Weekend Sermon--Learning About Jesus

Hebrews 13:8- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.

     Our text today comes from Hebrews chapter 13 which is a fascinating chapter filled with good things to preach about.  Our particular verse today, is a verse that has come to mean a great deal to me over the last few years.  It is a simple verse packed with meaning.  The whole key is understanding who Jesus really is.
     Today's message is going to be pretty much autobiographical.  It took me a really long time to come to an accurate knowledge of who Jesus is, and as a result, come to find extraordinary comfort from the knowledge that Jesus is never going to change.
     I became a Christian at a very young age.  There isn't a time when I can't remember my family attending church.  I accepted Christ one day after Sunday school class.
     I was immersed in Biblical teaching and all things Christian from my childhood.  My folks were heavily involved in church and attended every service and function. 
     I attended Sunday school, children's church, mid week service, vacation Bible school, and every other service you can name.  Besides this, I attended a Christian school for almost all of my school years.
     As I grew older, my parents became very conservative in their religious beliefs and attended a very strict fundamentalist church.  I attended the school operated by this church.
     All of this time, I was presented with the teachings of Jesus.  I was taught the orthodox doctrines of the faith.  We believed that Jesus was God and man born of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus died for our sins and rose bodily from the grave.  We believed in the rapture and the Second Coming.  But, the Jesus I was presented with was a Jesus that brought only fear and not comfort.  The Jesus we were presented with at church and school was a Jesus just waiting to punish you for the slightest infraction.  We learned about a Jesus of severe judgment and not about a Jesus who loved us and the whole world.
     I remember as a kid we were always told to be on the alert because the rapture was coming.  We were warned to behave because if Jesus came and we were doing something wrong we would be left behind to face the horrors of the tribulation period. 
    One day my parents had gone over to the neighbors house, and I didn't know they would be gone.  I came home and couldn't find them anywhere.  I was so afraid the rapture had come, and I had been left behind.
     We were taught that if we didn't tithe all of our money that Jesus would cause something to happen to us, and He would get the money out of us one way or the other.
     I think the worse thing for me was what the church taught about sickness.  I was born with a problem in my immune system.  As a young man I was often sick with respiratory problems.  Of course the church people said that I must have some sin in my life.  Being sick was Jesus' way of punishing me for my sin or my lack of faith.
     At about the age of 16, all of the fear and legalistic religion and meanness had taken there toll.  I was seriously depressed.  I'd just about come to the point of giving up on God and everything else.
     Thankfully, the Lord worked in my life in such a way that I began to see the real Jesus and what a difference He makes. 
     First of all, Jesus sent me a wonderful friend, Toby to help me through the hard times of depression and show me that true love and goodness really did exist in the world.
     At this time, I also for the first time in my life came into contact with Christians who presented a Jesus who loved people, who wanted the best for us, and who wanted to help us.  They presented a Jesus who wasn't looking to bring misery into my life.  Instead, He wanted to bring me peace.  I came to know a Jesus who wanted to be my friend.
     I also began to really study the Bible and find out for myself all of the things Jesus did and said.  It was a different picture than I'd seen before.
     It took a long time, but finally I began to see who Jesus was, and my entire spiritual life changed.  I began to realize that I could have a real relationship with Jesus.
     My prayer life changed.  I could talk to the Lord and really share with Him all of my burdens.  I could cast my cares on Him and find rest in Him.
     My behavior changed.  I wanted to serve the Lord out of love and not fear.  When I realized the depths of the love of Jesus, it made me want to love and help others and the world that God had made.
     Leaving legalistic Christianity and its distorted view of Jesus was the best thing that ever happened to me.
     I hope that you know who the real Jesus is.  I hope you know the Jesus who had compassion for the sick and hurting, who cared about the poor and those the religious people rejected.  I hope you know the Jesus who wants to be your friend. and who wants to help you and give you peace. 
     What helped me the most was to really read the Bible.  Read the words of Jesus, and His truth will come shining through.  Also, the writings of Lloyd Oglivie, Tony Campolo, Joseph Girzone, and Brennan Manning helped me in my spiritual walk,
     To really know Jesus, become a person of prayer, contemplation, and meditation.  You can really only know someone if you spend time with them.  The more you learn about Jesus the greater He becomes.  May the Lord bless you. Amen.
    

I Don't Understand It

     I just heard another conservative evangelical minister this week equate wildlife and environmental conservation as worshipping the Earth.  I don't understand why so many conservative ministers are opposed to helping animals.  Taking care of creation is not worshipping it!!  The first thing God told humans to do was to take care of what God had made.

Rin Tin Tin

     I finished reading the new Rin Tin Tin book by Susan Orlean last night.  This is an excellent book.  It is well written, easy to read and very informative.  I thought that the first half of the book that deals with the original Rin Tin Tin was the best part.  I highly recommend this book.

Weekend Sermon--A Great Cloud Of Witnesses

Reading:  Hebrews 12:1-3

     Hebrews chapter 11 is one of the greatest chapters in all of the Bible.  Many refer to it as the the Hall of Fame of Faith.  And, that is what Hebrews chapter 11 is all about.  It records how Old Testament saints believed in the promises of God.
     Abel believed God and offered a better sacrifice.  Enoch believed God and was taken to Heaven without experiencing death. Noah believed and built the ark saving his family and many animals.  Abraham believing in God left his homeland for the promised land.  He believed and had such faith and trust in God that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac believing that God could raise Isaac from the dead.
     This chapter goes on to name Moses, Jacob and many others who put their trust in God.  All of these Old Testament saints passed from this earth without seeing the coming of the prophesied Messiah.  They died looking forward to the glorious day of redemption.
     Living in the twenty-first century, we have seen the promised one.  In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, Jesus to be the Messiah, the one who would redeem the world from sin.
     The Old Testament saints looked forward to the cross.  As New Testament believers, we look back on the cross where Jesus bore all of our sins in His body to secure our redemption from sin.
     Since the time of Jesus, many great saints of God have lived lives of holiness in witness to their faith and have passed from this earth.  These, along with all of the Old Testament saints make up the great cloud of witnesses the writer of Hebrews references in chapter 12 verse 1.  Everyone we know who has died in Christ is part of this cloud of witnesses. 
     I know that my parents are part of this cloud of witnesses.  My Mom accepted Jesus into her life when she was a teenager.  She faithfully served the Lord until she died two years ago. 
     My Dad didn't come to know Jesus until he was forty years old.  But thank God a minister shared the gospel with my Dad and led my Dad to Christ.
     I know others in this cloud of witnesses.  My friend Toby is there.  My grandparents are there.  They are all there in the presence of Jesus because He died and rose again.
     But, those of us who are alive here on earth still have a life to live and a mission to carry out for the Lord as His ambassadors until He calls us home.  The writer of Hebrews refers to it as running the race set before us. 
     I love the metaphor of the Christian life that these verses proclaim.  We are runners.  In the grandstand are those people of faith gone ahead of us.  We look to Jesus as our example, and we run the race of life in a manner pleasing to God.
     But how do we run the race of life well?  The writer of Hebrews has an answer to that.
     As we run the race of the Christian life, we have the example of the saints of old to emulate.  The reason we have the stories of the many characters of Scripture is so we will know how to and how not to do what is pleasing to God.  I also believe that this cloud of witnesses is there to encourage us.  I know that that is the way it is for me.  I want to stay on course and one day be reunited with my folks and Toby.  I know they're cheering me on to keep going because they want me to follow Jesus and be in His presence for all of eternity as well. I want to follow their good example.
     The writer of Hebrews goes on and says that in order to run the race effectively, we need to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets or entangles us.  It causes us to become distracted from our goal.  We take our eyes of Jesus and look to the world and the enticements it has to offer.
     What is sin?  Sin is a violation of the commands of the Lord.  The Lord has clearly revealed His commandments in His word.  When we violate one of these commandments, we sin.  Some people become burdened by sin by repeatedly engaging in the same type of sin.
     There are sins of commission and omission.  Those things we do such as violating a command not to do something are sins of commission.  When the Lord instructs us to do something like carrying out the great commission and we don't do it, that is a sin of omission. 
    However, we can lay aside the burden of sin.  The Bible says that, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  We can repent, start over, and get back on course.  All the while, that great cloud of witnesses is cheering us on.
     The key to everything in running the race of the Christian life is looking to Jesus.  The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. 
     Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, and through His resurrection, when we place our faith and trust in Him, we are born again and begin our Christian journey.  Then we progress by looking unto Jesus.
     What does this mean?  We look unto Jesus by following the example He provided for us.  Jesus came not only to die for our sins.  He came to show us how to live a life pleasing to the Father.
     I know that this has become cliche, but in truth, a Christian is someone who asks the question, what would Jesus do? in every situation.
     If we look to Jesus, we will run a good race.  When we die, Jesus will take us home to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us.  We will be reunited with all of those who through faith in Christ have gone before us and wait for us.
     I urge you today to follow Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Don't become distracted and burdened with sin.  Remember the example of the saints of God and run the race until you stand before Jesus and hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the Lord."


Lord, help us this day to follow You.  Help us know You and serve you completely.  Amen.
    

Dog Books

     It looks like there are a lot of good dog books coming out.  I bought a book called "Following Atticus" last night and I've already read half of it.  So far, it's one of the best dog books I've read in a long, long time.  Next week Susan Orlean has a book coming out about Rin Tin Tin.  I've heard good things about it, and I am looking forward to reading it.  "Thunder Dog" came out a couple of weeks ago.  It is fairly good.  The book my story is in is still available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  The book is called "Nurturing Paws".  If you know of any good dog books coming out tell me about them.

Two Years Ago

     I can't believe that it has already been two years since my Mom passed away.  I miss her so much.  I was watching a program about dogs the other night, and I thought about how much Mom would have enjoyed watching it.  She loved dogs.  I look forward to seeing her again in Heaven some day.

Weekend Sermon--These Testify of Jesus--John 5:31-45

     At the beginning of John chapter 5, Jesus performs a tremendous miracle.  Beside a pool there was a paralyzed man who had been by the pool for 38 years seeking a miracle.  When the water was stirred, the first person into the water was healed.  This man being paralyzed, and with no one to help him, was never the first one in.  
     But, Jesus came along and saw the wretchedness of this poor man's condition and instantly healed the man from his debilitating paralysis. 
     There was one problem.  Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath, and that didn't sit well with the religious authorities of that day.  They began to criticize Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.
     In response, Jesus said in verse 17, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."
     This just infuriated the religious authorities all the more since by His statement, Jesus was declaring Himself to be God.
     In the verses following, Jesus didn't back down from declaring Himself divine.  Jesus said that just like the Father, He had the power to raise the dead.  Jesus also said that He had the power to grant eternal life, and the right to pass judgment was given to Him by the Father.  In fact, at the end of time, Jesus will judge every person that has ever lived.
     These were all words Jesus was speaking about Himself.  In other words, He was testifying about Himself.  Jesus said in verse 31 that just testifying about Himself wasn't enough.  Just because He was saying these things about Himself didn't prove they were true.  As the Scriptures say, everything is to be proved by two or three witnesses.  In the verses which follow, Jesus lays out the case for the other witnesses that proclaim He was who He said He was.
     The first witness Jesus calls on to testify about Him is John the Baptist.  Even though many of the religious authorities rejected John, as they rejected Jesus, the vast majority of the people believed that John the Baptist was a great and mighty prophet like those from the Old Testament days.
     What was John the Baptist's testimony concerning Jesus Christ?  We find it recorded in chapter 1 of John's Gospel.  Hear these words John the Baptist said about Jesus from John 1:29-32.  "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  This is the one I meant when I said, a man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to all Israel......I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, the man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
     John's testimony was great.  However, greater that John testify concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Jesus says, "the very works that I am doing bear witness about me that the Father has sent me."
     Jesus performed great and powerful miracles confirming that He was the Messiah, the one sent from God.  Jesus fed the 4,000 and the 5,000.  He cleansed the lepers and made the lame to walk.  He opened blind eyes and raised the dead to new life.  Only one blessed of God could do such things.  Jesus was the epitome of doing and being good.
     But, Jesus had more witnesses to Him than John the Baptist or even the tremendous miracles He performed.  God the Father Almighty testified about His Son at least twice.
    The Bible records in Luke 3:21-22 what occurred at the baptism of Jesus.  Jesus went to be baptized by John in order to fulfill all righteousness.  After the baptism the Bible says, "the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
     The voice of the Father directly from Heaven gives testimony that Jesus is God come in human form and that what Jesus was doing and saying was well pleasing to His Father in Heaven.
     There is another occurrence in Scripture where the Father bears witness of the Son, namely, the transfiguration.  In this instance, Jesus was on a mountain top with Peter, James and John.  While on the mountain, Jesus' face shone like the sun and His clothing became as white as light.  During this time, Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah.  After this, the voice of the Father was heard saying, "This is my beloved Son, with who I am well pleased; listen to Him."  What a testimony to the person and work of Jesus the Messiah.
     If these witnesses weren't enough, Jesus mentions one final witness.  In John 5:39, Jesus states, " You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me."
     I don't know if you've ever done a study of the Old Testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled.  It's incredible.  Isaiah 7:14 foretold the virgin birth.  Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  Zechariah tells that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Isaiah 53 is a great prophecy of the suffering the Messiah would endure.  These all speak of Jesus.  Jesus fulfilled all of these Old Testament prophecies perfectly.
     Sadly, with all of these witnesses to Jesus, the people still rejected Him.  They crucified and buried Him.  But praise God, the Father once again bore witness to the Son when Jesus rose up from the grave. 
     What will you do with these witnesses to who Jesus is?  Will you believe?


Lord, thank you for coming to earth for us.  Help us to believe in You and follow You fully. Amen.

A Verse For The Day

Matthew 13:44--"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

Cat Movie

     I watched a funny cat movie the other night called "The Cat From Outer Space".  I remember going to see this movie with my Mom when I was a kid.  It was just as funny as I remember.  I recommend it .

Weekend Sermon--Psalm 15

     Psalm 15 is one of the many Psalms written by the great Psalm writer, King David of Israel. 
     Last week, we looked at the three requirements James lists for one to practice true and pure religion.  This week, we look at Psalm 15 where David asks the question, "who many dwell in the sanctuary of the Lord?"  I think what David is asking is who is the person who may have fellowship with the Lord?  Who is the one who can be pleasing to the Lord in such a way that it fosters a deep fellowship with God? 
     David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, begins his list in verse 2 by saying, "He whose walk is blameless and does what is righteous."  I believe that this is the same sentiment expressed by James when he said that the one who practices true religion, "keeps himself unstained by the world."
     It is a very important part of the Christian walk to live a life which follows the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ.  A few weeks ago, I spoke about how that the first criterion for abiding in Christ is keeping His commandments.  David is saying much the same thing.  To be in deep fellowship with the Lord it is essential that we follow the path laid before us by the Lord Jesus.  We must abstain from even the appearance of evil.
     Another point that David makes is that someone who dwells with God does what is righteous.  I think this is so important.  So much of the time we only focus on what we should not do.  The Christian walk becomes a list of thall shalt nots.  This only expresses the negative side of doing what is right.
     As believers, we need to be actively engaged in doing what is right.  Jesus said, "blessed are the peace makers."  Christians should promote peace and reconciliation.
     Jesus gave us the great commission to go and spread the gospel.  This should be the believers number one priority.  The Lord said to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit the sick.  As true followers of Jesus, we should follow these good words.
     The Psalmist continues with his list of requirements for dwelling with God by saying that this person, "speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue."  Just as we saw with James and true religion, how we speak is vital in our walk with God and to our testimony toward our fellow man.
     Words have power.  We can really make other people's lives miserable years into the future by unkind and nasty speech.  All believers should let their speech be controlled by the example of Jesus Christ.
     The one who would dwell with God is also described as a person of truth.  Lying, exaggerating, and falsehood should have no place in the Christian life.  Jesus said He was, "the way, the truth and the life."  As Christians, we follow the one who is the very embodiment of truth.  Therefore, we should be truthful people.  As Jesus said, "let your yes be yes, and your no be no."  Nothing is more damaging to a Christians testimony than being caught in a lie.  The devil is the father of lies.  Jesus said that the devil, "was a liar from the beginning."
     Lying is usually motivated by selfishness.   We don't want to get caught when we've done something wrong.  Sometimes we lie to make ourselves look more important, or we exaggerate our accomplishments.  Whatever the cause, the righteous person is a person of truthfulness.
     David goes on in Psalm 15 to state that one who will dwell in God's sanctuary is someone, "who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man."
     Neighbors, especially a bad neighbor, are often hard to get along with.  Regardless of how the folks next door act, we are to be good to our neighbors.  This is a case of following the Golden Rule set down by the Lord, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you."  Also remember the second part of the Great Commandment.  Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
     In verse 4, David continues by expressing a theme which in our Western culture could be a sermon in and of itself.  The one who would dwell with God, "despises a vile man, but honors one who fears the Lord.
     How the values of our society have been turned upside down.  Today, that which is opposed to God's Word is honored.  For example,  movies and television shows that depict pre-marital sex and aberrant sexual behavior are the top rated programs.  Movies filled with violence and profanity vault to the top of the box office.  On the other hand, family and nature movies are flops.
     Entertainers who violate God's Word are praised as role models and their every action is covered by the press.  The person who honors God is looked on as a fool.
     I'll give you one example from our society which is particularly troublesome.  Scripture clearly teaches that sexual relationships before marriage are sinful.  Yet, in our society, the young person who wishes to remain a virgin until married is made the object of jokes.
     The righteous person who will have a close relationship with God is the person who honors and extols what God honors and rejects those things which are contrary to God's will. 
     We are called in this chapter to be those who keep their word even when it hurts.  You know you've found an honest person when they say that they will do a job $100 and stick to that price even if they realize they should have charged $150. 
     Verse 5 is interesting in our money obsessed world.  This verse says that one who seeks God's presence doesn't charge interest when lending out money.  In other words, if your family needs money you are to lend it interest free.  We are to be God's people helping one another without seeking gain.
     The Psalmist concludes this important chapter with the words, "He who does these things will never be shaken."  All of us who are followers of Jesus should desire a closer relationship with the Lord.  By following the principles outlined in Psalm 15, we can grow closer to the Lord and He will grow closer to us.

A Good Verse I Read Today

I John 2:28--"And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming."

A Recommendation

     I just finished reading a book called "Sea Dog Bamse".  This book is the story of a Saint Bernard who served on the Norwegian minesweeper Thorodd in World War II.  I think this is an excellent book especially the end where the memorial statue of Bamse is unveiled in Montrose, Scotland.

Weekend Sermon--James 1:26-27

     What does it mean to be religious?  I think if you ask people on the street you'd get an answer something like this.  A religious person is someone who goes to church and follows all of the customs of his or her particular religious system.
     This might be what the world considers as true religion, but it's not how the Bible defines true religion.
     In the epistle bearing his name, James the brother of Jesus gives us the accurate definition of what constitutes true religion.
     As a side note let me whole heartedly recommend the book of James for your continued reading and studying.  Of all of the epistolary writings, James sounds the most like Jesus when He walked  the earth.  In fact, there are at least eighteen passages in James that echo the Sermon on the Mount. That could be a sermon in itself.
     But, back to true and pure religion.  According to James, pure and undefiled religion has three components.  First, in order to be truly religious, a person must have control of his tongue.  Second, a person must visit the orphan and widows in their affliction.  And third, a person must keep himself unstained by the world.
     Let's look at each of these components of true and pure religion a little closer.
     The first necessity required before one can say he possesses pure and true religion is the control of one's tongue.  James calls it a bridled tongue like placing a bit in a horse's mouth to control where it will go.
     James has quite a lot to say about the tongue in his epistle.  In fact, much of chapter 3 is taken up with the subject.  In chapter 3, James says that the tongue a fire.  He also calls it, "a restless evil, full of deadly poison."  These statements of James are so true.
     I can remember many times in my life when people, especially so-called religious people, said terrible, hurtful, and nasty things to me.  At one time, I thought about giving up on everything having to do with church and organized religion.  In fact, because of hurtful things said and done by church people, there was quite a period when I stopped going to church.
     Unfortunately, and may God forgive me, I know I've said hurtful things to others.  This shouldn't be.  All of us need to control our speech.   As one author has put it, we should speak words that heal and not words that hurt.  What a difference we could all make in the world if we spoke nicely to one another and if we spoke blessings over one another.
     Our words reveal what is in our hearts.  Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 12:34 when He says, "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."  If our hears are filled with the love that comes from abiding in Christ, our words will be words filled with the love of Christ.  The closer we grow to Jesus, the more we become like Jesus.  This will be reflected in the words we speak.
     The second component of true religion James mentions is visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction.  In Bible times, orphans and widows represented the most vulnerable members of society.  In the patriarchal, ancient world if a woman was a widow, she was often totally bereft of financial support.  The same was true of orphans.  They were considered the lowest of the low.  Both groups were often ill treated and exploited.
     In the prophetic books of the Old Testament, God often condemns a society as being very sinful if they mistreat the vulnerable people in their midst.  In the book of Amos, God brings condemnation because, "the people trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted."  Psalm 82 also speaks about this subject.
     The truly religious person cares about those who are suffering and less fortunate.  the one who practices true religion stands for the rights of the poor and stands for social justice.  He works to feed the hungry and cloth the naked.
     Always remember the words of Jesus from Matthew 25, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
     The final component of true religion James mentions is keeping oneself unstained by the world.  In other words, the true believer is a person who practices holiness.
     It is so unfortunate that in our current day that so many believers live lives indistinguishable from those who are outside the community of faith.  Polling has shown that Christians have the same rate of divorce, attend the same type of entertainment, and engage in illicit sexual behavior at a rate as high as those who are without the Lord.
    Scripture calls us to come out from among the world and be separate.  The one practicing true religion is one who follows the commandments and rules of personal behavior outlined in the Word of God.  As Jesus said how can you say you love me but not do what I say.
     If we begin to implement these three areas of true religion how much richer can all of our lives be.  All things start, however, by repenting of sin and turning to Jesus as Savior and Lord.  If you've never trusted Jesus as your personal savior, I invite you to do so today.

Lord, thank you for these good words from the book of James.  Help us by the power of your Holy Spirit to be people who practices pure and true religion.  We ask this and all things in Jesus name. Amen.

Pray

     I'd like to urge everyone who reads the blog to pray for all those affected by natural disasters.  Pray for those facing fire and drought in the South.  Pray for those still affected by flooding in the Midwest.  Pray for tornado victims in Joplin, MO and Reading, KS.  Pray for those whose lives are affected by the aftermath of Irene.

    Also, remember to pray for peace in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and anywhere else there is war or conflict.