is talking about living a holy life.  Living a life in service to God instead of in service to our own selfish desires and thoughts.  He is trying to teach us that this old, sinful part has been put to death and we need to LIVE in the new life instead of returning to the old.  Our new life is so much better than the old one!!

What does it mean to “live”?

Let me get really practical. If you feel like you “exist” more than you “live”, what can we do about it?  The first is to know the truth – and that is why I walked through Romans 6.  The truth is that we participate in the new, resurrection life of Jesus. In practical terms, let me suggest four quick things that I observe as characteristics of fully living:

1. Love with abandon.

This new life is characterized by holiness, and the secret to living a holy life is to be abandoned in love for God.  Guilt doesn’t work. “Striving” in our own strength doesn’t work.  The only motivation powerful enough to sustain us is to love God with everything.

In challenging us to “live abundantly,” I’m really challenging us to love deeply. And I know that is risky. I know sometimes that hurts. It means being open, being vulnerable. And it means being really alive. When we love deeply, we experience life like God wants us to.

Isn’t that the heart of the cross and the empty tomb – a love we didn’t deserve but was lavished on us anyway?  God loved us with abandon – without borders or limits!  Truly living means loving God with abandon.

It also means loving others with abandon.  Start with those closest to you – your family, your church family, your friends. Love them deeply, with abandon!  Do something a little bit unexpected to demonstrate the depth of love you have for them.  Do it for your family.  Or if it is for someone else, do it with your family!  Because you see it is never enough for us to just feel deep love without expressing it.

The other day I had a good conversation with someone at the nursing home where I serve on Saturdays, and at the end of it all, I said, “I really care about you.”  This friend replied, “That is the most important thing I’ve heard this whole conversation.”  So love with abandon, and express that love.

2. Invest in relationships:

This is very similar to “love with abandon,” but I don’t mind being repetitive.  I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of the times you have felt truly alive were experienced within the context of relationships.  Even for those few that weren’t – a personal victory for example – you probably couldn’t wait to share it with someone close to you.

If you want to truly live, invest in relationships. Take time to be with people – make a new friend, kick-start a friendship that has been on the back-burner, get together with one of those good friends that you never spend enough time with. I know it takes time – that is why I use the word “invest!”   Take the conversation to a deeper level – talk about what you are experiencing in God, share your joys, and pains. Share your soul.

This action too is at the heart of the cross and empty tomb.  Jesus walked through all of that so that we could be restored in relationship with God.

3. Do something really significant:

If you want to experience more of the abundant life that Jesus talked about, spend your time on things you know to be significant.  Serve God, help someone in need, do the things that are important rather than the ones that are urgent. It goes without saying that this is also demonstrated in the cross and the empty tomb.

4. Take a risk:

Finally, take a risk. God does – every time He creates a person, He takes the risk that they will not return His love.  I’m not advocating doing something foolish here, but doing something that you know will be beneficial to you and others that is outside of your comfort zone. Step out, take a risk in your relationship with God and watch what happens!

So I double dog dare you to live abundantly!   To know the life that is united with Christ in His resurrection and to live it “to the full!”  If your life is more “empty,” I want to encourage you to make a change. Begin right now –Allow your “old self” to be crucified with Jesus according to Romans 6.  Receive the “new life” united with Christ in His resurrection.

If you look at your life and feel like your joy has been stolen by the “thief,” Call out to Jesus and claim it back!  Because God’s desire for us is to experience life “to the fullest” in and out of this Lenten season!  Amen.

 

Art of Dying

It was a rainy, slushy, crummy afternoon as my Mom, brother, and I piled into the car for a Saturday filled with errands.  Little did I know this day would be unexpectedly abbreviated.  Two errands down 898 more to go, my preteen mind thought. 

As we drove down North Brady Street, the rain began to pick up, coming down in torrential waves.  As we approached the red light, my mom announced the tires were “spinning out” due to the excess water and pebbles/sand on the road from construction.  “The car is not going to stop; we’re going to have to go through the red light,” she said unnervingly.

The minute after I processed those alarming words, I glanced up to see a semi-truck getting ready to come through the intersection…the same intersection we were supposed to pass through…The next phrase from my Mom almost seemed to be delivered in slow motion, “Brace yourselves.” 

We were going to HIT this semi…no way around it.  Our greatest fear was what part of this 18 wheeler was going to take the impact of our puny car; I deducted that we were going to hit dead center.  All I could picture next was either being trampled/mangled or dragged away by this blue monster.  Heaven seemed like the obvious option with this collision.

I could hear my mom’s heart pounding as well as her foot as she continued to stomp on the brakes.  The car squealed, slid, and slowed just enough for us to clear the middle of the semi.  Our green machine hit back quarter of the 18 wheeler.  The semi sheared our hood off, flattened the tires, and knocked a hole in the engine block twice the size of this picture below:

Mom, Chris, and I walked away from the wreck with only bumps and bruises.  My knee had been sliced open by the dash with the force of crash yet no stitches were required.  The DPD Officer dispatched to the call..My Dad.  You see both of my earthly and Heavenly Fathers responded that day. 

If God’s hand had not intervened with the brakes, death was in our midst.  We would have been smashed under the weight of that truck.  Looking back on this story it reminds me that I AM TO DIE DAILY!  Galatians 2:20 states, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  We are called to die to self!

Dying to self means resisting the temptation to do what everyone else is doing when you know it is wrong.  Dying to self means forgiving instead of harboring a grudge.  Dying to self means putting down the remote control and picking up the Bible.  Dying to self means praying when you would rather be sleeping.  Dying to self means swallowing your pride and telling someone about Jesus Christ.  Dying to self means doing what God wants you to do rather than doing what you want to do. 

This choice means holy living!  Holy living involves a daily decision to surrender to the lordship of Christ.  It involves yielding our will to God and adopting His perspective.  The Bible has given us so many awesome examples of this precious lifestyle.  Look at the day Mary forfeited her reputation…She fully died to self for holy living in God’s will and for the birth of our Savior.  What about the day Joseph sacrificed his feelings and pride to die to self?  He raised our Savior!  He lived for God.  Examine the life of Jesus; He is the visible expression of God's holiness.    

God wants our minds and hearts to be filled with His holy qualities. As our lives are transformed, we will project the light of His holiness into the darkness of this hopeless world. Real life---abundant life---begins with ART OF DYING TO SELF.

Any Requests?

1 Kings 8:54-61--When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.  55)  He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:  56)  “Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.  57)  May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us.  58)  May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations which He gave our fathers.  59)  And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, 60) so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.  61)  But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.” 

It rapidly approached…2014!  Lots of people made their New Year’s resolutions. They resolve to change their lives in the New Year—to start doing this, to stop doing that. Did you write yours?  New Year’s resolutions are fine, but a better way for us Christians might be not to make resolutions, but to make New Year’s requests. Requests put the emphasis where it belongs—not on us and on our power, but on God and His power.  Asking is an act of humility, an indicator of our need for a power greater than ourselves.  So join me today as we listen to our God, who tells us:

MAKE SOME NEW YEAR’S REQUESTS!

There are three requests we ought to make, as we see in Solomon’s words this evening:

1. Ask God to never leave us

2. Ask God to help us keep His commands

3. Ask God to bless our daily efforts 

Solomon says, “May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; May He never leave us nor forsake us.”  God will never leave us in 2014, but we are able to leave Him.  We all have a sinful heart that attacks God’s rule inside us and wants to do our own thing.  Every sin we did in 2013 is proof of that.  This past year wasn’t always moments of pride for me.  I look back and see broken promises, unfinished work, undisciplined days, and feeble attempts to serve Jesus.  If you’re honest with yourself, I’m sure you see the same thing.  We left our Lord and tried to run away from Him too much this last year...even if it was only once. 

That’s why we need to pray tonight, “Jesus, never leave us or forsake us in 2014.”

As Solomon says in verse 58, “May He turn our hearts to Him.”  When we ask God to never leave us, we’re asking God to turn our hearts to Him.  We’re the ones who need to change. We’re the ones who need to be different.  We’re asking God to lead us to repentance, for that’s what the word “repent” means: “to turn,” or “to change.”  When we ask God to never leave us, we’re asking Him to make us sorry for our sin the instant we do, say, or think it.  We’re pleading with God to assure us of Jesus’ forgiveness for that sin.  We’re asking God to cause us to joyfully remember we’re redeemed through His blood.  Our God has done that for us daily in 2013.  And He will continue to fulfill His truth!

Solomon continues speaking, “Not one word has failed of all the good promises God gave through His servant Moses.”  Our God won’t leave us in 2014.  He’ll be there every day for us.  He’ll speak to us daily through the words of the Bible we read; those very words we meditate on, those words we have memorized...we have written on the tablet of our hearts.  He’ll faithfully be there every week as we gather for worship or Bible Study or Wednesday Night Fellowship.  He’ll be there constantly/consistently through our fellow Christians, who bring us words of encouragement, comfort, strength and correction throughout this New Year.  When we ask God to never leave us, that’s a prayer of faith in which we declare we believe He NEVER WILL.

And that leads to a second New Year’s request: Ask God to help us keep His commands.

Solomon says, “May He turn our hearts to walk in all His ways and to keep the commands, decrees, and regulations which He gave our fathers.” This wise king continues, “Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands.”

It is part of our Christian faith that we now turn from sin and desire to do God’s will.  The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil.”  Jesus once said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Part of believing in Jesus is that we are now devoted to doing what God wants us to do, because of Jesus’ love for us.  It’s true; we won’t always get that done.  There’s still a part of us that wrestles with the flesh and doesn’t want to do what He has for us.  To the degree that we see that in our daily lives, that’s proof we still have an old Adam of sin who’s alive and well.  But that part of us is NOT in charge of our lives.  The new man of faith is!  The real us, the real people of God that we are, is our believing nature & His redeeming grace.  And He’s the one in control of our lives.  The instant we see sin rooting in us, we fight it tooth and nail because His blood & salvation have made us a new creation!  His Holy Spirit inside convicting us for His glory.  Because we believe in and have accepted Jesus, now we are determined not to sin, but to fight it and do God’s commands instead.

HOWEVER, we need God’s power to do that, so that’s why we ask God to help us keep His commands. We ask the Father to remind us of what Jesus did for us to cleanse us from our sins.  We request that God daily to show us His love in Jesus and to assure us that because of Him we’re forgiven.  We petition Him daily to guard our lives, tongues, and thoughts with His controlling gospel power.  Paul says, “The love of Christ compels us, for we are convinced that if one died for all, then all died. And He died for all…so that those who live no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”  Ask God to help us keep His commands in the year 2014.

This is especially needed in our relationships.  How about in our homes?—husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters.  Ask God to help you treat each other with kindness, respect, gentleness, and love.  In the workplace—ask God to help you do your job well (to work as unto Him), to follow Matthew 18, and avoid petty gossip.  In your social lives and neighborhoods—ask God to help you live lives that glorify Jesus. Make this New Year’s request—We need His help.

Finally, let us ask God to bless our daily efforts.  Solomon says, “May the Lord our God uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.”  Solomon here is asking the Lord to bless his daily efforts as king and to uphold the efforts of Israel as the Lord’s people.

We do the same.  If we claim to be heirs with Christ then every day we do what we do because of Jesus’ love for us.  God has laid out for us what to do in 2014.  He’s planned it all and has set up opportunities for us to serve Him.  We just need to ask God to bless us as we do them.

Are you a husband and a father?  Ask God to bless you in that role.

Are you a wife and a mother?  Ask God to bless you in that role.

Are you a student or a worker?  Ask God to bless you in that role.

We all have individual tasks that are given to us daily.  They may look rather mundane, common, monotonous—preparing meals, punching timecards, cleaning homes, doing schoolwork.  They may seem to be not very glorious to the world, but they are glorious to our God, because they are an assignment from Him...And He’s promised to bless them.

The Bible says in 1 Thes 4:11-12, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”  Don’t ever put down what you’re called to do in 2014.  Because when it’s done in the name of Jesus, God views it as a wonderful act of thanksgiving, love, and sacrifice to Him.

Solomon tells us everything we do has missionary value.  Let me write that again!  EVERYTHING WE DO HAS MISSIONARY VALUE.  He states in 1 Kings, “so that all the peoples on earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.”  People will be watching us in 2014.  Will they see our little acts of kindness?  Will they hear our tactful and encouraging words?  Will they observe our faithfulness to duty and our commitment to people?  Will they notice our submissiveness to God’s will and to one another?  Will they be aware of our quiet and confident joy in living as children of God?  Will they be amazed at our forgiving attitude and daily contentment?  You can’t hide the fruits of the Spirit.  Let’s ask God to bless our daily efforts at letting our lights shine in 2014, so many other people will be led to give up their ‘rat race’ approach to life and revel in God’s grace instead.

Go ahead.  Make your New Year’s resolutions.  But make them in the form of a prayer. If we make resolutions to do anything by our own power, they will fail.  But if we make resolutions to do everything in life in the power of our God, then He will bless them. Turn to God this New Year and make some New Year’s requests!

I pray:  Loving God, inspire us with courage and hope as we continue to embark on this New Year.  May our lives throughout the coming months be an example of Your love in our relationships with family, friends, and those we meet in our work.  Bless us with fruitful opportunities in 2014; grant us the wisdom to grasp them, and Your resources to complete them.  In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray AMEN!