Jesus is not the reason for the season

 
Do I have your attention?  I think that so often we hear, "Jesus is the reason for the season," that we do not actually stop to think about it.  In the sense that most people mean it, it is a truism.  People do need to sometimes be reminded that Jesus is the reason that we celebrate Christmas.  It is not the presents, or the parties, or the ugly sweaters.  It is Jesus that we celebrate.  But I think that Christians have a problem.  After Thanksgiving they immediately start proclaiming that Jesus is the reason for the season while they put up their Christmas lights and decorate their tree.  They proclaim it while shopping.  They say it while ordering coffee.  And then the celebration comes and goes.  The gifts are given.  The parties are over.  The lights and the tree come down.  And they we say, "Happy New Year!"  Notice that we do not say, "Jesus is the reason for the New Year."  We go on and say, "Happy Valentine's Day," instead of "Jesus shows us true love."  We move on with life.  Jesus is not just the reason for the season.  Jesus is the reason that we have everything.  He is the reason we have life eternal.  He is to be our mind - and therefore He is simply our reason.  Not JUST the reason for the season, but the reason for everything that we do.  

So, this year, do not forget about Jesus after Christmas.  He is the reason for all of it!  Of everything.  Even the new year!

Christmas is Coming

 Not sure where you are on the Christmas shopping - as for me, I have a few stocking stuffers yet to buy, but my wife does most of the heavy lifting, so I am close to done.  Not sure how many parties you have already been to - my count is presently still at 0.  Not sure how much decorating you have done, or have yet to do - mine was done even before Thanksgiving!  (I love my wife!)  Not sure how many Christmas movies you have already watched, or yummy Christmas goodies you have already consumed, how many carols you have sung or listened to.  But one thing I do know.  Christmas has nothing to do with any of those things.  

Sure, we choose different ways to celebrate, and none of the celebration is in itself bad, but it sometimes takes the place of the true celebration.  We are remembering the coming of Christ to earth in human form to save the world from their sins.  This is what is announced to Joseph, to Mary, to the shepherds and proclaimed to all who would listen.  When we read the Biblical accounts they all talk about the central truth - God with us - God came to earth to save us so that we could again be with Him and be so for all eternity.  

I know it is cliché to say it.  But will you remember with me this year the real reason why we celebrate.  And as I was reminded recently - this is a great time of year for evangelism.  It is easy to start a conversation about Jesus when we prepare the whole world for a celebration.  And more than Christmas coming, we know that Jesus is coming again and we know why He is coming again!  And this is the foundation for our great hope!  Celebrate - Jesus is coming!

Thanksgiving is now over?

 Well, in my family all of the Thanksgiving work is done.  We have been to the in-laws house and had a delicious meal.  We have been to my parents house and had a delicious meal.  Two turkeys in one week - I think I am still slowly getting over all the tryptophan!  Now what?  I think that for many of us we move on so very quickly.  This weekend is an interesting one.  Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday - each day added to what was already a move past the idea of thanksgiving and into spending money.  Sure we could say that we are spending for the benefit of others - to get them gifts, etc. but I wonder if we don't just move past Thanksgiving all too quickly.  

Though it would really throw things into a loop - I sometimes think to myself that we should actually celebrate Christmas first and then do Thanksgiving.  After all, the biggest thing that I have to be thankful for is that my Creator sent His Son, Jesus, to take care of a sin problem that was mine and yours and He lived and died for me to have life.  The incarnation of Christ is the biggest point of gratitude that we all should have.  And if you are not thankful for it, then you have not truly considered the deep nature of your own sin problem and the great work of Christ to pay the penalty for your sin.  

I know that in reality our American Thanksgiving holiday is celebrating something different, and there is a good reason that it comes in November.  And I know that there is reason that we celebrate Christmas in December.  But maybe it would help me, and help all of us, if we did not just quit on Thanksgiving and move on.  Let us hold onto the heart of Thanksgiving a bit long - not the turkey, but the Thanks.  

The importance of doctrine

 Each of us live our lives in a state of perpetual belief.  There are certain things that we hold to be true even though we do not have any necessary reason to hold them as true.  Allow me to demonstrate this fact.  I have no idea who built my house.  I bought it 7 years ago from a couple that I did not know.  I think they may have actually been the ones who hired the people who built the house, but I am not positive on that.  It was built over 60 years ago.  In all likelihood, the people who built it have died and I could not, even if I wanted to, ask them about the process.  I have no idea what the foundation looks like.  I have never seen it.  I have never torn off the interior or exterior of my walls to ensure that the materials built upon the foundation are solid and good.  And yet each day, I come home.  Each day I rest.  Each night I go to sleep unthinkingly confident that my house will stand.  

If I examine this objectively, I know that there are people who have homes who do not stand.  Homes that fall.  In many respects this is what faith is.  But when it comes to Christ, faith, while critical is never blind.  It is not unknowing.  It is an examining faith - a faith that looks to Christ and to His Word for answers and for certainty.  Every one of us believes something, but what we believe is critically important.  If I am coming home to bed each night in doctrinal uncertainty, I have my hope in nothing but hope itself.  And that is no hope.  But if I come home each night to my sure Savior.  To the One who died in my place.  To the One who was born of a Virgin.  To the One who lived a perfect life.  Suddenly, even though I do not have to think about each of these things in every moment, I have a foundation that I can be confident in.  That I can welcome others into.  

My prayer is that my faith in Christ is not in any way like my faith in my house.  Both have a foundation.  But one I know to be solid.  My house I only hope is solid.  One I know to stand true and straight.  My walls I only hope are built of good material.  One has been tested and has stood the test of time.  My house has only been around for about 60 years and will at some point fall apart and need repair.  Take the time to get to know Christ.  Examine Him through His Word.  And may you find Him Glorious!

Thanksgiving

 At our church we are doing something different this year.  Leading up to the Thanksgiving Praise Service that we hold annually (on the Sunday evening before Thanksgiving day) we are asking for a few people to give a brief testimony of praise.  It is interesting to me to think about my own life and what I would say, but more interesting to me is why this kind of thing seems to come up only around the holiday.  

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples."  (1 Chronicles 16:8, NASB)

We have a responsibility to tell people what God has done, and not just "our" people - the church, it is a responsibility to tell the world about the things that God has done.  If we took this as part of our personal job description, how well would we grade ourselves.  Does your neighbor know of the good that God has done for you?  Does the teller you see at the bank each week?   What about your unsaved friends?  Are we telling the world that God has done good things for us?  Or do we bottle it up and keep it to ourselves, maybe sharing it at church?  Make it a personal challenge today to make known what God has done for you among the people of the earth!

A prayer for teens

 I have three teenagers at the moment.  And so I love Kathleen Nielson's book, Prayer of a Parent for Teens. (P and R Publishing) In truth, the whole 4 book series is good and highly recommended, but I am in the teen phase of life right now and so for me and my wife, this book in particular has a lot of meaning.  Today I want to simply share an excerpt of one of those prayers - "For Identity in Christ" with you. 

"May she know you knew her from before creation, Father God, and that your perfect hand knit her together in the womb.  May she understand her fallenness, and may she know your Spirit breathed new life into her heart, creating her anew, and clean from sin, through faith in Christ.  And may she know the Spirit as your constant presence with her - Spirit of the risen Christ who lights the meaning of your Word and gives us power to obey." (p. 19)

Prayers for students and teachers

 As school is starting back up, I thought it would be fitting to remind us to be in regular prayer for the students and teachers within the context of our local churches.  Schools have been a battle ground for ideology for some time and it would seem that our culture is striving at a younger and younger age to indoctrinate our children and so they are using the schools as a place to fight for lies and for what the Scripture calls evil.  

I believe that this is in line with what the Scriptures say will happen in our world, and so we as Christians do not need to respond with panic or alarm, but we can respond with the calm assurance that all that God has promised He will do is going to come to pass.  But as we watch His plan unfold, He calls us to lift up one another in prayer.  And so we pray for our students - that they would be able to tell right thought from wrong thought.  That they would have boldness they have seen in us to proclaim that which the Scriptures say is right.  That they would have courage to go against the grain.  That while they do this they would do so with love and respect so that no one can speak ill of them.  

Pray for our teachers.  Pray that they would have moments when they can speak the truth to the lives of kids who are misled by so many others.  Pray for courage and boldness when these moments come.  Pray that God would provide for their families and take care of their needs should they lose their job over a stand that they have taken.  

May we as God's people be faithful to lift up those on the front lines of the battle, and may we realize that the battle is in our schools, in our homes, and even in our churches.  God strengthen us for the task ahead.

Selfish

 If we are all being totally honest, we are selfish.  I don't mean mostly honest where we all think we are good people and all think that we surrender and give more up than we take, I mean totally honest.  This means we look at each moment of each day and honestly consider am I doing this for me, or for someone else.  In fact, I have been testing this theory in my own life, and it would seem that each time I even try to do something selfless, I fail.  I fail because when I do it I want gratitude and recognition.  When I don't get those I pat myself on the back for how patient I am with people who clearly are blind to see how great I really am.  When that is not enough I tell them all the things they need to work on in order to be able to see just how lucky they are to know me.  Of course I do not do these things out loud, that would be boastful, and mostly think I am a humble person.  But not when I am totally honest.

I have also found that it is hard to see selflessness in others.  When they do something nice for me, I don't see it as service or selflessness, I see it as expected and I want more of it!  I feel the need sometimes to reciprocate, but it is not because I am honestly selfless, but because I want some of the glory that they got from me when I said thank you.  

I wonder if you face the same thing?  Are we truly so selfish we find it hard to be even the slightest bit selfless without expectation?  How can we truly say, "to God be the glory" when we want so much of it for ourselves?  I am selfish.  God help me.

Untethered

 This weekend we had our church campout.  I noticed that for myself when I got out of a place where my cell phone worked constantly, and instead found myself in a place where I had no service, a few things happened.

1. I looked around more.  I saw more things, more people, more of the creation that God so beautifully made.

2. I talked with others more.  I asked them about their lives.  We had conversations about things that matter and not just small talk.

3. I chose to participate.  There were many events we could do and suddenly I found I had time and energy to do them.  

There were a few more things that I noticed, but I wonder if you notice this too when you unplug.  Maybe it would be wise to force an unplug every once and a while.  We are so connected that we have become unconnected.  So maybe we can connect again by unplugging for a bit and getting back to the basics of shaking a hand instead of holding a phone.  But what do I know - I have been off the grid for a few days!

God is my Creator

 We are running our VBS program at our church this week and we are learning about the character and nature of God.  We saw on day 1 of VBS that God was our Creator and we belong to him.  I think that this is a foundational thought.  I think that because it is where God begins when revealing himself to us in His Word.  I think that because much of what we see in our world today is because of a failure to see ourselves as accountable to our Creator.  The word accountability may even be out of fashion in a world that wants us to center solely on ourselves.  But it is a truth that the Bible presents early and often - I have to do what God says because God made me and I belong to God.  But accountability is not the only issue.  

I think that we have lost a proper perspective on the center of our value.  We place our value in all the wrong places- in what we do, in what others think of us.  When in reality, we are valuable because we are created in the image of God.  And we as Christians often talk about the value of human life (and this has certainly been in the news lately) but then often devalue those that disagree with our positions.  We dehumanize those that disagree with the Bible and it makes it easier for us to dismiss them.  But we who hold that all are created by God in the image of God MUST admit that we should value the lives of those we argue most vehemently against because of the fact that they too have value and are made in God's image.  So we have accountability and value because of our creation.  But a third word comes to mind.

Dependence.  We strive against this from the time we are little and keep striving against it until we die.  We do not want to accept or admit that we need help, and yet our creation tells us that we are perpetually in a state of need.  A state in which we rely on our Creator to provide for us that which we cannot provide for ourselves - which points us to salvation in Jesus Christ.  

I wonder if you would consider your role as a created being today.  To whom are you accountable?  Where are you placing your value?  Are you acknowledging that you have need of things.  May God use your dependency to point you to Him.

1 Timothy 6:11-12

 "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."  1 Timothy 6:11-12

I am most interested in one thing for the purpose of this blog today - the movement.  Notice that we must flee from something.  You will have to go back into the earlier parts of 1 Timothy to figure out exactly all these things, but one of them is the love of money spoken about in verse 10.  But whatever all these things are we are to flee from them.  I think that we have to flee because on our own we would find ourselves in the midst of these things.  These things come naturally to us.  And so we are told to run away quickly from them.  You do not flee something casually, or carefully, you simply run away.  But we are also told to run toward something - movement.  We are to pursue 6 things.  And notice that pursuit implies chasing until they are caught.  And since these things (at least most of them) are demonstrable to not be caught until we are glorified, we will be pursuing them for a lifetime!  So do not give up - keep pursuing the things that God tells us to pursue!

The writing is on the wall

 We use the expression - the writing is on the wall every so often to mean that there is an end coming - something bad usually.  As we look at the origin of this expression we use this expression all wrong.  What I mean by that is that usually we think of this as something beyond our control - someone or something has made it so that we cannot complete or do what we wanted to do - the writing is on the wall.  In reality, the story (you can read it in Daniel chapter 5) is all about the fact that the king did not honor God properly.  There was something he could have and should have done that may have led to a different outcome.  He had all of the warning he needed - his father had made the same mistakes.  (the author points this out in verse 18 and following)  He had all of the wisdom that was required and he had all of the information he needed to evaluate and realize that God is truly in charge and that he should follow and surrender to God - the one true King.

Secondly we often use this in the context of a warning of potential doom.  The writing is on the wall.  In reality, the biblical narrative indicates that the writing is a matter of impending doom - unavoidable - the choice has already been made.  There is not chance for repentance, the matter is settled.  In other words, if you are not honoring God in the here and now, there may not be a chance for you to repent - the writing on the wall is a writing of judgment.  And we are going to be judged.  The only way out of judgment is through and the only way we avoid being judged for our own work is to accept the work of another - Jesus Christ - in our place.  

May I encourage you this day to see the work of Christ as standing in your place.  His hanging on the cross means that the writing that God does on your behalf does not have to be on the wall in judgment, but in the book of life in grace.  

The beginning in the end

 It is often interesting how ends of something are the beginning of something else.  We end a school year to begin summer.  We end the summer to begin a school year.  We end singleness when we begin being married.  There is usually a beginning in an end.  Which is why I find our practical views on death so intriguing.  We have a sense that the end (death) is not really the end, but the beginning of something else.  I wonder if this is part of our innate sense of God's existence.  

When we die, something happens - what happens depends on our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we have responded by grace with faith, then we will live for eternity in the presence of God.  If we have rejected the free offer of God's grace in Jesus Christ, then we have nothing but separation from God to look forward to.  But in both cases death is not the end, but the beginning of something far more vast than this life.

I wonder if you will consider today the beginning in your end.  Consider the free offer of salvation by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Resurrection

 Friday.  A day that everyone looks forward to.  Our work schedule for many postulates that we get weekends off.  Saturday.  A glorious day of celebration and freedom.  Sunday.  As a pastor, I am not honestly sure what people do on Sunday if not at church.  I have always been at church.  And yet, Sunday is still just a day.  

Practically speaking, one day follows another and a weekend is a weekend.  What makes them special is what we do with them.  At least that is what we think.  And then we come to resurrection Sunday.  The problem with a day like resurrection Sunday is that it redefines time for us.  No longer is it about me and what I want to do with my time, it is suddenly about something else.  And so life itself, and its purpose and my purpose in it are redefined.  

Friday.  Good Friday.  The day that Christ gave His life so that we could live.  He died for us.  On a cruel cross He suffered, and bled, and died.  He was pierced.  And He gave His life for us.  

Saturday.  A silent Saturday where a tomb was full.  As the Sabbath, people were respectful and distant.  

Sunday.  Glorious Sunday.  The tomb was visited and found empty.  Mary was spoken to.  The disciples were greeted.  Jesus was alive!

And so our lives are forever changed by one weekend in history over 2000 years ago.  

Living for the Glory of God

 This past Sunday was our missions emphasis Sunday.  Mike Deen spoke to us on living for the glory of God and how essentially that boils down to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraging and building up the body of Christ by meeting each other's needs.  

As I thought about this I was reminded of the fact that glory is not shared.  When you have a glorious moment in your life, all that matters in that moment is the focus of the glory.  Maybe your favorite sports team is winning and competing at the highest level.  I remember a few years back when the Chicago Cubs were actually competing for a World Series Title after a long, long wait.  In the moment that they won for many people the world stood still - the rest of the world did not matter - the Cubs had won.  Or perhaps you remember holding your newborn in your arms for the first time.  Or the time that you lifted the veil and saw the eyes of your spouse and said, "I do."  Or perhaps it is something else.  But whatever it is in that moment of glory there is nothing else. 

I think to some degree that is what God wants us to understand about His glory.  In each moment we are to live for His glory and honor.  Nothing else really matters.  So when the Cubs win, or I hold a newborn baby, or I get married, all of those moments are to be lived for the glory of God.  When I wake up each morning and go to work, or school, or stay home, each moment is to be lived for the glory of God.  Fundamentally, there is nothing else more important than His glory!  And so each moment of our lives are we considering what it is that God would have us do through His Son?  Are we really living for His glory?

Death is not Death

 In Sunday School this week we talked about 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  One of the phrases in this is the following, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep . . . "  It seems odd to say that someone who is dead is simply asleep.  This is what Jesus does in Mark 5:39.  Jesus says in John 11:26 that everyone who believes in Him will never die.  So what does this all mean.  

I think that it is important for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to realize an important truth - we have been given eternal life.  Not we will receive eternal life when we die, but we have eternal life in Christ Jesus.  That means that life I presently live is eternal life.  So when my time is up on this mortal life, I will immediately find myself very much alive in the presence of Christ my Savior.  

This also means that our loved ones and friends who die in Christ also are still alive.  We may grieve their absence from us, but we know that because Jesus lives, they live, and because Jesus lives, we live and we can have the hope of knowing that we who believe will ALL be with Jesus together some day.  What a glorious hope we have in Christ.  Death in this world is not an end, nor is it (as it is often described) a beginning in the truest sense.  It is instead a continuation of that which we have in Christ.  How glorious that we can live without the confines and presence of sin. How glorious that we can continue in the presence of Christ now and for eternity.  How glorious that we can now live a life free from the sting of death because of the victory offered to us freely as a gift in Christ Jesus.  

One word of caution.  If you do not know Christ as Lord and Savior this freedom and eternal life is not yours.  In its place you have eternal death and separation from God to look forward to.  And given the choice, I would choose life and therefore choose Christ.  Would you consider your choice today?

A Love Like No Other

 We just got through February 14.  Everyone seems to think that this day has something to do with love.  And so our local stores are filled with flowers and chocolates that many use to make up for their lack of love shown during the course of the rest of the year.  Of course this is a little cynical.  But what is fascinating is what things we humans associate with love.  There is one thing that love has consistently in the Scriptures - self sacrifice.  Think of it - God loves us enough to sacrifice his own Son.  God calls us to give of ourselves for the good of others.  God calls us to love like he does.  Self sacrifice.  That is the best understanding of love, and it is something that our culture is desperately missing.  We are taught to build ourselves up instead of giving ourselves away.  We are taught to emphasize self instead of emphasizing others.  We are taught to seek our own identity rather than finding our identity in Christ and then sharing that identity with the lost and dying world.  So, as you think about love, think about what it really is - self sacrifice for the benefit of the one you love.  And love like you are loved in Christ.

The organizational part of church is glorious

 I wonder if you have ever considered how wonderful a business meeting can be.  There is rightly a lot of emphasis on the church as an organism- a living embodiment of the presence of Jesus Christ until He returns.  We are after all exactly that.  But as you read the Scripture you see that even in the early church there was a lot of organization.  Deacons formed in Acts 6 to care for an organized distribution.  Pastors instructed to teach those they were over.  There are collections taken up for other organized churches in different regions.  These were then delivered by people sent from one group to another.  We do not often take the time to think about the organization that this would take, but I was reminded of it when we had our business meeting.  God's people coming together to do business and vote and unite around our common desire to see God honored and glorified.  

This organizational aspect is rarely pretty or flashy or something that we would want to point others to.  We often focus on the programming (how do we think that this programming happens - by chance or organization?) we focus on the music (my wife plans the music each week for our church and I know how much organization goes into it) we focus on the youth group (organization is required) and many other aspects all of which require some level of organization.  We cannot have an outreach or a meeting or a ministry without formal organization.  This means that our planning and preparing is as much a part of the work that God does as is our actual participation in the event.  Sure it might not be glorious, but I am so thankful that God's people are willing to serve Him by simply showing up and participating in a business meeting.  To God be the glory!

Jesus is King

 I am really excited.  I am starting a new sermon series on the book of Daniel for 2022.  Today I was able to preach the theme of the book.  Allow me to summarize.  If you are interested, you can hear the whole sermon here (white lake baptist church | Sermon Cloud) just select the sermon titled "Jesus is King".  

Jesus is our king!

Yep, that is the summary.  It seems so simple and yet it is really a tough concept to live in reality.  In reality we think that we run the day.  After all, I wake up in the morning and decide what I am going to do with the day.  It is my to-do list on my phone that guides what I want to accomplish - a list that I created.   It is my thoughts and my actions that seem to direct what I do.  So, I can easily say something like "Jesus is King" without giving any thought to what that actually might look like.  In fact, popular musical artists can say things along these lines without giving much thought to the reality of it.  Anyone can say it.  Few can live it.  

So, what does it mean to accept that Jesus is my king?  Here is a really oversimplified three step process:  

    1.  Realize that Jesus is in charge.  Jesus is to set my course and my actions and my choices.  

    2.  Acknowledge that I am a servant.  Jesus is in charge, and I owe my whole allegiance and life to Him to do as He wishes, when He wishes and how He wishes.  

    3.  Trust that my King is returning for me.  I live in light of the fact that He IS returning!  

So, there it is - a really oversimplified three step process to living in the Kingdom of my Lord.  It takes a conscious choice to live in this way.  But the reward of living for Jesus is immense - we get to participate in His rule and reign as co-heirs with Christ.  What a rich reward - something worth living (and even dying) for!