“The Miracle of Love”

 Scripture:   John 15:9-17; 1 John 3:16-24

Our lead passage for today is from a section of John’ Gospel, chapters 14-17, commonly known as Christ’s Farewell Discourse.  This portion of John’s gospel provides a detailed discussion of the final teachings that Jesus offered before leaving for the Mount of Olives and his subsequent arrest.  These 4 chapters provide us with insight into all that Jesus wanted believers to understand about His ministry among us. 

 And the verses for today describe the depth and breadth of the love that He had for all of humanity, and especially for those who would followed His example.  And the sum total of all that He taught would culminate in the sacrifice that He was about to endure at Calvary.

 But the love that our Lord would show to us is the same love that His Father had shown to Him throughout His life here.  In John 7:16-17, Jesus tells us that He taught nothing that hadn’t come from His Father first, including the love that He blessed His followers with.

 Read John 15:9-17

 The Lord assures us that Divine love is granted through our obedience to all that He has taught us, and in all that has been lived through us.  And why not?  God never gives us the most difficult tasks at the very beginning of our relationship with Him.  They begin as basic opportunities to show Him our love and trust, and then gradually grow as our faith gains greater ground within our Lord.  And as we follow each of the tasks that come from God, we begin to show more and more of our Godly love to those we are serving.

 It began with the Father’s love for His Son, and as Jesus served and taught to the greater of our needs, He was showing His love to each and every one of us.  And in return, our obedient service shows love to both those who we serve, as well as to our Lord who filled us with that love to begin with!

 And as Godly love grows within us, the joy of God also begins to grow within both the Lord and those who learn, live and obey the ways of Jesus.  The one thing that we have to remember about “joy” though, is that in the context of faith, the word is not necessarily synonymous with “happiness”.  Happiness is our reaction to worldly satisfaction and appreciation. 

 Joy, on the other hand, is God’s blessing when our life follows and fits that which we have learned and obeyed as we walk hand in hand with our Lord Jesus.  The phrase “the Joy of the Lord” was never meant to imply that life no longer has a single care or pain, but simply that we are living and loving others in the way that Jesus lived and loved us.

 And we never have to figure out how love should be offered all on our own!  We have the example of Jesus that is always before us, and if we follow Him, His grace and mercy will become our guide. 

 Remember the encounter that Jesus had with the woman caught in adultery?  What was Jesus’ judgment of her, when her accusers left without stoning her?  There was no condemnation, only grace and mercy, as well as the command to “Go and sin no more.”  This was love being shown to the one who had been intentionally trapped in order that Jesus Himself could be confronted and accused of heresy.     (John 8:2-11)

 Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus reaching out to gentiles and sinners with a healing and kindness that the Jews of His day never would offer and never could understood.  This was God’s love in action.  Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in the image of their servant.  And in John3:16-17, “For God so loved the world …” – and I call on you to finish this proclamation of what God’s love is all about in your own life!

 In our passage for today, the Lord says that He no longer calls us “servants”, even though we serve others as He has served us.  The truth is that He now sees us as “friends” who have chosen to follow Him in love, and not through coercion. 

How well do we emulate the love of Jesus?  Or are we better known for loving others in the easier way of Earth?

 Read 1 John 3:16-24

 In John’s 1^st epistle, he offers us an example of how to recognize love at work in a believer’s life.  And basically, it is about using the resources that God has blessed us with to help others through a difficult time of need.  Why do you think that the Lord provides some with more resources than others? I believe that God allows some to have more, and others less, so that we can share God’s blessings for the good of those who are in need.  We aren’t called to benefit from our own goodness and welfare– it is strictly to allow us to be generous and loving!

 In Leviticus27:30-33, the Lord tells Israel that the proper offering is a tenth of all that God has given to you, without question or hesitation.  But this was never meant to be a maximum, but rather a standard.  John writes that our generosity is indicative of the amount of love that we have within our heart!  And he even goes so far as to tell us that if we don’t reach out in faith, that it's because we have forfeited the love of God!  It has nothing to do with what we proclaim, but rather in what we do through the love that is within us!

 Godly love can never be attained or developed through our personal efforts and abilities.  Romans 5:5 reminds us that “… God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  The true gift of love that lives within us has come directly from God, and is ours to share with those who are in need of His love.

There is a hymn that we sang a couple weeks ago – “Love Came Down at Christmas”.  The final verse reads:

                    “Love shall be our token;

                              Love be yours and love be mine,

                    Love to God and all men,

                              Love for plea and gift and sign.”

 The love of God that we offer to others is a statement of faith; the love of God is universally given to all people, but it is up to us as to how we use it.  Will we use it selfishly?  Or generously?  As a gift of God that is intended for others?  As a sign of God’s preeminence in our lives, or will we use it to build ourselves up?

 How will each of us let the love of Christmas change us and grow within our heart during this season of Godly love?  May it always be in grand and glorious ways!

“The Spirit of Hope”

 Scripture:   Matthew 12:17-21,  Isaiah 42:1-9

In this 2^nd Sunday of Advent, we come to realize that this season is not only one of great expectation, but must also be a time of personal reflection.  Jesus, even though He was divine and glorious in His Being as the Son of God, He was also a humble Man of this plane.  He seldom proclaimed His greatness, but rather left the acceptance of His truth to each person individually. 

In 1 Corinthians 1:21-23, Paul wrote “²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles”

 Jesus gave the people all of the signs that they needed to be pointed directly toward the truth of God.  And yet, they still wanted their Messiah to be exactly who they imagined that He would be!  Unfortunately for Israel, the signs that should have led them to their Jesus Messiah showed that He was gentle, humble, loving, and caring of all people, regardless of who they might have been.

 Jesus is the very One whom we all need, but people of all times, will continue to seek Him through their own wisdom, foolishness, and personal vision, instead of in the One who God sent to heal us all.

 Read Matthew 12:17-21

 As we read through this prophecy of Isaiah, we discover the depth of who Jesus is for us. He was never one to complain about those who worked against Him, or to personally seek after glory for Himself, or to call the ones who the world would see as the best to serve Him, or to condemn anyone who would refuse to follow the ways He proclaimed.  He was the meek and obedient servant of God, and in that way, He served as the servant of all who would accept Him as their Lord and Master.  He never claimed to be Spirit filled, even though He truly was.  And even though several of the prophets tell us that He will be Lord of many nations, Israel wanted Messiah to be theirs alone, and many rejected Jesus over that singular issue.

 They could never understand how a meek and gentle servant could ever be victorious over the ways of Earth.  Even with all that the Lord Jesus endured and suffered through, He never saw Himself in the role of victim.  It would have diminished the qualities of Victor and Conquer that were the true significance that He would bring to the lives of all who gave themselves over to His way.  He may have come to this place in the form of a helpless infant, and yet, even in this humble way, He is still the mighty, triumphant and victorious King of all.

 Read Isaiah 42:1-9

 The beginning of this passage is the prophecy that Matthew was referring to in his gospel.  But Isaiah goes even further in proclaiming all that Jesus Messiah will be for the people of Earth.  He reveals that the Lord Jesus was involved with all of Creation, and that it was given for the benefit of the people who were also an important part of all that God had put in place.  And for every being on the face of the Earth, God also filled them with breath and life that they might live with Him.  We were never meant to be inanimate objects or helpless beings.  In Genesis 1:26-30, we discover, first of all, that men and women alone were created in the image of God Himself, and second, that humanity is the only aspect of creation who were given responsibilities regarding the rest of creation!

 And as the prophecy continues, it is revealed that God has also called His faithful to be His representatives in sharing the covenantal promise that we find in Jeremiah 7:23-24, that ^23 … but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.  And we were also called to be bearers of the Light of God that others might come into the Light that reveals and details the Lord’s desires and plans for our lives.

 We are to lead others into divine freedom from the “darkness” of Earth through our faithful witness to the Lord and our love for all people.  But this freedom isn’t simply a release from the imprisonment that sin brings to our lives, but more importantly, to open our eyes and give us a renewed and true vision of all that God is and has done on our behalf.  The past lives that we have lived are ones of condemnation, and yet, this sentence doesn’t have to be the controlling aspect for that which is yet to come.  God, through our faith in Jesus, has given all of us the opportunity to leave the darkness behind, and to live a new life that is bathed in the Light of eternity.

 The Lord of Hope has come into our lives!  And we have received His call to be part of His ministry of Light to all of the people who struggle in this dark and burdened world.  Consider all that our Savior has done for us, and continues to prepare for those who have yet to come to Him in faith!  And all that God asks of us is to follow Him, and to be a blessing to others wherever He leads.

 This is the greatest gift that we could ever give to anyone – a divine relationship through God’s Light of truth and His Hope for eternity!  Don’t let the gift go begging – share it with someone who is still trapped in the hopelessness of the world’s darkness, especially during this time of Christmas Light.

 

“A Light in the Night”

 Scripture:   John 3:16-21; Matthew 5:13-16

At Christmas time, we celebrate God’s Gift of salvation that He sent to us through Jesus.  Since this was a Gift that came directly from God, you would think that this glorious present would be accepted and praised by the vast majority of people throughout the world.  But the truth is that acceptance has always been anything but universal, and as a matter of fact, the denial and rejection of the Gift is far more common than it is celebrated and honored!

 Jesus even offered a parable describing this denial in perfect detail – and it has come to be known as the parable of the Tenants, which actually appears in three of the gospels – Matthew Mark & Luke (Luke 20:9-19).  God’s Gift to the world was, as is any gift, given at the Lord’s expense and out of His love and compassion for His creation.  Recipients would all be receiving a gift that would bless them through eternity, and the Giver would be honored through the praises and faithfulness that the people show to the Gift.

 Anyone who accepts this great and gracious Gift would be freed from the power of condemnation, and would be welcomed into the Lord’s family as full and beloved members.  And yet, the vast majority of humanity have rejected this most precious gift for centuries!

 During this season of Advent, we will be considering some of the additional gifts that Jesus will also be bringing to our lives.  Today’s gift for us to reflect on is the gift of clarity of vision and understanding.

 Read John 3:16-21

 The problem that Jesus came to address in our lives is our inability to understand the vast difference that exists between the worldly life, and the life that reflects the way that God desires for us.  Jesus was given to all who would accept Him as a God-given gift.  No one was excluded in the giving, but many have refused to accept the gift before they even understood what they were being offered! 

 Imagine, if you will, discovering a present underneath the Christmas tree with your name on it.  When it is handed to you, you decide after simply looking at the wrappings, that the package couldn’t possibly contain a single thing that you could ever want!  And so, you tell the presenter that you don’t want their gift, and that they can keep it, regardless of what it may contain!

 I don’t know of a single person who would do that, and yet, I do know of many who either reject Jesus outright, or decide that He could be OK, but only after implementing a few changes that they want to make to His ways.  Do any of us truly understand the depth of the condemnation that we have built up in the life we have been living?  Without Jesus, the way that we have chosen to live is so far removed from God that we will never be able to find our way back to Him, without His help!

 John’s gospel tells us that one additional item of help that God has included in this Gift is “Light”.  In John 14:5-7, we read that only Jesus can be our guide to eternity, that He alone is the “Way” that will put us on the right path to salvation, that He brings us the “Truth” that we can always depend upon, and that He is the clarifying “Light” that will reveal both the way and the truth that we will certainly need if we have any desire of finding the way to the Father’s Throne.

 This Gift is perfect!  The Lord has completed all of the preparations and final arrangements, and all that we have to do is accept it and apply it to our lives!  Unfortunately, the downside is that the first coming of Jesus into this lost and dark world isn’t the last – it is the first step in carrying out God’s final Judgment on His creation!  Condemnation is not the Lord’s first choice for humanity, but it will certainly be the last without Him.  We all will notice in this reading that until Jesus arrives the second time, condemnation is totally on our own head.  But on that day, we will be examined for the depth of the commitment that we have made and lived out through our Lord and Savior, and neither we nor Satan will anything to say about it – Jesus will already have all of the evidence that He will need to hand down the proper decision. (Zechariah 3)

 His salvation has been available to us all, and if we have chosen to ignore it, we will have decided, by default, to accept whatever the final decision may be.  Will it be condemnation, or will it be salvation?  The point is that it will be based in the choices that we make during our lifetime – whether we choose to follow and live in Jesus and His way while we still can, or to reject the greatest Gift of reprieve that has ever been offered to the condemned of Earth!

 Will we choose the Light of the world, or the darkness that surrounds it?  God sees all, and there is nothing that we will ever be able to do to hide from that divine and all-knowing gaze.

 Read Matthew 5:13-16

 Matthew presents the teaching that Jesus lifted up during his Sermon on the Mount.  And this is what will be expected of all who choose the way of Jesus.  The life of discipleship in the way of Jesus is obviously intended to be one that is obvious to the rest of the world!  Our life must, apparently, be lived for the benefit of the world, just as Jesus lived His (Matthew9:12-13).  By our example, we are called to have relationship with others, to share the Light of Christ wherever we go.  Salt is purification in the example of Elisha in 2 Kings2:19-21, and seasoning as in Job 6:6 and Colossians 4:5, and preservation through salt has been used for centuries.

 Elisha used salt to purify a spring that provided water that was terrible to drink, and couldn’t even be used to irrigate a field without killing the crops. 

Job referred to salt as that which improves the taste of certain foods, just as our witness to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ should be “seasoned” so that it will be a blessing for the life of others.  

And in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he teaches that our conversations should always be “full of grace, seasoned” so that our words will provide wise and understandable answers for the questions that others may ask of us.

 Jesus also referred to the Light that comes to us by faith in Him.  But what are we to do about that holy light that shines within us?  Remembering that the purpose of light is not that it might be seen, but that it will illuminate other things that we need to be able to see.  The point is that we are to let the Lord’s light shine for others, that they might discover the truth of Jesus for themselves.

 And the third comparison, that the church should be like a city on a hill, means that we are 1) to be obvious to all who are still a long way away, and 2) to be a place of refuge, safety and welcome for all, and not just a place that forbids and condemns those who are strangers to the way of Jesus.

 Our Almighty God has given us the Gift of Light and Life, but the question remains – what are we ready and willing to do with that gift?  And the answer that is waiting to be proclaimed, is that we must always be ready to share it with as many others as possible!  God’s gift of salvation was never meant to be kept hidden away within our own life – it must be given away, and when we do, we will discover that it will never run dry within us.

 The gift of Christmas will never break, never wear out, never pale, and when we open God’s Gift and allow Him into our hearts, that is the beginning of our realization that this is truly the greatest gift of all time. 

“Breaking Through the Silence”

 Scripture:   Romans 5:10-25, 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

Next Sunday is the beginning of Advent, a time of expectant waiting.  And what are we waiting for?  First, to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas.  This day is symbolized by a manger, and initially by the lack of room in our hearts for this Child of God.  But the second coming, which is seldom proclaimed at Advent, may be just as important for Christians as the first coming is.

 And what are these “comings” all about?  They proclaim God’s great plan to overcome the condemnation that our sinful lives have created within us.  When Jesus first came into our world, He taught us the truths of the Father, which, even though scripture had already revealed the deadly truth of our sin, as well as the consequences of faithless living.  But the ultimate gift in that first coming, was the Lord’s destruction of the hold that sin had on our lives, and the eternal life that His sacrifice created for all who would simply believe that He is God!

 That which we could never accomplish has been completed by our Savior Jesus Christ.  Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has paid the penalty for the sin that we have chosen to allow into our heart. 

 But how about that second coming that has also been promised.  If Jesus has already destroyed the power of sin, what is left for Him to do?  There is still one more task, also one that we could never do on our own, and that is the destruction of every sin that will still exist throughout the entire world! And there are still a lot of people who will suffer in sin, and if they continue to trust in their own capacity to know the difference between the righteous life and the errant life of sin, there will be a day when they will discover the difference, but it will be too late for them to make any changes in their own life.  And at that point, they will never be able to understand the eternity that a life in Jesus will offer, for that door is going to remain closed for them.

 Read Romans 5:10-11

 The Father, through His Son Jesus, has completed the most difficult part of our reconciliation with God.  By Jesus’ sacrificial act at Calvary, the righteous life has been won for all who will put their trust in Him!  The death that our Christ accepted was the death toll for the sinful life, and without faith in Jesus, no one will be able to endure the judgment that their life will be subjected to!

 Without the Son of God in our heart, we will remain the Lord’s “enemy”, and God’s enemy will never know the life that He offers.  But by being one with His Son we also become the children of God.  And the effect of kinship means that not only do we know God, but God knows us!  This is the hope that Jesus was revealing in His parable of the 10 Virgins.  The ten were waiting to honor the arrival of a bridegroom.  5 were alert and ready, while the other 5 were foolish and failed to be prepared to welcome the groom.  They had to leave the banquet to obtain oil for their lamps, but while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived.  He and the 5 who were ready to honor him entered the hall, and the door was closed.

 When the other 5 finally arrived and tried to enter, the master told them “I say to you, I do not know you.” (Matthew 25:1-13)  This will be the fate for those who have never prepared their lives for the return of the Lord Jesus.  Anyone who is not prepared to welcome Jesus upon His return, will be unable to enter God’s Kingdom, because the Lord won’t even know them!  God will only know those who have prepared for that time by committing their lives to Jesus.

 Read Romans 5:12-14

 You may have heard Jesus referred to as ‘the second Adam”.  The human forms of each came to be through the grace of God.  But they differed in the way they responded to this blessing – Adam, by turning against the way that the Lord instructed him, and Jesus, by obeying every single thought that the Father placed in His heart.  Adam’s sin of disobedience (Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis3:1-7) has carried through to all of humanity that came after him.  Jesus’ righteousness has been made available to all who come to Him by faith.

 And even though sin has been prevalent since the time of the first Adam, consequences for sin was held back until the Law was given to Moses – in other words – other than the Lord’s command to Adam and Eve, humanity didn’t know the difference between what was righteous and what was sinful.  God gave Moses 10 commands that were to be respected and obeyed, as a sign of what was to be expected from the lives of Israel, as well as from all of humanity throughout the earth.

 God has blessed us all with the beauty of His creation, but when we begin to celebrate and desire the beauty that surrounds us instead of the Creator who brought all beauty into our life, it is then that we have broken from the relationship that the Lord has always desired for us.  And you may be wondering why the world doesn’t know this!  It may very well be that they have never heard!  The problem is that the church has been much too quiet outside of our walls, and others are going to suffer for our silence.

 Read Romans 5:15-21

 Paul now makes another comparison and distinction between the two Adams.  He claims that through each, the life that we live has spread from each of their lives.  Through the first Adam, we strive to be God-personally, instead of God-obedient.  Through Jesus, we strive to live Godly lives instead of becoming God-deniers.  And both sin and obedience flow from each of these two Adams.

 In comparison, Paul tells us that with sin through Adam, we inherit death, while, by faith in Jesus, we gain forgiveness for our sin, and inherit righteousness!  Paul never suggests that the choice that we have to make is between two balanced opportunities.  As a matter of fact, they are as different as the distinction between night and day, and yet, they are still our only options.  And what has the church done to help the masses understand that the differences are so vastly important?

 And for those who believe that their personal ways are just as valid as God’s are, Isaiah 55:8-9 would have us understand that the two ways – ours versus the Lord’s – are truly and uniquely  different, just as the results of each will be.  And the outcome all hinges upon the way that we choose – will we copy the way of disobedience through Adam, or will we look to Jesus for restoration, healing, forgiveness, and redemption?

 So what will it be?  Sin or righteousness?  Death or eternal life?  And what will we do about our decision?

 Read 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

 Paul offers a thanksgiving to God for the faithful witness that goes out from the church in Thessalonica.  And, depending on the scriptural translation, we might read that Paul is elated that the Lord has increased their love beyond all understanding, so that it might overflow from their hearts to rest upon everyone whom it touches.

 In Romans 5, Paul wrote about the choice that we have to make, regarding the way that we will follow.  Either way will be observed by the people of this world, and yet, he now calls us to understand what choosing Jesus will do for both us as well as for those who receive the blessing of love that overflows from our lives.  And as love abounds within all who are blessed through the love that comes from faith in Jesus Christ, so will the message of eternal hope that it carries!

 This, too, is a choice that we have to make – to share the love of God with others, or to keep it all safely hidden away within our heart!  And when we deny others the love of God, it will gain us nothing.  For when we spread the love that we have received from the Lord, we also can’t help but share the message of eternal life that comes by faith in Jesus Christ – and it will overflow throughout the world! 

 No longer silent, no longer condemned, no longer under judgment, no more submission to the darkness of earth.  Isn’t this the better way?  Break the silence and let the Lord's way flow throughout the earth.

"Give Thanks to the Lord - Always!"

 Scripture:   Philippians 4:4-9;  Acts 2:22-28

For the past 5 weeks, we have been considering the many reasons that our good and faithful God has given us for showing our gratitude to Him later this week on Thanksgiving Day.  Of course, the Lord deserves our grateful heart and eternal thanksgiving every day, but especially on the day that is so specifically identified as Thanksgiving.

 Today will be the last in this sermon series, but we all should be confident that God’s gifts will continue to shower us with divine blessings throughout our lives.  The intent of these messages of thanksgiving for the Lord are to remind us all of what we owe to our Almighty God, and that we should be praising Him and giving thanks to Him as often and as fully as we possibly can. 

 The Lord asks very little from us, other than our faithful obedience and our honest gratitude for all that He provides.  But how much do we actually give back to Him?  He only asks for us to return a tithe out of all that He gives us in income, in abilities, and in our time, to be used in outreach, in service to others, and in witness to all that the Lord has done for us.

 Is that too much?  Is 10% of our “First and Best Fruits” an unreasonable amount to return to God?  Is 90% too little to keep for the living of our own lives?  Think about it as we celebrate the Lord’s generosity toward each of us!

 Read Philippians 4:4-9

 Rejoice and be gentle in all that you do!  Now, some folks will respond with the thought – “How can God expect us to be thankful and happy and gentle when life is rapidly dragging us into misery, trial, sickness, loss, all kinds of pain and worldly oppression, and even into death?”  But we have never been told to be thankful for a life that turns sour on us.  The thought that should be leading us into joyful thanksgiving is that God will see us through, not only the best of times, but also during the worst that we could ever imagine!

 This is the attitude that every Christian should be displaying to the world!  Those who have never given their lives over to our Lord Jesus Christ, will be amazed, and some will even be eager to understand what it is about this life that could possibly lead us into a love and admiration that goes so far beyond all understanding or appreciation!  After all, isn’t this the example that Jesus has laid down for us?  I don’t believe that He was all that happy about the torture, the hatred, the denial, the pain that those last few days of human life brought to Him.  But the joyful heart that sustained Him through it all was that His painful and humiliating death would enable all who trusted their lives to Him through faith, would one day discover eternal joy in the life that would, without a single doubt, come to them!

 The only problem for us is that we have been living in an instant kind of world – instant food, instant news, instant weather, instant love, and more “instants” than we could ever count.  The problem for “instant” oriented people is that God works in His own form of time, and not on the time that many folks measure Him by.  Many expect that even “peace” should be one of those instantaneous things, when it actually takes time for it all to come together!

 Then there is that string of “whatever’s” that also have little to do with human understanding.  Consider “truth” and “right” – truth in God is always synonymous with “right”.  What about noble?  The word implies honorable, moral, just, and so on.  But the world’s version has become understood as a personal trait, and one that each and every person should be allowed to define for themselves.  The word “pure” doesn’t even seem to be definable any more, as nothing seems to be pure in today’s culture!  Even “lovely” and “admirable” have moved beyond what scripture has always intended for their meaning, and these, too, have taken on a personal context, and God’s desire for what has always been His understanding of what we should strive for has become moot, at best.

 All of these Godly words are, in truth, absolute and eternal, and not the human kind that seem to be relative and up for change every time you turn around.  This passage from Philipppians is intended to call everyone to stop redefining, rewriting and misquoting the words that Almighty God has set down for our edification, and to begin living and loving in the way that the Lord has always lived and loved for us.

 And the concluding sentence tells us that when we begin to live and love in God’s virtuous way, and put His way into practice on a daily basis, not only will His peace rest upon us, but the God of Peace will also come into our lives, to live within us for all time.  And this will fill us with the true and complete reason for fulfilling thankfulness.

 Read Acts 2:22-28

 These words are a portion of Peter’s proclamation at Pentecost.  When he refers to the “miracles, signs and wonders” of Jesus’ life among us, he is basically telling the people to simply believe what their eyes have seen and ears have heard from the Lord.  They are also to decide for themselves if anyone other than God has ever had the authority and power to bring all of this to bear for the world. 

 The power of Pentecost is Spirit based.  The truth of the Lord’s salvation is Spirit affirmed.  The promise of Jesus Messiah’s coming, both then and on the day that is yet to come, is given by Jesus Himself, and the Father, as well as the Spirit, and finally by God’s word in scripture.  Everything that came from the teachings of Jesus was God inspired, everything that Jesus endured throughout His life, including the evil that denounced Him and took His life was necessary to fulfill God’s perfect plan.  And why did the Lord Jesus accept this task of rescue for the sinful likes of you and me?  Because only His death, resurrection and eternal life, along with our acceptance through faith that it is God’s truth, God’s purpose, and God’s desire that no one should perish without the opportunity of hope – a hope that only the Lord could promise and that only God could bring to completion. 

 And verse 28 is our response in faith to the Lord’s eternal blessings for our life – please join me in claiming these words for our own lives -  ²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’  

By faith, we are in the presence of God through Jesus, and if that isn’t the very best reason to be thankful, there isn’t a single ounce of gratitude that will ever overflow from our life.

“Thanksgiving Through Generosity”

 Scripture:   2 Corinthians 9:6-13;  Luke 11:39-46

As the days draw ever closer to our annual day of Thanksgiving, our reasons for being thankful in the Lord should also be growing in purpose, in passion, and in commitment.  And even as the mess that the world is in grows beyond all measure, the blessings that will come to the Lord’s people will grow in even greater ways.  Have you been considering what you might include in your thanksgiving list - those blessings that God has provided, and continues to provide for you each and every single day? 

 The truth of the matter is as proclaimed in the Nicene Creed – that the Lord is creator of all things – those that are seen, as well as those that are unseen!  I am also certain that those discoveries and inventions that have generally been attributed to the wisdom and ingenuity of human beings, are also the work of the hands of God!  He guides, inspires, and directs our works, and even though the labor saving, entertaining and even more important devices that we use each and every day were built by human hands, they still should be offered up to the credit of God’s desires. 

 Unfortunately, all too often, the God given gifts that we have in this lifetime are seldom used to praise and glorify the Creator!  And even worse, they are, many times, used to advance personal agendas of wickedness and self-importance.  So let’s take some time to see what scripture has to say about this state of affairs.

 Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

 Believers in Jerusalem were going through a difficult time, and churches throughout the region were collecting offerings to send to those faithful, to help them in their hour of need.  Paul, in the 8^th chapter of 2 Corinthians (8:13-15), tells believers in Corinth that they aren’t being asked to give more than they have, but to give as much as they can.  And that they will be helping others, so that when, and if, Corinth finds itself in need, that others can help them.  He refers to this exchange of aid as true “Equity”.  (Matthew 7:12)

 In this passage for today, He makes the comparison to planting and harvesting, that we receive in direct comparison to what we give.  As the Lord blesses us, we are to give a portion of our blessing to bring blessings to others.  It should never be by way of obligation, or pressure, or self-worth, but out of a desire to give as God has already given to us.  It’s all about our attitude in the giving, and the apostle reminds us that “God loves a cheerful giver.”  The prophet Micah has also reminded us that the things we do are nowhere near as important as is the attitude that inspires us to do them in the first place! (Micah 6:8)

 Even in the Psalms we read that when we live in the way that the Lord would have us live, we will give generously and intentionally.  Psalm112:6-10, for example, tells us “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever”  This is inspiration to serve as the Lord has served us.

 In other words, “God (truly does) love a cheerful giver”!

 Read 2 Corinthians 9:10-13

 As we read this passage, we need to carefully understand that the author isn’t only speaking about providing food to other believers.  In Matthew5:15-17; 46-48, Jesus tells us that the light that shines through our righteous acts is intended to bless all who experience it, and that the love we show should benefit everyone, and not just those who love us in return.  And the Lord would have us know that to live and love in this way will be our reflection of how God would have us reach out to all people of this world.

 Paul wants us to know that our “God of Abundance” will bless our giving out of the abundance that He has already given.  But if we only give out of our poverty, out of our lacking, there will never be sufficient glory shown toward the One who has given us everything in the first place!  And when we give generously out of all that we have received, our example of living the Godly life, will never go unnoticed – not by those who have benefitted from our generosity, and definitely not by our great and generous Lord.

 One further point – how should we respond to God’s blessing of enabling and allowing us to live in a way that brings divine blessings into the lives of others?  Thankful lives bring others to an awareness of thanksgiving for their own lives.  But we must never take credit for being so able, for ability is also a gift from our Almighty, Gracious, and Generous Lord.

 Read Luke 11:39-42

 This passage follows an event in which Jesus had been invited to join a Pharisee in a meal at his home.  But the Lord had failed to wash His hands before joining in the feast, and the law-abiding Pharisee was appalled and expressed his sense of personal insult.  Jesus tells him that he, and other legalistic men like him, are always far more concerned about exterior cleanliness than they are about their spiritual well-being.  Pharisees had always seen their adherence to the Law of Moses as proof that they were, in all regards, righteous and worthy of being representatives of their Jehovah God.  But Jesus turns the tables on him with the accusation that, in reality, he is actually filled with greed and wickedness. 

 The point is that God has created us to be whole and complete people, and when we choose to live in ways that deny the Lord’s perfect creativity, we no longer reflect the reality that brought us into being in the first place!  And the only hope for us is to get rid of all that condemns us on the inside, and to let the Lord rebuild us from the inside out.  Our actions should always be a reflection of where and how our heart and spirit lives.  If it is ungodly ways that reside within us, then the discharge of those ways is our only hope of restoring the relationship that we have broken through our unworthy heart.

 Our giving, our outward sacrifice, is only the visible portion of our generous acknowledgment of God’s grace and goodness.  For without a heart-felt desire to give God thanks for the ability to love others as we were first loved (1 John 4:19-20), it is only a half-hearted effort at best.

 Read Luke 11:43-46

 An external appearance of the pious life is no life at all.  The analogy that Jesus is offering regarding the unmarked grave, is a reference to the Hebrew practice of whitewashing their family tombs to make them more attractive and noticeable.  The Lord is telling the scribes and Pharisees that the life that they were living was no better than an unwashed tomb – that they were actually filled with death, and that true life had become elusive for them.

 And as for the legalism that they were imposing on everyday Jews and their families, this was one more example of their lack of generous love for others!  A legalistic faith is hollow faith, a self-centered faith, a worthless faith, and it gives absolutely no glory, and no thanksgiving to the only One who actually deserves our praise.

 So the question for our own lives is this – does our inner person, does our heart’s passion, give credence to the thought that the ways of God hold importance in our life?  Or are we living a lie by pretending to be faithful, in an attempt to give others the impression that our desires and passion are truly a reflection of our gratitude for all that the Lord has, and is, and continues to do for us?

 May our lives always be a true reflection of who our Lord is for us, in this life and in that which is beyond all we know.

"Give Thanks, No Matter What Else Comes"

Scripture:   2 Corinthians 4:5-18;  Romans 8:20-25

Have you ever thought about making a list of all the things that God has given you, and has done for you, that deserve your expression of thanksgiving?  If we are truly honest about it, that list would be rather extensive!  In today’s epistles that were both written by the apostle Paul, he gives us many reasons as to why we should be grateful to the Lord, but the list that he offers is more general in faith than it is specific in those blessings and gifts that believers have received throughout the centuries.

 Imagine the thanksgiving that he could have offered that solely surrounded his encounter with the Living Jesus on the road to Damascus.  As just a few examples, there was God’s forgiveness for the many acts of persecution committed against Jesus and His people; there was the personal words of love that were spoken to him; there was the healing that was performed on his eyesight; there was the act of courage and kindness that Ananias offered through his faithfulness and prophesy regarding Paul’s future ministry with the Lord; and the list could go on! (Acts 9:1-19)

 And as we put our own personal lists together, don’t forget to include those acts of power and forgiveness that He has offered to all who come to him in faith, for they are definitely gifts that God has spread out upon you, too.

 But what did Paul have to say specifically that we should be claiming in our own walk with Jesus.

 Read 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

 This first reason for thankfulness may be one that we have never actually considered before  - the gift of Godly Light that shines within us, and enables us understand and appreciate the grace that empowers us to share the Lord’s grace, love and word with other people.  Now I know that some folks are keenly unaware of the call that comes upon all who give their lives to Jesus Christ.  But in Ephesians 3:4-7,  we read that we Gentiles “are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”  We are all “sharers” in Jesus’ gifts, and as such, are to share our gifts with one another, as in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, where we read that we are to be “generous and willing to share.” 

 And how far should this “sharing” extend?  It goes as far as our love of God does; as far as our gratitude for God’s blessings and gifts; as far as our love for others, whether we know them, or agree with them, or not; or as far as the truth of Christ’s salvation calls us to share His love with the people of this world!

 In verses 7-12, Paul writes that God’s “all-surpassing power” has been given to us, but in no way is it intended to benefit or define us!  The mortality and humanity that we live under will never be strengthened or improved until that day of Christ’s return.  Until that time, we will continue to encounter all kinds of hardships in life, but we should never interpret this to mean that God has turned against us!  In this list of human frailties and God-given relief that comes our way, these are the very support that we are, in turn, to show to those who have only known the pain and failure that the world brings upon them.

 The “sharing” that we are called to bless others with has nothing to do with our own limitations!  We share the truth and power of God that has sustained us throughout our own trials and struggles.  We are to become an example of divine grace that others might discover God and His ways for themselves.

 Read 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

 And the how and why of our ability to show others the goodness and mercy of our precious Lord, and to assure them that Jesus has always been “all in” for them, too, is all centered on the “spirit of faith” that lives within each of us.  And how far will that spirit go for us?  It will take us to the point that we are able and willing to “believe and speak” to others about Jesus and His gift of life eternal that is available for all who come to Him in that same power of faith that we have come to know.

 Is this a good enough reason for us to give God our thanks for allowing us to be His disciple, and His example for reaching out to the world around us?  Are we prepared to be a completely dedicated and submissive servant of Christ so that others can see the power of God at work within and through us?  Even though the power of death is at work all around us, have we become a powerful, living, joyful, and thankful person to the extent that “grace is overflowing to the glory of God”?

 Others are going to see this in us, you know!  They will be amazed at what they come to see through us!  And in their amazement, some will only be touched to the point of ridicule and disbelief, while the eyes of others will be opened to see the truth and grace of God unfold before them! (Acts 2:5-13; 40-41)

 But we must never let the scoffers get to us – if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and His gracious nature, victory and blessings will dominate our understanding, and the denial of others will only become a call to us to continue to show them the fullness of God’s mercy that has been poured out on their behalf.  Remember Paul’s words – “that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

 Read Romans 8:20-25

 Paul’s letter to the Romans is primarily laid out as a message of encouragement to the Church.  In Romans 5:1-5, we read that by faith, we have received grace as well as sufferings.  But then the assurance is named – that suffering produces perseverance, and from that comes character, and finally a heart-felt hope that is ours for eternity.  Paul’s message is just this – that faith in Jesus Christ will never take away the struggles and suffering that occur during this lifetime, but that God will always be with us during those most difficult times. 

 In verse 22 above, he  writes that it isn’t only we who are suffering, but that all of creation is in the same mess as we are!  And yet he compares it to the pains that come through childbirth, which also has held out a unique form of hope for the life that the Mom has carried for 9 months!  Mothers have understood this kind of hope ever since creation was completed.  The pain that they endure is severe, but the hope and love that fills them is such that most mothers are willing to suffer the pain of childbirth far more than just once!

 The hope of Christ is one that we receive and anticipate without proof and visual certainty.  But by faith in Jesus, we know that His promises are, in and of themselves, certain and assured through all that we have come to know and believe about our Lord.  And we know, as Paul wrote back in chapter 5, that our suffering can never take precedence over faith, and that through faith, that God will see us through the most trying of times - even when those times strive to break our resolve to trust in the Lord beyond all other things.

 And this is our reason for giving thanks – certainly during this time of year, but also, in every moment, of every day, throughout our lives.  And not just as some spiritual exercise, but as true love and appreciation for all that our Lord has done on our behalf, and for all that He will continue to do for all who believe, until the day He returns.  And on that day, we will receive the Lord’s certainty by presence and sight, when everything that God has promised us is finally given, and seen and received, and will be ours for all time.

 And the words of that great hymn of faith “Trust andObey” will see us through – 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey

 So, as we wait for the Lord’s time to arrive, continue to give thanks for all that He has given, and for all that He has promised, and to truly believe that it all has already been received.  And that should be enough to be eternally thankful!  (Mark 11:23-24)