Tag: sermon

Who Would You Follow Into The Flood?

Joshua 3:7-17,

The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. 8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: 11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”

14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.

Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Who Would You Follow Into The Flood?

I like a church where people read the Bible. People who read the Bible for themselves are less likely to be lead astray. Be wary of people who build their lessons on a verse here and a verse there. Read before and after the verse. See if the whole section, chapter, or book supports the lesson that they are teaching.

Now, I can promise you that I am not trying to lead you astray. However, if I was the kind of person who would lead you astray, I would be the kind of person who would lie and say, “I can promise you that I am not trying to lead you astray.”

So, how do we choose the spiritual leader that we follow? And I am not talking about how the conference appoints a pastor. I’m talking about how WE chose to whom we listen.

Have you ever played “Follow the Leader”? One person leads and everyone else follows and does exactly what the leader does. Anyone who doesn’t do the same as the leader is out of the game. The game goes on until only the leader and one other person is still in the game. Of course the leader in the game tries to make it as hard to follow as possible. It is the challenge that makes it fun. In life we want a leader who wants to make it possible for us to follow even when the times are challenging.

Some leaders are charismatic. There is just something about their personality that makes people want to follow them. By all accounts, Jesus Christ was certainly a charismatic leader. People were drawn to Him by the strength of His character. However, the cult leader Jim Jones was also said to be very charismatic. So charisma is not the answer.

Maybe we choose to follow a particular leader because they lead us where we want to go. That certainly sounds like a leader we could follow. Amen? I’ll remind you of some Biblical examples. Moses lead a mob of ex slaves that complained and back peddled for forty years in the dessert – all because they did not like where he lead them.

In the New Testament, Jesus consistently took his disciples to places they did not want to go. He took them to the houses of sinners and tax collectors. He took them among the lepers and He took them into Jerusalem when the authorities were making plans to kill Jesus and punish His disciples. No, we should not choose a leader because he leads us where we want to go.

Perhaps we choose the leader we follow because he can quote scriptures to back up his leadings. Recall, if you will, that Satan also quotes scripture. Between the Old and the New Testaments there are so many passage that can be pulled out of context and made to sound like something they were never meant to say. No, even Bible knowledge is not the test of a true spiritual leader.

The Hebrew Bible lesson takes place just after the 30 days of mourning following the death of Moses. Moses had trained Joshua to take his place. Moses had told the people’s leaders that Joshua was going to lead them into the Promised Land. However, this was the moment when Joshua became a leader because “Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.”

Following God’s order, Joshua ordered the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant, “When you step into the water of the Jordan River, stand there.”

Now remember that the Jordon River was at flood stage. We, here, have been through floods in the past few years. We know the power of the flood. We have heard the warnings to not drive on flooded streets because even a few inches of fast moving water can sweep a car down into deeper waters.

Now, put yourself in the place of the priests who have just been told to walk into the flood and stand there. How willing are you to step into that water? How much do you trust the man who just told you to stand in the flood?

Now Joshua calls to the people of Israel and tells them, “Come here, and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly force your enemies out of your way. Watch the ark of the Lord of the whole earth as it goes ahead of you into the Jordan River. The water flowing from upstream will stop and stand up like a dam.”

In the New Testament reading Paul give thanks that the people of Thessalonica have been good followers of his example. He commends them for being good followers of the gospel of Christ. What kind of leader was Paul? Well, he says that he took a job to earn a living so that he could minister to them with burdening them financially. He says that God is his witness that he was pure, honest, and blameless in his dealings with the believers. And that he treated each of them the way a father treats his children. He comforted them and encouraged them. Yet, he insisted that they should live in a way that proves they belong to the God who calls them into his kingdom and glory.

In our gospel reading we find Jesus warning people to follow the teachings of, but not the examples of, the religious leaders. These leaders continued to teach the laws of Moses but they had enforced burdens on the people that the leaders were exempt from.

The reading begins, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,”

Then – Jesus said. Then – indicates something had happened before. So, let’s see what He is about to say into the time frame of what has gone before.

· Jesus has ridden into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey colt.

· The people have hailed him as the Messiah.

· He has cleansed the temple and overturned the tables of the temple merchants.

· He has been challenged by the religious leaders and has won every debate.

· He has just finally silenced the Pharisees by asking them questions about the Messiah that they could not answer.

Then – Jesus turns to the crowds and to his disciples and says, “The scribes and the Pharisees teach with Moses’ authority. So be careful to do everything they tell you.”

Jesus recognized that, as persons in positions of authority, the scribes and Pharisees were to be respected. It is much like what I was told in the military. When you are saluting and officer, you are saluting the rank – not the man. So, these teachers were teaching with Moses’ authority and are to be followed because of what they teach – not because of who they are.

Jesus even said, “But don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach.”

These people obviously knew the truth because they had been teaching it. Jesus says that what they teach is true. However, they do not live it. Even worse, He says that they intentionally make it as hard as possible for the people to follow the rules they create. And yet do not subject themselves to the same set of rules.

Jesus states their motivation is to “do everything to attract people’s attention. They make their headbands large and the tassels on their shawls long. They love the place of honor at dinners and the front seats in synagogues. They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi.” These, so called, leaders want all of the attention, trappings, and power of their positions but are unwilling to fulfill the true purpose of their positions.

Then Jesus gives the people a further warning, “Don’t make others call you Rabbi, because you have only one teacher, and you are all followers” When compared to the true teacher, every other person falls short. We must all be students of the true teacher.

Then Jesus tells us who the true head of our household is to be. “Don’t call anyone on earth your father, because you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.

Since we all have one Father that makes us family. That means that there is no ‘us verses them’ because we are all ‘us’. That perspective should eliminate a whole lot of conflict when we finally embrace it.

As to being a leader, He says, “Don’t make others call you a leader, because you have only one leader, the Messiah.” If you want to truly be a leader and not just be called “Leader” here is what you must do. “The person who is greatest among you will be your servant.” And remember, “Whoever honors himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be honored.”

So, when we are looking for leadership, these are the attributes for which we should be looking. We need a leader strong enough to lead us where we do not want to go. We want a leader that truly has our best interests a heart. We should look for a leader who is both gentle and firm as a father. We need a leader who is not just trying to line his own pockets or increase his own power. We need a leader who has the heart of a servant. And most of all we really need a leader who is a sincere follower of God.

And let us not forget that we need to do our part by keeping ourselves in tune with the word of God so that we can recognize and embrace the true leaders in our lives.

So let me ask you, who do you trust to lead you through the flood?

“What Christmas Means to Me”

Isaiah 9:6-7

“A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Councilor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and peace will have unlimited growth. He will establish David’s throne and kingdom. He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever.

Luke 2:8-20

“Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! l have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. This is how you will recognize him:

You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will.” The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. “Everyone who heard the shepherd’s story was amazed. Mary treasured all these things in her heart always thought about them. As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.”

“What Christmas Means to Me”

Chris-mus and Christ’s-mass are two of my favorite holidays. They weren’t always. I grew up in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, agnostics and atheists. None of which celebrate the Christ’s Mass. The atheists’ and agnostics in the family did at least celebrate Chris-mus.

You know the difference right? For a long time I didn’t know the difference. I didn’t even know that one was a holiday and the other a holy day.

Christ’s Mass celebrates the birth of the Christ child. The promised savior of sinful man. The fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham that, through his decedent, all people will be blessed.

Chris-mus, (notice the way it is pronounced … Chris rather than Christ) on the other hand, is a secular holiday that celebrates gift giving, Santa, flying deer, evergreen trees and colored lights.

My mother, a Jehovah’s Witness, celebrated neither holiday nor did my sister. My brother celebrated Chris-mus and gave gifts and decorated their home. I was nearly the age of his children and occasionally would also receive gifts from him. (actually is was his wife who was in charge of gifts). As I grew older, I also exchanged gifts with my nieces and nephews.

When I had children of my own, we celebrated a hybrid version of the two holiday’s. We decorated and gave gifts but the focus was on the birth of Christ. My kids knew the Santa myth but were never encouraged to believe it.

Now that I have grown into being Santa, my grandchildren and great grandchildren believe in Santa. I enjoy it. Santa is an example of the best of what we are as humans. he is loving, jolly, giving soul who puts everyone else’s happiness above his own and goes out of his way to be a servant to others. And he gets paid in cookies and milk. How great is that?

However, as we’ve all heard, Jesus is the reason for the season. So I’ve made it my mission to put Christ back into my holy day greetings by trying to remember to say Merry Christ’s Mass

Our Hebrew scripture reading from Isaiah delivers the promise that “A child will be born for us.” Did you catch that? For us … a gift … for us. For us … not a random birth … but a birth with a purpose … for us. I had a startling, mind opening thought here. Listen … here it comes … the gift is never more important than the recipient. Right? The new socks that I received are not more important than I am. The piece of jewelry that I gave is not more important than the person to whom I gave it. Do you see it? Do you understand what that means? God valued US more than his son! Or, if you understand the reality of the Trinity … God valued US more than Himself. But don’t take my word for it, hear the words that Jesus himself spoke, “For God so loved the world (us) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That revelation alone should take us humbly to our knees to praise God for His love of us.

Listen as the promise continues, “A son will be given to us.” Now the promise is restated “to us”. “For us” spoke to the sacrificial nature of God’s gift. “To us” speaks to the direction of this love. This love is to us … not from us … not because of anything that we have done to deserve it … it is just “to us”.

“The weight of the government will rest on his shoulders.” For centuries this was understood by most to mean that the Christ would rule an earthly kingdom. A kingdom such as the people understood but with a benevolent leader who would unite all mankind under his rule. We, from our perspective, have heard Christ’s response when Pilate asked him about his kingdom. Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight to prevent my arrest by Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

No, in his earthly life the only things place on his shoulders were the weight of the cross and the burden of our sins. And yet, just as the prophet said, His kingdom continues to grow, there is no end to it.

I doubt that the shepherds who received the angel’s greeting centuries later were thinking of Isaiah’s words. And yet, they were still waiting and expecting the Christ to come.

I try to inject myself into these scriptures and imagine what it was like to be a shepherd on those dark hills that night. No smog and no light pollution from our modern cities. The sky would have been as black as the inside of a cave. And yet the sky was ablaze with the light of billion upon billion of stars such as few of us have ever seen. Most of the team of shepherds were dozing while a few kept watch, constantly aware that there are predators and other dangers in the dark. They were probably talking about the scores of their favorite sports teams (or whatever men talked about before professional sports and automobiles … I have no idea.) A small fire is crackling nearby. It is not so large as to ruin their night vision but just enough to keep the chill of the night at bay. Fragrant smoke curling upward carrying the scent of olive branches and grapevines toward heaven. And into this peaceful setting, an angel, glowing with unearthly light, suddenly appears and says, “Do not be afraid.” Too late! I would have already wet myself. “Do not be afraid?” You are kidding, right? Then the angel continues, “Boys, I’ve got great new that will have everyone wetting themselves with joy!” Okay, that’s not a direct quote but understand that this news is unlike any other news before or after. No other news in all creation was more important than “Christ has come!”

The shepherds are not commanded to find him but it is assumed that they will so they are given this simple way to recognize this new born Lord of all, “He will be wrapped in strips of cloth and laying in a feeding trough.”

I’m sure that Bethlehem was no where near the 25,000 people that live there today, but it was a city who’s population was swollen because of the people who had come to be registered for the emperors census. How did the shepherds find Him? Well, first of all they were not looking for a baby born in a house. The baby was laying in a manger. Probably the parents were travelers so go look where travelers go … inns. Or more precisely to an inn so full that guests would have to seek shelter in the stable. And with the added assist of some divine guidance, the shepherds find him just as the angels had said.

And what was the 1 scene in that stable that the shepherds found? Well, unlike the romantic paintings, there were no angels hanging about outside or floating above the baby. If you’ve ever been in a barn where animals are kept, you don’t have to imagine too hard and long as to what it smelled like: a mixture of new hay, old wood and animal odors. The animals are awakened by all the activity and probably expecting to be fed. This would have not been unusual for shepherds. But in the middle of all this is Mary, all exhausted from travel and childbirth. She hasn’t had a midwife or family or friends to help her through the delivery or the cleanup. Childbirth is a messy business.

Joseph has done what he could to make his little family comfortable and safe. All the concerns of a new father have just been made real in his life. They are far from home because of the decree of some far off, foreign emperor to find out how many subjects he can tax. The journey to Bethlehem was hard … how hard is the journey home going to be now that there is a baby to be tended? How much income is he loosing because he is away from his place of business?

We tend to overlook the human aspects in this story because of the divine. The glorious news of the Savior’s birth is glorious to us because we don’t have to deal with the day to day realities that Mary and Joseph and yes, the new born Christ child were dealing with. Enter the shepherds, all excited and animated as they tell of the appearance of the angels and the prophesy that was told to them.

Both Mary and Joseph had their moments of divine intervention, but that was months ago. we humans have a problem; even if we have experienced a divine moment, after a while the concerns of our daily life push the divine to the back of our mind. enter the shepherds, all excited, all talking at once, waving their arms with excited gestures, overflowing with the enthusiasm of their own divine intervention. The scriptures do not record how long this party went on before one of the shepherds realize that they have walked off and left their sheep. But it does say that they went away praising God.

And that’s what Christmas means to me.

“Problems in the Vineyard”

Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it up, removed its stones, planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in it, and made a winepress in it. Then he waited for it to produce good grapes, but it produced only sour, wild grapes. Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah, judge between me and my vineyard! What more could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it? When I waited for it to produce good grapes, why did it produce only sour, wild grapes? Now then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devoured and tear down its wall so that it can be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will never be pruned or hoed. Thorns and weeds will grow in it, and I will command the clouds not to rain on it. The vineyard of the LORD of Armies is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. He hoped for justice but saw only slaughter, for righteousness but heard only cries of distress.

Matthew 21:33-46
“Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip. “When the grapes were getting ripe, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce. The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death. So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way. “Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’ “When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those workers?” They answered, “He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is ready.” Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see’? That is why I can guarantee that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. If the stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they knew that he was talking about them. They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

“Problems in the Vineyard”

The reading in Isaiah and the reading in Matthew start out a lot alike. A vineyard has been established. A wall has been built around it. Rocks, shrubs and weeds have been removed. A watchtower has been built so that the fruit can be protected from the wild beasts and thieves. A winepress has been built in anticipation of the harvest to come.
Just preparing the land has most likely taken the first year in the life of this vineyard. And finally the vineyard is planted with grape vines. Each plant placed by hand into the hole and the soil carefully replaced around it, being sure not to leave air pockets. Usually a little dirt is added, a little water is added, a little dirt is added a little water is added, a little dirt etc. until the hole is filled.
Now comes the careful watering. Until the root system is established the ground must be kept moist but not wet. Too much water will drown the young plants. Gradually the dry stems that were planted will begin to show signs of green, signs of growth.
Now the next four years is spent tending the vines, pruning, supporting and training them to the trellis. Plus tending the ground, keeping it loose enough for the water to soak in. And keeping the weeds and varmints out goes on for a long time before it gets to the harvest stage.
Sometimes when we read these illustrations we fail to realize the amount of time the landowner (God) has put into this vineyard (us).
Now in the Isaiah story, the good grapes have gone wild. The expected harvest will not take place. Imagine all that work and nothing to show for it! No wonder the owner wants to withdraw from this piece of property and let it go back to its uncultivated nature.
God had planted his vineyard. He nurtured it and trained it. He had built a vineyard / a nation. He settled them in the perfect spot for them to grow. He had given ten simple laws for them to follow, though they themselves added many more from their interpretation of His laws. God had done all that he could do to insure its survival … and yet it had gone wild. God was not pleased.
In the Matthew reading Jesus is reinterpreting the Isaiah story and saying that the landowner after doing all he could to get the vineyard established had turned the day to day care to some tenants. The harvest is done and now it is time to collect his share of the produce. Being still in a far country, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce as agreed upon.
The tenants, in their greed, decided that THEY had done all the work for this crop (which was only THEIR point of view because they were discounting all the time, money and effort the owner had put into it first). But in their greed they chose not to give the owner his share.
Remember that we are really talking about God and – well – us! How often have we denied that it ALL belongs to God? We are only stewards. And yet, we look around us and say, “Look what I have done! Or See what I have made!”
My three-year-old great granddaughter is at that stage where she is defining boundaries. She’ll look at me as I’m getting a glass of water and say, “That is not YOUR glass, gran’pa. That’s Daddy’s glass.” Or “This is not MY backpack. This is Sissy’s!” Well, this is not MY world. It is God’s, along with everything else in existence. But praise God He let’s me use it.
Remember what you had in your pocket the day you were born? That’s right – nothing!And that is all that belongs to you – nothing. By God’s grace we have what we have and He only asks for a small token to be returned to His service.
Now some of you are maybe starting to think I’m talking about tithing. Well I am, a little, but that’s not all. Yes, as far back as the Garden of Eden a sacrifice, was given to God.
That reminds me of a cartoon I saw of a family sitting in a restaurant. The son turns to his dad and says, “Why does the waitress get 20% and God only gets 10? Let us not begrudge God’s his 10% but be thankful that He lets us have the 90%.
Okay, so now that I’ve talked about tithing let’s get down to what God REALLY wants from us. He wants our love. He wants us to honor him by doing that which he has set before us. He wants us to care for His creation like good stewards.
You see, He has a job for each of us. All it takes is for us to love Him enough – to trust Him enough. And then we need to give God the thanks and the glory that are rightfully his.
Back to the illustration: The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death.
Instead of seeking revenge or retribution for these deaths, the owner is still only trying to receive his portion of the harvest as is his right. So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way.
Stepping out of the metaphor and into reality for a moment, let’s look at who these servants were. Well these were the judges, prophets and righteous people that God sent to his people to get them back in alignment with his purpose. In this day and age we would recognize them as being Pastors, Sunday school teachers, Christian musicians, Christian authors as well as our family and friends who offer us sound advice. Time to ask ourselves how well we have received these servants of God. I doubt that any in this congregation have actually beaten and killed God’s messengers. However, have we received them with the love and with justice as God requires?
Then Jesus says, “Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’ “When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’
Now we know that approach is pure foolishness. Killing the son in no way puts them in line to inherit anything but the father’s wrath! But greed and other sins can cloud our judgments and make us do really stupid things.
So the tenants grabbed the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Jesus was of course talking about himself here! He knew what these rebellious people were planning for him. But Jesus never backed down. Instead he asks these leaders, “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those workers?”
Jesus is checking: do they really not understand right and wrong; or do they know right from wrong and just choose wrong?
They answered, “He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is ready.”
By their own tongues they were condemning themselves but had not yet realized it. They had not seen themselves as the “evil tenants”. They didn’t realize that the “vineyard” was about to be taken away from them and given to those people that these leaders looked down their noses at.
Okay reality check! Who do we turn our noses up at? Are we SURE that we are so much more deserving of the vineyard than they are?
Then Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see’? That is why I can guarantee that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants.
Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. If the stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person.”

Okay, these guys might not have got the point the first time around but, when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard this illustration, they finally knew that he was talking about them. This angered them and they wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

Again, we have to be VERY careful with casting judgment on these religious people. They were, for the most part, good people. However, they were people so locked into their customs and mind sets that they could not accept what Jesus was telling them even when he explained it to them.
We need to be careful that we are not looking at the splinter in their eye and not aware of the log in our own eye. For we too, can fall victim to the delusion that we are always right because we keep the letter of the law but do not always filter it through the love of Christ as he taught us and command us to do.

Part of our communion liturgy says, “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” So, during this time of communion let us each examine our own lives to see if we have the righteousness of God within us or if it is our own self righteousness … which can blind us to the true purpose that God has for us.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011Thomas E. Williams

©2011 Thomas E Williams

Originally posted Saturday, October 1, 2011

Ownership / Stewardship

Gathering Meditation:
30 Day In-Home-Trial.

Lord, I stood with one foot in the door. I heard you calling me and I wanted to answer, “Here am I!” My heart cried out, “I believe!” However my mind was full of doubts. Your promises seemed too good to be true: Salvation, Life eternal, Be born again as a child of God, Become a new creation – the old passwd away and everything new! I’ve heard promises before. I’ve been betrayed before. It hurts so much to trust and have that trust broken. How could I trust You, O Lord? You answered, “Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.” Really? I could test You? When you kept this promise, then I knew that I can trust You to keep your other promises. I’ve put you to the test with my tithe as you command and I’ve proven that you are trustworthy. I believe your other promises! (Based on Malachi 3:10)

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Then Moses went up on Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab. He went to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. The LORD showed him the whole land. He could see Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the territory of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev, and the Jordan Plain–the valley of Jericho (the City of Palms)–as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I said I would give it to their descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you may not go there.” As the LORD had predicted, the LORD’s servant Moses died in Moab. He was buried in a valley in Moab, near Beth Peor. Even today no one knows where his grave is. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight never became poor, and he never lost his physical strength. The Israelites mourned for Moses in the plains of Moab for 30 days. Then the time of mourning for him was over. Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him. The Israelites obeyed him and did what the LORD had commanded through Moses. There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD dealt with face to face. He was the one the LORD sent to do all the miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his whole country. Moses used his mighty hand to do all the spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds that were seen by all the Israelites.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
You know, brothers and sisters, that our time with you was not wasted. As you know, we suffered rough and insulting treatment in Philippi. But our God gave us the courage to tell you his Good News in spite of strong opposition. When we encouraged you, we didn’t use unethical schemes, corrupt practices, or deception. Rather, we are always spreading the Good News. God trusts us to do this because we passed his test. We don’t try to please people but God, who tests our motives. As you know, we never used flattery or schemes to make money. God is our witness! We didn’t seek praise from people, from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had the right to do this. Instead, we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children. We felt so strongly about you that we were determined to share with you not only the Good News of God but also our lives. That’s how dear you were to us!

“Ownership / Stewardship”
“He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not loose.” I heard this quote last Sunday and it seemed to fit well with the message for today.
Next week is Consecration Sunday for our church and we’ll be hearing about financial stewardship. Financial support is one of the ways that we can support God’s work in the world and is an important part of being a good steward.
In the Biblical stories about stewards they are commonly slaves or servants that are given responsibility over a task or a piece of property. Think of the three slaves who were given talents/money by their master before he left for a foreign country. Two of the slaves put the money to work and earned additional income on it. They were called ‘good’ and given rewards. The one who only protected the money, by burying it, gave back to the master exactly what had been entrusted to him. He was condemned by his master and the little that he had been given was taken away from him.
It is important to remember that this is given as an example for us to follow. We are to take what we are given by God and put it to use for His good.
Okay, so then the question is, “What belongs to God and what belongs to us?” Do you remember what was in your hands the day you were born? That’s right, nothing! That is what you truly own in this world, nothing!
We often give a dedication prayer after the offering that says, “Of Thy own have we given Thee, O Lord.” How often do we consider the truth of that statement? How often do we realize that nothing on this earth is ours to keep? How often do we realize that we are only tenants and not owners? When do we admit to ourselves that we are only stewards of God’s world?
I’m reminded of a story about the old-time farmer who sat down to eat and said this prayer, “Thank you Lord for this bread that I baked from flour that I ground from the seed I harvested from the wheat that I grew in the field that I planted on the land I cleared of rocks with which I built the hearth to bake the bread.” With his lips he may have said, “Thank You Lord.” But in his heart he was feeling that he had done everything himself.
Perhaps the farmer should have been praying, “Thank You, Lord for this bread. Thank you for the wisdom to make flour ground from seeds you created. Thank you for the rich soil you provided, and for the sun and rain in their seasons that caused the wheat to grow. Thank you for the strength to work the soil and build the hearth. Thank you for the health to eat the bread full of the nutrients you placed there, O Lord. Thank You for this time of rest and refreshment in which to enjoy this bread. Amen.”
Our Bible readings from the old and new testaments deal with a couple of good stewards, Moses and Paul.
In our Hebrew Bible reading, we see the end of the journey for Moses. It is recorded that Moses saw God face to face and that there has never been another like him. Moses has brought his people to the Promised Land (for the second time). Remember that it did not take forty years for the Israelites to reach the Promised Land. It only took a few months to get there the first time. But they refused to go in. God gave it to them but they did not accept the gift. Because of that, God had them wander in the desert until that whole generation died. Now they are back and ready to go in.
God has given the land to the Israelites. They will still have to secure it because other tribes and other nations have claimed it as there own. It is a gift but they have to take it. This gift of God’s is much like our salvation which is a free gift but unless we accept it and use it, it makes no difference in our lives. The Israelites were to conquer the land and use it for God’s purpose. In other words, they were stewards of the land – not the owners.
In our New Testament reading, Paul points out to his readers that, although he as an apostle of Christ and he had a right to be rewarded for his service, he had not come to them with flattering words not tried to trick them out of their money. He had come as a steward declaring the love of God in Christ to them. So that they could also become stewards of God’s plan.
Jesus has a lot to say in his many parables about stewards and servants and slaves. Some are bad stewards and they lose their jobs, possessions, and sometimes their lives. Some are good stewards and they are rewarded and promoted and praised!. There is a common beginning to all the stories of stewards: at the start, all of them are trusted to carry out the commands and wishes of the master. By their actions their hearts are revealed to be either trustworthy or not.
Invariably the trouble with the bad stewards is that they forget who the true owner is. They begin to think that what they manage belongs to them. That is a dangerous mindset. “Mine, mine, mine!” cries the little child within us.
The good steward is always shown as the one who obeys the master’s wishes. But more than that, the good steward is one who begins to think like the master – to have the same heart as the master – and to anticipate what the master wants – without having to be told. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
That brings me to my own story.
I know that many people give financially to God’s work because they believe in God. That is certainly not unusual. However, my story about giving is a little different. I believe in God because I gave. Did you read the “Gathering Meditation” this morning? That is basically MY story.
After years of disbelief, I had been asked bluntly if I believed that Jesus died for me. I started attending church. I listened to the preacher and the Sunday school teacher talk about the promises of God. My emotions were stirred, or as Wesley said, “My heart was strangely warmed.” It was obvious that these Christians had something that I didn’t. I was drawn to it.
And yet my mind was cynical. Certainly I was too smart to fall for this foolishness no matter how attractive it was! What I needed was a thirty-day-money-back-guarantee. I needed some way to ‘try out’ this God thing.
That’s when I came across Malachi 3:10 which says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Really? I could put God to the test? Wow! Here was my guarantee.
I took God’s challenge and started to tithe. It was not an easy step for me. I had precious little ‘spare’ money. I thought it a good week when I still had money left before the next paycheck came. But I quickly learned that God didn’t want my ‘spare’ money. God wanted the ‘first fruits’. He wanted His 10% off the top.
Okay, so this was His challenge. If I was going to really put Him to the test, I had to follow his plan. So I did. I was so surprised to find money left at the end of the first month that I put it aside and didn’t spend it. The next month I had more money left.
This did NOT MAKE SENSE! And THAT was the big lesson that I learned: this God stuff does not make sense, because God’s wisdom is foolishness to men.
You see a good steward has that child-like faith that believes what God says, – He will do. Being a good steward requires an attitude change and in the way we think about ‘our“ possessions.
I’ll admit that it has not always been easy and sometimes I have not proven to be as faithful as I want to be. However, God has continued to be faithful to me.
Now here is a question for us.
Why does God say bring our tithes that there may be food in my storehouse?Why does God want our tithes?Not for Himself, certainly, it all belongs to Him anyway! It is because it is one way that God expresses His love for us, His children. It gives us a chance to share, to be in partnership with the Almighty.
Here is that same question turned around. Why should we bring our tithes into God’s storehouse?
I was given this United Methodist Publication entitled “Why We Give” and it says that, “Christians give through their churches for many reasons, including – but not limited to – the following:
Because God first gave to us
Because we love God
Because it is what Christians do
Because it is what our church does
To make ministry and mission happen
Because, together, we can do what no one individual or
congregation can do separately
Remember, God does NOT need our money. He does, however, want us to be good stewards and share in the joy of giving. For giving is Godlike.
Here ends the lesson.
Amen

God bless

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All content (except quotations)

©2011 Thomas E Williams
originally published Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Where Can I Be A Gate?

Exodus 32:1-14 When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us.” Aaron said to them, “Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron. After he had worked on the gold with a tool, he made it into a statue of a calf. Then they said, “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival in the LORD’s honor.” Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy. The LORD said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything. They’ve already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.'” The LORD added, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with. Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation.” But Moses pleaded with the LORD his God. “LORD,” he said, “why are you so angry with your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand? Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out of our land.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their permanent possession.'” So the LORD reconsidered his threat to destroy his people.

Philippians 4:1-9 So, brothers and sisters, I love you and miss you. You are my joy and my crown. Therefore, dear friends, keep your relationship with the Lord firm! I encourage both Euodia and Syntyche to have the attitude the Lord wants them to have. Yes, I also ask you, Syzugus, my true partner, to help these women. They fought beside me to spread the Good News along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you.

Where Can I Be A Gate?

Our scripture readings both deal with intercession. In simple terms a person who intercedes stands between two opposing forces and brings peace and protection. I was reminded that at one point Christ referred to himself as the gate in a sheep hold. He stood between the sheep and the wild animals and thieves who would come to do harm to the sheep. This is intercession.

Our message from the Hebrew Bible is an interesting story that has so many possible sermons in it. We could talk about how quickly these people turned their backs on the God who saved them from slavery. We could build a sermon around Aaron who so easily gave in to the pressure of the people. We could focus on the righteous wrath of God toward this ungrateful congregation of freed slaves. However, the thing that jumped out at me years ago when I first read this account was that Moses argued with God and God relented!
Let us take a look here starting in verse 7 “God said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything.” Did you catch that? God told Moses “YOUR people whom YOU brought out of Egypt” I want to ask the parents in the crowd to ‘fess up to something. When the kids have just done something that just got on your last nerve, have you turned to your spouse and said, “YOUR kids are driving me nuts!” Not MY kid or OUR kids but YOUR kids.
God is saying that they’ve already turned from the way He commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve already made idols for themselves and said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
God is saying to Moses, “You haven’t even had a chance to take them the commandments that I’ve given you and they’ve already broken three of them! “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with.
They are impossible to deal with! I have four children of my own. I love them each dearly. I remember telling someone that I wouldn’t take a million dollars for any one of them. However there are days I would have given you the SET for free! That is not true of coarse but, in a way, I can relate to the frustration that God is feeling. Here He is just moments from fulfilling everything that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Here is the NATION that God had said would come from their seed. This plan had been in process for over four hundred years. In just a short time they would reach the promised land. Land that God had made rich for them (remember “a land flowing with milk and honey”?).
God had brought Moses to the mountain to give them ten laws (the shortest list of laws that any nation has ever had to live by) and during that very time, they had turned to worshiping a god created by their own hands. No wonder God was saddened and disappointed by this ungrateful and unfaithful mob of people.

God’s plan had been irreversible changed by the very nation that He had brought into existence. He was ready to go to plan B. So He said, “Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them.”

Gasp! What? But God is a loving God who is willing to forgive over and over and over! (Remember Jesus saying to Peter that he had to be willing to forgive seventy-seven times?)

Yes He is. However, He has limits. Remember the story of Noah begins with God saying nearly the same thing. The people have become so far gone that He decides to tear it all down and start over – again! He had been pushed past that 78th time!
Then God promises Moses the same thing that He had told Abraham, then Isaac and then Jacob; “I’ll make YOU into a great nation.”
Moses could have done the same thing that his ancestors did, accept the covenant from God. But instead Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. He becomes the gate between God and the nation of Israel when he said, “why are you so angry with your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand?”

Moses reminded God that it was God and not he, Moses, who brought these people out of Egypt.

Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out of our land.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people.
Moses said to God, “Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, andIsrael. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their permanent possession.’ ”
Moses reminded God that it was God who had made the original covenant and then repeated it to successive generations of Abraham’s line. This was not a contract that men had made with God. This was a contract that God had made with men and could not be broken.
So the Lord reconsidered his threat to destroy his people.
God reconsidered. God relented because Moses interceded for the people. This vast multitude of people would have perished without the persistent prayer of this one man. God listened.
In the new testament reading Paul asks the congregation at Philipi keep their relationship with the Lord firm! And he encouraged both
Eu-o`-di-a and Syn`-ty-che to have the attitude the Lord wants them to have.
There was a division in this church that was destroying it. God’s plan for this people was in jeopardy of being destroyed by the people themselves.
Paul intercedes and becomes an advocate on behalf of the whole congregation by reminding the ‘combatants’ to be open to the love that God intends them of have. He is asking them to look past their differences and remember that they are both children of God and should love each other as family.
Then Paul gives them guidelines on how to achieve this harmony. He says, “Always be joyful in the Lord!” That is so important that he repeats it by saying, “I’ll say it again: Be joyful!’ Remember the image of the gate on the sheep hold? Paul is standing between the sheep and the wolf and saying, “Be joyful in the Lord!” What amazing insight! How can there be conflict where there is the joy of the Lord?
So step one is joy. Step two is being considerate. Being considerate means that you look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Now step three is never worry about anything. You know what worry is? Worry is the interest that the Devil charges on a debt you don’t owe. Worry is nonproductive waste of time and energy.
It is easy to say, “Don’t worry.” But how do we do that? Paul explains, “In every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.” Turn it over to God. Leave it in His hands and trust that He will turn it to good.
Here is the good news. If we follow these simple steps, then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard our thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
Paul’s final thoughts on this conflict resolution are, “keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.”
As you read the Bible it is very easy to find examples of people of God stepping into situations where they became the gate between warring people and factions and brought about a peaceful settlement; examples where righteous people have provided shelter for the weak and guidance to the hurtful.
In my own life I can think of times when someone has stepped in to do intercessory work on my behalf. I’m sure that you can think of examples in your life also
We know that we have an intercessor in Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of God and acts as an advocate for us. This same Christ commands that we do the same for others. We are to be the bringers of peace and love to the world. We need to look for opportunities to be gates in the sheep hold. Amen

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted Friday, October 7, 2011

Q & A


Matthew 21:23-32Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?” Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?” They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things. “What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’ “His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went. “The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go. “Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him.

Q & A

Our message begins on a typical Sabbath morning. Jesus had gone into the temple to do what he had been doing all His life (being about His Father’s business). Here he was teaching and explaining the Law and the Prophets when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him.
They asked, “Dude, who do you think you are? WE are the teachers here. These people pay US to tell them how WE interpret the scriptures. WE spent years studying with a respected rabbi before we were allowed to teach. What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority? Where is YOUR diploma?”
Now I know that the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus had a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips when he answered, but I believe He did when He said, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things.
Can you see the fear on these priests and leaders faces? You know they were not used to being challenged; not here in the Temple. This was their home turf. I can imagine them starting to sweat and beginning to back away. Then Jesus asked the question, “Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”
Oh man! They knew it! He was setting them up! They thought it over and said to each other, “There is no way we can answer Him. We can’t say that God gave John this right. Because then Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe; and there is no way we can defend ourselves there. On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.”
So these religious leaders did a quick huddle and decided to play it safe. So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Okay, so you won’t be honest with me. Well then I won’t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”
Now right here at verse 28 the story appears to take a sharp right turn. It almost appears that Jesus is changing the subject. But hang on; He knows where He is going with this lesson.
Now Jesus, while he has these leaders’ attention says, “I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think.”
Oh yeah! I’m sure that they are looking forward to THIS quiz. After all, they had done so well on the last one!
Jesus began the story, “The father went to the older son and said, “Go work in the vineyard today!” His son told him that he would not do it, but later he changed his mind and went.
The man then told his younger son to go work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but then he didn’t go to work after all.”
Okay, the parameters of the story have been explained. Now Jesus asks, “So, teachers, which one of the sons obeyed his father?”
The chief priests and leaders answered, “The older one!” Wow! This test was easier than they thought it was going to be! This was not near as tricky as they had feared. The answer was so obvious! The one who obeyed was the one who obeyed, even though he had at first refused. Simple, really, when you thought about it.
Then Jesus told them: “You can be sure that tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you ever will!
What? Why? We answered your question correctly! We know we did!
“Because, when John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe and follow him. You were the son that said you would but then refused to follow. By your own tongues you have judged yourselves.
But these “evil” people, the tax collectors and prostitutes, did believe. They may have been disobedient at the beginning but then they repented and changed. And even then, when you, priests and teachers of the Law, saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe. What good is to say ‘yes’ with your lips and ‘no’ with your actions?”
Now it is our turn to answer Jesus. We sing on Sunday morning; “Follow, I will follow thee my Lord”, “Where he leads me I will follow”, or dozens of other hymns that speak about our obedience to the Lord.
Are we just moved by the music and mouthing the words without thought? If so, how many lies do Christians sing each week? Can we better defend ourselves to Jesus questions than did the “religious” people of His day?
If we can’t do better than they, then what makes us think that Christ will be any easier on us for our disobedience?
We are good people! We know we are. However, the chief priests and synagogue leaders were also ‘good people’. For the most part they were trying to do what they thought was expected of them. They said all the right words, just as they had been taught.
It was their actions, or their lack of actions that was getting them into trouble with Jesus. It is what can get us into trouble with Jesus.
We hear, we listen, we nod our heads in agreement and may even shout, “Amen!” But to what avail if it has caused no change within our lives?
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Sometimes James is misunderstood as saying that people are saved by their actions. He only says that the proof that they are saved is the changes it makes in their actions.
If we have been changed, if we are new creatures, then those around us should be able to notice. I pray that when we sing, “Where He leads me I will follow” we will be singing the truth of our hearts.
Amen.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted on Saturday, August 20, 2011

Here Is Your Outline – Live It

Romans 12:9-21
Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good. Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other. Don’t be lazy in showing your devotion. Use your energy to serve the Lord. Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually. Share what you have with God’s people who are in need. Be hospitable. Bless those who persecute you. Bless them, and don’t curse them. Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are. Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you. Focus your thoughts on those things that are considered noble. As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone. Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.” But, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will make him feel guilty and ashamed.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.

Message: Here Is Your Outline – Live It

In the early days of manned space flight, I remember sitting glued to the television screen watching as NASA preparied for launch. One of the things that fascinated me was the pre-launch sequence. They would go through a checklist called the go no-go where they would call for a check of all of the various systems necessary for lunch. Each monitoring station would report with either a go or a no-go. If there was a no-go then they launch would be delayed until that issue was fixed. Only when they had a clear go, on all systems, would they be clear for launch.

Well, sure, if we are going to be flying way above the atmosphere, we would want to make sure that everything was in top shape and fully ready before we put our faith in this piece of machinery – Right?
I mean, if things go wrong, the consequences could put our lives at risk.
Aren’t our lives at risk by the choices we make everyday? Hey! Just living is risking our lives.
But there is something even more important than our lives.This life is but a moment in time.We are like the grasses of the field that flower for a short time and then are cast into the fire.
How is it with your soul?We live in a world that is broken and if we are not careful it can cause cuts and bruises to our souls – that eternal part of us.We have our eternal life to guard. Fortunately we have this “Operator Manuel” that we call the Bible.And we need to read it through over and over and become familiar with what it has to say.
Bible study is like astronaut training. We have to become familiar with the strengths and weakness.Where to look for trouble spots and how to correct them.
You have probably seen a TV show or movie where some untrained person is suddenly put in the position where they have to land the plane. That only works in fiction.
My point here is the only way to be prepared is to prepare! If the only Bible you know is what I or someone else has told you, you are about as ready to live the Christian life as I am to pilot the Mars Lander. We need to be prepared by reading the Bible for ourselves.
I know, sometimes we look at the Bible and think, “I could never read all of that.”The truth is that it is really simple. Just like eating an elephant; you take one bite at a time. There are lots of good reading plans out there (check the internet) that break the Bible into daily “bite size” bits.
I used one from the Gideons, that was designed to let you read the whole Bible through in a year.The first time through, I’ll admit was just a – read and check it off my list as done – sort of reading. It wasn’t “study” as much as it was complete the task. Maybe that wasn’t the best attitude or the best reason, however it got me into the Word.
Since then, I have used study plans that concentrate on parts of the Bible such as the Letters of Paul, the Psalms, Proverbs, or the first five books of the Old Testament.
As you read, ask yourself questions such as; who, what, when, where, why, and how. Ask what did this mean to the people who were there? What does it mean to me now?
Maybe you can join a Bible study group where you can share questions and ideas with others. Studying with others is great, however, keep it mind that it is YOUR life that you are training for, so you must take the responsibility.
Maybe you can join a Bible study group where you can share questions and ideas with others.
So, after you are trained, you are now ready to fly!
A daily devotional time will help you to “top off your tank”.
A prayer will help to set your navigation – your flight plan for the day.
Now you are ready for the “Preflight Checklist”
Our reading from Romans lays out a plan for living almost like a “preflight checklist” for life. (You were probably wondering when we were going to get into the scriptures today!)
1. Be sincere in your love for others. CHECK
2. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. CHECK
3. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. CHECK
4. Never give up. CHECK
5. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. CHECK
6. Let your hope make you glad. CHECK
7. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. CHECK
8. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home. CHECK
9. Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. CHECK
10. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. CHECK
11. Be friendly with everyone. CHECK
12. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. CHECK
13. Make friends with ordinary people. CHECK
14. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. CHECK
15. But try to earn the respect of others, CHECK
16. and do your best to live at peace with everyone. CHECK
17. Don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one to take revenge and pay them back.” CHECK
18. “If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty,
give them something to drink. CHECK
This will be the same as piling burning coals
on their heads.”

19 Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good. CHECK
Maybe we should go through this “preflight checklist” as we start each day. Imagine how different our day would be.
Also, remember that despite what a popular bumper-sticker says, Christ is the pilot – not our co-pilot. As a friend of mine has said, “If Christ is your co-pilot, you need to change seats.”
Amen.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011 Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted Monday, August 15, 2011

What Comes Out of Your Mouth?

What Comes Out of Your Mouth?

Matthew 15:10-20
Then he called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand! What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean. It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you realize that when the Pharisees heard your statement they were offended?” He answered, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.” Peter said to him, “Explain this illustration to us.” Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet? But whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within, and that’s what makes a person unclean. Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, other sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing come from within. These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating without washing one’s hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”

I can hear my mother calling me, “Tom, time to eat. Go wash your hands.”

I’d come in from playing – climbing trees, playing soldier (which meant getting ‘shot’ and rolling down the hill) and most likely I’d been catching grasshoppers or toads or snakes.So in I come and dip my hands into water and dry off on a towel.

“No, go back and use soap!” Mom would scold. Funny, MY kids were the same way; always in too much of a hurry to ‘scrub’ away the dirt before coming to the table.
Parents are always concerned with what goes into their kids’ mouths. “Get that out of your mouth.You don’t know where that has been!”
We are concerned about cleanliness because we are concerned for their health and well being. We are also concerned about what comes out of their mouths What are we teaching them – by word and by example?
“What did you say, young man! Don’t make me wash your mouth out with soap!” Yes, I’ve had my mouth washed out with soap!And I’ve washed my son’s mouth out with soap.
Oh, I wish it were really that easy to cleanse the heart. Here Jesus called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand! What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean.It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”
This is one of the most straight-forward statements Jesus ever made. No parable was needed to make this point. He just says, “Listen up! What you eat will not harm you as much as what you say!” No further explanation should be needed. Right?
But then the disciples said to him, “Do you realize that when the Pharisees heard your statement they were offended?” Yes, the Pharisees were offended. Jesus had, once again, dismissed one of the Mosaic laws of cleanliness. Or at least that is what they heard. They had a scroll full of things that could make a person unclean! Who was this Jesus to come along and say that eating unclean animals, like pork, would not make you unclean!
Jesus didn’t actually say that we should not wash our hands before we eat or that it was okay to eat just anything that we picked up off the ground (no 7 second rule here). He was trying to get the point across that what we say (and by extension what we think) can have far more impact on our lives than a little dirt eaten with our lunch.
I’ve often been amazed at the number of times it is recorded that there was such a conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. Because, of the various sects of Judaism, the Pharisees were closest to teaching the same things that Jesus taught. In Matthew 23:3 Jesus even tells his listeners, “So be careful to do everything they tell you.” However, He quickly adds, “But don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach.”
I have four children with very different personalities. My oldest son would never argue with me. I’d tell him to do something and he say, “Okay.” He wouldn’t do it – but he didn’t argue. My oldest daughter would argue with me. I’d tell her what to do and she’d give me 50 reasons that it can’t or shouldn’t be done. Then she’d go do it.
Which is better? To argue and obey? Or to agree and disobey?

Here, Jesus was saying that the Pharisees did not argue with the commands of God, but they did not follow them.

Here is what Jesus said about the Pharisees in today’s reading, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. So, leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”Finally! A parable! I imagine Peter has been sitting on his hands, bouncing in his seat just waiting for a parable so he can say, “Explain this illustration to us.”

Finally! A parable! I imagine Peter has been sitting on his hands, bouncing in his seat just waiting for a parable so he can say, “Explain this illustration to us.”

To this Jesus said, “Seriously, Peter? Don’t you understand yet? Okay, I’ll be a little more graphic for you. Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet?
Listen, whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within. It shows what kind of a person you truly are and that’s what makes a person unclean. Here are examples of the unclean things that I’m talking about, evil thoughts, murder, adultery, other sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing. These are the things that make a person unclean, Jesus said.
I praise God that Jesus’ blood can wash away these impurities that make us spiritually unclean. Without His grace we could never stand in the presence of the Father. Our sins would keep us forever separated from the holiness of God. But because He paid the price of our sins, God no longer sees them. So we can come to God any time any place – even if we have dirt under our fingernails.

Glory to God. Amen.

©Thomas E Williams 2011

Originally published Monday, August 15, 2011