It is good to be with you again for the Weekend Sermon during this Holy Week period. Yesterday, I posted a few brief thoughts about what Jesus did on Maundy Thursday. Jesus demonstrated His great love and commanded us to love one another.
On that same night when Jesus washed His disciples' feet and instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion, Jesus and His disciples left the Upper room and they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, Jesus prayed the words, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."
I can't even begin to imagine what went through Jesus' mind as Good Friday approached. As the divine Son of God, Jesus knew that in just a few short hours He would face mocking, beating, scourging and ultimately death on the cross. He also knew that on the cross He would bear our sins in His body as the spotless, sinless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
In His humanity, Jesus would have of course wanted to avoid the pain and the humiliation of the cross. However, Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father. Out of His great love for the world that He made, Jesus went to the cross to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
I like the way that Paul explains what Jesus did in Philippians 2:6-8 where it says, "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus suffered a great betrayal and a great abandonment. First, He was betrayed by Judas, and then he was abandoned by all of His closest followers. As the events of the night progressed, Peter would deny that he knew Jesus three times.
Jesus was brought before the High Priest, Herod and Pontius Pilate. He was mocked all the way. Jesus could have called the hosts of Heaven to rescue Him, but he didn't. His love for us led Him on.
Finally, on Good Friday, Jesus was nailed to the cross where He suffered in agony for the sins of the world. He went through so much.
Isaiah told about Jesus and what He would suffer in Isaiah 53:5-6 where he says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Jesus had to die on the cross because every person that has ever lived has sinned. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." There was nothing that fallen humanity could do to obtain salvation. We were separated from God.
However, God loved us and wanted to save us. But, God is a God of justice and holiness as well. In order to satisfy the demands of justice and the demands of love, the Father sent His son into this world. Jesus led a perfect, holy and sinless life. Because of this, He could take our place. He could be our substitute. Jesus bore our sins and took the punishment for sin that we deserved on Calvary.
John puts it this way in I John 4:10, "Herein is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sin."
Jesus died and was buried in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus' followers thought that it was all over. Jesus was dead and gone.
However, Jesus would rise triumphantly from the grave on Easter Sunday. Many people only concentrate on the cross when they consider the redemptive work of Christ, but Jesus had to rise from the dead in order to overcome the consequences of sin. When sin entered into the world, death came into the world. Death was the consequence of sin. When Jesus rose up from the the dead on Easter morning, He defeated death. Through the redeeming work of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and we can live forever with Jesus.
Because Jesus rose up from the grave on Easter morning, those who put their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ don't have to fear death, because death is not final. It has been conquered by Jesus.
Many of you know that even though I am not an old man, most of close family members are dead. Thankfully, all of them had placed their faith in Jesus. They were members of the family of God, and when they died, that wasn't the end. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, my Mom, Dad, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles are in the presence of their Lord and Savior. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is John 11:25-26 where Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And he that believeth in me shall never die."
Thanks be to God, I put my trust in Jesus when I was a young boy. I am looking forward to a great reunion day because of what Jesus has done.
You may be reading this blog today, and you have never come to Jesus for salvation. You have never accepted Him as your Savior and Lord. Jesus died and rose again for you because He loves you. You can know Him today. Romans 10:9 explains how to trust Jesus as Savior. It says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." You can do this right now. I pray that you will.
If you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Give praise to the Lord for what He has done by taking away your sin and giving you eternal life. May the name of the Lord be praised.
Next week, we will return to our study in the Sermon on the Mount. I will also post another chapter of the book on Wednesday. Have a wonderful Easter. Amen.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Maundy Thursday
On this day, Jesus gave His Upper Room Discourse. This teaching is recorded in John chapters 13-16. One thing that Jesus did on this night was wash His disciples feet. Jesus said in John 13:13-15 " Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done for you."
In this action, Jesus was showing His disciples that they were to serve others. We as followers of Jesus today should be people who serve. There are many ways that we can serve the Lord. Many Christians try to serve others by feeding the hungry and trying to meet the physical needs of the poor. Others work with the sick. There is a world that is hurting. Believers can find a place to help others.
One of the greatest ways that we can serve others is to share with them the life changing message of salvation through Jesus Christ. This good news can transform a person's life. It is the greatest gift that we can give to someone when we share with them the way of eternal life and the way to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
Also on this night, Jesus gave His followers a new commandment to follow. He said in John 15:12, " This is my commandment, that ye love another, as I have loved you." Jesus was all about love. He loved us to the fullest by giving His life on the cross. As the followers of Jesus, let us show our love for the Savior by caring for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and bringing Jesus' message of love to the world.
In this action, Jesus was showing His disciples that they were to serve others. We as followers of Jesus today should be people who serve. There are many ways that we can serve the Lord. Many Christians try to serve others by feeding the hungry and trying to meet the physical needs of the poor. Others work with the sick. There is a world that is hurting. Believers can find a place to help others.
One of the greatest ways that we can serve others is to share with them the life changing message of salvation through Jesus Christ. This good news can transform a person's life. It is the greatest gift that we can give to someone when we share with them the way of eternal life and the way to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
Also on this night, Jesus gave His followers a new commandment to follow. He said in John 15:12, " This is my commandment, that ye love another, as I have loved you." Jesus was all about love. He loved us to the fullest by giving His life on the cross. As the followers of Jesus, let us show our love for the Savior by caring for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and bringing Jesus' message of love to the world.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Toby Book
Here is the next chapter.
Chapter 8
I took many trips with Toby over the years that we were together. Every summer, we would always go out and visit my Grandma and my uncle in Cheyenne. Instead of just going straight out there, we often took different routes and tried to explore some new places where none of us had ever been before.
One year, my Mom decided to take some extra vacation time, so we had an additional trip that year. That particular year, Mom wanted to go up to Iowa and visit some of the places where she lived as a girl. She also wanted to see the place that her Dad grew up, and we wanted to explore some family history. So, we all decided to take a trip up to Iowa.
The first day of the trip, we went to the towns my Mom knew as a young girl. She was born in Vinton, Iowa, so we stopped there first. We also visited the town of Van Horne where my Grandma was born and where she lived as a girl. The town of Garrison is nearby. That is where my Mom's grandparents lived.
It was interesting to see where my Mom was born. Visiting Garrison made Mom sad. She said that it was so different from when she knew it. Many of the business were closed.
From there, we made our way to the towns of Traer and Dysart. Dysart was my Mom's least favorite place. She actually didn't want to visit there, but I wanted to see it since my Grandma said that she liked it. My Mom said that when she was a girl, everyone who was in her glass was Scandinavian. They all had light hair, and they made fun of her because she had black hair. They called her a terrible name that I won't repeat.
There really wasn't that much in this part of the trip for me and Toby to do. It was mostly just a trip for my Mom. I did have fun walking around Clear Lake with Toby. My Mom spent most of her younger days in Mason City. She would often go over to Clear Lake to the Surf Ballroom and listen to the big bands play.
The second part of the trip was very interesting. We decided to go and visit what was left of the religious colony where my Grandpa was born.
I'll have to give a little history of how this religious colony came to be. My Great Great Grandfather originally lived in Prussia. He began reading the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and became a member of the Swedenborgian Church. Because my Great Great Grandfather wasn't a Lutheran like his neighbors, many of them began persecuting him for his religious beliefs. He decided to leave Prussia and come to America where he could have religious freedom.
He eventually settled in Saint Louis where he met up with some other Swedenborgians. They decided to build a religious colony in Norway, Iowa. They lived communally for two or three years. After that, each family owned their own land. They had their own church and school.
This is where my Grandpa was born in 1901. The church that these early Swedenborgian pioneers built is still there. Toby and I had a great time visiting this old church. I could just picture my Grandpa sitting in the pews listening to the sermons that were still given in German when he was a boy.
My Grandpa loved dogs, and if he had been alive to know Toby, he would have loved him too. When my Grandpa was a boy, he decided to get an old, retired racing greyhound. My Grandpa went rabbit hunting with that dog almost every day. My Grandpa's brother told me that they kept the whole family fed one winter with the rabbits they caught. This was quite a task as my Grandpa had 12 brothers and sisters.
My Grandpa's old farm was just across the street from the church, and I could imagine that if Toby would have been there the two of us could have had many great adventures in the rural Iowa countryside.
My Grandpa didn't remain a member of the Swedenborgian Church. He became convinced that they were wrong, and he joined an evangelical denomination. Services are no longer held in the old church in Iowa.
Toby and I walked around the countryside for many hours. We visited the cemetery where my Great Great Grandparents and Great Granparents are buried. Many of my Great Aunts and Uncles are buried there as well. I remembered my Grandpa and all of the fun we had when I was a boy. Every day I wish that he was still around to talk to.
After we visited the religious colony, we stopped at the Amana Colonies and looked around. I walked around there with Toby for a long time. At one shop they were giving out free samples of red clover wine. I decided to take a shot. That was a mistake. That stuff about knocked me over. Toby began barking at me like I was stupid for even trying the stuff. Once again like at Mount Rushmore, too many people wanted to pet the dog. We went back to the car and ate lunch while Mom and Dad continued there excursions.
We had a very enjoyable time in Iowa visiting all of the old family places. I just enjoyed being with my family and my good friend Toby. I always enjoy the scenery and the beauty of the earth.
Chapter 8
I took many trips with Toby over the years that we were together. Every summer, we would always go out and visit my Grandma and my uncle in Cheyenne. Instead of just going straight out there, we often took different routes and tried to explore some new places where none of us had ever been before.
One year, my Mom decided to take some extra vacation time, so we had an additional trip that year. That particular year, Mom wanted to go up to Iowa and visit some of the places where she lived as a girl. She also wanted to see the place that her Dad grew up, and we wanted to explore some family history. So, we all decided to take a trip up to Iowa.
The first day of the trip, we went to the towns my Mom knew as a young girl. She was born in Vinton, Iowa, so we stopped there first. We also visited the town of Van Horne where my Grandma was born and where she lived as a girl. The town of Garrison is nearby. That is where my Mom's grandparents lived.
It was interesting to see where my Mom was born. Visiting Garrison made Mom sad. She said that it was so different from when she knew it. Many of the business were closed.
From there, we made our way to the towns of Traer and Dysart. Dysart was my Mom's least favorite place. She actually didn't want to visit there, but I wanted to see it since my Grandma said that she liked it. My Mom said that when she was a girl, everyone who was in her glass was Scandinavian. They all had light hair, and they made fun of her because she had black hair. They called her a terrible name that I won't repeat.
There really wasn't that much in this part of the trip for me and Toby to do. It was mostly just a trip for my Mom. I did have fun walking around Clear Lake with Toby. My Mom spent most of her younger days in Mason City. She would often go over to Clear Lake to the Surf Ballroom and listen to the big bands play.
The second part of the trip was very interesting. We decided to go and visit what was left of the religious colony where my Grandpa was born.
I'll have to give a little history of how this religious colony came to be. My Great Great Grandfather originally lived in Prussia. He began reading the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and became a member of the Swedenborgian Church. Because my Great Great Grandfather wasn't a Lutheran like his neighbors, many of them began persecuting him for his religious beliefs. He decided to leave Prussia and come to America where he could have religious freedom.
He eventually settled in Saint Louis where he met up with some other Swedenborgians. They decided to build a religious colony in Norway, Iowa. They lived communally for two or three years. After that, each family owned their own land. They had their own church and school.
This is where my Grandpa was born in 1901. The church that these early Swedenborgian pioneers built is still there. Toby and I had a great time visiting this old church. I could just picture my Grandpa sitting in the pews listening to the sermons that were still given in German when he was a boy.
My Grandpa loved dogs, and if he had been alive to know Toby, he would have loved him too. When my Grandpa was a boy, he decided to get an old, retired racing greyhound. My Grandpa went rabbit hunting with that dog almost every day. My Grandpa's brother told me that they kept the whole family fed one winter with the rabbits they caught. This was quite a task as my Grandpa had 12 brothers and sisters.
My Grandpa's old farm was just across the street from the church, and I could imagine that if Toby would have been there the two of us could have had many great adventures in the rural Iowa countryside.
My Grandpa didn't remain a member of the Swedenborgian Church. He became convinced that they were wrong, and he joined an evangelical denomination. Services are no longer held in the old church in Iowa.
Toby and I walked around the countryside for many hours. We visited the cemetery where my Great Great Grandparents and Great Granparents are buried. Many of my Great Aunts and Uncles are buried there as well. I remembered my Grandpa and all of the fun we had when I was a boy. Every day I wish that he was still around to talk to.
After we visited the religious colony, we stopped at the Amana Colonies and looked around. I walked around there with Toby for a long time. At one shop they were giving out free samples of red clover wine. I decided to take a shot. That was a mistake. That stuff about knocked me over. Toby began barking at me like I was stupid for even trying the stuff. Once again like at Mount Rushmore, too many people wanted to pet the dog. We went back to the car and ate lunch while Mom and Dad continued there excursions.
We had a very enjoyable time in Iowa visiting all of the old family places. I just enjoyed being with my family and my good friend Toby. I always enjoy the scenery and the beauty of the earth.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Weekend Sermon--Sermon on the Mount--Matthew 6:16-19
It's good to be back for the sermon this week. We had a little snow, but it mostly just affected the grassy areas. This weekend, we are supposed to have a major snow storm with as much as 10 inches of snow. I hope that this forecast is wrong. It should be warmer. However, I can remember the year that Toby had his big operation that it snowed on the day of his surgery in mid-April.
In last week's message, we talked about the importance of prayer. Just as with giving alms, we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves in prayer. We pray to be heard by the Lord not to receive the praise of people.
Just continuing a little on the subject of prayer from last week, I'd like to encourage everyone to pray the Lord's Prayer three times each day. I talked about this last week, and I hope that some are putting this into practice. If not, I really encourage you to start as Holy Week is approaching.
Also, I encourage you to pray every day. Pray several times a day if you can. I know that I can't make it through the day without prayer. As I've said before, I don't know how people make it through the hardships of life without a relationship with Jesus.
During your prayer time, I would also urge you to make a practice of reading and studying the Bible. We talk to the Lord in prayer. One of the ways that the Lord speaks to us is through He written Word. I know that many times when I am in prayer about some issue in my life, the Holy Spirit will direct me to a verse that speaks about the issue that I am facing.
Well, we have looked at two important spiritual disciplines, giving alms and prayer. Now, we will take a look at the third spiritual discipline of fasting.
Fasting is not a spiritual discipline that is discussed very much these days. We here a lot about giving and prayer but not so much about fasting.
What is the purpose of fasting? First of all, fasting is often linked with prayer in the Bible. Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness. Many others in the Bible fasted and prayed as well. When we fast, we can use the time we would have used for meal preparation and eating for prayer.
Also, fasting is a means of practicing self-denial. We set aside something that is important to us in order to concentrate on the things of the Lord. When we practice self denial and self discipline in one area of our lives, it helps us to practice self denial and self discipline in other areas of our lives as well. Victory builds upon victory.
Finally, fasting is a means of helping others. One of the original purposes of practicing the discipline of fasting was to help the poor. The money that would be spent for food during the period of the fast could be used to buy food for those who don't have enough to eat. I think that this could be an interesting project for churches. Members could fast and pray for a period of time and then bring the money to the church. The church could then give it to those in the congregation with need. It would also be a good project to help benefit a homeless shelter in the area. Those who don't attend church for one reason or another could do this on their own. We should just keep our giving anonymous. It is not to gain praise of people, we do it as unto the Lord.
I don't know what your particular practice of fasting is, but if you don't currently practice fasting, I hope that you will attempt to incorporate it into your spiritual life. As we move into Holy Week, it would be a great time to start fasting.
One way to begin would be to fast one meal, or more, on Good Friday. During that time, remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation on the cross.
Just as with the other spiritual disciplines, Jesus instructed us not to do it to be seen by people.
The spiritual life is not a competition. We have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We need to do what Jesus has called us to do and not compare ourselves to others.
I've heard some people compare their spiritual accomplishments with other by saying things like, "I go to church more than he does", or " I give more to the Lord than they do." All of this is between Jesus and the individual.
Jesus spoke about this in one of His post-resurrection appearances. Jesus was speaking with Peter about whether or not Peter loved Him. Jesus told Peter about the type of death Peter would die. Peter saw John walking behind them and asked Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus replied, " If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"
We need to follow Jesus and not compare ourselves to others and judge others. We need to stop seeking the praise of people and concentrate on following the commands of Jesus and following what He has called us to do.
Following the Lord and what Jesus thinks is important and leaving behind what the world values and thinks is important will be the major theme of Jesus' teaching in the remainder of chapter 6.
Fasting usually has to do with abstaining from food and/or drink. However, fasting also has the spiritual meaning of abstaining from those things the world values that do not accomplish the will of the Lord in our lives and in the world. We will get into this more the next time that we study the Sermon on the Mount.
Next week, I am going to step away from the Sermon on the Mount for one week and concentrate on the events of Good Friday and Easter. We resume our study of the Sermon on the Mount the following week.
Next Wednesday, Lord willing, I will post another chapter of my book about Toby. I've posted seven or eight chapter already. I hope that you will read them. May the Lord bless you . Amen.
In last week's message, we talked about the importance of prayer. Just as with giving alms, we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves in prayer. We pray to be heard by the Lord not to receive the praise of people.
Just continuing a little on the subject of prayer from last week, I'd like to encourage everyone to pray the Lord's Prayer three times each day. I talked about this last week, and I hope that some are putting this into practice. If not, I really encourage you to start as Holy Week is approaching.
Also, I encourage you to pray every day. Pray several times a day if you can. I know that I can't make it through the day without prayer. As I've said before, I don't know how people make it through the hardships of life without a relationship with Jesus.
During your prayer time, I would also urge you to make a practice of reading and studying the Bible. We talk to the Lord in prayer. One of the ways that the Lord speaks to us is through He written Word. I know that many times when I am in prayer about some issue in my life, the Holy Spirit will direct me to a verse that speaks about the issue that I am facing.
Well, we have looked at two important spiritual disciplines, giving alms and prayer. Now, we will take a look at the third spiritual discipline of fasting.
Fasting is not a spiritual discipline that is discussed very much these days. We here a lot about giving and prayer but not so much about fasting.
What is the purpose of fasting? First of all, fasting is often linked with prayer in the Bible. Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness. Many others in the Bible fasted and prayed as well. When we fast, we can use the time we would have used for meal preparation and eating for prayer.
Also, fasting is a means of practicing self-denial. We set aside something that is important to us in order to concentrate on the things of the Lord. When we practice self denial and self discipline in one area of our lives, it helps us to practice self denial and self discipline in other areas of our lives as well. Victory builds upon victory.
Finally, fasting is a means of helping others. One of the original purposes of practicing the discipline of fasting was to help the poor. The money that would be spent for food during the period of the fast could be used to buy food for those who don't have enough to eat. I think that this could be an interesting project for churches. Members could fast and pray for a period of time and then bring the money to the church. The church could then give it to those in the congregation with need. It would also be a good project to help benefit a homeless shelter in the area. Those who don't attend church for one reason or another could do this on their own. We should just keep our giving anonymous. It is not to gain praise of people, we do it as unto the Lord.
I don't know what your particular practice of fasting is, but if you don't currently practice fasting, I hope that you will attempt to incorporate it into your spiritual life. As we move into Holy Week, it would be a great time to start fasting.
One way to begin would be to fast one meal, or more, on Good Friday. During that time, remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation on the cross.
Just as with the other spiritual disciplines, Jesus instructed us not to do it to be seen by people.
The spiritual life is not a competition. We have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We need to do what Jesus has called us to do and not compare ourselves to others.
I've heard some people compare their spiritual accomplishments with other by saying things like, "I go to church more than he does", or " I give more to the Lord than they do." All of this is between Jesus and the individual.
Jesus spoke about this in one of His post-resurrection appearances. Jesus was speaking with Peter about whether or not Peter loved Him. Jesus told Peter about the type of death Peter would die. Peter saw John walking behind them and asked Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus replied, " If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"
We need to follow Jesus and not compare ourselves to others and judge others. We need to stop seeking the praise of people and concentrate on following the commands of Jesus and following what He has called us to do.
Following the Lord and what Jesus thinks is important and leaving behind what the world values and thinks is important will be the major theme of Jesus' teaching in the remainder of chapter 6.
Fasting usually has to do with abstaining from food and/or drink. However, fasting also has the spiritual meaning of abstaining from those things the world values that do not accomplish the will of the Lord in our lives and in the world. We will get into this more the next time that we study the Sermon on the Mount.
Next week, I am going to step away from the Sermon on the Mount for one week and concentrate on the events of Good Friday and Easter. We resume our study of the Sermon on the Mount the following week.
Next Wednesday, Lord willing, I will post another chapter of my book about Toby. I've posted seven or eight chapter already. I hope that you will read them. May the Lord bless you . Amen.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Update
We are supposed to have snow and freezing drizzle today, tonight and tomorrow. I may not be able to get out to the library tomorrow to post the sermon. I will try. If you don't see a sermon posted this weekend, you know what happened.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Toby Book
This is a continuation of the chapter from last week. I am posting it in parts.
We got up early the next morning and headed west. We decided to make a quick stop in Mitchell to visit their number one attraction, the Corn Palace. We didn't stay too long because we wanted to make it to Rapid City by the evening.
The Corn Palace is a really interesting place. It is definitely worth a visit. The outside facade of the building is decorated in a different picture each year. All of the decoration is made of corn and some other grains. If I remember right, the building is mainly used as an auditorium.
Our next stop was Chamberlain by the Missouri River. I live near Kansas City, so I've seen the Missouri River many times. However, the river at Chamberlain is extremely wide. The water seemed to be much clearer than down by where I live. The surrounding scenery is also much more eye pleasing.
We came across a nice rest area. It was situated on top of a hill that afforded a grand view of the river and the surrounding countryside. This area had several picnic tables that were covered by steel poles in order to resemble a giant tee-pee. Toby and I walked all around through the park and had an enjoyable lunch. I was going to go farther, but Toby was getting too hot. He never could stand very much heat.
The next stop on our South Dakota excursion was the Badlands. This is a spectacular sight. One can drive through the area and see the devastating effects of erosion on the Great Plains. The area looks like a section of mini-mountains carved out of the barren landscape that surrounds it.
Toby and I got out to explore. We walked quite a way down one of the trails taking in the sights. I was worried about rattlesnakes, so I didn't want to go to far. Toby was crazy when it came to going after things. Once, there was a big black snake in the back yard by the garden. Toby went after that snake barking. Toby was in the fenced part of the yard, and the snake crawled just outside the fence. However, it started turning back towards Toby. I dispatched the snake. Black snakes aren't poisonous, I didn't want to mess with a snake that was.
When we arrived in Rapid City, we had a hard time finding a place to stay that accepted pets. We finally found a place that on the outside appeared to be a dump, but the rooms were very nice. The restaurant's buffet was great. Toby and I ate our dinner, and then we went for a long walk. We really enjoyed South Dakota.
The next morning, we decided to explore around Rapid City. We went to a place called Dinosaur Park. At this park, there are several life-size dinosaurs made from concrete. The park is up on a little hill. My Dad is so scared of heights, that he wouldn't even get out of the care. As we were coming down from the park, my Dad buried his head in his lap so he didn't have to look out the window. Toby must have thought that my Dad looked ridiculous because Toby jumped up into the front seat and kept licking my Dad's head and barking until my Dad sat back up in the seat.
Traveling through the Black Hills was fun. Toby and I stopped at one place and looked at the bison. One of the bison at the farm was friendly and let me pet him. He and Toby sniffed one another. Knowing Toby, I thought that he might decide to try to go after the bison, so I got him out of there in short order.
After more sight seeing in nature, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore. This was the one part of the trip that I did not enjoy. It was so crowded, you couldn't hardly move. Toby came with me, they allowed dogs at that time. We couldn't walk five feet without someone bothering Toby. People would reach down and try to pet him without even asking. One person poked him in the eye. Toby growled. Who can blame him? The two of us got the heck out of there. Another thing that I hated about the place is that at least twenty people must have asked me if that was the kind of dog Queen Elizabeth has. I was about ready to put a sign on Toby saying, Queen Elizabeth has a corgi like this. We went back to the car and escaped the madness. Mom and Dad came back an hour or so later and said how great a time they had. The best time that Toby and I had there was our nap time when we got back to the car.
We left South Dakota and arrived for an uneventful stay at my Grandma's house. We did go out to visit my uncle's ranch about 40 miles outside of Cheyenne. We were supposed to have a picnic at his house. All the time we were there, my uncle kept telling me about how many rattlesnakes were around the place. Toby and I wished we had stayed in town. We couldn't even enjoy our meal. I kept watching for those darn snakes. Needless to say, when everyone decided to walk around the ranch, we stayed at the house. Neither one of us cared much for the outdoors. I remember someone saying once that they were an avid indoorsman. That would describe Toby and me.
We returned from our trip through Nebraska which is about as exciting as Kansas. Toby and I never went back to visit South Dakota. I wish we would have. It is a nice place.
We got up early the next morning and headed west. We decided to make a quick stop in Mitchell to visit their number one attraction, the Corn Palace. We didn't stay too long because we wanted to make it to Rapid City by the evening.
The Corn Palace is a really interesting place. It is definitely worth a visit. The outside facade of the building is decorated in a different picture each year. All of the decoration is made of corn and some other grains. If I remember right, the building is mainly used as an auditorium.
Our next stop was Chamberlain by the Missouri River. I live near Kansas City, so I've seen the Missouri River many times. However, the river at Chamberlain is extremely wide. The water seemed to be much clearer than down by where I live. The surrounding scenery is also much more eye pleasing.
We came across a nice rest area. It was situated on top of a hill that afforded a grand view of the river and the surrounding countryside. This area had several picnic tables that were covered by steel poles in order to resemble a giant tee-pee. Toby and I walked all around through the park and had an enjoyable lunch. I was going to go farther, but Toby was getting too hot. He never could stand very much heat.
The next stop on our South Dakota excursion was the Badlands. This is a spectacular sight. One can drive through the area and see the devastating effects of erosion on the Great Plains. The area looks like a section of mini-mountains carved out of the barren landscape that surrounds it.
Toby and I got out to explore. We walked quite a way down one of the trails taking in the sights. I was worried about rattlesnakes, so I didn't want to go to far. Toby was crazy when it came to going after things. Once, there was a big black snake in the back yard by the garden. Toby went after that snake barking. Toby was in the fenced part of the yard, and the snake crawled just outside the fence. However, it started turning back towards Toby. I dispatched the snake. Black snakes aren't poisonous, I didn't want to mess with a snake that was.
When we arrived in Rapid City, we had a hard time finding a place to stay that accepted pets. We finally found a place that on the outside appeared to be a dump, but the rooms were very nice. The restaurant's buffet was great. Toby and I ate our dinner, and then we went for a long walk. We really enjoyed South Dakota.
The next morning, we decided to explore around Rapid City. We went to a place called Dinosaur Park. At this park, there are several life-size dinosaurs made from concrete. The park is up on a little hill. My Dad is so scared of heights, that he wouldn't even get out of the care. As we were coming down from the park, my Dad buried his head in his lap so he didn't have to look out the window. Toby must have thought that my Dad looked ridiculous because Toby jumped up into the front seat and kept licking my Dad's head and barking until my Dad sat back up in the seat.
Traveling through the Black Hills was fun. Toby and I stopped at one place and looked at the bison. One of the bison at the farm was friendly and let me pet him. He and Toby sniffed one another. Knowing Toby, I thought that he might decide to try to go after the bison, so I got him out of there in short order.
After more sight seeing in nature, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore. This was the one part of the trip that I did not enjoy. It was so crowded, you couldn't hardly move. Toby came with me, they allowed dogs at that time. We couldn't walk five feet without someone bothering Toby. People would reach down and try to pet him without even asking. One person poked him in the eye. Toby growled. Who can blame him? The two of us got the heck out of there. Another thing that I hated about the place is that at least twenty people must have asked me if that was the kind of dog Queen Elizabeth has. I was about ready to put a sign on Toby saying, Queen Elizabeth has a corgi like this. We went back to the car and escaped the madness. Mom and Dad came back an hour or so later and said how great a time they had. The best time that Toby and I had there was our nap time when we got back to the car.
We left South Dakota and arrived for an uneventful stay at my Grandma's house. We did go out to visit my uncle's ranch about 40 miles outside of Cheyenne. We were supposed to have a picnic at his house. All the time we were there, my uncle kept telling me about how many rattlesnakes were around the place. Toby and I wished we had stayed in town. We couldn't even enjoy our meal. I kept watching for those darn snakes. Needless to say, when everyone decided to walk around the ranch, we stayed at the house. Neither one of us cared much for the outdoors. I remember someone saying once that they were an avid indoorsman. That would describe Toby and me.
We returned from our trip through Nebraska which is about as exciting as Kansas. Toby and I never went back to visit South Dakota. I wish we would have. It is a nice place.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Weekend Sermon--Sermon on the Mount--Matthew 6:5-15
It is time once again for the weekend sermon. I hope that everyone had a good week. This was an exciting week in the Christian religion. I am not a Catholic, but I thought that the election of Pope Francis was extremely interesting.
The bird landing on the Sistine Chapel chimney was cool, especially since St. Francis is associated with birds, and the new pope chose the name Frances in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis is one of my heroes by the way.
The experts had it all wrong about who the new pope would be. No one I listened to even mentioned Cardinal Bergoglio as a possibility. I can just hear my Dad if was here. He always thought that it was funny when the so called experts never got anything right. My Dad would be laughing at these experts now.
Last week, we began Matthew chapter 6 in our study of the Sermon on the Mount. I explained that this chapter deals with the matter of hypocrisy. I also mentioned that giving alms, prayer and fasting were three important spiritual disciplines. We then went on to look at the importance of giving alms and making sure that we didn't draw attention to ourselves in our giving. We are to be seen and rewarded by God and not by people.
In today's sermon, we concentrate on Jesus' teaching on prayer. I did a series of sermons on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago. I invite you to read these for more detail. In that series, I went over the Lord's Prayer as a pattern for prayer. I am not going to do that today.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:5, " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they many be seen of men. Verily, Verily I say unto you, they have their reward."
Once again, Jesus warns His followers about practicing their deeds of righteousness to be seen by people. This reminds me of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee prayed out loud an elaborate prayer. The publican wouldn't even lift his eyes to Heaven. He simply said, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
What is the application of this passage for us today? One thing this passage reminds me of is some of the elaborate read prayers I've heard in some churches. The person praying was using big words and speaking in a stilted way. It's as if he wasn't talking to the Lord, it is just part of the Sunday morning performance. We should never pray in public to impress people.
Prayer is simply talking to God. We don't have to have a formula or some type of elaborate speech. We should just talk to the Lord and tell Him about our needs and our hurts. We should intercede for others asking the Lord's help for our families, our friends, our nation and the world.
What did Jesus mean in verse 6 about going to the closet to pray? I believe that most of our prayer should be in private. We don't need to tell people what we are praying about all the time. This is between the individual and the Lord. This teaching of Jesus does not mean that all public prayer is wrong. Jesus Himself prayed in public. One example of this is in John 11 when Jesus prayed to the Father before calling Lazarus our of the grave. Jesus also gave thanks and blessed the bread before it was distributed when He feed the multitudes.
There are many other public prayers in the Bible. Daniel prayed in his window facing Jerusalem. Daniel is listed as one of the three most righteous people in the Old Testament. The apostles and the 120 in the Upper Room prayed together before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Praying in public isn't wrong if the attitude of the heart is right and we are not trying to show off.
Jesus gave us a prayer to pray. I believe that we should pray this prayer every day. The ancient Christian writing called the Didache instructed believers to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day. I think that this is a good practice.
Also, we need to be people of prayer. I couldn't make it through the day without talking to Jesus. Sometimes, I don't understand why he doesn't answer my prayers in the way that I want them answered. But, I know that He is always with me, and He hears me. He care about me, and He wants me to tell Him about my concerns. He wants to hear my praise for Him in my prayers, and He wants to hear me give thanks for all that He has done.
I Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares upon the Lord because he cares for us. One Scripture that I think is great is in Revelation 5:8 that says that our prayers are like incense in the throne room of God.
Finally, what are we to make of verses 14 and 15? Will we not be forgiven if we don't forgive? I believe that this is what Jesus meant. He talked about his in His story about the two debtors.
As believers, the Lord has forgiven us of our great debt of sin that we could never repay. Jesus paid it all. If we truly realize this, how can we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us. Our attitude of forgiveness demonstrates the reality of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus shed His blood and rose again that whosoever calls upon Him in repentance and faith might be saved. If you are reading this and you have never repented of your sins and invited Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior, I pray that you will turn to Jesus today.
Next week, Lord willing, we will deal with the issue of fasting. On Wednesday, I will post another chapter of my book about Toby. Two nights ago, I had a dream that the two of us were together again. It was a nice dream. May God bless you. Amen.
The bird landing on the Sistine Chapel chimney was cool, especially since St. Francis is associated with birds, and the new pope chose the name Frances in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis is one of my heroes by the way.
The experts had it all wrong about who the new pope would be. No one I listened to even mentioned Cardinal Bergoglio as a possibility. I can just hear my Dad if was here. He always thought that it was funny when the so called experts never got anything right. My Dad would be laughing at these experts now.
Last week, we began Matthew chapter 6 in our study of the Sermon on the Mount. I explained that this chapter deals with the matter of hypocrisy. I also mentioned that giving alms, prayer and fasting were three important spiritual disciplines. We then went on to look at the importance of giving alms and making sure that we didn't draw attention to ourselves in our giving. We are to be seen and rewarded by God and not by people.
In today's sermon, we concentrate on Jesus' teaching on prayer. I did a series of sermons on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago. I invite you to read these for more detail. In that series, I went over the Lord's Prayer as a pattern for prayer. I am not going to do that today.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:5, " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they many be seen of men. Verily, Verily I say unto you, they have their reward."
Once again, Jesus warns His followers about practicing their deeds of righteousness to be seen by people. This reminds me of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee prayed out loud an elaborate prayer. The publican wouldn't even lift his eyes to Heaven. He simply said, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
What is the application of this passage for us today? One thing this passage reminds me of is some of the elaborate read prayers I've heard in some churches. The person praying was using big words and speaking in a stilted way. It's as if he wasn't talking to the Lord, it is just part of the Sunday morning performance. We should never pray in public to impress people.
Prayer is simply talking to God. We don't have to have a formula or some type of elaborate speech. We should just talk to the Lord and tell Him about our needs and our hurts. We should intercede for others asking the Lord's help for our families, our friends, our nation and the world.
What did Jesus mean in verse 6 about going to the closet to pray? I believe that most of our prayer should be in private. We don't need to tell people what we are praying about all the time. This is between the individual and the Lord. This teaching of Jesus does not mean that all public prayer is wrong. Jesus Himself prayed in public. One example of this is in John 11 when Jesus prayed to the Father before calling Lazarus our of the grave. Jesus also gave thanks and blessed the bread before it was distributed when He feed the multitudes.
There are many other public prayers in the Bible. Daniel prayed in his window facing Jerusalem. Daniel is listed as one of the three most righteous people in the Old Testament. The apostles and the 120 in the Upper Room prayed together before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Praying in public isn't wrong if the attitude of the heart is right and we are not trying to show off.
Jesus gave us a prayer to pray. I believe that we should pray this prayer every day. The ancient Christian writing called the Didache instructed believers to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day. I think that this is a good practice.
Also, we need to be people of prayer. I couldn't make it through the day without talking to Jesus. Sometimes, I don't understand why he doesn't answer my prayers in the way that I want them answered. But, I know that He is always with me, and He hears me. He care about me, and He wants me to tell Him about my concerns. He wants to hear my praise for Him in my prayers, and He wants to hear me give thanks for all that He has done.
I Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares upon the Lord because he cares for us. One Scripture that I think is great is in Revelation 5:8 that says that our prayers are like incense in the throne room of God.
Finally, what are we to make of verses 14 and 15? Will we not be forgiven if we don't forgive? I believe that this is what Jesus meant. He talked about his in His story about the two debtors.
As believers, the Lord has forgiven us of our great debt of sin that we could never repay. Jesus paid it all. If we truly realize this, how can we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us. Our attitude of forgiveness demonstrates the reality of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus shed His blood and rose again that whosoever calls upon Him in repentance and faith might be saved. If you are reading this and you have never repented of your sins and invited Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior, I pray that you will turn to Jesus today.
Next week, Lord willing, we will deal with the issue of fasting. On Wednesday, I will post another chapter of my book about Toby. Two nights ago, I had a dream that the two of us were together again. It was a nice dream. May God bless you. Amen.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Toby Book
Here is the next chapter. This is a long chapter, so I am splitting it up into several parts.
Chapter 7
I begin this chapter by stating flat out that I haven't been to too many places. I am not well traveled. I remember students in school telling about where they went on summer vacation. Some of them went overseas to exotic places. My family stayed pretty much in our area.
I have never traveled very far outside of the Midwest. To the north, I have gone as far as South Dakota and Minnesota. I've been as far south as Arkansas. Westward, I've gone to the Rocky Mountains, and to the east I've been to Illinois. There you have it.
What's nice about these travels is that everywhere I went, Toby always came too. After a short time in our home, it soon became apparent that Toby was the type of dog who really attached himself to the family. He would have been totally heartbroken if I had left him in a kennel while I was off enjoying a good time.
Besides Toby's attachment to me, I also took his special needs into consideration. Toby needed special food in order to keep his digestive system working properly, and the little guy had pills that he needed to take on a daily basis. If he wasn't along on the trip, no matter how good the boarding facility, I wouldn't have been able to have any fun for fear that Toby wasn't receiving the proper care.
For these reasons, if was decided that at all times Toby would accompany me on all vacations and trips. As you will see, having him along made the trips much more fun and memorable.
The first trip came along when we took a trip to the Ozarks. We went down there quite a bit and stayed in Springfield, Missouri. There was a nice hotel there that offered a golf course, tennis and three swimming pools.
I was very pleased with the way Toby behaved on this initial trip. He didn't make any fuss in the car. We just drove down there peacefully and in comfort. This place didn't care if Toby was with me on the golf course as long as he didn't get on the greens. He followed me around while I played. I embarrassed myself greatly as I always do on the golf course. I think I caught Toby laughing at me on more than one occasion. It's probably a good thing I can't play golf anymore. The last time I played about ten years ago, I hooked the ball so bad it went over the safety netting by the course edge and landed in the practice putting area. I just missed hitting a man in the head.
At restaurants, I stayed with him out in the car and just ate out there. On warm days, we would go sit under a shade tree and have a picnic. I never left Toby alone in the car. Even with the windows cracked, a car will heat up tremendously. For a time, I also feared he would be stolen. At one time, there was a high incidence of pet theft where I live. Since that time, I've always been afraid to leave any animal unattended for too long. By the way, a person has to be really sick to steal someone's pet.
Most of my Mom's family lived in the state of Wyoming, so when my Grandmother was still living, we went out there almost every summer. The first trip out west with Toby was fun.
Instead of driving straight through the barren Kansas Plains to Cheyenne, we decided to take a circuitous route and visit the Black Hills and other sites in South Dakota. Our first stop was in Sioux Falls.
When we arrived, everyone was worn out from driving. We didn't plan to do much in town, but I discovered the USS South Dakota monument listed in a travel brochure at the hotel. All of us went out to see it.
This monument consists of a concrete outline of the battleship which is built to the ship's exact dimensions. An interesting museum and gift shop are located in the middle about where the ship's bridge would be. Toby and I walked around there for a long time.
Chapter 7
I begin this chapter by stating flat out that I haven't been to too many places. I am not well traveled. I remember students in school telling about where they went on summer vacation. Some of them went overseas to exotic places. My family stayed pretty much in our area.
I have never traveled very far outside of the Midwest. To the north, I have gone as far as South Dakota and Minnesota. I've been as far south as Arkansas. Westward, I've gone to the Rocky Mountains, and to the east I've been to Illinois. There you have it.
What's nice about these travels is that everywhere I went, Toby always came too. After a short time in our home, it soon became apparent that Toby was the type of dog who really attached himself to the family. He would have been totally heartbroken if I had left him in a kennel while I was off enjoying a good time.
Besides Toby's attachment to me, I also took his special needs into consideration. Toby needed special food in order to keep his digestive system working properly, and the little guy had pills that he needed to take on a daily basis. If he wasn't along on the trip, no matter how good the boarding facility, I wouldn't have been able to have any fun for fear that Toby wasn't receiving the proper care.
For these reasons, if was decided that at all times Toby would accompany me on all vacations and trips. As you will see, having him along made the trips much more fun and memorable.
The first trip came along when we took a trip to the Ozarks. We went down there quite a bit and stayed in Springfield, Missouri. There was a nice hotel there that offered a golf course, tennis and three swimming pools.
I was very pleased with the way Toby behaved on this initial trip. He didn't make any fuss in the car. We just drove down there peacefully and in comfort. This place didn't care if Toby was with me on the golf course as long as he didn't get on the greens. He followed me around while I played. I embarrassed myself greatly as I always do on the golf course. I think I caught Toby laughing at me on more than one occasion. It's probably a good thing I can't play golf anymore. The last time I played about ten years ago, I hooked the ball so bad it went over the safety netting by the course edge and landed in the practice putting area. I just missed hitting a man in the head.
At restaurants, I stayed with him out in the car and just ate out there. On warm days, we would go sit under a shade tree and have a picnic. I never left Toby alone in the car. Even with the windows cracked, a car will heat up tremendously. For a time, I also feared he would be stolen. At one time, there was a high incidence of pet theft where I live. Since that time, I've always been afraid to leave any animal unattended for too long. By the way, a person has to be really sick to steal someone's pet.
Most of my Mom's family lived in the state of Wyoming, so when my Grandmother was still living, we went out there almost every summer. The first trip out west with Toby was fun.
Instead of driving straight through the barren Kansas Plains to Cheyenne, we decided to take a circuitous route and visit the Black Hills and other sites in South Dakota. Our first stop was in Sioux Falls.
When we arrived, everyone was worn out from driving. We didn't plan to do much in town, but I discovered the USS South Dakota monument listed in a travel brochure at the hotel. All of us went out to see it.
This monument consists of a concrete outline of the battleship which is built to the ship's exact dimensions. An interesting museum and gift shop are located in the middle about where the ship's bridge would be. Toby and I walked around there for a long time.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Weekend Sermon--Sermon on the Mount--Matthew 6:1-4
It's good to be back again this week for another sermon. I hope that everyone had a good week. Just as I was starting to lose all faith in humanity, something happened this week that gave me a flicker of hope. I was parked outside the library on Sunday when someone struck my car. When I came out of the building, I found a note on my car. The woman who hit my car apologized and gave me all of her insurance information. When the insurance adjuster came on Wednesday, he said that I'd met one of the few honest people. He said that 90% of the time that people did not leave a note. I thank this honest person. May God bless her.
Last week's message was a little controversial. I trust that I explained my understanding of Jesus' teaching in such a way that everyone had a firm grasp of why I interpreted Jesus' teaching the way that I did.
I believe that it is important for Christians to be people of peace and peacemakers in this world. One thing that we can all do is pray each day for peace in this world. The world is filled with war and violence. Let us pray for peace, and work for peace with justice.
I know that the only true peace among nations will come when Jesus comes again. At that time, He will rule and reign in righteousness. All will be at peace and all war will cease.
The only way that people can know true peace in their lives is through a personal relationship with Jesus. He brings forgiveness and freedom from sin and guilt. He brings peace to the troubled soul.
Starting today, we move into Matthew chapter 6. This begins an entirely different aspect of Jesus' teaching. Verses 1 through 14 in the chapter deal with Jesus' teaching about hypocrisy and His teaching concerning alms, prayer and fasting.
In this section, Jesus begins by saying in verse 1, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them: otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven." This idea carries out through much of chapter 6. As followers of Jesus, we are not to do what is good in order to receive the praise of other people. We are not to act in such a way as to draw attention to ourselves so that others may see and say, "Look what a wonderful and spiritual person that is." Jesus speaks about practicing what is good to be seen by God. We should seek the approval of God and not people.
Before I go on to talk about this in the context of giving alms, let's focus for a moment on the three classifications of righteous acts that Jesus mentions. If Jesus focused so much attention on these three specific acts, we should pay special attention.
The acts of giving alms, prayer and fasting should be practiced by all committed followers of Jesus Christ. Almost everyone I know prays on a regular basis. This aspect of the Christian life is the focus of much teaching. Fasting has been less emphasized in many Christian circles. However, it is mentioned throughout the Bible as an important spiritual discipline. Giving alms to those in need is another element of the Christian life that needs more attention.
Today, we will focus on giving alms to those in need. There can be little doubt that there is much need in this world. Millions in this world live on less than one dollar a day. Millions of children do not have enough to eat. Here, in my country, over 15% of the people are below the poverty level. There are large numbers of homeless people, including children.
Christians should give to those in need. Jesus speaks as if it is a settled point that His followers will be people who give to help others in need.
I've said this before, but I say it again. I believe that every church should have some type of ministry set up for those in need. People are hurting and need more help.
The important point about giving is that we don't draw attention to ourselves. We are to give and do our charitable acts with as much anonymity as possible. It's not possible to remain anonymous many times, but we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves for our charitable acts.
For instance, many philanthropic people accept awards of have things named in their honor. Others require that a building be named for them as condition of a gift. According to Jesus, this should not be. When we receive the accolades of people, we won't receive them from the Lord. If we give in secret, the Lord will reward us abundantly in the life to come.
I'll give another example of what I think Jesus had in mind. When I was a boy in church, our church took pledges for the budget once a year. Instead of writing your pledge on a card and turning it in, the people were supposed to stand and state in public how much they would give to the church in the upcoming year. I don't think that Jesus would approve of this type of thing.
I hope that everyone can find some way to give to those in need. It might not be monetarily. You might be able to give your time to help people who could really use a friend.
Whatever we do to help others, we should do and give our best because we are doing it as unto the Lord.
Next week, I will just focus briefly on prayer. I went through a series of messages on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago, so I invite you to review these messages if you would like. On Wednesday, I will post another chapter of the book about Toby. Amen.
Last week's message was a little controversial. I trust that I explained my understanding of Jesus' teaching in such a way that everyone had a firm grasp of why I interpreted Jesus' teaching the way that I did.
I believe that it is important for Christians to be people of peace and peacemakers in this world. One thing that we can all do is pray each day for peace in this world. The world is filled with war and violence. Let us pray for peace, and work for peace with justice.
I know that the only true peace among nations will come when Jesus comes again. At that time, He will rule and reign in righteousness. All will be at peace and all war will cease.
The only way that people can know true peace in their lives is through a personal relationship with Jesus. He brings forgiveness and freedom from sin and guilt. He brings peace to the troubled soul.
Starting today, we move into Matthew chapter 6. This begins an entirely different aspect of Jesus' teaching. Verses 1 through 14 in the chapter deal with Jesus' teaching about hypocrisy and His teaching concerning alms, prayer and fasting.
In this section, Jesus begins by saying in verse 1, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them: otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven." This idea carries out through much of chapter 6. As followers of Jesus, we are not to do what is good in order to receive the praise of other people. We are not to act in such a way as to draw attention to ourselves so that others may see and say, "Look what a wonderful and spiritual person that is." Jesus speaks about practicing what is good to be seen by God. We should seek the approval of God and not people.
Before I go on to talk about this in the context of giving alms, let's focus for a moment on the three classifications of righteous acts that Jesus mentions. If Jesus focused so much attention on these three specific acts, we should pay special attention.
The acts of giving alms, prayer and fasting should be practiced by all committed followers of Jesus Christ. Almost everyone I know prays on a regular basis. This aspect of the Christian life is the focus of much teaching. Fasting has been less emphasized in many Christian circles. However, it is mentioned throughout the Bible as an important spiritual discipline. Giving alms to those in need is another element of the Christian life that needs more attention.
Today, we will focus on giving alms to those in need. There can be little doubt that there is much need in this world. Millions in this world live on less than one dollar a day. Millions of children do not have enough to eat. Here, in my country, over 15% of the people are below the poverty level. There are large numbers of homeless people, including children.
Christians should give to those in need. Jesus speaks as if it is a settled point that His followers will be people who give to help others in need.
I've said this before, but I say it again. I believe that every church should have some type of ministry set up for those in need. People are hurting and need more help.
The important point about giving is that we don't draw attention to ourselves. We are to give and do our charitable acts with as much anonymity as possible. It's not possible to remain anonymous many times, but we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves for our charitable acts.
For instance, many philanthropic people accept awards of have things named in their honor. Others require that a building be named for them as condition of a gift. According to Jesus, this should not be. When we receive the accolades of people, we won't receive them from the Lord. If we give in secret, the Lord will reward us abundantly in the life to come.
I'll give another example of what I think Jesus had in mind. When I was a boy in church, our church took pledges for the budget once a year. Instead of writing your pledge on a card and turning it in, the people were supposed to stand and state in public how much they would give to the church in the upcoming year. I don't think that Jesus would approve of this type of thing.
I hope that everyone can find some way to give to those in need. It might not be monetarily. You might be able to give your time to help people who could really use a friend.
Whatever we do to help others, we should do and give our best because we are doing it as unto the Lord.
Next week, I will just focus briefly on prayer. I went through a series of messages on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago, so I invite you to review these messages if you would like. On Wednesday, I will post another chapter of the book about Toby. Amen.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Toby Book
Here is the next chapter in my book about Toby. I hope that you enjoy it.
Chapter 7
If you know anything about Welsh Corgis, you are already aware that they were originally bred by the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Wales to nip at the heels of cattle and sheep as they were being driven to market or from one field to another. Because of this inbred ability, many corgis have retained the herding instinct to this present day. Some corgis even win various herding titles awarded by the American Kennel Club and other organizations.
Toby definitely had the ancient blood of his corgi ancestors running through his veins . He had a strong desire to herd. Mostly, he wanted to herd me. I always told everyone that he must have thought that I looked like a sheep.
Toby wasn't a traditional herder. He never tried to nip at my heels. His method of pointing me in the proper direction was to grab hold of my pant or pajama leg then pull and let go. Sometimes, he would just grab and release.
One never knew when the old herding instinct would kick in. At anytime, anyone in the family, but mostly me, could be mistaken for a white, woolly creature.
What was really funny is when Toby would herd me places my parents wanted me to go. For instance, if I was in my room and my Mom called that dinner was ready, Toby would make sure that I made it to the dinner table quickly. I think that he was just as excited about dinner as I was because he might get some left over goody.
Toby also liked to evoke his herding talents when the phone rang, and I was at the opposite end of the house. When the phone rang, I'd head for the phone with Toby nipping my pant leg in an effort to speed my arrival. It actually slowed me down. He didn't know that, or at least he didn't care. He wanted some excitement out of even the most mundane and trivial event.
Toby also loved to herd the vacuum cleaner. Whenever I got out the vacuum, Toby would wait until it started and then he would bounce over and bite at the end of it as I made it go back and forth across the carpet. He would hop at it, dart away then return for another quick bite. This made vacuuming quite difficulty, but it was also a lot of fun.
While not necessarily a herding behavior, Toby also exhibiting the behavior of grabbing my pant leg and trying to pull me back inside the door when I was going out. He didn't want me to leave. The only reason that I could come up with for this behavior was that it was part of the herding instinct to keep his charge from straying.
One other crazy herding type behavior Toby possessed manifested whenever I would bring the groceries in from the car. I would try to bring in the groceries, and Toby was just crazy barking and herding me along. He would jump up and try to get the grocery bags out of my hand. Once he succeeded. He got hold of the bag and ripped that sucker wide open. The bread fell out, and Toby grabbed the bread and went running with it through the house. Before I could get the bread, Toby shook and shook the package sending slices of bread flying throughout the living room. I don't know what got into him. My bringing in the groceries was a really big deal to him for some reason. He wanted to know what was in those sacks.
Another cute action of Toby's was his desire to follow me everywhere I went and never let me out of his sight. My Mom always said that Toby wasn't happy if I wasn't at home for him to keep his eye on me. We had a really close relationship. In some ways, we were like brothers, and we both missed each other on the very few occasions when we were apart.
If I was on the couch watching TV, Toby would always be right next to me. If I got up, even for just a minute, he came along.
He always had to be by me. If I was working in my office or sitting at the kitchen table, he would be there. When I started working from home all day, Toby stayed in the office for hours. When he was old, he slept so soundly that sometimes he wouldn't notice when I left for some other part of the house. I didn't want to wake him up, so I just let him sleep. It wouldn't be long before he'd be up looking for me.
As Toby grew older, He also made it known that he wasn't very happy if anyone else got too close to me. If anyone, including my parents, tried to approach me, Toby would growl until I told him that it was OK. I was under his complete protection. I just want to state that Toby wasn't mean. He never hurt anyone. He just always looked out for me. I always felt safe when he was with me.
These incidents point to the fact that Toby was a fine herder with good instincts. More importantly, it is another demonstration of the fun and good times we had together and the love we shared.
Chapter 7
If you know anything about Welsh Corgis, you are already aware that they were originally bred by the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Wales to nip at the heels of cattle and sheep as they were being driven to market or from one field to another. Because of this inbred ability, many corgis have retained the herding instinct to this present day. Some corgis even win various herding titles awarded by the American Kennel Club and other organizations.
Toby definitely had the ancient blood of his corgi ancestors running through his veins . He had a strong desire to herd. Mostly, he wanted to herd me. I always told everyone that he must have thought that I looked like a sheep.
Toby wasn't a traditional herder. He never tried to nip at my heels. His method of pointing me in the proper direction was to grab hold of my pant or pajama leg then pull and let go. Sometimes, he would just grab and release.
One never knew when the old herding instinct would kick in. At anytime, anyone in the family, but mostly me, could be mistaken for a white, woolly creature.
What was really funny is when Toby would herd me places my parents wanted me to go. For instance, if I was in my room and my Mom called that dinner was ready, Toby would make sure that I made it to the dinner table quickly. I think that he was just as excited about dinner as I was because he might get some left over goody.
Toby also liked to evoke his herding talents when the phone rang, and I was at the opposite end of the house. When the phone rang, I'd head for the phone with Toby nipping my pant leg in an effort to speed my arrival. It actually slowed me down. He didn't know that, or at least he didn't care. He wanted some excitement out of even the most mundane and trivial event.
Toby also loved to herd the vacuum cleaner. Whenever I got out the vacuum, Toby would wait until it started and then he would bounce over and bite at the end of it as I made it go back and forth across the carpet. He would hop at it, dart away then return for another quick bite. This made vacuuming quite difficulty, but it was also a lot of fun.
While not necessarily a herding behavior, Toby also exhibiting the behavior of grabbing my pant leg and trying to pull me back inside the door when I was going out. He didn't want me to leave. The only reason that I could come up with for this behavior was that it was part of the herding instinct to keep his charge from straying.
One other crazy herding type behavior Toby possessed manifested whenever I would bring the groceries in from the car. I would try to bring in the groceries, and Toby was just crazy barking and herding me along. He would jump up and try to get the grocery bags out of my hand. Once he succeeded. He got hold of the bag and ripped that sucker wide open. The bread fell out, and Toby grabbed the bread and went running with it through the house. Before I could get the bread, Toby shook and shook the package sending slices of bread flying throughout the living room. I don't know what got into him. My bringing in the groceries was a really big deal to him for some reason. He wanted to know what was in those sacks.
Another cute action of Toby's was his desire to follow me everywhere I went and never let me out of his sight. My Mom always said that Toby wasn't happy if I wasn't at home for him to keep his eye on me. We had a really close relationship. In some ways, we were like brothers, and we both missed each other on the very few occasions when we were apart.
If I was on the couch watching TV, Toby would always be right next to me. If I got up, even for just a minute, he came along.
He always had to be by me. If I was working in my office or sitting at the kitchen table, he would be there. When I started working from home all day, Toby stayed in the office for hours. When he was old, he slept so soundly that sometimes he wouldn't notice when I left for some other part of the house. I didn't want to wake him up, so I just let him sleep. It wouldn't be long before he'd be up looking for me.
As Toby grew older, He also made it known that he wasn't very happy if anyone else got too close to me. If anyone, including my parents, tried to approach me, Toby would growl until I told him that it was OK. I was under his complete protection. I just want to state that Toby wasn't mean. He never hurt anyone. He just always looked out for me. I always felt safe when he was with me.
These incidents point to the fact that Toby was a fine herder with good instincts. More importantly, it is another demonstration of the fun and good times we had together and the love we shared.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Weekend Sermon--Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:38-48
I'm glad to be back to post a sermon this week. We received 10 inches of snow on Thursday, and then we received another 10 inches of snow on Tuesday. It's snowing again today, but it's only supposed to snow about an inch. I'm just happy to be able to get out of the house.
The last time that we studied the Sermon on the Mount, I wrote about Jesus' teachings concerning oaths and swearing. I believe that the most important thing that we can take away from this section of the Sermon on the Mount is that those who are followers of Jesus should be people of their word. Christians should be the most honest and trustworthy people that there are. We are representatives of Jesus. We don't want to act in any way that will possibly bring dishonor to the name of Jesus.
Today, we will finish the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. After today, we will have Matthew chapters 6 and 7 left to cover.
In verses 38 and 39, Jesus is once again changing what the law previously said. We saw previously that this was Jesus' prerogative because He was God come in human flesh.
In the Old Testament, the law dictated an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The punishment was supposed to fit the crime. Jesus turns this law on its head. Jesus says, "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right check, turn to him the other also." Jesus will go on to say that if someone steals our coat, we should give them our cloak as well. If we are compelled to go one mile, we should go two miles.
I said last time that this section is controversial. I am going to say what I believe Jesus is teaching. I have no intention of deliberately offending anyone. You have the right to disagree.
First of all, I believe that Jesus is revoking the death penalty in this teaching. When Jesus changes an eye for an eye, I believe that this is what He had in mind since that statement in the Old Testament deals with punishment for offenses. If someone is alive, they have the opportunity to repent of their sins and come to a knowledge of Jesus. They can turn and follow the ways of the Lord.
I also believe that Jesus is teaching that as believers we are not to retaliate when we are persecuted or when someone is seeking to do us personal harm. I don not believe that Jesus is teaching an entire pacifist ethic here. If someone is attempting to do evil to us as a believer, I believe that we are not to retaliate. However, I believe that we have an obligation to intercede to stop criminal actions taking place against others.
As a Christian, I know that if someone takes my life, I will be in Heaven with Jesus. I should not resist evil done to me. If I saw someone trying to harm someone else, I would intervene with the force necessary to stop the aggression.
Some who believe in total pacifism will disagree with me on this point. I have respect for your position.
Now, how should we interpret this on a broader level. Many who believe in complete pacifism do not believe that any war is a just war, and they will not participate in any military action. I believe that a Christian should not support his nation militarily in any war of aggression. This is one reason I don't understand how a Christian can make a career out of being in the military. Even my country has been involved in non-defensive wars. A war of aggression has no Scriptural defense in the light of the teachings of Jesus. If you are a Christian in the military, you may be called on by the government to participate in a war that is not purely defensive. Some wars are purely defensive.
World War II was a war where the Allied nations came together to stop a great force of evil in the world that sought to exterminate millions of people. The Nazi evil had to be stopped.
On the other hand, throughout history, many nations that were supposed Christian nations have engaged in wars of pure conquest. There is no justification for a believer in Jesus Christ to be involved in this.
Any war, even for defensive purposes, should be a last resort. Every peaceful means must be exhausted before engaging in any military action.
In my lifetime, my country was engaged in the Iraq War. I opposed this war, and was heavily criticized by people in my church. Before this war was fought, I do not believe that every peaceful means was employed to avoid this conflict. It troubled me greatly that so many Christian people and denominations supported this war.
Jesus tells us what the believer's response is to be to his enemies. We are to do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. This is what Jesus did on the cross when He prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
As believers, we are to pray for our enemies that they might experience the love and life changing power of Jesus. We are to do good even to those who hate us. We are to be the people that go about doing as much good as we possibly can in life and try to leave this world a little better than we found it.
On a national level, if supposed Christian nations would help make the world a better place instead of spending billions of dollars on weapons and warfare, we could turn many enemies into friends. As long as the rich nations of the world participate in the exploitation of the world's poor by corporate interests, the rich nations of the world will always have enemies.
Jesus calls us to love everyone. That is hard to do. With the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can do it.
There are two issue I would like to address in keeping with Jesus' teaching in this area.
In the United States, there is a big debate right now over the issue of gun control. Where would Jesus stand on this issue? Jesus commanded us to put away the sword. Limiting access to weapons seems to me to be in keeping with the teachings of Jesus.
Also, our civilization is filled with violence. We see it in games, movies and other forms of entertainment. As believers, why don't we disengage from these types of violent themes and think on what is good, pure and lovely.
In everything we do as believers we need to ask the questions what would Jesus do and how would Jesus respond?
Jesus is our example in every area of life. We are to follow Him completely. If we cannot picture Jesus being engaged in an activity, then we as His followers should not be engaged in it.
Jesus was a peacemaker and a man of love. This is the example that we are to follow.
There is much more that I could say on these matters, but I will leave it for another time. You may disagree with what I said, but I don't believe that you can disagree with the fact that Jesus is our example. If we look to Him and follow Him completely, we cannot and will not fall into error.
Next week, we will move on to Matthew chapter 6. Remember to read my book about Toby on Wednesdays if you are interested. May God bless you . Amen.
I'm glad to be back to post a sermon this week. We received 10 inches of snow on Thursday, and then we received another 10 inches of snow on Tuesday. It's snowing again today, but it's only supposed to snow about an inch. I'm just happy to be able to get out of the house.
The last time that we studied the Sermon on the Mount, I wrote about Jesus' teachings concerning oaths and swearing. I believe that the most important thing that we can take away from this section of the Sermon on the Mount is that those who are followers of Jesus should be people of their word. Christians should be the most honest and trustworthy people that there are. We are representatives of Jesus. We don't want to act in any way that will possibly bring dishonor to the name of Jesus.
Today, we will finish the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. After today, we will have Matthew chapters 6 and 7 left to cover.
In verses 38 and 39, Jesus is once again changing what the law previously said. We saw previously that this was Jesus' prerogative because He was God come in human flesh.
In the Old Testament, the law dictated an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The punishment was supposed to fit the crime. Jesus turns this law on its head. Jesus says, "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right check, turn to him the other also." Jesus will go on to say that if someone steals our coat, we should give them our cloak as well. If we are compelled to go one mile, we should go two miles.
I said last time that this section is controversial. I am going to say what I believe Jesus is teaching. I have no intention of deliberately offending anyone. You have the right to disagree.
First of all, I believe that Jesus is revoking the death penalty in this teaching. When Jesus changes an eye for an eye, I believe that this is what He had in mind since that statement in the Old Testament deals with punishment for offenses. If someone is alive, they have the opportunity to repent of their sins and come to a knowledge of Jesus. They can turn and follow the ways of the Lord.
I also believe that Jesus is teaching that as believers we are not to retaliate when we are persecuted or when someone is seeking to do us personal harm. I don not believe that Jesus is teaching an entire pacifist ethic here. If someone is attempting to do evil to us as a believer, I believe that we are not to retaliate. However, I believe that we have an obligation to intercede to stop criminal actions taking place against others.
As a Christian, I know that if someone takes my life, I will be in Heaven with Jesus. I should not resist evil done to me. If I saw someone trying to harm someone else, I would intervene with the force necessary to stop the aggression.
Some who believe in total pacifism will disagree with me on this point. I have respect for your position.
Now, how should we interpret this on a broader level. Many who believe in complete pacifism do not believe that any war is a just war, and they will not participate in any military action. I believe that a Christian should not support his nation militarily in any war of aggression. This is one reason I don't understand how a Christian can make a career out of being in the military. Even my country has been involved in non-defensive wars. A war of aggression has no Scriptural defense in the light of the teachings of Jesus. If you are a Christian in the military, you may be called on by the government to participate in a war that is not purely defensive. Some wars are purely defensive.
World War II was a war where the Allied nations came together to stop a great force of evil in the world that sought to exterminate millions of people. The Nazi evil had to be stopped.
On the other hand, throughout history, many nations that were supposed Christian nations have engaged in wars of pure conquest. There is no justification for a believer in Jesus Christ to be involved in this.
Any war, even for defensive purposes, should be a last resort. Every peaceful means must be exhausted before engaging in any military action.
In my lifetime, my country was engaged in the Iraq War. I opposed this war, and was heavily criticized by people in my church. Before this war was fought, I do not believe that every peaceful means was employed to avoid this conflict. It troubled me greatly that so many Christian people and denominations supported this war.
Jesus tells us what the believer's response is to be to his enemies. We are to do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. This is what Jesus did on the cross when He prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
As believers, we are to pray for our enemies that they might experience the love and life changing power of Jesus. We are to do good even to those who hate us. We are to be the people that go about doing as much good as we possibly can in life and try to leave this world a little better than we found it.
On a national level, if supposed Christian nations would help make the world a better place instead of spending billions of dollars on weapons and warfare, we could turn many enemies into friends. As long as the rich nations of the world participate in the exploitation of the world's poor by corporate interests, the rich nations of the world will always have enemies.
Jesus calls us to love everyone. That is hard to do. With the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can do it.
There are two issue I would like to address in keeping with Jesus' teaching in this area.
In the United States, there is a big debate right now over the issue of gun control. Where would Jesus stand on this issue? Jesus commanded us to put away the sword. Limiting access to weapons seems to me to be in keeping with the teachings of Jesus.
Also, our civilization is filled with violence. We see it in games, movies and other forms of entertainment. As believers, why don't we disengage from these types of violent themes and think on what is good, pure and lovely.
In everything we do as believers we need to ask the questions what would Jesus do and how would Jesus respond?
Jesus is our example in every area of life. We are to follow Him completely. If we cannot picture Jesus being engaged in an activity, then we as His followers should not be engaged in it.
Jesus was a peacemaker and a man of love. This is the example that we are to follow.
There is much more that I could say on these matters, but I will leave it for another time. You may disagree with what I said, but I don't believe that you can disagree with the fact that Jesus is our example. If we look to Him and follow Him completely, we cannot and will not fall into error.
Next week, we will move on to Matthew chapter 6. Remember to read my book about Toby on Wednesdays if you are interested. May God bless you . Amen.
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