8/18/13   KINGDOM LIVING   

The Blessings of Generosity

    What is your approach to life?
***Me, myself and I
***Jesus, Others, You (what a wonderful way to spell joy)
Kids Collect Pennies to Purchase New Fire Truck
    Shortly after the tragedy of 9/11 came a wonderful story of giving. It came from a school in Columbia, South Carolina.
    First, the historical perspective. Two years after the Civil War, with much of Columbia still in ruins, some of the bitterness over the conflict was put aside by a single gesture: New York firefighters set out to collect pennies to buy Columbia a firetruck.
    On February 17, 1865, a devastating blaze devoured about one-third of the city. Columbia had lost most of its firefighting equipment during the Civil War and desperately used bucket brigades in their attempt to douse flames.
    Not long after, New York City firemen, many of them former Union soldiers, raised $5,000—mostly in pennies—and put a hose-reel wagon on a steamship bound for Columbia, South Carolina. On the way, the ship sank, but instead of giving up, they took up another collection and sent a second hose-reel wagon.
    So overwhelmed was former Confederate Colonel Samuel Melton that he made a promise on behalf of South Carolina’s capital city to return the kindness “should misfortune ever befall the Empire City.”
    After 9/11, White Knoll principal Nancy Turner and her teachers were trying to find some tangible way their students could respond to the attacks. Eventually the decision was made to collect money to buy a fire truck.
    Then Turner stumbled on records of New York’s gift. It was easy to get city leaders and the governor, Jim Hodges, to join in. Columbia’s fire chief was a New York native. The effort was named “South Carolina Remembers”. After 134 years, the day to remember came and the children of Columbia took it on themselves to honor that pledge.
    They collected pennies at football games, held bake sales, and sold T-shirts in a drive to raise the $350,000 needed to replace one of the dozens of New York fire trucks destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.
    The idea began from a lesson in giving. Donations poured in. One donor wrote: “When I was growing up in Columbia, Mama always said you need to return a kindness. I know she’d be as glad as I am to be part of this wonderful thank-you gesture.”
    One of the most unforgettable donations came from Russell Siller of Rockville Centre, New York. Siller’s brother, Stephen, was part of the elite firefighter force Squad 1. He died that terrible day. Siller wrote: “At a time like this, when the whole nation is still mourning its loss, what a powerful and poetic message your efforts send to all of us. I am proud that New York’s bravest sent you a fire truck in your city’s time of need. … To think that you would honor a pledge made so many years ago! The new fire truck will become a symbol for your love for your country, and for New York’s bravest.”
Condensed from Building Adult Ministries, Christianity Today International. “A Kindness Returned-134 Years Later,” Building Adult Ministries (3-31-08); taken from an Associated Press story by Page Ivey
    The blessings of generosity.  It is not just an emotional response to a heart wrenching appeal.  This is one of the most powerful principles God wants all to learn.  I am reminded of:
II Corinthians 9:7 NLT
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
    In His sermon expressing the foundation of His Kingdom, the constitution of the church, Jesus taught about something we all deal with - generosity and the temptation to be in love with stuff.
    I want to challenge you with the blessings of generosity.  What we allow to flow through our hands, what we keep, and how we look at caring for others  will set the pace for where we go in life.
    Jesus taught:
Matthew 6:1-34 NLT
1 Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
    Learn the blessings of generosity, just don’t make a big deal about it.  This goes to motivation.  Why do you do what you do?  Is it so others will be impressed?  Is it to make people think you are a wonderful person?
    God says to be generous and let Him take care of any rewards.  God sees what you do. He will reward you in ways you couldn’t think of.  Just be kind and forget it.
    Generous is something we all can be.  It may be with money, it may be with something we already own, it may be with time and talents.  Many think “When I get rich, then I’ll do great things”.  Don’t wait for that time, it probably won’t come.  Use what you have now.
    Generosity includes this simple concept: find a need, then heal it.  Not every need is large and you can do something about it.
19 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
    Termites Eat Millions of Indian Rupees
    It was an all-you-can-eat buffet at the bank. An army of termites munched through 10 million rupees ($222,000) in currency notes stored in a steel chest at a bank in Barabanki, said police in northern India. The bank manager discovered the damage when he opened the reinforced room in an old bank building.
    Police officer Navneet Rana told The Associated Press, “It’s a matter of investigation how termites attacked bundles of currency notes stacked in a steel chest.” The money was put in the chest in January, 2011. In the past, termites had damaged bank furniture and documents. The police have registered a case of negligence against the bank officials.
Associated Press, “Termites eat millions of Indian rupees in bank” (4-22-11)
    Some treasure lasts and gains value.  Some simply fades away.  People have lost billions of dollars in investments that were worthless.  Things that seemed so valuable have lost their appeal.
    Let’s come up with a list of things that had value at one time:
8 track, cassette tapes
dial telephones
vacuum tubes (radio, TV)
floppy disks for computers
?????
    These things were all valuable and looked like a great investment.  Now, they just sit and collect dust.
    Store up treasure that will last, that won’t lose value.  Eternity is the place to invest.
What will bring people to Jesus?
What will show God’s love and compassion for people?
What will bring honor to God?
    This is where we want to invest.  So many things people work so hard to collect fade away.  Let me illustrate it with this golf club.  I got it used for $5.  I probably could have gotten it for less.  New, it cost hundreds.  Some time ago someone was all excited as they got this beautiful new club.  Now, it’s considered worthless.  Look at so many other toys people have to have that are now filling up storage sheds or landfills.
24 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
25 That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
    ***No one can serve two masters.
    Money, things – the master of many people.  This is why people say the church shouldn’t talk about money.  “That’s my money and I’m going to do whatever I want with it.”  Money becomes the master and controls people.  Jesus said we will either serve God or money.  That is an amazingly accurate statement.
    People place a high value on things.  They place their trust and faith in it and look to it for security and happiness.  If you have enough money, your future is guaranteed.  They forget these words from the Bible.  Luke 12:15, 20 NKJV
15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
    Accumulating wealth takes over a person’s mind so they forget about doing things for God’s glory.
    Let’s review 19-34.
Questions for discussion.
What does the Bible say about money, material possessions?
God owns it all.
Psalm 50:10-12 NKJV
10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.”
    We are to manage what God gives us, use it for God’s purposes.
1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

How do we recognize His ownership?
Acknowledging His ownership.  The tithe is the acknowledgment that it all belongs to God.
Malachi 3:10-11 NKJV
10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;
    The tithe is God’s revealed way to support the local church.

What does God’s ownership imply?
    He owns everything.  He gave it to us to use, to manage for Him, to receive benefit of having what we need in life.
    God blesses generosity, generous living.  Being a faithful steward builds up treasures in heaven.  Nothing can take those away.  It relieves us from the worry about things.
The Application
What am I going to do about things, money, generosity?
What am I going to do about the tithe?

8/11/13  KINGDOM LIVING

Purity – God’s Best Option

    In his book Glorious Mess, Mike Howerton tells a story about a childhood experience playing “mud football”. After a huge downpour, he and his buddies found a gully filled with two inches of standing water. He describes what happened next:
    We had a blast. Every tackle would send you sliding for yards and yards. The ball was like a greased pig, which meant tons of fumbles and gang tackles and laughter.
    I remember tackling one of [my friends] and watching him skim across the surface of the water for something like four miles and thinking, “I might be in heaven.” When he got up, I noticed something stuck on his shoulder. I peered closer, wondering, “What is that?” Now, there was a huge, concrete sewage runoff drain right next to the gully. And apparently during heavy rains, all sorts of things got backed up, and I don’t know if the apartment complex immediately next to the school burst a pipe or what, but I do know we didn’t really pay attention to the flotsam in the gully until I noticed that something on Craig’s shoulder. I peered closer and suddenly realized it was a soaking piece of toilet paper. In that same instant I realized the smell surrounding me was a bit more pungent than a typical mud football game ought to smell. I yelled out, “We’re playing in POOP WATER!” and we bolted for home as fast as we could.
    Talk about an instant of mental transformation.  Sometimes in life we need our thinking transformed. Sometimes we think we’re having fun until we realize we’re rolling around in sewage.
Mike Howerton, Glorious Mess (Baker, 2012), pp. 101-102
    God has given us something awesome, and, as usual, the enemy is making it something awful.  God has given us the beauty of personal relationships and a beautiful thing called marriage with all its benefits, and they enemy gets it all twisted up.  What appears to be beautiful and extremely fulfilling becomes a source of destruction and desperation when we break God’s ways.
    KINGDOM LIVING -- Purity, God’s best option
Matthew 5:27-32 NKJV
27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
31 Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
    In His sermon expressing the foundation of His Kingdom, the constitution of the church, Jesus taught about something we all deal with - desires of the heart.
    I want to challenge you with the blessings of obeying God’s laws.  What we allow into our hearts, what we dwell on, will set the pace for where we go in life.
    This message today is built on the foundation of one of the beatitudes. 
Matthew 5:8 NKJV
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
    The pure in heart have dedicated themselves to the Lord and are free from sin’s power.  They live to please God.  Pleasing God loves what God loves and hates what God hates.  This is living in tune with God.
    God is looking for purity in His followers.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 NKJV
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
    God blesses pure hearts who love righteousness.
Hebrews 1:9 NKJV
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
    Jesus taught about our thoughts and desires.  We must make them pure according to HIS standards of holiness.
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
    As you read the Bible you see many references to this topic of adultery.  There is physical as well as spiritual adultery.  What is the big deal?  Why is the Bible so strongly against it?
    God gave the most special human relationship to a man and woman in marriage.  It is like no other.  You can be friends, business acquaintances, neighbors, meet people at social gatherings, friends at church -- and nothing comes close to the special relationship found in marriage.
    God used marriage as a picture of the relationship believers (the church) have with the Lord.
    This very special and awesome relationship found only in marriage is the foundation for society.  It is the foundation for an orderly society.  It is the way that truth, righteousness and godliness are to be passed from generation to generation.  The strong desires a man has towards his wife are counterfeited by sin and lead to the destruction of the home, the lives involved and eventually society.  These strong desires in marriage are good and come from God.
    This is why Jesus said that a look of uncontrolled passion is just as destructive as physical adultery.  What starts out as a thought often leads to an action.
    I have never heard someone say “I’m sorry I was faithful to my wife for all these decades.  I wish I’d had an affair.”
    Men, let’s be honest about what is all around us. Entertainment is filled with everything destructive.  Let’s be honest, pornography is destructive to your life.  The research confirms what the Bible teaches – men who consume porn enter into many destructive behaviors.  It is central is countless breakups of families.  It treats women like play toys to be discarded.
    A request to women: please be careful how you dress.  Make an effort to understand modesty.  Be careful what and how much you show in how you dress.  Yes, it really makes a difference.
    It is not just porn that pollutes the mind.  My observation is that the majority of entertainment today is based on a world-view that mocks God’s moral standards.  Don’t waste your time watching the stupid programs, but do some research to the story lines and settings of the TV programs coming out these days. As a Christian, you should be shocked and disgusted.  And you have to be even more careful with movies.  What are the laugh lines?  Often they are about things the Bible calls sin.
    I recently saw an ad for a frozen dinner.  The implication of the ad was that the woman promoting this product was naked.  I wonder, is their product that bad that they have to try to trick people into buying it? What kind of a perverted mind would conceptualize that ad?  And what kind of pervert would approve it to represent the company?
    Again, the Sermon on the Mount:  Jesus isn’t calling for physical abuse, but note these verses and see the over illustration of what should be done to prevent sin from destroying a person.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
    Hell is no joking matter.  Those who participate in immoral behavior face horrible destruction and torment in hell.
    The things we are talking about today are God’s laws.  Many are sick or even dead because they have ignored God’s moral laws and have fallen prey to the lies of the “fun” of sexual sin.  You can’t break God’s laws without paying the price.
    This year there was a plane crash in Michigan.  Our son, Matthew, called us about it.  He had flown the plane that went down and four people died.  There was nothing wrong with it.  A young pilot took some family members for a ride and overloaded the plane. Even though there were four seats in the plane, it couldn’t handle that much weight.  The plane never got more than 100 feet in the air.  It crashed and all died.  Matthew’s insightful comment:  you can’t break the laws of physics.
    You can break human laws.  You can never break God’s laws.  Whenever someone tries, they will crash and burn.
    One of the beautiful and special features about marriage is that God uses a Divine super-glue to bring the husband and wife together.  This is why it hurts so much when it breaks.  Jesus said in Matthew 19:6 that God does the joining in marriage.
31 Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
    Jesus was talking about religious teachers making it easy to divorce for any reason.  The prophet, Malachi, wrote that God hates divorce. He hates it because of the pain it brings.  Especially among believers there must be a way to work things out.
    I have tied together verses about God’s moral law with His statement about the narrow way to heaven.
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
    Two opposites here: life and destruction.  We are either heading towards one or the other.
    Narrow and wide.  Is it more important to be popular and be considered “in” than to obey God?  The popular way these days is basically immoral.  The younger generation thinks boyfriend/girlfriend living together is just the normal thing.  Even some who call themselves Christians are doing it and thinking nothing of it.  Why?  Because that is what everyone else is doing.  And, our culture lives for instant gratification.  Don’t wait, I want my fun now.
    God’s ways are always the best.  It is easy to get negative on moral topics and make it seem as if Christians/the Bible are against everything.  That is not so.  God is FOR us and gives us the way to be most successful.  I love a statement I heard on a radio program once:
Once you throw away God’s best, all of the options stink.
QUESTIONS
What are the moral principles God wants us to understand and obey?
What do you say to someone who says Christianity is narrow?
Is “narrow” really an insult?
What is modesty?
What is the world not understanding about God’s design for marriage and physical intimacy?
APPLICATION
Ask God to speak to your heart to help you see how you can live a life that receives the blessings of Biblical morality.

8/4/13 KINGDOM LIVING

Anger and retaliation.  How do you treat your enemies?

    It is very easy to get extremely angry at someone and have a strong desire to retaliate.  It would feel great to rearrange their face.  We need to be honest that we have all felt these desires and emotions from time to time.
    In His sermon expressing the foundation of His Kingdom, the constitution of the church, Jesus taught about something we all deal with - anger and retaliation, revenge.  We know that from time to time we will be treated poorly and unfairly in life.  What do we do with it?
    Let me share a true story about the destruction and insanity of holding on to anger.  This is what can happen when we ignore Jesus’ advice we will read about today.
    In June of 2012, Carl Ericsson, a 73-year-old South Dakota man, was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of a former high school classmate. Friends and family members were shocked that the once-successful insurance salesman seemed to snap. Ericsson had been married to his wife for over 44 years.
    But after the murder, Ericsson’s secret finally came out. For over 50 years he had simmered with a grudge: He was still mad at a classmate who had once pulled a high school prank. Norman Johnson, the classmate and murder victim, was a star athlete. Ericsson was a student sports manager. According to Ericsson’s confession, on one occasion Johnson pulled a prank, humiliating him and planting the seed of resentment that would continue to grow for over half a century. Throughout their lives, Norman Johnson continued to outshine Ericsson. Johnson had played college football, earned a degree, and then taught and coached at his alma mater for more than three decades.
    After holding a grudge for over 50 years, Carl Ericsson rang Johnson’s doorbell and shot him dead. Ericsson told a judge, “I guess it was from something that happened over 50 years ago. It was apparently in my subconscious.” During his sentencing, Ericsson turned to Johnson’s widow and apologized, saying, “I just wish I could turn the calendar back.”
Cameron Smith, Bizarre S.D. murder caused by resentment over 50-year-old locker room jockstrap prank," Yahoo Sports Prep Rally blog (6-18-12)
    Can you imagine living your whole life consumed by anger and resentment over one silly thing done in high school?  I wonder how many times this caused Carl Ericsson to seethe with anger and resentment.  I wonder how many times he dreamed with delight at the thought of getting revenge and making Norman Johnson shrink in humiliation and suffering.
    Jesus knew the controlling destruction of anger, which is why we have His teaching we will look at today.
    Let’s read some of Jesus’ teachings on this topic.
Matthew 5:21-26 NKJV
21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
    Having read these verses, let me back up to read a foundational verse.
Matthew 5:17 NKJV
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
    There were people who thought that believing and applying the Law God gave through Moses was no longer necessary.  But, Jesus was taking spiritual things to a higher level.  He wasn’t only calling for obedience to the letter of the law because you have to, but obedience that comes from the heart.  Don’t just go through religious motions, but really love God.
    There is a teaching called antinomianism.  This says that faith and grace releases a Christian from the obligation of following any moral law.  Jesus was dealing with this.
    This is a belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey.  Biblically, we are not required to observe the law as a means of salvation.  On the cross, Jesus fulfilled the law.  Antinomianism comes to the unbiblical conclusion that because of God’s grace and Jesus death on the cross, there is no moral law God expects Christians to obey.  We can do whatever we want.
    Paul settled this in:
Romans 6:1-2 NKJV
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
    People can say, “If I am saved by grace and my sin is forgiven, why not sin all I want?”  However, someone really saved has a strong desire to obey God out of love for Him.  We are not looking for excuses or permission to sin.  We want to get close to Jesus.
    Again:
22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
    Jesus is not speaking of a justified, righteous anger at those who are wicked and cruel.  Instead, He is condemning the vindictive anger that desires to harm or kill another person. “Raca” is a term of hatred and contempt, calling a person an “empty-headed fool.”  Jesus spoke against these kinds of insults.
    Murder starts with anger.  If anger is not dealt with, it will lead the violence, murder and destructive acts.  Often anger starts with insults.  Jesus said that these insults will lead to judgement, and many problems.
    The citizens of an early settlement in a place known as Qumran (the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), had a strong expectation of Godly behavior.  Blasphemous speech could result in having one’s food ration reduced for a year.  The extreme punishment could be banishment from the settlement.
    Jesus said these kinds of offenses can lead to punishment in hell.
    The principle Jesus taught was to get things settled quickly so that strife doesn’t continue to escalate.  Even if you have to leave your sacrifice at the altar to go and get it settled, do it right away.
    Settle things. Forgive.  Give up the need for revenge.  This does not imply that people can sin and get away with it.  God is the ultimate judge.  But, get things settled.  Recognize the destructive force of anger.  Don’t let it ruin your life.  Make an active effort at reconciliation.

Again:
Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
    Jesus is not teaching about letting evil people get away with sinful acts or resisting proper justice to those who are wicked.  Jesus is concerned about loving and expressing kindness to our enemies.  When someone does something against us, we are not to respond in hatred.  Instead, show a Christlike character. Our responses toward unkind people can cause them to consider what Jesus is like.  This example can lead them to receive Jesus as their Savior.
    The concept of hating your enemies: some people wrongly believe that they SHOULD hate their enemies.  But, the Law never used the words hate your enemy.  Rather, it taught kindness even toward an enemy’s animals. The law commanded love not only for one’s neighbor but also for strangers.
    Loving an enemy really throws him into confusion.  It is a tool to reach him for Jesus.  He doesn’t understand why you don’t want revenge, for that is what he would want.
Romans 12:18-21 NKJV
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
    Coals of fire - that sounds painful.  The concept is not attempting to call down Divine judgement, but it speaks of the natural result of showing kindness to someone who we think doesn’t deserve it.  The effect of being kind to an enemy will produce pain resulting from shame and remorse.  The goal is that it will lead to repentance.
    How unreasonable, absurd and nonsensical anger can be.  It grabs hold of a person and controls them.  An observer can often see the folly of it, but the person consumed by anger can’t. Anger can even control a person when the issue isn’t real.
Woman Lays Down a 30-Year Grudge
    From 1974-1981 the actress Alison Arngrim played Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. Nellie, as fans of the show will remember, was a horrible child who continually tortured Laura Ingalls. Alison is still acting, but Nellie Oleson is never too far in the background.
    Alison was at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds a few years ago, signing autographs with other former child stars. In the midst of a long day of meeting and greeting, a woman in her forties made it to the front of Alison’s line. Alison looked up, smiled, and reached for something to sign. The woman had nothing to sign. She merely stood in front of the table and turned different shades of red and purple. She was shaking, closing her eyes, and swallowing as she tried to compose herself.
    Allison and her husband grew increasingly uncomfortable, and were close to calling for security, when the angry woman broke the silence with three labored words: “I … forgive … you.” And, just like that, she exhaled, turned, and exited the tent.
    Alison says that this kind of thing happens fairly often. She had never met this woman. They had never exchanged a single word before meeting at the fair that day. But this angry stranger at the LA County Fair had carried a seething, consuming grudge against a character on a TV show that had not aired in 30 years. Nellie had never bullied her and never lived in her neighborhood. Nellie never even existed. But after 30 long years of carrying the burden of this hatred, she needed to lay it down and walk away.
Alison Arngrim, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch (HarperCollins Publishing, 2010), pp. ix-x
    This is amazing. A woman was upset for 30 years over something that wasn’t even real.  This is a good illustration of the destruction of anger and the importance of dealing with it.
    One of the most important events in my life came in a family camp service at Spencer Lake.  The teaching was on getting along.  Then the teaching went to forgiveness.  The question was: why is it so hard to forgive?
Four thoughts:
Often, the offender isn’t sorry.
We feel our rights have been violated.
We are left with a loss.
We feel the offender is getting by free.

Question:
Is it easy to forgive?
Why would God ask us to do something so hard?
Personal reflection:
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Is there someone you need to contact and restore a relationship?
Do you have any grudges you need to release?

7/28/13 KINGDOM LIVING

The Foundation for Life

    The Sermon on the Mount is not just a set of rules & regulations - it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us. Oswald Chambers
    We are beginning a series on Kingdom Living -- How we are to live as followers of Jesus.  What impact does the Bible have in effecting real and continual changes in our daily lives?  The passage we will use is commonly known as The Sermon on the Mount.
    Let me start by sharing an experience a college professor had as he was startled by his students’ lack of an ethical foundation.
    Dr. Stephen L. Anderson, a professor in Ontario, Canada, had what he called a moment of “startling clarity” while teaching a section on ethics in his senior philosophy class. He wanted an “attention-getter”—something to shock his students and force them to take an ethical stand. He hoped that this would form a “baseline” from which they could evaluate other ethical decisions.  This is what happened.
    He showed, without comment, the photo of Bibi Aisha. Aisha is the Afghani teenager who was forced into an abusive marriage with a Taliban fighter, who abused her and kept her with his animals. When she tried to flee, her family caught her, hacked off her nose and ears, and left her for dead in the mountains.  She was saved by a nearby American hospital.  The professor was sure the students, seeing the suffering of this poor girl of their own age, would have a clear ethical reaction.
    Some of the students could not even look at the picture.  They were experiencing deep emotions.
    Then something amazing happened.  The students became confused. They seemed not to know what to think. They nervously spoke lacking confidence, afraid to make any moral judgment at all. They were unwilling to criticize any situation from a different culture. Their response, “Well, we might not like it, but maybe over there it’s okay.” Another said, “It’s just wrong to judge other cultures.”
    Ask yourself:  How can people be so numb to a clear moral offense?
    These students refused to leave their nonjudgmental position.  The professor said, “I left that class shaking my head. It seemed clear to me that for some students the lesson of character education initiatives is acceptance of all things at all costs.”  For many, the overriding message is “never judge, never criticize, never take a position.”
Dr. Stephen L. Anderson, “Moments of Startling Clarity,” Education Forum (Fall 2011)
    Let me read my response to this story:  While we live in a world of confusion and compromise, Jesus gave us His fundamental principles and expects us to follow them.  We see throughout the Bible, and especially in this sermon from Jesus, His solid foundation for life.  There ARE universal truths He expects us to follow.
    The Sermon on the Mount - foundational to Kingdom Living.  Jesus is called the King of Kings.  He is the eternal ruler Who will never lose His power.
Revelation 19:16 NKJV
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
    The angel speaking prophetically to Joseph, when he was concerned about his fiancé, Mary, when she told him she was pregnant.
Matthew 1:21 NKJV
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 2:1-2 NKJV
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
    This King, Jesus, came to establish His kingdom.  As believers in Jesus we are part of that eternal kingdom.  As a sovereign ruler, He established the rules and expectations of His kingdom.  He laid down the law.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed the basics of His law.
    I have heard this passage described as the constitution of the church.  That is another good description.
Question:  What is a constitution?
    A constitution is an established set of fundamental principles or precedents to govern a country or other organization.  These rules identify, establish, what the entity is.
    When you have a constitution, only those duly authorized can change that constitution.  Not just anyone can come by and say, “I don’t like that, I think I’ll change it.”
    Jesus established the foundation for His kingdom.  Anyone who wants to be a part of it must live the way the Sovereign established the rules.  We do not have the right or privilege of changing what Jesus established.  We are going to study the ground rules Jesus established for His followers to abide by.
    This sermon reveals God’s principles of righteousness we are to all live by.  We must not begrudgingly live by them, but hunger and thirst for them and joyfully live by them.
    After the teaching we know as the beatitudes (Jeff is covering them in the adult S.S. class), Jesus started out His sermon talking about Salt and Light.
Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV
13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
    Salt is necessary for life.  When someone hears from their doctor that they have to give up salt for health reasons there is usually a negative reaction. They go home and try it and say their food tastes horrible.  Something is missing.  Then they go to the store and get some salt substitutes.  They come home and try it and are disappointed.  “Give me my salt.”
    Two main things that salt does: gives flavor and preserves.  Since Jesus said we are salt, we must not fall into the moral decay and corruption of the world.  The only hope for the world and the mess we are in is the church. That is the church being the church Jesus established.  We are necessary for the world to be the best it possibly can be.
    We must resist the prevailing spirit of the world that compromises what the Bible teaches and accepts anything people want.
    Another thing salt does is that it creates thirst.  Think about helping people become thirsty for Jesus.
    Let’s talk about what it means to be spiritual salt.  Discussion.
    We are also called light.  What is light for?
What is spiritual light?
Verses on light.
Proverbs 4:14-15 NKJV
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.
18-19
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.
Philippians 2:14-15 NKJV
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
    Back then, as well as today, it can be said we live in a crooked and depraved generation. Jesus emphasized that the world we live in is an unbelieving, faithless and perverse generation.   Without God, people are living in spiritual deception and darkness.  As a result, they have a twisted and manipulated view of life.  Their values and understanding of religion are confused.  They create their own immoral ways of life as they reject God’s truth.  Sadly, I have met people who claim Christianity who have established their own ways of life, justifying it by financial, convenience or personal preference justifications.  But, what it must be is:
Believers contrast society with a different worldview.
    Godly values stand out from the popular ungodly beliefs and lifestyles.  Growing Christians endeavor to be pure so they can effectively demonstrate Christ’s message of hope and life.  This is where we are to be light shining to a spiritually dark world.
    ***God has called us to a higher righteousness.  A genuine life that reflects Christ in all we do.  Jesus said:
Matthew 5:20 NKJV
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
    The Pharisees were known for being super-spiritual.  If you doubted it, just ask them.  But, Jesus knew something about them.  They were phoney.  The Pharisees lived by the law but were not right with God because their righteousness was external.  God was not in their hearts. They kept the rules, prayed and fasted as well as attending worship services.  The problem was that they substituted the outward religious actions for the inner heart attitudes and devotion to the Lord.  It is not a matter of which one we need, we need both.  Both the heart and the part others can see must be committed to Jesus.  Otherwise all we have is dead legalism.

Discussion:
The statement I just made:  The problem was that they substituted the outward religious actions for the inner heart attitudes and devotion to the Lord.
The king, the sovereign, gets to make the rules
Our eternal King knows best
Our King has our best interest at heart
Question: what is better - submit or resist Jesus?
Then, why do we resist so much?

As we work through Christ’s sermon over the next weeks, let’s strive to learn all Jesus wants us to grasp and submit so we can grow in our walk with Him.
    A closing thought:  God doesn’t force us to serve or obey.  We must make the choice.  What if God forced us to believe and controlled people with Taser guns?
    This is an interesting thought, having taken some training with them and seeing the impact they have on a person.  What if God set a deadline for ridding the world of evil? Suppose God announced that next Monday at midnight He will step in and stop all suffering caused by evil people. How would He do that? Let’s say God decides to use a tool carried by many police officers—a Taser gun.
    A Taser gun shoots an individual with a temporary high-voltage current of electricity, up to 50,000 volts.  Generally they cause a person to drop to the ground in agony.  The makers of Taser guns boast of a 95 percent compliance rate.  The goal of using a Taser is compliance.  Hit a person with enough electricity and you can get him to do anything.
    Again, suppose God gave a deadline for stopping evil.  When that time comes, God gets us to comply with his wishes by shocking us. Start to tell a lie, and you are hit with a half-second zap. Try to rob a person, and you get two seconds of shock. A would-be murderer would be incapacitated. However, knowing that evil thoughts often lead to evil actions, God also zaps us for sinister thoughts.
    What would be the result? A world of twitchy people, who obey God like cowering, beaten dogs.
Thoughts taken from J. P. Moreland & Tim Muehlhoff, The God Conversation (IVP Books, 2007), p. 26
    That is not God’s plan.  He wants us to know the blessings of new life in Jesus and the joys of serving Him.  Let’s be salt and light to the world.

7/21/13 DESIGN FOR LIFE

The Lord’s Presence

Song: The Lord Will Bring You Out
Psalm 42:1-11 NKJV
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
    Pictures: Ein Gedi, Israel, near the Dead Sea.  The area that inspired these thoughts.

Worship and seek the Lord as we sing.  Worship -- Worth-ship, ascribe worth, value.  The strong sense of God’s presence makes all the difference.

Worship is not about:
□    us, but the object of our worship -- God
□    what worship does for us
□    what we get, but rather, what we give
□    not about a feeling we get when we sing
□    entertainment - a fancy presentation
    Worship is all about our Lord, bring all to Jesus and gaze on Him.
    The good feeling, the inspiration, is the by-product of real worship.  God is worthy of our worship even if He never did anything for us.

Worship the Lord as we give, tithes and offerings.  This is an act of worship.

Psalm 42:1-11 NKJV
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
    This is when we thirst for God.  It’s been hot lately, and water is necessary and greatly desired.  It is very refreshing.  Our Lord and His presence are essential for spiritual life and wholeness.  When we really trust God we will hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with him.  When we drink of His presence, we will be satisfied.
    When a person stops thirsting for God they die spiritually.  So, don’t allow anything to steal your deep desire to be close to God.  Live His plan for your life.  Never allow yourself to be distracted by the circumstances of life.  They will destroy your hunger and thirst for God.
    Faithfully serving and worshiping God will keep our desire for God’s presence strong.  This will keep our spiritual passion strong.
    Jesus said:
Matthew 5:6 NKJV
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
    This hunger and thirst is so important that Jesus will bless the one who does so.
Psalm 42
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.
    HOPE in God.  We have a solid and real hope for life and eternity.  This hope is genuine, especially when the signs around us are dismal.
    Wait on God when things don’t look promising and it seems to take long to see results.  The faithful will keep on pursuing a deeper relationship with God, whatever the feelings or circumstances may be.  God will not abandon you.
    God may seem to be silent, but He has not forgotten you.  Keep developing your relationship with him and build your Christian character.  Never give up, never give up hope in Christ.
Psalm 42
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
    Hey, self.  Why are you so upset?  What are you discouraged and thinking of giving up?  There is solid hope in God. Praise Him and see Him intervene.
Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV
22 Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
    The book of Lamentations is not a book that gets much coverage in Bible study.  It was written by Jeremiah. The theme is “Present Sorrow and Future Hope”.  Because God is faithful every day, we can rejoice in hope.
    Jeremiah wrote this series of laments as he expressed deep sorrow and emotional hurt over Jerusalem’s destruction. The prophet pours out his grief similar to the tragic death of a relative or close friend.  These laments describe God’s judgment on Judah for centuries of rebellion against him by its rulers and people. Jeremiah shows that God was justified and correct in all He did in relation to this nation.  Also noted was the truth that God is merciful and compassionate to those whose confidence, faith and hope are in him.
Psalm 63:1-5 NKJV
1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

    David expressed his heart towards God - Earnestly I seek You.  We all need to pray as David prayed.  He had a deep longing for God.  It could only be satisfied by a close, personal relationship with the Lord.
    Good questions for believers to ask:
Do I really have a strong passion for God’s presence and plan for my life?
Is worldly pleasure and earthly accomplishments primary?
How important are prayer and Bible study?
Do I focus on really serving the Lord?
Do I seek God’s power and glory in my life?
Do I seek God’s power to be strongly felt when we come together?
Do I trust God to overcome the powers of evil?
Do I believe that the answers to the struggles face will be found in Jesus and a strong personal relationship with Him?
Do I seek to inspire others?
Is our mind God-centered?

    We started today talking about worship and God’s presence.  Then we sang and worshiped the Lord.  We have been talking about this more as we read from the Bible.  Now, what’s next?
THE APPLICATION OF THIS MESSAGE
Seek HIM, let’s do it again right now.  Worship the Lord.

7/7/13 DESIGN FOR LIFE
Guard Your Heart
“God never measures the Mind. He always puts His tape measure in the Heart.”      Corrie ten Boom
    What do words say about people?
Google Word Search Shows Rise of Individualism
    A few years ago, Google released a database of over 5 million books published between 1500 and 2008. You can now type a search word into the database and discover how often words have been used over the centuries.
    Based on this data, The New York Times columnist David Brooks offers what he calls the “story of the last half-century”. The first part of this story is the rise of individualism. In the past 50 years, “individualistic words and phrases increasingly overshadowed communal words and phrases.” For instance, these individualistic words have been used more frequently: “self,” “personalized,” “I come first,” “I can do it myself.” In contrast, the following communal words have been used less frequently: “community,” “share,” “band together,” “common good.”
    The second part to the story Brooks sees is the decline in moral virtue. Certain words were especially hard hit, including words associated with courage or gratitude. But all of the following words have dropped in usage: “modesty,” “humbleness,” “discipline,” “honesty,” “patience,” “faith,” “wisdom,” and even “evil.”
    Brooks offers his interpretation for these trends:
    So the story I’d like to tell is this: Over the past half-century, society has become more individualistic. As it has become more individualistic, it has also become less morally aware, because social and moral fabrics are inextricably linked. [The first two trends] have led to certain forms of social breakdown, which government has tried to address, sometimes successfully and often impotently.
David Brooks, “What Our Words Tell Us,” The New York Times (5-20-13)
    This is an interesting study.  Who would think to check out the words people use in writing?  These observations show where people are and our culture is.  There have been so many changes in the world, so many changes in society, and so many of those changes are not positive.  People are more and more concerned about “self” and “what I want”.  What is on the inside comes out.
    The Bible says your heart is the source from which your life flows.  Are you dealing with the source so life’s output is clean and attractive?  We are continuing to talk about the heart.
    The heart represents the center of our being—the source of desire and decision.
    The Bible points to the heart as the center of our being - let’s look at these verses again:
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
NLT -- 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
NKJV -- 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
    New Testament teaching from Jesus.
Luke 6:43-45 NIV
43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
    Guard your heart!  An important command.  What is in our heart is what comes out as life goes on.  Never allow anything to come into your heart that does not please God and is not helpful for our personal spiritual growth.  Don’t let anything into your heart that you don’t want to come out when people can see.
    God spoke to Israel about their actions and their spiritual inaction.  He was pleading for them to return to serving Him.
Jeremiah 4:1-3 NIV
1 “If you will return, O Israel, return to me,” declares the LORD. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, 2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.”
3 This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.”
    They needed to plow the soil they had been ignoring.  Their hearts were hard against God.  They were facing impending disaster because of their hard hearts.  In order to avoid the terrible coming disaster, God’s people needed to experience a total moral renewal—a change of heart.  They needed to commit themselves to doing what God says is right and staying in right relationship with him.  Their consciences needed work, they needed to listen to God.   They had to break up the hardened soil of their hearts.  The evil in their hearts had to be removed.
    In Proverbs, a chapter warning a son about the snare of the adulteress - it starts out  Proverbs 7:1-2 NIV
1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
    It ends:  Proverbs 7:24-27 NIV
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. 26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. 27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

    Keep your heart on track and don’t let the sin resident in the hearts of others cause you to stray.
    Who we are on the inside determines our outward behavior.  Our “inside” must change from what we were in order to comply with God’s standards and intention. With no inward change, we won’t live God’s will or fulfill his plan for our lives.
    Many believe that people are basically good at heart.  The Bible is clear about a heart that is separated from God.  It is wicked and deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
    Human nature is not foundationally good.  A heart that is not in communion with God is dangerous.  By itself, the heart is desperately evil and corrupt and leads to devastation and death.  The only way we can listen to our heart is when we are hearing God speak to and through it.  Without Christ in control, the heart is desperately dangerous.
    People are basically selfish and follow paths contrary to the ways of God.  Because the heart is corrupt, we can’t make the necessary changes by ourselves.  Salvation purchased by Jesus on the cross, His grace is the only solution.  Transformation comes from the heart change Jesus makes.
    Let’s look at a few Bible examples and insights to the heart.
SAMUEL
    The prophet Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel, since God had rejected Saul as king.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 NIV
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
    God looks at things completely differently than we do. We are impressed by looks, by first impressions, by the standards of the world.  God knows that the easiest way to impress and fake something is to clean up the outside.  But, He also know that what is on the inside is what counts.  The inside is genuine.
DANIEL
    Jerusalem was under siege by King Nebuchadnezzar - attacked and cut off from outside help and supply.  They were at war, experienced destruction, the capture of its king and many future leaders.  Among the young people Nebuchadnezzar took hostage were Daniel and his three friends.  They were prisoners of war, but their faith in God was not shaken.
    The King put Daniel & his friends in a top training program.  They had a bright future for good positions in his administration.  But, in the process of that training they would be asked to eat things they knew would not please God.  They had to decide.  Daniel resolved not to defile himself, whatever the cost.  Babylon’s moral and spiritual climate was totally corrupt.
    Daniel determined not to compromise his spiritual values and convictions, even if it meant death.  Even though he was in a foreign culture and didn’t have his parents around to tell him what to do, his love for God filled his heart so that he never lost his desire to serve God.
Daniel 1:4-5 NIV
4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Daniel 1:8 NIV
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
NKJV
But Daniel purposed in his heart
TIMOTHY   
Paul’s advice to Timothy.
II Timothy 2:22 NIV
22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
    Everyone faces the pull of evil desires.  It is especially challenging when you are young.  To be tempted does not mean there is anything wrong with you, it means you are alive.  The key is to do the right thing - get as far away as you can.  Avoid the places where temptation hangs out.  If you get surprised by temptation, then RUN.
    What is in the heart comes out.  Last week I shared a story.  Jesus used parables to get a point across.  This is a modern parable, a story written by a man named Russell Kelfer.
Key people:  Edith Burns, a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas.  She was the patient of Doctor Will Phillips.
Dr. Phillips’ head nurse, Beverly.
Hospital head nurse, Phyllis Cross.
“My name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?”
LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
DESIGN FOR LIFE
What are the key points of this message?
How can we apply this message?
Discussion Questions
What should we learn from the parable about Edith Burns?
What do you think the general public doesn’t understand about Bible teaching about the heart?
What questions do you have about the heart? (Some questions we might need to write down and research.)

6/30/13 DESIGN FOR LIFE

Guard Your Heart

    Imagine you’re out for a hike on a beautiful day and you come to a stream.  You realize there’s something wrong. You notice that someone has dumped trash into the stream.  It is an ugly sight.  The trash has been there for some time.  There is an ugly film on top of the water. You can’t just leave it the way you found it, so you stoop down and begin gathering the trash.
    It takes a long time before you begin to see a difference; it’s amazing how much junk is there. You sit back, rest for a moment, and realize you’ll have to keep returning until the site is truly clean. But when you come back the next day, it’s as if your work has been undone.
    In fact there’s more trash than before. Somehow the garbage bred overnight. You think about the unlikelihood of someone coming to this spot to dump their garbage in the few hours while you were away, and you realize that something smells fishy—so to speak. So you begin to walk upstream.
    Sure enough, you come to a garbage dump that has been there for years. It’s emptying into the passing creek. Your cleaning job only opened up a gap for more stuff to settle. You could go and clean every day …. But, if you want the stream to be clean, that means going directly to the source and dealing with what’s there.
Condensed from Kyle Idleman, Gods at War (Zondervan, 2013)
    Clean the source of junk to prevent it from impacting the rest of the stream.  Think about this picture and apply it to your life.  The Bible says your heart is the source from which your life flows.  Are your putting your efforts to clean up downstream?  Are you working to deal with the source so life, downstream is clean and attractive?  We are going to talk about the heart for a few weeks.
    The heart represents the center of our being—the source of desire and decision.
    It is a common saying, and it sounds so insightful and wise, “follow your heart”.  When you are facing a challenging situation, when you are not exactly sure what to do, “follow your heart”.  This can be very dangerous advice, for it doesn’t take into account what is in a person’s heart.  If there is a pile of garbage built up downstream, following your heart could lead to disaster.
    The Bible points to the heart as the center of our being:
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
NLT
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
NKJV
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
    New Testament teaching from Jesus.
Luke 6:43-45 NIV
43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
    Guard your heart!  An important command.  What is in our heart is what comes out as life goes on.  Never allow anything to come into your heart that does not please God and is not helpful for our personal spiritual growth.  Don’t let anything into your heart that you don’t want to come out when people can see.
    How do we apply this principle?  Guard what you take in so you won’t be embarrassed by what you put out.  Guard what you watch, listen to, read, ponder or talk about.  We constantly take in images and ideas that take root in our hearts and impact the person we become.
    Christians must work to know and follow God’s purposes for our lives.  Jesus taught us this:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 NIV
    Making God and His ways our first priority puts the rest of life in proper order and perspective.  Keeping our priorities straight will help keep our spiritual hunger and desire for more of God strong.  This is one reason why Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts.  When junk begins to fill our hearts we open the potential to spiritual devastation.  Carefully guarding what you see, hear, say and do will increase strength and stability to our lives.
    Let’s take a moment and honestly think about how easy it is these days to take in information.  If you have the internet, you have immediate access to millions of ideas and images from all around the world.  If you have the internet on your phone, it is always with you.  In a time of discouragement it is simple to “check out” something that you know you shouldn’t, but are curious about.  The deception of sin is that it always starts out small, then grows and implants itself in your heart.  Then it gets very difficult to remove.
    This makes me think of the idea of clutter and filth.  I think of a home I was sent to many years ago that was filled with flies in the winter. Dirt was everywhere.  The longer filth is somewhere, the harder it is to get rid of.  The longer we allow sin the reside, the harder it is to eradicate the impact.
    Failure to guard our hearts can result in losing God’s guidance and blessing.  We risk being trapped in sin and even being destroyed by it.
    Look at the verses that follow v. 23 where we are told to “guard your heart”.
Proverbs 4:24-27 NIV
24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. 27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
    This is awesome advice to guard your heart.
    In a chapter warning a son about the snare of the adulteress - it starts out  Proverbs 7:1-2 NIV
1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
    It ends:  Proverbs 7:24-27 NIV
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. 26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. 27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.
Review verses.
    Keep your heart on track and don’t let the sin resident in the hearts of others cause you to stray.
    Who we are on the inside determines our outward behavior.  Our “inside” must change from what we were in order to comply with God’s standards and intention. With no inward change, we won’t live God’s will or fulfill his plan for our lives.
    Many people believe that people are basically good at heart.  The Bible is clear about a heart that is separated from God.  It is wicked and deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
    Human nature is not foundationally good.  A heart that is not in communion with God is dangerous.  By itself, the heart is desperately evil and corrupt and leads to devastation and death.
    People are basically selfish and follow paths contrary to the ways of God.  Because the heart is corrupt human heart, we can’t make the necessary changes by ourselves.  Salvation purchased by Jesus on the cross, His grace is the only solution.  Transformation comes from the heart change Jesus makes.
    What is in the heart comes out.  Let me share a story.  Jesus used parables to get a point across.  This is a modern parable, a story written by a man named Russell Kelfer.
    Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas.  She was the patient of Doctor Will Phillips.  Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people.  His favorite patient was Edith Burns.
    One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns.  When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.
    Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way:  “Hello, my name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?”  Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.
    Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly.  Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure.  Edith began by saying, “My name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?”
    Beverly said, “Why, yes, I do.”
    Edith said, “Well, what do you believe about Easter?”
    Beverly said, “Well, it’s all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up.”
    Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
    Dr. Phillips said, “Beverly, don’t call Edith into the office quite yet.  I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room.”
    After being called back in the doctor’s office, Edith sat down, and when she took a look at the doctor she said, “Dr. Will, why are you so sad?  Are you reading your Bible?  Are you praying?”
     Dr. Phillips said gently, “Edith, I’m the doctor and you’re the patient.”  With a heavy heart he said, “Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you’re not going to live very long.”
    Edith said, “Why Will Phillips, shame on you.  Why are you so sad?  Do you think God makes mistakes?  You have just told me I’m going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends.  You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!”
    Dr. Phillips thought to himself, “What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!”
    Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips.  Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd.  On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up.
    Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her story to the hospital and said, “Will, I’m very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter.”
    Well, they did just that, and women began to come in and share that room with Edith.  Many women were saved.  Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is, everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse.
    Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a “religious nut”.  She had been a nurse in an army hospital.  She had seen it all and heard it all.  She was the original G.I. Jane.  She was hard, cold, and did everything by the book.
    One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were sick.  Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot.
    When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, “Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you.”
    Phyllis Cross said, “Well, you can quit praying for me.  It won’t work and I’m not interested.”
    Edith said, “Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family.”
    Phyllis Cross said, “Then you will never die because that will never happen,” and briskly walked out of the room.
    Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, “God loves you, Phyllis, and I love you, and I’m praying for you.”
    One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith’s room like a magnet.  Edith said, “I’m so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day.”
    Phyllis Cross said, “Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, ‘Do you believe in Easter?’, but you have never asked me.”
    Edith said, “Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked .”
    Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    Edith said, “Phyllis, do you believe in Easter?  Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?”
    Phyllis Cross said, “Oh, I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life.”  Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus Christ into her heart.  For the first time Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of angels.
    Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, “Do you know what day it is?”
    Phyllis Cross said, “Why Edith, it’s Good Friday.”
    Edith said, “Oh, no, for you every day is Easter.  Happy Easter, Phyllis!”
    Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties, and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies, because she wanted to go up to see Edith, give her some Easter lilies, and wish her a Happy Easter.
    When she walked into Edith’s room, Edith was in bed.  The Bible was on her lap.  Her hands were in that Bible.  There was a sweet smile on her face.  When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith’s hand, she realized Edith was dead.  Her left hand was on John 14:2
    “In my Father’s house are many mansions.  I go to prepare a place for you.  I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
    Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4:
    “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
    Phyllis Cross took one look at Edith, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down her cheeks said, “Happy Easter, Edith --- Happy Easter!”
    Phyllis Cross left Edith, walked out of the room and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting.
    She said, “My name is Phyllis Cross.  Do you believe in Easter?”
Russell Kelfer
LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
DESIGN FOR LIFE
What are the key points of this message?
How can we apply this message?
Discussion Questions
What should we learn from the parable about Edith Burns?
What do you think the general public doesn’t understand about Bible teaching about the heart?
What questions do you have about the heart? (Some questions we might need to write down and research.)