Chardon church of Christ

Knowing God Through His Word

Jeremiah 9:23-24

INTRO:

Good morning. I ran across something in Jeremiah that I would like to look at this week. We will get back into the Book of Acts in a future lesson.

Our text is in Jeremiah chapter 9 and the topic of that chapter is the judgment against Judah. The pitifully wicked and immoral behavior of God's Once Chosen People had reached its terminal extent; and the horrible punishment which their apostasy so richly deserved was soon to be executed upon the degenerate, reprobate nation. In this chapter is a warning to those that would glory in themselves.

Now let’s look as our text in Jeremiah 9:23-24 – “Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,'' says the Lord.”

There are many verses in the Bible that stress the need to know God but how do we do that? How do we know God? Isaiah 55:9 tells us; “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” It would seem then that we have an impossible task in knowing our creator... yet we are admonished to know God.

I think most of us understand that we can learn some things of God through His creation. The existence of beauty tells us something about the nature of God. Romans 1:20 tells us; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

What I would like to do in this lesson is explore the fact that we can also know God through his Word. If the Bible is inspired, then it should help us to know God.

Let me relate to you a personal parallel to this as told by one individual. He wrote that his relationship with his wife took place in a similar way. When his first wife died in 2008, he found himself strongly missing what had been a good marriage. He said, “Through a series of unlikely connections, I began writing to a woman who had attended one of my presentations in Grand Junction, Colorado. In a period of months, I came to know this person well enough to believe that we had so much in common that marriage was possible.” That marriage happened with virtually no personal contact. He explained that while there had been a few surprises, they were now in their tenth year of marriage, and the relationship was a great blessing.

In the same way, we come to know God through His written Word. John 1:1 - tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Verse 14 tells us “... the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” First John 1:1-2 refers to the same Word as the “Word of life” – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us ”

The Greek word used in these verses is “logos,” and that word conveys what the dictionary calls “the divine wisdom manifest in the creation, government, and redemption of the world”. Let me share with you some of the different ways in which the Bible helps us know God, just as the written correspondence of that individual with his future wife enabled him to know her before they were in each other’s physical presence.

I. THE BIBLE HELPS ME TO KNOW GOD IN A NON-GENDER WAY. Our culture is obsessed with concerns about gender. Whether it is transgender or sexual identity, people today tend to couch everything in some sexual way.

A. The Bible repeatedly presents God in a way that transcends sexual concerns. When Proverbs 8 finds wisdom challenging us, wisdom is presented in the feminine gender.
B. When Jesus portrays God reaching out to Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37 He portrays Himself as a hen gathering her chicks. “"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
C. When Paul writes to the Galatians in Galatians 3:28 he says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

II. THE BIBLE HELPS ME TO KNOW GOD AS A KIND, JUST, AND MERCIFUL BEING. We have all been around men and women who radiated kindness and fairness. You cannot read the life of Christ and not see that He attracted people by His fairness, His mercy, and His kindness.

A. Let’s look at John 8:3–11 – “3. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4. they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.” This woman was caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus in the hope of catching Him out and in Verse 5 they said; “"Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?''”
B. The response of Jesus was kind and fair. He confronted the accusers with the challenge, “"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.''”
C. Jesus did not condone her sin, but His kindness and compassion radiated the attitude God has towards our struggles. The word “eleos” (el'-eh-os) translated “mercy” in passages like Matthew 5:7; 9:13; 12:7; and James 3:17 is most accurately translated as kind, compassionate. The Old Testament word “ḥeseḏ” (kheh'-sed) in Hebrew involves “loving-kindness” but is translated “mercy” in our English translations.
D. When we think we see God as being unkind or unfair, it is always a situation where humans are ignoring God’s purpose and reaping the consequences of what they have done. We tend to look selfishly at our own immediate gratification and not at the long-term purpose of God when He does not act in the way we think He should, or when we think He should.

III. THE BIBLE HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD HAS AN INTEREST IN AND FUNCTIONS IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. A science teacher in a public school observed that kids who had a father who was interested in them and in all aspects of their lives had a distinct advantage over kids whose fathers were disinterested or non-existent.

A. When we investigate the different words used in the Bible for God, what we find is that each of those words associated with a different part of human life. “Yahweh” carries with it the idea of love. “Elohim” means strength and might. “Adonai” indicates majesty, master.
B. There are a variety of less common names which convey God’s involvement in an area of our lives. Translators have struggled with this varied use. That is the reason we have “God,” “Lord,” “Jehovah,” “I Am,” “Father,” etc., used in different passages in the Old Testament.
C. What this tells me is that God is active and concerned with all aspects of my life. God is not some judge sitting in a judgment seat looking for ways to condemn me. He is an active, personal being who, as the Bible puts it, “...is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).

IV. THE BIBLE HELPS ME SEE GOD AS THE CREATOR OF BEAUTY, POWER, WONDER, AND WISDOM. Have you ever sat by yourself in a place of incredible beauty and thanked God for what He has prepared and allowed you to perceive?

A. In scripture, we see people mesmerized by what surrounds them.

1. Proverbs 8 reminds us that wisdom was involved in the creation process.
2. Psalm 19 tells us that, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
3. David looks at his own body in Psalm 139:14 and expresses amazement at how God made him.
4. Psalm 23 speaks of God’s support for us in the trying times of life. Jesus calls his followers to reflect on the beauty of the lily, and Romans 1:18-23 tells us we can know God exists by seeing the design and complexity built into all that surrounds us.

B. One of the most illuminating books of the Bible on this is the book of Job. The subject of the book of Job is God's dealings with mankind in a world in which Satan, the adversary of God, has introduced sin, suffering and death. Nevertheless, the ways of God with mankind always have a good purpose. Romans 8:28 says; “... we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

1. Job was a wealthy but righteous and God-fearing man. God allowed Satan to take away from Job his wealth, his family, and his health. With his three friends Job discussed the problem of why a righteous God allows a righteous man to suffer innocently. Job's three friends were not able to understand these ways of God. They thought God was punishing Job for sins and could not see that God also uses suffering to refine and to teach believers.
2. Job’s friend Eliphaz (el-ee-faz') bases his response that this is Job’s fault, on human experience in all three speeches (See Job 4:8).
3. Bildad (bil-dad'), who also addresses Job three times, gives reasons for his philosophical statements with tradition (see Job 8:8).
4. Finally, Zophar (tso-far') in a haughty and legal way traces Job's sufferings back to lack of obedience in respect to God's demands (Job 11:5-16).
5. Through all this Job sticks to his righteousness and sincerity. He thinks that God treats him in an unrighteous way and yet hopes that God will finally accept him.
6. Then Elihu (el-ee-hoo') appears. Let’s look at Job 32:1-10 – “1. So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2. Then the wrath of Elihu (el-ee-hoo'), the son of Barachel (baw-rak-ale') the Buzite, (boo-zee' ) of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3. Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4. Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. 5. When Elihu (el-ee-hoo') saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused. 6. So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: "I am young in years, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not declare my opinion to you. 7. I said, 'Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.' 8. But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. 9. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. 10. "Therefore I say, 'Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.'”
7. Elihu (el-ee-hoo') begins his long tirade which continues through chapter 37. He is patronizing, his speech is loaded with repetitions, he protests too much about his sincerity and is blatantly unfair to Job. Job never claimed perfection, Job never accused God of malice or injustice. What Job did was complain bitterly that the things happening to him were undeserved. He could not understand why God allowed them to happen.

C. The whole cycle of speeches in Job is a marvel of human failure to understand.

1. The relation between sin and suffering Job never for a moment disputed. The thing that confronted Job was that, despite his integrity toward God and the absence of any gross wickedness that could possibly have deserved the terrible misfortunes that had overtaken him, he was judged by his friends, and everyone else, as a wicked sinner who was getting exactly what his wicked conduct deserved.
2. Elihu was not reasoning with Job with a view of helping. He was attacking Job. If we were to take the sayings of Elihu out of context, as many do, we might convince ourselves that they are commendable sayings but the invariable purpose of everything he said was for bringing about Job's renunciation of his integrity toward God, the same being the primary purpose of Satan himself. No speech with an evil purpose is a good speech, regardless of the content of it.
3. In chapter 36 Elihu shows himself. Now I’m reading Job 36:2-4 – “2. "Bear with me a little, and I will show you that there are yet words to speak on God's behalf. 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 4. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.”
4. No one should miss the unqualified arrogance and egotism of such a declaration as this. Elihu pretended to be speaking on God's behalf; but his speech was totally dedicated to the destruction of Job's confidence in his integrity, that being, of course, not God's purpose at all, but as we said it was Satan's.

D. Now I would like us to look at one of the most delightful passages in the Bible Job 38-41.

1. We do not have the time here to examine this whole passage but let’s look at Job 38:1-12 – “1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2. "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3. Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6. To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8. "Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9. when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; 10. when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; 11. when I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!' 12. "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place”
2. Here and following God unleashes a barrage of facts at Job and his friends. God challenges their attempts to explain things too complex for their understanding. Science is still investigating some of those things, but all of them speak of the beauty, the power, the wisdom, and the design of God.

E. This understanding brings me to the statement of David in Psalm 8:3-9 – “3. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4. What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5. For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7. All sheep and oxen even the beasts of the field, 8. The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. 9. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

V. THE BIBLE SHOWS ME THAT GOD HAS AN ETERNAL PURPOSE IN ALL THAT HE DOES. In Isaiah 55:11 we find God saying, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

A. Time after time the biblical record shows that the purpose God had for something, was accomplished. It does not always happen in the way that it seems to us God desired, but it happens.
B. Remember when Paul stood on the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to the unknown God. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”

1. Paul proceeded to explain that it was "God, who made the world and everything in it” and that He did “not dwell in temples made with hands.”
2. He explained that “in Him we live and move and have our being,... 'For we are also His offspring.”
3. Then Paul told them about Jesus and that now God “commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.''
4. Then in Acts 17:32 we find “... when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter.'' So Paul departed from among them.” Like the Athenians of Acts 17, we frequently do not understand the spiritual purposes that God has for the things that happen, but the result is always what God intended.

C. That is not just true of the biblical characters like the ones described in Hebrews 11. The Bible tells us of their success stories and their failures. How things worked out for them helps me to know God and to know that God has a purpose for my life just as He does for every human on the planet.

1. The problem is that many of us simply do not allow God to accomplish His purpose through us. If that happens, God uses someone else to achieve that purpose.
2. We are not just mindless robots programmed to a certain destiny. We are creatures who can love, and we are able to choose not to love.
3. The beautiful exchange between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15–22 shows God’s purpose in Peter’s life. Jesus uses “agapao” asking Peter to be prepared for what is in front of him. Peter keeps responding with “phileo” indicating friendship but not a self-sacrificing love. God had a purpose for Peter.
4. And we know that Paul was referred to as “a chosen instrument” in Acts 9:15. These men could choose not to accept the purpose for which Christ had called them. Paul expresses fear about that very fact in 1 Corinthians 9:27 when he says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”.

CONCLUSION:
I know it can seem incredible to us that God has a purpose for our life. Like Paul, our past has opened the door to that purpose. We serve a God whose capacity to love and to lead us to something far better than we could ever do on our own propels us forward.

Do not assume you are just a speck drifting aimlessly through space/time. You are a being created spiritually in the image of God, and God has great things planned for you. God is a God of purpose, and His will always gets done. I just want to be a small part of that purpose. As I get to know God better through his Word, my confidence in being with God in eternity grows — and yours will too.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins... If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

Invitation song # 607 – All Things Are Ready

Reference John N. Clayton and James Burton Coffman.

The Mirror

James 1: 22 – 25

After being away for some time on a business trip, ... Bill thought it would be nice ... to bring his wife ... a small gift.
"How about some perfume?" ... he asked the cosmetics clerk.
She showed him a bottle ... costing $60.00.
"That's a bit much," he said, ... so she returned ... with a smaller bottle ... for $30.00.
"That's still quite a bit," ... he complained.
Growing annoyed, ... the clerk brought out a tiny $15.00 bottle.
"You know," ... he said, ... "What I mean is ... I would like to see something ... really cheap."
So the clerk handed him ... a mirror. (Pause)
Today ... I would like us to look ... at who we are.
To take a long hard look in the mirror ... and see who we what is in the reflection.
Not who we act like, ... not who others perceive us to be, ... not what we have been ... in the past, ... but "who we really are".
Corinthians 2 Corinthians 3:18-19 speaks to this mirror and to our image. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.
What is reflected in the mirror ... what do you see in the mirror? (Pause)
Have you ever been out somewhere and then catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror which causes you to stop dead in your tracks and think...YIKES! Is that REALLY what I look like right now!The mirror reminds us of EXACTLY how others see us at that particular moment.
A certain private school ... was faced ... with a unique problem.
A number of 12-year-old girls ... were beginning to use lipstick ... and would put it on ... in the bathroom.
That was fine, ... but after they put on their lipstick ... they would press their lips to the mirror, ... leaving dozens ... of little ... lip prints.
Every night, ... the maintenance man would remove them ... yet the very next day, ... the girls would put them right back ... on the mirror.
Finally, ... Mrs. Hatcher ... the principal ... decided that something ... had to be done.
She called all the girls into the bathroom and met them there ... with the maintenance man
She explained that all these lip prints ... were causing a major problem for the custodian ... who had to clean the mirrors ... every night.
To demonstrate how difficult it was ... to clean the mirrors, ... she asked the maintenance man to show the girls ... how much effort ... was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, ... dipped it in the toilet, ... and cleaned the mirror with it. (Pause)
Since then, ... they have had no problems with lip prints ... on the mirror. (Pause)
Paul in his first letter to the believers gathered in Corinth ... also spoke of ... looking at our image ... in a mirror.
1 Corinthians 13:11-12 tells us " When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
Now, Ancient mirrors, ... which were manufactured in the great city of Corinth, ... were made of metal ... and gave a very dim reflection.
Thus Paul's words ... "Now we see in a mirror, dimly".
This is an illustration ... of our imperfect knowledge ... on this side of eternity.
Now, ... when we cross over to the other side of eternity ... when we are in heaven, .... we will know all things ... knowledge will be full ... it will be complete.
But ... on this side of eternity ... it is dim ... it is imperfect.
Have you ever seen your reflection ... in a metal spoon?
I hope I'm not the only one who has ever done that.
The reflection in the metal spoon ... is a strange image ... isn't it?
It is dim.... It is imperfect.
Mirrors in Paul's time were metal ... and you could not see a very accurate reflection of yourself, ... it was much like looking into a metal spoon.
But in today's age, ... we have mirrors .... that very much display .... what we really look like.
You can clearly see yourself ... your image ... what you look like.
But this too ... is not the mirror ... we should be looking into.
It is not the mirror ... Paul is alluding too.
So.... if we want to know who we really are, ... what mirror ... should we look in?
We need to look into the mirror of God's Word ... The true mirror ... God's Mirror .... which shows us ... who we really are.
We need to examine ourselves ... and ask the question:
Am I being all that God has called me to be?
Am I allowing the Lord to mold me?
Am I doing my best ... Am I giving my best?
When we look into God's mirror ... We may find ... feelings, ... thoughts, ... problems ... attitudes that we hold on to .... and have not allowed God ... to transform.
We need ... we must ... yield to God's Word ... to God's will and allow him ... to mold us ... into the image ... into the reflection of His son.
We need to allow Him ...to impact the way we walk, ... the way we talk, ... the way we think ... the way we act.
It is time ... time to allow him to mold us... to transform us.
It is so easy ... to see the tiny faults of others ..., yet miss the larger faults ... in ourselves.
(Matthew 7:4-5) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I have often found ... that when I begin to look at others ... short comings... that God is calling me ...to look at the log in my own eye.
To look at the ... "Man in the Mirror" ... that Person ... in the mirror.
When you get all you want and you struggle for pelf,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.
He's the fellow to please,
never mind all the rest.
For he's with you right to the end,
and you've passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world,
down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you've cheated the man in the glass.

If we begin with ... "The Person in the Mirror", ... we will be molded ... we will be transformed.
If we look into the True mirror ... God's mirror... it will reflect back ... a true image ... of who we are.
Each morning ... as we prepare for the day ahead ... we generally do not leave ... without looking ... into a mirror.
The mirror enables us ... to see if there is anything out of place ... and gives us an opportunity to correct ... what is wrong.
So often ... we can get wrapped up in our own ways .... that we set aside ... the ways of the One ... whom we are called ... to be like.
Jesus has the power ... to change ... "The Person in the Mirror"!
Jesus has the power to transform you .... He has the desire to infill you ... with His glory!
(2 Corinthians 3:18 )
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.
If we start with ... "the Person in the Mirror", ... then we can begin to impact our world ... one person at a time!
If we start with ... "the Person in the Mirror", ... and let God mold us, ... we will be transformed!
If we each start with ... "the Person in the Mirror", .... then we can begin to make our church .... a beacon of light ... to those around us!
Praise God ... for his mercy ... and for his provision ... For what He has done .... and will continue to do ...in my life.... And in yours.
Yet ... If we are honest ... There are times ... when we are deceived ... and do not act like ... the man or woman .... God has called us ... to be. (Pause)
A Fellow was sitting at a stop light.
The lady in front of him ... was going through some papers.... That were lying on the passenger's seat of her car, ... and when the light changed to green ... she did not move.
She did not follow ... the instruction ... of the light.
You know ...Stop on Red... Move on Green ... and go real fast on Yellow.
And When the light turned yellow ... then back to red, ... this gentleman began (with his windows up) screaming and beating on the steering wheel ... of his car.
His expressions of distress ... were quickly interrupted by a policeman, ... gun drawn, tapping on his window.
Against his protests of, ...."You can't arrest me for hollering in my car," .... the officer ordered him into the back seat .... of his patrol car.
After about an hour in a holding cell, the officer checked out the individual and then advised him .... he was free to go.
The man said, .... "I knew you couldn't arrest me for what I was yelling ... in my own car. .... You haven't heard the last of this."
The officer replied, ... "I didn't arrest you for shouting in your car.
I was directly behind you at the light. .... I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel.
Then I noticed the Proud Christian on board sign in your window.... and the John 3:16 bumper sticker, ... and I thought ... you must have stolen that car." (Pause)
The way we actually live our lives may be the only Bible ... some folks ... will ever read.
We need to remember ... who we are ... and what we look like.
And The Scriptures speak to this in our text of (James 1:22-24)"... be doers of the word, ... and not hearers only, ... deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word ... and not a doer, ... he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."
How can that be?
How can someone look in the mirror...? see themselves, ...and then ... at once ... immediately ...walk away ...and forget .... what they look like?
"Wait a minute? ... Am I balding? ... Am I overweight? ... Am I short? .... Do I have hazel eyes? .... Do I have a scare on my chin?
Yet... It is possible ... to look in the mirror ...and then forget .... what you look like.
And .... There are two reasons why that can happen.
First ... You do not believe the mirror is an accurate reflection ... of who you are.
That is ... You do not trust the mirror... that you are looking into.
Have you ever been to a fun house at a carnival or fair ...and walked through the... Hall of mirrors?
They have certain mirrors ... that are designed to make you look ... not as ... you are.
* You can stand in front of one mirror ...and look extremely muscular... I kind of like that mirror.
* You can stand in front of another and look extremely short and fat.
* You can stand in front of yet another and be ten feet tall .... and as skinny as a rail.
Obviously ... These mirrors are not ... an accurate reflection ... of who you are.
So you walk away from them... and forget ... what you looked like.
So ... You do not believe the mirror is an accurate reflection ... of who you are.
Or the 2nd reason you can look in a mirror and forget what you look like is because you are being deceived.
The enemy is deceiving you ... deceiving you into believing ... that you do not look like ... what the mirror is reflecting.
This often happens to people .... with eating disorders ... or people that are experiencing depression ... or are being oppressed ... by the enemy.
The only mirror of eternal significance ... is the Mirror ... of God's Word.
Remove the veil ... that is covering your eyes ... and look deeply ... into the truth of the mirror.
God's Word ... encompasses the real mirror ... a mirror that we can trust.
God's Word ... God's mirror ... will not only transform you... but reflecting from the mirror ... are wonderful truths ... of who you are in Christ.
Do you trust God's mirror?
Or do you walk away from it ... believing that you are not worthy?
Do you look into the mirror of God's Word ... that proclaims ... you can do all things ... through Christ Jesus?
And yet walk away ... believing ...that you could never be good enough?
Do you look into the mirror of God's Word ... that declares ... greater is he that is in me ... then he that is in the world?
Yet you walk away ... thinking that ... you will fail.
If you do, ... then there is a reason.
Either you do not trust the mirror you are looking into ... or .... You are being deceived.
do not forget who you are...and where you are going.
Do you trust God's Word? .... Do you trust ... it's reflection ... of who you are?
If you do... then do not be deceived ... walk boldly ... be the salt of the earth ... be the light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-14)
Be the reflection of Jesus and yield to his transforming love.
For You are ... a new creation .... in Christ Jesus.

Sermon Contributor Jeff Smead

Godly Mothers

2 Timothy 1: 2 – 7 and Proverbs 31: 1 - 29

Since today is a special day I will not be looking at the Book of James this morning! Instead we will be looking at Proverbs and 2nd Timothy. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in our audience this morning!!!

On our journey through life nothing can compare with the impact made by our mothers. Their words, for good OR for bad, are never fully forgotten, and the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime.

Here are 10 things MOM taught us:
1*FORESIGHT: Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident.
2*LOGIC: If you fall out of a tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me. OR Because I said so, that’s why!
3*RELIGION: You better pray that comes out of the carpet.
4*TIME TRAVEL: If you don’t straighten up I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week.
5*GENETICS: You’re just like your father.
6*CONTRADICTIONS: Shut your mouth and eat your dinner.
7*CONTORTIONS: Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?
8*My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.
9*My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about."
10*My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home"
AND AS A BONUS, My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

ILL. Abraham Lincoln said, "No one is poor who had a godly mother." And I believe he was right. The influence of a godly mother on her children cannot be overstated.

B. There are some notable examples of motherhood in scripture. But this morning I want to mention two special passages that we ought to consider. One is found in Proverbs, chapter 31. Listen to a few selected verses.
(v 10)“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies...
(v13) She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands...
(v16) She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard...
(v18) “She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night...
(v 24) She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes...
(v 28 and 29) “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’”

And the 2nd passage which we find in 2 Timothy 1:5 was written by the apostle Paul to young Timothy, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
Whether you’re a “stay-at-home” mom like Timothy’s mother, or one who works like the mother praised in Proverbs 31, the emphasis of my message this morning has to do with a mother’s influence upon her children and her family.
And I urge those of you who have no children or whose children are far away, look around and take note of those who may be in need of a "parent figure," or a "second mom or dad." You may be just the mentor or friend that someone else desperately needs.

C. Mothers, and fathers too, I encourage you today to recommit yourselves to the task God has entrusted to you - the task of building a home according to the blueprint of Proverbs 24:3-4.
Listen to what it says, "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."
Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, passed on to your children so that they might build their lives on a foundation that is sufficient for all their needs.

ILL. There were once 4 scholars who were arguing over Bible translations.
*One said he thought that the King James Version was the best because of its beautiful and eloquent style of speech.
*Another said he preferred the American Standard Bible for its accurate translation of the original text.
*A third preferred the New International Version because of its modern language and ease of understanding.
*After thinking about it for a moment, the 4th scholar said, "I have always preferred my mother's translation."
When the others expressed surprise, saying that they didn’t know that she was a translator, he responded, "Yes, she trans-lated it. She translated it into life, and that's the best translation I’ve ever seen."

D. We have already mentioned one young man who saw such a translation of God's Word in his lifetime. His name was Timothy. He lived in the 1st Century, and it is to him that Paul's New Testament letters of 1 and 2 Timothy were addressed.
Paul was Timothy's older friend and mentor. As Paul sat in a Roman dungeon, facing impending death, he wrote to Timothy to encourage him in his ministry.
But 1st and 2nd Timothy are also letters filled with reminiscence. Paul draws upon his memories and recalls the examples of faith and commitment he has observed in the life of Timothy.

Particularly in 2 Timothy 1:2-7, Paul reminisces about the way Timothy's faithfulness is largely a reflection of the examples and instruction which he had received from his mother and grandmother.
And, in the process, Paul pinpoints 4 contributions that they made to his life; contributions we will consider this morning.
Listen as I read 2 Timothy 1: 2- 7. “To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
"Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

PROP. This entire passage deals with the contributions Timothy's mother and grandmother had made to him as he was growing up.
I. A LIVING FAITH
The 1st contribution they made, and I think the most important one, is "A Living Faith." In Vs. 5 Paul refers to the "...sincere faith, which first lived in your grand-mother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
The word "sincere" here is a word that means "without hypocrisy, genuine." In essence, it's a faith that is real, that has been applied realistically and consistently to the issues and situations of life.
Where Lois and Eunice came from originally... we have no idea, but we do know that they eventually settled in the Roman town of Lystra. They had been born Jewish, but they came to know about Jesus, and they DID take their faith in Christ very seriously, seriously enough to make sure that Eunice's young son knew all about it.

What did Timothy hear and see in his home? Assuming that he was a normal kid, everything! That is the way it works.
Despite all the aggravation that our children give us by apparently not listening to what we tell them, they still hear and see, and it does make an impression - for good or for ill.
Those of us who have, or have had, young children are amazed at the things youngsters pick up. They see commercials on the cartoon channels and then, when it’s time to go to the grocery store, they’re already prepared with a mental list of all the brand names that have attracted them.
They repeat words or phrases that they hear around the house, sometimes to mommy's and daddy's embarrassment.

They remember things that parents quickly forget. They might be naive and easily led, but kids will not be fooled for long.
And just as they are not fooled by anything else, they will not be fooled about religion either. So, if you really want to share the Gospel with your children, or with anyone else, you had better take your own faith seriously. Paying lip-service to Christ and the church will never give the proper message.

By your attendance at Bible Study and Worship, by your participation in the life and mission of the church, by the effort you put forth in the deepening of your relationship with the Lord, you will determine what lessons about the Lord and the church your children will learn first.

One thing is certain, parents can never fool their children with a message of "Do as I say, not as I do." Kids are too smart for that.
If you tell them that Sunday School and attendance at worship is important but you yourself find other things to do on Sundays, what message will your children get?
If you tell them that a personal relationship with the Lord is important but they never see you opening the Bible or praying, what message will they get? You know the answer!

Parents who want to make serious claim on the name "Christian" had better make sure that their faith shows in front of their children.
Apparently, Lois and Eunice lived their faith in front of Timothy. They made whatever efforts they could to learn about Jesus. And then mother... and grand-mother passed on the results of that learning to the impressionable boy. They left him an incomparable legacy – a living faith!
SUM. This kind of living faith is what we all should demonstrate to our children, through our actions as well as through our words.

II. A READY CONFIDENCE
A 2nd contribution is given in Vs. 7. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power..." This I call, "A Ready Confidence."
The term for power is the Greek word "dunamos" from which we get "dyna-mite." The word suggests "inner might." Mothers, as you demonstrate inner strength that is ready to tackle life's needs, your children will sense security and confidence and will begin to demonstrate the same kind of confidence themselves.

ILL. Harry and Ada Mae Day lived in a 4-room dried clay house with no running water and no electricity, hundreds of miles from the nearest city. There was no school within driving distance. It seemed the future for their daughter, Sandra, was very slim.
But Ada Mae Day scrimped enough to subscribe to urban newspapers. She started an intense program of home-schooling. Later, she saved enough to send Sandra to the best boarding schools available to them. Sandra went on to Stanford, then to law school, and eventually, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman Supreme Court justice in the United States.
Sandra’s intelligence and inner drive had much to do with that. But I believe that credit must also go to the determined confidence of her mother, sitting in her small clay house at night, reading to her children hour after hour, not giving in to the "spirit of timidity" that Paul mentions, but tapping into the "spirit of power" instead.
SUM. Mothers... God's Holy Spirit can infuse your life with power unimaginable to you otherwise. Allow the Spirit to build you into a model of “Ready Confidence” in the face of life's obstacles.

III. A REMARKABLE LOVE
Thirdly, they contributed "A Remarkable Love." Paul also says in Vs. 7 that we have been given a spirit of "love." And this is not just any love - it's love that seeks the highest good for others.
It's selfless. It's love that's continues on even when you're tired, when it hurts. It’s love when it means staying at the task longer than you anticipated. It’s love when it means caring in ways and at times you had not planned. This is why we can only describe it as "remarkable" love.

IV. A RESTRAINING DISCIPLINE
And 4th, they contributed "Restraining Discipline." Vs. 7 says that God has given us a spirit of “self-discipline” - balanced, consistent self-control.
ILL. Dr. Stanley Coopersmith, in a study of middle-class boys, found that children have higher esteem and become more successful and independent when they have a home where sure and consistent discipline is present.
It's been said that children need two pats on the back:
*One high enough to encourage them when they do right, and *one low enough to discourage them when they do wrong.

ILL. Dorothy Nolte wrote, "If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice." And the only way to be fair to our children is to praise where praise is appropriate, and to discipline where discipline is appropriate. And sometimes you will be making a difference in ways that you never imagined.

CONCLUSON. Yes, today is a special day. And for most of us there are many precious memories that we will always treasure. Please listen to this story.
ILL. The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long?" she asked. And her guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way.
The sun shone on them, and life was good, and the young woman cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come." The Mother said, "This is better than the brightness of the day, for I have taught my children courage."

The morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary but she said to her children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother."
And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned perseverance in the face of difficulty. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength."

With the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth - clouds of war and hatred, and the children groped and stumbled. The mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." And the children looked up and saw above the clouds an everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness.
That night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
The days went on, and weeks and months and years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were strong and tall, and walked with courage. When the way was hard, they helped their mother; and when the way was rough they lifted her, for she was light as a feather. And at last they came to a hill, and golden gates open wide.
The Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

The children said, "You will always walk with us mother, even when you have gone through the gates." And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her, and they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still."

INVITATION

Sermon Contributor Melvin Newland

Be Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak, and Slow to Anger

 

James 1:18-21

 

James 1:18-21

INTRO: Good morning. Mark has been working through the little book of James in his series. This book, though it is small, has many things I believe apply directly to us in the 21st century. This morning with Mark’s permission will continue in James. Today’s text is from James 1:18-21 though I intend to focus on verse 19 for the most part.

But first let me tell you a story. As with many funerals, it was a cloudy, rainy day.
The deceased was a little old lady who had devoted her entire married life to fussing at her poor husband. When the graveside service had no more than finished, there was the flash of a distant lightening bolt accompanied by a tremendous burst of thunder.
The little old man looked at the minister and calmly said, "Well, she's there."

I guess the point of the story is that how we live our lives can have a tremendous affect on those around us as well as on ourselves.

Read with me the text for this lesson, James 1:18-21 – “18. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. 19. Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20. for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

We live in a time of information explosion. I read recently that over 100 billion emails are sent each day. That’s more than ten times the population of the whole world. Each day 5000 new books are published many of which are e-books. This year the number of text messages will exceed 6 trillion.

I have read that if we take the year Christ was born as our starting point, it took 1500 years for all the knowledge in the world to double. The next doubling took only 250 years. It doubled again in 150 years. By the end of World War II, knowledge doubled every 25 years. Today knowledge is doubling every 12 months.

No wonder we can’t keep up.

I have also read that; “If you happen to read the New York Times newspaper for one week, you will be exposed to more information than the average person, living in the 1800‘s, came across in their entire lifetime.” (From the message “Tutored by Truth.” by Stephen Davey)

We are being overwhelmed by a tidal wave of information that pours in 24/7/365. The whole world is now “live” and in “real-time.” Stories change every few minutes, and the screen you’re watching may have an anchor reading a story with an image to the right, a sidebar to the left, with a screen crawl at the top and another at the bottom so that you’re following five different information sources at the same time on the same screen.

I. We are easily distracted. It is no wonder that we are easily distracted. We look without seeing, we listen without hearing, and we speak without understanding. We are wired up, tuned in, and hyper-caffeinated generation.

A. Some years ago Dr. Bob Moorehead wrote an essay called “The Paradox of Our Age”. Here’s a brief excerpt:

1. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years.
2. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
3. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

B. There is much more to his essay and as I read it I thought that every part of it seemed very true, but I was especially drawn to this sentence: “We’ve conquered outer space but not inner space.” Indeed, everything we build is bigger, stronger, faster, and larger. We’ve come a long way in a short time. The engine of human progress hums right along. We send men to the moon, satellites into orbit, and radio waves to the stars. But inner space is another matter. We’re not even close to conquering that. The human heart seems as unruly as ever.

II. Our Greatest Challenge. Certainly as Christians we all know that the real battles of life are inside, not outside. Our greatest challenge is the person we see in the mirror. When I say that the human heart is unruly, I’m not talking about yours, I’m talking about mine.

A. What we are on the inside matters more than what happens on the outside. That’s where the little book of James becomes incredibly relevant. This epistle, written 2000 years ago to beleaguered, scattered, oppressed believers who were just barely hanging on to their faith, speaks with amazing clarity to life in the 21st-century. James wants us to discover the freedom that comes when we respond the right way to the pressures of life. As I said, we look without seeing, we listen without hearing, and we speak without understanding
B. James 1:19-20 specifically answers the question, How do one respond properly when the heat is on, the pressure is building, and you are about to lose it? Pay close attention to his answer: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” [ESV]

III. These verses appear simple, but putting them into practice is a daily challenge. Let’s focus on the three basic commands James gives us.

A. First, Listen More, James says; “Be quick to hear” (James 1:19a).

1. Wisdom begins when we listen more and talk less. In context, this sort of listening starts by paying attention to what God has said in his Word.

a. In the first century, believers didn’t have all the advantages we have. They didn’t have printed copies of the New Testament. For that matter, if, as some scholars claim, James was indeed the first book of the New Testament that was written, people couldn’t read Romans because it hadn’t been written yet. Likewise for all four gospels, the book of Acts, the rest of the epistles, and the book of Revelation.
b. They didn’t have the Bible on a Smartphone app so they could read it wherever they went. For the most part, hearing the Word meant meeting with other believers and listening to the Word being taught. It meant hearing, learning and then meditating on what you had heard.

2. I sometimes think our modern technology has made it so easy to hear the Word that we hardly hear it at all.

a. When I look at my Smartphone, I see tons of applications, all of them brimming with information that flows in 24 hours a day. I have news apps, email apps, message apps, music apps, and video apps. We have enough online stimulation to keep us occupied round the clock.
b. In the old days (maybe even 10 years ago), when you got on an airplane, you might actually chat with the person sitting next to you. That rarely happens nowadays. At the gate and on the plane, even walking down the street, you see people with their heads down, looking at their Smartphone, or apparently talking to themselves (though they are actually on the phone).

3. I wonder who is better off, the first-century believers who did not have the full Bible or 21st-century believers who have the Bible at our fingertips. No one would trade our technology for life 2000 years ago, but I will say this. Technology is useless (and even dangerous) if we are so busy and so distracted that we are not “quick to hear” what God is saying to us. This principle applies in every area of life. Some people talk so much that they never hear what anyone else says.

B. A while back I read Proverbs 8.

1. In that chapter wisdom is personified as a woman speaking to the reader:

a. Wisdom calls (v. 1).
b. She speaks noble things (v. 6).
c. Wisdom is better than gold or silver (vv. 10-11).
d. By wisdom kings reign (v. 15).
e. God blesses those who walk in wisdom (v. 32).
f. Wisdom gains favor from the Lord (v. 35).

2. But no one gains wisdom by chance. Wisdom says, “If you seek me, you will find me.” I wonder, are we too busy, too worried, too preoccupied, too distracted (a very modern problem) to seek the wisdom God offers in his Word? No one gains wisdom by chance
3. The word translated “quick” in verse 19 of our text was used in a slightly different form in John 20:4 to describe John outrunning Peter to the empty tomb. That’s a helpful picture. We ought to be “outrunning” ourselves to find out what God has to say to us. I know of a person who says that he and his wife have a simple morning rule: “No Bible, no breakfast.” We used to hear often that people started and ended their day with reading from scripture. Not so much nowadays. I like it as a personal habit to adopt.
4. We would all be better off if instead of checking Facebook first thing in the morning, we went running to the Word of God. I can’t make rules for you or for anyone else, but here’s a challenge to think about. Being “quick to hear” doesn’t happen by accident. We’re quick to do many things that don’t matter. Are we quick to listen to the Word of God?

C. Second, James tells us to “be slow to speak” (James 1:19b).

1. Ecclesiastes 5:2 says it this way: “God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.” It’s hard to argue with that.

a. You’re not as smart as you think you are, and neither am I.
b. You’re not as clever as you think you are, and neither am I.
c. You’re not as wise as you think you are, nor am I.
d. We’re simply are not as smart as we think we are.

2. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Most of us are better at the former and not so good at the latter. Proverbs 29:20 has a helpful word about this. “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Ogden Nash put this principle into a neat little rhyme: “To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it. Whenever you’re right, shut up.” It’s so easy to kill a marriage or a friendship with unkind words. How many times have we said something in anger only to regret it a thousand times?
3. Think about this. Social media encourages quick feedback. Someone says something we don’t like so without thinking it through, we post a snippy reply, a snarky comment, a clever comeback or a mean-spirited innuendo. Sometimes we are so eager to post our comments that we hit Send and then start chuckling over our cleverness. Remember it is easy to kill a relationship with unkind words.

a. Slow down. Wait. Think about it.
b. You can delete a foolish comment, but you can’t erase it from the Internet. You can’t remove that foolish comment completely.

4. I suspect when James says “Be slow to speak,” he is thinking about our tendency to speak when we are angry and frustrated. I’m sure you’ve heard it said: Speak when you are angry and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret. How true that is. When I was a child, people used to say “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The idea was to get the person to realize that you can control your reaction to words. Yet while that’s a nice, brave saying, it only works if you have no feelings. Words hurt far more than sticks and stones, and the wounds they leave take far longer to heal. Unkind words don’t break bones; they break hearts.

D. Third James tells us to “Be slow to anger” (James 1:19c). The translators handle this last command in a variety of ways: “Slow to anger” (ESV). “Slow to wrath” (ASV). “Don’t get worked up into a rage so easily” (Voice). “Slow to lose his temper” (Phillips).

1. Understand James is not saying don’t get angry. That’s unrealistic. We’re all going to get angry from time to time. The word translated as “anger” here actually refers to a deep-seated rage. It doesn’t refer to a passing moment of displeasure which is soon gone and forgotten. No, James is speaking of that deep emotion which, when released, is like a volcano erupting. It spews red-hot lava all over the room. Strong uses the words “violent emotion”.
2. Anger is under our control. Sometimes we talk of “blowing up” as if it happened against our will. But that’s a cop-out. Anger is an emotion we control. Have you ever had an argument with someone and the phone rang right in the middle of the argument? You were raising your voice and getting red in the face and then... you answer the phone and your whole demeanor changes. “Hello, how are you? I’m so glad you called.” Then when you hang the phone up you go at it again. That’s because anger is an emotion you can control.
3. But notice the progression. If we are quick to hear, we will be slow to speak. But if we are slow to hear, we will doubtless be quick to speak. Quick speaking leads to quick anger. The angrier we get, the faster we speak, and the less we hear. Quick speaking leads to quick anger
4. Not long ago we studied in Timothy and Titus about the characteristics of elders and of godly men. We saw these character qualities of a godly man in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. When you study the 25 character qualities and put them in groups, you discover the single largest group involves a man and his anger. As I studied the two lists Paul made, I found 5 of these 25 character qualities unquestionably related to a man and his anger:

a. Not overbearing – Titus 1:7
b. Not quarrelsome – 1 Timothy 3:3
c. Not quick-tempered – Titus 1:7
d. Not violent – 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7
e. Gentle – 1 Timothy 3:3

5. I was reminded of Solomon’s wise counsel in Proverbs 16:32, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

a. Do we really believe that though? Think about it, which would you rather be called, a patient man or a warrior? Ah, the world rewards the warriors while the patient men change diapers and take out the garbage. It’s not much of a contest in the way people think is it?
b. Jesus didn’t come to make us nicer people. He came to make us new people. Solomon says it is better to control your temper than to “take a city.” The teaching here is simply that a person who can take charge of their own conduct, discipline and command their own behavior, having complete control of their appetites and passions – that person is greater than any world conqueror or military hero.
c. Would you rather be called a warrior or a patient man?

E. I suspect James knew we would have trouble with this third command so he added a reason in verse 20: “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” I rarely quote the Contemporary English Version but what the CEV offers here is this: “If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done.” [CEV]

1. Did you ever know a person who was angry all the time? They get up angry, they shower angry, they eat breakfast angry, they go to work angry, they come home angry, they watch TV angry, and they go to bed angry. When they are happy, that makes them angry.
2. Nothing pleases a person like that. Anger leads to jealousy, harsh words, and even worse.

a. That sort of anger can never produce a life pleasing to God.
b. That sort of anger only destroys; it never builds up.
c. That sort of anger brings the smell of death with it.

IV. Folks, James never once says that human anger is sinful. He never once says that we won’t get angry. He never says that human anger is unnatural. However, he does say that, “human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” And, he implies that we should not be led by human anger. Simply put, selfish anger never helps anyone!

A. In order to move away from bitterness, anger, and hurtful words, we need to take Ephesians 4:32 to heart: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
B. We are to extend grace to others as God has extended grace to us. We who have been showered with God’s grace in Christ are to give to other, undeserving sinners, the same outpouring of grace. From God to us to others. Grace to us, grace to others. This is God’s plan. We do for others what God has done for us. We have been forgiven; we know what it is like. Now do the same for others. We are not left to wonder what it means to forgive those who have hurt us.

1. We cannot understand God’s love unless we go to the cross.
2. We cannot understand the cross unless we see in it God’s love.

C. Man’s murder became God’s sacrifice. A heinous crime paid an impossible debt. Through the death of an innocent man, we the guilty, go free. If we had been there, the stench of death would have overwhelmed us, but the cross smelled good to the Father. The work of salvation was finally done:

1. See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
2. Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
3. Did e’er such love or sorrow meet,
4. Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
5. We need the Lord Jesus living in us

D. Now in James 1:21 he tells us what we need to do: “21. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Church, we should want to humbly turn to the word that is within us and let it drive our salvation and our lives as believers. We can think of it this way, we are taking off the evil desire that dwells within our hearts, and we are putting on the humility that is found in our salvation.

CONCLUSION:
Folks, as a Christian matures and gains wisdom, they come to understand that Jesus didn’t come to make us nicer people, but to make us new people. If you hear this sermon and think, “I should try harder to listen more, speak less, and calm down,” that’s good, but there is more. We need the Lord Jesus living in us. In one of his books, British Bible teacher F. B. Meyer talked about how Christ living in us makes all the difference in that moment of temptation. Meyer said that when he felt himself getting angry or irritable, he asked the Lord for the quality most needed at that moment:

Your patience, Lord Jesus.
Your kindness, Lord Jesus.
Your love, Lord Jesus.
Your courage, Lord Jesus.
Your wisdom, Lord Jesus.
Your joy, Lord Jesus.
Your compassion, Lord Jesus.

If we believe that in Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of God (and we do), and if we believe Christ dwells in our hearts by faith (and we do), then we may believe that in our lives this week the fullness of Christ, the beauty of Christ, the grace of Christ, the mercy of Christ, the holiness of Christ, and the kindness of Christ may fill us and drive out the evil—the lust, greed, impatience, unbelief, critical spirit, and the angry intolerance that holds us back.

When we are living in Christ and Christ is living in us, then by God’s grace we will be . . .

Swift to hear,
Slow to speak, and
Slow to anger.

____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins... If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???

Based on Sermon by: Dr Ray Pritchard

 

Facing Temptation

James 1: 12 – 18

Let me share a short story with you about this man who was seriously ill. A visitor asked him if he was willing to turn his life over to God and reject the devil. "I am willing to give my life to God," he said, "But a man in my condition should not be making any enemies."

We may laugh, but we must not forget that the strength and influence of the devil is real. And all he wants is your soul and the main way in which he tries to win over our souls is by tempting us away from God. And for Christians this is our greatest challenge in life, trying deal with the temptations he brings our way.

And although every single Christian struggles with temptations, no other Christian struggles more than a young Christian. And part of the reason for that is because it takes a while to believe and know how sin works in our lives. But take courage because James is going to help us this morning to understand temptations in 3 ways.
1) In James 1:12- 18, James is going to tell us about a promise for those who endure temptations.
2) He’s going to warn us not to point the source of those temptations at the wrong person.
3) And finally he’s going to help us understand how sin works in our lives.

And so we begin with the promise in James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him..” James tells us that the person who remains faithful during temptations is going to be blessed. The Greek word for "blessed" simply means "happy." And the reason for their happiness is because when they pass the test of temptation, they are going to receive the crown of life.
In other words, the promise is the promise of eternal life. And let me tell you; a promise is as good as the person who makes it. We trust people who make and keep their promises don’t we? BUT, I am sure that we have all encountered people who may promise you something and then don’t hold up their end of the deal. Well, the promise which James is talking about here is given by Him Who cannot lie.

We can read in Titus 1:2 “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” God doesn’t lie and when He promises eternal life, He means it. And He says that this promise is given to everyone who proves their love for God by keeping the faith through temptations. And so, James, after sharing this promise of eternal life goes on to share with us a warning about temptations.

James 1:13 “If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, "This temptation comes from God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one”. One of the fundamental mistakes which young Christians make is that they blame God for the temptations which come their way. James says, listen, don’t go blaming God for your temptations. Why?

Simply because God is a Holy God and He cannot be tempted by evil nor will He tempt anyone to do evil. In fact James elaborates on this point in James 1:16-18 “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”. You see, don’t go deceiving yourself into thinking that God is tempting you because God is the source of good, not evil. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

James says Christians should certainly know that God is never going to tempt us with evil. And so just to make sure we don’t miss the point James goes on to help us understand how sin works.
There was a man who hated his wife’s parakeet. So, you can imagine how surprised the wife was one day to hear the husband taking the time and effort to coax the bird to speak. But when she carefully listened to what her husband was saying to the bird, she nearly choked. Along with its constant, annoying jabbering, the bird also started calling out a suicidal, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”

Now, that is the first stage of sin, it starts with temptation. James says in James 1:14 “but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed”. Now notice the temptation stage involves two things. It involves a strong desire for something AND it involves being trapped! We become trapped by looking for an opportunity to satisfy that desire!!! In other words, temptation needs a desire and an opportunity.
A well-known author once told this story of an account he had with sea gulls: “Several years ago our family visited Niagara Falls. It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were dead fish embedded in the ice. Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish. As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls. “I watched one gull which seemed to delay and wondered when it would leave. It was engrossed in the fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings. The bird flapped and flapped and even lifted the ice out of the water, and I thought it would escape. But it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice. The weight of the ice was too great, and the gull plunged into the abyss.”
How sad that even though the bird had plenty of time to fly away, because it delayed it paid the price. Now think of this story in terms of the Christian life. When we become overly enthralled with the things of this world, they can bring us down and cause our spiritual death. The finest attractions of this world become deadly when we become overly attached to them.
I now want you to take a moment and imagine the following scenario. Can you see him running, he is running with all his might? Look at the beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. Each step that he takes is labored; he is exhausted from the struggle. Can you see the fear in his eyes as he looks back over his shoulder? Something’s got a hold on him and won’t let go. It’s like some invisible force that has attached to him and won’t let him go. No matter how hard he fights it, it’s still there. The relentless enemy keeps drawing the prey closer and closer. As the victim is reeled in, like a fish that has taken the lure, the emotions of shame and disgrace overshadow his soul. The thoughts,” Oh MY, Oh MY why did I fall in this trap” pierce his fear shattered mind. And ALL the Angels of Heaven begins to weep as another one is overcome by that deadly beast; TEMPTATION.
Being tempted is not sinful. Jesus Himself was tempted as we can read in Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”. So, being tempted is not sinful, but the time to start worrying begins when we get to the next stage of sin and that is the sin itself.
James 1:15 “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” In other words, for temptation to lead to sin it needs us to take action and act upon it. In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the "sundew." It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Now it may look beautiful but it is very dangerous to any insect that dares to dance on it. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each leaf is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. And as an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. And this innocent looking plant then feeds on its victim. And that’s what sin does in the life of a Christian, it tempts us and when we give in to the temptation,
if were not careful that sin will crush us and take our souls. Which is the final stage of sin, it leads to death.
Now we all should know what sin is, sin is spiritual separation from God and we also know that any sin which isn’t forgiven will result in spiritual death. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And so when we are talking about death we’re talking about eternal punishment.
James is telling us that if we are not careful our desires which we act out when we have the opportunity, if they are not confessed to God and repented of are going to lead us into eternal punishment. But now that we have a better understanding about how temptation and sin work, we also need to look at how we can help fight these temptations which we have. And since we know that the sin process begins with desires the best place to begin for us to overcome sin is to change our desires.
Romans 12:1 - 2 tells us “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. And the way we change our desires is by regularly read the Bible. Don’t fight the devil using his means but God’s and we need to understand this morning that it’s only when we use God’s will can we overcome sin. Psalm 119:11 “I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you”.
Remember when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil? All the way through Matthew 4:3-10 when the devil tempts Jesus with one thing, Jesus always replied by saying ‘IT IS WRITTEN!”. In other words for us to change our desires we need to read God’s word to discover His desires for us. Because the more we read His word, and read about His patience love for us, the more we should long to serve Him.

If anyone is into gardening they would know if you wanted to slow the growth or destroy a plant or flower you would just nip off the buds or shoots. And what the Bible teaches us is that when Christians regularly read God’s word, the less likely they are going to have those desires to sin against God. In other words they ‘nip it in the bud’; they nip the temptation in the bud and destroy it before it grows.
Now please don’t misunderstand me here, I know that it takes time to change our desires but one of the other ways we can help ourselves while the change is happening is to limit our opportunities to sin. Now remember, we are tempted only when there is both desire and opportunity. So while we work on changing our desires, we should limit the opportunities to fulfil wrongful desires. And the only way that is going to happen is when we finally understand that we can’t do that on our own, we need God’s help. Matthew 26:41 “Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
In other words, you can’t do it on your own! You need to ask God to help you but you also need to help yourself by avoiding situations which are really going to tempt you. We need to reach the lost, we need to mix with the lost but we also need to be very carefully that we don’t end up lost ourselves.
If I had a barrel full of bad apples and I placed a good apple inside the barrel what would happen? Would the good apple help the bad apples to get good? No! The bad apples would slowly infect the good apple until the good apple eventually looked like the rotten apples.
Paul warns us about that in 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be fooled.” Bad companions ruin good character." Now even though we can read God’s word to help us change our desires. Even though we can ask God to help us while we are being careful not to put ourselves into a sinning opportunity. We need to also to be honest with each other here;
we can never eliminate every single temptation which we have as Christians. Remember, it becomes sin when we yield to acting and fulfilling our sinful desires. And so, if we can get in early and control ourselves then we can overcome sin. When we become Christians, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives according to Acts 2:38. And one of the roles of the Spirit in our lives is to give us strength. Paul says in Ephesians 3:16 “I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves.”
You see we all have this inner struggle going on, but we have help. God’s Holy Spirit is working us and strengthening us so that we can win this inner fight. Romans 8:12 - 13 “So then, my friends, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to. For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live”. In other words without the Holy Spirit we have no chance of winning this inner struggle.
James says in James 1:14 “But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires”. We may all desire different things but we all share the problem of desires. And what we need to remember is that God wants you to win the temptation war within your own lives. Philippians 2:12+13 “So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation, because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.”
1 John 1:9 “But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing”. John also tells us in 1 John 2:1 - 2 “I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf---Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.”
John says when the Christian sins; if they confess those sins to God and repent ... then Jesus Christ will speak to the Father on their behalf.
In the words of the hymn writer Horatio Richmond Palmer
Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
Ask the Savior to help you, Comfort, strengthen and keep you; He is willing to aid you, He will carry you through.

Based on Sermon Given by Mike Glover

Why Do People Still Suffer?

James 1:3-11

One day there was a tough old farmer who was out walking. He was on a narrow path when he met a man who didn't like him. One of these men would have to step aside to allow the other to pass. The man came charging ahead saying, "I never make way for fools." To which the farmer quickly stepped aside saying, "I always do."

One of the most common questions I hear asked on the internet is, ‘if God is real why do people still have to suffer?’ While the world takes pity on itself and acts like the victims, the Bible shows us how Christians can turn a person from being a victim into someone who is a victor. And that’s what James is going to share with us today. No matter what were dealing with, whether it is trials on the outside or temptations on the inside. James is going to tell us that through faith in God and Jesus Christ we can experience victory.

But for Christians to turn ‘tears of despair into tears of joy’ there are three things we need to obey. And the 1 st one is found in James 1:2 " Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." Now notice that James doesn't say "if" but "when". In other words you can just count on it, Christians must expect trials.
Jesus Himself said in John 16:33, “I have told you this so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous-I have overcome the world!" You see loved ones, some trials come simply because we are human, and this would be things like sickness, accidents, disappointments, and death. But other trials come because we are Christians. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
Paul also tells us in 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
And so, because Satan fights us, and the world opposes us, we can expect trials. But how are we to respond to these trials? James says, "Count it all joy!" Remember in Acts 5 when the apostles were pulled in to stand before the Council, after being flogged, the Bible says in Acts 5:41 “They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.”
Let me share a poem with you which I think will help us get the point.

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.

And, look what James says next in James 1:3 "For you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure." James says if Christians have the right knowledge concerning the value of trials it makes it possible to have a joyful attitude. In other words, when we finally understand that trials test our faith, then we can know that the testing of our faith actually brings the best out in us.

A severe rash prompted a man from a rural area to come to town to be examined by a doctor. After the usual history-taking followed by a series of test, the physician advised the patient that he would have to get rid of the dog that was obviously causing the allergic reaction. As the man was preparing to leave the office, the doctor asked him out of curiosity if he planned to sell the animal or give it away. "Neither one," the patient replied.
"I’m going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about. It’s a lot easier to find a doctor than a good bird dog."
Doctors can give prescriptions and treatment plans, but it is up to the patient to take the prescription and carry out the treatment plan.

In 1 Peter 1:7 we can read the following thought, “So that the genuineness of your faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when it is tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Any athlete will tell you that you cannot expect to win anything if you don’t train, but the more you train the stronger you get.

The 2nd point that James is telling us today is that we can have joy in our trials because we know that testing works for us, not against us.

When our faith is tested it produces patience. Romans 5:3+4 “Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”. In the Bible "Patience" is not a passive acceptance of circumstances. The Greek word for patience means the ability to exhibit steadfastness and constancy in the face of the most daunting difficulty.

In other words, Christians need courage and perseverance in the face of suffering. Christians need to keep on keeping on...  even when life if getting rough, even when our circumstances are really difficult.
And make no mistake about Christian that kind of perseverance can come only through experiencing trials. And when Christians finally accept and understand what trials can accomplish in our lives, it’s then we can have a joyful attitude toward our trials. And please don’t think, ‘well that’s easy for James to say.’ We need to remember what James himself went through. Before James was killed for being a Christian he experienced sorrow.
Remember that James was one of the main leaders of the Christians in Jerusalem who continually faced persecution from those outside the Church.

James also learned that difficulties can produce patience. He never tells us to pretend that a trial is nonexistent. Instead, he wants us to recognize and rejoice that any problem can be an occasion for God to work in and through us in a way that He otherwise wouldn’t.

This is what the Bible calls a "testing of our faith"; it calls us to believe in the goodness of God, and to trust that He is not only willing but able to accomplish His purposes, no matter what befalls us. Any difficulty, whether great or small, is an occasion for joy, but only when we remind ourselves of the nature of the God who loves us. But for us to really benefit from our trials, we need to understand James’ next point in James 1:4 "And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing."

To truly turn our tears of despair into tears of joy, we need to let "patience" do its work. We often want to get our trials or difficulties over with quickly, don’t we? But there are times when the best thing for us to do is to bear up under the trial patiently.

And so instead of grumbling and complaining, we should patiently endure the trial, doing good despite of the trial. Now remember that James is writing to a bunch of Christians who really need to grow up spiritually. And what he is saying here is that when patience has had an opportunity to work, it produces "maturity."
When James uses the word perfect he doesn’t mean sinlessness, but "completeness, wholeness, maturity, and commitment."
Webster’s Dictionary tells me that - Commit means to entrust, to give charge, to perform, to pledge.
In my search for the definition of Commit I actually looked at one dictionary which did not even have the word commit in it. I guess they were not committed to commitment.
And if we as Christians want to run the race well spiritually speaking, we need to develop patience and commitment. And that is only going to happen when we train spiritually. In other words we can only grow into spiritual maturity if we allow ourselves to face trails which test our faith. And everyone here knows that letting patience have its perfect work is not easy. If anything, it requires wisdom which enables us to see the value of our trials.

Our 3rd point is found in James 1:5-8 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways."

James says if we lack wisdom; ask for it from God because He has promised to give it generously. And please don’t think that God is going to rebuke us for making such a request, even Solomon's request for wisdom was well-pleasing to God as you can read in 1 Kings 3:7-12. But what exactly is this "wisdom"? Because we need to be careful to distinguish "wisdom" from "knowledge."

Knowledge involves information, facts, etc
where as, wisdom is the ability or insight to properly use those facts quickly and in the right way. Knowledge comes only through His Word and we need to carefully study it if we want to know the Will of God. However, the wisdom to properly use His Word can be received through prayer. A proper prayer is a prayer asked in faith and with no doubt, otherwise, the prayer will not be answered by God.
And this according to James is the way that we can turn ‘our tears of despair into tears of joy.’ It’s having the knowledge and viewpoint that difficulties can accomplish a lot of good for a Christian. It’s being patient whilst enduring those difficulties to accomplish its work. And as we go through difficult times, its using the wisdom God gives us in answer to prayer to help us put it all together. And when we finally understand these things, it’s then that even trials can be seen as a source of joy for the Christian.

Solomon writes in Proverbs 30:7-9 “I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God”. Solomon tells us that when we are poor we may be tempted to curse God. Which is exactly what Job's wife wanted her husband to do, when they had lost everything Job 2:9 “His wife said to him, "You are still as faithful as ever, aren't you? Why don't you curse God and die?"

And the problem with being wealthy is that we may be tempted to forget God. In Deuteronomy 8:10-14 before God gave the Israelites the Promised Land He warned Israel that they might forget God because of their wealth. And what happened?

Hosea 13:5+6 “I took care of you in a dry, desert land. But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me.”

So, here in James he’s going to share with us reasons to be joyous whether we’re poor or rich. James 1:9 “Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up”. James says if we are "poor", then we can rejoice that we have been "lifted up."

Then in James 2:5 he says “Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.”
And so what James is telling us here is that even if you are poor, you can still be "spiritually rich" and on an equal par with all other Christians.

Revelation 2:8+9 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "This is the message from the one who is the first and the last, who died and lived again. I know your troubles; I know that you are poor---but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan!” Now not only can the poor rejoice because God has lifted them up but if you are "rich", then you too can rejoice because you have been "humbled." Now how does God humble the rich?

James 1:10+11 tells us, “And the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.” In other words the riches which the wealthy have are only temporary.

1 Timothy 6:17 “Tell those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Now not only are riches temporary they are also unable to redeem our souls. Psalm 49:6-9 “By evil people who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth. We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives, because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough to keep us from the grave, to let us live forever.”

I don’t care how rich you are, you cannot buy your way into heaven. May our God bless us all as we allow Him to turn ‘our tears of despair into tears of joy.’
Let me leave you with the inspired words of a man who knew exactly what we’re talking about today. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in. I know how to be humble, and I know how to prosper. In each and every situation I have learned the secret of being full and of going hungry, of having too much and of having too little. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, it was kind of you to share my troubles.”

INVITATION

 

 

Sermon Contributor: Mike Glover

Make Me A Servant

 
James 1

The Violin is a beautiful instrument, and is capable of making very beautiful sounds. When you look at a violin, and listen to the sounds it makes, it causes you to think, "What an extraordinary piece of workmanship!"
The pieces of wood were carefully cut from the trunk of the tree in thin sheets, which were then cut into exactly the right shapes to fit together into a musical instrument. But that's not the end of the process; the ribs (the wood separating the front and back plates of the instrument) had to be planed to the right width, heated, and bent into the necessary shape.
The face plates were carved in a "bowl" shape, and hollowed out to make just the right thickness and curvature to resonate properly. Too thick, and the violin wouldn't resonate. Too thin, and the violin wouldn't hold the tension of the strings.

If only the tree trunk could speak -- what would it say?
"What are you doing to me? Why are you cutting me up? Why are you putting me on the fire and heating me? Get that knife away from me!"
But each painful cut, each bending and twisting, is necessary to make something beautiful! If only the tree knew what the violin maker was doing, how it might rejoice to know that it was being transformed into something of extraordinary beauty!

So it is with us; James tells us (James 1:2-4) to rejoice when we face difficult times, because difficult times mean that God is making something beautiful of our lives, just as the violin maker transforms the drab tree trunk into something amazing. We should approach our difficult circumstances with the attitude, "Hooray! God is making me complete and beautiful!"

Of course, one of the difficulties for us is that we cannot see the end of the work. Just as the tree trunk can't understand what the craftsman is doing, we can't see what it is God is making of our lives.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that we will not "find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Nevertheless, the same verse tells us that God "has made everything beautiful in its time."
The real tragedy would be if the tree could stop the violin maker from creating what he desired. What would be the end result? The tree would never become something beautiful and long-lasting. The violin would never be made. But the tree would still serve a purpose; it would keep someone warm in the winter time. But if I had my choice, I'd choose being a violin over being firewood!

Verses 2 – 4 of James 1 tells us;  2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I will be beginning a new sermon series today on the letter of James. Now the letter of James is one of those letters within the Bible which I find it very challenging.

It challenges our Christian life in every department and exposes areas within our life which really need to be addressed. But before we get stuck into this wonderful letter, let me begin by sharing a story I heard about this man who was at the cinema lying on three seats.
The usher came up to the man and asked to him to only use one seat, but the man just lay there and moaned. The usher said to him, ‘excuse me sir, you need to sit up and only use one seat’ but again the man just lay there.
So the usher said to him, ‘excuse me sir, if you don’t get up, I will have no choice but to get the manager’, but still the man just lay there moaning. So the usher got the manager and he said to the man, ‘excuse me sir you really need to get up and only use one seat, we need these other seats for paying customers’, but still the man just lay there and moaned. So the manager said, ‘OK sir, if you don’t get up I will have no choice but call the police’, but still he didn’t move. So a few minutes later the police came in and asked the man, ‘sir what is your name?’ the man replied, ‘Tommy’ and the police asked the man, ‘and where did you come from Tommy?’ the man looked up in the air and said, ‘the balcony’.

And I guess the point of that story is that if something isn’t moving it’s usually because there’s something wrong. Now we all know that not everybody who grows old, grows up and that’s because there is a vast difference between age and maturity. And because the church is full of Christians who may be old in age doesn’t necessarily mean that they are mature as Christians.
The Bible calls all Christians to grow up into spiritual maturity and if we don’t ... we end up just laying there moaning about everything around us.
You see, the letter of James was written with that exact purpose. It was written to help us understand and attain spiritual maturity. That’s why he writes in James 1:4, “But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
And it’s my hope and prayer that through this sermon series we can help each other grow up into spiritual maturity. Now if you or I receive a letter from someone the first thing we usually find out is who wrote the letter. And when we’re dealing with any book or letter within the Scriptures that’s the first question we need to answer. Who wrote this letter? Well thankfully James 1:1 tells us the answer, ‘From James’.

Now although there are a few James’ mentioned in the New Testament, most scholars agree that the James whose name is mentioned in the letter is James, the brother of our Lord. And he humbly identifies himself only as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" in James 1:1.
Now according to Matthew 13:55 we know that Jesus definitely had a brother named James. And we also know according to John 7:5 that he didn’t believe in Jesus at first. But after the resurrection of Jesus and an appearance by Jesus to him, he became a disciple according to 1 Corinthians 15:7. And from that point on, the Lord’s brother became a great leader amongst God’s people who were in Jerusalem according to Galatians 2:9.
And he must have been a deeply spiritual man to gain such importance in the church at Jerusalem.

Even tradition tells us that he was a man of prayer, which might explain the emphasis on prayer in his letter. In fact tradition says that he prayed so much, his knees were as hard as a camel's! Tradition also tells us that James was martyred in 62 A.D, he was cast down from the temple, and then beaten to death with clubs and as he was dying he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Now we mentioned when you receive a letter it’s good to find out who wrote it but it’s also important to know who it was written to. Well again the answer is found within the letter, in James 1:1, he writes, “From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion. Greetings.” James wrote to Jews living outside the land of Palestine.

Now the "Twelve tribes" is probably a reference to the people of Israel, in other words the Jewish nation. Because remember when the Israelites were taken into captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, many of the Jews were scattered throughout different nations. That’s why we see references to many different nations in Acts 2:5-11.

But that was not the only people he was addressing; James was also writing to Christian Jews. This is evident from the fact that at least nineteen times he addresses them as "brethren or brothers" depending on your translation.
Now we know that James wrote the letter, we know to whom he wrote it, but we also need to ask ourselves why it was written? Well again if you receive a letter from someone through the post you won’t know what it’s about until you read it. And after you have taken the time to read through the entire letter of James you will discover why it was written. And it seems as though people were having problems in their personal lives and having problems in church. They were going through difficult trials, they were facing temptations to sin, they were hearers, but not necessarily doers.  Some were catering to the rich, others were oppressed by the rich, and some were competing for positions in the church.
Improper use of the tongue was a problem, as was worldliness and some were straying from the faith. Does all that sound familiar? Are Christians still suffering today for one reason or another? Don’t we still have Christians whose walk doesn’t reflect their talk? Don’t we all still struggle with worldliness? Are there still Christians who can’t control their tongue?

And please don’t think that James is addressing a host of different topics, he is addressing these issues because they are all related to one another, there is one common factor in each of them. James is going to share with us over the next few months that all these problems have a common cause, spiritual immaturity. He’s writing to a bunch of Christians who suffer from Peter Pan syndrome, ‘the little boy who never wanted to grow up.’
All of us who have children know exactly how children think and behave and I remember when the twins were around 5 years old and they were misbehaving and I said to them,
‘Boys, act your age’ and then I realized they were, they were acting like normal 5 year olds. But as children grow up in age you expect their thinking and behaviour to improve but as we all know that’s not always the case. And these Christians which James is writing to are exactly the same.

In James 1:1-4 he’s going to tell them to stop acting like children when it comes to difficulties. He’s going to tell them to grow up and be patient because difficulties are there for a reason. In James 2:14ff he’s going to tell them to stop acting like children who say one thing but live another way. He’s going to tell them to grow up and realize that faith alone is no good to anyone unless faith have legs attached to it.
In James 3:1ff he’s going to tell them to stop talking to each other like children and be careful what they say. He’s going to tell them to grow up and use their tongue properly for the right reasons.
In James 4:1ff he’s going to tell them to stop acting like children when it comes to disagreements and wanting things that other people have got. He’s going to tell them to grow up and stop fighting and coveting.
And finally in James 5:1ff he’s going to tell them to stop acting like children when to comes to their toys. He’s going to tell them to grow up when it comes to material things. In other words this letter was written to get the Christians to grow up, that’s why he uses the word ‘perfect’ several times.

Now that word ‘perfect’ means ‘mature or complete’ in other words when he writes in James 3:2 and says, “For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body”. He doesn’t mean that, that person doesn’t sin; he means that person is mature, balanced or grown up.

Make no mistake about, the Lord’s church needs spiritually mature men and women today.  And so, let’s be honest with ourselves as we go through this challenging letter of James. Let’s look into the divine mirror, God’s word and see ourselves as we truly are. Let’s be honest about what we see and not just have a quick glimpse and walk away.

James 1:25 “But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it-thus proving that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what it requires-will be blessed in what he does.” In other words the ‘blessing’ doesn’t come from studying His word, the ‘blessing’ comes from doing His word.
Because let me be honest with you, if you are ready to grow spiritually, our enemy the devil won’t like it, so you need to prepare for some opposition. And when all is said and done, every piece of opposition you receive from the devil will all be worth it. Listen to what James says in James 1:12
“How blessed is the man who endures temptation! When he has passed the test, he will receive the victor's crown of life that God has promised to those who keep on loving him”.

Mature Christians are happy Christians, despite the trials they face. Mature Christians are useful Christians, overcoming the temptations that cross their path. Mature Christians are Christians who help encourage others and build their home congregations up. Now the first thing that James says you have to do to became a mature Christian is to recognize what you are.
Look again at James 1:1, he calls himself ‘a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Now why would James and other New Testament writers describe themselves as servants?
When you signed up to follow Jesus, you signed up to be a servant.
James 1:1 says; “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” If we are servants... then we need to know Who it is we are serving.

James was a servant of God and Jesus Christ and we are too.
in Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.” In other words Paul says, don’t consider our own profit or preference important, but that of the One we freely serve! Because it never ceases to amaze me how many Christians claim to be servants of Jesus Christ but all they do is complain about having to do God’s will. Or if they do decide to do His will they do it at their pace or pick and chose which part of His will do to. In fact some Christians act as though they are being forced against their own will.

But what they fail to realize is that none of us "have to" serve the Lord Jesus. And if we chose not to serve Jesus then by default we serve Satan, and are destined for hell. God by His grace has offered us salvation, and how dare we ever grumble or complain that He calls us to a life of service in grateful appreciation.
Yes, being a servant is costly, yes being a servant is very demanding of us, but what a great honour it is, isn’t it? We should take it as an honour to be called a servant, why? Well simply because some of the greatest people we read about in the Bible were honored to be called servants. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Job, Isaiah and all the prophets were all called God’s servants. And so, if you want to grow into a strong spiritual mature Christian then serve God and His Son Jesus, with obedience, humility and loyalty.
Song #100 Take My Life & Let It Be

Sermon Contributor Mike Glover

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less

 
Matthew 7: 24-27 & Luke 24

A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, “Eighteen to nothing and we’re behind.” “Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!”

A man told of going through his father’s possession’s after his dad died, and among the things he found was his father’s 7th grade report card. Back in the Fall of 1941 this 7th grade report card showed the grading scale on the back of it. There was A, B, C, D, F, and something he’d never seen before: the letter G!
Who would have thought there was a grade you could get that was below F. But back then there was. “F” of course meant FAILURE. But apparently there was something worse than an F ... a G! On the back of the report card, beside the letter G was this one-word explanation: “HOPELESS!”

In one of our parallel texts today, we find two men walking along the road, and their lives have become rated “G.” They have become hopeless. Their lives have fallen apart.
They said in Luke 24:19-21 “Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people... our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”
They had HOPED Jesus would be the answer to their dreams. They had HOPED He would change their lives. They had HOPED He would make a difference in their world... but He was dead now.
In their mind...there was no longer any hope. They were filled with despair, defeat and discouragement.

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the affect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water, and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why?
Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope! Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should its effect be on our lives.
David wrote in Psalm 33:18: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who HOPE in his steadfast love” . And again in Psalm 71:5: “For you, O Lord, are my HOPE, my trust...”
As children of a living God, we need hope in our lives. In fact, we can’t SURVIVE without hope.

Song #120: My Hope is BUILT on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and RIGHTEOUSNESS! This song is based on Matthew 7: 24 – 27.

ILLUS: An Air Force Instructor once wrote something called the Rule Of Threes: “You can survive 3 weeks without food;
You can survive 3 days without water;
3 hours without shelter;
Or 3 minutes without air,
BUT you CANNOT SURVIVE more than three seconds without hope.”
When I first read that I thought – “Yeah sure – you can’t survive without hope? Of course you can. I know plenty of people who survive without hope.
But then I got to thinking... this is a military expert explaining the truth that SOLDIERS cannot survive without hope.
For any of you HISTORY BUFFS reflect back on some of the greatest military battles of history.
The armies that lost their hope... lost the battles. They either believed that the other army was so powerful that they had no hope of stopping them, or they discovered that their leader had been killed or had run away.
Either way, because they had lost hope, they often would turn and run; and when that happened the opposing army would chase them down and slaughter them on the field of battle.
We need to understand as Christians, we cannot survive without hope. Now what I found interesting about the story in Luke 24, is that these men (walking to Emmaus) didn’t realize who they were talking to. They didn’t realize it was Jesus.
I wonder why Jesus didn’t just say: “Hey guys, it’s me! I’m alive. It’s not a hoax! Here, put your fingers in the nail prints, put your hand in my side”
Didn’t Jesus say those exact words to someone else?
Thomas. So... Thomas gets a 5 minute “show and tell” and these guys on the road to Emmaus get a 3 hour dissertation. What’s going on here?
Well, this is my guess!

I believe Jesus took the time to deal with THEIR hopelessness so that we’d know how to deal with OURS. All of us have faced times in life when we’ve become discouraged, downhearted and filled with hopelessness.
Times when we’ve lost our jobs, or when our health was deteriorating, or when People were mistreating us,
or times when things just weren’t going right.
Most, if not all of us, have faced times when we felt boxed in and trapped.

I believe what Jesus did for these 2 men on the road to Emmaus was recorded for our encouragement and hope. I believe the things Jesus did for these men were tools God gives to US for times when we get discouraged.
Notice the first thing Jesus does. Luke 24:25-27 “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

What did He do there? He opened the Bible for them. Too many times, Christians forget that the Bible was the tool God gave us to give us encouragement. In fact, that’s what we’re told in Romans 15:4
- “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE.”
The scriptures were written so that we might have.... WHAT? (HOPE) The Bible is God’s tool to change our lives and give us hope. And it is a powerful tool.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to the dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
There is power in the pages of your Bible. If we are not reading it, we are robbing ourself of the potential God wants to give us. It is in that book that we find power to become overcomers in a difficult and challenging world.
Now I want you to notice, when Jesus walked with the men to Emmaus, He didn’t just do a Bible study with them. He didn’t say “Let’s turn to the book of Leviticus and see if there is some kernel of truth we can apply to our lives today.”

Oh no. As He walked with them, He taught them about what the Bible said about His resurrection. “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
It was a very targeted study of the Bible. A study that focused ENTIRELY on Jesus and what He had come to do.
Now there’s all kinds of important things to learn out of the Bible but THE most important thing we can learn about --- is Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no hope. And without His death, burial and resurrection, this life is all you have.

ILLUS: There’s an old Gospel hymn that declares: “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say.” Jesus is our living HOPE!
That’s why Baptism focuses on the fact that – to become Christians – God calls us to die with Christ, be buried in a watery grave and rise from the dead as Christ did.
Just to become a Christian, we reenact the living Hope of a risen Savior.

Now I would like to step back for a moment and take another look at Thomas.
Thomas is a pretty good guy.
In fact, it helps to know that Jesus prayed all night before He selected His 12 disciples... and Thomas made the cut.
He’s a man who shows promise.
He’s a man who has the ability to believe and act on his belief.
In fact, all the other times Thomas shows up in the Gospels... he looks pretty good.
When Jesus is determined to go to Jerusalem in the midst of a dangerous situation, “Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” John 11:16

And later, when Jesus told His disciples that “In my Father’s house there are many rooms”... and I’m going to prepare a place for you... You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:4

Thomas piped right up and said: "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" John 14:5
And Jesus responded: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
So, in Thomas we have the picture of a committed follower of Christ.
He loves Jesus.
He walks with Jesus.
He’s willing to suffer and even die for Jesus.

But then he shows up late to the party after Jesus rose from the grave.
The other disciples try sharing their excitement with him but he’s having nothing to do with it.
You can almost sense the anger in his voice:
“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will NOT believe it.” John 20: 25

Whoa! I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT???
Not, “I have my doubts.”
Not, “I’m having trouble accepting it.”
Not, “You’re kidding me, right?”
No --- I WILL NOT believe it!
The Other Disciples may have had their doubts until they saw Jesus but they NEVER said
“I WON’T believe!”

That’s a dangerous way to deal with God.
I mean, doubt is one thing, but telling God WHAT you’ll accept as proof is another thing entirely. Telling God to come down and settle things on your terms is not generally a good idea.
So, Thomas is being so unreasonable here.
But if Thomas is being unreasonable why would Jesus even bother to show up?

Why let Thomas put his fingers into the holes in his hands and his side?
Why would Jesus show mercy to him when Thomas REFUSED to believe?
You know what the answer is? (PAUSE)
I don’t have a clue. I don’t know, the Bible doesn’t say.
All I know is that Jesus DID show Thomas mercy.
And it’s a good thing too, that Jesus showed him mercy.
Have you ever said anything stupid to God or about God?
If Jesus could show mercy to Thomas here, it’s good to know that He’ll probably show us mercy as well.
But notice, Jesus did tell Thomas to “stop it.”
“STOP doubting and believe.” John 20:27

Now I want you to notice what Jesus said to Thomas after allowing him to touch His wounds:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

You know what Jesus was saying? He’s saying: I’m going to cut you some slack here Thomas but you have to realize not everyone is going to get this break. People will have to make up their mind to believe in me without touching.

Hebrews teaches us: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT SEEN.” Hebrews 11:1
And it also tells us: “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists AND THAT HE REWARDS those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

To have faith you have to be able to believe what you can NOT see.
And not only that - you not only have to believe that God exists... but that He actually DOES stuff.

Let’s use an earthly illustration for this:
When a man says, “I believe in my wife,” is he saying the same thing as “I believe that I have a wife?”
Of course not! If a man says “I believe I HAVE a wife” that means he can verify it by going back to the house and seeing if she’s still there. But if he believes IN his wife, that means he believes he can trust her. He knows that she’ll speak well of him, do things for him, and encourage him and not hurt him.

Thus, when we say we believe IN God... that’s different from saying I believe God exists.
You can’t say: “I believe IN God and then say I don’t believe that He could do what the Bible says He can/did do.

Thomas had all kinds of information. He’d walked with Jesus for 3 years and had seen Christ heal 100s of people by just touching them, feed 1000s with just a small amount of food, and raise people from the dead.
He had far more information than you or I have, and yet because he sought that little bit extra, he almost ruined his relationship with Christ.

And at some point along the line in our faith... you and I have to make that choice about following God. We have to CHOOSE to believe. We have to decide that we believe God can actually do things in our lives. We accept that we can not fully understand Him... but we believed IN Him.

And you’ve got a living Hope in Jesus. He offers something that many in this world do not have. When peoples’ lives fall apart around you, you need to tell them about a risen Savior who’s in the world today. A Savior that loves them so much that He wants to give them hope in a hopeless world.

INVITATION

Based on a sermon given
by Jeff Strite

Persecution Is Worth It

Acts 14:1-28

INTRO: As we continued our look at the book of Acts, the last time we left Paul and Barnabas they were shaking the dust from their feet after the Jewish leaders stirred up trouble for them in Antioch in Pisidia. While this was going on Luke informed us that the gospel was being spread all over the country.

Today we move on to Acts 14. This chapter concludes the account of the first missionary journey, detailing the experiences of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. We see them revisiting all of the Galatian cities, strengthening the congregations, appointing elders, and preaching at Perga which had been skipped at the beginning. It concludes with an account of their return journey to Syrian Antioch and the report of their labors to the sponsoring congregation.

Paul and Barnabas have left the saints at Antioch very happy and full of the Spirit and moved on to Iconium.

Before we get on with the lesson let me tell you a story.
A schoolteacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body.
It fit under his shirt and wasn't noticeable.
On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to some the toughest students in the school.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work.
When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest.
As you can imagine, he had no trouble with discipline that school term.

I guess the point of the story is that there are some occupations where you might expect the possibility of trouble and being a schoolteacher is one of them.

I. Since Paul and Barnabas had the occupation of preaching the word of God, you can be sure that trouble isn’t very far away from them. Acts 14:1-3 – “Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke, that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” [NKJV]

A. I wonder, when you go traveling, what are the things you check out first. Maybe you check out the accommodations you will use, the local shopping or perhaps the entertainment. How many of us though would check to see if there was a local congregation of the saints who meet in that city first?

1. When an apostle of Christ went into a new city, the first place they would go is to the local synagogue if that city had one. When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Iconium, they immediately went to the synagogue and seized an opportunity to preach.
2. It’s interesting that Luke doesn’t go into details with the exact words that Paul and Barnabas spoke, but he does let us know that the message was powerful enough to move a great multitude.
3. Their words were so powerful they moved many of the people, including both Jews and Gentiles, to the point of obedient belief.

B. It was the extensive Gentile character of the Iconium population which I think resulted in the "signs and wonders" God performed there by the hands of the apostles, thus "confirming the word" was from God. In situations where the population was more completely Jewish, such confirmation through the apostles were not necessary. The Jews already professed to receive the Scriptures as the word of God; but the Gentiles knew little or nothing of the Scriptures; hence the appearance of signs.
C. The opposition mentioned above in Acts 14:2 was perhaps frustrated by the mighty miracles performed by the apostles. At any rate the preaching continued without abatement for some time.
D. I have heard it said that some vainly suppose that if modern Christians only had faith like the apostles, they could perform miracles of healing; but such a view does not take account the purpose for the miracles given in the apostolic age. The miracles in view here were God's way of "bearing witness to the word of His grace," and were in no sense merely for the benefit of the suffering.
E. Again, what we see happening here is the purpose of the miracles being fulfilled. Miracles were designed to confirm the word being preached. Remember Hebrews 2:3-4 – which says; “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” [NKJV] The miracles stood as a testimony of the preachers’ words showing the words were true and from God Himself.
F. As always we find there are people who love nothing better than to cause trouble. Luke tells us there were a bunch of Jews who refused to obey the gospel and they did all they could to poison the thinking of the Gentile citizens, as well as the authorities. Because of the trouble these Jews caused, Paul and Barnabas could do no more where they we at.

II. I think you can usually tell when someone doesn’t like you. Some people just ignore you all together and others will tell it to your face. There are those people who like to spread lies about you, but be assured that there are some people who will cause trouble anyway they can.

A. That’s what’s happening in Iconium. I’ll paraphrase what we read next in Acts 14:4-7 – “The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news.” [para]

1. Luke tells us that the city was divided into two groups—those who obediently believed the preached word and those who demonstrated their lack of belief by refusing to obey. It’s those latter people who conspired to work physical harm on the preachers, even to the point of stoning.
2. I have never been in a situation where people have been after me to kill me. That must be a terrifying ordeal for anyone to experience.
3. I read a story about a man who lived through World War 2. He said; “I had a comparatively easy time of it the war. I did not go through any of the private hells of men on ships in the Navy, of the Marines at Guadalcanal, or of infantrymen everywhere.

a. I saw and felt enough to empathize with those men.
b. I learned one profound lesson: don't panic.
c. Did your car just break down 30 miles from nowhere? You’re on the ground, not at 12,000 feet.
d. You're not in enemy territory. It's only Ohio.
e. Did you loose your job? There will be other jobs. You've known people who've been out of work so long they can't remember what kind of work they're out of.
f. What I got out of World War II and I'm grateful for it, was a crash course in growing up. I suppose over a lifetime I might have learned what I learned during that war. Maybe, but what I and others got from that short span over a half-century ago, was an undying appreciation for the every day, resilience of the human spirit.”

4. My point of telling you his story is that you didn’t have to have been there to learn a lesson from it.

B. The apostle Paul was aware of what it means to be persecuted. That’s why he could write to his young friend Timothy and say in 2 Timothy 3:12 – “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

1. We were not there, but we can learn a lesson from the experience of their persecution. Paul and Barnabas didn’t hang around while these people were out to kill them. They moved on.
2. They moved on and preached the gospel in Lystra and Derbe. Just like they did at Antioch, they shook the dust from their feet with these troublemakers and went to new pastures. As we saw in a previous part of Acts, don’t waste your time in a place you’re not welcome anymore.

III. I understand there are times we think we must spend as much time as possible with some people. Folks, there are times when it’s not just worth the trouble. Creating trouble is a troublemaker’s job description. It seems to be their life goal and what they enjoy doing the most. Proverbs 24:1-2 – “Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of troublemaking.”

A. When you come across people like that just do what Paul and Barnabas did—move on. Look with me now at Acts 14:8-10 – “And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!'' And he leaped and walked.”
B. Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas arrived at Lystra, which was around 18 miles to the east of Iconium. Remember what I said earlier? Usually they would check out the local synagogue when they arrived at a new city but Lystra doesn’t have one. What they did find was something which was very familiar, even to us today—a crippled individual. This man had been crippled since birth and had never walked.

1. It appears he paid close attention to the words of the apostle. Paul recognized that the man fully believed he could be healed through the name of the Jesus which Paul preached. When Paul commanded him to stand on his feet, he leapt up and walked.
2. Notice also that this man was not asked to pay for ‘a healing.’ Unlike the wealthy so called “faith-healers” of today. When Jesus or any of the apostles performed miracles and healed people they did not do it for financial gain.
3. Now let’s consider 1 Timothy 6:3-5 – “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”

C. As we said Paul and Barnabas had no ulterior motives for healing the man. In Biblical times, miracles always had a worthy motive, and signs were not done for the purpose of personal elaboration.

1. Though Jesus’ miracles established the validity of His claim of being the Son of God, that designation was not assumed out of personal interest. The reason that Jesus and the apostles performed miracles was purely motivated by a love for man’s salvation.
2. As we are about to see, if Paul and Barnabas were after personal gain or praise the perfect opportunity for them was about to arise.

IV. We are now in Acts 14:11-14 – “11. Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!'' 12. And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. 14. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out”

A. Apparently the people of Lystra were a very superstitious lot and when they saw the lame man walk, they concluded the gods had come to be with them. In their finite wisdom they also decided Barnabas was Zeus, the ‘patron god’ of that area, and Paul was Hermes who was called the ‘god of Eloquence’.
B. You might be wondering why Paul and Barnabas didn’t stop this straight away. I suspect the simple answer to that question is: they didn’t know what was happening straight away, since the people spoke in the language of the Lycaonians.
C. It wasn’t until they saw the priest who served in the temple of Zeus on the road leading to the city gate and bringing oxen with garlands on their heads to be sacrificed, that they realized what was happening. They tore their clothes and ran in among the crowd shouting. Acts 14:15-18 – “15. and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, 16. "who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. 17. "Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.'' 18. And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.”

1. This text shows us they weren’t looking for self-praise, but they wanted to share the love of God with them to bring them to salvation. They asked the people why they would do such a thing since they were mere mortals just like they were. They pleaded with the people to turn from their empty worshipping of idols to serve the true God who is the creator of the universe.
2. The true God who had for years, allowed man to ignorantly pursue his own path, even though God always provided mankind with good things, like the rain and the harvest. Luke tells us that the speech was successful in stopping the intended sacrifice.

D. You may have had the experience of hearing people or reading of people that are talking about Christians, and they call us hypocrites. I find that very amusing in a lot of ways, especially when these very same people often deny the existence of God in the first place.

1. They say things like, how can there be a God with all this suffering going on in the world? How can there be a God when my seven-month-old baby died? They are all very quick to question God when bad things are happening. You do not hear these same people saying, thank you God for my life and good health. Thank you, God, for all the food and water you supply every day. Thank you God for the world of beauty and wonder you have provided.
2. Matthew 5:45 – “... for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
3. These same people that call Christians hypocrites refuse to look around them and ask the question where does all this come from.

E. Paul talks about this over in Romans 1:18-25 – “18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19. because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21. because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22. Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23. and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. 24. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25. who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

1. Paul says these people have no excuse for not concluding that there is God. Then Paul tells us people know that there is God, yet all they want to do is be ignorant and create their own personal gods.
2. Ignorance is no excuse and God will not take ignorance into account. Psalm 19:1-4 – “1. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,”
3. The truth of the matter is these same people do not like to be reminded that there is a God, and they are going to persecute our efforts.

V. Some people are so stubbornly full of hate that they will not stop until the object of their attention is destroyed. These people who have caused Paul and Barnabas a lot of trouble are continually following them around and they won’t stop until Paul is dead. Luke continues in Acts 14:19-20 - “Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.”

A. Luke tells us that these hostile Jews from Antioch and Iconium soon came to Lystra and persuaded the people to stone Paul. They dragged his seemingly lifeless body outside the city, thinking he was dead.

1. What happened next is just incredible. Luke says that the disciples gathered around Paul, perhaps in mourning and the next thing you know Paul’s back up on his feet and what does he do? He walked straight back into the city. He spent the night there and left the next day with Barnabas.
2. I find that incredible because if that were us, I suspect we would be looking for the nearest way out of town. Paul and Barnabas travelled some 60 miles to the east to the city of Derbe, which was on the eastern most edge of Roman Galatia.
3. It seems here at least their message was well received because they won a large number of disciples over for the Lord.

B. So they went on to Derbe but Paul decided he had unfinished business as we are about to read. Acts 14:21-23 – “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.'' So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

1. What did they do? They returned to the very cities where they were receiving a lot of persecution. They went back to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch for a reason. That reason was to urge the brethren to remain faithful in spite of the persecution which was sure to come and to choose men in each city to serve as elders in the congregation.
2. Obviously, their appointment was intended to help strengthen the church since Paul and Barnabas also prayed and fasted with them while urging them to rely on the Lord in whom they had placed their trust.
3. I noticed it says they prayed with fasting. It is true that there was no formal or ceremonial fast prescribed for Christians, either by the Lord or by any of the apostles, but it is quite evident that fasting was an approved device and that even apostles observed occasions of fasting. There is no reason why devout people in any age should be criticized for following their example.

VI. It is my understanding that when someone is supported in full time evangelism they usually have to write update letters to their supporters. What they do is report about all the work done as a congregation. They keep everyone updated with how the work is going and how the saints at the congregation they are working with are doing.

A. I bring that up to let you know that this is not a new idea. It comes right out of God’s employment handbook for mission workers reports. Luke tells us in Acts 14:24-28 – “24. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25. Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. 27. And when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”
B. Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps all the way back to Antioch in Syria, where they had first been separated to the work. When they returned there, they got the whole congregation to assemble and related to them all God had accomplished on their journey. Notice two important components about the report.

1. First, they wanted the whole congregation to know what had been done because they were the ones who sent them on this mission trip in the first place. They gave them an honest report of all that had been done and the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles.
2. The second thing which I believe is highly important—they gave God all the credit. There is none of this ‘look how wonderful I am’, ‘I have done this and I have done that’ and ‘I managed to open this door to share the gospel with someone’. God did it all and so we should give God the credit where credit is due.

C. Paul and Barnabas finished their report and stayed for a good while with the brethren in Antioch. We have a message to take to our friends and family and the people who live in this community and that message is simple.

CONCLUSION:
Let me conclude; If you want to become a Christian, you must be willing to face persecution. Anyone who has ever said, ‘become a Christian and your life will be a bed of roses’ is neglecting to give you the full picture. Just ask Paul and Barnabas and they will tell you that persecution is very real. They would also tell you that the persecution they received was worth it because many more souls came to Christ.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and be baptized for the remission of our sins... If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???

Reference Sermon: Mike Glover

Behold The Man

John 19: 1 – 22

INTRO:  A group of people volunteered to do a parachute jump for charity. On their first day of training, the instructor made an important point about preparing for landing at 300 feet off the ground. One woman asked “How do you know when you’re at 300 feet?” The instructor smiled and said: “Good question. At 300 feet you can recognize the faces of people on the ground.” The woman thought about this for a moment and then said: “What happens if there’s nobody there I know?”

Recognizing people... it’s an important part of living. It’s embarrassing when somebody comes up to you and they know you but you’re pretty sure you don’t know them!
In our text today, we have a number of people who don’t know WHO Jesus is. “The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands.” John 19:2-3
THEY DIDN’T REALLY BELIEVE HE WAS A KING... BUT HE IS!

“The Jews answered (Pilate), ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.’” John 19:6-7
THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE HE WAS THE SON OF GOD... BUT HE IS!

“Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’” John 19:15

THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE JESUS WAS THEIR KING and yet Philippians 4:9-10 tells us the day is coming that “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The soldiers, the Jews and the chief priests none of them recognized who Jesus was! But there’s one man on the scene who seemed to get it right. One man who spoke as if he almost knew who Jesus was. Pontius Pilate
He stands before the masses and declares: “Behold the man!” John 19:5
And again, Pilate speaks and says: “Behold your King!” John 19:14
And he asks: “Would you have me crucify your King?” John 19:15
Each phrase has power. Each phrase has a deep a powerful meaning. Each phrase was spoken as if they were the very words of God. It’s almost like... Pilate is reading from a script. In fact, I think he was reading from a Script... God’s script.
Acts 4:27-28 declared that “Herod and Pontius Pilate ... did what (God’s) power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

You see, there was a script and Pilate and Herod were reading from that same script. It was a script God had written LONG beforehand. And this wouldn’t have been the first time that somebody read from God’s script: In John 11:48-51 we’re told “Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, ‘... You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation’”
Caiaphas didn’t speak on his own he was reading from the script. And I don’t think Pilate said what he said (that day) on his own. I personally believe that the words that Pilate spoke that day were the words that God spoke... through Pilate

For example, Pilate stood before the crowd & declared “BEHOLD THE MAN!”
Now, this puzzled me for a little while. The phrase didn’t seem to make any sense! Why Pilate would say that? It just doesn’t seem to ... mean anything.

Then someone noted that Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus. Pilate saw this whole episode as totally unnecessary and irrational. He didn’t understand the hatred that drove these people. And so, Pilate’s made this declaration “HERE IS THE MAN you find so dangerous and threatening: can you not see he is harmless and somewhat ridiculous?”

Essentially, Pilate is mocking the Jews for their cruelty, and he’d like to shame them into changing their minds. And that’s probably what drove Pilate to say what HE said. But there’s another layer of meaning to that statement: “BEHOLD THE MAN.” There’s a layer of meaning that I believe GOD wants us to see.
You see, without realizing it, Pilate had quoted a Messianic prophecy from Zechariah 6:12 “BEHOLD THE MAN whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.”
Jesus... was THAT man! He’d come to fulfill even that prophecy from Zechariah: “Behold The Man.”
It’s also interesting that, when Jesus stood before Pilate, it was on a Friday morning. Friday. Does anyone know what day of the week that is? It’s the 6th day of the week, isn’t it? Do you recall what God created on the 6th day of creation? MAN! Genesis 2:7 tells us “the LORD God formed THE MAN of dust...”

That MAN was ADAM.
And the Bible teaches us that “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) And it goes on to say: Because that FIRST Adam chose to sin “... by A MAN came death, (and) by A MAN (Jesus) has also come the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:21-22)
You see, Jesus, was the 2nd Adam. He was THE MAN who took away my sin and disgrace. He was the ADAM who defeated death and gave me everlasting life!
So... what God is saying to us here is this: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? Do you believe that Jesus is “The Man” who took away your sin and disgrace, and has brought you eternal life? BEHOLD (says God) THIS IS THE MAN!... Do you believe in Him!

Pilate also asks the Jews “Would you have me crucify your King?” It’s like he’s pleading with the Jews to reconsider their decision. But notice how the Jews respond: “We have no King but Caesar” John 19:15
We have no king but Caesar? Seriously?

Now, just a history lesson for those of you who don’t know this - the Jews hated the Romans, and they despised Caesar. Rome controlled and dominated Israel, and the people longed to be an independent nation where they could be in charge of their own lives. they were not a free people – and they hated that.
And yet, when asked if they would crucify their King (Jesus) they basically said “we’d rather be enslaved than accept Jesus.”

ILLUS: I am pretty sure that many of us have seen that kind of attitude numerous times. We may of even had a troubled and miserable young man tell us – “Your Christianity may work for you but it doesn’t work for me” In other words, “I’d rather suffer MY way. I’d rather be miserable all MY life than to turn to Jesus for help.” He wants to freed from his unhappiness, but he doesn’t want Jesus’ help.
And yet Jesus said: "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36) In other words – if you want to be freed from your burdens and troubles... turn to Jesus! If the Son sets you free, you’ll be free indeed!
Lastly, let’s take a look Pilate’s words: “Behold Your King!” (PAUSE) Now, I don’t think Pilate really thought that Jesus was a King. I think Pilate was just annoyed by the Jewish leaders and he wanted to get their goat. And so he says “BEHOLD YOUR KING” ... and the Jews take the bait! “They cried out, "Away with him, away with him. Crucify him!”

So, when Jesus hung on the cross, Pilate tweaked them again. Pilate had a plaque placed above Jesus head declaring "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (John 19:19) Pilate wanted to remind them:
“You wanted to Crucify this man, Then KNOW that you have crucified your King.”
And that was the message that God wanted the Jews to remember: “You crucified your king!” Once again, I believe God inspired Pilate to make that statement, because God brought that topic up again about a month later. The day was Pentecost – and a huge number of Jews had gathered in Jerusalem to observe that feast. God got their attention when the Spirit came upon the Apostles, and they began to speak in languages they’d never learned telling of the mighty works of God. It was so unusual - that a large crowd gathered.
Peter began to preach to them explaining from Old Testament prophecies that Jesus was their Messiah - the KING they had waited so long for. And then, Peter told them, “YOU CRUCIFIED HIM!”
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know
— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, YOU CRUCIFIED AND KILLED by the hands of lawless men.” Acts 2:22-23

Later, in Acts 3, Peter is driving home the same point to a different crowd: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him... YOU KILLED THE AUTHOR OF LIFE, whom God raised from the dead.” Acts 3:13 & 15
God drove it home, over and over again – YOU crucified you King. Did you realize that that’s what Scripture says to you and I did? It was because of our sins that Christ was on the cross. In 1 Peter 2:24 we’re told “(Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
It’s important that we understand that truth: Jesus died to take away YOUR sins... and MINE.

ILLUS: Back in the 1600s there was a famous Dutch painter named Rembrandt. He did numerous famous paintings but there was one that particularly unique called “The Raising of the Cross.” There at the base of the cross Rembrandt painted... HIMSELF. (We showed the artwork on the overhead with Rembrandt circled in yellow). Rembrandt wanted his audience to understand that he believed that it was his sins that put Christ on the cross.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, were you there when they crucified my Lord?
(Ohh, sometimes it causes me to tremble)
Tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the cross?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the cross?
(Ohh, sometimes it causes me to tremble)
Tremble
Were you there when they nailed Him to the cross?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
(Ohh, sometimes it causes me to tremble)

CLOSE: Now, one last thought here: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but He died there because He VOLUNTEERED to be crucified! It was His idea. He died there so that our sins could be forgiven and so we could be changed. Look again at 1 Peter 2:24 “(Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, (SO) THAT we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Jesus didn’t do what He did because He hated you! He didn't do it because He thought "I've got to do that, but I don't want to do that, and I don't even like these people!" No. He died on the cross because YOU mattered to Him.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." He LOVED YOU.
You see, Jesus wasn’t nailed to the Cross BY our sins! He volunteered to be nailed there... FOR our sins. Jesus freely offered His life in exchange for yours and mine; because He wanted to free us from our sins.
That's the whole concept here. He died so that you could be free. And the way in which you accept His free gift is simple. It's not complex. He's not making you jump though hoops. It's very simple. In fact it talks about in Acts chapter 2. You want to change your life? Do you want to be forgiven of your sins? Well, all you have to do is “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38
The idea is - it's talked about in Romans 6 - that just as Jesus died FOR your sins, you choose to die TO your past.
You say "I don't want to be that person anymore!" And then, just as Jesus was buried in the ground, you allow yourself to be buried in a watery grave. You join with Jesus. Jesus died and was buried for you. And now you die (to your sins) and are buried with Him. But you don't stay there! You see, Jesus didn't stay there. He rose from the grave to give us a new life. And so, YOU rise from that watery grave to "walk in newness of life." It's that simple.
INVITATION