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Sunday, July 27, 2008 TEXT: John 20:19-31 TITLE: “Would You Believe…?”OPEN: “Would you believe?” It was one of the funnier skits that Don Adams developed for his sitcom “Get Smart” What made it funny was=the hero spoke with confidence @ something he knew wasn’t true
He didn’t really believe what he was saying It’s was all… a “Bluff”
ILLUS: In 2007 the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a survey that discovered Amongst Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians 1 in 4 of those church members had doubts about the existence of God. Among Jews the ratio was 6 out of 10 doubted God’s existence.
These are people who “belong” to a religious group. They go to church, or the synagogue They support the ministry financially and in other ways. But they have… doubts
It’s almost as if their church was saying “would you believe”… … and they would reply… “I have a hard time accepting that.”
Would you believe? Well, not everyone does And sometimes = Not even those who go to church.
But, of course, that almost seems illogical For someone who is “religious” – who goes to church – to have trouble believing God exists? The Apostle John would be amazed at that. Throughout his Gospel, John had an almost excessive emphasis on faith . For example: John uses the Greek word “pisteuo” – which means “to believe” – … nearly twice as much as the other 3 gospels combined.
And the Gospel of John is the only book of the Bible where we’re told… * For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. … Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16 &18
It’s the only Gospel that tells us that Jesus said: * Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38 * “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” 11:25 And… “… if you do not believe that I AM you will indeed die in your sins." 8:24
When John asked “Would you believe?” – He wasn’t bluffing …he wasn’t writing about something he didn’t believe… He’d been with Jesus/ watched Him die/ seen Him raised from the grave He was declaring to us = faith in the risen Savior is what makes us who we are. You cannot be a Christian if you DO NOT believe that God not only exists… … but that He sent His only begotten Son to die for your sins. If you don’t believe that – you will die in your sins That’s what Jesus said.
Faith is essential if you’re going to really be a Christian… And John believed that so intensely, that he hammered home throughout his book.
But then, John tells us the story of ThomasThomas was one of the Apostles. Thomas had walked with Jesus too. He’d listened to Jesus’ teachings He’d loved Christ, and walked with Him wherever He went
When Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem and it’s obvious that people there want to kill Him “… Thomas...’said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” John 11:16
And when Jesus tells His disciples that “In my Father’s house there are many rooms”… and I’m going to prepare a place for you.
And Jesus concluded by saying “You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:4
At that point – it’s Thomas that pipes up and says: "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" John 14:5 And Jesus responds: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
In Thomas we have the picture of the average Christian He loves Jesus He walks with Jesus He’s willing to suffer and even die for Jesus But he has some questions/ he has some doubts.
Now, questions and doubts aren’t NECESSARILY bad things. One scholar once noted that an “unexamined life” isn’t worth living. If our faith is blind faith… … where we NEVER examine what we believe and why we believe it… … it has a tendency to be weak
ILLUS: One of the preachers I study with noted that in Bible College it would irritate him when the other students would get in a discussion about a given topic. He said that in the midst of the discussions a lot of his fellow students would say “my preacher says” or “my folks said”. And my friend would then challenge them: “I don’t know your folks, or your preacher. I want to know what YOU think.” But his fellow students often didn’t know what they thought… …they only knew what someone else believed Theirs was an inherited faith. Theirs was a faith based on someone else’s theology… not on real personal belief.
That’s ok in so far as it goes – AND it’s not uncommon. The younger we are in our faith, the more it is a faith based on the faith of others… But if we don’t grow into having a personal faith… … a faith that is OURS – not someone elses … it can end up being unreliable.
ILLUS: Another preacher talked about 3 of the youth in his church. They’d all read the book “The DaVinci Code” and their faith was shaken. Now, it’s a terrible book… an evil book Because it causes people to doubt their faith on accusations that have … … long ago been proven to be lies and falsehood.
But because these teens didn’t really know WHY they believed what they believed … they were easy prey for a heretical book like that… …and one of the kids left the church and walked away from Christ.
He walked away because his faith wasn’t really a personal faith
False teachers and cult leaders COUNT on deceiving Christians who don’t know their faith… … and who don’t know WHY they believe what they believe.
All of us need to come to a point in our faith when it’s OUR faithWe all need to come to the point where it isn’t all based on someone else’s belief… … to a point where we’re excited about what WE believe
ILLUS: In journalism, they have stories they call “Hey Martha” stories Do you know what those are? It’s an article in a magazine or a newspaper that’s so powerful… … that you can imagine a guy looking up from what he’s read and saying “Hey Martha – look at this!” “Hey Martha – you’ve got to read this!” “Hey Martha – would you believe….?”
Our goal as Christians is to get the point where we have a “Hey Martha” kind of faith It’s the point where we get so consumed by who God is and what He means to us… … that we can hardly contain ourselves. Because our faith is now OURS… not somebody else’s.
Now, I need to clarify something here. My faith IS BUILT upon the witness of others… My faith is built upon the words of Scripture… … and upon the teachings of great preachers and teachers… … and upon the faith of my parents …and the faith of people I respect.
Paul tells us that our relationship with God is “…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20
Our faith is built upon the experiences and testimony of other people. That’s where we get our information to build our personal faith on. Thomas wanted to skip over that.
IF you got the impression = Jesus was chiding Thomas in the story in John 20 you’d be right Thomas was being unreasonable. Thomas has been confronted by the unwavering testimony of the other 10 apostles. Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Matthew, Andrew… … they all told the same story… …they’re all excited and convinced of what they’ve seen
And they ALL declare: Would you believe? “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25) But Thomas completely rejects their words
(pause…) Most us of remember the first words of Thomas’ response to their testimony: "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side…
Do you remember what his last 5 words were? “I will NOT believe it.” John 20:25
Whoa! I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT??? Not, “I have my doubts,” Not, “I’m having trouble accepting it” Not, “You’ve got to be kidding me” No --- I WILL NOT believe it.
That’s a dangerous way to deal with GodI mean, doubt is one thing… … But telling God what you’ll accept as proof is another thing entirely. Telling Him to come and settle things on your terms = not a good idea.
And so Jesus chides Thomas for his attitude John 20:27 tells us Jesus said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
But, if Thomas was being so unreasonable with God… … why would Jesus even bother to show him His wounds, …and invite him to put his finger into the spear hole in his side? Well, I got to wondering about this story. I asked myself why Thomas would even say what he’d said. I mean, his rigid refusal/ so adamant/ so unbending in his words.
And then I realized – Thomas is probably a pretty angry man. He’d followed Christ for 3 years of his life He adored Jesus so much that he was willing to go to Jerusalem and die with Him
And then…Jesus is betrayed by Judas ridiculed and rejected by the crowds beaten and whipped by the Roman soldiers and finally put to death in one of the cruelest ways known to man And neither he nor his friends could do a thing to stop it.
I suspect that may have been the reason he wasn’t there when Jesus showed up the 1st time I don’t think he’d been out running an errand, or visiting a sick relative I think he was avoiding his friends He was angry and bitter and wanted to be away from them to sulk
Thomas isn’t being belligerent toward God… and he’s not trying to be unreasonable… … he’s just so bewildered and dejected he’s not willing to accept anything less.
And so Jesus shows him mercy… He gives Thomas what he needs right then. He helps Thomas to go beyond an intellectual faith … to a personal faith.
And it’s such an overwhelming experience for Thomas that he falls to his knees and cries out "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28
Jesus – you’re my Master… and you’re my God. At that point, he truly believed and had been truly transformed.
CLOSE: Jesus told Thomas "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.". John 20:29
If you’re not a Christian this morning… what does God need to do to convince you? Have you come to God with an unreasonable demand? Are you asking for proof that you’re pretty sure He wouldn’t give anyway? Or are you hoping that He’ll come to you in a quiet moment and make Himself real to you? What
would it take for you to believe?
As Jesus said in Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
Monday, July 21, 2008 TEXT: Romans 3:10-24 TITLE: Missed It By That Much OPEN: Video of Maxwell Smart ending in “missed it by that much”
Back in the 60’s = the spies on TV/the movies were heroes Whether it was James Bond, Matt Helm, Napoleon Solo, and the cast from Mission Impossible They were suave and resourceful Capable of escaping danger and death with skill and ingenuity They were almost superhuman in their abilities
And then along came Maxwell Smart
Smart was always supremely confident in his own abilities … but in reality was he was totally inept … totally incapable of even the most basic spy techniques … and he was always “missing something” by that much
That was funny on a TV sitcom… … but IF that was how everything happened in life…. that could end up - serious trouble
ILLUS: Back in the 90’s a California research firm asked the question What if everything in the world operated at 99% efficiency? - drinking water would be unsafe one hour out of each month. - two planes would crash land - each day - at Chicago's O'Hare airport. - five hundred surgeries would be botched each week - and 20,000 prescriptions would be improperly filled each year.
I wouldn’t want to drink that water I wouldn’t want to fly on those planes And I wouldn’t want to have those pharmacists and surgeons anywhere near me.
99% efficiency is not acceptable in these matters …because – missing these things by “that much” (just 1%) - can be deadly
And here in Romans 3, Paul is telling us that this can be true of salvation as well.
You see, there’s a lot of people believe out there that all they need to do… … to get into heaven is live a comparatively decent life.
Now, they’ll grant you that they probably sin a little bit each day They’ll grant that they’ve thought bad tho’ts And they’ve done bad things And they’ve said bad words But they think that on a scale of 100, they’re somewhere in the 90 to 95% range of being moral.
But Paul wrote: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
The Greek word for sinned in Rom. 3:23 is hamartano which literally means “To miss the mark” In other words… All Of Us have missed the perfection needed to be saved… by “that much” Now, there are a lot of people who believe that if they can just follow … … a set of rules… they could end up living a fairly decent life… … they can stand a chance of being acceptable to God. In fact, there seem to have been some Jews in the church at Rome who thought that very thing
You see, the Jews had been the people of the Law They had all the rules and regulations all laid out for them ??But could they keep those rules perfectly?? NO!!!
To prove that, Paul goes thru a whole list of Old Testament Scriptures that show that… …. even the Jews who had God’s Word sitting right in front of them, … even the Jews couldn’t live perfect lives.…. LOOK AT vs. 10-18 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Ps. 14 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." Ps. 5 "The poison of vipers is on their lips." Ps 140 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." Ps 59 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." Isaiah 59 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Ps 36:1
Paul hits it again and again – like a drum beat Over and over, he proves that Israel couldn’t stay moral … … just because they had a list of dos & don’ts They couldn’t do it !!! –and neither can you or I.
In fact, in Colossians 2 Paul says NO SUCH LIST can ever make us holy "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because … (amongst other things) they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
But, but, but… I have a whole list of things that I don’t do – because I want to live a moral life Doesn’t that list help make me be more moral?
Well, kind of… except that the list only helps me be moral - if I WANT to follow those rules If I don’t want to follow those rules, then the list is useless.
ILLUS: For example. If I’m driving down to Indianapolis on 29, what’s the speed limit? (55) How often do you drive all that way UNDER 55 miles an hour? Have you ever driven 60, 65, maybe even 70 on that road? Well, yeah, if I’m in a hurry! (well, maybe I wasn’t really in a hurry… … I just wanted to go faster than the speed limit said I should)
So we find that - if the rule fits my needs, I’ll abide by it, if not – it gets set aside for awhile. Now, if a policeman were to pull me over for going 59 mph on that road… … would he have the right to give me a ticket? OF COURSE he would I may have only gone over the limit by “THAT MUCH” But that’s all it takes to break the law.
And Israel broke the law, sometimes by a little bit… …sometimes by a whole bunch … but it made no difference BECAUSE ALL HAVE SINNED AND MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH
When people are faced with that reality they get a little emotional about it.
ILLUS: For example, if we get a ticket for going 85 mph in a 55 mph zone – we deserved that But if we get a ticket for going 56… we tend to get upset… we only missed it by that much
If a basketball team loses by a 30 or 40 points, they’re frustrated, but they’re not too upset… … because it’s obvious the other team were better players. But if that team loses by only 1 or 2 points, they tend to become critical of their playing
Similarly, when people are caught up in terrible sins, they believe they deserve punishment But if they see themselves as missing sinlessness by “that much”…… they can end up being fixated on attaining that last measure of perfection. And in the end they can end up being gravely disappointed… … because that kind of sinlessness is always just beyond our grasp
ILLUS: A friend of mine was telling me about one of his relatives that was a Baptist preacher. The man would show up at family gatherings and argue about religion with everyone. He was driven by being absolutely perfect in every aspect of his religion… … and was obsessed with being sinless in his life. The man’s no longer a Baptist minister… … he’s a truck driver who has little to do with the church anymore. … he drinks, cusses and carries on.
Why? Because he began to realize that kind of sinlessness was unobtainable. … and he just gave up.
But God said “….no one will be declared righteous … by observing the law…“Romans 3:20 You’re never going to get yourself cleaned up by your own efforts
I’ve heard people say they want to become a Christian… … but they want to clean up this or that area of their life first. Once they remove all the sin from their lives, then they can come to God. In Romans 3 God’s telling us… you’ll never get that done… you’ll never get there. But that’s ok, because“…now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…” Romans 3:21 And this righteousness comes – not from our abilities and our efforts… but… “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe...” Romans 3:22a
And then Paul pounds it home. He says: There is no difference, for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:22b-23
Everybody has missed it by “that much” Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God BUT (says God) there is a way of dealing with your sin.
It comes through faith in Jesus Christ It comes thru faith in Him if you’re not a Christian … and it comes thru faith in Him if you ARE a Christian.
Here’s how it works. If you a Christian and you’re feeling miserable because you’ve messed up in your life… … maybe you’ve messed up just a little, or maybe quite a lot… … then God says to you Your righteousness “comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” Romans 3:22
I can attain my righteousness (or rightness) with God, if I believe something about Jesus. OK… so what am I to believe in order to regain this right relationship … this righteousness with God?
Well, I John 1:7 says WE ARE TO BELIEVE that Jesus is faithful If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
In other words, I deal with my sins by believing that Jesus died to take away ALL of my sins… … not just the ones I committed before I became a Christians… … but even the ones I commit now…. BUT I have to confess those sins to Jesus I have to admit I was wrong - and desire not to do those things again
Ok, so how can I obtain a right relationship with God if I’m not a Christian? Once again, it comes thru faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. So, what am I to believe?
Well, I have to believe that Jesus died for my sins… … and that he was buried and that he rose from the dead.
Romans 6 tells me I declare that in my baptism“…We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:4-7 In our baptism, we die with Christ. When we’re buried in baptism’s waters, our old life, is buried in a watery grave And then we rise with Christ, a new Creature… … and at that point, we’re freed from the past… … and we’re made “right” with God.
But that’s not all there is to it. Some people believe all you have to do to be saved is get baptized They’ll use baptism as a kind of fire insurance. But, Romans 10 says we have to do something more than get wet. Romans 10:9 says “…if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Ben, keep this up for a little)
What does it say I have to confess??? Jesus is Lord!I have to confess that Jesus now owns me… … He owns my talents, my treasure, my time I owe Him everything I have And everything I have is now HIS to be used for Him and His church.
Becoming a righteous before God is not something I can do once and then walk away If I’m going to be right with God, I need to make Him the center of my life I may miss “sinlessness” BY THAT MUCH
But I don’t want to miss belonging to God, by any measure. I want to be His I want a righteousness that can only come thru my believing in Jesus Christ
ILLUS: The story is told of a man who rushed into a suburban railroad station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: "When does the 8:01 train leave?" "At 8:01," was the answer. "Well," the man replied, "my watch says it’s 7:59, the town clock says it’s 7:57, but the station clock says it’s 8:04. Which clock am I to go by?" "You can go by any clock you wish," said the agent, …"but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left."
He missed his train… by “that much”… …because he didn’t pay attention to the right things..
We need to pay attention to Jesus We need to belong to Him and lean on His faithfulness in our lives. Sunday, July 6, 2008 TITLE: Control vs. Kaos TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-13 Nikita Khrushchev–known as The Butcher – his slaughter of Ukrainian nationalists after WWII Became the leader of the Communist Soviet Union from 1958 thru 1964. And was seen by many as a brute - intent on bullying the world into submission
He bro’t the America to the edge of nuclear holocaust during the Cuban Missile Crisis And he once declared to the Free world “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.”
To many Americans, Khrushchev was a very scary man. He represented the worst of our enemies He stood for the struggle between communism and democracy … between total-itarianism and freedom
This was an age of concern and fear for many Americans It was one of the worst parts of an age that was called the “Cold War’
In the midst of this Cold War/uncertain age… … there were a number of movies and TV shows that dealt with spies and espionage… There was 007, The Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible and others. They all dealt with the conflict between the forces of the “Free World”… … and organizations intent on destroying that freedom
Among those shows was a hit TV sitcom called “Get Smart” And in that comedy – the writers gave names to their two opposing spy networks: Control – the good guys, upholding the cause of Freedom And Kaos – an evil organization committed to world domination
Now, Get Smart poked fun at the spy shows of its day… … BUT in naming the those two organizations Control & Kaos… … the show’s writers summed up the very conflict of the day…. … as well as the more fundamental conflict of mankind down thru the ages.
You see, the Bible tells us that there are two forces at war in this world The forces of darkness and evil…… forces bent upon robbing us of our freedom and creating chaos in our lives. They are forces that Ephesians 6:12 calls “… the rulers, … the authorities, … the powers of this dark world and… the spiritual forces of evil...” And then (by contrast) , there’s the forces of light and freedom……forces controlled by the power and love of God … THAT’S US.
Ephesians 6 is goes on to say that this is a very real conflict With very real dangers And so Ephesians 6:13 warns us to“…put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes (and it will come), you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Now, there is a stark contrast between the world darkness’ & chaos of and the world of God’s Control
Khrushchev understood that contrast. He once said: “The difference between Christianity and Communism is great. When someone strikes you on the face, you turn the other cheek. If you strike me on the face, I’ll hit you so hard your head will fall off.”
Paul describes it in Ephesians 4:17-20 (LOOK THERE with me) So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.
What Paul is saying is this: the world of chaos is filled with darkness and selfishness These are a people who controlled only by their own sense of morality But you’re a Christian and you’re called to live differently than that.
But we weren’t always in the realm of God’s Kingdom… a couple of chaps earlier, Paul told Ephesians –YOU USED TO LIVE LIKE THAT “…you used to… (follow) the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. Ephesians 2:2-3
But then “…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5
We’ve rec’d a gift of salvation… and because of that gift, we now live in the Free World… …we’re not under the dominion of Satan’s power any more
But Ephesians 6 tells us Satan wants us back. He once had us… and he wants us back. The forces of darkness and chaos will come against us
Satan’s objective to have world domination And he’s never going to be satisfied as long as we’re outside his control And so we need to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against him.
Now… Satan does have a limitationSpeaking about Christians, 1 John 5:18 says “…the wicked one does not touch him.” In other words – Satan can’t directly touch us & bring us down. There’s no such thing as demon possession of a Christian Throughout the first part of Ephesians, Paul repeatedly reinforces the fact that we
We have special relationship with God.No matter how many times Satan may threaten, bully and attempt to intimidate us…… he can’t really touch our relationship with God… … So he has to find a way to DRAW us back into his world … he has to find a way to convince us that we had had it better “back then” … or convince us that we don’t DESERVE that relationship w/ God
And one of the principle tool he has to accomplish that is… temptation. That’s why Paul – in Ephesians 4:17 I “insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”
Don’t go back! Get smart! Don’t go back there. Don’t read their magazines/ don’t watch their entertainment/ don’t visit their websites Don’t live their kind of lives Don’t share their foul jokes Don’t party with them/ sleep with them Don’t get drunk w/ them Don’t share in their impurity, sensuality and lust Just don’t cross over the line to the other side
Because if you do… one of these days, you’re try to get back to God… … and you’ll find that your guilt and shame have created an iron curtain… … that will convince you that God wouldn’t ever forgive you.
Now, that won’t be true… but that’s how you’ll feel… if you let that happen.
Now, sometimes Satan’s a little more subtle even than thatI’ve seen people cross over the border into Satan’s territory … and they stay there still thinking their living the free world
ILLUS: Several years ago Life magazine did a report on prayer. And in that report they quoted a prostitute who said: “A lot of people think us working girls don't have any morals, any religion. But I do. I don't steal. I don't lie. The way I look at it, I'm not sinning. He's not going to judge me. I don't think God judges anybody." (Life Magazine, March 94)
ILLUS: I visited with a young man some time back. He’d been baptized into Christ, was going to church, reading his Bible… … but the last time I saw him, he was on drugs, listening to foul music… … filled with bitterness and hate. But he told he how much he loved God He told me he prayed every night. He had crossed over to other side and was enslaved. Now, this young man… part of what had drawn him away from God… was bitterness. Somebody close to him had hurt him
You know… this is one of the most powerful tools Satan has in his arsenal He has used this weapon against God’s people time and time again with great success
Paul warned the Ephesians about this very sin “… do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Ephesians 4:30
Christians who get caught up in bitterness and rage and anger… … allow themselves to do a terrible thing… they allow themselves to grieve the HS. … and there a lot of Christians who let themselves get caught up in it.
They find themselves being angry with their wives/ husbands/ children With their parents/ in-laws People they work with People they live next door to People at church Somebody ticks them off, and they just can’t quite think of that person w/o anger
And you can tell when this anger takes hold… … they tell you their stories… over and over and over again … stories filled with hurt and bitterness…
And they don’t want to spend any time with that person… they couldn’t talk civilly w/them They wouldn’t be comfortable in the same room with that person
And the real advantage Satan has in this is that… …he can make us feel so “religious” when we feel that way And like my friend who still prays to Jesus and takes his drugs, and listens to foul music … you can end up on the wrong side of the border w/o realizing it.
That’s why Paul goes on to say: not only GET RID of those emotions in you life “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 4:32 - 5:2
Let Jesus be your example. Imitate God You DIDN’T deserve forgiveness… so learn to forgive others as God forgave you.
Why? Well, because “… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 The people that would make us angry - need salvation as much as we do And if we make these folks the focus of our spiritual war… … we’re less likely to ever draw them away from Satan’s realm.
You see – we are at war Jesus once said that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against (the church).” Matthew 16:18 Our objective is to storm the gates of hell Our objective is to pull back the iron curtain of Satan’s power… … and free people who have been darkened in their understanding … who have lived in ignorance because of the hardening of their hearts.
And – this is the cool part – we have the advantage over Satan We have the advantage over “… the rulers, … the authorities, … …the powers of this dark world and… the spiritual forces of evil...”
Did you know that? Read Ephesians 6:12 with me again: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Who’s in the heavenly realms? You’d think it was the spiritual forces of evil But that’s not true. Ephesians 2:6 says “…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
We’re there right now. You may think you’re sitting here in a church building in Logansport, IN… .. but in reality – if you’re a Christian you’re in the heavenly realms
You know what that means? You have the high ground. Every military expert will tell you that if you’re going to be in a battle you want the high ground … because the army that holds the high ground… has the advantage… … and they’re more likely to win the fight.
CLOSE: Dwight D. Eisenhower was the supreme commander of the Allied forces that ultimately defeated the dark powers of Hitler and Nazi Germany. He was literally a military genius. After the war he became President of Columbia University But left that office in 1951 to become supreme commander of the newly formed NATO In 1952 he ran for President of the US and won a sweeping victory And as our President he dealt with the dangers of the Cold War.
When Stalin died in 1953, there was a power struggle in the Soviet Union resulting in… … the ultimate selection of the Butcher of the Ukraine becoming their leader Dwight D. Eisenhower and Nikita Khrushchev now stood toe to toe. The leader of the Free World facing the leader of the Communist powers. Then, one day, Khrushchev visited Eisenhower It was a monumental moment. What strategy could this once great commander of the Allies employ with Khrushchev?
On Sunday morning, September 27, 1959, President Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to accompany him to a worship service at Gettysburg Presbyterian Church. Khrushchev turned him down… But why invite this anti-God communist to go to church to begin with?
Because Eisenhower was a military genius. He knew that – no matter how scary the Butcher could be - no matter how evil communism had been - no matter how godless and profane the communist party was…
God held the higher ground. And if he could just get Khrushchev into church… …the power of the gospel just might reach into |
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