Chardon church of Christ

When We See Him - We Can Ask Him

 
Acts 8:14-25

INTRO: Good morning. I have an active imagination and as I study this frequently leads me down paths which take me to a topic for a lesson. If I step on any toes when I give a lesson, please be assured that mine have been stepped on as well. We are going to continue today in Acts chapter 8.

But before we get into our text let me share with you an experience I had when I did a web-search on the topic “Opinions of Others”. Perhaps I ended up there because of all the on-line postings these days. Here are a couple of the quotes:

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”
― Winston Churchill
“The funny thing about truth, everyone seems to have their own version.”
― Carlos Wallace
“(there are) entire groups of people with what seems like an infinite amount of time on their hands to be angry about something that doesn't even affect them in the slightest.”
― Lindsey Ouimet
“Personal opinions rarely mirror the absolute truth yet always reflect the absolution of personal ignorance.”
― Jason Versey

We all have our own ideas about people. The people we want to be around and even I fear, about who should and who should not be accepted into God’s kingdom. This was true of the early Christians as well. We see in scripture that those who have been Jews had to learn to accept the Samaritans into God’s kingdom because God has no favorites among races.

I. In Acts 8:5 we see Philip preaching the good news about Jesus to the Samaritans. In Samaria he was met by a magician whose name was Simon and who was an exceedingly popular figure among the high and the low of society. When Philip preached Jesus his words were confirmed by the miracles he performed, many Samaritans including Simon were baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

A. What Luke shares with us today is that not everyone comes to Christ for the right reasons. Acts 8:14-17- “ Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”

1. It saddens us today when we hear about bad news within the Lord’s church. When we hear that this or that person who has fallen away or a congregation is forcing something upon its members. Or a congregation has adopted as doctrine what is worldly. It saddens us because bad news seems to spread very quickly, but when a church is doing something great for the Lord we hardly ever hear about it unless it’s been written about in some church publication and even those are often full of the negative.
2. When I stop to think about it, these bad news items compound themselves by being a discouragement to the faithful.

B. When the good news about what was happening in Samaria got to the ears of the apostles who were still in Jerusalem, Luke tells us they sent Peter and John to the city. What we see happening is the power of Jesus changing lives and people’s attitudes towards others. It wasn’t all that long ago when John and his brother, James, asked Jesus to destroy a Samarian city by the way.

1. Luke 9:51-56- “ And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
2. Previously the Jewish John wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritan city that refused to receive Jesus. Now the new Christian John is praying for them in Acts 8:15.
3. Not only did he pray for them, but he and Peter laid their hands on them that they might receive the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit. It is here that we discover the real reason why Simon wanted to become a Christian.
4. Acts 8:18-25- “Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'' But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.'' Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.'' So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.”

C. Before we look at Simon’s sin let me point out a couple of important truths revealed in this text. Clear evidence of a person receiving the miraculous gifts must have been present because Simon was able to see this being accomplished through the laying on of the apostles' hands.

1. Remember that Philip was numbered among the seven in Acts 6:5-6, (appointed to care for the Grecian widows) and he was one of the men whom the apostles had laid their hands upon to bestow miraculous gifts of the Spirit.
2. I’ve made this particular point before recently, but it bears repeating. Ask this question, why didn’t Philip pass on the miraculous gifts to those who were baptized in Samaria?
3. The answer is, he couldn’t. Philip did not have the ability to bestow miraculous gifts on anyone. That’s why Peter and John came to do it.
4. It was only the apostles who had the ability to pass on these miraculous gifts. If you were around then and they bestowed these gifts upon you then you like Philip might perform miracles, but you could not pass those abilities on to someone else.
5. I pray that some of the charismatic crowd would try to understand these texts. When the apostles died, no one was left to pass on these miraculous gifts. When those who had these gifts bestowed upon them by the apostles died all miraculous gifts died with them.
6. Just like Philip, those who had the gifts bestowed on them by the apostles could not pass these gifts on. Religious groups who teach that you’re not a Christian or you don’t posses God’s Spirit until you have a miraculous gift from God need to seriously rethink what they are preaching. That kind of thinking has absolutely no Biblical support whatsoever, and it can be dangerous to the individual.

D. Simon had believed and had been baptized, so there is no doubt he had been saved from his former sins. Jesus tells us in Mark 16:16 - “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Yet, and this is important—when Simon was confronted with a power potentially so useful for dominating the city in Samaria, he reverted to a materialistic approach... and tried to purchase the power from Peter and John.
E. Not all Christians received miraculous gifts, and Simon is one of those people. Simon's attempt to purchase this power with money led Peter to tell Simon that he and his money would perish together if his heart was not changed. He could have no part in matters eternal so long as his heart was not right with God and he tells Simon to repent.
F. That was not the case in Acts 5 if you recall. Let me tell you another story... An elder was preaching to a large audience using as his text the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to God and were struck dead. The preacher roared: "God doesn't strike people dead for lying like He did in Acts 5. If he did, where would I be?" This got a laugh from his audience, but then he retorted, "I tell you where I would be. I would be right here preaching to an empty house!"

II. Every Christian, every single Christian is tempted in many ways. Simon’s temptation to gain more popularity was so great; he was even willing to pay. There nothing wrong with wanting to be great in God’s kingdom provided you’re willing to do it the right way.

A. In Matthew 20 when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to place her sons in positions of high authority, Jesus rebuked them and said in Matthew 20:25-28- "... "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'' "
B. We live in a society where everything is fast tracked. People will do anything to get up their professional ladder as fast as they can. You cannot fast track greatness in God’s kingdom. Jesus tells us Matthew 20, “Not so with you.”
C. You don’t become great in God’s kingdom by becoming a dictator, you became great by serving. When you serve and become a slave for Christ and put your brothers and sisters in Christ first... then you become great. Christianity is not a popularity contest; Christianity is a group of slaves who are willing to serve from the bottom up.

1. The apostle Paul preaches what I’m talking about better than I do in Philippians 2:5-11- “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
2. You want to be great in His kingdom? Then do what Jesus did; be humble and serve others. In other words, don’t tell people what to do, show them. If you find yourself wanting to become great by any means other than serving, then do what Peter instructed Simon to do, pray that God would forgive you.
3. Simon became a Christian and was freed from sin, yet the temptation of sin bound his heart once again. Simon acknowledged to the apostles that he had sin in his heart by asking the apostles to pray for him.

D. There are times when Christians need to practice what James tells us in James 5:16- “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

1. Mutuality is certainly implied by this. The cathartic effect of confession, as mutually engaged among Christians, is helpful and beneficial; the purpose of such confessions is the enlisting of mutual prayers of Christians for each other. There is no requirement for Christians to confess their past sins "to the whole church," in view here. That is a practice which is not being espoused, and which can have a very detrimental effect.
2. Unfortunately there is a practice among some present-day religious groups for the unbosoming completely of those being initiated. This is apt to have more harmful than beneficial results, giving an outlet for unhealthy exhibitionism or punitive attitudes between those who would worship God.
3. Also don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying we all get together in nice little groups and start to confess all of our sins to each other. What I am saying is that if you have a sin that’s ruling your life and you’re struggling with it, talk to someone about it in confidence.
4. When you talk to someone about it, you can pray together about it and then through the power of prayer, God will give you the strength to overcome that sin problem. The very fact that you took the time and courage to speak to someone about your struggle, says that you’re looking for help and you don’t want to struggle anymore.

III. Luke tells us after Simon’s request, that when Peter and John finished preaching the word of God in this town, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching in all the cities of Samaria along the way. It’s at this point that Luke tells Theophilus that Philip was directed by an angel of the Lord to go south to a place along the Jerusalem to Gaza desert road.

A. Let’s read about that in; Acts 8:26-35- “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'' This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace [KAN duh see] the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot.'' So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?'' And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?'' And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.'' So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?'' Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”
B. We might note that the Jews didn’t have copies of the Old Testament as readily available as we do today. There were scribes whose job it was to copy the Old Testament scriptures for Synagogues and for those who could afford to have one copied. The Ethiopian Eunuch certainly had an important job and was able to have such a copy.

1. In fact, Luke tells us that he served under Candace [KAN duh see] the great Queen of the Ethiopians and his job was treasurer for her. The Eunuch was likely a Jew or converted Jew because not only did he have a copy of Isaiah’s prophecy, but he was on his way home after worship in Jerusalem.
2. However he was struggling to understand what Isaiah meant when he wrote in Isaiah 53:7-8 paraphrased; “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken”.

C. Philip ran alongside the chariot, and asked the Eunuch, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Unlike the Jews who had been listening to Stephen’s sermon, the Eunuch had an open heart, and I know he had an open heart because of his response to Philip. He replies to Philip, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?"

1. Folks, an open heart is a searching heart and a searching heart is always going to strive to understand better. When Philip accepted his invitation to sit with him in the chariot, the Eunuch asked the most important question of all, "I ask you, of who does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"
2. When you study the Bible with people, you can get to a point where you can almost know who is going to grow in Christ quickly and who are going to grow slowly. I don’t mean that disrespectfully, I believe that all Christians will have questions which need to be answered.
3. Some Christians have many questions that they want answered and I believe that those Christians are the ones who will grow quicker. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not saying if you don’t ask questions, you’re not growing. What I’m saying is that some Christians have hearts which search more. That’s the kind of heart that the Eunuch has and so Philip did what every one of us should do when we begin a study with someone.

D. You begin from where they are in their understanding. If a non-Christian asks you a question about gambling, you don’t give them a lesson on marriage and divorce. If a non-Christian asks you a question about homosexuality, you don’t give them a lesson on church leadership.

1. No, you do what Philip did; you begin from where they are... and then go on to tell them about the power of the gospel of Christ.
2. Let’s continue in; Acts 8:36-40- “ Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?'' Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may.'' And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'' So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”

E. This is another good example of the gospel being preached but notice the text doesn’t say anything about Philip preaching baptism to the Eunuch. Common sense again tells us that when a person is preaching about Jesus they have to include baptism in that preaching.

1. Philip must have preached baptism; or why would the Ethiopian ask Philip, "Look, here is water. What’s stopping me from being baptized?"
2. Then in Acts 8:37 Philip replied, “If you believe with all your heart. The Eunuch answered, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

F. Now I am fully aware that verse 37 is omitted from some translations because it is not found in the oldest and best documents and shows up first around the year 500. However, it is obvious from other scriptures that if a person wants the Lord to confess their name before the Father, then that person will confess Jesus before men.

1. Jesus says in; Matthew 10:32-33- “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
2. Then in; Romans 10:9-10- we read; “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”

G. The Eunuch confessed Jesus as the Son of God in front of Philip and then ordered the chariot to stand still. It’s then that Luke tells us that both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptized him for the forgiveness of his sins. The Eunuch became a Christian in the same way that all others became Christians in the first century church. Indeed, in the same way that we all became Christians, by being baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
H. The outcome of such obedience is always the same. Rejoicing in the Lord for what He has done for us. Immediately following their coming up out of the water, the Spirit caused Philip to be gone from the presence of the eunuch. On his journey back to Caesarea, Philip preached in coastal cities like Azotus along the way.

CONCLUSION:
I would like us to use our imaginations for a moment. I understand that the Bible doesn’t tell us about what happened to the Eunuch when he got back home. Like I said I have an active imagination so I sometimes wonder what happened. I also understand the reason we are not told because it’s not important for us to know, but wouldn’t you love to know the rest of that story? Perhaps I had too much Paul Harvey in my youth.

Let me tell you a quick story about this man who once stood before God in prayer, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. "Dear God," he cried out, "look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in this world. Why don't you send help?" God responded, "I did send help. I sent you."

The Eunuch went back to Ethiopia rejoicing as it says in verse 39. This reminds me of how the Samaritan woman Jesus spoke with at the well went back to the city rejoicing and told others the story of Jesus. I can imagine the Eunuch doing the same thing. I can imagine his friends and maybe even the queen asking, “Well how was your trip,” or “How was worship this time?”

I can imagine, though we don’t know, he couldn’t contain his joy as he shared the whole story about trying to understand Isaiah’s words and Philip appearing. Maybe he shared with them that Isaiah was speaking about Jesus and then went on to tell them we need to be baptized into Christ to enter a relationship with him.

We don’t know what he did, we don’t know if he remained faithful all the days of his life. Maybe one day when we get to heaven and we see him, we can ask him what happened when he got home, because I believe he will never forget that day, even in death. I don’t think there is anything wrong with our wondering as long as we do not add or detract from God’s word. It is when people try to go beyond what they are told in scripture that they can get into trouble.

When we see Jesus, perhaps we can ask Him all the questions we ever wanted answered. But for now, while we are still living on this earth, whenever we are feeling down, whenever we are feeling lost or feel that God isn’t there or doesn’t care anymore, we need to just remember the day we were born again, or remember when it finally dawned on us what Christ has done for us and continues to do for us.

We need to honesty look back at all the sins we committed and know that God forgave us of all of them when we were buried with Christ. God continues to forgive us if we ask Him of every sin committed since. Our hearts need to rejoice in the Lord.

Just like the Psalmist says in Psalm 13:5-6, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me”.

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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.

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Reference Sermon: Mike Glover

God's Will - Will Be Done

Acts 8:1-13

INTRO: Good morning. The last time we were together we left Stephen repeating with his dying breath the words of Jesus, ‘forgive them’ and ’Father receive my spirit’.
What Luke is going to share with us today is one of the most difficult times in church history.

But first I want to tell you a story. A doctor decided to put his overweight patient on a diet.
"I want you to eat normally for two days," he said. "Then I want you to skip a day. Follow this pattern for two weeks and come back to see me. After two weeks you should have lost five pounds."
Two weeks later the man came back for his appointment. He had lost twenty pounds.
The doctor asked, "You lost all this weight just by following my instructions?"
The man said, "Yes, but I'll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead on that third day." The doctor asked, "From hunger?" "No," the man said, "from skipping!"

I guess the point of the story is, if you’re going to follow the instructions, make sure you fully understand them. Our lesson this morning will be from Acts 8:1-13.

I. Luke introduces us to Saul in Acts 8:1 as the person who approved of Stephen’s death. It’s this same Saul who later would become Paul and turn out to be one of the greatest apostles of Christ in the history of the kingdom.

A. Jesus had given specific instructions for the apostles to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said that the apostles will be “His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."[para]
B. We catch up with the events of the early church in Acts 8:2-4 - “And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”

1. Immediately following Stephen’s death, an intense period of persecution followed, headed by a young Jewish persecutor named Saul. Luke tells us that "devout” men buried Stephen and greatly mourned his death. These God-fearing men still had enough faith in God to openly bury a Christian who had died such a violent death for preaching the gospel.
2. I find that amazing. You may ask; what is amazing about it? The Sanhedrin didn’t do anything about these God-fearing men yet it was Jewish custom not to allow an individual grave and lamentation for a person who had been judicially stoned. No lamentation or other sign of mourning was permitted on behalf of one who suffered execution, the Jewish rule on this being derived from God's command that Aaron should not mourn for Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:6). I suspect that with Stephen, yet again, the Jews killed another innocent man... and they knew it.

C. It’s interesting to see the apostles remaining in Jerusalem, and disciples driven to every corner of Judea and Samaria. I said this was interesting because when the devil wants to destroy a church, he will often use the form of “divide and conquer”. We see that today and it seems that’s what’s happening in Acts. Also if Satan wants to destroy a congregation he will attack the leadership. If he can destroy them, he usually ends up destroying the rest of the flock.

1. I suspect what we see here is God's divine intervention, God protecting and keeping His apostles’ safe. After all, in the mind of Saul and everyone else who opposed the church the apostles were the church leaders.
2. The New Testament record of Saul's persecution of the church leaves no doubt to the savagery and brutality with which it was carried forward. There was no consideration of age, sex, or other circumstances. The actions of Saul testify to the bitterness and fury with which the Sanhedrin sought to exterminate Christianity.
3. Yet, God’s will, will be done. God doesn’t do evil but He can use the evilness of men to get His will accomplished. The gospel was supposed to begin in Jerusalem where it did, but it was also to be spread in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. That wasn’t happening yet, the church seemed destined to stay in Jerusalem.
4. What we do see happening here are the terrible acts of wicked men, who were persecuting the church.

II. I wondered, why was God allowing this to happen? I suspect it might be because the gospel needed to be heard in other parts of the earth and that wasn’t going to happen as long as the church stayed in its comfort zone. Luke tells us in Acts 8:4, that, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”

A. When was the last time any of us stepped out of our comfort zone? I thank God that the church has had many brethren who have done that. Don’t stop in your comfort zone folks; don’t get so comfortable with your faith that you forget the work.

1. I read an article once about sharks that said if you put a baby shark in a fish tank it will grow to 8 inches long and be fully developed but if you put that same baby shark in the sea, it will grow to 11-16 feet in length.
2. We don’t want to be a baby shark swimming around in our comfort zone, we want to get out there and share our faith with others so that we can become fully mature Christians with a strong faith in God.
3. Growing and developing our faith happens when we get out there and share our faith with people and tell them how Jesus changed our life. God will give us the courage and wisdom to share our faith with our friends and family, if we ask Him.
4. The only persecution we are likely to experience in this place and time is rejection, but the faith of these Christians needs to be commended because even in the face of death they shared their faith.

B. Now I suggest also that we all ask ourselves a really hard question. What would need to happen for you to give up your faith? A divorce, the death of a loved one, family difficulties, personal difficulties? I understand that many of us can’t answer that question unless these things happen to us. We probably know Christians who have gone through or are still going through tough times. When you are talking to God, add thanks that they are still holding on, strong to their faith in Christ.
C. When Saul of Tarsus got wind of where Christians met, that sent fear throughout the whole church. They were frightened but they wouldn’t give up the faith. Even though some were caught and thrown into prisons and then brought before the elders in the synagogue, who tried to force them to deny Jesus, they wouldn’t give up their faith in Christ.

1. Paul said in Acts 22:4 that - “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” A little later in Acts 26:10 – “This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.” These Christians would rather die than deny their faith in Christ.
2. Paul carries on in Acts 26:11 and says that – “And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Paul said that he had many Christians beaten and punished but still they would not deny their faith in Christ.
3. Again, ask what would it take for you to give up your faith? I pray that nothing that this world can throw at us, or any circumstance which happens in our lives, will cause us to give up our faith. When we think about it, it’s our faith in Christ which helps us through many difficult circumstances in life.

III. I said earlier that God used the evil of wicked men so that the gospel would be spread. This spreading of the Gospel is what Luke tells us about next. Acts 8:5-8 – “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.”

A. Remember that Philip is one of the seven mentioned earlier in Acts 6:5. Philip has now gone to the city of Samaria. The city of Samaria was built by Omri, a wicked king in Israel, and it eventually became the capital city for the ten tribes of the northern kingdom.

1. The Samaritans were of mixed descent coming from the intermarriage of Jews and Gentiles and the Jews saw the Samaritans as unclean.
2. If a Jew was walking down the street and he saw a Samaritan coming towards him the Jew would cross over to the other side to avoid being “contaminated”.

B. In John 4:9 when Jesus is speaking to Samaritan woman, she says to Jesus, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?'' For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” Further down in the same chapter of John, she says to Jesus in John 4:19-26 – “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.'' Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.'' The woman said to Him, "I know that the Messiah is coming'' (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things.'' Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He.”

1. This Samaritan woman had no problems believing who Jesus claimed to be. In fact when she went back into the city, she practiced what we are preaching today.
2. She told everyone what happened when she met Jesus. The Bible says in John 4:39-41 – “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did.'' So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.”
3. Despite previous grievances with the Samaritans, Philip went to Samaria and watered the seed which Christ had already sown when He spoke to the woman at the well, and the other Samaritans who believed in Him.

C. What exactly did Philip preach? He preached Christ. Philip preached Jesus as the promised Messiah, and as we have already seen with the words of the Samaritan women, the Samaritans would already have been very familiar with the Messiah.

1. Deuteronomy 18:15-18 – “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, "according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' "And the Lord said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”
2. The message which Philip was preaching hit home for multitudes of the Samaritans. That message was confirmed by God enabling Philip to work miracles. People who were sick were made well, those paralyzed and lame were able to walk again, and those possessed by demons had the demons driven out of them.
3. The message, and the miracles which confirmed the message, caused the city to be filled with joy. Isn’t that exactly what good news does? It brings joy.

IV. I wonder... how is our joy in the Lord doing? When was the last time you woke up in the morning and just thanked God with a joyful heart, for your healing from sin?

A. Do we ever take a moment out of our busy schedule and think about what God has done for every one of us? I fear some Christians never rejoice in the Lord.

1. Paul in Ephesians 5:19-20 tells us; “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. [para] There are Christians who do that. They love to sing songs of thanksgiving to God when they doing chores, riding in the car, making a cup of coffee, or preparing dinner.
2. Colossians 1:9-14 – “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” There are Christians who sing with thanksgiving in their hearts to God all day long because they appreciate their salvation.

V. I don’t know how true this is but they say the most infectious thing in the world is a smile. I believe when a Christian is full of joy, it’s infectious, and others want a piece of that happiness too. In fact, that’s what happened in Samaria. In Acts 8:9-13 Luke next introduces us to a man named Simon. Simon wanted a piece of that joy but as we will see next time, he wanted it, and something else, for the wrong reasons.

A. Let’s just take a quick look at Simon here in Acts 8. Acts 8:9-11 – “But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God.'' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.”

1. Just like some religious groups in the world today Simon uses trickery to convince people that he was a spokesman for God. He had been doing this for some time because Luke tells us that both high and low classes of people were paying attention to him and thought he was from God.
2. Folks, when you put your faith and trust in Christ, and not in people and their claims, the truth truly does set you free as Jesus tells us in John 8:32.
3. Are we firm and trusting in what the Bible teaches or do we get interested in the preacher down the street who claims he can speak in tongues just like the apostles did? Are we attracted to doctrine that does not stand in the light of scripture?

B. When things get bad, do we put our faith in the Bible or a faith healer who claims he can heal the sick and make the lame walk?

1. The psychological illusionist Derren Brown was doing a live séance on TV and he invited some young people along to join. In the séance the Ouija board planchette moved and he claimed he was speaking to the dead. Some people in attendance screamed and ran out of the séance even though many of them were skeptics.

a. It wasn’t until the end of the program that Derren revealed the dead person he was speaking to was still alive and in another room close by. He told his audience that “the power of suggestion and illusion is very powerful and when you use them properly you can get people to believe absolutely anything”.
b. I strongly suspect there is a lot of this happening in the religious world around us today.
c. People are being drawn into believing what they are being taught because of something they think they see happening.
2. A preacher told of a friend who went to an outdoor campaign of a religious group. They called certain people forward to be healed and among them was a woman in a wheelchair. She came forward and was “healed” and supposedly walked for the first time in twenty years.
a. A few weeks later in a nearby town, there was another outdoor campaign with the same group and the same preacher invited people forward to be healed, and guess what?
b. The woman who was supposedly healed before was back up in front being healed again.

C. When we put our faith in God and His word we will see these so-called spiritual things for what they really are. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 – “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

1. Today we have God’s word and we do not have to rely on miracles, signs, and wonders for our faith. Though you know, some people say that you need some sort of supernatural gift to prove you’re a Christian and you have the Spirit. Jesus doesn’t teach that.
2. Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-17 – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
3. Jesus never mentions anything about recognizing people by their gifts, but what He does say is that you can recognize those who claim to be Christians... by their fruit.

D. Well then, what is this fruit that He has in mind? Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

VI. There are some who contend God’s word is incomplete. If we are to believe that the Bible isn’t God’s final revelation, and He is still revealing more of His will to mankind today through miraculous gifts... then why would Jude say in Jude 3 – “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” God has either revealed once for all “the faith” or He hasn’t.

A. Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:1-3 – “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” God has either given us “all things” we need for life and godliness through our knowledge revealed in His word or He hasn’t.
B. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Through His word we are either equipped for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training, “thoroughly equipped for everything” He wants us to know and do—or we’re not. In other words, God’s word is all we need or it isn’t.
C. All in all it seems to be clear to me that God’s word is all I need to know God, live like He wants me to live, and if I follow His plan of salvation I will be with Him forever in heaven.
D. When Philip preached the good news about the Christ and His kingdom, with the accompanying signs, people were set free from false prophets. Acts 8:12-13 – “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.”

1. I know I’m old fashion, but to me this is where common sense needs to come into play. Philip preached the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. The text doesn’t mention anything about Philip preaching baptism, but common sense tells us that this verse makes it clear that preaching belief in Jesus and baptism in His name is a crucial part of preaching about the kingdom.
2. Why would both men and women be baptized if Philip didn’t preach it?
3. Why would Simon himself having been amazed by what he saw and heard, believe, and be baptized?
4. I’ll tell you why, because baptism for the forgiveness of our sins is part of the good news.
5. We’ve already established that baptism is for the forgiveness of our sins when we looked at Acts 2:38 – “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

E. Folks, as we say all the time you don’t get baptized to join the church. If you want to join something go and join AAA, then they will gladly help you out when your car breaks down. Being christened as a child isn’t Biblical baptism. That’s just getting your hair wet. Baptism involves a burial. Baptism is part of the good news because it’s through baptism for the forgiveness of our sins that we are united with Christ and His baptism and His death.

1. Romans 6:3-5 – “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,”
2. The Samaritans had no trouble understanding what Philip was preaching concerning Jesus and what Jesus wants everyone to do. What’s stopping those who aren’t Biblical Christians? Only they can answer that question. I don’t know why people don’t want to become Christians. I don’t know why so many resist Baptism. Only they know their own answer.

CONCLUSION: Let me leave you with this thought. I spoke about the illusionist Derren Brown a little earlier. In October of 2003, he played Russian roulette with himself live on national TV in the UK and he survived to tell the tale. How did he survive? The clue is in his title - ‘Derren Brown Illusionist’. It was all an illusion.

What I can’t for the life of me figure out is why people would want to play Russian roulette with their very souls.

If people are not sure about the baptism they received, then they need to go back to the Bible and see if it’s the same baptism we see being practiced here in Samaria.
If it’s not, then they need to be encouraged to stop hoping that their baptism was ok and to be baptized with the baptism which we know is acceptable to God for the forgiveness of their sins.

Folks, God’s will, will be done whether you obey His will or not.

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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.

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Reference Sermon: Mike Glover

A Jewish History Lesson

Acts 6:15-7:60

INTRO: Good morning. The last time we were together we left Stephen, a man full faith, power, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit according to Acts 6:38... in the middle of a religious debate where he was accused by false witnesses of blasphemy.
We said that the best way to deal with religious conflict is by going back to the source, the scriptures.

Luke continues to inform us of what happened next in Acts 6:15-7:1- “15. And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel. Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?''”

Remember in Exodus 34:29-35 where the writer there tells us that Moses' face shone after he had been with the Lord to the point that people could not look directly at him?
Luke tells us that Stephen’s face was like that, like an angel’s face.
Despite Stephen's appearance, the high priest asked him if the accusations of blasphemy, which had been brought against him, were true.

What we are going to hear today is a history lesson from Stephen about God’s dealings with His people.

Like we’ve said time and time again if want to understand the New Testament we need to understand what God was doing in the Old Testament.

These people are accusing Stephen of blasphemy, an offense which is punishable by being stoned to death.
How does Stephen answer this question?
Does he say sorry and beg for forgiveness so that he might live a little longer?
Does he say, no, all these witnesses are false and have been paid to say these things?
No, he doesn’t.
He gives those in the Sanhedrin a Jewish history lesson.
I’m not going to read all of Stephen’s defense because it is a bit long for one sermon but what I do want to do is summarize his words and look at what happened when he talks about their history.

I want us to go back in time with Stephen and then we will look at some applications. Genesis 12:1-9 – “1. Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 2. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'' 4. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land.'' And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”

I. In Acts 7:2-4 Stephen begins his history lesson with God’s dealings with Abraham and his children. He reminds the council of Abraham's call to leave the country of his people, which was first received in Ur of the Chaldees and renewed in Haran after his father's death.

A. The point that Stephen is trying to make here is that Abraham moved, under God's direction, to the land of Canaan. In other words, this wasn’t Abraham’s idea to get up and go. This was God’s plan for the future of the Jews and God was going to direct them.
B. Stephen continues in Acts 7:5-8 by speaking about what God said to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14 – “Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”

1. The actual length of their stay in Egypt was 430 years as we find in Exodus, but Stephen rounded it off to 400, just as God had in Genesis 15:13. Again Stephen wanted to let them know that the time the Jews were slaves in Egypt was set to the exact date by God.
2. Let’s look at Exodus 12:40-42 – “Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years on that very same day it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.”

C. Then Stephen moves on and talks about God’s word to Abraham in Genesis 17:9-14 – “9. And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations. 10. "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11. "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12. "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13. "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14. "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.''”

1. We find that even though God did not give Abraham an inheritance in the Promised Land, He did promise to give him a son and give the land of Canaan to his descendants.
2. What Stephen is doing here in Acts 7:5-8 is showing how God told Abraham he would judge the nation of Egypt and bring his people out to serve Him in the land of promise at the end of the appointed time.
3. It was after making those significant promises to Abraham, that God instituted circumcision as a sign of the covenant between Abraham and his descendants.

II. We can imagine those listening to Stephen saying, “Yeh, yeh we know all about our history, we know all about our Father Abraham, you might as well go on tell us about our time in Egypt.”

A. That’s exactly what Stephen does next in Acts 7:9-19. He takes them through Genesis 37 - Exodus 1.

1. He tells them about Abraham's great-grandson, Joseph, who was sold into Egypt because of the jealousy of his brothers, but God, in His providence, noted Joseph's mistreatment and delivered him. He went on to make him governor over the land of Egypt.
2. A great famine left Jacob and his household without food to sustain them. Having heard of the plentiful food in Egypt, he sent his sons to purchase grain on two separate occasions.
3. On the second occasion, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers and let Pharaoh know who they were. Joseph, with the approval of Pharaoh, sent wagons to bring his aged father to Egypt.
4. Seventy-five souls left Canaan for the land of Egypt. Jacob's body was carried back to Shechem to be laid in the cave of Machpelah alongside those of Abraham and Sarah.
5. God had not forgotten his promise to Abraham and as the days passed, the children of Israel multiplied from the original seventy-five until they appeared to be a menace to the Egyptians.

B. In time a king ascended to the throne who did not recall the salvation of Egypt by the hand of Joseph. The king mistreated them by placing them in bondage and slaying their babies.

1. Stephen carries on in Acts 7:20-23 and tells that it was during those hard, and difficult years in Egypt when all these babies were being murdered that Moses was born. Stephen is now referring to Exodus 2:1-10. We know from Exodus Moses was hidden by his parents for three months and afterward, God caused him to be found by Pharaoh's daughter and reared as if he were her son. He was taught everything the Egyptians of his day knew. He was a strong man in word and deed. At the age of forty, he visited God's people.
2. Stephen continues in Acts 7:24-29 to talk about how Moses was rejected by God's people. “And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. "For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. "And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' "But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 'Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' "Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.”
3. Moses killed an Egyptian who was mistreating one of his brethren. Moses thought they would understand that what he did was in their defense but he had to flee when a Jew questioned his authority and revealed he knew of the Egyptian's death. Moses had to learn that it would not be by his hand that deliverance would be achieved, but by the hand of God! Moses fled to Midian, where he married and had two sons.

III. Stephen, still under the accusation of blasphemy, carries on with Israel’s history in Acts 7:30-36 by reminding them of the events from Exodus 3 right up unto Numbers 13.

A. He says, when Moses was eighty years old, God spoke to him from a burning bush in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

1. God told him He had seen His people suffering in Egypt and heard their groaning. He told Moses that he would deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
2. What Stephen is doing here is reminding his listeners that God did deliver His people from bondage. God did deliver them at the Red Sea and looked after them for forty years in the wilderness.

B. Stephen’s point is that God delivered them by the hands of the very one which the children of Israel had previously rejected. There was a shocking parallel to this in the venomous question from those of the Sanhedrin who had rejected Christ in almost the same words, demanding, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" (Mark 11:28). This point could hardly have escaped the bitter enemies to whom it was addressed.
C. This is not my favorite type of sermon but when we’re dealing with a lot of text, we need to keep it in its proper context so that we can get inside the mind of Stephen and those listening. Jewish history is our history and we need to understand where we come from.

1. It’s a bit like this mother and her four-year-old son who were looking through an old family photo album. The boy pointed at a picture of a handsome young man with dark, curly hair. He asked, "Who's that?" She told him, "That's your father." The boy looked confused. "Then who is that bald guy who lives with us now?"
2. Of course, God’s people didn’t have photo albums. They had the Old Testament scriptures, and these were important to them. It’s important that Stephen goes ahead and reminds them of Israel's rebellion against God.

D. In Acts 7:37-43, Stephen reminds them of their adventures from Numbers 14 right up until the Israelite’s captivity in Babylon as we read about in 1 Chronicles 9. Stephen says that this very deliverer, Moses, was the one who foresaw the day God would raise up another prophet like him.

IV. Moses faithfully worked with those Jews who had been called out of bondage. Through him, they had heard God's living message. Yet, while Moses was receiving God's will on Mount Sinai, the people were rejecting that very will and turning back, at least in their hearts, toward Egypt. When they got Aaron to make the golden calf for them to worship, the people were effectively rejecting the Almighty. He, in turn, gave them up to serve worthless idols.

A. Stephen wanted to show them from the scriptures that their rejection of God was the very reason they were led away into Babylonian captivity.

1. He quotes Amos 5:25-27 – “25. "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26. You also carried Sikkuth your king and Chiun, your idols, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. 27. Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,'' says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.”
2. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who just tells the story from the very beginning and all you want to do is just get to the point?
3. Perhaps some are thinking this sermon is a bit like that, maybe you’re thinking – “will you hurry up and get to the point?”

B. In many ways, Stephen is about to do that. Remember the last time how we saw that Stephen was telling the Sanhedrin that Jesus was going to destroy the temple?

1. What Stephen is trying to do here is explain that this is also part of God’s plan. Abraham’s leaving to go to the Promised Land could only be done if Abraham followed God’s instructions to the letter.
2. Moses delivering the Israelites from Egypt could only be done if Moses followed God’s instructions.
3. When God’s people didn’t follow His instructions they were punished. That’s why they ended up being taken into captivity by Assyria and then by Babylon.
4. Here in Acts 7:44-50 Stephen reminds them that God has a pattern for His people’s lives which needs to be followed to the letter. In other words, if we want to live in God’s true house, we need to live by His rules.

C. Stephen says the pattern for making the tabernacle was one of the things that God revealed through Moses which had to be followed exactly.

1. Hebrews 8:5 – “who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.''”
2. Stephen says do you remember David? David’s son Solomon says in 1 Kings 8:17-18 – “17. "Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 18. "But the Lord said to my father David, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19. 'Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son, who shall come from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.'”
3. Stephen says David wanted to build a temple for God to dwell in but God wouldn’t let him according to 1 Chronicles 28:3 because he was a man of war. Instead, Solomon, David's son, was allowed to build the temple.

D. Then Stephen gets to the point. He says that the Creator of the universe does not dwell in temples made with men's hands. Stephen quotes from Isaiah 66:1-2 and Psalm 102:25 which clearly show that God cannot be confined like the gods of the pagans.

1. Instead, God, their God, and our God today who created the universe has made the very universe He created to be His throne.
2. The Sanhedrin needed to ask themselves the very same question which Solomon asked many years before them. 1 Kings 8:27 – “"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!”

V. OK, the history lesson is over, now for the message. It’s now that Stephen makes his point, all that history to get to this important truth.

A. Acts 7:51-53 – “51. You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53. who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” Stephen says, you are just like your fathers before you. Your necks are as hard as rock, so hard that you won’t bow down to God just like your forefathers.

1. Have you ever noticed on the back of some cars, there are these stickers of a fish which is supposed to be a symbol for being a Christian? Sometimes when you talk to a person you have just met they can’t wait to tell you they are a Christian because they go to church every week. That is OK, but being a Christian isn’t just about the things on the outside of a person that makes them a Christian it’s what’s in the inside.
2. It’s easy to be a Christian when you just go around living your life however you think is right. Christianity is far from easy when you allow God’s word to change your life. The people who Stephen is addressing had the outward signs of religion but their hearts were far from the truth. They had been circumcised but their hearts were still encased in sinful flesh.

B. If I ignore my mortgage bill, they will send another one. If I still don’t pay I’ll get another until I get a summons and end up in court. I could lose my home and all the money I have invested in it.

1. God, in a very real sense, did that. He told them time and time again through His prophets that the time was coming when He was going to send the Just One, who we know as Jesus.
2. Again just like their fathers before them had persecuted and killed those prophets who foretold the coming of God's Just One, Stephen said they had betrayed and murdered the Just One!
3. Remember this parable in Matthew 21:33-39 – “33. "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34. "Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35. "And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36. "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37. "Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38. "But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' 39. "And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”
4. How many times, how many people and angels would it take for them to not only listen to God but follows His will? Stephen says you know what? You guys are just as bad as your ancestors were.

C. Folks when the truth hurts, it hurts deep doesn’t it? I know lots of people who don’t like the truth. I suspect there are even Christians who are afraid to be told the truth.

1. Do you know why I know they don’t like the truth? Because their reaction is very similar to that of those who were listening to Stephen.
2. Acts 7:54-58 – “54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56. and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!'' 57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58. and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
3. Just like Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:37, the truth hurts because the truth cuts to the heart and they were raging. And folks, when you’re faced with a reaction like this one, there is only one place to look, and that’s heavenward.
4. It was the Lord's Spirit who had inspired Stephen to speak and it’s the Lord’s Spirit who caused him to look intently into heaven.

CONCLUSION:
I wonder; do we believe that God cares when we are in trouble? Do we believe that He cares about His people when they are in trouble?
I’m sure most of us would say, yes I believe He cares. Let me tell you something, when one of God’s children is in trouble you better believe He more than cares.

Look at Stephen. He looked up and he saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the Father's right hand. In the New Testament Jesus is almost always described as sitting at the right hand of the Father, but not when one of His children is in trouble. Stephen saw Him standing.

Jesus not only cares about you but He stands up for you. You need to believe that He does that for you every time you’re troubled. In other words, don’t look to the world for protection. For all the answers look to heaven.

When people of the world and even some Christians can’t handle the truth and they get all upset with you, if you keep going to the source, the Bible, for your answers it won’t be long before they ask you to leave.

Stephen told the council what he saw. They cried out, stopped their ears, rushed to him, threw him outside of the city, and stoned him.

It’s here Luke tells us that those who stoned him laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. Just before we finish let me ask you, if you were about to die what would your final words be?
Let me leave you with Stephen’s dying words which echo the words of the Christ as He was dying on the cross of cavalry in Luke 23:34.
Acts 7:59-60 – “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'' Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin.'' And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

I don’t know many people who would say those words with their dying breath after going through what Stephen went through, except Jesus Himself of course. We should thank God for people like Stephen who are willing even unto death to hold onto the truth and even with his dying words ask God to forgive them.

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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.

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Reference Sermon: Mike Glover

In A Time of Uncertainty - God Provides

In A Time of Uncertainty - God Provides 
Psalms 103: 1 – 22 & Ephesians 5: 19 – 20

 

ILL. I would like to start by sharing a story I read:
It was the usual schedule: up at 4:30 a.m., out the door by 5:00 a.m. to take my son to ice hockey practice, pickup another hockey team mate on the way to the rink, dash home, get ready for work and head out the door again. On this morning though, I realized I had not done the grocery shopping. So as I drove the boys to hockey practice I realized I’d be very close to a grocery store that was open 24 hours a day. So I made a mental shopping list and headed straight to the grocery store from the ice rink.
There were only a few shoppers in the store, but the aisles were full of staff stocking the shelves for the rush of grocery purchases. I zipped along. The last aisle was the frozen food section. As I stood in front of the glass door contemplating the frozen vegetables, I noticed my reflection in the frame of the freezer door. I WAS STILL IN MY PAJAMAS!! I laughed out loud!
As I drove home with my groceries I realized that in my hurry up life I was not living graciously. I was like the plate spinner at the circus. Recognizing that something needs to change and actually doing it can be a true challenge. In my daily prayer practice, I changed something. Instead of listing all of the day’s activities and then asking for help to accomplish them, I took a different approach. I began my prayer with gratitude that God was an ever-present, all power of good; and I listened more. This change wasn’t just for a day or a week, it became my regular daily prayer. And life became less frenetic and more joyful.
There are researchers who have been focusing on the beneficial effects of gratitude. One study (sited in a Harvard Health News Letter) found that,
“gratitude...helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals.” Another effect was, “fewer visits to physicians.”
You know, there is so much in our lives as Americans that we take for granted. When we get up in the morning, we can step into my shower & enjoy the hot water.
Then we can get dressed, go out & get into our car & drive anywhere we want to go. When we get low on gas we can pull into a gas station & fill up again.
Then when we go home, we can enter the house, flip a switch, & the lights come on. When we open my refrigerator we’ll find all kinds of foods to eat. And like most Americans we tend to just take all these things for granted.
ILL. But that isn’t the way things have been recently in some of our larger cities. Riots have erupted, statues & memorials torn down, stores & businesses looted & burned, houses destroyed & people terrorized. Whether accidental or deliberate, people have been injured, & lives have been lost.
And the country that we, & millions of others, love & have pledged our allegiance to, is constantly being condemned as an evil, racist society.
ILL. One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days & nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yes, I did," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog & they had four. We have a pool that fills half of our backyard, & they have a creek that stretches way past their property. We have lanterns in our yard & they have the stars at night.
"We have a small piece of land to live on & they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me just how poor we really are."
It makes you wonder what would happen if we gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.
I. DAVID STARTS OUT PRAISING GOD
In the 103rd Psalm David starts out praising God & then says: “Praise the LORD, O my soul, & FORGET NOT all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2
If we forget God’s benefits - if we forget the blessings He’s given us - we can end up being ungrateful, taking what we have for granted.
ILL. We can become like the woman who walked into a grocery store a day before Thanksgiving & was very upset with the size of the turkeys that were left. She turned to the stock boy & asked snippishly, "Don't these turkeys get any bigger?" To which he calmly replied, "No ma'am. They're dead!”
That woman had more food in front of her than people in most 3rd world countries would ever see. And yet, she was angry because what she saw wasn’t BIG enough.
If we don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what we DO have we’ll soon become ungrateful because of what we DON’T have.
So the 103rd Psalm says: Get into the habit of being thankful - NOW! Get into the habit of NOT FORGETTING what God has given you.
II. GET INTO THE HABIT OF BEING THANKFUL – NOW!
A. Ephesians 5:19-20 tells us to "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
And 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
ILL. Several churches in North Dakota were being served by an old circuit-riding preacher. The people were amazed at his ability to pray, for no matter what the circumstances were, he could always find something for which to be thankful.
As he made his rounds one cold, gloomy December morning, he was late in getting to the church because of excessive snow drifts. But when he did get there, as usual he began the service with prayer.
The parishioners were eager to see what the old preacher could come up with to be thankful for on this dismal & frigid morning. "Gracious Lord," his prayer began, "we thank you that all days are not like today."
So as you spend time considering the blessings which God has showered upon you & your family, what do you thank Him for? How has God blessed you?
For most of us I imagine that we thank Him for family & friends, for those who love us & care about us. We thank him for our homes, for our jobs in a time when some are homeless & many are looking for jobs.
And probably many of us thank him for our country & the blessings He has showered upon our nation over the years. I hope, also, that you include this church & its witness – that we might be faithful & true to Jesus, our Lord.
B. Now let's look at the 103rd Psalm. Not once in that entire Psalm do we hear David give thanks for his family, his home, his possessions, or even for God making him a king. David doesn't give thanks for many of the things most people would mention.
Instead, he praises God for forgiving his sins, healing all his diseases, redeeming his life from the pit, crowning him with love & compassion, & satisfying his desires with good things so that his youth was renewed.
David couldn’t lose those things. And the world couldn’t take them away from him. And it is true for us, too. I can lose my loved ones, my home, my possessions, my abilities. But I CANNOT lose the things David wrote about in the 103rd Psalm.
Jesus emphasizes exactly the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy, & where thieves break in & steal.
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth & rust do not destroy, & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
III. WHAT ARE OUR TREASURES?
A. What are our treasures? Well, in this Psalm David says that his greatest treasure is knowing of God’s love & compassion for each of us.
He writes, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)
Now David acknowledges that neither he – nor any of us – are worthy of God’s love. David goes on to say in vs’s 15-16 that “(our) days are like grass, (we) flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it & it is gone, & its place remembers it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16)
We’re not all that impressive, are we? We’re fragile & easily forgotten. And God knows that. He was the one who formed us from the dust of the earth. But when God formed us from that dust He formed us in His likeness.
You see, the Bible tells us that you & I are a special creation by God. Yes, we are fragile & easily forgotten by this world - but God will never forget us!
He loves us so much that vs. 4 tells us He “...redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love & compassion.” (Psalm 103:4)
B. As we read through the Bible we see stories of men & women who spent time in pits. Jeremiah was thrown into a pit where he sank into the muck up to his armpits. And Daniel was thrown into a pit that we know was a lion’s den.
Then there was Joseph, whose brothers threw him into a pit with the intention of killing him - but then changed their minds & sold him into slavery instead. Those were literal pits that God rescued them from.
But there were other “pits” that weren’t so literal, but were equally depressing: David spent several years hiding from King Saul. Moses spent 40 years in exile from Egypt. And Ruth spent a number of years in poverty.
Each story about these heroes & heroines of faith told how God reached down into the holes those people found themselves in, pulled them up & out of that pit, & placed them on solid ground.
And David says that what God did for those people – He’ll do for you & me.
C. We know that God meets our physical needs on this earth. But just like David we also know that’s not enough.
Jesus said: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, & lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 KJV)
Unless our sins are dealt with we’ll be cut off from God. And unless our sins are forgiven, we’ll never know the blessings of living eternally in heaven.
Then David tells us “YES, God is willing to take care of that too.” In vs. 3 David says that God “forgives all your sin.” And in vs’s 10-12 David goes on to say, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:10-12)
“As far as the east is from the west.” Now that is an interesting comment. Why not as far as the North is from the South?
Consider this: if we left here going West to CA, & continued West from there, we can go as far West as we like - & we would never start going East.
On the other hand, if we start going North, we would end up at the North Pole. From that point on every direction would be South.
Now, why didn’t God say He would remove our sins from us as far as the North is from the South? He could have. But if He’d said that - He would be telling us that there is a point at which He would stop forgiving us - where He’d stop wanting to forgive us.
But that’s not true. When He forgives us – He removes our sins as far from us as the East is from the West. He will remember them no more.
That is the kind of God we serve. A God who loves us SO much that He “gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
ILL. It was the year 1822, & her name was Charlotte Elliott. She had been an invalid from her youth. Her handicap filled her with resentment & anger. And one day, when a preacher was visiting, she let loose on him about her bitterness at her condition.
The preacher listened, but instead of comforting her - he challenged her. He told her that what she needed to do was to give her life totally to God - to come to Him just as she was, with all her bitterness & anger.
As you can imagine, she didn’t like that. She resented what seemed to her to be an almost callous attitude on his part concerning her condition.
But the Holy Spirit used his challenge to get through to her, & she ultimately committed her life to the Lord.
But even as a Christian she had doubts & struggles. Her brother had become a successful preacher. But Charlotte felt that her physical condition prevented her from being of any real service at all.
Then in 1836, on the 14th anniversary of her conversion, she decided to write a song about her faith in God. One of the verses goes this way:
“Just as I am, tho’ tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”
“Just As I Am” - That hymn has become one of the best known & most powerful invitation songs ever written.
Years later, her brother said: "In the course of a long ministry I have been permitted to see some of the fruit of my labors. But my sister, through her hymn, has accomplished far more than I ever dreamed of being able to do."
Charlotte’s time of testing gave her a testimony. And the mess in her life gave birth to a message that has brought thousands upon thousands to Christ.
INVITATION

Sermon Contributor Melvin Newland

You’re The Answer To Someone’s Prayer

You’re The Answer To Someone’s Prayer
2 Cor. 12: 7-10 & Luke 22:42

ILL. I heard a story recently about a missionary in Africa, named William Chalmers, who was approached by two tribal chieftains. For more than a year they had been hearing about Chalmers & his God & the changes that had occurred in the villages which had welcomed him.
Impressed by it all, they had come to invite him to their villages also. Sadly, Chalmers told them that because of commitments he had already made that he would be unable to go back with them to their villages. They then asked for any Christian teachers he could send. Once again he had to tell them that he had no one to send.
As a result, the two chieftains remained there with Chalmers for 2 weeks, observing what life was like in what was now a predominantly Christian village. They were particularly curious about his custom of daily praying to God – not as a God to be feared & whose anger had to be appeased, but as a God to be loved & thanked for His protection, for providing what is needed, & for His guidance.
Then the chieftains went home, after urging Chalmers to come as soon as he could. Nearly 2 years passed before Chalmers could arrange to go as he had promised. It was early in the morning when he arrived at the first village & found the villagers on their knees in perfect silence. They were not making a sound!
Mystified by this, Chalmers asked the chief what they were doing. "We are praying to your God," he replied. “But you’re not saying anything.”
"We do not know what to say, but for nearly two years we have met here praying & waiting for someone to come & teach us what to say."

A. Now how about us? Do we know how to pray? Well, of course we do! Or do we? For example, how do we pray for Christians who are going through difficulties in life? The natural response when we see someone who is sick, or going through tough times, or family difficulties ... is to say, "We'll pray for you."
But have you ever found yourself wondering, “What is the best thing to pray for in this situation?” Sometimes it is hard to know just what to pray. And doubts can arise when we pray earnestly, & we don’t get the answers that we want.
Sometimes we pray for people who are sick, & they don’t get better. Or we pray for a marriage to be healed, & the couple gets a divorce. Or we pray for a couple to have a healthy child, & a handicapped child is born. I can't give you any easy answers as to why this happens.

B. But what I don’t know about prayer doesn't discourage me, because the way I've seen prayers answered, & the way lives have been changed as a result of prayer, gives me so much encouragement that I'm absolutely convinced the most important thing we can do in times of difficulty is to pray.
Prayer puts us in touch with God. And it’s important for us to come to God & express our needs & the deepest longings of our hearts.

C. So with that in mind, look with me at 2 Cor. 12:7-10 where the Apostle Paul speaks about his "thorn in the flesh."
He says, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Now here is the situation: Paul had just had an amazing spiritual experience. But there is a danger in spiritual experiences. And that is of becoming conceited, of beginning to think that you’re more spiritual or important than anybody else.
So the Bible tells us that God gives Paul what he calls a "thorn in the flesh." We don't know what it was, but it was something that caused Paul physical pain & anguish. In fact, it was so bad that 3 times Paul prays for God to take it away. And 3 times God answers, "No."
Then He tells Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect (or obvious) in weakness." So Paul learns the lesson & accepts the grace of God & recognizes that it is sufficient to see him through.
APPL. With Paul’s example before us, maybe the question we should be asking is, "When bad things happen, for what should we, as God's people, pray?"

I. SOME OBVIOUS ANSWERS
Of course there are some obvious answers to that question. We need to be asking for God's presence & strength in our daily lives through the Holy Spirit.
We also need to be praying that it is God's will that is done, & not ours.
And of course, our prayers should be for those around us, & the impact that our problems may be having upon them. We need to be concerned about more than just our own needs & trials.

ILL. In his book “Living Life on Purpose”, Greg Anderson shares this story: This man’s wife had left him & he was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, & even in God.
One rainy, gloomy morning he went to a small neighborhood diner for breakfast. Although several customers were there, no one was speaking to anyone else. This miserable man sat hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon.
In one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the gloomy silence by almost shouting, "Momma, why don’t we say our prayers here?"
The waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around & said, "Sure, honey, we pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?" And the waitress turned & looked at the rest of the people in the diner & said, "Bow your heads."
Surprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, & said, "God is great, God is good, & we thank him for our food. Amen."
That prayer changed the entire atmosphere in the diner. People began talking with one another. And the waitress said, "We should do that every morning."
"All of a sudden," said the man, "my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl’s example, I started to thank God for all that I did have, & stopped dwelling on all I didn’t have. I started to choose happiness again."
And God has told us that if we don’t know exactly what to pray, the Holy Spirit will help us.

ILL. A heart-broken little girl knelt & began to pour out her heart to God. But she didn’t know what to say. As she was sobbing she remembered what her father had told her, "God knows your needs even before you pray, & He can answer when you don’t know what to ask."
So she began saying the alphabet. A lady heard her crying & knelt beside her, & hearing her saying her ABC’s, asked her what she was trying to do. The little girl told her, "I’m praying to God from my heart."
The lady replied, "It sounds to me more like you’re just saying the alphabet!" "Yes," she said, "But God knows more about what I need than I do, & He can take all those letters & arrange them in just the right way to hear & answer my prayers!"

II. IT IS ALL RIGHT TO PRAY TO ESCAPE SUFFERING
Another thing we learn from Paul is that it is all right to pray to escape suffering. Paul prayed for an end to his suffering.
And so did Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
If you're sick, it's legitimate to ask God to heal you. If you're having difficulty in life, whatever it might be, it’s perfectly all right to pray that God will take it away. Sometimes He does, & sometimes He doesn’t, & we don’t always understand why.
But we’re still to trust Him. Paul did, & out of his own experience he was able to write that great passage in Romans proclaiming, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

ILL. A long time minister in a small town tells this story:
Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My 6-yr-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, “God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, & I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty & Justice for all! Amen!”
Along with the laughter from other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, “That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today don’t even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!”
Hearing this, my son burst into tears & asked me, “Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?” As I held him, I assured him that he had done a terrific job & God was certainly not mad at him.
An elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son & said, “I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer.” “Really?” my son asked. “Cross my heart.” Then in a theatrical whisper he added, “Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice-cream is good for the soul sometimes.”
Naturally, after that, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment & then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae & without a word walked over & placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, “Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes & my soul is good already.”

III. WE OUGHT ALSO TO PRAY THAT OUR SUFFERING NOT BE WASTED
A. But when we do suffer, I think we ought to pray that our suffering will not be wasted, that it will be used to bring glory to God, & that we gain the victory over it through the strength that God gives us.
I think that is what happened in this passage with Paul. Paul said, "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh." A strange gift, isn't it?
But every once in a while, God allows negative things in life for a reason. In this particular situation Paul tells us that it was to keep him humble. He didn't resign himself to it, but he accepted it as something that God had given him for a reason.

B. Paul prayed, & then he waited on a word from God. "Three times," he said, "I prayed to God, ‘Take this thorn away. Please God, heal me. Take away the hurt & pain.'" Three times heaven was silent. Three times there was no answer from God.
You've experienced that frustration, haven't you? And it is difficult to keep the level of faith you know you should have when it seems heaven is not responding.
But Paul waited, & that is exactly what the scriptures teach us to do. "Wait on God, & keep on praying."
Finally the silence was broken. God spoke to him & said, "My grace is sufficient for you." He didn't take away the thorn. He just gave Paul enough grace to be able to put up with it.
"Then," Paul said, "I suddenly realized that it's not my strength that God wants - it is me, just as I am, trusting my all to Him.” Listen again to Paul’s words:
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone... Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.

The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand. Bob? Bob from church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A Christian cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little anxious to get home after a long day at the office.
A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.

Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.

"Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."

"Hello, Jack." No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."
"Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good.
"What'd you clock me at?"
"Seventy-one. Would you sit back in your car, please?"

"Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
"Please, Jack, in the car."

Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left.

There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a bare two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.

"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.

Bob returned to his car without a word.
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket.

Jack began to read: "Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters. All three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now... Pray for me. And be careful. My son is all I have left.
Bob"

Jack twisted around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he, too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.

CONCL. Now let’s go back & review what we have learned today from the apostle Paul. We have learned that we need to be asking for God’s presence & strength in our daily lives, for His Holy Spirit to be working within us.
We need to be praying for God’s will to be done, & not ours. We need to be concerned about more than just our own needs & trials, but also about those who are around us.
At the same time, we also learned that it is all right to pray for God to heal us, to end our suffering, to take away our difficulties, as long as we pray like Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done” & really mean it!
And if we do suffer, Paul teaches us that we ought to pray that our suffering will not be wasted,
that it will be used to bring glory to God, & that we will gain the victory over it through the strength that God gives us each day.

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland

The Beginning & The End

The Beginning & The End

Revelation 22:13 – 14

 

There are Military Slogan’s which state that : “the overall decisions start and stop here.”

Or we have heard the phrase, “The buck stops here!”

And there is the famous quote from a parent … “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!!!!!!”

Back in 2008, there was a surprise best selling book entitled: “Not Quite What I Had Planned - 6-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure”

Notice the first SIX words of the title. “Not Quite What I Had Planned.” The book essentially asked people to sum up their lives in 6 words. Amongst the entries were these:

• Stephen Colbert wrote, “Well, I thought it was funny.”
• A writer from USA Today - who reviewed the book - offered this statement: “Dad was Santa. Downhill from there.”
• Another writer summed up their life this way, “Never really finished anything, except cake.”
• Someone else wrote, "Followed yellow brick road. Disappointment ensued.”
• And still another commented, “Should have risked asking, he sighed.”

Now the author of the book apparently didn’t ask for Jesus’ reply, but Jesus might have said: “I Am The Alpha And Omega.” That 6 word statement literally sums up Jesus’ life. ALPHA was the first letter of the Greek alphabet and OMEGA was the last of that alphabet. So Jesus (in Revelation 22) said:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

This was literally, the last “I AM” statement by Christ in Scripture. And it was how the Bible presents Jesus to us. Jesus was literally the beginning of all things:

Colossians 1:17 says that Jesus "is before all things."

And the Gospel of John describes Jesus as the “WORD” and tells us “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-2

So Jesus was “THE BEGINNING” of all things… and Jesus will literally be THE END of all things. The last words of the book of Revelation are these: “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21

Now, that’s all cool stuff, but what does that all mean to us? What does it mean to us that Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last??

Well it reminds us AGAIN. that Jesus is God. The terminology used in Revelation 22 is the same that’s used to describe God in several other places in Scripture.

In Isaiah 44:6 GOD declares “I am the first and the last”

And Psalm 90:2 states: “from everlasting to everlasting You are God”

And, in the first chapter of Revelation we find these words: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Revelation 1:8

His story makes its way through Scripture like a common thread. So, for Jesus to claim to be the Alpha and the Omega, was for Him to declare that HE WAS GOD in the flesh.

And because He was God, and because He IS the “Alpha and Omega” and the “Beginning and the End” - He IS IN CONTROL because He literally has me surrounded. And because He is before and behind and all around us, that makes it so that I can TRUST Him, therefore, I don’t have to be afraid.

ILLUS: Recently there have been individuals talking about the present lock-down in our State. Some shared that many people are literally afraid because of the news they were constantly watching and hearing through social media and radio and TV. The fear was being expressed by people right here in our community, and you can understand why. But as Christians, we shouldn’t let that fear control us. As Jesus tells us in Revelation 1:17-18 “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Because Jesus is the Alpha & the Omega, the 1st and the Last, and the Beginning and the End, I don’t have to be afraid… because Jesus has it all under control.

ILLUS: As most of you know …. I have a 2 year old grandson. He’s handsome, and he’s smart and whenever we’re together we have a great time. But one of the things that humbles me is how much he trusts me. A little while back he was at my house for a nice family visit. Now, whenever he’s there I’m usually within a close proximity from him at any given time, because – after all - he is a 2 year old and we know that 2-year-olds can find all kinds of mischief to get into! But at one point I had to be another part of the house for just a few minutes and I left him alone, thinking “what kind of trouble can he get into in just a few minutes?”

I was wrong. I’d only been gone from the room about 5 minutes when suddenly I hear him crying out in panic.

I rushed to the kitchen to see that he’d pulled a dining room chair over to the kitchen counter and had crawled up – belly down – on the counter to reach something. And there he was - his belly on the counter, his butt in the air, and his legs dangling in space about a foot above the chair he’d used. Now he actually wasn’t in any danger, but he didn’t know that. All he knew was that he was stuck and he had no way to get down. And he was afraid!

When I got there and spoke to him, he seemed to relax. And after I helped him back down to the floor, he was happy again. But WHY did he suddenly relax when I got there? Because he believed that I had things under control. He saw that I was there to protect him – he trusted me.

When Jesus said “I am the Alpha and The Omega, the Beginning and the End…” He was saying “I am NEVER FAR AWAY from you. I have this under control, and I’ll always be on hand to protect you.”

That’s how we should view the crisis we now face. It is a dangerous situation, but we in Jesus we have someone who is never far away and always has things under control. In fact, that’s the kind of faith that David had about God back in the Old Testament. He wrote: “I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.” Psalm 17:6-9

Notice, David did face real danger, real enemies, and the very real possibility of death. And yet he believed God had things under control… and He could trust Him. THAT’s how we can view Jesus, because He IS God in the flesh.

So Jesus - being the Alpha and Omega - tells us He has things under control and that we can trust Him, but in addition to that, Jesus is not only THE Alpha and Omega, and THE Beginning and End, Jesus is MY Beginning and End. He is MY Alpha and Omega. HE has re-MADE my life so I my life is re-NEWED. It has re-BEGUN.

You see I could live my life without Jesus. I really could get along quite well without Him.

But it wouldn’t really be living … it would only be simply EXISTING. I would simply be “getting by” with no future and no real purpose for life. But Jesus came so that my life would be changed.

When I was baptized into Christ, Romans 6:4 tells me that “We were buried … with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE.” In Jesus I have a NEWNESS of life because Jesus is the BEGINNING of that new life.

ILLUS: There’s a story about a little girl who proudly wore a shiny cross on a chain around her neck. One day she was approached by a man who said to her, "Little girl, don't you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn't beautiful like the one you're wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing." The little girl thought about that for a moment and then smiled and replied, "Oh yes, I know that. But they told me in Sunday school that whatever Jesus touches, He changes."

And that was what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to CHANGE our lives and offer us a NEW BEGINNING. But Jesus didn’t just come to change us and walk away. One person observed: “Alpha and Omega” means that whatever Jesus starts, he finishes. Hebrews 12:2 says we should be “looking unto Jesus, the author and FINISHER of our faith....” And Paul reminds us that “He who BEGAN a good work in you will bring it to COMPLETION at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

ILLUS: I’ve noticed that there are many craftsmen and artists in this world who do something, and then get to the point in their task where they’ll say “that’s good enough.” It’s not perfect, but it’s… GOOD ENOUGH. But Jesus is not like that. Jesus is kind of a perfectionist. When He works in our lives “good enough” is never good enough. Jesus will never be satisfied with simply beginning a good work in us and then walk away saying “I’m done.” Jesus is such a perfectionist that He will never stop working on us until He’s satisfied.

ILLUS: Some of the world’s Greatest artists have been like that. Take Leonardo Da Vinci, for example. I’m going to give you a quiz this morning and see if you know the answer:

What is the most valuable and praised painting in the world? Think about it for moment… if you guessed the “Mona Lisa” you were right! This famous portrait by Da Vinci was commissioned by a patron to celebrate a birthday. If Leonardo had simply been interested in the money, he could have painted the portrait in a month and received his payment. But money was never the object with him. It took Da Vince 4 years to paint this masterpiece… and the painting (I read) has up to 30 different layers of paint!

But, why would Da Vinci do that? Why would he keep adding more and more paint to his artwork? Well, he did that because he kept working and reworking the image until he was pleased with it. And he loved this painting so much that he never gave it to his patron. He kept it for himself for years afterward.

And that’s what Jesus does with us. He is constantly working us and reworking us. Jesus will never quite be done with us, because to Jesus… you and I are the most valuable pieces of art in existence, and He wants us to be the best that He can create! And ultimately, He keeps us for Himself because He loves us so much.

As Ephesians 2:10 tells us “We are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do.”

Lastly - Jesus is not just MY Alpha - He’s MY Omega. He’s not just the beginning of my new life, He is the END… the completion of my existence. In other words - ultimately we will be a FINISHED PRODUCT. As Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Now, there are some people who have difficulty understanding what that means. Many may believe that the “finished product” is based on their OWN righteousness. But that’s not what is said here. The passage in Ephesians 5 says that Jesus GAVE Himself up for the church. Jesus sanctified her. Jesus cleansed her. HE DID THE WORK… not us. You can’t buy a ticket to get in because of your “sinlessness” because THAT doesn’t exist.

ILLUS: A minister had a conversation with a man on Facebook some time back about a woman who had had an abortion. From this other man’s comments made the minister got the impression the man viewed this woman as disgraceful. He was very smug as he said that he’d never do anything like that. The minister questioned him on this comment. The minister explained that we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that this woman was still loved by God. AND that Jesus would forgive her if she’d repent of her sins and be baptized.

The man responded that HE had never done anything “that bad” that he needed to repent of. The minister’s response to that statement was this: “THAT BAD?” Seriously???

We are reminded of the parable Jesus told about two men who came to the temple to pray.

One was a Pharisee (the very essence of righteousness and holiness) and the other – a Tax Collector (the lowest rung on the moral ladder in Israel). Jesus said that the Pharisee prayed this way “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” (Luke 18:11-12) In other words, the Pharisee bragged to God that he’d never sinned as badly as the tax collector.

But then, Jesus said, that the Tax Collector prayed: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ And Jesus said “I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:13-14

Now, here’s the deal – you and I WILL NOT get into Heaven because of how righteous WE ARE. We’ll only get into heaven because of how righteous JESUS IS. It’s all about Jesus. If Jesus is not your ALPHA & OMEGA; if Jesus is not your BEGINNING & END;

if Jesus is not your FIRST & LAST priorities … then you and I will not make it in through the gate. To depend upon our righteousness is a fool’s game. Scripture says our righteousness will be like filthy rags unless we are washed in the blood of Christ.

We do that by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. That He is our Alpha and Omega. And we do that by acknowledging that our own righteousness isn’t enough because we’ve sinned and fall short of God’s glory… therefore we need to repent of our sins and rely on Christ’s righteousness. And by confessing that Jesus is the true and only son of the father and that – He’s the one that we rely upon and trust. And lastly, we do this by allowing ourselves to imitate Christ by dying to our sins and being buried in the waters of baptism… and then rising up from those waters to walk in newness of life.

 

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

We Need Each Other

WE NEED EACH OTHER
1 Cor. 12:12 – 27

OPEN: Centuries ago in Europe, a wealthy nobleman decided to build a church bldg. for the mountain village that he’d grown up in. Everybody, in the village was excited, but no one was permitted to see the plans, or the inside of the church building until it was finished. Finally, the day arrived, and people gathered on Sunday to marvel at the beauty of the new building.
But when they went inside... someone said, “Hey! Where are the lamps? It is dark in here. Where are the lamps?” Then the nobleman pointed to a line of brackets along the walls, and then he gave each of the families a lamp, telling them to “Bring your lamps each time you come to worship.” And he explained, “Each time you are here, the place where you’re seated will have light. But every time you are not here, your place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to gather with the church, some part of the building will be dark”.
The point we are making this morning is this: When Christians aren’t together in worship there’s something missing. It’s like there’s a bit of darkness that settles over our hearts.
Because WE NEED EACH OTHER!
In fact, the Bible is very clear about that idea that God’s people need each other. Back in the Old Testament God declared: “Two are better than one... If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

WE NEED EACH OTHER!!!
Paul tells the Church at Corinth “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27
The problem Paul found with the Corinthian church was, lots of folks were arguing about who had the best spiritual gift, and some were thinking they didn’t have any gifts at all!
This Morning I would like us to consider three different attitudes, and see if you find yourself in any of them. First, the attitude...

The 1st attitude we will consider is found in vs 15 – 20 of the text
“I can’t do anything!”
This is the person who feels inferior, who thinks, “I have nothing to offer. The church doesn’t need me. I can’t sing. I can’t preach. I’m not good at anything.”
First, you are not inferior.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
The word for “handiwork” is sometimes translated “masterpiece.” You are a masterpiece on the canvas of God’s creation. And you were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
And that brings us to Paul’s favorite metaphor for the church: the “body of Christ.” He uses the word “body” 18 times in today’s text and draws on the picture more than any other in his writings. In fact, he sandwiches today’s text with this thought: verses 12 and 27 say the church is the body of Christ.
Back to the first attitude, “I can’t do anything.” Sometimes we’re jealous of people who have gifts we don’t have. “Why can’t I be more like them?” Drawing on the image of a human body, Paul writes in verses 15-17, “Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason to stop being part of the body.Infra
And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?”
Every part of the body is important. The foot is important, even though it’s not a hand. The ear is important even though it’s not an eye. The body needs every unique body part! Each of us are equipped to glorify God and his church in some unique way.

The 2nd Attitude is found in vs 21 – 25 of the text
“I have to do everything!”
In these verses Paul wrote to people who thought their gift was better than everyone else’s. So let’s correct that right now: You and I are not God’s last hope for mankind! This church could survive quite well without any one of us. No one is indispensable.
In verse 21, Paul says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” He goes on to talk about how some of the most hidden parts of the body are absolutely indispensable. Think of your liver or kidneys. Quite hidden, but very important!
Sometimes I hear about someone who has been quietly praying for a person or for a situation coming up. Some have called these individuals the “knees” in the body of Christ, because they’re at least figuratively kneeling in prayer. We may hear about someone visiting a person who is hurting, or offering food, or comforting & encouraging the person who just lost their spouse. These little things that would often go unnoticed are no less important than the most stirring sermon or the leading a bible study. None of us can do it all. We need everyone to be at work in the way God has called them. Otherwise, the body is incomplete. And there are lots of churches with missing body parts.
So those are the first two myths when it comes to being church. “I can’t do anything,” or “I have to do everything.” And the last we’ll look at today is,

3. “I don’t need anybody else.” (vv. 25-26)
Every person counts in the body of Christ. And the truth is, we do need each other.
Paul writes for the need for unity out of our diversity. Listen to verse 25. Why has God given greater honor to the parts that lacked it? “So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” God wants us to care about each other. That’s what being part of the church is all about!
Our world today is struggling between “Black lives matter” and “Blue lives matter.” I’m going to tell you, in God’s eyes, every life matters! Martin Luther King once said, “In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men [and women] are caught in an inescapable network of support, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be . . . This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
Martin Luther King was talking about society, and with God’s help, perhaps we can get there someday. And our greatest chance of doing so is if the church leads the way! The body of Christ should model for society that every life matters!
We are interconnected. Verse 26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” Elsewhere, Paul writes, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).
Our lives are caught up in each other. You know how, when you have a hang nail, it ruins your whole day? Or if you have a migraine, nothing else in your body is going to function well? That’s because the human body is inter-related. And so it is with the church. It’s ok to admit that you need your brother and sister in Christ. We are not designed to go it alone.

WE NEED EACH OTHER!
As Ecclesiastes reminds us - we’re in this together, and when we’re together - we have others around us to help us, to keep us warm, to protect us, and to keep us from being broken down by the hardships of life.
Now, God deliberately uses the imagery of us being the BODY of Christ. And in Ephesians 5:29 we’re told “... no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church”
God reminds us that WE (who are part of that body) need each other and we need to nourish and cherish the BODY of believers that we’re part of.
So, think about this for a minute: How do you nourish/cherish YOUR physical body?
ILLUS: Well, you feed it (sometimes you feed it really well); You cleanse it (showers/baths/shaving, etc.); If you’re sick, you see a doctor; If your teeth hurt – you go see a dentist; You put clothes on body that (at least) you think makes you look good; And once in a while you even pamper yourself/ entertain yourself. Those are just some of the ways you and I nourish and cherish our mortal bodies. But now, God is telling you that you’re part of a huge SPIRITUAL body, and He’s asking YOU personally to help take care of that body.
ILLUS: Francis Chan observed that “It’s no secret that most people who attend church services come as consumers rather than as servants.”
In other words, folks often don’t come to be involved with others, they come only to consume/receive. They don’t want to get involved!
ILLUS: Years ago, Snoopy (in the Peanuts comic strip) broke his leg. Believe it or not, 100s of “get well cards” came in from fans across the world. In one of the frames of the comic strip, Snoopy (with his leg in cast) says this: “My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head’s fault, and my head blamed my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot DID....”
And then Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, “I don’t say anything because I don’t want to get involved.”
Now, why is that funny? It’s funny because Snoopy WAS involved. It was his foot, his head, his eyes, his feet! He was already involved because he was in part the body. And we’re part of the Body of Christ and the BODY needs you and I to be involved
Well, what can you do to involve yourself with the body?
Some of the stuff we already do: We pray for each other, we try to make people feel like they’re important, and we try take care of each other’s needs.
There are people here who will regularly call the shut-ins and sick, and there’s others who will send out encouraging cards.
That’s especially important in this post-Covid world. We don’t have the opportunity to interact like we once did. That’s why I constantly emphasize your cell phones. Call people. Email people. Contact each other on Facebook. Send cards and letters. Contact one another and see how each other is doing. Pray for one another.

WE NEED EACH OTHER.
In II Corinthians 1:3-4 we read “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, SO THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN ANY AFFLICTION, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
What those verses are saying is this: Each of US is comforted by God in our struggles/affliction, so that we can comfort others in their afflictions. God “TRAINS” us to minister to each other.
ILLUS: An old time minister tells the story of an “open mike” prayer time... and one Sunday a man stood up and said “I need your prayers. I’ve been struggling with alcohol most of my life and I’ve made the decision that I’m going to quit. I’ve not had a drink for the past couple of weeks and it’s getting tough.”
There was a pause, and then another man stood and said: “I had the same problem. And I didn’t think I could quit, but I did. I’ve been off the bottle now for 5 years.” And another man stood... and said roughly the same thing. And then another. About 3 or 4 men stood up that day and confessed they’d struggled in this and they all pledged to help the first man overcome his habit.
Do you know what happened there? What happened was that there were 3 or 4 men who’d been comforted by God and they in turn comforted a struggling brother – saying they’d be there for him. They showed what it meant to need each other.
Now, one last thought – WHOSE body is the Church? Who does the body belong to? That’s right, the body belongs to Jesus! It’s the BODY of CHRIST.
Colossians 1:16-18 For by (Christ) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
Christ is the HEAD of the church. It’s HIS body!
That’s why the name on the sign out front says: “CHURCH OF CHRIST.” That’s who OWNS this church.
But (you know) it doesn’t matter what’s on the sign out front. Because, unless this church - not just the building, but the BODY - unless we as a body of believers belong to Jesus Christ WE’VE FAILED! You see, the marquee isn’t bragging about WHO we are. It’s bragging about WHO we belong to. It’s a proclamation that JESUS OWNS US: He’s our head; He’s our master; He’s our savior; and He holds US - the body of Christ – together.
And we call ourselves a Church of Christ because we love Him; because we belong to Him; and because we want to spend eternity with Him.
The question for you this morning is this – DO YOU? Do you love Him? Do you belong to Him? And do you want to spend eternity with Him?
You can do that this morning if you BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. If you are willing to acknowledge that you have sinned and that you need to REPENT of your sins. If you are willing to CONFESS that Jesus will now be the Lord and Master of your life. And if are willing to allow yourself to be BAPTIZED – buried in the waters of baptism and rising up a new creature in Christ.
INVITATION

Sermon Contributor Jeff Strite

Holes In The Fence

"Holes in the Fence!"
James 1:18 – 21

A serviceman once wrote about a moment of comedy he had witnessed in the army. It happened during a company inspection. The inspection was being conducted by a full sergeant major. Everything had gone smoothly until the officer came to a certain soldier, looked him up and down and snapped, "Button that pocket!" The soldier, more than a little rattled, stammered, "Right now, sir?" "Of course, right now!" was the reply. So the soldier very carefully reached out and buttoned the flap on the sergeant major’s shirt pocket.

You see the officer had been quick to note the youngster's uniform problem, but hadn't noticed his own. And that’s a lesson we all need to learn because for some reason, the faults of others seem to stick out like a missing tooth, while our own faults are often hard to spot.

And what James is going to share with us today, are three areas which seem to stick out in most Christians, especially for young Christians in regard to the trials which we face. And as we go through today’s sermon, keep in mind that we need to apply what we learn to ourselves first.

James 1:19-20 “19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
James says when it comes to our trials; the first thing we need to remember is, "be quick to listen."

He told us in James 1:18 “18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

And then he tells us in James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
And so, when James says that Christians are to be quick to listen, he’s talking about listening in regards to us being open to the word of God.

One of the first things immature Christians tend to do when they begin to face any trial, is they stop reading the Word of God. A strong Christian will always go to the Word of God for help, for encouragement, and for comfort. Because the mature Christian understands that God’s word will help them.

As someone once said, some Bible verses are like lanterns, they were made for dark places and dark hours. It’s a bit like the little girl who was going on a train many years ago. She couldn't understand why the trainman was going through the car lighting the lamps. She said, "Mother, it is the middle of the day and the sun is shining, why is he turning on those lights?" The mother smiled, and said, "Wait a bit and you'll see what the lights are for." A few moments later the train plunged into a long, dark tunnel, and then the little girl saw the wisdom of the lamp lighting process.

When we read our Bibles, it seems that they contain thousands of verses that seem very ordinary and unnecessary. And there are times when we can't see why God has gone to all the trouble of lighting those lamps of truth. But some day when you're going into the tunnel of bereavement, or the tunnel of temptation, or the tunnel of suffering. It’s then that you will find value and appreciate the verses that appear to be ordinary and unnecessary.

In other words when we are facing trials we need to be "quick to listen" to what God says to us in His word. James says when we’re struggling as Christians especially in times of trials; it’s then that we need the Word of God most of all in our lives.
We need to humbly and calmly be open to what the Word of God has to say to us. Because it’s only by reading the Word can we know that God cares.

But do you believe that? Do you believe that God wants to help you through those trails?
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.”

Peter basically says the same thing over in 2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

God wants to help us but for that to happen we need to keep on reading His word and listen to what He has to say. You see immature Christians when they are facing trials not only stop reading God’s word; they usually start staying away from the worship assembly. But the mature Christian can’t wait to come to worship,

why? Because they know and understand, that they can get that help, encouragement and comfort that they need to help them through those trials from bible studies and worship.

1 Corinthians 14:3 “3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. And I hope and pray that all of you receive, help, encouragement and comfort through the preaching and teaching which happens here, especially when you’re going through trials of any kind.

And so, one of the ways which is going to help us grow up into spiritually mature Christians when we are facing trials, is to keep on listening to what God has to say to us through His word.

Now the second thing that we need to learn to help us grow through our trials is we need to be "slow to speak."
There are a couple of ancient sayings I found which I would like to share with you because I believe we can learn from them.

One ancient saying says, “Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak.”

Another ancient saying says, “The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.”

You see ... as a Christian matures through trials they learn some things. And one of the things they learn is the ability to know when to speak.

Now I’m pretty sure we all know lots of spiritually mature Christians, even here within our own congregation.
And if there’s one thing I try to learn from them is just how much they speak.
When a young Christian is going through trials they don’t need to know every single chapter and verse in the Bible; there are times when just a few words are all that are needed.

We all probably know of someone who we view as an extremely strong Christian. It might not be because of their example as a Christian, nor because of their knowledge of the Bible but because they are a person of few words. Their words carry so much wisdom and understanding. Their words are always helpful, encouraging and comforting.

My point is that for us to help each other grow up spiritually through our trials there may be times we all need to listen more and speak less.

Often the young Christian who is suffering just needs someone to listen to them and speak few words. And so James says a mature Christian is a Christian who is quick to listen and slow to speak.
And that brings us to the final thing that Christians need to do to grow through our trials, we all need to be slow to become angry.

You see the word ‘wrath’ is closely related to the word ‘anger.’ What we really need to understand is that the Bible has a lot to say about both.
For example the Old Testament says in Psalm 37:8 “Don't give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble”.

The Book of Proverbs says in Proverbs 14:17 “One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and the schemer is hated.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbour a grudge.”

In the New Testament Paul says to the church in Rome in Romans 12:19 “19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.

To the Ephesians Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31 “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

To the Colossians he writes in Colossians 3:8 “8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

So, let me ask you, what is the difference between anger and anger? Because Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

Paul doesn’t seem to have a problem with a Christian becoming angry. He says, “If you become angry.”
We may know individuals who when facing trials may get angry not only with God but with everyone else around them.
And often they say something like ‘well Jesus got angry, I’m just following His example’.

They quote Jesus expressing anger towards the money changers in the temple as John tells us in John 2:13-17 and they say, ‘you see Jesus expressed anger.’

People who try to excuse their anger often go to passages like Psalm 78:49-51 where the Psalmist writes, “He caused them great distress by pouring out his anger and fierce rage, which came as messengers of death. He did not restrain his anger or spare their lives, but killed them with a plague. He killed the first-born sons of all the families of Egypt.”

People who try to excuse their anger often go to passages like Romans 1:18 where Paul writes, “God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known.”

My point is this; we need to understand the difference between wrath and anger. How do we reconcile those passages which demand that anger and wrath is sinful and something to be put away, with those passages that speak of anger on the part of God, Christ and even the Christian?

Well, first of all we need to understand that God's anger is always a just reaction to evil. Because God is divine and all-knowing, His wrath is never misguided. In other words He is more than capable of properly directing anger and wrath. Whereas we, with our imperfections, are not so capable to do that. In our anger we’re often misguided whether it is through ignorance or misunderstanding.

Haven't we ever been angry about something, and later regretted it when we realize we were in the wrong?

Jesus had the ability to read the hearts of men and with such divine knowledge;
He could not mistakenly direct wrath and anger. His anger was always holy anger against unrighteousness which is detestable to God. And when Jesus was angry, He was angry only for God’s honour.

When He was personally abused, He said nothing. 1 Peter 2:21-23 “It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered; he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.”

Jesus said nothing, it wasn’t until someone acted against God, then He displayed "righteous anger." And that’s where we all fall down at times, we often use anger improperly. You see, were supposed to be like Jesus and follow His example.

And notice James doesn’t say a Christian doesn’t get angry, he says a Christian should be slow to anger. In other words anger itself is not the problem but the way we deal with the emotion of anger could lead to a problem.

Let’s go back to Ephesians 4:26 “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day”. Now to understand this verse we need to keep the verse in its context.

Especially since Paul writes just a few verses later in Ephesians 4:31 “Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort”.

Now what I believe James and Paul are saying to us is rather than trying to justify our anger, we should be looking at how to deal with it when it arises in our hearts. James says we should be slow to anger and Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin.” What they are saying is that our emotion of anger needs to be kept under control.

In other words don't allow it to show itself in a sinful way.
I’m sure we have all had times in our lives when people have said and done pretty hurtful things to us.

But the mature Christian has learned to control that anger and the mature Christian knows that it needs to be dealt with very quickly. That’s why Paul goes on in Ephesians 4:26 and says, “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day”. Other translations say, "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath." Have you ever wondered why we need to get rid of that anger so quickly?

Well thankfully Paul tells us why in the very next verse, Ephesians 4:27 “Don't give the Devil a chance”. You see a mature Christian understand what happens if you don’t deal with that anger properly and quickly.

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence and said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.’

You see, when we say or do things in anger; they leave a hole just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.

It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. As someone once said, 'A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.’

A mature Christian knows and understands the damage anger can do. They know that the devil will have a field day with that anger and they know that the devil will use that anger to create division amongst God’s people.

James warns us in James 1:20 “Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.” You see ... there is a place for anger, but only if it’s going to lead to the honour and will of God and that’s where we fail the test.

How many holes have we left in the fence with our anger? How many people have we wounded with words and deeds which we should have controlled?

If we want to grow up into spiritually mature Christians, we need to be able to control that anger. And the way we can help ourselves to control that anger is simply by applying the first two warnings of James, be quick to listen and slow to speak in our lives.

Sermon Contributor : Mike Glover

Escaping Your Prison

Escaping Your Prison
Ephesians 4:17 – 32

Back in the 14th century, in the region we now call Belgium, there was a duke by the name of Raynald III. Raynald had a nickname – Crassus. Crassus means fat, and he was fat because he really liked to eat. He liked to EAT ... a lot! In the course of time, he had a violent quarrel with his younger brother Edward which resulted in Edward leading a revolt against him. Edward took Raynald prisoner and took him back to Nieuwkerk Castle where he had a special room built around him. He promised his brother he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.
Now, for NORMAL SIZE people, that wouldn’t have been a problem. There were several windows and a door of normal size, and none of them were locked or barred. The problem for Raynald was his size. In order to leave the room he had to lose some weight. But Edward knew his brother’s weakness and he made sure trays of delicious food were delivered to his room each day. Thus, instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter. When Edward was accused of cruelty, he readily replied: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave ... when he so wills.”
Being delivered from evil depends on not being led into temptation. No trial or temptation is neutral. They're ordeals that either strengthen or weaken, depending on how they're handled. Christ teaches us to pray to be delivered from not only evil, but also from what carries us there (Jam. 1:14). Temptation isn't sin, but sin can't thrive without temptation. Or in Raynald's case, his fight wasn't in how to get through the door, but in how to get around the food.
Raynald stayed in that room for 10 years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined that he died within a year. He died a prisoner to his own appetite.
As I read this tragic story, I was struck by several truths:

FIRST: Satan takes us prisoner by capitalizing on our desires, weaknesses and tastes. He doesn’t need to create those things in us, he just takes advantage of our appetites. And then he sets out to do his best to see to it that we stay sated with the pleasures of sin.

SECOND: Raynald had a choice – he could only eat as much as was truly necessary, he could have exercised in his cell, and he could have walked through the cell door after losing enough weight. But Raynald was too fond of his sweets and tasty delights – thereby becoming his own warden, held in a prison only by his own weaknesses. The same is true for us – Satan can’t keep us in the prison. It is our choice – to continue to smother ourselves and indulge in our passions and sin, or to leave the prison behind.

THIRD: We think that the things we long for in our human nature are what will make us happy – that if we have enough of something, then we will be free at long last, not realizing (or at least not admitting to ourselves) that we are only perpetuating our imprisonment. Freedom awaits us outside the imprisonment of our desires. What would you rather have: freedom or another piece of cheesecake?

Jesus tells us:
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.
This morning we read a warning from Paul to new Christians in Ephesus where he urged them: Don’t die a prisoner to your appetites.

Ephesians 4:17-20 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [a]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ,

Now, that’s not the way they “learned Christ” BUT that’s how they grew up. They once walked as the Gentiles did because they were Gentiles, and they lived in Ephesus.

Ephesus was a thriving seaport, proudly referred to as the “Treasure House of Asia.” And it was highly prized by the Romans. They had invested a huge amount of money in building the city up and it was a center of the area, that the Roman Governor would often go there to hold legal proceedings.
But it wasn’t a very nice city. It was home to the Temple of Diana/Artemis - the goddess of fertility. Her temple was a huge structure that could accommodate over 24,000 people and is reckoned as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But because Artemis was the goddess of fertility, the worship there included the burning of incense and the playing of flute music and the whole atmosphere which was designed to arouse the worshipers into an emotional frenzy and engage in shameless sexual behavior (we’ll leave it at that).

Ephesus was also a city of criminals. The tradition in Ephesus, that if any criminal reached the Temple of Diana they were granted asylum for their crimes. They couldn’t be punished, so that’s where criminals ended up living.
So, Ephesus was an extremely popular city, but also an extremely im-moral city. And that’s where these Ephesian Christians grew up and that’s where they lived. As you might imagine... it would be a very difficult to live a Christian life there. The temptation to do evil things existed on every street corner, and the Ephesians lived RIGHT THERE in the midst of some pretty nasty stuff.
The question arose, how could Christians avoid getting dragged back into their old lifestyles?
How could Christians avoid becoming imprisoned in their appetites?
These are the same questions we face in our present world.

Well, one way would be to get bad folks to stop doing their bad stuff. I mean if we could just convince people to stop listening to vile lyrics in their music, or stop going to inappropriate movies; or convince them to stop sleeping with their girlfriends/boyfriends, or committing adultery/ treating women like sex objects; or if we could convince them to stop cursing, and saying (or writing) mean or hateful things... I mean, if we could just DO THAT.
Then being a Christian would be so much easier, don’t you think?
But Paul tells us that’s not going to be real successful.
Ephesians 4:18-19 tells us “(The Gentiles) are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”
These folks have lived like this for so long if you’d asked them to stop, they’re gonna be like... WHY? They’re alienated from God. There’s a hardness and callousness in them. They’re so imprisoned by their lifestyles that Paul says they’ve “given themselves up to sensuality etc.” They’ve gotten to the point where they ask – What’s the point? It’s so hard to stop doing it... why bother?
Someone once stated that The Seven Deadly Sins (pride/lust/greed/ etc) are not evil acts, but rather universal human compulsions that can be troubling and highly enjoyable.”
In other words, many have accepted their cage of “compulsions” and accepted the idea that “I’M NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE!”

By contrast, the reason that WE (Christians) don’t buy into that is that is Jesus has promised to FREE us from the things (like this) that have made us ashamed. The pagan world isn’t gonna change just because we say they should.

Another way to escape the prison of sin would be to practice Social Distancing. Go live in a corner, lock yourself up in a monastery, or go and live in cave somewhere. That’s what people did back in the Middle Ages.
But Paul tells us... that’s just NOT practical.
In I Corinthians 5:9-10 he states 9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to [a]keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
There’s no avoiding the fact that we live in a fallen world, and that’s where we’re gonna stay until Jesus comes again.

So if I can’t convince the bad folk to change their bad ways, and if I can’t practice effective social distancing by living in a cave somewhere, how can I avoid being imprisoned by MY appetites, just like everybody else?
Well this what Paul says we should do –
Ephesians 4:22 tells us 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

In other words: determine not to live by your appetites. Decide YOU are not going to live like a pagan. That’s what repentance is all about. Repentance is the decision to turn around and leave the old lifestyle. This is such an abiding teaching that a lot of people measure their spirituality that way and say “Look at what I DON’T DO! I don't smoke, and I don't chew, and I don't go with girls who do.”
But if that’s your only way of measuring your Christianity, you’ve missed something. It’s not enough to STOP bad stuff. It’s not enough to TAKE OFF the dirty deeds of sin.

ILLUS: Let’s say you’ve been out in the garden, digging in the dirt, pulling weeds and sweating up a storm. You get all done, and you realize you that are supposed to go out to eat with friends that night. So what do you do? You go inside, take off your dirty clothes and take a shower. Once you towel off... are you ready to go out and eat??? I hope not. You’re naked! They arrest people for going around in public that way. So, what do you have to do? Well, you have to PUT ON clean clothes.
It’s not enough to take off your dirty clothes and take a bath. You have to put on clean garments! And in the same way, it’s not enough to TAKE OFF the sins of the past, you have to replace those sinful behaviors with something else. You have to put on clean deeds and clean thoughts and clean words.
Ephesians 4:24 says “PUT ON the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

And, just to help us out, Paul gives us some examples. In Ephesians 4:25, for example, he writes: “Therefore, having PUT AWAY falsehood, let each one of you SPEAK THE TRUTH with his neighbor....”
What am I taking off? “Lying!!!” What am I putting on? “Truth Telling!”
Do you remember my telling you Ephesus was a home for criminals? There were probably a good number of ex-thieves in the church there, and I suspect they were tempted to go back to their life of crime. And what Paul telling them to take off – stealing!
And what are these thieves supposed to put on? Get a job!

Now, this is interesting – Paul doesn’t stop by telling them to get a job. He tells them WHY they should get a job. They should get a job so they have something to share with others.
This goes to the heart of changing a thief’s motivation – he used to steal because “what’s yours is mine, and I can take it.” But now, he is to think of his money (which he earns in a job) as something to give to others. His money is now the money he can give away.

And lastly – Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let NO CORRUPTING TALK come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for BUILDING UP, as fits the occasion, that it MAY GIVE GRACE TO THOSE WHO HEAR. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be PUT AWAY from you, along with all malice. BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
What am I supposed to TAKE OFF? Corrupt talk! Vulgar words! Curse words! Profanity!
And what am I supposed to PUT ON in their place? Words that build others up and make people feel good.
But that’s not all. Profane language isn’t all about using curse words. You can have corrupt language that doesn’t have a single curse word in it. You can have unwholesome talk that isn’t filled with profanity. In fact, there’s a CORRUPT talk that grieves God’s Spirit Who is inside of you!!!
These are words filled with bitterness, hatred, and slander of other people. And God says... get rid of that!!! Do not tear others down by what you say. God despises that kind of language!!!!
But why? Why would God hate that of language? Well, because God knows you and I... and He knows enough about us that He could say all kinds of nasty things about us. He knows things He could say about you that YOU don’t want others to find out about.
But He doesn’t. He won’t repeat those words about your past because, in Christ HE forgave you and me! IN CHRIST... all our shameful behavior been erased.
Since that is true, it’s inappropriate for us to gratefully accept HIM forgiving us... and then us turning around and NOT forgiving others of their behavior.

CLOSE: Now in the midst of the conversation about TAKING OFF sinful deeds and PUTTING ON good deeds, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that we’re NOT doing all this because we’re nice people. We may think we are... but that’s not possible. Isaiah 64:6 tells us “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before God
In other words, we won’t be able to stand before God at the judgement and say “Hey, look at how nice I’ve dressed myself! Aren’t I pretty?” Oh no! This isn’t about dressing up in OUR righteous deeds. It’s about dressing up Christ’s righteousness.
In Revelation 3:18 Jesus said “I counsel you to buy from me ... white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen...”
It’s Jesus who clothes in pure garments. It’s HIS blood and His forgiveness that covers the nakedness of our sins. In fact, that’s how we come to salvation. When we’re baptized in Christ, Paul says “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have PUT ON Christ.” Galatians 3:27

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

The Bucket List

THE BUCKET LIST
Ephesians 5: 15 – 21

Did you realize all the things we do with time?
We “MAKE” time,
and we TAKE time, for things that are important to us.
We “SAVE” time with all kinds of gadgets and doodads.
We “MARK” time,
we “KILL” time,
we “RACE AGAINST” time.
AND (someone noted) that the worst thing you can do with time, is “WASTE” time.

ILLUS: One little girl complained to her mother after her first WEEK at school “I’m wasting my time. I can’t read, I can’t write--and they won’t let me talk!”

In our text today Ephesians 5: 15 – 16 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We may think that Paul was SIMPLY saying don’t waste your time. But it’s more than that. The Greek word Paul uses here is “exagorazo” which means to “REDEEM” the time. It’s the same word Paul used in Galatians 3:13 “Christ REDEEMED us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...”

To REDEEM means - to purchase, to buy, to obtain by making a payment. Paul is telling us that our time is so crucial, so critical, that we must treat it like a valuable and precious commodity that MUST NOT be squandered and wasted.

We must redeem the time (he says) - but why?
What’s so critical about time that it must be redeemed?
Most of us would think the reason time is valuable because we only have so much of it. Sooner or later, we’re all gonna die. Now, if you’re blessed you may live 80 or 90 or100 years, but sooner or later your time is gonna run out. So don’t waste your time!!!
But that is not really what Paul says here. “Redeem the time... because the days are evil.”

ILLUS: What does that mean? Well, think about it this way.
Do you have a bucket list? A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”

And what people have on their bucket list tells you a lot about their priorities. They want to go to Europe,
make a “Hole In One”, swim with dolphins, go deep sea fishing, meet a famous person or jump out of an airplane.

There’s all kinds of things you could put on your “bucket list” - and there’s nothing wrong with those things (except maybe jumping out of an airplane).

It’s a wish list, and God’s OK with that kind of thing. But He warns us not to be foolish. He warns us NOT to leave one thing OFF that list. What is that ONE THING we must not leave off our bucket list?

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17
Everything else you put on your bucket list is just for fun, but this one – this “understanding the will of the Lord... this one is serious. We live in an Evil time, and the choices we make have eternal consequences. We live in a world of evil. All you have to do is watch the news, or spend some time on Social Media, and you KNOW things aren’t right!

It’s an evil world and since God has saved you and I.... he asks us to do something about it –
and that SOMETHING is for us to shine our light into this dark world. Ephesians 5:8 & 10 tells us “At one time you were darkness, but now you are LIGHT in the Lord. Walk as children of light... and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”

Jesus said “You are the light of the world”. That means you and I are called to reflect HIS LIGHT into this dark world, and the only way we’re going to do that effectively is to UNDERSTAND what God’s will is.

So, how do we do that? How do we learn God’s will?
Well, you’d think the answer would be - read your Bible. Memorize huge passages of Scripture.
Meditate on God’s Word day and night.
And that is good stuff because that’s what God expects of us.

But the problem is, if that’s all you do (immerse yourself in Scripture) you could end up like the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew more of their Bible than most of us, but there was something missing in their lives. And so, in place of asking us to Memorize and Meditate... Paul writes this in Ephesians 5:18:
“... do not get drunk with wine, for that is sin, but be filled with the Spirit”

What? What’s he talking about here? Well, he’s saying that in order for us to fully understand God’s will, we must be totally controlled by God’s Spirit. And then he makes an odd comparison: “don’t get drunk on wine” he says. That seems illogical until you understand what he’s trying to say.

ILLUS: Have you ever seen someone who’s been drunk? How can you tell if they’re drunk if you’ve never seen them take a drink? Well, you can tell they’re drunk by how they walk, by how they talk, by how they think and by how they act.
Everything about their drunkenness is obvious by their behavior. They are FILLED with alcohol... and it controls them.

By contrast Paul says, don’t be filled with alcohol (don’t get drunk) but be FILLED with the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit should so fill you that it controls how you walk and talk and think and act. That is crucial for Christians - we need to be so filled with the Spirit of God that people know it when they see our behavior!
So, how do we get FILLED with the Holy Spirit?
Well, first we need to understand that we already have the Spirit inside of us. Acts 2:38 promises us "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.”

Ephesians 1:14 tells us - God’s Spirit “is THE GUARANTEE of our inheritance.” You can’t be a Christian without God’s Spirit inside of you. So, first we need to realize we already have the Spirit inside of us.

But here in Ephesians it says we need to be “refilled” with Spirit. What’s that all about? Well, first let’s examine what Paul tells us to do, and then I’ll try to explain WHY this is so important.
First, Paul says that in order for us to be filled with God’s Spirit we need to... SING. We should be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” Ephesians 5:19

One group that I particularly enjoyed listening to was a trendy folk group called “Simon and Garfunkel.” As I listened to their music more critically, I discovered that one of their songs went this way:
“I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain, it's laughter and it's loving I disdain... Hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock - I am an island.” (I Am A Rock).
It’s a Great song... but really depressing.
Another song declared: “Hello darkness my old friend .....
I’ve come to talk to you again!”

The Bible teaches us that music has a spiritual power over the Spirit world!
One of the greatest singers in the Bible was a little shepherd boy named David. The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs (or Psalms) that the Jews sang, and David wrote half of them.
He was so good at singing that people began to pay attention long before David ever confronted Goliath.
In the meantime, King Saul (the King of Israel) had decided to stop listening to God, and run his kingdom his own way.

So, God withdrew His Spirit from him and the King became plagued with an evil Spirit. He plunged into depression, and that EVIL SPIRIT so tormented King Saul that (on the advice of one of his friends) he sent for David to sing for him. And we’re told in 1 Samuel 16:23 that “David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.”

Music has power over evil. And it has the power to bring peace to my heart and soul. So, when you’re depressed or struggling - find a song that glorifies God and sing it.

ILLUS: One song we could sing in most any situation in life is “This World Is Not My Home.”
“This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The angels beckon me from heaven's open door. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
The chorus “O Lord, you know I have no friend like you, if heaven's not my home, dear Lord what will I do? The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
Now, it doesn’t matter if you can sing well and with much power. The point is: find a song that glorifies God... and sing it. Use the power of GOD’S music to lift your soul out of despair and sadness.

Secondly - Paul tells us, that in order to be filled with God’s Spirit, we need to be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:20
Now, quiz time: HOW OFTEN do should give thanks? (ALWAYS), and FOR WHAT should we give thanks? (EVERTHING). There’s a lot of people who have a hard time doing that.

ILLUS: Rudyard Kipling was a great writer and poet who made a lot of money for his writings. One time a newspaper reporter came up to him and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over a hundred dollars a word; Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, “Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.” The reporter cynically reached down into his pocket and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a hundred dollar bill, Mr. Kipling. Now, you give me one of your hundred dollar words.” Mr. Kipling looked at that hundred dollar bill for a moment, took it, folded it up, and put it in his pocket and said, “Thanks.”
He’s right! The word ‘thanks’ is certainly more than a hundred dollar word. I would say it is more like a million dollar word. Thank you is one word that is too seldom heard, too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten. If we would all adopt an attitude of thanksgiving into our lives – our lives would be changed. We would cherish each day.
ILLUS: Studies have been done over the years where people have been asked to write down 10 things they’re thankful for and after an extended period of time the list is often still incomplete. Many people become so negative they struggle think of 10 things they’re thankful for. BUT, when given a tablet of paper and asked to write down things they were unhappy about, or disappointed with, or frustrated about, they could fill out an entire tablet of paper... and ask for another.

Why? Why are they so unhappy? Well, because most folks aren’t used to being thankful for what they have. For example, they don’t express thankfulness for the fact that they have 2 hands. Why should they? They’ve ALWAYS had those two hands.
And they’ve always had the ability to run and laugh and hear and see and sing. Why be grateful for those things?

By contrast, these folks tend to focus instead on what they DON’T HAVE.
They dwell on the wanting of a better job, or a better car, or a better spouse, or a better ... whatever. And that’s why they’re so depressed – there is ALWAYS going to be stuff that they don’t have, or that they can’t possess! So they end up being miserable/unhappy people.

Philippians 4:4-7 says “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Learn to be grateful for what you have (and quit focusing on what you don’t have) and you’ll be so filled with God’s Spirit that it will change how you think and how you behave. And the world around you will notice.

Now, there is a 3rd item Paul mentions that we can do to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit, but we’re going to address that next week (you can read ahead... it will spoil the surprise, but go ahead and read it anyway).

CLOSE: But, I want to close by explaining WHY it’s so important to be “Filled” with Holy Spirit. We talked about HOW we could do that, but I promised to tell you why it was so critical to do that.
The Bible tells us that Spirit is a very powerful force. He teaches us, He comforts us, He helps us in our prayers when we don’t know what to say.

Romans 8:11 tells us that We have the same power living in us... that raised Jesus from the dead!!!! “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Being “filled with the Spirit” is all about laying hold of the full power of the Spirit God has given us. You see, in order for the Spirit to operate fully in our lives, we’ve got to make our hearts decent places for Him to reside.

ILLUS: For example, let’s say I invite you to come to my house. But when you come in the door, the first thing you see is my clothes scattered everywhere, the dishes are piled high in the sink and all over the counters.  I have cats all over the place... 3 or 4 of them... and I have not cleaned up after them for weeks. Now, how comfortable are you going to be? How willing will you be to spend time with me and share with me? Not very.

The same is true for having the Spirit FILLING our lives. If we don’t clean up our lives by filling our hearts with singing and praise and such, God’s Spirit is NOT going to feel real comfortable with you. But when we learn to sing songs about God’s glory, train our hearts to be grateful and filled with thanks THEN God’s Spirit can be COMFORTABLE inside us, and be able to work His POWER fully in our lives.
But that’s only if you’re a Christian. If you don’t belong to Jesus, His Spirit isn’t going to be inside you anyway. That’s why we need to respond to His free gift of salvation as Acts 2:38 tells us "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.”

Sermon Contributor : David Dykes