A really good book will always leave you looking for another page, just one more please! A really good book will either take you up or take you down, there will be no middle ground. Good books will run the range of your emotions and you will be in agreement or disagreement with the story or subject and there will always be something you take away and tuck in the recesses of your mind. Sometimes you go back and read the book again after some time has passed. While the ending of most books are important there is always certain chapters, characters or subjects that stand out in your mind. The Bible is one book that should be read many times. It has sold or been given away more than any other book in the world, period. (According to Guinness World Records, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed.) This information published in 2015. My wife has read through the bible at least three times. We all know of people that follow a “through the bible in a year program” and have done it many times. Why do they do it? For some it is a commitment of faith, others it is a discipline thing. One thing is for sure no matter how many times you read it you will always find something new, something to bring you comfort in times of distress. Many things are there but the best is yet to come. Woven throughout its pages you will find the history of God’s people and the one thing that will keep you going back. Hope and the Promise of what is to come. At the end of this blog you will find a URL that will take you to a list of gospel promises.

In Revelation 22:3–5 we have this promise.There will be none of those things that make life difficult or keep us from living a Christian life. WE will see his face. The promise will come true that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). We are promised a privilege which was denied even to Moses. (Exodus 33:20). It is in Christ alone that we can see God. We are also promised that the people of God will reign forever and ever. Because we summit ourselves to Him only, we will find perfect freedom. There are many promises throughout the gospels but here in chapter 22 we find what John knows to be true. John is sure of the grace of the lord Jesus Christ having personally experienced it in his own ministry. I quote Barclay because I don’t think I could express it any better. The last chapter of the bible, the end of the book and Barclay sums it up in this way.

“Then comes the glory. Come what may, John was sure of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and equally sure that it was sufficient for all things. It is surely symbolic, and it is surely fitting, that the last word of the Bible should be GRACE.”

Revelation 22:21 (KJV)

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The book of Revelation is such that it should be read with an attitude of prayerful discernment, for it is our inheritance, promised to all who believe. I know of no book whose ending is the readers beginning. I hope you enjoy your time here in the pew and will come back often. Remember the URL below for a List of bible promises.   jk

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionary-of-bible-themes/2424-gospel-promises

References: William Barclay’s DBS

Lyrics above are from a Randy Travis song “Digging Up Bones”. Ryan Duncan had it right when he wrote this in 2014 and it fits our situation today just as well. I sometimes feel like even in the church we spend too much time digging up bones. Gossip, false actuations, un-founded rumors are always “Exhuming things that’s better left alone.” Even outside the church we see this menu of behavior in the run up to the Presidential election. Below are some people that were not without fault in their day, yet were called to do a needed task.

-Abraham -Was old.

–Elijah – Was suicidal.

-Joseph – Was abused.

-Job – Went bankrupt.

-Moses – Had a speech problem.

-Gideon – Was afraid.

-Samson – Was a womanizer.

-Rahab – Was a prostitute.

–Samaritan Woman – Divorced.

 Quite a list. Fast forward to today and let me share with you these words written by *Ryan Duncan the Culture Editor for Crosswalk.com

“We live in a world that has fallen to sin, and as a result, everyone is guilty of something. No one is perfect. Yet one of the great wonders of the Gospel is that God uses imperfect people to spread His glory. Since mankind first took their step outside Eden, God has been calling the broken, the faithless, and the poor in spirit to do great things in His name. Just read the Bible if you don’t believe me. In fact, Jesus’ ministry was distinguished for using unlikely people to share hope in a troubled world. Christianity is not reserved for the “worthy”, nor does God limit himself to the spiritually pious. The simple truth is we are all battered, bruised beggars at the doorstep of God’s mercy.” The author of Romans 3:23 had it right when he wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

 This post is about the state of the “church” in relation to the turmoil within our nation. We have become a judgmental people displaying an excessively critical point of view of people and things based not on prayerful consideration but rather on what we want them or it to be. Now I will make a personal confession. I have been in turmoil over the possible ramifications that will come about, however this election turns out. Then, as always happens in all this turmoil the Pastor confronted me with a fact. Wham!!! Hey of course it matters but the fact is God will still be in control, Jesus will still be the risen Son of God through whom I will have eternal life and God loves me and there is nothing I can do about it; it doesn’t matter who wins or loses. So dig all the bones you want and you will just be left standing in a hole.

 Kelly Givens recently commented on several ways a person could open themselves to the Holy Spirit. Based around the teachings of Rick Warren and Greg Laurie, these methods included,

• Keeping your heart grateful
• Keeping your mind on Jesus
• Patiently waiting for His timing
• Living by His word 

• Remember, Jesus has used the smallest people to change the course of history. No matter where we come from, our home is in Christ.

I guess I am one of the small people, fact is most of us are. But….. Jesus has used the smallest people to change the course of history.

So let’s work at keeping a grateful heart, focusing on how Jesus would have us live, prayerfully seeking His leading and keeping his word first in our lives. I can vote for that!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you in the pew next week.

Jk

 References: Kelly Givens / Ryan Duncan / Bible Gateway /”Diggin’ Up Bones” is a song written by Paul Overstreet, Al Gore, and Nat Stuckey

After watching the news last night, I couldn’t help but wonder at how far we as a nation and people have progressed, or more accurately regressed, to where we now find ourselves. The lack of civility and respect and the acceptance of the “new norm” got me to thinking about Donald Trump. People are upset and offended by what has been characterized as “locker room banter.” Most consider what was said on the tape to be demeaning to women and in bad taste, period! Well I agree with that but find it odd that the language which was so crude and vulgar offended so many. I thought about this for a while, or as some of us older folks might say “pondered” on it a bit. First off what was said cannot be defended because of the context it was used in. More on that in a moment. After pondering and reflecting I believe I have made an important discovery. We could blame this behavior on any number of things but the blame game is part of the reason we are in this mess today. Instead I have found the culprit that encourages such behavior. Practice, that’s right practice. Dictionary says this about practice:

noun

1 the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use the customary, habitual, or expected procedure of something

verb

2 carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly

• scheme or plot for an evil purpose: what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive.

Now back to the language thing. The context of the words used were demeaning and disrespectful, on that we all can agree, period! However, and it is a big however, most of your kids hear or see that every day! Oh not mine you say! Unless you monitor everything they see or listen to they do. This is the language of Hip Hop and Rap; it is the “new norm” the practice of the day. Many of our young women and girls consider some of the “reality” stars to be role models whom see it as common practice to go around in a state of near undress. Fashion today is about less being more. Now I could continue on with a list of things that fall under the “new norm” but it will accomplish nothing. I don’t wish to be judgmental, my judgement doesn’t count. I will say that there will be a judgement and I have it on good authority that the Judge is very partial to those practices which are pleasing to Him.  Here is the question of the day….are you a practicer? Two of the most common phrases associated with the word practice are: practice makes perfect – used to convey that regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it, especially when encouraging someone to persist in it, do you practice what you preach?

There are so many things happening in the secular world that contribute to the stresses of this world that Christians have no control of. There are some stressful things occurring within the church that I see no lessening of in the near future. The question above is a valid one and very topical in today’s world, both in the church and the secular world. Are you a practicer?

 Hebrews 6: 1-3

Let’s press on to maturity

6 So let’s press on to maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Let’s not lay a foundation of turning away from dead works, of faith in God, 2 of teaching about ritual ways to wash with water, laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment—all over again. 3 We’re going to press on, if God allows it.

 Taken from William Barclay’s Daily Bible Study:

THE writer to the Hebrews was certain of the necessity of progress in the Christian life. Teachers would never get anywhere if they had to lay the foundations all over again every time they began to teach. The writer to the Hebrews says that his people must be going on to what he calls teleiote ̄s. The Authorized Version translates this word as perfection.

(1) He means something to do with the mind. He means that as people get older they should more and more have thought things out for themselves. They should, for instance, be able to say better who they believe Jesus to be. They should have a deeper grasp not only of the facts but also of the significances of the Christian faith.

(2) He means something to do with life. As people grow older, their lives should more and more reflect Christ. All the time, they should be ridding themselves of old faults and achieving new virtues. Daily, a new serenity and a new nobility should be breaking upon life.

Methodists recognize this best from John Wesley’s question, “are you going on to perfection”. It all comes down to practicing what we have been taught. With that in mind we might ask, who is our teacher? To whom do we look to for encouragement in those things we do and practice in our everyday life. What shapes our moral code and behavior towards other people? If the church and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ have provided us with the proper foundation are we being practicers, sharing what we have learned and seeking new souls for the kingdom, constantly living in a way that brings hope to those who need it most and in so doing, glory to the kingdom? Are we reaching out seeking to grow in his service and by doing so growing in faith and knowledge? Do we practice what we preach?

Will practice make us perfect? No, we will never be perfect but we should as John Wesley asked, be going on to perfection. Are you just with the crowd, or are you a PRACTICER, moving on to perfection.

May I Practice what I preach, come back to the pew, your always welcome!

jk

References: William Barclay’s Daily Bible Study / Common English Bible

The story from Luke is a familiar one that most of us have heard or read many times. One temptation that faces preachers, lay speakers and Sunday school teachers alike, is to try and find some new “creative” approach to “spice” it up. We do not acknowledge often enough the power of the scripture, the simplicity of the word is sometimes overwhelmed by our desire to trust to our own self instead of seeking the spirit to guide us in the reading of the word. So how do we hear it, really hear it today? I suggest we go beyond the words and their familiarity, while keeping the question Jesus asked us always before us: who was a neighbor to the man beaten and left to die? We have always known the answer to this question to be the Samaritan. Yet the literal answer given to Jesus was the “one who showed him mercy.”

First let’s set the scene. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was known to be extremely dangerous. Jerusalem is 2,300 feet above sea level; the Dead Sea, near which Jericho stood, is 1,300 feet below sea-level. In less than 20 miles this road dropped 3,600 feet. It was a narrow road with rocky out-crops and sudden turns. It was, so to speak, the “happy hunting grounds” of thieves. So as Jesus tells this story he is using an example everyone understood was part of the world they lived in. In the fifth century it was called “The Red or Bloody Way” In the 19^th century it was necessary to pay safety money to the local Sheiks before one could travel on it. As recent as the 1930’s to travel this road after dark was certain trouble.  There was a certain man who was adept at holding up cars, robbing tourists and travelers and escaping to the hills before the police could arrive.

How about the people involved in this story?

-There was the traveler. He had to know the history of this road, so we might say he was a bit reckless and foolhardy. People seldom attempted the Jerusalem to Jericho road alone if they were carrying goods or valuables. Seeking safety in numbers, they travelled in convoys or caravans. This man had no one but himself to blame for the plight in which he found himself.  Do we sometimes find ourselves holding back because the person involved had no one to blame but themselves for the plight they were in? Do we tend to be judgmental first, offering help only if the situation or person meets our standards?

-There was the priest. He passed by even walking to the other side of the road. He was no doubt remembering that he who touched a dead man was unclean for seven days.

Numbers 19: 11 Those who touch the dead body of any human being shall be unclean for seven days.

He could not be sure but he feared that the man was dead; to touch him would mean losing his turn of duty in the Temple; and he refused to risk that. He set the claims of ceremonial above charity. The Temple and its liturgy meant more to him than the pain of the man. This priest was not a bad man, we are not bad people. The buildings, programs and liturgy of the church do not blind us of the needs of others. It does not stop us from reaching out; but sometimes like this priest we do not touch.

Act 3:6  But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Peter reached out and gave the his hand, helping him up.

-There was the Levite. He seems to have walked a little closer to the man before he passed on. The bandits were in the habit of using decoys. One of their numbers would act the part of a wounded man; and when the unsuspecting traveler stopped to help , the others would rush him and overpower him. The Levite’s motto was “safety first”. He would take no risks to help anyone else. Now most of the time bandits on the road are not our problem. So let’s update a bit. We will use “comfort zone” as our bandit. We sometimes shy away from people because they don’t look like us, don’t talk or dress the way we do, don’t smell like us. They are different and to help them sometimes requires us to leave our “comfort zone”.

 Mat 8:2  And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

Mat 8:3  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

 Here again we see the need of a touch; we must leave our comfort zone and reach out and touch, just as our Lord did.

-There was the Samaritan. The listeners would obviously expect that with his arrival the villain had arrived. The Jews had no dealings with Samaritans and yet this man seems to have been a kind of commercial traveler who was a regular visitor to the inn. He may not have been racially a Samaritan at all. You may be surprised to know that in the book of John the Jews call Jesus a Samaritan.

 Joh 8:48  The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

 The name was sometimes used to describe a man who was a heretic and breaker of ceremonial law. Maybe this man was a Samaritan in the sense of being one whom all orthodox good people despised. Two things about this man worth nothing:

 -His credit was good! The innkeeper was prepared to trust him. He may have been theologically unsound, but he was an honest man.

 -He alone was prepared to help. A heretic he may have been, but the love of God was in his heart.

 Here we learn a hard lesson. Christians aren’t the only nice people around. It is no new experience to find the orthodox more interested in dogmas than in help and to find the man the orthodox despise to be the one who loves his fellow-men. In the end we will be judged not by the creed we hold but by the life we live.

-Now let’s look at the teaching of the parable. The scribe who asked this question was in earnest. Jesus asked him what was written in the law and then said, “how do you read?” Strict orthodox Jews wore around their wrists little leather boxes called phylacteries, which contained certain passages of scripture.   

 Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^{* 5}You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. ⁸Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem^* on your forehead, ⁹and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Also Deuteronomy 11: 13-20; to this the scribes added the following

Leviticus 19:18

¹⁸You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

With their passion for definition the Rabbis sought to define who a man’s neighbor was, and as can be expected they narrowed that to be their fellow Jews. So the scribe’s question “who is my neighbor” was genuine. Jesus’ answer involves three things.

(i) We must help a man even when he has brought his trouble on himself, as the traveler had done.

(ii) Any man of any nation who is in need is our neighbor. Our help must be as wide as the love of God.

(iii) The help must be practical and not consist merely in feeling sorry. There is no doubt that the priest and the Levite felt badly for the wounded man, but they did nothing. Compassion, to be real, requires an active response.

The Samaritan came near, had compassion, went to the man, bandaged the wounds, poured oil and wine on them, brought him to an inn, took care of him at the inn and when he had to leave, he gave money to the innkeeper to continue to help the man, promising more if needed when he returned. The Samaritan did mercy, and he did it, hands on, with the beaten man. What Jesus said to the scribe, he says to us —“Go you and do the same.” Life is full of dangerous roads. Who is being beaten up near us and left to die? Who is being chewed up and spit out by the culture, or individuals, groups or institutions where we are and left to die? Are we doing more than feeling sorry for them and passing by on the other side of the road? Right now……“WE NEED TO GO AND DO THE SAME”

Hope to see you in the pew next week…jk

Reference Material – Barclay DBS

Be aware that I use several sources and commentaries when I write these blogs and I will list those at the bottom of the page.

 Spiritual wilderness, we have all been there at some time or another in our Christian walk. The word wilderness conjures up a vivid image for most of us, a picture painted in our minds that comes easily to us. But this wilderness is not the same as a spiritual wilderness. As Christians, when we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, we were adopted into the family of God. Our family inheritance  shared by all believers is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Like all families we share a common experience with our forefathers. They  all spent some time in the wilderness.  Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah were there.  Even Jesus was there.  Their examples were  meant  to guide us as we also  pass  through  the wilderness  (1  Cor. 10:11-13). 

11 These things happened to them as an example and were written as a warning for us to whom the end of time has come. 12 So those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall. 13 No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.

As Christians, when we refer to the “wilderness,” we  are referring to the times of God’s tests and trials in our lives and even there in the wilderness God is with us!  Direction has a lot to do with what we encounter in life. Consider that Jerusalem sits atop a long mountain ridge 2700 ft. in elevation. In the winter moisture laden clouds from the nearby Mediterranean drop their rains and snow on the western slope. Alas, there is no moisture left for the eastern slope. Thus there lies the wilderness of Judea, few trees, little grass and scorching temps. Many of God’s chosen would spend time in this wilderness because of unbelief or God had a few things to teach them. Why did God make these wilderness places anyway? Why would a person consider a direction that would place them in such a place? Life moves fast and sometimes we are doing well, riding high on a cloud in a blue sky. Then, whoops….something happens that knocks us off that cloud and we find ourselves on the ground and in the dirt, looking up at a gray sky. Perhaps God created this life wilderness to help us appreciate those good times. I prefer to believe that God also knew that the wilderness is an ideal place to test his people and to help them learn faith and endurance. In Hebrew, the word for wilderness is midbar.  Midbar has the meaning of “speak” or “word.”  God speaks to us in the wilderness. God also humbles and proves us in the wilderness.

There are many things that lead us to the wilderness. One key area is of course temptation and it comes in many forms. We tend to sometimes forget how important it is to worship God every day, in all ways and in all circumstances that life throws our way. Great example from the Word of God Today website.

“While in the wilderness, the children of Israel had some real trouble in the area of worship. Even while Moses was in the mountain receiving the law of the Lord, the  people  were  busy making  a golden calf to worship (Deut. 9:7-21).  Often, God has to keep us in the wilderness until all our golden calves become detestable to us. I am speaking of all those calves we adore in everyday life –  automobiles, jobs, houses,  success,  fame, fortune, etc.  It is often because of such things that we often must face the wilderness.”

 We often find ourselves in a wilderness of grief, sorrow and fear due to the pain we experience when a loved one dies or there is a serious illness with little hope of recovery. Whatever the reason we find ourselves in a wilderness of despair or our faith being tested by the ways of this world it is well that we remember strength can come from our time in the wilderness. So what can this wilderness do for us? It will teach us to persevere and we will mature because of our trials. Remember at the first of this blog we listed some of our forefathers who spent time in the wilderness and when we look back over Israel’s history it seems that so many of her blessings came from the wilderness. The wilderness breeds character; it also breeds humility. The wilderness  can  be a lonely place. Do you find yourself in a wilderness that is testing you physically as well as spiritually? Many of us try to escape the wilderness by ministering to ourselves in our natural strength, in this way we will fail. I urge you to turn to God; as they once said “put your troubles at the foot of the cross”. Pastor Ron Taylor, a guest speaker at church last week told how he and his brother would sing this before Sunday School. He also shared that he sung it at his brother’s request just before he died. It was Pastor’s Taylor’s message that led me to this weeks blog subject.

**My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

All I have to do is follow.

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

All I have to do is follow.

Strength for today is mine all the way,

And all that I need for tomorrow.

My Lord knows the way through,

All I have to do is follow.     (**I do not know the origin of this song.)

The Lord’s way is the good way. Hope you come back next week.

Following Him jk

References:     http://www.wordofgodtoday.com/wilderness-experience/

One of the things I try to do with this blog is to every now and then remind you of the great source of information that is available on the internet. You will find a link in this week’s blog that I believe would be a blessing to your prayer life. Prayer, a personal conversation with our God is a privilege granted to anyone who seeks his presence in their life. It has been a long and difficult week….for our nation. Two confrontations with law enforcement officers, Charlotte NC, and Tulsa OK, ended with the death of two men. The protests that followed eventually became full blown riots. Three people killed in Athens TN in workplace violence and now five dead in Washington State in a random shooting that took place in a shopping mall; add the fact this is an election year with all the hoopla that goes with it and I’m led to share this with you.

We are a nation wandering in a wilderness we have created. What was once a nation that looked to God is now running from him. We have turned our back on God. We can blame any number of things or people for the state of our nation. It has been a bad week. Join me in the week to come in prayer for our nation. Prayer was a big part of the early church. What did the people who lived in Bible times pray about? Everything! Prayer runs through every book, and nearly every chapter. I found a great website about prayer this week. The URL of the site is http://hannascupboard.com . This is a great site and I encourage you to visit it when you can. We find many times in the new testament our Lord going to the Father in prayer even causing the disciples to ask “Lord teach us to pray.” There is a power in prayer and that power is available to all who seek God’s will and direction in their lives. Here are some inspirational prayer quotes from Hannah’s Cupboard.

“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.”   John Wesley

 “No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.”    Guy H. King

 “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”  Alfred Lord Tennyson

“Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven, but getting God’s will done on earth. It is not overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of God’s willingness.”

Richard C. Trench

“Only those who see the invisible can attempt the impossible.”    Dick Eastman

 James 5   The Power of Prayer 13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

1st Peter 5: 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

Please join me in the week to come as we pray for our nation and it people.

See you in the pew……..jk

In Exodus 14: 9-31 we read about the Israelites, their lack of faith in God and Moses, the parting of the Red Sea and their escape from the armies of the Egyptian King. Picture this .The Angel of the Lord is out front of the Israelites in a great cloud. The people look back and see on the horizon a huge cloud of dust. They know the King’s armies are coming to get them. Soon the ground is shaking beneath their feet as the chariots come closer and they fuss at Moses for bringing them out of Egypt and into this mess. He tells them, “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….” Like those Israelites we in times of stress cry out to God, more often in desperation and not in faith. You know the story. The Angel of the Lord and the great cloud move to the rear of the mass of people fleeing the Kings armies; blocking their way and delaying their charging in among the people.The wind begins to blow, it blows all night and the waters part exposing the sea bed. The Israelites cross over to the other side, the cloud lifts and the Kings army in its anger charges forward into the seabed…… and die.

I use the Upper Room for my morning devotional time and an article in the February issue, some years back led me to this topic. The article was submitted by Bob G. Wood from Tennessee.  An old joke tells about two Israelites who were following Moses across the Red Sea just after God parted the waters. One comments to the other, “Can you imagine what this mud is doing to our sandals? They’re probably ruined.” We are a lot like those two in the story; we are so focused on the negatives and worries of our lives that we completely miss the miracles and blessings all around us.

These two guys took their eyes off the horizon of hope and salvation God was providing and began to despair over the problems of this life.  The Angel of the Lord went out before them; on the horizon before them was hope and salvation from the despair and fears of their lives and they took their eyes off the path God had prepared for them, distracted by the mud of this life. In Luke Chapter 8 we read the Parable of the seeds being sowed. I believe that we are like the seeds thrown in the thorn bushes in verse 14:  The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear; but the worries and riches and pleasures of this life crowd in and choke them, and their fruit never ripens.

I find my greatest time of peace occurs while I’m praying or reading scripture. We can’t do that all the time, can we? Those two Israelites were worried about the mud on their sandals and couldn’t  see the Glory of God’s salvation waiting for them. What about the mud on our shoes, how much and from where does it come? This is an election year and there is enough mud to go around. Like the Greeks of Paul’s day we to love to debate but unlike the Greeks our debates soon lose reason and purpose; the voices are many and the words become self serving and meaningless. We are mired in the problems of the day. They may be in our home, workplace and even in the Church.  The Church, the place many of us go seeking refuge from the problems of everyday life and the mud that clings to our shoes, making our steps heavier, only to discover that the Church is under attack and even within its walls we sometimes hear the rumble of the Kings chariots coming closer.

Maybe you are walking through the mud of:

Discouragement? Hear the words of the Lord.

(John 14:27)  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 (Psa 31:24)  Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

We spend a great deal of our time seeking hope and comfort in the things of this world. We will find no salvation in the things of this world. If you watch the news or listen to the radio you might agree with me. I believe the broadcaster’s rule of thumb so to speak is that “good news bleeds.”

Depression?

It not only destroys your life but impacts the lives of all who love and care for you and more importantly widens the gap between you and God.

(Rom 8:38,39) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Isa 40:31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Troubles…. there are many burdens in this life. These being only a couple we all will face at one time or another. Scripture tells us…..

(Rom 8:28)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Have you ever been around a whiner? You know, complaining all the time. Well these folks would receive the all time “Best Whiner Award” if there was one. I think it tops the guys with the sandals. The people complained to Moses:

Exodus 14:11 They said to Moses, “Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of Egypt!

Exodus 14:12 Didn’t we tell you before we left that this would happen? We told you to leave us alone and let us go on being slaves of the Egyptians. It would be better to be slaves there than to die here in the desert.”

 Sometimes the problems and burdens of this life are so great; the effort to overcome them becomes an unbearable burden. Do you feel like you’re in a desert of despair, uncertainty, sin and a world that is increasingly attacking your Christian values? We would do well to remember Moses’ words.

 “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….”

Jesus once sent the disciples out to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. The distractions and evils of this world can sometimes overwhelm us as they come between us and God’s will in our lives. What do we do if people won’t listen to us or respect our faith? How do we overcome this world?

Mat 10:14 And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.

 I am struck by the politics of our time. The lack of civility, the language and total disregard for the truth; “Pogo once said we have found the enemy and they is us.” I am not bashing politicians; they are after all just a reflection of the people they represent. Some of you might believe I’ve got off message. Well I haven’t. A Christian has to find the dry ground, rise above the mud of this world. We must walk a different path. I know it is a stretch but in keeping with the message I’d like to change dust to mud. Shake the mud off your shoes and keep your eyes on the horizon that you might see the love, grace, and salvation that is yours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….”

Thanks for joining me in the pew today, God Bless

jk

I had prepared and uploaded my blog for today but I set it aside late last night. I can’t get past tomorrow, September 11 or as it has become simply 9-11. There will be many words today, few will be able to capture the impact in loss of life and the realization that our enemies now had the ability to bring the horror of war to our soil. Here are a couple of things I take away from that day.   Death is never an easy thing to cope with and I don’t hold much with the advice that “things will be better in time; every day it will get a little better.” Don’t believe that, I believe we just learn how to live with it or for lack of a better term tolerate the loss. Like everyone else I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Been fifteen years now and I still can close my eyes and see those people jumping from the towers. Now after all these years’ history is slowly being rewritten in that many films have been edited to remove those pictures. Why is that important? To me it is important because while I can’t say what was in their mind at that time, I prefer to believe in that moment of extreme despair they chose how they would die. First take away, how much easier is it for us who only have to choose how to live.

One of the first things that happened after it was determined that this was not a terrible mishap but was indeed a deliberate attack, was a no fly order issued for the whole country. All flights except those of military origin were grounded throughout the USA. I remember standing outside at work that afternoon and the next few days and looking up at the sky above. My second take away was that those contrails left by planes were absence from the sky. How odd it seemed. Just as a room becomes quite, no one speaking, their absence marked the silence of the skies. It was as if I was waiting to see something there that would tell me everything was going to be alright. My third take away is perhaps the one that is most imprinted on my mind and heart. As the towers fell the dust and debris of this awful destruction blotted the sun from the sky and blinded all those trapped by it. Everyone was covered to the point that there was no way to distinguish skin color or ethnicity, all were caught in a world of gray horror, dependent on the help and mercies of those closest to them. Somehow the need to take or offer a hand, to cover and shield another from the debris, to offer self in defense of another was the most striking thing I saw. We came together as a people, there was no time to shout USA, USA as would be heard much over the next few days. This may not make sense and I stand to be corrected. I believe on that day we were Americans all and in that moment we all became God’s children. (Matthew 22:39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

There is no way I could ever put to words the sacrifice of NYFD or Police, EMS or the hundreds of medical and civilian responders, there are no words that could do honor to their sacrifice. So how or where do we go from here? As a nation and a people we need to return to the good way, we need God and there is only one way…..

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

 Next week “Muddy Shoes”. See you in the pew…..jk

A few years ago I shared this message and for some reason in preparation for this weeks blog I was looking at all that is going on in the Christian world today and it came to mind. It has not been posted as a blog to the best of my memory. So…..back in the day it went this way.

Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. In faith we know that the Lord sustains our lives and watches over us in every moment. Faith is not a matter of accepting certain doctrinal teachings, but rather a trust that God can bring transformation. In the Wesleyan tradition, the journey of faith includes an expectation of transformation, change and holy living. “are you going on to perfection?” We come together as a community of faith, believers who share the joy, hope, love and peace of the faith. For many of us when we leave our church, walk outside these walls and drive off, we then come face to face with the stark realities of life. The world we live in today is one of many uncertainties. The church,  and our christian faith is under constant attack. The things that provide some sense of sanity in this uncertain world, home, family, faith and church are at risk. Homes are lost; families torn apart and churches are being closed as others face a decline in membership and support.  A nation that once called out to God …..now whispers his name so as not to offend anyone; one nation under God has now become a nation which must first debate when and where or even if his name may be evoked. This is indeed a world of many uncertainties in which we see each day a loss of faith, a people who should be on their knees, but instead are running from the faith seeking to grab something to hold onto in these uncertain times. 

I was a young man voting in his first national election when Barry Goldwater was the nominee of the Republican party.I remember him saying… “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Boy did that get him in trouble. He was from that day on labeled a war monger, a man of uncertain temperament. Those words cost him the election. Well, I am no Berry Goldwater, but we can no longer continue doing as we do. We must defend the faith. Extremism is a harsh word and in its simplest form means to go beyond the norm. Faith has often been answered by those who disagree with our faith with extremism.

Our lord was beaten in such a manner that the flesh was torn from his body. He was spit on, ridiculed, and made to carry his cross through the streets to the place of his crucifixion. Six inch nails were driven through his hands and feet. Nailed to a cross while solders cast lots for his clothes and challenged him; “come down off that cross, are you not the king of the jews? With agonizing breath He said “father forgive them.” While he was still known as Saul, Paul held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen. He obtained letters authorizing him to go to Damascus and bring those known as “people of the way” back to be imprisoned. Then there are those who took up the cross. The Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead. He got up and went back into the town and continued to preach the good news.  At the council in Jerusalem Peter spoke in defense of the faith on behalf of Paul and Barnabas. James the brother of jesus defended the need to take the faith to the gentiles.

We have lost our faith to religion. The jews lived and died by the law. Peter reminded them that day that no man could possibly keep all the law. It is the faith that believes Jesus Christ is the son of the living God and through him only can we come to the Father……this and this alone….grace freely given… that is our salvation. In the OT the word faith in the sense of belief occurs only five times. OT faith was never mere assent to a set of doctrines or outward acceptance of the law, but absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God and a loving obedience to his will. We find that in the NT the words faith or believe occur almost 500 times. Jesus offered himself as the object of faith and made plain that faith in him was necessary for eternal life.

Going back to what Barry said, I believe another word would better communicate a christian like attitude. Boldness……“the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger” Yes, I like that word better…..Boldness in the defense of the faith is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of the faith is no virtue. We must return a sense of boldness to the faith, we only need to look to the boldness of our missionaries who daily take the faith of our fathers to others in all kinds of circumstances.

 So what is this faith we are called to defend? Faith has both an active and passive sense in the bible. The first relating to one’s loyalty to a person or commitment to a promise; the other being confidence in the word or assurance of another.  Faith is not merely what a person believes, as example, an accurate doctrine or creed, but also and more importantly, that the object of our faith is valid. The empty  tomb validates our faith. I believe it to be a reasonable statement that we are governed by our thoughts; we ultimately become what we dwell most upon in our minds. The Apostle Paul gave these instruction to the romans:

Romans 12:2 “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what god’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

One of my favorite passages, one I have shared many times:

Philippians 4:8 finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 What is the value of faith?  2 Chronicles: 20-20……… As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the lord your god and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

We are established as a people through our faith. Isaiah 7-9 …………“if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Our faith is a gift of god

Luke 17: 5  The apostles said to the lord, “increase our faith!” Romans 12: 3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Here is a passage we all know well……8 “to one there is given through the spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same spirit, 9 to another faith by the same spirit?” The purpose of our faith is to gain understanding and truth.

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Faith helps us to grow in God’s grace

Hebrews 4:16 “let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We are able to rejoice through our faith.

Philippians 2: 17-18 “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 so you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”

We can use our faith to strengthen ourselves

Romans 6:13-14 “do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Through faith we become transformed into the image of Christ, a people strong in the faith.

Ephesians 3: 12 “in him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Boldness in the defense of the faith is no vice. The distractions are many and many mean well; but I would say to you that the removal of a nativity scene, the objection to a cross in the desert, the obsessions and honors given to people of questionable Christian behavior are regrettable distractions to people of faith.

We need………

-the bold faith of our lord that would allow him to do no less than the father’s will, even if it meant his death.

-the bold faith of Paul having been stoned and left for dead, he got up, went back and continued to preach the good news.

-the bold faith of Peter rising to speak on behalf of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry to the gentiles.

-the bold faith of James who challenged the church at Jerusalem, knowing that there were those who opposed the gentile.

We need a boldness in our faith that says ….come as you are. The faith belongs to all who seek Jesus Christ.

The church has lost its boldness. We must put aside the distractions of this world and come together in defense of the faith. To defend the faith is to defend Jesus Christ.  “I am the way”

Don’t leave your faith here in the pew. Take it with you and share with all……jk

This week we look at the “Temptation of Jesus”, and turning to Barnes Notes discover some interesting viewpoints. The book of Mark has only three verses about this, the more detailed writings being in Matthew and Luke. We will examine Barnes Notes for our blog references this week. Consider that all three books point to the fact that Jesus went into the wilderness alone. He was alone during the temptations until He sends Satan away at which time the Angels came to attend to him.

Fact, at some time Jesus had to share his time in the desert with his disciples or there would have been no record of the temptations. Imagine our Lord telling about this time in his life. I am sure from past reading of the ministry of Jesus, he would have used this story to teach his disciples about the ways the devil can come against us. Imagine also that here is Jesus, just baptized and God declaring “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased( Matthew 3:17) and here he is suddenly being tested by the devil just as we all are at times in our lives. The humanity of Christ, God incarnate among us. As the song says “I Can Only Imagine”.

First let’s look at the word tempt as used here. It means to try, to endeavor, to attempt to do a thing. In these verses the devil attempts to draw Jesus away from virtue or plainly said from the Father, from God. These temptations are not so much about sin as they are about obedience. Satan knows that disobedience opens the heart and mind to sin and sin separates us from God. Next it is written that he fasted for forty days. “Fasted-Abstained from food”. There have been commentaries that suggested otherwise but Luke puts that to rest. “Luke 4:2 – for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.” There are other things that have been written that suggest that Jesus only came to the realization of self and his call upon his baptism. I will leave that to the scholars and go with one certain thing. “ – Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.” (Mark 1:12) True calling requires a time of preparation and immediately Satan sought to tempt Him.

In verse 3 (Matthew 4) we find the first of the three temptations. Why be hungry you have the power to fix that! We know our Lords answer to that. He went to old testament scripture.  “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

 The following is from Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible:

– Satan often takes advantage of our circumstances and wants to tempt us.

 –Satan‘s temptations are often the strongest immediately after we have been remarkably favored. Jesus had just been called the Son of God, and Satan took this opportunity to try him.

 –His temptations are plausible. They often seem to be only urging us to do what is good and proper.

 –We are to meet the temptations of Satan, as the Savior did, with the plain and positive declarations of Scripture. We are to inquire whether the thing is commanded, and whether, therefore, it is right to do it, and not trust to our own feelings, or even our wishes, in the matter.”

 The second temptation places Jesus on the very pinnacle of the temple. Satan tells Jesus to throw himself off, no harm will come to you if you are the son of God. It is written – “He shall give his angels charge concerning thee …And in their hands they shall bear thee up – Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone –.”

Again the Savior replied to Satan using Scripture – a passage which expressly forbade an act like this. “Matthew 4: 7 –Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus once again reaches back and quotes from “Deuteronomy 6:16 – “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test” One last point before we move on from Albert Barnes.

“It is true, indeed, that God aids those of his people who are placed by him in trial or danger; but it is not true that the promise was meant to extend to those who wantonly provoke him and trifle with the promised help. Thus, Satan, artfully using and perverting Scripture, was met and repelled by Scripture rightly applied.”

Moving to Matthew 4: 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name”. (Deuteronomy 6:13)

 Once again Jesus turns to scripture and Satan is driven away. Three temptations, the first one to a necessity, food, Jesus was hungry. The second to the protection of God when in great danger. The third is far more serious. It was a proposition that the Jesus should worship the devil, turn from the father and bow down before the Prince of wickedness and give him homage. But as we have read in Deuteronomy this was plainly forbidden. Albert Barnes gives these words of wisdom.

(a) That no one is so holy as to be free from temptation, for even the Son of God was sorely tempted.

(b) That when God permits a temptation or trial to come upon us, he will, if we look to him, give us grace to resist and overcome it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

 (c) We see the art of the tempter. His temptations are adapted to times and circumstances. They are plausible. What could have been mere plausible than his suggestions to Christ? They were applicable to his circumstances. They had the appearance of much piety. They were backed by passages of Scripture misapplied, but still most artfully presented.

(d) One of the best ways of meeting temptation is by applying Scripture. So our Savior did, and they will always best succeed who best wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”( Ephesians 6:17)

 Temptation is Satan’s way of drawing us away from God and opening the heart and mind to sin. The story of the “Temptation” provides a remarkable link to our blog of last week. That reading, studying and living scripture is important to living a Holy Life. Temptation leads to sin and sin separates us from God. Come back next week, there is always room in the pew.     jk

Reference: Albert Barnes