4/20/14  THE MIND OF CHRIST

The Urgency of the Mission

    It is Easter.  What does that mean?  I know we are supposed to be excited.  I believe we are.  And yet, for many, a different word comes in the mix, a word we wouldn’t normally think about at Easter time:  Apathy.  Easter?  Well . . .
    A classic story:  a person was taking a survey.  He asked the respondent what he thought of ignorance and apathy.  The response:  I don’t know and I don’t care.
    There are people who have life situations that most people can’t understand.  Yet, a general sense of apathy allows the situations to persist.  Note this story:
    Jared E. Alcántara, Princeton, New Jersey
One time I was a part-time manager of the townhouse complex where we lived. Once a month, I would attend a manager’s meeting for the property management company that ran our complex.  I can still remember one of the meetings I attended. One of the managers told us that she had tenants that she had to evict earlier that month. They were living in total squalor. She had warned them in January in writing about their behavior. Finally, in August, she had to forcefully evict them. Why? During their entire time there, almost a year, they hadn’t taken out the trash once. The property management company needed to bring in a 40-foot dumpster just to clean out their apartment.
    Can you imagine living like that?  Can you imagine not caring about that condition?
    Many people live in that kind of a spiritual condition. They are surrounded by evil and the garbage of sin, and they just go on merrily on their way.
    Let me share one other story about spiritually apathetic people.
    A December, 2011, article in USA Today analyzed a surge in a group of Americans called the “spiritually apathetic”.  They aren’t atheists. Instead, according to the article, “They simply shrug off God, religion, heaven, or the ever-trendy search-for-meaning and/or purpose. Their attitude could be summed up as ‘So what?’”
    Some statistics from recent surveys:
    44 percent of respondents told a Baylor University study that they spend no time seeking “eternal wisdom”, and 19 percent said, “It’s useless to search for meaning.”
    46 percent of respondents told LifeWay Research that they never wonder if they will go to heaven.
    28 percent told LifeWay that “it’s not a major priority in my life to find deeper purpose.”
    18 percent denied that God has a purpose or plan for everyone.
    One professor of religion concluded, “The real dirty secret of religiosity in America is that there are so many people for whom spiritual interest, thinking about ultimate questions, is minimal.”
Cathy Lynn Grossman, “For many, ‘Losing My Religion’ isn’t just a song; It’s life,” USA Today (12-25-11)
    Many don’t care about God or anything to do with Him.  They have been blinded by the enemy.  But, as we rejoice in the gift of life that Easter gives, we will not be caught up in that mess.
    I refuse to be apathetic, because of the urgency we see in Jesus and what He did for the human race.  The sacrifice and victory of the cross makes all the difference.  We have hope and a future.
    Two quick passages from the Psalms.
Psalm 16:8-9 NKJV
8 I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
Psalm 31:24 NKJV
24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
    Jesus was NOT apathetic.  He understood the urgency of His mission. Philippians 2:5-13 NIV
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
    Paul described Jesus’ attitude.  It was focused on the lostness of the world and the need for people to be saved.  Jesus was selfless and a servant who sacrificed everything to give us the gift of salvation.  Sacrifice puts the needs of others before self.
    Specifically, how did Jesus show this attitude toward us?  Jesus left unparalleled glory in heaven and took the lowly place of a servant. He followed His Father’s will and gave His own life.
    Because of His sacrifice, the world has the only opportunity available for freedom from spiritual death.  We HAVE eternal life when we believe in Jesus.
    Now, as His followers, we must show the same humility as we live unselfishly and sacrificially.
    Think of who made this sacrifice.  This passage says  Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God,
    Jesus was, is and always will be God.  Jesus sacrificed all the glory and privilege of heaven to come to do what only He could do.  He gave Himself to save sinners.
    Jesus made Himself nothing, which literally means He “emptied himself.”  He voluntarily laid aside the privilege of His measureless existence as God.  Jesus took on human suffering, abuse, hatred and, in the end, the criminal’s death on the cross.
    The suffering was real.  Every horrible part of the whole process we have studied was real.  In the end Jesus was given amazing glory.
The Result:
Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    We praise and worship Him today, for He is WORTHY to receive it all.
    This passage tells us to work out your salvation.
    We are saved by God’s grace, not our works.  Then, as we live for Jesus we must continue to work out, to live out our salvation to the end.  We must never give up but finish the race faithfully to the end.
    We are not trying to gain salvation or impress God by our efforts.  Instead, we show and strengthen our Christian walk through constant spiritual growth and development. Salvation is lived out through an ongoing process of surrender and obedience Jesus.
    As we live for Jesus and maturing in our relationship with Him, we must be aware of and resist temptation and sin. We are overcomers overs evil.  Romans 8 says we are more than conquerors.  This is a sustained endeavor to use everything God has given to defeat evil and rejoice in the life Jesus gives.

    Live your life in Jesus with a deep reverence and vigorous pursuit of God’s purposes.  Be filled with a reverent awe and trust of God.  Live with a sober awareness of God’s power, holiness and judgment against sin.  To fear the Lord is not a destructive fear, but a redeeming one.  It is rescuing, liberating and saving.  It brings us closer to God as we turn away from all evil.

Let this mind be in you . . .
 . . . the urgency of the mission.
Jesus came to bring change.  Talk about the change Jesus has brought in your life.
    Easter is about the desperate need of the human race to connect with Jesus and overcome sin in our lives.  The mission is to get the word out.
How do WE get the word out?
Use the Bible.  Which passages?
Have you received God’s gift of eternal life?

4/13/14 PARABLES OF JESUS

He Is The Light

Why did Jesus come to the world?  Jesus Came for Our Mess
    A story of a family as they traveled.  My family was staying at a hotel in Nigeria, West Africa, when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and found a smiling Nigerian gentleman ready to clean our room.
    I was so embarrassed! My family had travel bags, curling irons, and crumpled clothing sprawled across our unmade beds. Wet towels were all over the bathroom floor. I apologized profusely, but the young man replied graciously, “No problem, sir. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order.”
    The Bible says this is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do for us. To put our lives in order! He doesn’t demand that we first straighten up our mess. Instead, He offers to clean up for us.
Mike Silva, “Would You Like Fries With That?” (Word Publishing, 2005), p. 42
    Jesus came to the world to give us what we can’t do ourselves.  At the end of His life on earth we see the dramatic events that happened.  The Easter Season includes what we call Palm Sunday.
    What do we think about, what mental pictures come to our thinking about Palm Sunday?  The Triumphal Entry.
    The picture is Jesus riding down the hill from the Mount of Olives, down the path towards Jerusalem.  The crowd was excited.  Luke records these words of the people joyfully praising God for all the miracles they had seen.
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Luke 19:38 NIV
    The people were excited and Jesus received the accolades.  He was worthy to receive all the praise.  Up to this time He wasn’t seeking the adoration of the crowds.  It was time for this to happen.  Shortly, the crowds would turn against Him.
    As Jesus approached the city He wept over it, for He knew what judgement was coming.  We see His great compassion for people.
    Jesus knew what was coming.  He knew the arrest, the mockery of a trial and the crucifixion that was before Him.  People were blinded to the truth back then.  People are still blinded to the truth.  Because of this, one of the parables Jesus taught was about light and darkness.
Matthew 6:22-23 NIV
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Luke 11:33-36 NIV
33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.
    The theme here.  When we turn on the lights, we don’t hide them.  We use them to let us see where we are, where we are going and what we are doing.  When we read we want good light.
    ***Light overcomes darkness.  When we enter a room at night and hit the switch, the light always wins over the darkness.  Our eyes bring the light to the body and we can function.  When our eyes work, we can see.  A blind person can’t see because their eyes are not working.
    What is the spiritual application here?  Jesus is the light.  When we have our spiritual eyes open we see what God has for us and we follow.  If our spiritual eyes are impaired and evil, we won’t receive the light of Jesus.  The light of Jesus is sufficient to give us life and hope.
    Your eyes are your body’s gateway to light and images.  This is both physically and spiritually.  Healthy eyes allow you to see and identify the image is that you see.  Healthy spiritual eyes see God’s way.
    What are the  implications of this teaching?
    Be careful what you decide to look at take in through your eyes.  We only take in what we expose ourselves to.  If the images and ideas we see are ungodly and evil, they will corrupt and fog our minds and keep us from following and obeying Jesus.
    ****When our spiritual eyes, and this is expressed in our attitudes, desires and motives, are focused on God and His purposes, then God’s light revealed in His Word comes in to our lives and results in the blessings, benefits, character traits and outward evidence of salvation and our devotion to God.  The opposite is also true.  When our desires are not focused on the things of God, then God’s light and truth are concealed.
    Another important key:  Each individual is responsible for their own spiritual condition.  We must examine our hearts and be sure that our spiritual eyes are open and clear so the Bible can impact us as God planned.  It will purify and transform our lives inside and out.  If we have darkness in our lives, we must confess our sins, open our hearts to God, turning from our own way and follow God’s light and purposes.  As our spiritual eyes are opened, we see that there is no room for compromise.
    The people who were praising Jesus as He rode a donkey to the city of Jerusalem soon forgot their praise and excitement.  I wonder how open their spiritual eyes were.  How quickly the crowds turned from --
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
-- to “Crucify Him”.
    Many spiritually blind people today are doing all they can to get Jesus out of life.  They hate Him.  They hate what He taught.  They hate what Jesus stands for.  We must understand that, for there is an intense spiritual battle.
II Corinthians 4:1-6 NIV
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Important personal questions to ask:
***Am I going to accept the message of the light that God has given to us?  You already did?  Great!!
***Am I going to ask God to open the eyes of my heart to I can see Him.  You already did?  Great!!
***Am I going to live a life of spiritual blindness?  Why would I want to do that?
***Am I applying the Bible truths to my life so they impact my daily life?  You already are?  Great!!
***How do I step from darkness to light?
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.”
Acts 16:29-31 NIV
This awesome truth is for everyone, personally.  Accept and apply it.

4/6/14 PARABLES OF JESUS

The Lost/Prodigal Son

    This chapter, Luke 15, has three stories.  The headings in my Bible call them the:
Lost Sheep
Lost Coin
Lost Son
    The parable of the Lost Son is commonly called the Prodigal Son.  Learning this story in Sunday School I didn’t understand the title.  I thought it was the prodigal’s son, or the son of the prodigal.  I didn’t know what prodigal meant.
    Prodigal:  one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly
characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure
recklessly spendthrift
spendthrift:  a person who spends money in a careless or wasteful way
    So, this is a story about someone who wasted his resources.
    But, in thinking about this story, there are people who title and define it in different ways.  This story could be called:
❏    The Selfish Son - for he wanted his inheritance NOW.  He wanted what he wanted.
❏    The Loving and Forgiving Father - for he waited with longing to receive his son back and forgive him.
❏    The Jealous Brother - for he was jealous of the loving reception his father gave his brother when he returned.
You might be able to come up with more titles and perspectives on this parable Jesus gave.  Whatever you call it, let’s look at some of the highlights and principles of the story.
    Looking at the context of the story, with three successive stories about the lost being found, we see the truth that all away from Jesus are lost.  And, we see the compassion of Jesus to bring the lost back to where they belong in connection with God.  Those who don’t have a solid relationship with Jesus are lost.
Luke 15:11-32 NIV
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’
20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
    There are many thoughts we can look at here.  I am not going to attempt to cover all the specific details of the parable, but look at some of the lessons we can learn.
    Let’s start with the mind set of the younger brother.  He shows that he believes the best life is one without restrictions.  This is still commonly believed.  Also, having grown up in a position of wealth, he thought there were no limits to his resources.  The ocean of money would never run dry.  He thought he knew best.
    Question:  What is the purpose of restrictions?  Keep us safe.  God knew that without restrictions the LIE would convince us to go wild.  The Bible is full of God’s commands.  Why?  Because they will keep us on the right path.
    God delights in seeing His highest creation, people, follow His commandments.
Psalm 111:10 NIV
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 112:1 NIV
1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
    The opposite of what is popular is true: The best life is the one that understands and applies God’s restrictions.
    This profligate son also learned another very hard lesson when he ran out of money.  There really IS a limit to resources.  The ocean of money will eventually dry up and there will be nothing left.  The word prodigal is a good description of a young man who thinks he knows everything, who literally throws away his inheritance.  He scattered his funds in many directions and they never came back.
Can you say WASTE and EXTRAVAGANCE?
    Let’s look at the father in the story.  A major purpose of the story is to show God’s attitude of love and pardon towards sinners.  His divine mercy exceeds all expectations.  We see God’s amazing love for the lost.  When the young man finally came to his senses, he realized that he not only needed to, but wanted to return to his father.
    When lost people finally wake up, they realize they need to connect with the Heavenly Father.
Luke 19:8-10 NIV
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
    In verse ten Jesus identified His chief mission - to seek and to save the lost.  This is the key verse in Luke. It shows the heart of Jesus’ earthly mission and that it will take effort.  As believers, this must be the center of our commission on earth.
    Zacchaeus was a Roman tax collector.  He earned his living by collecting taxes from the people, and by collecting more than he should. This made him rich.  Because the Roman tax collectors were notoriously greedy, the people generally despised them.  Jesus showed God’s heart by reaching out to this man who was considered undesirable by society. Jesus’ concern for Zacchaeus is a challenge to us to take His message to those that are often considered “undesirable”.
    Zacchaeus quickly learned to apply the truths of the Bible to his life.  He quickly began to follow the commandments.
1 John 5:1-3 NIV
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
    The lesson that the young son learned the hard way is that rejecting commandments and restrictions is the real burdensome life.
    God’s mercy and forgiveness.  That is the story of Easter.
    Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  Look again at these important verses to see the application of Christ’s purpose on earth.  He came to save sinners.  He came to rescue the lost.  We need to know these verses.
Romans 3:23 NIV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:8 NIV
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 NIV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 NIV
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
John 10:9-11 NIV
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
    As we are in the Easter season, be ready to tell the real reason why Jesus was here on earth.  It is all about seeking and saving the lost.
Toys Lost at Sea Need Outside Intervention
    In 1992, a cargo ship left Hong Kong, bound for the U.S. While in route, the ship hit rough seas, and several shipping containers were washed overboard and lost at sea. One of the lost shipping containers held 28,000 plastic bath toys—rubber ducks, turtles, and frogs. The container broke open, and the toys were set free into the Pacific. From there, they began to travel.
    A few ducks landed in Hawaii, some made shore in Alaska, others beached in South America, Australia and the Pacific Northwest. The toys have been found frozen in Arctic ice. Others made their way to Scotland and Newfoundland, in the Atlantic.
    There are some 2,000 plastic toys that still bob around in the North Pacific Gyre—a vortex of currents which stretches between Japan, southeast Alaska, Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands. The churning gyre holds a floating, plastic trash heap about the size of Texas.
    Even more than 20 years later, some of the rubber ducks still break free of the gyre’s grasp. It occasionally happens—a 20-year-old rubber duck washes up on the Alaskan shore. But it doesn’t just happen and the ducks don’t set themselves free. Instead, it takes something external—a shift in the wind, a storm that blows across, marine life that bumps a duck out of the current. If not for an outside influence, the ducks would stay trapped in the floating trash heap.
Bryan Nelson, “What Can 28,000 Rubber Duckies Lost At Sea Teach Us About Our Oceans?” Mother Nature Network (3-1-11)     
EVERYONE needs salvation.  It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit dealing with a heart, and as they hear the message of Jesus, that people will be delivered, be saved from being lost.  We can never do it on our own.
DISCUSSION/QUESTIONS
What stands out most from what we have talked about today?
Why do you think the concept of being lost has been lost in our modern society?
What if people don’t believe they are lost without Jesus?
What must we do about lost people?
Let’s pray for specific lost people.
Verses to help you pray.
John 12:32 NIV
32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.
John 6:44 NIV
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 16:8 NIV
8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

3/30/14 Parables of Jesus

BUILD STRONG - DON’T LET IT CRUMBLE

    For the next few weeks, we are going to look at some of the teachings of Jesus, specifically using His parables.  This will lead us to Easter.  We are going to start with a quick look at: what is a parable and how did Jesus use them?
    The definition I remember hearing as a kid in Sunday School is that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
    Parables are stories told to furnish a vision of life, especially life as it is in God’s kingdom. Parables are a means of grasping the purpose of a teaching to give us a better  understanding so the teaching can be applied to life. Parables use word pictures to explain.
    Jesus often used simple parables that represent a picture elaborated into a story.  It was a story that made sense to the hearers.  This is why He talked about fishing and farming.  The parables were not simply clever stories, but a proclamation of the gospel. The hearer then is responsible to respond to the message.  Each person is responsible to make a decision about the kingdom and what Jesus did for them on the cross.
    Stories that make sense to the hearer.  If Jesus lived here today, He would not tell parables about pumping water, like in Africa.  Just as if He was in the tropics He wouldn’t tell stories about ice fishing. (Two pics, river and frozen river).
Today: two parables.
First:  Foundation
    A little review from our own experiences here at Cornerstone.  Before we did this (3 pics, trusses and shingles),  We did this (4 pics of digging, foundation).  We laid a good foundation.  That solid foundation has been especially necessary this harsh winter we have had.
Luke 6:46-49 NIV
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Brief Review.
Lord.  Many want a Savior, He must also be our Lord.  That shows us His expectation of our obedience to Him.  46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
    To live under His Lordship spells obedience.  What Jesus expects of believers is that they will do the will of the Father. Jesus strongly taught that actually doing God’s purposes and commands was expected for those entering His Kingdom.  This is not teaching salvation by our own works.  Salvation is a gift from God.  Yet, Jesus taught that we must obey.
    As we mature spiritually and live the Christian life, ongoing obedience to God’s will required.  Living the life is a heart response to and a result of genuine salvation.  God gives us the strength to live by His standards.
    As we can see from what Jesus said, He really EXPECTS our life to display Him and His teachings.
    When we do this we are building our lives on something that will stand the storms.  We will face battles and storms.
    Believers will be insulted, tormented and mocked.  Believers are called stupid, brainwashed and incapable of rational thinking.  They are called bigots, narrow and stuck in the past.
    We are called by mockers to:
compromise
change our teaching
let others tell us what to believe
hide our faith
    But, what we find is that when we really make Jesus our Lord and Savior, when we really live the life Jesus taught, when we build life on what He gave, we will make it through the battles of life.  We have hope and peace that the world doesn’t understand.
    The world continually attacks the foundations of life and expects everything to be just fine.  That simply doesn’t make sense.
What About the Foundation?  Ravi Zacharias
    I did a lectureship at Ohio State University. As I was being driven to the lecture, we passed the new Wexner Art Center. The driver said, “This is a new art building for the university. It is a fascinating building designed in the post-modernist view of reality.”
    The building has no pattern. Staircases go nowhere. Pillars support nothing. The architect designed the building to reflect life. It went nowhere and was mindless and senseless.
    I turned to the man describing it and asked, “Did they do the same thing with the foundation?” He laughed. You can’t do that with a foundation. You can get away with the infrastructure. You can get away with random thoughts that sound good in defense of a world view that ultimately doesn’t make sense. Once you start tampering with the foundations, you begin to see the serious effects. Yet the foundations are in jeopardy; the foundations of our culture do not provide coherent sets of answers any more.
Ravi Zacharias, “If the Foundations Be Destroyed,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 142
    An absolutely critical question that every person must ask:  what have I built my life on?  And: will it stand when the storms hit?
Luke 11:28 NIV
28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
    The second teaching we want to see today is about leaven, yeast.  The Bible talks a lot about leaven.  We are talking today about   BUILD STRONG - DON’T LET IT CRUMBLE
    We talked about building a strong foundation.  Once we have a strong foundation, we must be sure that the building doesn’t crumble.
    The picture of leaven is the fact that just a little of something that is let in can impact the whole.  A few germs can kill the whole body.  A little rust can destroy the whole car.  A little sin can ruin a whole life.
Luke 13:20-21 NIV
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
    The Kingdom of God has a powerful impact on the world around it.  Just a little can make a major change.  In bread, the yeast slowly permeates the large mass of dough and causes it to rise.  The all-pervading and powerful influence of God’s kingdom will affect the world around it.  The power of the Holy Spirit poured out in Acts shows how God uses the small folks of the world to turn it upside down.
    Many see this parable referring to the powerful influence of God’s kingdom as it works in people from the inside out to affect the world. God works in and through us.  That includes YOU!!
    Opposition will not stop God’s work.  We can’t become depressed because of resistance or the immensity of the task.  God’s power will overcome all.
    Remember what we have said and applied: Together With God We Can.  And, Together With God We Will.
    In the Bible, yeast (or leaven) is also used to talk about sin and the influence of sin.
    We have a perfect illustration of the negative Biblical use of leaven from the recent news out of the Cities.  It is about a police chief who had to resign in shame.  I have never heard of him before and don’t know anything about him except for what has been reported.  Let me share a few details.
    The Robbinsdale police chief, Steven Smith, resigned from his position when he notified city officials he was arrested in a prostitution sting last month.
    The sting happened on February 20 at a home in Coon Rapids. Ten people were arrested and cited for hiring and engaging in prostitution, including former Chief Steven Smith.
    Robbinsdale Mayor Regan Murphy said Smith was an excellent police chief.
    Murphy said: “It’s a sad day for the city. Chief Smith made a great contribution to the city and was a great employee. Smith stepping down was the best decision, and the city is moving on.”
    Murphy said city officials were blindsided by Saturday’s revelations.
    Here’s another quote from the mayor who said the former chief is known to be a family man. “He worked hard and he went home after work just like the rest of us to be with his family and I just can’t imagine... he has to deal with that piece of it and that’s his cross to bear.”
    I know nothing about this man.  Now, he has to deal with the shame, his reputation is ruined, I don’t know anything about his family.  He gave up a job paying him $110,00 a year plus benefits.  I would guess he never started out to have this happen, but that’s what happens when a little leaven is let in.
Luke 13:20-21 NIV
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
    In the Old Testament, yeast normally represented the presence of evil or impurity that brought corruption.  The New Testament yeast pictures false teaching and hypocritical lifestyles of the Pharisees and Sadducees. In his epistles, Paul shows yeast to represent malice and wickedness.
    Some interpret this parable to teach how evil, false doctrine and spiritual impurity exist and spread throughout all areas of God’s work, deceiving many people.  Evil can permeate God’s kingdom when human concepts take priority over the authority of the Bible.  Also, we must keep worldliness and immoral behavior out of the church.
    We must reject pride and ambition that causes us to seek position or power within the church.  In the world today we see the power of spiritual yeast to destroy God’s work.
    The key to victory is keeping our eyes focused faithfully on Jesus as we reject the temptations and evil influences of the world.
DISCUSSION
Key points of these two parables.
Personal application.
Think about the positive impact of yeast, the positive impact of God’s Work changing western Wisconsin.  Our involvement!!

Prayer for God to help us all be strong, built on God’s foundation, and stable spiritually, growing and impacting our world.