1/26/14 EQUIPPING TO SERVE

A Faithful and Growing Steward

    As we continue to talk about Christian stewardship, let me start out with a question.  What about the concept of “living within your means”, even if it will determine that you don’t have all the fun stuff others have?  Does that sound unamerican?  After all, we live in a prosperous nation and credit is very easy to get.
    Do you think you could survive financially if in the past nine years you had earned $300,000,000?  You say, are you crazy?  Of course I could make it. I would be amazingly wealthy.  But, boxer Mike Tyson made that much, and yet he had to file for bankruptcy.  This points out an important part of stewardship: It’s not how much you make, it’s how you manage it for God.
    I like the Swiss watchmaker’s slogan I heard.  Known for their luxury watches, Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe has also become well-known for its clever advertising slogan: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely take care of it for the next generation.”  That is a great picture of stewardship. We don’t own things, we are taking care of them for God.
Colossians 3:17, 23 NKJV
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
    Do EVERYTHING for the Lord.  Do it all the Lord’s way.
    Review: A Steward – a trustee, control or manager, but not an owner.  A steward manages for the benefit of someone else.
    From Biblical times:  A steward was in charge of a household and was accountable to the owner, who made final decisions. The steward was expected to be faithful in working and overseeing the household, all that had been entrusted to him.
    Some background to the word:  Steward, From oikos, “house,” and nemo, “to arrange”.
    The importance of using the gifts given by the Lord for the strengthening and encouragement of fellow believers.
1 Peter 4:10 NKJV
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
    A definition of stewardship to use for study: “The Sum total of all my attitudes toward God”.
    A true steward must have a good attitude, or he/she won’t be able to be faithful to the responsibilities of stewardship.
***Total:  add up all the parts of your life, and attitudes.
***My Attitudes:  Dictionary says, attitude:  A bodily posture showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion, or mood.  A manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one’s disposition, opinion, etc.  This is how you really feel on the inside.  How you think, feel about things.
***Towards God:  He receives of our attitudes.  God sees your heart.  Is it open, receptive, tender to Him?  or hard, rebellious?
    Stewardship is the Christian way of life, the Christian law of living.  God has given us all so much:  Talents, abilities, intelligence, capabilities, ability to create wealth and there is so much that we all can accomplish.  All the things we claim as assets, are really God’s investments in us.
    Regarding our abilities – People confuse assets and liabilities.  IE, put $100 in a bank saving account, it is a liability to the bank.  We expect a return with interest.  God’s investment in us is a liability for us towards God.  We expect a return from the bank, God expects a return from us.  WE must USE what He has given, develop our skills, productivity.
-----WHAT GOD EXPECTS!!
    A quick review from last week, we read this passage.
1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV
2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
    A steward is required to be faithful, reliable & dependable.  Don’t be a quitter.  We can all be faithful.
    One of the big investments God makes in us is giving us material resources.  We must handle them well.  Stewardship includes what we think of and how we handle material wealth.
    Keys to Handling Money
    Being a Godly steward of material wealth comes from a Godly perspective  regarding money. Money is a servant to utilize, not a god to serve. Your motives in acquiring and using money are key factors.
    Let’s read and review a few passages from Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NIV
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NIV
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
    Last week we talked about the concept of what we should do, and yet we wonder if we really can do it.  Will we make it if we obey?  We recognized that those who obey God will make it.
    The Bible teaches us about tithing.  This is a central part of stewardship, of recognizing ownership and rightly handling the money we have in our control.
    One of the authors that many of us read during the time of our capital campaign was E. M. Clark.  He has passed away now.  I knew him as a president of North Central.
From: The Key To Blessing by E.M. Clark
THE PROMISED BLESSINGS
    In the beginning I paid the tithe first because it belonged to God, a debt I owed to Him.  I could not pay Him for all He has done for me.  But I could at least try to show my appreciation for what He has done for me by obeying Him in paying what He says I owe Him and paying it where He says to pay it.
    It’s also important to examine one specific part of our obligation.  God said to bring “all the tithe into the storehouse”.  As I look back at this now I notice the promises and benefits God made to him who brought “all the tithe”.  Some people pay part of the tithe or say, “I’ll start paying my tithe when I can afford it”.  That’s not what God is telling us to do. Our blessings start by being obedient.
    As saints we have too often been focused only on our tithing duty, which is very important, and yet we have not been taught that we are also supposed to claim His promised blessings.  That was exactly where I found myself as a early Christian. They said very little about what God did for the tither for paying his tithe where it was supposed to be paid.
    But fortunately for all of us, God sees things differently.  His plan works differently.  Our offerings are investments in the kingdom of God and have always been treated as such.  God is responsive when we obey Him.  And He has a plan which is designed to pour out His blessings upon us. This is the part too few of us appreciate and claim.
(P. 11-12)
    God has amazing blessings and benefits for His children as they obey Him.  Remember what Isaiah said (Isaiah 55:8-11).  God’s thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways God’s ways.
    Let’s build on understanding stewardship:  ownership.
    *****OWNERSHIP is often a heathen game people play.  I own it, and the big issue is that you can’t use it.  The proper Christian attitude is that God owns everything I have.  Think: CONTROL.  If you want to use it, you have to ask me.
    *****Understand that God is sovereign.
Sovereign: above or superior to all others, chief, greatest, supreme.  Supreme in power, rank, or authority, holding the position of ruler, reigning.
    The sovereign looks to no other source for authority or determining what is right or wrong.
    *****We live in God’s world and need to learn to do everything His way.
    That leads us to a very basic problem we regularly deal with:  We live in a pagan society.  I’m not talking pagan in that people burn animal sacrifices to some god.  Pagan philosophy impacts our whole society.
    *****The pagan idea of property is that it belongs to us.  The name of the game is ownership, posses, control, dominate, exploit.  In this pagan concept people act like pseudo-gods.
    *****So, what does Pseudo mean?
Pseudo:  Sham, false, spurious, pretend, counterfeit.  Our world rejects God’s ways.  If I own it, you have to ask ME to use it.  I control you.
    *****These definitions, this foundation leads us to the issue of the tithe and the Law of First Things.
    Define the tithe – 2 Identifying Marks:
1.  Always first.
2.  Always 10% of increase (before deductions).
    The tithe is the acknowledgment that all we have belongs to God.  He is God and He is in control.  It acknowledges the sovereignty of God.  The tithe is a means by which God’s ownership is established.  Unrestricted use clouds ownership.  IE. Friends or roommates who are always borrowing things.  Soon it feels like yours.
Law of the First Things
    God always gets the first. Tithe paid first before other things.
Exodus 23:19 NIV
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
    The city of Jericho was the first city conquered by Israel in the promised land, It belonged to God.
Joshua 6:17 NIV
The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
    They were specifically warned not to take anything from the city, it belonged to God.  They got in trouble when one man disobeyed.
The Storehouse Principle of the Tithe
Malachi 3:8-12 NIV
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
    This passage includes blessings as well as curses.
    What are the blessings? Provision in God’s house.  This is God’s divine way to provide for the local church.  The needs will be met and we won’t have to resort to guilt, pressure, gimmicks, manipulation, raffles, candy sales, etc. to provide for the local church.  God says that He will make it enough.  It will work because it is God’s way.  God promises blessings as well as rebuking the devourer.
    The storehouse: The local church – where you regularly attend.  Tithe where you are fed, have fellowship and receive ministry. This is where you turn to in times of trouble and blessing.  Tithe to your storehouse (God’s clearing house) – undesignated, it belongs to God.
    These verses include some challenging and frightening statements.  They are also some statements of blessing.
    “Will a man rob God?”  Who of us would think of sticking a gun in God’s face and stealing from Him?  Yet, that’s what God says happens.
    Important fact about tithe:  while it is not primarily a money making project, it IS God’s revealed way to support the church.  When all of God’s people tithe, the church is relieved of all the gimmicks used to coax money in to the treasury.  Tithe, not gimmick, is God’s way.
DISCUSSION
What if everyone who claims Christianity brought the tithe to their local church regularly?
Where do offerings come in?  Missions, etc.
Is there a specific income level a person has to reach before God expects the tithe?
Can you identify specific struggles people have that keep them from tithing?
Is this whole topic of stewardship and tithing simply a money raising scheme?
            If Americans who identify with the historically Christian church had given 10% to their churches in 2008, rather than the 2.43% given, there would have been an additional $172 billion available for work through the church.
http://emptytomb.com/potential.html

1/19/14  EQUIPPING TO SERVE - We are God’s Stewards

    As we enter in to this season focusing on Equipping To Serve, I want to give some foundational material.  The challenge I have faced on where to lay the foundation is that there are multiple topics I could use for the start.
    Let’s start with this statement:  God has given us great resources (don’t just think money with the word resources).  We must use those resources for His honor.  Use them well.
    This may be a poor illustration for starting, but it has a good point.  First of all, even though this illustration talks about the lottery, please don’t waste God’s money on the lottery.  God will take care of you when you are faithful.
Lottery Winners Who File for Bankruptcy
    If you happened to win the lottery, your financial situation would improve, right? Actually, according to a recent study, the answer is maybe not. Three economics professors wrote a paper titled “The Ticket to Easy Street? The Financial Consequences of Winning the Lottery.” Their research tried to address the following questions: Does a lottery windfall have a permanent impact or does it merely postpone financial pain? Does getting a “boatload of money” solve people’s financial problems or just push those problems down the road?
    The professors obtained a list of winners for a Florida lotto game called Fantasy Five. Then they compared those names to Florida bankruptcy records to see how many winners filed for bankruptcy and when. In the first couple of years after winning a jackpot, people who won small amounts were more likely to file bankruptcy than people who won larger amounts. That makes sense. Someone with a large amount of money can initially weather a bad time or keep creditors at bay.
    But after three years, large lottery winners were more likely to file for bankruptcy than small winners. The people who won larger sums did not use their new wealth to pay down debt. Financial consultant Don McNay concludes, “Winning the lottery did not help people increase their net worth. They needed to have set goals and an understanding of finance to make their lives better. It appears that [the lottery winners] did not have those fundamental tools.”
Adapted from Don McNay, “Bailouts Don’t Work: The Lotto Winners Study,” The Huffington Post (9-7-10)
    So, what’s the point?  It is not the amount of money a person has, it is what they do with it.  Many famous entertainers who have made millions have to file bankruptcy.  And, for the Christian, the point is also identifying ownership of our resources.
    Our resources go beyond money.  It is not the abilities and talents we have, it is what we do with them.
    And the point is that God is our source.  We will see this truth develop.
    With this in mind, we want to take a few weeks on the topic of biblical stewardship.  What is it and how do we apply it in daily life?   As we all apply these biblical principles, we will take our church fellowship far down the road God wants to take us.
1 Corinthians 4:1-21 NKJV
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
    We are ALL called to be God’s servants, His helpers.  This is a subordinate role, not the big cheese.  We are God’s stewards.  We are responsible to manage the large investment God has in us.
□    The steward is accountable to his/her master and must prove trustworthy and faithful.
□    He/she must be reliable.
□    The steward doesn’t own what is managed, it is managed for another.  Yet, he must treat it as if it were his/her own.  The steward is entrusted with the owner’s resources.
Jesus said:  Luke 12:42-44 NLT
42 And the Lord replied, A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 43 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 44 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
    God gives us the responsibility of managing for the Master. The better we do in managing what God gives us, the more He will trust us with.
    This passage helps understand the concept of ownership.  The Master still owns it all, the servant, the steward manages it.  ***Understanding ownership is a key to biblical stewardship.
    We are called to be God’s managers of what He entrusts to us.  We are to manage our resources in a way that pleases God and follows His commands.  I know of a church that received a large six-figure offering from an individual.  It eventually destroyed the church because people fought over how to use it.  Some tried to control it for what they wanted.  Those folks forgot whose money it was.  It was given to God and belonged to Him.
    I read an expression someone wrote: “the treadmill of accumulation”.  That’s a good expression.  A treadmill has a purpose, but you aren’t going to get any where while you are on it.  The more you accumulate, the more it controls you unless you are using your accumulation as God wants you to use it.
    Here’s an example from the secular world of some people who forgot whose money they were managing.
How Debt Ballooned for the Meadowlands Sports Complex
    Going into debt is such a tempting way to get what we want or supposedly solve our problems. Too often, it only leads to snowballing debt and interest.
    Consider the state of New Jersey, which built the home of the NFL’s New York Giants, the Meadowlands sports complex, in East Rutherford in the early 1970s. The Wall Street Journal reports:
    Nearly 40 years ago the Garden State borrowed $302 million to begin constructing the Meadowlands. The goal was to pay off the bonds in 25 years. Although the project initially went according to plan, politicians couldn’t resist continually refinancing the bonds, siphoning revenues from the complex into the state budget, and using the good credit rating of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition authority to borrow for other unsuccessful building schemes.
    Today, the authority that runs the Meadowlands is in hock for $830 million, which it can’t pay back. The state, facing its own cavernous budget deficits, has had to assume interest payments—about $100 million this year on bonds that still stretch for decades.
Steven Malanga, “America’s Municipal Debt Racket,” The Wall Street Journal (6-14-10), A17
    A big help in understanding biblical stewardship:  Think Eternal.  Look far beyond today to see the long term impact.
    The deeper that people get in to learning about biblical stewardship, the more some people say it doesn’t make sense.  Know this:  God’s ways are higher, and they are always better.
Isaiah 55:8-11 NIV  8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”  declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
1.  God’s ways higher, better, more beneficial.  So, do things God’s way.
2.  God’s purpose will be accomplished.  A crop will come, results will come when we obey the Word of God. 
    So, let’s learn and then follow God’s ways.
    One of the great challenges of the Christian life comes when we see something in the Bible that we should do, and yet we wonder if we really can do it.
□    Will we make it in life if we obey?
□    Will we survive doing it God’s way?
□    Is God really going to take care of us if we obey?
    Chew on these thoughts for a bit.  Let’s discuss them.
    Right in the middle of some laws that God gave Israel, right in the middle of a section that we struggle to get through as we read, we find an example of God’s blessing on obedience.
    God told Israel that every seven years they were to give the land a rest.  They were NOT to plant a crop.  Now, the obvious question is: how could they survive?  They didn’t have all the modern sources of supply, long term storage, freezing, etc. that we have today.  Well, the answer is simple.  God said HE would take care of it.
Leviticus 25:18-22 NKJV
18 ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. 20 ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.
    God said to Israel: if you obey Me I will take care of you.  He says that to us today, as well.
    The miracles:  a bumper crop, no spoilage, they had food when they rested the land.
    Vital principal: when God says to do something, trust HIM to make it work.
    Keep this in mind as we continue to work through this topic of stewardship.  God’s ways are higher and He expects us to obey.
    Stewardship is the Christian way of life and managing resources.  This is not optional for Christians.  It encompasses every aspect of our lives.
    It is common to look at the big mountain before us instead of the powerful vehicle we have to drive over it.  It is common for us to look at the challenges and needs of the world and our fellowship instead of looking to God Who is bigger than anything we face.
    We must keep this focus in mind, not only as we cover this topic, but as we do all the work God has called us to do.  I wish we had more time right now to go deeper, we will continue next week.

DISCUSSION
What is a steward?
How do we define the resources God has invested in us?
What are we to do with these resources?

PRAYER

1/12/14  PRAY!  Jesus Is Our Lord

Get this: We must be people of prayer, people who really pray.  Jesus is our Lord, we don’t just serve some higher power.
    Have you noticed the attacks against Jesus? People in government are saying that people can’t pray in the name of Jesus at public events.  People who quote the Bible are ridiculed.  Scriptures are being carved up to take out what is not popular.  We now have this thing called politically correct that supersedes the Bible.
    Someone wrote an expression of politically correct thanks.
    In today’s politically correct environment where you have to be so careful to keep from offending anyone, we might all have to give reports like this fourth grader who reported on the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. “The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what. When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who. Because of them, we can worship each Sunday, you know where.”
From the files of Leadership
    It is obvious we are in a battle.  But, what is this battle?  It is a battle to take God out of daily life and replace Him with anything and everything anyone wants.  It is a battle to bring confusion to the world and keep people from Jesus.
    Here is an interesting challenge from history. I am going to read it to you.
Armor of Integrity
    During the time of the twelve Caesars, the Roman army would conduct morning inspections. As the inspecting Centurion would come in front of each legionnaire, the soldier would strike with his right fist the armor breastplate that covered his heart. The armor had to be strongest there in order to protect the heart from the sword thrusts and from arrow strikes. As the soldier struck his armor, he would shout “integritas” [in-teg-ri-tas], which in Latin means material wholeness, completeness, and entirety. The inspecting Centurion would listen closely for this affirmation and also for the ring that well kept armor would give off. Satisfied that the armor was sound and that the soldier beneath it was protected, he would then move on to the next man.
    At about the same time, the Praetorians or imperial bodyguard were ascending into power and influence; drawn from the best “politically correct” soldiers of the legions, they received the finest equipment and armor. They no longer had to shout “integritas” to signify that their armor was sound. Instead, as they struck their breastplate, they would shout “Hail Caesar”, to signify that their heart belonged to the imperial personage, not to their unit, not to an institution, not to a code of ideals. They armored themselves to serve the cause of a single man.
    A century passed and the rift between the legion and the imperial bodyguard and its excesses grew larger. To signify the difference between the two organizations, the legionnaire, upon striking his armor would no longer shout "integritas," but instead would shout “integer” [in-te-ger].
    Integer means undiminished, complete, perfect. It not only indicated that the armor was sound, it also indicated that the soldier wearing the armor was sound of character. He was complete in his integrity, his heart was in the right place, his standards and morals were high. He was not associated with the immoral conduct that was rapidly becoming the signature of the Praetorian Guards.
    The armor of integrity continued to serve the legion well. For over four centuries they held the line against the marauding Goths and Vandals, but by 383 A.D., the social decline that infected the republic and the Praetorian Guard had its effects upon the legion.
    As a 4th century Roman general wrote, “When because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to feel heavy since the soldiers rarely, if ever, wore it. Therefore, they first asked the emperor to set aside the breastplates and mail and then the helmets. So our soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for the heart and head and were often beaten by archers. Although there were many disasters, which led to the loss of great cities, no one tried to restore the armor to the infantry. They took their armor off and when the armor came off, so too came their integrity.” It was only a matter of a few years until the legion rotted from within and was unable to hold the frontiers. The barbarians were at the gates.
John Di Frances, Reclaiming the Ethical High Ground (Reliance Books, 2002), pp.103-106
    That which made them strong -- heavy armor, integrity of heart, disciplined training -- was neglected.  It brought them to defeat.
    As believers in Jesus, we are standing for Him.  We are proclaiming the truths of the Bible.  We recognize that we cannot try to make things easier by abandoning the armor that God has given us simply because it is heavy and the battle is hard.  As believers in Jesus we will continue in the way God taught His church to go.
    While this is not my main thrust of this message, let me remind you of the armor that God has given us.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
    God has given us some amazing equipment to win the battle.  Use it.
    What do we see from the early church?  They faced this powerful and evil Roman government.  What did they do when they were challenged?
    The early church believed in Jesus and were not afraid to proclaim Him even when society rejected Him.
    Peter and John were in trouble for boldly proclaiming the teachings of Jesus, for boldly proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus.  They were hauled before the religious leaders and challenged.
Acts 4:8-12 NIV
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
11 He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone’.
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Salvation is only from Jesus.
    This is a vitally important passage of scripture.  The footnote from the Fire Bible expresses it well.
Salvation... in no one else. Jesus’ disciples were convinced that the greatest need of every individual was to be rescued from the consequences of rebellion and opposition against God so they could enjoy a personal and eternal relationship with him. They preached that this need could be met by no one other than Jesus Christ. He is the only one whose perfect and sinless life (Heb 4:15) could have provided the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin once and for all (1Pe 3:18). This truth reveals the exclusive nature of spiritual salvation (i.e., the fact that it comes only one way—through faith in Jesus Christ; see Jn 14:6). It also highlights the church’s responsibility of communicating the message of Christ to every person. If there were other ways to be spiritually saved and to have a personal relationship with God, then the church would not have to face its mission with such urgency. But according to Christ himself (see Jn 14:6, note), there is no hope of salvation for anyone apart from Christ and faith in him (cf. 10:43; 1Ti 2:5-6). This fact is the basis for the church’s need to support missionary efforts (i.e., people and ministries that take Christ’s message to people in other places, nations and cultures).
    Acts 4:12 is a critical verse.  Jesus is the ONLY way to eternal life.  He is not one of the ways, He is not a good way, He is the ONLY way.  That truth needs to stir us.  Peter and John did not compromise the message, even when they were brought before the religious leaders who could cause them much trouble.
    Later on Peter was in trouble again.  King Herod had James killed.  He arrested Peter and was planning to kill him as well.  What did the church do?
Acts 12:5 NIV
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
    The enemy brought the battle to the front door. The church took up the battle.  They called an all night prayer meeting.  They prayed, not because they couldn’t do anything else, but because it was the best thing to do.
    What does it say the church was doing?  Earnestly praying.
    The early church responded to the battle by earnestly praying.  The situation appeared hopeless.  James had been killed.  Herod arrested Peter and put him in maximum security.  Because of their faith in Jesus and the power of prayer, they prayed earnestly for Peter without ceasing.
Acts 12:7-10 NIV
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
    God had no problem answering their prayers.  The solution to the spiritual battles we face is prayer.  This is why it is so hard to pray because the enemy fights prayer.
    Believers have employed prolonged times of prayer together.  Prayer meetings have been a common form of spiritual battle.  There is something powerful about praying together.
    God is pleased when His people come together to pray.  Powerful prayer is more than just a few minutes as a part of a service.  God inhabits prayer meetings.  Prayer is critical to bringing the genuine power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
    As a result of prayer, Peter was released from jail.  Prayer is what God is calling us to do.
APPLICATION
Why is it so hard to pray more than just a few minutes?
What can we do about this?
How is prayer going to impact OUR world?  The world we live in here in Wisconsin?
What are we going to do so that our world is impacted?
Identify a place to start, then start.

12/29/13  THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE

The Future

    We have talked during the month of December about the hope that Jesus brought to the world.  This last Sunday of the year is a time to change focus from the past to the future.  Our world has focused on coming up to Christmas.  Now, the thinking moves to the new year.  What will the new year bring?
    It is common for people to look to a new year with the expectation of something better.  Things have to change.  Hence, the proliferation of new years’ resolutions.  But, we still ask, what does the future hold?  What will the next year be?  What is coming for us?  Will we see changes we desire?
    There are always people who say they know the future.  Sometimes they are really wrong.
Scientist Claimed the Internet Would Be a Fad
    In 1995, an American scientist named Clifford Stoll boldly predicted that the Internet would be just another passing fad. He wrote an article for Newsweek titled “The Internet? Bah!” Here’s what Stoll said in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio:
        I expect the value of the Internet for communications in general isn’t very high. I don’t think it will ever replace face to face meetings and real rallies—things that get commitment and involvement from people. Rather, it induces a very shallow … involvement and as such, I think it’s grossly over-promoted and there’s a great deal of hyperbole surrounding it.
        I think it’s grossly oversold and within two or three years people will shrug and say, “Uh yep, it was a fad of the early 90’s and now, oh yeah, it still exists but hey, I’ve got a life to lead and work to do. I don’t have time to waste online.” Or, “I’ll collect my email, I’ll read it, why should I bother prowling around the Worldwide Web …” simply because there’s so little of value there.
    Ten years later, in a 2006 TED talk, Stoll reflected on his failed predictions and said, “If you really want to know about the future, don’t ask a technologist, a scientist, a physicist. No! Don’t ask somebody who’s writing code. No, if you want to know what society’s going to be like in 20 years, ask a kindergarten teacher.”
Molly Bloom, “The Internet will be a fad, claimed scientist in ‘95,” MPR News (2-16-12)
    What about the future?  What IS going to happen?  What about the new year around the corner?  What will we rely on?
    I can’t tell you the exact things that we will face in 2014.  Things are changing so fast.  I am constantly shocked at the things we are seeing happening.
    A key question:  What is the hope we have because Jesus came to the world?  What is coming up?
    We have Christ’s promise of an eternal home in heaven.
Whatever the problems we face, whatever the frustrations that just drive us crazy, we know that some day we will be in a place where we will be with out Lord.
II Corinthians 5:1 NKJV
1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
    The longer we live the more we realize that our human bodies are temporary and fallible residences.  In our youth we felt we could handle anything.  No matter what we did we would recover and go on with life.  Then the weakness of age creeps in.  We realize that we have a temporary dwelling.
    Jesus gave us a strong assurance.
John 14:1-3 NKJV
1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And 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.
    Hebrews 11 tells us of a city whose builder and maker is God.  We have a promise of a new dwelling that will outshine anything we have ever seen.
    Because believers have this awesome promise of a home with Jesus, we also look to what the Bible calls the blessed hope.  Titus 2:11-14 NKJV
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
    Jesus will return and his faithful followers will be caught up from the earth to meet him in the air.  This is a promise believers have looked for since Jesus left this earth.  Skeptics have laughed at this, but that’s OK.  The angel said this same Jesus will come in a like manner as you have seen Him go.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
    When that time comes, Jesus’ followers will see Him as he is and live with Him for eternity.
Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
1 John 3:2-3 NKJV
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
    We have the hope of receiving a reward for our faithful service to Jesus as we lived our lives on this earth.
II Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
    Because Jesus came the first time, we have His promise of coming the second time to take us to be with Him.  This world is getting worse.  The mess is unbelievable.  But, we still have hope.  We are not home yet.
    KEY POINT:  God wants us to have a heavenly perspective.  How do our loved ones who are already there look at things?  They see the whole story.  They see how everything turns out. It’s going to be a good story.
    This world includes suffering because of sin all around.  How do we handle that?  The Christian answer to suffering looks to Christ’s suffering and His resurrection.  He understands pain.  He understands joy.  He knows the whole story, including how it will turn out.  The end is amazing.
    Life is a journey.  Generally, we look forward to the journey and the things we will accomplish and experience.  We want this journey to take us to new and exciting places.  But, even as we long for this journey to be a good one, we face curves in the road and sometimes wonder where it will take us.
    I’m reminded of a trip I took.  I looked forward to it.  I made many plans.  It was a trip that had many ups and downs.
Minneapolis to West Africa, via Paris.
Back through Paris to Amsterdam.
Back home, again through Paris.
Flight delays.  Detours.  Lost luggage.
Frustrations.  Great results in teaching times.
    Looking back, it was a great trip.  In heaven, we will see the awesome things God did for us on our journey.  Whatever we experience to get there will be worth it.
    With the great promises ahead for believers whose hope is in Jesus, we must have an ever increasing longing to share our hope with others.
1 Peter 3:15 NKJV
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
    Always be ready to share what you have.  What you have is the greatest hope the world has ever known.
TAKE HOME WITH YOU
Are you certain of your eternal home?
If God were to ask you why He should let you in to heaven, what would you say?
What should we do with the “bumps in the road”?
How should the promise of heaven impact your daily behavior in this new year?
Ask God for direction about this new year.  What should you do that is the same?  Different?  What should you strive to accomplish?
Prayer

12/22/13 THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE

Hope Over The Evil One

    While we are talking about the hope we have in Jesus, I am going to start today talking about the opposite.  I want to talk about evil for a few minutes.  Jesus is our hope over the evil one.  So, let’s look at evil for a bit.
    There is evil in the world.
Evil:  deeply immoral, malevolent, malicious
extreme wickedness and depravity
    The reason why so many horrible things happen is because of evil.  When unspeakable things happen people are always asking why these things are.  How can anyone do them?
    There are evil people who work hard against God.  One was the famous twentieth-century English novelist Sir Kingsley Amis. Sir Kingsley’s son, the novelist Martin Amis, told of a conversation his father had with the Russian poet and novelist Yevgeni Yevtushenko. He asked Amis if it was true that he was an atheist. “Well, yes,” said Sir Kingsley, and then added, “But it’s more than that. I hate him.”
    Can you imagine hating God?  Can you imagine hating someone you don’t even believe exists?
    One of the horrible events of our modern world was the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.  Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 students and 1 teacher and injured 24 others before taking their own lives.
    Dylan’s mother, Susan Klebold, in O Magazine.
    “Dylan was a product of my life’s work,” Susan writes, “but his final actions implied that he had never been taught the fundamentals of right and wrong. There was no way to atone for my son’s behavior.” She goes on to write:
    In raising Dylan, I taught him how to protect himself from a host of dangers: lightning, snake bites, head injuries, skin cancer, smoking, drinking, sexually transmitted diseases, drug addiction, reckless driving, even carbon monoxide poisoning. It never occurred to me that the gravest danger—to him, and as it turned out, to many others—might come from within.
Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec, Canada; source: Susan Klebold, “I Will Never Know Why”, O magazine (November 2009)
    When the heart is controlled by evil, all of the other knowledge that is probably important is not enough to overcome the destruction that resides within.
    Evil is deceptive.  It doesn’t say to a person “I will destroy you and send you to hell to suffer in torment forever”.  It makes itself look desirable, then it destroys.
    But, we have hope over the evil one because of Jesus.  After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph followed the Law given by Moses and went to the Temple.
Luke 2: NKJV
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
    Simeon was righteous and devout.  He lived an upright life.  This means more than simply conforming to the commandments. The righteous one lives in a right relationship with God.
    The righteousness that God desires in His people is a heart founded faith, love and reverence for God.  It is not that a righteous person is morally perfect and faultless.  They follow God sincerely and rely on him completely.
    Luke wrote that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.  He was living in a time of awful spiritual conditions.  He was devoted to God and lived by Holy Spirit guidance.  He was looking for the promised Messiah.  When he saw Jesus he rejoiced, for he knew God had kept His word and provided the Savior.
    Jesus came to the world and perfectly fulfilled the plan of the Father to provide for us life and eternity.  It is up to us to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
    As we live today, we still face the battle against evil.  God’s power to overcome evil is just as strong as ever. Through the power of God, we can destroy the work of the devil.
    Jesus came to set us free by destroying the devil’s work.  Look at these passages. I John 3:8 NKJV
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
II Corinthians 4:3-5 NKJV
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
Galatians 1:3-4 NKJV
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
I John 5:19 NKJV
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
I Peter 1:3-5 NKJV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
    Because we are free, we have the hope that Jesus brought to the world.  We have the hope of overcoming the evil forces that live to bring fear and destruction.  Jesus said Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  We have Christ’s abundant life.  We can, through Jesus, break the bondage holding people, holding this area hostage.
    Evil is real.  The enemy is still out to steal, kill and destroy.  One of evil’s favorite targets is children.
    In May of 2006, John Allen Muhammad was convicted in Maryland for the murder of six people as part of his “Beltway Sniper” reign of terror in October of 2002. Muhammad had already been sentenced to death in Virginia for murders there. However, during the trial, some frightening information was revealed about what Muhammad would have done if he had evaded capture.
    According to Lee Boyd Malvo, Muhammad’s accomplice in the sniper attacks, Muhammad planned to bomb schools and children’s hospitals after the sniper phase of his plan was completed. When Malvo asked why, Muhammad said: “For the sheer terror of it, the worst thing you can do to people is aim at their children.”
“Quotables & ‘Toons,” World (6-10-06)
    This is evil personified.  How can the be overcome?  Through God’s power.
THINKING AND DISCUSSION
Do I really believe that evil is alive and well in this area where we live?
What can be done about evil to overcome it?
Can we make a difference in destroying evil?
What does this have to do with Christmas?

    We have the victory in Jesus.
Romans 8 NKJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12/15/13 THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE

God’s Word Brings Hope

    A modern technological reality: the urban legend.  Through e mail and internet postings, a lie can quickly spread.  “Did you hear. . . ?”  People get a story sent to them, they get outraged at the injustice or plain stupidity of what went on and send it on to all the people on their e mail list.  People get upset and try to change something that doesn’t exist. Lies are quickly perpetuated.
    Let me share a few of them.
    According to legend, Mr. Rogers, the popular children’s show host, was once a Navy SEAL sniper in Vietnam responsible for numerous deaths. It goes on to say that the only reason he always wears a sweater is to cover up all of his tattoos. As you may have guessed, Mr. Rogers was never a Navy SEAL and he had no tattoos, in fact he was never even in the military.
    Circulating for years is a legend that tells the story of a motorist who stops on the side of the road to help someone fix their flat tire. The person being helped then asks the motorist for his address to send a reward. Several weeks later the motorist receives $10,000 in the mail. Over the years this story has been attributed to several celebrities, most recently Donald Trump.
    Shortly after 9/11 a photo began to circulate showing a tourist standing atop one of the World Trade Centers with one of the airplanes in the background of the shot about to strike the tower. The accompanying story explained how the camera was found in the wreckage but the tourist remained missing. Aside from all of the very inconsistent details in the picture the story already seemed completely improbable and several people came forward claiming to be the prankster responsible. It wasn’t until recently, however, that the real culprit was discovered in Hungary. He has since apologized to the families for making light of their situation.
    Lies, half-truths and distortions are easily spread, especially with the internet.  When they are believed they bring frustration, anger and confusion to life.  It is powerful that Jesus claimed to be TRUTH.  What He taught is true.  The Bible, inspired by God, is TRUE.  We need truth in life.
    As we continue to follow the theme that Jesus brought hope to the world, let’s look at the Bible, God’s true Word, as a basis for the hope we have.
    God inspired holy men to give us His revealed Word.  Many prophets and apostles were inspired by God to write the message God wants us to know.  The Holy Spirit inspired holy messengers to write, without error, what he wanted to make known to his people.  This is how we know what is right and wrong.  This is how we can emphatically state what we believe.
II Timothy 3:14-17 NIV
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
II Peter 1:19-21 NIV
19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
    The Bible has been scrutinized, examined and tested.  The detractors who hate God have done all they can to put the Bible out of existence.  It is mocked and ridiculed.  Now, aggressive atheists are using the Bible to create doubt in the minds of believers.  They take portions out of context and say, “See, this is what the Bible says”.
    The awesome fact is that the Bible has withstood every test and proven to be true.  The promises and prophecies continue to come true.  In my study Bible there is a chart with 115 prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus.  Some scoffers say Jesus went around planning to fulfill the prophecies.  How could He accomplish that, 115 prophecies?
    If that was true that Jesus manipulated the prophecies, one of the biggest tricks was to get his mother to travel to Bethlehem so he could be born there.  Nazareth to Bethlehem, the walk was about 70-80 miles, climbing an elevation up of about 1,400 feet.  Probably took them 3-4 days.
Micah 5:2 NIV
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Matthew 2:3-6 NIV
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
Jesus said:
Luke 21:33 NIV
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
    We are privileged to put our complete hope in God’s Word.  His eternal Word stands firm.  We put our hope in what it says.
Psalm 119 NIV
49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.
81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
    Everything we know about God comes from His revealed and inspired Word.
Deuteronomy 31:6-8 NIV
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
    Here’s one of those stories that I can’t prove whether it is true or not, but it challenges our thinking.
What could the King do?
    In the second century a Christian was brought before a king, who wanted him to recant and give up Christ and Christianity; but the man spurned the proposition. The king said—“If you don’t do it, I will banish you.”
    The man smiled and answered, “You can’t banish me from Christ; for He says He will never leave me nor forsake me.”
    The king got angry, and said, “Well, I will confiscate your property, and take it all from you.”
    And the man replied, “My treasures are laid up on high; you cannot get them.”
    The king became still more angry, and said, “I will kill you.”
    “Why,” the man answered, “I have been dead forty years; I have been dead with Christ, dead to the world, and my life is hid with Christ in God, and you cannot touch it.”
    Finally, the king said, “What are you going to do with such a fanatic?”.
    I don’t know, what do you do with a person completely sold out to Jesus?  Hopefully they can ask that question about us.
APPLICATION
Since our hope is founded on the truths, the message of the Bible, what does that say about the role of the Bible in our daily lives?
If people are offended by the Bible, should you still quote it?
Does the Bible apply only to those who believe it?
Ask yourself:
What am I doing that is making the Bible the foundation for my hope for today and forever?
Do I need to make any changes to make the Bible more influential and impacting in my life?
PRAYER

12/8/13  THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE

Christmas In Real Life     Believing Brings Hope

    During a trip to Portland, Oregon, noted atheist Christopher Hitchens laid down some seriously good theology.  Hitchens is the author of God Is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything. Since the book’s publication in 2007, Hitchens has toured the country debating religious leaders, including some well-known evangelical thinkers. In Portland he was interviewed by Unitarian minister Marilyn Sewell.  The following exchange took place near the start:
    Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the Scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
    Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
    Sewell wanted no part of that discussion so her next words are, “Let me go someplace else.”
    This little snippet demonstrates an important point about religious “God-talk”.  You can call yourself anything you like, but if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead, you are not “in any meaningful sense” a Christian.
    Talk about nailing it.
    In one of the delicious ironies of our time, an outspoken atheist grasps the central tenet of Christianity better than many Christians do. What you believe about Jesus Christ really does make a difference.
Dr. Ray Pritchard, “Christopher Hitchens Gets it Exactly Right,” KeepBelieving.com (2-1-10)
    Jesus, the Son of God who came to this world and lived in the flesh, teaching us eternal truths and dying on the cross, gives us meaning for life and eternal hope.  Many today are trying to redefine Christianity.  But, that is as impossible as saying you want to change the laws of gravity.  You might not like gravity, but you can’t do anything about it.  Saying your are a Christ-follower while rejecting the things Christ said is impossible.
    The baby Jesus brought hope to the world.  Let’s keep looking at the hope He brought and continues to provide.  There are some amazing benefits.
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
    Wow, that’s a lot to receive from Jesus.
    A few thoughts in the middle of a paragraph in another passage.
Hope is like an anchor that can keep us steady through all the circumstances of life.
Hebrews 6:18-19 NIV
18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
    Hold on to the hope. I read a story once about a man who started to fall out of a small plane.  He was able to grab hold of the plane as he dangled in the air.  They landed the plane and on the ground they literally had to pry his hands open to release him from the plane.  He knew his one and only hope was to hold on.  Hold on to Jesus, our one and only hope.
    The basis of the believer’s hope -- The foundation of our solid hope is founded on the nature and character of Jesus Christ and his Word, the Bible.
    We have hope because we have confidence in the Lord our Helper.  We can live with confidence in God.
Confidence:  full trust; belief in the power, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person.
    God is totally trustworthy.  But, there is an important key for us to live with confidence with God.  Those who do not have a personal relationship with God have no reason or firm basis for hope.  Let’s look at these passages and think about them.
Ephesians 2:12-13 NIV
12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:13, 17 NIV
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
    The Bible reveals the promise of God’s covenant, the hope of Jesus that gives us salvation.  We can restore the relationship with God that was planned at the time of creation.  We have been set free from the destructive work of the devil, we don’t have to live in the bondage of sin any more.
1 John 3:8 NIV
8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
    Pray for spiritual eyes to be opened to see the destruction of sin and the freedom and life Jesus gives.
II Corinthians 4:3-5 NIV
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.
1 John 5:19 NIV
19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE
Believing in Jesus brings hope.
    Let’s review the verses from Romans we looked at in the beginning.  Let’s talk about how they can be applied and make a difference.
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
What can we do to help people grasp the hope Christmas should give to them?  Try to be specific.
How should we specifically pray for people during the Christmas season?