God's Message on the Web

  SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF FAITH Solving the Problem of Faith.  What do you do when you have a problem? “I ask someone who has the right kind of knowledge to help me. If it is a money problem, I ask someone who is good with finances. If it is a car problem, I ask someone who knows about cars. If it is an electrical problem, I ask someone who knows about electricity.” Solving the Problem of Faith. Well, I have a problem. In some form or fashion, I have been confronting this problem for about 50 years. So I want to put the problem before you. I do not know if any of us will have the answer, but the problem is much more likely to be addressed in our individual lives if we are aware that it exists. “So, what is this problem we need to be aware of?” Solving the Problem of Faith. It is a faith problem. The problem is very old. It is so old that it predates the existence of Christianity by over a thousand years. It is a problem that existed in Israel in both the Old and New Testaments. But this problem definitely exists in Christianity today.” “What is this faith problem that has existed for such a long time?” The problem: how do you encourage Christians to place faith in God instead of placing their faith in something they substitute for God and calling it faith in God? Perhaps the problem is best understood by using illustrations. Illustrations #1: let’s begin by asking a Christian we have never met a simple question: “Religiously, what are you?” The person answers, “I am Church of Christ. My family has been Church of Christ for at least three generations. My father was an elder in the Church of Christ of my teen years. My grandfather was a preacher in the Church of Christ. We are just a Church of Christ family.” Question: is your faith in a religious organization called “The Church of Christ,” or is your faith in the living God who always has been active in His creation? Perhaps you ask, “What is the difference?” You see the difference far too often. When a congregation of the Church of Christ behaves poorly, it is amazing to note how many people just quit. They do not worship. They make no effort to serve God. They are very ambivalent about what they believe. Often they become religiously bitter and religiously negative. They did not belong to God. They belonged to the Church of Christ. Their confidence was in the Church of Christ, not in God. They substituted faith in the Church of Christ as a physical religious organization for faith in God. Illustration #2: we ask a Christian we do not know a series of questions. “Do you go to church here?” Yes I do. I have been coming here for a couple of years. In fact I rarely miss. “What do you think of worship?” Oh, I rarely miss, but I hardly ever am in the auditorium. I am always here, but I am rarely part of the worship assembly. “What do you think of classes?” Oh, I am always here, even on Wednesday nights, but I do not go to a class. There is always someone else to talk to or somewhere to go. “If you do not worship and you do not go to class, why are you here?” I believe it is essential to come. I would not dream of not coming. Being here is very important to salvation. I just do not think it is necessary to worship or go to class. This person’s confidence is in being at a geographical place at the right time, not in God to be praised and trusted to direct our lifestyle. Our God Is An Awesome God * As I said, misplaced confidence is a very old yet very real problem. * It was a frequent problem in Old Testament Israel. * Listen to the words of Amos in Amos 5:21-24.

What is the Why What is the Why? This evening I want to begin our thinking with a “what if” situation. What is the Why – Here is the situation: you have a friend that you have had for years and years. Though you are very close to your friend, you have never discussed religious concepts with him or her. He or she has never given you an opening for such a discussion. In fact, he or she has made it quite clear in the past that he or she does not want you to talk about religious concepts with him or her. What is the Why – Since this has been clearly established, you have honored his or her wishes? The two of you have a lot in common. You relate to each other easily. And it is obvious that he or she cares about you deeply as a friend. What is the Why – One day, quite unexpectedly, he or she talks to you about religion. He or she says, “I have been watching you as a religious person for a long, long time. I do not want you to make an effort to convert me. But I do have a question I want to ask you. It is a religious question. If it is okay to ask you this question, just answer the question.” You assure him or her that it is quite all right for him or her to ask you a question. You have no idea of what might be asked, but it is okay for him or her to ask anything. Here is the question: “What is the bottom line, basic objective of being a Christian? What is the basic answer to “why” in seeking to be a religious person? I think I have figured out why you follow Jesus Christ. That is not what I am asking. I am asking that if you go to the most fundamental reason for being religious, why are you religious?” What would you say? What answer would you give your friend? If you wanted in a truly biblical way to explain to him or her why you choose to be a religious person, what would you say? Before Israel existed, there were religious people. Israel existed as a religious nation. Christians should exist as religious people–not just a people who have religious habits one day a week. There always have been people who choose to be religious. You choose to be religious. The question that concerns him or her is why you made that choice. Obviously, your answer will be quite important. I want to call your attention to three scriptures. * The first scripture I call to your attention is Exodus 32:9-14. The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. * Consider the context of the situation. * In Exodus 20 God gave these slaves He led out of Egypt His core laws which we commonly refer to as the Ten Commandments. * In Egypt, these slaves existed for generations under the Egyptian influence of the wrong concept of deity. * The entire experience of securing Israel’s release from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, and sustaining them in the wilderness was to change their con...

The Fruit Of The Spirit The Fruit Of The Spirit – It was early October. The first frost had not yet come, but the mornings were cool and the evenings were hot. It was that unique time of the year when you shivered in the morning and sweated in the afternoon. A 25 year-old man who grew up on a local farm got off work on Fridays at noon. He decided he would take his .22 rifle and roam the hollows of the family farm squirrel hunting. By 4 p.m. he had not seen one squirrel, so he headed for his truck. The afternoon was hot as the sunshine beamed down, and he began to sweat heavily. About half way to the truck, he crossed an old watermelon patch. The good melons were taken to market over a month before. All that was left were the culls that came from the late blooms. At the edge of the patch was a large white oak tree. On impulse, he decided to lean his gun against the tree, gather 3 or 4 cull watermelons, and quench his thirst by eating the hearts out of the small melons. And that is what he did. As he sat under the tree, he took his hunting knife, split the melons, and began to eat the sweet center out of each melon. Just as he started eating, a white oak acorn fell on his head. He looked up among the branches of the tree at its acorns, and then he looked across the watermelon patch. He immediately had two thoughts. The first thought: “I sure am glad watermelons do not grow up in trees.” The second thought: “God sure knew what He was doing when He put acorns in trees and watermelons on vines.” I want to ask you a question: how often do you say to yourself, “God sure knew what he was doing?” Have you ever read the fruit of the Spirit and said to yourself, “God sure knew what He was doing!” Listen: Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. How often have you read these two verses and said, “God sure knew what He was doing!” * I want you to note some things about the context. * Paul made this statement in his letter to the Christians in Galatia because they were not treating each other right! * Some of these Christian were using their freedom in Christ to hurt other Christians. * These people caused problems in Christian-Christian relationships, and then cried out, “I have the right to Christian freedom!” to escape the responsibility or the consequences of their acts. * Paul declared they had freedom, the freedom to love each other–in Christ Jews could love gentiles and gentiles could love Jews. * While they had the freedom to love each other, they did not have the freedom to be selfish. * So they were not to use their freedom in Christ as an excuse to do ungodlike things to other people. * Pay special attention to a significant contrast. * It was the contrast between the values and acts of idol worshippers and the values and acts of God worshippers. * Paul classified the acts of idol worshippers as “deeds of the flesh.” * He classified the acts of God worshippers as “fruit of the Spirit.” * It is amazing to note how many of the “deeds of the flesh” focused on selfish indulgence. * It is equally amazing to note that all of the expressions of the “fruit of the Spirit” focus on the unselfishness of godly relationships. * Paul made it quite clear to those Christians that the person who converted to God through Christ by personal choice did not think or feel like people who do not belong to God. * People who belong to God through Christ want a lifestyle led by the Spirit. * The lifestyle of people who are led by God’s Spirit are at war in their lives with the ...

Is It Worth It? Is It Worth It? – All of us make major investments. The greatest investments we make are investments of ourselves. We invest ourselves in two primary ways: through intense interest and through time. Is It Worth It? – When it comes to the investment of self, we all make basic investment decisions as we live our lives. Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our families. The wife, or the husband, or the children are a major priority in our lives. Nothing is more important than family. Is It Worth It? – Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our jobs or our careers. Nothing is more important than succeeding in our job or career. We literally define who we are by the level of success we experience in our career. Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our lifestyles. The house we live in, the car we drive, the circles we move in, the people we know are an extremely important measurement of who we are. If we cannot use these means of defining ourselves, we think we do not amount to much. Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our pleasures. The form of pleasure differs greatly from person to person. But, having fun, enjoying life is extremely important. Whatever is necessary to reach a pleasurable high is considered reasonable. No matter how each of us invests life, the moment always comes when we must ask, “Is it worth it?” Because people now live longer than people used to live, more and more people are asking themselves, “Was it worth it?” Is It Worth It? – A necessary question everyone who seeks to be a Christian must ask: “Is investing my life in Jesus Christ worth the investment?” Is living for God worth it? When my physical life approaches its end, when I look back at my past and I ask that question, what will be my answer? The Lord Knows What he is doing * This morning, I would like for us to consider Paul’s answer to that question. [I challenge you to look at Paul’s life and consider his answer.] * The early part of Paul’s childhood was spent in the Roman province of Cilicia a few hundred miles north of Israel. * His childhood was spent in the city of Tarsus, which was the principle city of that area (Acts 22:3). * Tarsus, when Paul lived there, was a very old city–it was an important trade city 2000 years before Paul was born. * During Paul’s lifetime, Tarsus was the capital city of the province. * Tarsus held a position that many cities envied and aspired to: it had autonomy as a free city; it could govern itself. * Tarsus was an important city. * On an earlier occasion, Anthony met Cleopatra there. * Caesar Augustus exempted Tarsus from Roman taxes. * It was a university city whose school devoted itself to the study of liberal arts and philosophy. * It was a wealthy city that had a reputation for its linen and a special material made from goats’ hair. * Childhood in Tarsus probably provided Paul an interesting environment for personal development. * He grew up living in an important place. * The trade that he learned [a trade he used as a Christian adult to support himself as a missionary when circumstances required self-support] was tent-maker which perhaps meant he knew how to use the special cloth made from goats’ hair. * Far more important than those two, he was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:25-29). * That means that at least his father had been awarded citizenship or had been given opportunity to purchase citizenship. * Roman citizenship was a highly prized possession th...

MY OPINION OF ME My Opinion Of Me – Gods Message on the web . What do you think of yourself? Chances are that the way you look at yourself is a real paradox. In some ways, we hold ourselves in very high esteem. There has been and is considerable emphasis in this society on self-esteem. In some ways, we hold ourselves in contempt. There has been and is considerable contempt in this society for failure. If we focus on self-esteem, we think about our value. If we focus on our failures, we hold ourselves in contempt. My Opinion Of Me – If we look at ourselves through glasses that magnify our value, we tend to be arrogant and presumptuous. If we look at ourselves through glasses that see only our weakness, we tend to be defeated and believe we are worthless. My Opinion Of Me – The problem: most of us tend to move in one of those two directions. Being a Christian does not make us immune to the problem. Either we tend to have such a high opinion of ourselves that we seek to control and dominate everyone. Or, we feel so inferior that we have no confidence. My Opinion Of Me – God challenges us to have His view of us. The closer we come to God, the more we change the way we look at ourselves. The more we change the way we look at ourselves, the more we change the way we look at others. * The man or woman who walks with God must change the way he or she looks at self. (That change is fundamental to Christian existence.) * More than once Jesus’ twelve disciples debated among themselves which of them was the most important. * Luke 22:24-30 states they had that discussion the last night of Jesus’ earthly life. * In fact, the discussion was so intense that evening, Luke called it a dispute. * Jesus stated some facts about his kingdom they were to remember. * Fact one: his kingdom did not function as other kingdoms did. * Fact two: in other kingdoms, those who possess authority or were older were served. * Fact three: In his kingdom, the situation is distinctly different. * Fact four: in his kingdom, the one who serves is more significant than the one who is served. * Jesus reminded them that he and his treatment of them was an example. * He used his power to serve others and to serve them. * Though they called him their master and acknowledged they were merely disciples, that very evening he would wash their feet (John 13:12-17). * The way we look at ourselves, the opinion we have of ourselves, is one of the enormous problems most of us struggle with in our lives. * “I” want “you” to verify my significance and importance. * In order for “me” to feel significant, “you” must serve “me.” * For “me” to serve you is demeaning, but for “you” to serve “me” verifies my importance. * I want you to focus on a statement Jesus made in Luke 17:10. * But, in order to have a contextual focus, we must begin our understanding in Luke 16:10. * Jesus made a statement on the unacceptability and undesirability of a person who belonged to God placing his or her trust in money. * God will not entrust someone with eternal wealth if that person does not manage small things in God’s interests. * No person can give primary allegiance to two controlling, opposing forces in his or her life–both God and wealth cannot control your life. * Some Pharisees (important religious influences) heard Jesus and ridiculed what he said. * They loved money, and they (in their estimation) belonged to God–there was no conflict between the two. * Jesus said, “You use what people think to justify yourse...

Who Turned Loose Me Or God Who Turned Loose Me Or God – I want to challenge your thinking this morning by asking you a multiple-choice question. The question: in daily life terms, what is the purpose of life? Rank these five options with number one being the highest option: Achieving success Taking care of your family Achieving a desirable lifestyle Enjoying life Serving God Who Turned Loose Me Or God – I ask you to rank these items privately, in your own mind, with no one knowing your list. All I ask is for you to be honest with your own heart and mind. Who Turned Loose Me Or God – In your own mind and heart, list each with number one your most important consideration and number five your least important consideration [in this list]. * Now that you have made your selections, I want to read some New Testament scriptures for you to consider. * Each of these statements was made by Jesus either to a group listening to him or to his disciples. * I realize that each scripture must be studied in its context with serious consideration given to Jesus’ point at the time. * I am not going to discuss each scripture, but I hope to call your attention to a single factor all these scriptures have in common. * As we read together (you are encouraged to follow each reading on the screen), ask yourself what do these scriptures share in common. * Scriptures: * Matthew 8:19-22 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” * Matthew 10:24-28 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. * Matthew 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.” * Mark 8:34-38 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” * Luke 9:23-27 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Has God Abandoned Me Has God Abandoned Me – It was a deeply depressing moment, and it occurred on the worst possible occasion. The conversation was extremely distressing. The men gathered to remember God’s great victory that brought their nation into existence. It was a sober time, but a joyful time. They should have talked about God’s incredible power to deliver His people, they talked about their leader going away. Has God Abandoned Me – It was not fair! They left everything to follow this man! Recently he was more popular than ever! A month ago they feared his death, but in the last few days, he was untouchable. Their concept of victory was in their grasp! Has God Abandoned Me – Now the man who was the center of their daily companionship said he was going away, and for the first time, he said none of them could go with him? Daily life without Jesus’ physical companionship was unthinkable! All their expectations were centered in his physical presence, and now he said he was leaving. John 14:1-4 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” (The same conversation.) John 14:16-21 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Please remember these statements were Jesus’ statements to eleven of his apostles just hours before he was arrested. A Common Cause Of Great Joy And Great Suffering * I call to your attention several statements Jesus made to eleven of his disciples/apostles in this reading. * First statement: “You trust God; trust me in the same way you trust God.” * The eleven men are confused and disturbed. * Their confusion is so deep that they are troubled in their inner being. * It was much deeper than intellectual troubling, more than “this does not make sense.” * They struggled with troubled hearts; their emotions as well as their thinking were deeply distressed. * Jesus said they had an option. * They could be heart troubled by what he said. * Or, they could trust him. * The antidote to a troubled heart is faith in Jesus. * Second statement: “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” * There are several contrasts made by Jesus’ use of dwelling places. * In a poor country with primitive housing, a big issue confronting most people was, “Where are you going to live?” * As they followed Jesus, they did not have a house–Jesus owned nothing. * But Jesus said his Father’s house had lots of rooms, and his Father’s house would be their permanent residence. * He would leave them now, but eventually, they would live with him–permanently.

What are you trying to prove? What are you trying to prove – Four or five times a week I work out at a gym. John Glidewell graciously and patiently allows me to workout with him. This is not a new experience. I been involved in exercise programs for over 20 years. What are you trying to prove – Why? Why exercise all that time? Why go to a gym and get into a physical fitness program? Why pay someone to sweat and strain and get sore? Different people have different reasons–and there are many, many reasons. Let me note just three reasons. What are you trying to prove – Some people work out to compete or to prepare for some form of competition. If you work out at the gym to compete with other people who work out, you will always meet someone who is stronger, bigger, and better developed than you are. Some people work out to feel better about themselves. They use exercise to build their self-esteem, self-image, or self-confidence. That has merit. But it also has risk. With age and time, we lose physical ability. If we completely invest our concept of self in our physical bodies, we face a major crisis when our bodies decline. Some people work out for the sake of their health. They want to become and to be the healthiest that they can be. I knew before I began to work out that I had no interest in competing with anyone. I surely am glad I realized that! Competing is not an option for me! Sometimes I struggle to lift the bar with no weight on it! But this is true: if I could lift ten pounds more than someone, that would not make me more significant than that person. I also realized that I did not want to define my person with my body. With my body, that is also fortunate! My body is just the house I live in while I am on this earth. “Me” is the person who resides in that house. “Me” will continue to live after this body dies. Physically, I wanted to be the healthiest person that I can become. I want to be the healthiest I can be because I want to use my life to its fullest. There are many things I yet want to do with my life, and a healthy body is critical to doing those things. Making a long term commitment to working out is the commitment to becoming and being. That becoming and being is based on a number of discoveries. Each discovery opens a door to new possibilities. In that there is an important parallel between the long term commitment to exercise and the long term commitment to being a Christian. A Common Cause Of Great Joy And Great Suffering * In the New Testament, the Christians who were the church at Colossae had difficulty understanding a basic truth about Christian existence. Paul talked to them about their misunderstanding in Colossians 3:5-11. * They had a hard time understanding that their existence before they became Christians and their existence after they became Christians were contrasting existences. * The person each of them was before becoming a Christian and the person each of them was after becoming a Christian were distinctly different persons. * When they became Christians, they did not become members of a club, or a fraternity, or a social organization–it was not a membership thing, it was a becoming thing. * Becoming a Christian was much more than changing habits or accepting responsibilities. * As a Christian person, he or she actually became something that never existed before. * Since they as persons had become something that never existed before, their behavior, their moral conduct, and their relationships should reflect this new existence. * Since what they now were had not existed previously, a radical transition had occurred.

THE ANCIENT CHALLENGE AND THE NOW CHALLENGE ARE THE SAME The Ancient Challenge And The Now Challenge – Woodstock ’99 was held last weekend. The slogan of the original Woodstock thirty years ago was “Three days of peace and music.” At Woodstock ’99, about 200,000 people attended the last night. It ended with about 50,000 of those people starting a bonfire, then torching the concession stands, then torching the equipment trailers, and finally setting fire to some of the set. Who Would You Choose To Be? * I want to use this event and its ending as an illustration. * Some of us sitting here literally cannot grasp that event or its fiery end. * We could not be tempted to attend a rock concert, and certainly not that one. * We are repulsed by the attitudes and words in the song lyrics. * We will never grasp why anyone would burn the entertainment they attend. * Some of us sitting here can understand the appeal of the event and the emotions of the people who started the fires. * You have no personal interest in that kind of concert. * You understand the song lyrics are destructive. * But you have accurate insights into the mind set that would set the fires. * Some of us sitting here know exactly why people attended and exactly why people set the fires. * You frequently are around people who think as they thought. * You clearly know the appeal of the concert, and you fully understand how it could turn violent. * In this assembly there are at least three reactions to what I just said. * Some of you are saying, “How could anyone sitting here understand anyone who thinks and behaves like that.” * Some of you are saying, “If we refuse to try to understand people who are so different to us, a lot of people will never listen to us.” * Some of you are saying, “The church does not understand the world around it, and I doubt that the church will ever understand me.” * Our God specializes in doing the impossible. * God always has specialized in doing the impossible. * Building a nation from one child born to a ninety-year-old woman and a one hundred-year-old man was truly impossible, but God did it. * Creating a special people for Himself from the enslaved descendants of this elderly couple was impossible, but God did it. * Creating His unique kingdom, the church, from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” was impossible, but God did it (Revelation 5:9). * We spend a lot of time studying and talking about the church that God built through Jesus Christ. * Too often the focus we have on the church is an injustice to God’s work through Jesus Christ. * To make a nation out of the slave descendants of ninety- and one hundred-year-olds seems to us a huge impossibility. * To begin with that nation and make a global kingdom comprised of people of all languages and cultures is, in comparison, an incredible impossibility. * People who declare themselves to be God’s people always have struggled with the same problem. * Ancient Israel never trusted God or what God did. * They believed that God made them a nation. * They just never understood God’s purpose in making them a nation. * As a consequence they always thought of themselves as special, but rarely thought of God’s purpose as special. * We have never truly trusted God or what God did. * We believe that God made us to be His church.

“GOD, I WOULD NOT DO IT THAT WAY” Part 2: ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY Abraham and his Family – Assume that God is forming an advisory committee. God wants to evaluate the entire process He used to bring salvation to our world. He wants our reactions to His methods and means used to bring Jesus to be our Savior. That includes the way He used almost 1500 years to prepare this world for Jesus, the way He brought Jesus, the way He made Jesus the Christ, the way He brought the church into existence, and the way He informed the world about forgiveness. Abraham and his Family – God selects you to be on this advisory committee. He wants every member of the committee to be very open and very honest. He wants every member of the committee to critique anything in the entire process, and explain his or her critique. * Let’s quietly listen to the first committee meeting. It is your turn to speak. * “God, it has been my experience that if you want to accomplish truly good things you must use genuinely good people.” * “The more important the accomplishment, the more important is it to use people who are exceptionally good people.” * “Simply stated: if you want to change the thinking and emotions of the people of the world, you must use the best people in the world.” * “It is essential that good people of great character be used so they can be an excellent, powerful influence.” * “People, in general, are very skeptical, very critical.” * “If you give people half a reason to criticize, they will criticize.” * “If people have the choice between changing the way they think and live or criticizing the new ways, people will choose criticism almost every time.” * “I think the biggest mistake in your plan to bring salvation to people was this: You used the wrong people when you began.” * “I would never begin producing salvation by using Abraham and his family.” * “That family simply had too many problems to criticize.” * “They did not have the potential for being a powerful influence.” * “Take an honest look at Abraham and his extended family.” * “I would not begin with a man who used his wife to deceive other people as Abraham did.” * “I would not begin with a man who lied about his wife being his wife.” * “I would not begin with a man who allowed a king to take his wife with the intention of marrying her because the king thought the woman was unmarried.” * “I would not begin with a man who had a son by a woman who was not his wife.” * “I would not begin with a man who made his own son and that son’s mother permanently leave his family.” * “I am sorry God, but that was a mistake.” * “I would not use a man who showed enormous favoritism among his two sons as Isaac did.” * “I would not use a man who dearly loved one son and disregarded the other son.” * “I would not use a family in which the blind father’s wife plotted against and deceived him.” * “I would not use a family in which both sons despised each other.” * “I am sorry God, but that was a mistake.” * “I would not use a man who lied and exploited others for his own benefit as Jacob did.” * “He used his own brother’s hunger to take something precious from his brother.” * “He intentionally lied to deceive his own blind father.” * “He took advantage of his father-in-law.” * “He had two wives,

God, I would not do it that wayBy the time I was a senior in high school, I had been wearing a necktie on Sundays since I was fourteen. That means I learned to tie a necktie when I was fourteen. One day I was sitting in the classroom that Edna Elmore used for her English classes. It was free time. There were four of us in the room talking. Three were trying to tie a suitable knot for the neckwear of a dress uniform in the Navy. They were not succeeding. Each time they tried to tie that tie, it was a mess. Each time I would say, “Use a Full Windsor knot.” Over and over the same thing happened. They would try. The tie would be a mess. I would say, “Use a Full Windsor knot.” Of course, the whole time I was trying to sound like I really knew what I was talking about. And, of course, I did not. Finally, they handed me the tie. I tried to tie what I had been told was a Full Windsor knot. The tie was much too thick for the knot, and all I produced was another big mess. How often have we said, “I would not do it that way”? The translation of that statement: “That is the wrong way to do it. If I did it, I would do it the right way.” Quite often, we, in so many words, say, “God, I do not understand the way You do things. More often than not, You simply confuse me with the way You do things. It is very evident to me that Your way will not work. I cannot understand why You do not understand that.” * There is an old saying that declares, “Hindsight has 20/20 vision.” * When you look from the present back into the past, you can see everything clearly with perfect vision. * You can look back and see so clearly what other people should have done to avoid problems or to make mistakes impossible. * If you are honest with yourself, you can always look back and see what you should have done or could have done. * Very few of us would refuse to change the past if we could. * Why? It is simple. When we look back, we always see with 20/20 vision. * While we can look into the past and see so clearly, we cannot see into the present as clearly. * We rarely see the present as clearly as we see the past. * We never see the future as clearly as we see the past. * When we look at God’s actions in the past, we can see so clearly what God was doing and marvel at God’s wisdom. * But those people [for whom our past was their present] really struggled to understand what God was doing. * Abraham and Sarah struggled to understand why God waited so long to keep His promise and give them a son. * Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob never understood why God decided to work through Jacob instead of Esau. * It certainly was not because Jacob was such a godly man! * It certainly was not because that was the way things were done! * Surely there were times when Jacob’s family wondered why God brought them to a home in Egypt through ten brothers selling Joseph into slavery. * Surely there were times when the nation of Israel wondered why God led them to the promised land through the desert when there was a perfectly good highway that went along the Mediterranean Sea. * Looking back, we see clearly what God was doing. * God wanted Abraham and Sarah and, later, Israel to understand that God, and nothing else, made it possible for Abraham and Sarah to have Isaac. * God used Jacob and not Esau because God wanted them to clearly understand that the living God does things His way by His choices–He is sovereign. * God rescued Jacob’s family from a famine through the work of Joseph because God wanted Israel to understand that God, alone, took care of them, and nothing else.

Christ is Real Change Your Focus Colossians 3:1-11 Christ is Real Change Your Focus – How we interpret what we see determines our feelings and our actions. Consider an example: from your yard, you can see two people, and one person is obviously struggling. If you interpret what you see as a crime in process, you rush into the house and call 911. If you interpret what you see as a person being rescued from an accident, you hurry down the street to help. What you feel if you think you are witnessing a crime and what you feel if you think you are witnessing a rescue attempt will not be the same feelings. Christ is Real Change Your Focus – How we interpret God’s actions and how we interpret our struggle with evil determines our feelings and our actions. Consider an example: if our personal view of God is He controls everything including Satan and evil, then we regard every undesirable happening as God’s fault. God is either toying with us, or using us for amusement, or is unfeeling and unconcerned about our distress and suffering, or is just plain mean. Why? God is in control. God can do anything. God is doing nothing but ignoring us as we struggle and suffer. Does God fight us, or does God sustain us? Is He our opponent who destroys us or our rescuer who delivers us? Our view of God is the foundation of many of our struggles. People’s view of God always has been the foundation of their struggles. For the Christians at Colossae, their view of God was a major problem. Read with me Colossians 3:1-11. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him– a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. * We must not rip this passage out of the context of the situation at Colossae. * I said it before, I will say it again many times: never forget that people divided the writings into chapters and verses long after the writings were produced. * The typical way that we read the Bible is chapter by chapter. * The certainly is not wrong, but it can create a huge problem. * If we read a chapter as though it is information isolated from the letter and isolated from the chapters before and after it, we are very likely to misunderstand that chapter. * If we read this chapter as though Paul wrote to us in the twenty-first century instead of to the Colossian Christians in the first century, we will change Paul’s emphasis and message. * It is extremely important to remember Paul’s point in chapter two: the Colossian Christians did not need Christ plus something else to be spiritual. * Jewish Christians did not need Christ plus Jewish ritual to be spiritual. * What their Jewish critics said about spiritual standards was meaningless. * Christ was 100% sufficient to be spiritual before God.

The Power of Imitation The Power of Imitation – We live in a world that loves to imitate. People seek to be fashionable in the way they dress. Fashion in dress encourages imitation. If you think you are immune to the imitation of the fashion of dress, consider how quickly you adapt your clothing to the area you live in. Accepted behavior commonly influences our behavior. We do things in the “right” way because that is the way everyone else does. With many, it is a tragedy if we do not do something the “right” way as “the in thing to do.” Do you not find it fascinating to hear people discuss what is acceptable now and what is not acceptable now? The Power of Imitation – All of us would likely be surprised at how much imitation we would find in our dress, our speech, our behavior, our cars, our homes, and our lives in general. Imitation is even at the roots of our war. People who embrace Muslim lifestyle and values do not want their society imitating the lifestyle and values of western societies (that includes us!). And we are fearful of the influences of the lifestyles and values of “those societies.” Why? Many say they do not want those influences in our “Christian” nation. The Power of Imitation – We are a “Christian nation”? This nation reflects a “Christian” lifestyle and “Christian” values? Really? Do you think average Americans would even agree on what a Christian lifestyle and Christian values are? How often do Americans associate the Christian lifestyle and values with the dress codes and behaviors of particular groups who declare themselves Christian? The Power of Imitation -Imitation is not a bad thing of itself. In fact, imitation is impossible to avoid, and has been since societies existed. Imitation plays a key role in influence. Consider a statement from Paul. “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) * I want you to begin by thinking about what an enormous challenge it was in the first century to make Jesus Christ a world influence. * We usually focus on all the things they did not have in their societies to aid mass communication–no printing press, no radio, no television, no modern advertising agencies, and no modern “spin doctors” to tell people what to think as if people cannot think. * I challenge you to think of the enormity of the task from a different perspective. * The small Jewish nation into which Jesus was born had Jewish ways to do everything. * They had Jewish traditions for marriage. * They had Jewish traditions for death. * They had Jewish traditions for keeping the Sabbath. * There was a “right Jewish way” to do everything a devout Jew did. * The vast majority of people were idol worshippers. * Most of the time, we stereotype idol worshippers; the truth is there were many forms of idolatry, and many of those forms had distinct differences. * Each of those forms had “correct” ways to do everything. * The key question: how do you make Jesus Christ influential throughout the world, among all people whether Jewish or idolatrous? * How do you make Jesus Christ influential in your own society? * How do you make Jesus Christ influential trans-culturally? * That was an enormous challenge in the first century! * Initially, the world was big and the Christian movement was tiny (sound familiar?). * I want to affirm one truth: Christianity is about Jesus Christ, about the impact of Jesus Christ on human life. * The central figure in each of the gospels, the first four writings of the New Testament, is Jesus Christ.

What God did for People through Jesus 5 What God did for People through Jesus 5 – James 1:19-27 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. What God did for People through Jesus 5 – Obeying out of Love There was a time when some of us said, “If we don’t do what Ma said, we will get a beatin’ for sure!” There was a time when some of us said, “If my parents ever find out I did this, I will be grounded for life!” There was a time when some of us said, “When my parents hear about this, they will lock me in my room and throw the key away!” That is the forced obedience of the immature. The immature do not obey because they want to obey, but because they are terrified of the consequences of not obeying. Hopefully, there has come a time in your life that you obey because a love relationship exists. Allow me to give you an example. If you have a good marriage, it is a marriage with numerous incidents of obedience. In a good marriage, there is lots of obedience. Every day the husband and the wife in that good marriage perform acts of obedience out of love and respect, not because they are terrified of a belt, a willow switch, being grounded, or being locked in a room. In a good marriage, the husband and the wife frequently do things they may never talk about simply because the thing shows the appreciation of affection for the spouse. Then in that marriage there are moments of conscious sacrifice made in the loyalty of affection. Such acts have nothing to do with punishment, but everything to do with love . * Perhaps the greatest single act of obedience from a human perspective was given by Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane * Jesus had a relationship with the Father that you and I will never have with the Father. * He had a prayer life that makes any of ours look anemic. * His ministry was filled with personal surrender to the Father. * Never once did he defy his Father’s instructions or will. * Three times he asked the Father to let “this cup” pass from him. * For multiple reasons, he did not wish to die then, in those circumstances, in that way. * May I suggest two of the reasons. * He did not want the pain. * He did not want the responsibility [for thousands of years God worked toward that moment–God’s success hinge on Jesus’ reaction under severe stress and pain]. * Yet, though Jesus did not want the agony before him, he surrendered. * Paraphrased, “If Your objective can be achieved in any other way, let’s go the other way.” * “However,

What God did for People through Jesus 4 What God did for People through Jesus 4 – 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” What God did for People through Jesus 4 – an enormous transition from idol worshippers to following Jesus Christ. This is the fourth part of what God did for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection. In the three previous lessons, we have noted: * God through Jesus provided us a new way to Him. * God through Jesus demonstrated His love for us. * God through Jesus made it possible for unholy humanity to associate with the living God.Tonight we want to stress the enormous chasm God bridged to allow us to come to him. Most if not all of Paul’s writings were to Gentile Christians. I do not think many of us realize what an enormous transition it was for idol worshippers to begin following Jesus Christ. First, they lived in a world dominated by the presence of idols and the influence of idolatry. Worship of the gods was everywhere! Idols were visible everywhere! Temples dedicated to idol worship were extremely common. Idolatry was more than religious expression in the world of the first century. It was an important part of politics. It was an important part of the workplace. It was an important part of agriculture (and their age was an agricultural age). It commonly was a part of the home routine. In the first century, in everyday life, it was impossible to escape the presence and influence of idolatry.Second, to make the transition from idolatry to following Jesus Christ was an enormous personal transition. It involved changing one’s personal concept of deity. It involved changing one’s concept of worship (Jesus was the sacrifice, and was already offered). It involved changing religious habits that were a part of your life. It involved changing your concept of godly behavior. It often involved changing your daily life in fundamental behavior. What God did for People through Jesus 4 – The Patron * Let me illustrate how deep the change was by looking at the context of 1 Corinthians 1. * Paul began this letter in the manner he began a number of his letters. * He gave his common salutation, which was typical of the way many letters started.