Celebrating Our Freedom

Every time we get close to a national holiday celebrating all that we have I want to remind myself that God is not the God of the United States of America, He is God of the nations.  While it is wonderful to think about all of the freedoms that we have - none of them are guaranteed to continue and I wonder sometimes if they go away how the church will change.  If we lose our right to assembly, will we still gather?   If we lose our right to speech, will we still proclaim the death of the Lord until His return?  If we lose the freedom of religion, will we stop serving our Savior?

Far too often the nation in which we live becomes confused with the promised land.  Because of all of our freedoms and because of our nations history we sometimes wrongly believe that the USA has a special place in the heart of God.  This is not a biblical thought.  Nations rise and fall.  Nations plot and scheme.  And yet God sits on his throne and laughs.  (see Psalm 2).  We also know the end of the story and what is to come and it is not pretty for those who believe until Jesus returns.  

So by all means we can celebrate the freedom we have in America, but would it not be better to focus on the freedom that we have because of the sacrifice of Christ?  This is permanent, the former may well be temporary.  

A Tribute to Graduates

It is around this time of year that normally we would be thinking about all of the accomplishments of a group of young people who have completed 12 years of schooling.  They started with the basics - ABC's, colors, numbers.  After 12 years hopefully they have a combined book knowledge and can tell you about history and math and science combined with some practical knowledge on how to get along on their own as they move on to the next phase of their lives.  I want to honor the work that these students have put in, and I think that we all should.  

It has been hard this year because they have gotten an early introduction into the world of adulthood.  And for many of them I think they would be wise to remember and learn from the lessons that this spring has taught.  I want to articulate a few of those now:

1. Life does not hand you success.  You have had to endure not getting the accolades that people last year did and next years may get.  That does not mean your accomplishments are diminished.  We do not work for the accolades that people give us.  "Whatever you do in word or do, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."  (Colossians 3:17, NASB)  We do not do what we do for our own sake, but for the glory of God and life, nor the Scriptures demand that you will receive the success you desire - you do it for Jesus.

2. Life has disappointment.  I fear in the younger generation a belief that life is supposed to just give a series of wins and victories. Life has disappointment.  Life is hard.  Life is not fair.  This side of sin life will continue to be hard until Jesus returns which leads me to point 3.

3. Only Jesus can offer true satisfaction.  There is only one source for true joy and hope and peace and all of the blessing you seek. His name is Jesus.  This is not to say that in Jesus you will find your own success or your life free from disappointment.  But He and He alone has the power and might to make your life into something worthwhile.  But this requires sacrifice.  You must give yourself wholly to Him!  My prayer for you is that you will seek the Scriptures and do just that!  Give your life to Jesus.

Whose Glory are you Seeking

"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"

John 6:44 (NASB)

When we go through our lives and think mainly of ourselves and little of what God would want of us, what is really happening.  For the most part we do not give this a second thought.  And yet Jesus words in his third discourse should cause some concern for most of us as we are notoriously good at seeking our own glory.  The hard part is that Jesus makes this a point of difficulty for genuine belief in Him as the source of salvation. 

In the Old Testament Isaiah said it this way:

"I am the Lord, that is my name; I will not give My glory to another. . . "  Isaiah 42:8 (NASB)

God it would seem has revealed that He does not share glory with anyone.  That means all my attempts to build my own glory are actually fighting against the God who deserves all the glory.  This puts my choices in a slightly different context. 

Our desire should be to seek that God be honored and glorified about all things.  That means He is to be exalted above ourselves.  That means each choice we make should be made with the desire and goal to bring honor and glory to God.  When we get this backward and make ourselves the goal of God's actions we can tend to really get discouraged.  When we correctly see that we are the tools of God's glory we can endure even difficulty knowing that God is going to bring about our good through His glory!  And sometimes that has to be enough. 

So I will end with a question - whose glory are you seeking today?

A tribute to Mother's

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  I know this because I have been trying to rack my brain to think about what to do for my beautiful wife when all of the usual places that I would shop are closed!  And the more I got to thinking about all she does for our family, I realized something.  Most of the rest of the world has had some sort of differences that have given more time to many.  Many people are either working from home and schooling from home.  Many people are out of work at the moment.  And all of this means that more people are home.  And for many moms, this has meant more work and not less.  More time watching the kids with fewer breaks and not even the ability to take them to a playground for a few minutes of respite. 

Moms have had to endure more time with toddlers and little ones.  More time breaking up fights between the older ones.  More time enduring the age old statement, "Mom, I'm bored."  Moms have had to endure a lot, and there is no extra payment received that I am aware of anywhere for being a mom. 

I think that a lot of times we look to our moms and wives to do much more than they ever intended.  So, dads, here is a list of free things that you can do this Mother's Day to help your wife have the best Mother's Day ever. 

1. Be the spiritual leader that God calls you to be. 
2. Listen to her frustrations.
3. Help her raise the kids.
4. Show your kids that you love your wife and will support her in all she does.
5. Make a meal (or at least bring one home)
6. Say something nice to her just because.
7. Make a list of all the things you notice she does for you and your kids and thank her for it.
8. Make her a card.
9. Give her a morning off where she can do whatever she wants and you will feed, care and nurture the children.
10. Pray for her daily.

None of these things cost a dime and they are always open for business!  So make use of this list and do even more to show how much you appreciate the mother of your children!

Do you wish to get well?

In John 5:6, Jesus asks a man who had been limited by illness for 38 years a simple question.  "Do you wish to get well?"  I am fascinated by this question.  At first glance the answer is obvious - of course I want to get well, who would want to stay unwell for any extended period of time.  Most of my existence is me either reveling in the good times or asking God to get me out of the bad times.  We all think we want to be well. 

However it is interesting because still Jesus asks the question.  And in the question Jesus reveals something - He is truly the only way that this man could get well.  This is the hard part.  We do not want to surrender control over our lives to an unknown.  We want to do things in the way that we have worked our minds around and only that way.  If there is another way that is unknown and potentially difficult, maybe if given the choice we would actually answer no.  In fact, many times I think we do answer no.  We do not want to be well in the way that only Jesus can heal us.  Sometimes His way involves difficulty and trial and we do not want that.  Sometimes His way involves forgiveness and we do not want to do that.  Sometimes His way involves going against the grain of society and standing out.  We  do not want to do that.  And so we answer no.  Unwittingly and silently we tell Jesus no we do not want to be well in His appointed way. 

And so we continue in our state of being unwell simply because we are unwilling to try the way that Jesus has made for us.  Is this you today?  Are you unwell and yet have not tried the way that Jesus prescribed for you?  Maybe you should try.  Maybe you should seek God's Word and the way that God would want you to be obedient.  This is the path to wellness.  Do you want to be well?

Prepare your Minds for Action

This past Ressurection Sunday I preached on 1 Peter 1:3-9 and the importance of keeping our focus on Christ because when we do we can have joy.  But there is a second half to the sermon that comes in verse 13 of the same chapter.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  1 Peter 1:13 (NASB)

I want to focus on two parts of this verse.  The second half of the verse is consistent with the whole first part of the chapter - we are to keep our hope fixed on the future grace that will be given to us when Jesus is revealed.  We need to keep reminding ourselves that there is more to life than just the here and now and that we have something better waiting for us! 

This is really hard to do sometimes.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment - so enthralled with the present that we do not learn from our past and we cannot in any way look ahead.  In fact, many times, we do not think about the certainty of the future at all.  The future in our culture is always unknowable and uncertain and we as Christians forget that our future is both knowable and certain because of the promises of God. 

I really want to focus in on the first party of this verse.  We are to prepare our minds for action.  In other words, we are to think about what is going to happen ahead of time and prepare ourselves while focusing ourselves on the future that we know is coming.  We do not simply sit back and wait for God to do His work while we do nothing - we must prepare our minds to do the things that God is going to do and then do the things that He has called us to.  Which, if you read ahead a few verses, is to be holy like the One who called us is Holy.  But holiness does not happen by accident.  Obedience does not happen by accident.  Trust does not happen by accident.  We must prepare our minds for these things!  We must prepare.  We must prepare by putting on the armor of God.  We must prepare by forcing ourselves to focus on the things that God calls us to focus on.  We must prepare by getting into the Word of God on a regular basis.  We must prepare through prayer and meditation on the Word of God.  We must prepare.

Do not think for a moment that life just "happens" and we have to roll with whatever life throws at us.  Our life is on a path toward the destination that God has revealed for us and we must prepare ourselves to do that which God has called us to do.  So, if we want to respond rightly to all of the uncertainty in our world, we must prepare ourselves mentally to do so by doing the prep-work!

The Resurrection

"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 
                                                                                             1 Cor. 15:19 (NASB)

This week is holy week.  The week where we lead up to the most glorious day in all of the calendar for those of us who claim the name of Christ.  I am not sure that we often think of this week in those terms, but this is the best week of the year.  This is better than the birth of Christ, better than Pentecost, better than any other holiday religious or otherwise.  This one day is the day that we pin our hope on.  Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have no hope and our faith is worthless (see verse 18 of the same chapter). 

Why is this so important?  I want to give three simple reasons why the fact that we serve a living Savior is so critical in our daily lives.

1. Jesus alive means that God is faithful and true.  - Jesus living in the plan of God and his conquering of death means that God is faithful and true to His promises.  Think of all of the times in the Old Testament that God promised Israel something better in Messiah.  Jesus being raised to life is the culmination of all of those promises.  God is faithful to do what He has said He will do.

2. Jesus alive means I can have life.  - The life that Jesus lives means that I get to have life.  The song says, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow."  But in reality, because He lives, I can live today, and tomorrow and the future because I know that Jesus has conquered all that would seek to destroy my present life.  I can live my life in abundance knowing that I can look forward to God fulfilling all of the promises yet to be fulfilled.

3.  Jesus alive gives peace.  - Think about it.  Where is Jesus right now at this very moment?  If you answer in your heart you are not thinking about the right person of the Trinity.  The Spirit of God is God who lives in you.  Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father ruling from His throne.  A throne He sat down upon after completing His work here on earth.  A throne He will rise from to make all things right.  Jesus is in the presence of God and He has gone there to prepare a place for you and for me.  And that brings me a great deal of peace.  Knowing that just like God raised Jesus from the dead, death is only a blink when I open my eyes in the presence of my Savior.  Peace.  Eternal Peace.  From the very Prince of Peace.

And the list goes on and on.  But these three things are a good place to start.  This is why Resurrection Sunday is so critical!  This is why it is the best day, and the best week, of the year.