How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 4)

How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 4)
The Greatest Gift Ever Given
Jeff Garrett

Announcement about Joy in the Box – Debbie Starky.

Last Sunday was great. Special thanks to Allen and Jeanie. I’ve heard so many good things about our church. Last Monday I spoke at The Counseling Center in Portsmouth Ohio and they had heard about our church. People are asking “What is going on at the church in Huntington?” On Tuesday I spoke for Pat Chambers at a holiday dinner at St Mary’s Hospital and she told them about you. I walked into the counseling department at Marshall University and Dr. McDowell had cut out a news paper article about our church and posted it on the bulletin board in Harris Hall. We’ve been in the papers and on the T.V. news. The Christian Chronicle called this week and interviewed Allen and Jeanie and they are going to feature what happened at our church in the next issue of the Christian Chronicle which will go to thousands of people and churches.

As all of this was happening I thought about what Paul said to the church at Thessalonica.
Read this passage with me. 1 Thessalonians 1:8 The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. That’s what’s happening at Norway Avenue and I just want to say “Thank you Lord!” It seemed to me that last Sunday our assembly was filled with the presence of God in a unique way. The Holy Spirit moved us all and Jesus Christ was praised. It is exactly the type of thing that we need to be doing. I wish we could do it every weekend – it would kill us but it would be a great way to die. When something as big as this movie is on the mind of our community we need to take advantage of the opportunity to do good and do something fresh, something different, something relevant, something big! and put in a good word for Jesus.

I feel the momentum building. There is a sense of unity and love and excitement in our church because the Lord is blessing us. And the good work continues – This week we are going to give Christmas gifts for children who would have no Christmas gifts under their tree. Next week we are going to have a Christmas program on Sunday morning for our community and we want you to invite your family and friends. It’s going to be great. Jesus is going to be praised and the church is going to be uplifted and nonbelievers are gong to be encouraged. I am so excited about what Jesus is doing in our church and I am excited about our future. Turn to the person sitting next to you and say “God is really blessing our church and I’m happy to be here.”

The title of my lesson is “The Greatest Gift Ever Given.” You need to understand the gift. A computer salesman told about a phone call he received. The caller said I want to buy a new cup holder for my computer. The salesman said “We don’t sell cup holders. We sell computer accessories.” The caller said “I know! My wife bought this computer from your company. It’s my Christmas gift and it came with a cup holder.” So the salesman said, “Explain to me a little bit about this cup holder.” The guy said “It’s on the computer tower and I just push a button and out comes this tray. It has a hole in the middle and the cup fits right inside of it. But I broke it and I need another one.” The salesman explained “That’s not a cup holder. That’s a CD Rom tray.” The caller said “O, no wonder it broke.”

The greatest gift ever given is Jesus Christ. You need to understand who he is and why he came. When you understand who he is and why he came you will know why Jesus is the greatest gift ever given. You will understand the gift when you know his names. Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." Two names – Jesus – our Savior. Immanuel – “God with us.”

God left heaven and came to earth to save us. How many of you have done Google Earth? Google Earth is a program that anyone can download for free. It allows you to see earth from a satellite. The amazing part of the program is that you can zoom in on any part of the earth you want to go to.

I clicked on the western hemisphere and zoomed into North America. Then I clicked on the United States and zoomed in. Then I clicked on the state of Ohio and zoomed in. Then I clicked on Columbus Ohio and zoomed in. Then I clicked on Reynoldsburg and zoomed in. Then I clicked on 6900 Carrousel Dr. S. and zoomed in on the house where we used to live and I could see the red car of the people who live in our old house from the satellite in space. That was amazing! So I asked Rob to see if he could zoom into Bethlehem where Jesus was born. He started with a satellite picture of earth in the distance and he zoomed right into the town where Jesus was born. Think of what that must have been like for the Son of God to leave heaven and come to earth as an infant.

Last Thursday I visited Dina and Eugene and their newborn son Jacob. Can you imagine Dina and Eugene putting their baby in the hands of people who would mistreat him and eventually kill him? There’s no way they could do that. But that is exactly what God did. God did it because he loves you and he wants to save you. That’s the message of Christmas. Let’s read John 3:16 together John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The greatest gift ever given was Jesus Christ.

This morning I want to dedicate my lesson to seekers. I want to show you two different groups of seekers that were present at the first Christmas: the shepherds and the magi.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. … 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." … 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Contrasting the Difference in Seekers.

Notice how different these two groups were. The shepherds were Jews and the Magi were Gentiles.

God used angels to call the shepherds. God used a brilliant star to draw the Magi. We don’t know for certain what this star was. Some say that it was a comet. Others speculate that it was a special configuration of overlapping planets arranged by God to lead them to make this journey. I believe that it had to be supernatural because it not only led them to travel in a westerly direction but to the very house where Jesus was. Perhaps you have a star in your life. God put it there to bring you to Jesus. That star may be a person or a book or a movie or an event or a church. Maybe it’s not a star maybe it’s an angel. They are sort of like a travel guide to bring you to Jesus.

The financial status of these two groups of men were different. The shepherds were poor and the Magi were rich. So, when the shepherds came to the manger where Jesus lay, they didn’t bring gifts for they had none to offer. But when the Magi arrived, they presented the newborn King with very expensive gifts: gold, incense, and myrrh.

Another wide contrast between these two groups of men was education. Shepherds received little or no education and many of them were illiterate. But the Magi were known for their knowledge which is why today most people refer to them as wise men. Our word Magistrate comes from the word magi. So these guys were learned men: scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, doctors as well as the legal authorities of their culture. They were probably familiar with the Hebrew scriptures like Numbers 24:17 which says, ..a star shall come froth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel. So when they saw the star they understood it’s meaning.

And then one final difference between these magi and shepherds is seen...in the distance they traveled to accept this invitation from God. Luke says the Shepherds were very close...close enough to get there not long after Jesus’ was born. We don’t know how far the wise men had to travel but we can infer that it could have been as far as a two year journey because when Herod inquired of them exactly when the star had appeared he responded to their news by ordering all male children in Bethlehem age 2 or younger to be killed.

So these men were very different and from these contrast I want to make three points of application.

1. Jesus came for everyone - rich or poor, educated or illiterate, near or far, Jew or gentile. None of those things matter for the simple reason that Jesus did not come to be the Savior of only some. He came to be the Savior of all. Christmas is for everyone.

2. Anyone who seeks Jesus will find Him – The shepherds searched for Jesus and they found him. The Magi searched for Jesus and they found him. God said in Deuteronomy 4:29 If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. If your seeking Jesus God the Father will make sure you find him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And, do you know why? Because He is looking for you as well. As Luke 19:10 says Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.

3. Our primary response to the incarnation should be to worship Jesus. I say this because this is what both groups did when they found Jesus. The magi bowed down and worshiped and the shepherds praised God. When God brought his firstborn into the world, he said, "Let all God's angels worship him” (Hebrews 1:6).

The greatest gift ever given is Jesus Christ. If I had a brand new Jaguar up on this stage and gave it away I would probably be mobbed. Some of you might think that that was the greatest gift you’ve ever received. But if I told you that I have a gift for you and that gift will solve all your biggest problems, heal all your deepest hurts, forgive every single mistake you’ve ever made, help you understand the purpose you were put on earth for, make you a better person, fill your life with confidence and joy and peace and eternally secure your future in heaven would you be interested in a gift like that? I guess so!

So let me ask you a very personal question. How many more Christmases are you going to spend before you finally accept God's gift to you? You celebrate this event year after year after year without unwrapping the biggest gift under the tree – God's gift to you – Jesus Christ. Why don’t you accept the greatest gift every given right now?

Prayer Time

The Hall of Faith - Special Service with the 1971 Young Thundering Herd

The Hall of Faith
Hebrews 11
Jeff Garrett

We want to say "Thank you" to Allen and Jeanie Meadows for making this special day possible.
We are happy to have the Young Thundering Herd with us this morning. In two days these men and there families will see the premiere of the movie “We are Marshall.” The movie tells the inspiring story of how these men helped rebuild the Marshall Football program after a tragic plane crash that took the lives of the 1970 team. I want to begin by showing the trailer to the movie.

Movie Trailer

We are excited that you are here. We want to thank you for what you have accomplished. Let’s show the Young Thundering Herd our appreciation by giving them a round of applause.

Your story is going to be told all over the world and millions of people will be inspired. There is no better way to start the weekend of activities than to worship God. We want to thank the Lord for what he has done through you. And we want to hear a message from God’s word that will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ.

The title of my lesson this morning is called “The Hall of Faith” from Hebrews 11. Many of us have been to Akron Ohio to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame. More of us have been to the Marshall Hall of Fame Café. When you see the pictures and read the stories it is so inspiring and you realize that it’s more than a game. It teaches us important lessons for life. Things like faith, perseverance, endurance and determination to do our best. I have a message from the Bible that I want to share and I want to make it clear.

A minister used an object lesson for his sermon one Sunday. He brought four worms and four jars to the pulpit. In one jar he had Jack Daniels, in another jar he had chocolate syrup, in another jar he had tobacco. So he had whiskey, chocolate and tobacco juice in separate jars. And in the fourth jar he had fertile soil. He took the four worms and he put one in each jar. Then he preached his message and at the end of his message he returned to his object lesson and he pulled a worm out of each jar. He pulled the worm out the jar filled with Jack Daniels and the worm was flat dead. He pulled the worm out of the chocolate syrup and it was dead. He pulled the worm out of the tobacco and it was dead. But when he pulled the worm out of that fertile rich soil, it was alive and kicking. Then he ask the church “What is the point of this demonstration?” And an older woman in the back raised her hand and said “It tells us that if we drink and smoke and eat lot’s of chocolate we won’t have worms.”

Many times an audience misunderstands the meaning of a message. So you don’t missed the point of my lesson this morning I’ve summarized everything I’m going to say in a sentence. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they live by faith. I want to encourage you to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11 begins by defining faith. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith is being sure and certain. It is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen and it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

When Jack Lengyel agreed to come and take on the task of rebuilding this Marshall University football program he had to have faith because he was attempting something that had never been done before. He could see what others could not see. In the movie Ashes to Glory Coach Lengyel, said “these next four years the athletes that will be participating in this program will have a page in history at Marshall University. Their victories will be reflected in the years to come and how well we do in the next four to five years will be how well Marshall University will continue to do in the years to come.” Everyone knows how special coach Lengyel is. Before the first season he even received a letter of gratitude from President Nixon commending him for his courage.

Lengyel hired coaches like Red Dawson who had played for Florida State and Coach Andy Nameth who played for one of Ohio State’s National Championship teams and coached under Woody Hayes before coming to Marshall. Then they started recruiting players like Roger Hillis who, at that time, was being recruited by Bear Bryant at Alabama. But Roger chose to come help rebuild the Marshall program. They recruited men like Steve Johnson and Pete Diebo came from the University of Buffalo. And as they began to rebuild the team they had to have faith and confidence. The whole city was still in shock from the worst accident in the history of college sports. This wasn’t just about a football team. It was about our town, our community. It was about the people who died in a terrible accident. Their grave site is in the cemetery across from our church building. Even though they are dead, they still speak. Sort of like Abel.

11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

The memorial service in the cemetary this morning was moving. The Young Thundering Herd gathered around the monument for the unidentified players who died in the plane crash. That grave site represents 75 people who died. Even though they are dead, they still speak. They still inspire us.

We need to be inspired. We need to be encouraged. God wants us to have faith. Not faith in faith. Or faith in ourselves. God wants us to have faith in him. That’s what pleases God.

11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

If you believe in Jesus Christ repeat the good confession after me.

I believe with all my heart (echo).

That Jesus Christ is the Son of God (echo).

He died for my sins (echo).

He rose from the grave (echo).

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior (echo).

That's what please God! When we have faith in Jesus Christ we please God. Hebrews 11 is full of stories of people who lived by faith. Hebrews 11 reminds me of the highlights on ESPN Sports Center because it captures exciting stories in the Bible.

By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven without experiencing death (11:5).
By faith Noah prepared an ark and saved his family (11:7).
By faith Abraham …(11:8-17).
- left his country and lived like a pilgrim in the Promised Land
- had a son when he and Sarah were way too old to be having babies
- offered up Isaac as a sacrifice
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau (11:20).
By faith Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph and worshiped God while leaning on his staff (11:21).

Do you see why this reminds me of sports center? He’s just giving the highlights of people in the Bible who did great things because they lived by faith. We love to remember the stories of people who did great things because they inspire us.

Do you remember when Rick Meckstroth made13 solo tackles, 11 assists and intercepted a pass in the Bowling Green game?

Do you remember when Allen Meadows chased down Toledo’s quarterback Gene Swick in the back field and threw him down like a rag doll causing a fumble that John Shimp recovered?

Do you remember when Tom Smyth made the first touchdown after the crash at the Morehead State game?

And who could forget Reggie Oliver (who has become a household name in Huntington) with his touchdown pass to Terry Gardner with only a few seconds left on the clock in the 1971 Xavier game. That play will come to life in the movie and the whole nation will know about it in a few weeks.

And then there is Eric Gessler, the 190 lb center who turned into 260 lbs of muscle by the end of his senior year and signed a contract as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns.

You guys are amazing! Your story is so inspiring. That’s what God does for us in Hebrews 11. He reminds us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they live by faith. He continues …

By faith Joseph gave orders concerning his bones (11:22).
By faith Moses’ parents hid baby Moses for three months (11:23).
By faith Moses led the Exodus and kept the Passover (11:24-28).
By faith the Israelites passed through the Red Sea (11:29).
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down (11:30).
By faith Rahab welcomed the spies in peace (11:31).

Hebrews 11 is filled with story after story of ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they lived by faith in God. It’s an impressive list of heroes but it’s not exhaustive. He did run out of heroes he just ran out of time. 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, …. All of these people lived by faith in God.

Faith made them strong. Through faith these people 33 … conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; [and their] weakness was turned to strength…. Faith made them strong.

Faith helped them endure hardships. Through faith these people endured unbelievable hardships. They were 36 … were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— but they endure it all by faith. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Notice they are not separate from us; they are together with us. It’s like they are in the stands cheering us on. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

When I read v.1 I picture a football stadium. It’s like we’re out on the field and stands are filled with a great cloud of witnesses. Who are these people? They are all the heroes of faith we just got through talking about in chapter 11. It’s sort of like what you men felt when you won the game against Xavier. It was like all those people who died in the plane crash were cheering you on to victory. That’s the image that comes to mind. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on. They are saying two things.

Focus on Jesus Christ. 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Be Faithful to Jesus – 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they live by faith.

Prayer Time

How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 3)

How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 3)
Accept God’s Grace
Jeff Garrett

Announcement - The 1971 Young Thundering Herd will be here next Sunday. Invite your friends!

This is the third in a series of messages called How to Make the Holidays Special. The first lesson was called Learn to Say Thank You. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
When Matthew Henry was an old man he was mugged on the street corner. That night Henry wrote in his diary, "First, let me be thankful because I have never been robbed before; second, although they took my wallet, they did not take my life; third, although they took all I had, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed." I wonder what I would have written on my blog if that happened to me. What would you write in your journal? It’s a wonderful example to follow. If you are going to make the holidays special you have to learn to be thankful.

The second was called Learn to Connect. We discussed the importance of our relationships with God and people. Jesus said the most important commandments are to love God and love people. You can’t do that if you are disconnected and isolated from each other. Last Wednesday I visited an old friend who was sitting with his mother in a hospital in Charleston. It was late and she was sleeping. She woke up long enough for me to say hello and pray for her. As I held her hand I noticed how weak and frail she was. As I listen to Darrell say with tears in his eyes “I don’t want my mother to die. The holidays are going to be difficult. I hope she makes it till her next birthday in January.” I was reminded that the most important thing in life is our connection to Jesus and to each other. If you are going to make the holidays special you have to learn to connect and enjoy your loved ones while their living.

The title of today’s message is called Accept God’s Grace. In the Bible the word “grace” means “God’s unmerited favor”. The Christmas holiday is really a celebration of the grace of God. It is a celebration of the incarnation of Christ who is full of grace. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. … 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus is full of grace and truth and from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another.

But grace is sometimes hard to accept. I want to give you three barriers to accepting grace.


Three Barriers to Grace

Cultural barrier – The first barrier to the grace of God is a cultural barrier called the American work ethic. We have been taught that you have to earn your way. And there are all sorts of little phrases and mottos that communicate this. Complete these common American phrases:

We make money the old fashioned way, we … earn it.
There’s no such thing as a free… lunch.
There is no gain without … pain.
God helps those who … help themselves.

We tend to be suspicious of free things. When we get an email saying “You’ve just won a million dollars” – what do we do? We block the sender and delete it. When we get an envelope in the mail and it says, “You’ve just won a free vacation” – what do we do? We don’t even open it. We throw in the trash because we know there’s always a catch. Anything worthwhile must be earned or paid for, that nothing is free.
Everything about the American way of life teaches you get what you earn in life. You get what you pay for. So we value work, sweat, effort, and performance. That’s good in many ways but it often makes it difficult to accept the grace of God.

Religious Barriers – The second barrier to grace is religion. Perhaps you are like me. There was a time when I thought that you were saved by keeping God’s law, by working and doing good deeds, by performing religious rituals like baptism and communion. I even warned other people about putting too much emphasis on grace because it may encourage people to sin, they would not attend church, and they would not do any good works. At that time about the only thing I knew about grace was that you could fall from it. You have to do your best and God does the rest. A lot of people believe this and find difficult to understand how it can be any other way. Especially when all your friends and family believes that way. So religion that teaches that salvation comes by keeping rules and laws is a barrier to accepting the grace of God.

Personal barriers – Another barrier that makes it difficult to accept the grace of God relates to personal issues. One of them is pride. Some people are to proud to admit that they need forgiveness. James says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Another personal issue is the opposite of pride i.e., some people feel so ashamed and guilty about the things they have done they believe that they cannot be forgiven.

So whether it’s cultural, religious or personal barriers, grace can be hard to accept. But this morning I want you to overcome these barriers and accept the grace of God. I want you to know that God loves you and he sent Jesus Christ to save you. That’s the message of Christmas. When the angel announced the birth of Jesus Christ he called him Savior.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

Why do we need a Savior? Ephesians 2 answers that question.

Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed 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. 3 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.

I want you to notice the downward spiral in verses 1-3. Verse one, we need a Savior because of our corruption in sin. Verse two, we need a Savior because of our captivity to Satan. Verse three, we need a Savior because of our condemnation to hell. Dead in sin, captive to Satan, and children of wrath.

The result is that you were dead in your transgressions and sins. You say, “How can that be? I’m not dead?” Well, the wages of sin is death. Think back to Adam. God had warned Adam “In the day you eat you will die.” Did Adam die the day he ate? Genesis 5:5 says “Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.”. So Adam lived a long time after he ate the forbidden fruit. But God said “In the day that you eat you will die.” So did he really die? Yes. He died immediately in his spirit. He died progressively in his soul. He died ultimately in is body.

God made you with a body, soul, and spirit. Your body is physical. I believe your soul refers to your mind, emotions and will. The Greek word soul is where we get the word “psyche”. That’s were we get the words “psychology” and “psychiatric”. Your spirit enables you to know God. For God is Spirit and we must worship him in spirit and truth. And when we are save God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Sin kills your spirit immediately. Sin corrupts your soul progressively and sin destroys your body ultimately because it cuts you off from the source of life. Many people buy living Christmas trees. But it’s not really living. When did it die? The minute the man cut it down. You water it and decorate it but it’s dead by new years.

People come to church and like that tree you’re all decorated. You look so pretty. But you’re separated from the life of God. You died immediately in the spirit, progressively in your soul, and you will ultimately die in your body. You heart is beating and your breathing but you are dead because sin cut you from the source of life.

Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

When you are saved Jesus puts all of that in reverse. When you are saved you are justified immediately in you spirit; You are sanctified progressively in your soul – God is working on your mind, emotion, and will day by day to make you more like Jesus. Justified immediately in your spirit. Sanctified progressively in your soul. And glorified ultimately in the body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Notice v.24 says HE will do it. We can do it. God will do it because of his great love for us, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgression.

Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Imagine you have a six-year old son whom you dearly love. Tragically, one day you discover that your son was horribly murdered. After a lengthy search the investigators of the crime find the killer. At this point you have a choice. If you used every means in your power to kill the murderer for his crime, that would be vengeance. If, however, you’re content to sit back and let the legal authorities take over and execute on him what is proper—a fair trial, a plea of guilty, capital punishment—that is justice. But if you should plead for the pardon of the murderer, forgive him completely, invite him into your home, and adopt him as your own son, that is grace. I doubt that anybody could do something like this. But God does it every day!

God saves us by grace and he creates us to do good works which he has prepared in advance for us to do. And when we do good works we are not doing it to be saved. We are doing it because
God saved us by grace and that’s what God created us for.

If you want to make the holidays special you need to accept the grace of God. You will receive the greatest gift ever offered. The free offer of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer Time

How To Make the Holidays Special (Part 2)

How To Make the Holidays Special (Part 2)
Learn to Connect
Jeff Garrett

Last Sunday I began a new series of sermons called How to Make the Holidays Special. The first lesson was called Learn to Say Thank You. The title of today’s lesson is Learn to Connect. Many people feel disconnected and lonely during the holidays. This is the time of year when families and friends get together. But if you don’t have anyone it can be a very difficult time. That’s why some sad songs are popular: “I’ll Have a Blue Christmas without You,” or, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas (if only in my dreams).”

A study by psychologists, Rubenstein and Shaver, reported that 15% of those surveyed felt lonely most or all of the time, 78% felt lonely at least some of the time and only 6% said they never felt lonely. A recent census revealed that 1/5 of all households in the U.S. consist of a person living alone. But you can be lonely in a crowded mall, an office party, or in church with hundreds of people around you. It’s the feeling that, “Nobody really cares about me. Nobody really knows me. Nobody knows what’s going on inside of me.” It may not be true but that’s the way you feel.

God said, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” The Department of Mental Health of California discovered that if you isolate yourself from other people, if all you have is acquaintances, no close friends, you are three times more likely to die an early death, you are four times more likely to suffer emotional burnout, you are five times more likely to be clinically depressed and you are ten times more likely to be hospitalized for a mental disorder.

A divorced man in an empty apartment, a widow living alone without her mate, a couple whose arms ache for a child that recently died, a single, career-minded person who has just moved into a our town, the successful executive who lives in plush surroundings but does not know intimate friendship, the stroke victim in a nursing home, or a family who just started attending our church and they have yet to connect with anyone - many people feel disconnected and lonely, especially during this time of year. We were made for relationships. If you’re going to make the holidays special you have to learn how to connect like Jesus. I’m going to discuss eight practical ways to connect.

1. I will be courageous and take the first step

That’s what Jesus did. Jesus took the first step. Jesus came to us. John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. That’s what we fear.
We’re afraid that others will not receive us. We’re afraid others will reject us. We have so many self-defeating thoughts like: “They may not like me. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to act. I’m too old. I’m too young. I am afraid I will say something wrong. I am afraid I will embarrass myself. I’m afraid I will be rejected. I may get hurt.” All of these fears keep us disconnected and we worry about it so much that we’re paralyzed and we remain disconnected and lonely.

Where do you get the confidence, the courage, of taking the first step in connecting with someone? You get it from God’s Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people but to be wise and strong [courageous] and to love them and enjoy being with them.” It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old, married or divorced – Jesus Christ led you to this church, this is were you belong. We love you. We need you. We care about you. Stop being so critical and hard on yourself.

I like the statement – Don’t let yourself talk to you, you talk to yourself. The next time you start rehearsing those self-defeating thoughts say “Stop that! I’m not going to listen to you! My church family loves me and I can make friends if, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I just take the first step.”

As the relationship grows keep two things in mind: Frequency and authenticity.
First, if you are going be close you will see each other frequently. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, let us encourage one another.” Circle “the habit”. A habit is something you do with frequency. You don’t do a habit occasionally. You do a habit frequently. You do it over and over and over. . This may seem kind of obvious but we’ve got to start here. You’ve got to spend time with people. A lot of time with people. If you just see them every once in a while you’re not going to build deep relationships. You’ve got to spend frequent time with other people, other believers in order to become close to them. It takes TIME

Second, if you are going to connect you need to be authentic. Jesus was real. Do try to be somebody else. Be yourself.

2. I will be considerate of your interests and beliefs.

There are two parts to this point. First, I will be considerate of your interests. Philippians 2:4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: If you want to connect with people, you’ve got to start with their interests not your own. Don’t dominate the conversation by talking about yourself, focus on them.

Second, I will be considerate and respectful of your beliefs. You don’t have to see things the way I do in order for us to connect. Romans 14:1 “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do and don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with even - when it seems like they’re strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.”

3. I will be constructive with my words

Jesus said “season your speech with salt.” Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Avoid unwholesome talk. Be sensitive. Think about how your words affect others. Encourage them. Affirm them so that when they leave they say “I love being with Donna. She always builds me up.”

4. I will be candid about problems

Jesus was always honest and candid. Proverbs 24:26 “An honest answer is the sign of a true friendship.” Friendships are build on honesty. Ephesians 4:15 says to speak the truth in love. You shouldn’t have one without the other. Truth without love is harsh. Love without truth is not genuine. Genuine, healthy, deep, meaningful relationships are built on truth and love. Let me give you three rules for being candid in relationships:

1. Compliment in public, correct in private.
2. Correct when they’re up and not down.
3. Never offer correction until you’ve proven that you’re open to it.

5. I will be confidential with information

Proverbs 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”
There were three pastors who got together and decided to work on this honesty thing. They sat down in a small group and said, “Let’s just be honest with each other about what our greatest struggle, our greatest sin is.” The first guy launched things out by honestly saying, “I struggle with lust. I always have. And I’ve honestly had some very evil thoughts.” The next guy said, “To be honest, I struggle with materialism. And I'm in debt.” The third guy looked at them and said, “I struggle with gossip and I honestly can’t wait to get to a telephone!”

Gossip is talking about a situation with somebody who is neither a part of the solution or a part of the problem. If they’re not a part of the problem or the solution and you’re talking with them about it, that is gossip. More churches have been destroyed by gossip than persecution. Some of you need to get this point. So many friendships have been destroyed by gossip. You don’t even have to gossip about your friends for it to ruin your relationship. If you gossip to your friend about somebody else they will worry about you talking behind their back.

If you’re going to connect with people be loyal to those who are absent. If someone starts gossiping redirect the conversation by saying “I don’t think we ought to talk about that, let’s talk about something else.” It may feel awkward and they may be embarrassed but they will always remember you as a friend who can be trusted.

6. I will cultivate my spiritual life through my relationships.

Jesus was constantly praying and talking about the Bible when he was with his friends. He said, “The words I speak are not my own, they are my Father’s.” His disciples noticed how he prayed and ask him “Teach us how to pray?” Jesus’ friendships were based on serving people in need. If you want to connect with people at a deeper level do three things. 1) Pray together. 2) Study the Bible together. 3) Serve needy people together.

7. I will call for help and support when I need it.

Jesus asked others for help and support in Matthew 26: 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." If Jesus needed his friends to stay with him during difficult times I know that we need to do the same. But we don’t want others to know about our problems. You need to open up and let people know.

Perhaps you are one of those people who was always the strong one. You were always helping others and you don’t feel like you can ask for help. That’s unhealthy. Asking others for help and support is a sign of maturity. Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4: 9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. … 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength.

I want you to picture Paul in prison. He needed help and support and he let young Timothy know. How do you think Timothy felt when we read Do your best to come to me quickly, - I need you Timothy! I believe that encourage Timothy. How do you think Mark felt when he heard that Paul wanted him to come too? When you are in need ask for help! You’ll not only find support you will encourage those who help you.

8. I will be committed to our relationship

Matthew 28:20b And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus promised “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will always be with you.” Nothing can separate us from his love. Jesus is committed to us and faithful to his promise. Relationships require commitment. They have to be cultivated. You have to work through conflict and forgive each other. Good friends don’t rub it in, they rub it out. There have been times when Kim could have walked out on me. There were time when she didn’t have felt good about our marriage and the only thing that kept us together was commitment. I don’t know where I would be without her.

Prayer Time

How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 1) - Thanksgiving 2006

How to Make the Holidays Special (Part 1) Thanksgiving 2006
Learn to Say Thank You
Jeff Garrett

This morning I am beginning a new series called “How to Make the Holidays Special.” Since Thanksgiving is this Thursday I have titled this first sermon “Learning to Say Thank You.”

Luke 17:11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.

Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine? Were they not grateful?” Wouldn’t you love to conduct an interview with those nine guys and ask, “Weren’t you thankful when you were healed? Why didn’t you go back and express gratitude?”

I’m sure that one of them would say, “Well, I had to go show myself to the priest. That’s what he told me to do.” Or another might say, “I had to go see my family because they’ve been so worried about me.” Another might say, “I didn’t know that I was expected to go back and say ‘thank you.’ I mean, he does that for a living, doesn’t he?” Another might say flippantly, “Well, I’m healed but I’m not sure it’s to my advantage. Before I could just sit around and beg; now I’ve got to get a job.” Another might say “I’m cured, I’m thankful, but you know, I just don’t feel right rejoicing when there are still so many lepers out there.” Another might say “I’m going to thank him, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’ve been so busy since I was healed.” Only one in ten was really grateful…grateful enough to go back and thank him.

But isn’t that about the percentage that you expect in life? How many of you are school teachers here? How many of your students come back to you years later after you get a job and say, “I just want to thank you for all the knowledge that you imparted to me.” One in ten? I doubt it. How many people go back to the audio-visual room and express gratitude to Rob and all of his workers? One in ten? Probably not. How many people will go to Harley, Bud and Willard and thank them for the stage they built this week? One in ten. I hope so. Or parents, how many of your teenagers come to you and say, “Hey, Mom! My T-shirts were in the drawer; the socks were all folded up in there. I just want to thank you for doing the laundry again.” One in ten? You’d have a heart attack if it happened that often.


William Barkley wrote, “So often once a man has got what he wants he never comes back.” But God wants us to have grateful hearts. Hebrews 12:28 “Since we have a kingdom nothing can destroy, let us please God by serving him with thankful hearts with holy fear and awe” (Living Bible).

HOW CAN I BE MORE THANKFUL?

1. Acknowledge that everything you have belongs to God.

One way to increase our gratitude is to acknowledge that everything you have belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Actually, nothing we have belongs to us; it all belongs to God. God just loans it to us temporarily; we’re going to leave it all behind.

Let’s imagine that you have a very wealthy friend who says to you, ‘Would you come and live on my estate for a while free of charge? I’ve got to go overseas for…I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone on business…four month, four years. I don’t know how long but I need somebody to stay at my house free. I mean, you can drive my Jaguar; you can ride my horses and all terrain vehicle; you can enjoy my entertainment center; you can swim in my pool, have friends over, have a party. I just need somebody to stay there. Well, you jump at the chance. You go in and you have a great time. You live like a king. But about six months later he emails you and says, “I’m coming home next week.” Would you meet him at the airport with a clenched fist and say, “How dare you come back early?” No, you’d be grateful for every minute you lived there for free. It was his.

Everything in this world, including your body, belongs to God. He’s just letting you use it temporarily. Now if he comes back early or he doesn’t give you quite as much as someone else, rather than being bitter we ought to be grateful because “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” The great thing is he says, “Now when I do come back for you, I’ll take you to a heaven that’s going be even better than this.” That’s why 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

2. Avoid grumbling and complaining

Another way we can increase gratitude is to avoid grumbling and complaining. During the exodus from Egypt Israel griped and complained about having no water, nothing to eat, too much manna, their leaders, and said “We want to go back to Egypt.” The Bible says the Lord became exceedingly angry because of their grumbling and an angel killed some of them. 1 Corinthians 10:6-10 says we ought to learn from their example. “Don’t be idolaters; don’t commit adultery, and do not grumble, as some of them did.” Now adultery, idol worship and grumbling are linked together as horrendous sins.

Philippians 2:14 ought to be a theme verse for all of us. It says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Do you ever disobey that command? If your friends are upbeat, positive people about the church, you’re probably going be upbeat and positive. But if you associate with people who like to complain and argue pretty soon you’re looking for the things that are wrong and you’re not nearly as happy at church.

Some of us have become experts at complaining: “It’s too hot in here.” “It’s cold outside.” “I hate the rain.” “My husband’s not romantic.” “My wife has no passion.” “My kids won’t listen to me.” “My parents are always interfering.” “The church is not meeting my needs.” On and on it goes… You gripe about every little thing, or you gripe about the same thing over and over again. It’s such a habit you don’t even know you’re doing it. Your constant griping is an offense to God, a poor testimony to the lost, and a detriment to your personality. You never hear anybody say, “Let’s go over to Joe’s house. I just love to hear him gripe.”

Remember that movie “Grumpy Old Men”? The grumblers kind of feed off each other. Complainers gravitate towards each other, they exaggerate the problems, and they contaminate others. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” No matter how fulfilling your job, spacious your house, personable your mate or edifying your church—if you associate with people who are grumbling and complaining all the time, you’ll soon become a grumpy, old man or a grumpy, old woman. It’s human nature.

One of the challenges for those of us who are leaders is to maintain a thankful heart and not get sucked into the grumbling and complaining that surround us. 95% of this church is wonderful; 5% is not so hot. One of my challenges every day as a leader is that 50% of my time can be focused on the 5% that’s wrong and I lose the big picture. I need these times when I step back and I look at that 95% where God is really blessing and I give thanks for this church.

I challenge you to let Jesus Christ transform you from within. “If any man is in Christ he’s a new creature.” We ought to be new in our spirit of contentment. If you think you’ve got a problem, ask a family member or a friend. Say, “I think I gripe too much. Would you help me? Every time you hear me complain, clear your throat, nudge me, or call me ‘Whiner-whiner-49er’. Do something to help me.”

3. Express thanks frequently.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

If you own one Bible you are abundantly blessed. One third of the world doesn’t have access to even one. If you can read your Bible you’re more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world that can’t read. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you’re more blessed than 1 million people who won’t survive this week. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and $20 in your pocket—you’re richer than half of the people in the world. If you express thanksgiving frequently God changes you from within.
4. Live a joyful life

1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world (That’s us.) not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for…” what? “…our enjoyment.” When God blesses you he expects you to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, its an insult to God.

Do you ever think about God giving you blessings and he wants to see you live a life of joy as an expression of gratitude? A few months ago Pat Chambers asked me “Would you speak for the directors of volunteer services at the Greenbrier Hotel? Well, of course I would. It would be an honor and, to stay that the Greenbrier would be great! I would love to.” She told me that I could bring Kim. And sure enough, we to the Greenbrier - an exclusive Hotel in White Sulfur Springs – She had reserved a room that cost several hundred dollars a night. We ate 4 course dinner that cost about $200. When we got back to our room the sheets had been turned down. They did everything but tuck us in. The next morning I spoke. They got me a very nice suitcase for traveling.

Now imagine after the conference, as Kim and I are leaving the Greenbrier, we meet Pat in the lobby and she says “How did you like it?” and we said “O Pat, it was terrible. I mean, there’s so many people at the conference. Something must be wrong with the Chef because it took so long for them to bring desert. We walked around this big place and our feet are hurting. We heard there were some people who had nicer rooms and we are disappointed that you didn’t put us up in a better room.

What’s she thinking. She’s thinking “I wish I hadn’t invited them.” But that’s not what happened. When Pat met us and ask “How did you like it.” We said, “This was wonderful! Everything was great! We enjoyed everything – this place is fabulous! We can’t thank you enough!”

Now what’s she thinking? She’s thinking, “I’m glad I did it for them.” What am I thinking? I’m thinking, “She has this conference every year. Maybe she’ll invite us back sometime.

Now God has poured out all these blessings on you, and if all you do is mumble and complain about that 5% or 2% that’s wrong… I wonder if he doesn’t think, “Why bother?” But if we say, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” then we please God by serving him with a thankful heart.

I like Psalm 30:11 and 12, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.”

5. Serve someone in need

Do you want to be a thankful? Help someone who is in need, visit someone in the hospital, work in the inner city soup kitchen, comfort a parent who just lost a child, or you try to help somebody who’s gone through a divorce. You say, “Man, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”

We are going to help some needy families this Thanksgiving. You are so generous. You have bought more than enough food. From your gifts we are going to feed 9 families a full Thanksgiving Meal. As we sing this song please bring the baskets forward and place them on the stage.

Prayer Time

The Evolution of Church Music

The Evolution of Church Music
Jeff Garrett

Introduction

This lesson will help us better understand how Christian music has evolved over the centuries. I will be using film clips and my guitar during parts of this lesson to demonstrate different styles of Christian music.

In recent years there has been a paradigm shift in church music. We’ve gone from hymns to praise choruses. Hymns tend to be elaborate and wordy. Praise choruses tend to be simplistic and repetitive. Bernie, my neighbor, calls them “7/11 songs.” I had never heard of that so I asked Bernie - “What do you mean by 7/11 songs?” He said, “That means you sing all 7 words 11 times.” Before I begin my lesson I want to tell you a story that explains the difference between hymns and praise choruses.

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended a big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.” “Praise choruses?” said his wife. “What are those?” “They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer. “ What’s the difference?” asked the wife. The farmer said, “Well, if I said, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ that would be a hymn. But if I said, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,’. Then if I were to repeat the thing two or three times that would be a praise chorus.”
As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday a young new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.” “Hymns,” said his wife, “What are those?” “Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man. “Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife. The young man said, “Well it’s like this: If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:”
Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by, To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth. For the way of the animals who can explain? There in their heads is no shadow of sense.Hearkenest they in God’s sun or His rain, Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea, those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight, Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded by minions of darkness and night They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed. So look to that bright shining day by and by, Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn. Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

“Then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

Let’s read Colossians 3:16 together - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Notice the phrase - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. That’s the key! Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives – as you do three things: As you teach, admonish and sing.

I think Paul intended for there to be variety in our music because he mentions three different types: Psalms – refers to the Old Testament Psalter i.e., the book of Psalms. “Hymns” and “spiritual songs” were being written during the first century (1 Corinthians 14:26). Some hymns are recorded in the New Testament (Luke 1:46-55; Luke 1:67-79; Luke 2:29-32; Philippians 2.5-11 and 1 Timothy 3.16). If you want to know more about this text visit our website (http://www.norwayave.org/) and read the document posted there. This lesson, however, focuses on how the style of Christian music has evolved over time. I want you to experience five different types of church music.

FIVE MOVEMENTS IN CHURCH MUSIC

Don Wyrtzen organized the history of American church music into five phases of development. I have adapted his work and I want to share it with you.

1. Ancient Church Music (1st Century – 1300s).

The first phase in the evolution of Christian music is what I call ancient church music. Years ago I heard Mike Armour explain three different styles of ancient church music: Chanting, parallelism, and antiphonal singing. I want to demonstrate these three styles.

Chanting is very Mono-tonal. You stay on the same pitch and hardly move from one note to another. I am going to demonstrate this type of music by chanting the words of Jesus. Just repeat after me: Ask, and it shall be given to you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and the door shall be opened to you; Thus sayeth the Lord. Doesn’t that sound different?

Parallelism was less Mono-tonal and provided more variety in the notes of the melody.
The congregation was divided up into two groups. One group sang on a low pitch and the other group sang five notes higher. Matt and the Praise Team are going to help me demonstrate parallelism by singing the song “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.” (which is not an ancient song but will allow you to hear this style of music).

Antiphonal singing refers to a type of music where you sing to one another. The seats in synagogues were divided up into two sections that faced each other. One group would sing and another group would respond. To demonstrate antiphonal singing I want you to stand and face each other as we sing “Nothing but the Blood” (again, this song was not sung by the early church but it will allow you to experience the antiphonal style).

2. Classical Hymns (1400s – 1700s)

The second phase in the evolution of church music was classical hymns. It was interesting to discover that classical hymns evolved from a controversy. During the reformation some Christians, like John Calvin, thought you could only sing the exact words of scripture. So Calvin compiled the Geneva Psalter, which was basically the book of Psalms. Others believed that it was good to write and sing hymns that were based on the words of scripture. This controversy and the dearth of available hymns created a culture that was fertile and ripe for hymn writers like Isaac Watts.

Isaac Watts is called the father of English hymnody. Watts was inspired to write a famous hymn when he read Galatians 6:4 which says May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. From that scripture Watts wrote the song we just sang “When I survey the wondrous cross. On which the prince of glory died. My richest gain I count but loss. And pour contempt on all my pride.” Those are beautiful words. In fact, Charles Wesley, who wrote hundreds of hymns said, “I would give up all the hymns of written to have written this one” [When I survey]. The words of that classic hymn are so rich in meaning.

Another great hymn from this period is Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress”. I sang that song every day while preaching through Galatians. And nearly everyone has heard the story of John Newton, the old slave-trader, who wrote a hymn based on Ephesian 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. That scripture, and his own personal experience, inspired John
Newton to write the famous song Amazing Grace.

Most of the classical hymns come from Europe and many of them were first sung in Boston where Lowell Mason compiled the hymns and gave some of them new arrangements. These hymns were written with instrumental music. The song writers intended for these hymns to be sung with instrumental accompaniment and we’ve adapted it to our style of a cappella.
There is a hymn that captures the musical style of this period and it’s called O Sacred Head. I love this song because the words are so meaningful. The text was written by Bernard of Clairvaux who lived from 1091-1153. The music was written hundreds of years later by Johann Walther who lived in the 1600s. Walther adapted the music from a German composer named Hans Hassler who was an organist. To demonstrate the musical style of classical hymns we are going to play a track that features an organ. Listen as Matt and the Praise Team sing this classic hymn O Sacred Head.

3. Black Spirituals (1700-1900s).

The third major influence on church music in America is what we call Black Spirituals. Now, this style of music is genuinely American. The classical hymns were from Europe but Black Spirituals originated in America from Christians who were oppressed by White slave owners. It is some of the most beautiful music ever written. Songs like There is a Balm in Gilead and Amen and one of my Favorites is Swing Low Sweet Chariot. When I sing that song I think about the dramatic passage that inspired it. 2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. 13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. I love that passage and I love the song Swing Low Sweet Chariot!

Black Spirituals were a very important influence in the evolution of church music and is still very much with us to this day. Black Spirituals had a huge impact on secular music because it was based on the 12-part blues scale - which is the bases of nearly all the popular music you hear on the radio. About 96% of all the music sold in the world is based on the same 12-part blues scale used in Black Spirituals. To help you get a feel for this style of church music I want you to watch this scene from The Color Purple.

4. Traditional Hymns (1700s-1900s).

The fourth major influence in American church music is what I call traditional hymns. One of the greatest traditional hymn writers was Fanny J. Crosby who lived from 1820-1915. She wrote songs like Blessed Assurance and To God be the Glory and Pass Me Not Old Gentle Savior and my favorite is Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross. When I sing that song I think about John 19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Fanny Crosby wrote “Near the cross O Lamb of God, bring it’s scenes before me; Help me walk from day to day with its shadow o’er me. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever. Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. That songs takes me to the foot of the cross every time I sing it.

Did you know that Fanny J. Crosby was blind? She wrote over 7,000 hymns during her life time. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised preacher. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"

There are so many great songs that come from this style of music. Traditional hymns are what many of you grew up singing. Songs like Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand and Ring Out the Message and Purer in Heart and Let Every Heart Rejoice and Sing. Traditional hymns had a huge influence on our assemblies. To help you get a feel for this style of assembly I want you to watch this video clip from the movie Places in the Heart.

Some of you grew up in churches that resembled the assembly in that film. The style of music has a strong influence on the whole spirit of the assembly. Perhaps the church you grew up in was a little more lively than the one in that movie. Especially if you add to the traditional hymns some good old Southern Gospel songs like Just a little Talk with Jesus and I’ll Fly Away and Glory Land Way. When I hear the words “Southern Gospel” I think of Bill Gaither’s group of singers. I remember watching the Gaither videos with Kim’s Grandmother. She loved it and I enjoyed watching those videos with her. Southern Gospel is very popular in Appalachian culture. If you listen to Christian Radio in Huntington and Charleston you will hear a lot of Southern Gospel.

These are the songs many of us grew up singing but we had to adapt them to our a cappella tradition because they were originally composed for instrumental accompaniment. But now, after much study and prayer, we believe that it is good to use both instrumental and a cappella music. We believe that using instruments in worship is Biblical. We also believe that it can be an effective way to share Christ with others. Most people do not listen to a cappella music. They listen to music with instruments. Try to find an a cappella only radio station. It doesn’t exist. We need to have a style of worship that is inviting to non-believers and one that connects to the next generation. We believe that God wants us to wrap the gospel of Jesus in the most powerful forms of communication available. That’s why we are making this necessary transition. We want to fulfill the Great Commission.

So far we’ve surveyed four major influences in the evolution of Christian music: ancient church music, classical hymns, Black Spirituals, and traditional hymns – which brings us up to today.

5. Contemporary Christian

The fifth major influence in the evolution of church music is Contemporary Christian and we are right in the middle of its development. There are two types of Contemporary Christian Music. The first type is Praise and Worship Music, which is typically congregational i.e., the church participates. The church is led by a worship leader and praise team, rather than a song leader and choir. The lead instrument is a guitar, rather than an organ or piano. The songs are relatively new and the language is contemporary English rather than Elizabethan English. And the words are very personal i.e., unlike many of the traditional hymns where we sing to each other about God, worship is given directly to the Lord. In an effort to capture the spirit in which they were written, I’m going to use my guitar as we sing this medley together.

Lord Most High.
Better is One Day.
We Fall Down.

The second type of Contemporary Christian Music is music that is presented. In other words you listen and worship quietly while the song is presented by a soloist or a group of singers. Like this song.

Who Am I.

Conclusion

During the past 2,000 years church music has evolved through many changes. This morning we’ve discussed and experienced five different types: Ancient Church Music, Classical Hymns, Black Spirituals, Traditional Hymns, and Contemporary Christian Music. All written and played by pure hearts to the same God we praise today. Given all the changes that have occurred in church music over time, we should anticipate that God expects the evolution of music to continue. We will continue to be faithful in prayer, diligent to study the Bible and sensitive to God as he leads us.

We are so grateful for Matt and the Praise Team. They have taken a cappella music to new heights and having the freedom to use instrumental music will only enhance their ability to lead us in praise and worship. The gradual changes we are making demonstrate our faithfulness to God, our love for the church, and our desire to reach people who do not know Jesus Christ.

Prayer Time

Why Should I Be Baptized?

Why Should I Be Baptized?
Jeff Garrett

_____________________________________________________________
Announcement from the elders - Dave Kent

The Shepherds and staff have been exploring where we think God is leading us next year. We are excited about the possibilities. But it’s a two headed dilemma. While we have a passion for seeing growth in all of us who are members here, our hearts continue to be sensitive to those without the church background we share. Walking the line of providing encouragement and growth for you our flock while capturing the attention and imagination of those who are not here is a difficult line to walk. Yet we must not shrink from what is in front of us just because it might not be comfortable or easy. Saying: nothing is ever gained by doing what is comfortable. Christ has given us a bigger mission outside these walls of reaching those who don’t know Him.

Look at the walls around us. These are the core values that will never change.
Yet, our methods must change to meet the needs of those around us. Several things will be happening over the next few months

Next year we intend to further our 'knowledge' of our God. All of our classes this coming year are centered on the theme of being transformed into the image of Christ. But the biggest challenge we will face next year, or any year, is the desire to 'share Him.' In order for us to cast the seed further, we need to change from being church centered to others centered. We have to put aside our preferences in order to embrace those things that will cause others to pause and think about their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have been trying to open our eyes more to the fact that worshipping Him is more than our time together on Sundays. It's a lifestyle of worship that goes 24x7.

Our trick or trunkin, back-to-school carnivals, food pantry, mission trips and Marshall move-in days are some of the ways we Share Him. But we need more fundamental adjustments than that. In 2007, we want to take steps to make our assemblies more in tune with contemporary preferences. Remember, the message is the same, the methods are not.

We intend to expand our use of multi-media presentations, drama, and other visual experiences such as the Sunday when Bob Gill's outstanding talent was used as a sermon illustration. We are looking into ways to remodel our stage in the next few weeks to make it friendlier and more useful. We are also beginning soon to remodel our garage to make it more useful for the teens and youth group.

We will also be broadening our music to at times include live instruments. We will be using our Christmas service on December 24th as the first effort in this expanded scope of music. That Sunday morning we will be using a lot of instrumental music to tell the story of Christ; hopefully, to an audience that includes many of our families and friends. Jeff and the praise team have been hard at work preparing for that service and the shepherds and staff are very excited. We ask that you prayerfully consider inviting your family and friends to this special time of encouragement and worship.

As a part of the preparation for the Christmas service as well as our ongoing conversation about what is acceptable worship to our Father, Jeff’s lesson next week will center on this topic and, hopefully, help us understand more about how music in Christian assemblies has evolved over the centuries and how our, and other, traditions came into being. Jeff will be using film clips and his guitar during parts of the service next week. The elders believe that this lesson will be valuable in helping us understand the many ways our Father has been worshipped over the years. As always we look forward to what Jeff has to say. But more important, we are excited to see where God is leading us.

____________________________________________

Thank you Dave. We want to thank the elders for their leadership and vision.

SERMON

We just finished a series in Genesis called “The God You’re Looking For.” Those lessons were dedicated to people who do not know Jesus and are searching for God. I thought it would be good to follow that series with a simple lesson about the importance of baptism. I have titled this lesson “Why Should I Be Baptized?”

Perhaps you have never been baptized. You’ve heard people talk about it but you don’t really understand it. I hope you will follow along as a teach this simple lesson. I am going to show you some passages in the Bible that explain why you should be baptized.

But I want to begin by talking about how much God loves you. 1 John 4:16 … we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. God couldn’t love you anymore and he’ll never love you any less. That’s a wonderful thought. God loves you so much he couldn’t love you more. And, in spite of what’s happened in the past or what’s yet to happen in the future, God will never love you less.

But we have a problem. Our problem is sin. Sin separates us from God. That’s our main problem. It’s not poor self-esteem. Trying to fix sin with self esteem is like putting a band aide on cancer – it doesn’t even address the problem. Our main problem is not self esteem, it’s not interpersonal difficulties or some psychological disorder. Our main problem is spelled “s i n” – sin. The Bible defines “sin” as the transgression of God’s law. We have all transgressed God’s law. We are all guilty. We are all sinners.

Sin will take you where you don’t want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. And it will make you pay a price that you don’t have to give.

I like to say that there are three types of sinners. There are rebellious sinners who are openly immoral. They have all kinds of drama in their life and they don’t care what others think about it – they are openly rebellious and wild and crazy. The second type are the respectable sinners. These are the moralists. They are dependable, hardworking, family oriented, model citizens. They would never do some of the wild and crazy things that the rebellious sinners do. They frown on it, but they are still sinners. The last group are religious sinners who pray, go to church, and are involved in religious activities. But they are sinners too.

Which group are you in? Are you a rebellious sinner? A respectable sinner? A religious sinner? It really doesn’t matter because you are still a sinner. There is no one who is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).

God is disappointed with the best of us. He’s passionately in love with the worst of us. And by grace through faith in Jesus he can save all of us. You see, God loves you passionately.

If you’re going to understand baptism that’s where you need to start. You don’t start with baptism. You start with God and his love and grace. The gospel is the good news that God demonstrated his love for you by giving his Son Jesus Christ to die for your sins. God raised him from the dead to be your Savior and Lord.

Romans 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Notice the three words Paul uses to describe us. We were powerless. We were ungodly. We were sinners. We hadn’t stopped sinning. We were still sinners i.e., we were still about the business of sinning. And it was at that time, while we were still sinning, that Christ died for us. This was God’s ultimate demonstration of love. If you ever doubt the fact that God loves you look to the cross of Christ.

God did everything for you and he saves you because he loves you. Ephesians 2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, … 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. … 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Somebody says, “If that’s true then why should I be baptized?” Let me give you three reasons.

I should be baptized because …

1. I want to follow the example of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:21 says that Jesus left us an example so that we would follow in his steps. Jesus is not asking you to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself.

Matthew 3: 13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

When you come up out of the waters of baptism you are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) and the Father, as it were, says “This is my son” or “This is my daughter, whom I love, with them I am well pleased.”

Why should I be baptize? Because I want to follow the example of Jesus.

2. I want to obey Jesus.

Please repeat after me. Say like you mean it. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He died for my sins. God raised him from the dead. I love Jesus with all my heart. Jesus is my Lord and Savior.

The most important command in the Bible is to love God with all your heart (Matthew 22:37). Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Did you know that in one of Jesus’ last commandments he talked about baptism? We call this passage the Great Commission. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. The Great Commission can be summarized in three simple statements. First, go make disciples of Jesus. Second, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Third, teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded.

Why should I be baptized? Because I want to show Jesus that I love him by obeying his commands.

Baptism is like the Christian’s wedding ring. This wedding ring is a symbol of my marriage covenant with Kim. This ring doesn’t make me married. It shows that I am married. In the same way baptism doesn’t make you a Christian. It shows that you are one. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are symbols and symbols are not ends in themselves. You can wear a wedding ring and not have a good relationship with your wife. You can get baptized and take the Lord’s supper and still not have a relationship with Jesus. We are not saved by religious rituals. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

Kim and I had a relationship before our wedding day. Just like you and your wife. There was the introduction, a dating period, an engagement, and finally a wedding day.

In the same way you had a relationship with Jesus before you are baptized. Your are introduced, there is a period where you get to know him, and finally, there is a time when you participate in a ceremony that unites you with Christ.

Romans 6:3b …don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

I have underlined the word “united” in v.5. We have been united with him like this (when we were baptized) in his death and we will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. When you are baptized you are reenacting the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and you are united with him. That’s why I say that baptism is like a wedding day for the Christian. The church is called the bride of Christ.

You see, it’s very simple and easy to understand. It’s unfortunate that there is controversy over something so simple and beautiful. There are two extremes. On one hand some people make too little of baptism and views it only as an option. But in the Bible, baptism is never presented as an option. It’s a command to be obeyed.

On the other hand, some people make too much of baptism. They view it as a work of merit and teach baptismal regeneration. Baptismal regeneration is a false doctrine that states that regeneration [renewal] and sanctification [the process of being made holy] are received in and through the ritual of water baptism. The Bible does not teach that the mere act of being dunk in water justifies and sanctifies you. If the Bible taught that we would just lock the doors and manhandle some of you into the baptistery.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that regeneration occurs by the Holy Spirit – Titus 3:5b He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. We are not saved because we perform a ritual. Baptism doesn’t make you saved any more than this ring makes me married. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. We are renewed (or regenerated) by the Holy Spirit.

3. I want Jesus to forgive me.

Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Jesus doesn't forgive you because you get dunked in water. Jesus forgiveness is based on your faith in his all sufficient atonement that HE provided when he died on the cross. Baptism is simply God’s way of helping us understand in a tangible way that we are clean and all of our sins are forgiven. As Ananias said to Paul, I say to you. Acts 22:!6 And now what are you waiting for?Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

Prayer Time

The God You Are Looking For (Part 4) - Genesis 37-50

The God You Are Looking For (Part 4)
Genesis 37-50
The God Of Happy Endings.
Jeff Garrett

Everybody loves a happy ending. We don’t like to walk out of a theater or read the last page of a novel and feel sad. We certainly don’t like sad endings in real life. We like happy endings. You may be in a chapter of your life that’s difficult and you can’t see how anything good can come from it. This morning I’m going to tell you a true story from Genesis 37-50. It has all sorts of twists and turns. It’s full of adventure and heartache. But it has a happy ending. I want you to remember 3 things from the story.

First, God loves us even when others do not.

The story begins in Genesis 37 when Joseph was 17 years old. His father loved him more than all his brothers. But his brothers hated him. They hated him when he wore his special robe. It reminded them that he was their dad’s favorite son. They hated him so much they could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph appeared to make things more difficult for himself by giving a bad report on his brothers. He shared his dreams with his family. One day Joseph said, “I dreamed that we were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph did some things that may not have helped their relationship but that did not justify their hatred and jealousy. He was basically hated without a cause.
One day Israel sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were tending his sheep. When they saw him coming they said 19 "Here comes that dreamer!" … 20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."

They stripped off his special robe and threw him into a cistern but they didn’t kill him. Instead they sold him for 20 shekels of silver to a band of Midianite slave traders headed for Egypt. They dipped his robe in goat’s blood and showed it to their father who concluded that he had been torn to pieces by a wild animal. Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for many days. He refused to be comforted.

I think it’s more difficult to believe that God loves us when others do not. Here’s a man or woman who grew up in an bad home. They were abused. Mistreated. Rejected. They grow up, get married, have children and the same conflict starts all over again. There’s fighting and quarreling and an affair and finally a separation, a divorce and the family breaks up. And all those messages from childhood seem true and they say it to themselves repeatedly – I am unwanted, I am rejected, I am unlovable, I’m not good enough. If you say that to yourself long enough you will believe it. Then, it’s more difficult to accept God’s love and acceptance because all you know is rejection.

That’s why this first point is so important. God loves us even when others do not. You may have been rejected by your family and friends. They may have the door slammed in your face and made you feel unloved. But equate God’s unconditional love with their rejection. Here’s my prayer for you. Ephesians 3:17 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. So the first point is, God loves us even when others do not.

Second, God is with us even when it doesn’t feel like it.

There have been times in my life when I didn’t feel like God was with me. It wasn’t true but that’s the way I felt. I was so overwhelmed by my problems that I could not feel his presence.

I wonder if Joseph felt like God was with him when he entered Egypt? When he was being auctioned as a slave? When he cried himself to sleep? Joseph spent 13 years as a slave or prisoner in a foreign land. He was in a new culture and had to learn a new language. I wonder if he ever thought …

If God was with me my brothers would have loved me.
If God was with me I would be home with dad.
If God was with me I would not be a slave or a prisoner.

We have no information about such doubts but it’s a common mistake. Some of you are stuck in Egypt and you may have doubts like that.
If God was with me I would not have cancer.
If God was with me I would have a good job.
If God was with me I wouldn’t be divorced.
If God was with me my child would not have died.
If God was with me I wouldn’t have all these problems.

That’s not true! But it feels like it because it hurts so bad. Your world was turned upside down because you lost your health, your mate, your friends, your emotional and financial security. You didn’t want it this way. You didn’t dream that they would hurt you so bad. But you are stuck in Egypt and what are you going to do? How are you going to make it? You feel so rejected and you start thinking “No body loves me. No body cares what happens to me. God is not with me.”

It seems like it’s never going to end. You think about your family and friends and they don’t suffer like this. They are at home and raising their children. But you are so lonely and the holidays come and go and you are still alone. And God seems so far from you. And you think - Look at what has happened to me. I’ve lost my family. I’ve lost my job. I’ve lost everything. I feel so lonely. God must not be with me.

That’s not true. God promised “I will always be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” God is with you even when it doesn’t feel like it. Notice how many times the text says that God was with Joseph.

Joseph was sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar, a high ranking military official. Genesis 39:2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Until Mrs. Potiphar falsely accused him of rape and he was thrown in prison. But God was with Joseph in prison.

Genesis 39:20a But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. … 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Years later Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph was brought before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked if he could interpret his dream. Joseph told him that he could not but God could. He told him that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of severe famine. Joseph recommended that Pharaoh appoint someone to collect a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the first seven years and store it up for the seven years of famine. Pharaoh appointed Joseph.

Joseph was 30 years old when Pharaoh gave him a signet ring (to make transactions), dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck and gave him a beautiful wife and they had two sons. He named the first son Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." And he the second son Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." Even the names of his children reminded him that God was with him through it all.

Just as God was with Joseph he will be with you. If you are going through a difficult time and you feel like God has abandon you, I recommend you do three things.

1. Tell God about it - Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?... 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

2. Tell someone else about it – Ecclesiastes 4:9 … Two are better than one, 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Don’t isolate yourself. Come to church.. Join a small group. Don’t withdraw. Talk to someone about it. Asked for help.

3. Do the next right thing – Don’t wallow in self-pity. Don’t cripple yourself with resentment. Don’t rehearse it and make it worse. Be like Joseph. He refused self-pity. He refused to cripple himself with resentments against his brothers and Mrs. Potiphar. Joseph continued to serve God and help others whether he was a slave or a prisoner or a governor. Joseph made the best out of the worst possible situation.

God loves us, even when others do not. God is with us, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Third, God is good even when things are bad.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In Genesis 42 Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food. As soon as Joseph saw them he knew who they were but they did not recognize him. When his brothers appeared before him they bowed with their faces to the ground. The dreams that God gave Joseph in his boyhood had come true. After a long series of events, Joseph finally revealed his identity.

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him … 3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was … not you who sent me here, but God. … 50: 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good … 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph’s entire family moved to Egypt and lived in Goshen. What a happy ending! But it didn’t last. In the very next book of the Bible Joseph’s descendents were made slaves. That’s important to remember. The happy ending doesn’t happen on earth.

Listen to what happened to some of the heroes of the Bible. Hebrews 11:36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. That doesn’t sound like a happy ending to me. When you are standing at the casket of your loved one, there is nothing happy about the ending. Yet, 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Every say “God planned something better for us.” What is it? Heaven! Revelation 21 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Joseph’s reunion with his family will not compare the reunion that is going to take place in heaven. One day Polly is going to be reunited with Irvin. One day Betty Garret will be reunited with dad. Do you know that Mildred Lucas visits the grave of her husband every week. One day Mildred will see her husband.
God has planned something better for us! He’s the God of happy endings. And until that day we will remember that God loves us, even with others do not. That God is with us even when it doesn’t feel like it. And that God is good even when things are bad.

Prayer Time

The God You Are Looking For (Part 4) - Genesis 25-35

The God You Are Looking For (Part 4)
Genesis 25-35
The God Who Blesses
Jeff Garrett

Baby Dedication – Children are a gift from God. As parents we pray that God will bless our children. Mark 10:13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Today, we are going to dedicate our children to the Lord so that he will bless them. We have pink Bibles for the girls and blue Bibles for the girls. When I call your names please come forward with your baby.

Jack Galloway----Jim & Beth Galloway
Darius Lee Lewis------Corey Lewis
Noah Dayne Marcum-----Billy & Sarah Marcum
Ayden Noah McDowell-----Matt & Shavana McDowell
Alex Michael Starcher----Steve & Amanda Starcher
Keleigh Beth Chafin-----Jimmy & Tammy Chafin
Gavin Perry Leep--------Sam & Jessie Leep
Hayden Chase Leep-----Sam & Jessie Leep
Caleb Lemaster-----Chris & Kelley Lemaster
Riley Mae Lallithin----Bob & Elizabeth Lallathin
Braden Michael Shepherd----Travis & Yvonne Shepherd
Jude Patton----John & Lanie Patton

This simple ceremony means three things. 1.) It means that, in the spirit of Hannah, you are dedicating your children to God. 2.) It means that you are asking for God to bless you and your children. 3.) It means that we, as your church family, will do everything we can to love and support your family. Now, the elders are going to pray for the families as Matt and the praise team sing.

Prayer for the Babies and their families.

What do you think of when you hear the words “home”? Unconditional love. Acceptance. Trust. Security. Stability. Belonging. A sanctuary from stress of life. No matter how bad life gets you can always go home and find love and acceptance. Unfortunately, not every home fits this description. Some people hate to go home. They do everything they can to put it off. They volunteer for overtime and when they finally walk through the door they dread it. The love is dying (or is dead) in their families. They don’t just think about divorce; they dream of it.
Some children have the same gloomy feeling about home. They fear the hard looks, angry words, or abuse that goes on behind their closed doors. They would rather be anyplace in the world than at home.

These are toxic families. They are homes that have institutionalized conditional love, abuse, and fear because of all the screaming and fighting, unpredictable rules, lying, and manipulation. The term we use to describe such homes is dysfunctional families. I am going to tell you a story about a dysfunctional family. My goal is to show you that no matter how bad things get in your home, God is determined to bless you and your family.

Genesis 25.When Isaac was old enough he married Rebekah. Twenty years later, they had twin boys, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:46). Rebekah had problems during pregnancy and when she prayed about it God told her that that "two nations" and "two peoples" were in her womb and that "the older will serve the younger"

When the twins were born Jacob came out grasping Esau’s heal. That’s why they named him “Jacob”. It means “he grasp the heal” or “deceiver” and Jacob lived up to his name. The boys were twins – obviously fraternal rather than identical! – they were so different. Esau was hairy and loved the outdoors. He grew up to be a skillful hunter. Jacob had smooth skin and loved the indoors. He was interested in domestic things (Genesis 25:24-27). But the biggest difference between the boys was created by their parents’ competing favoritism. "Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (Gen. 25:28). Isaac’s family was filled with conflict, jealousy, and deception.

There are four main characters in this story. There are no human heroes. None of them are good. The only hero in the story is God who, in his sovereignty, was faithful to his promise and blessed the world through them. Think about these four characters.

First there was Isaac who was passive and easy to manipulate. About the only time he took the initiative is when he was old and feeble and ready to finalize his will. God had made it clear to Isaac that the blessing belong to Jacob (Gen. 25:23) but Isaac was determined to give it to Esau. Esau was his favorite - this may be due simply to the fact that he and Esau shared a love for hunting and wild game. Isaac said to Esau "Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat," he told Esau, "so that I may give you my blessing before I die" (Gen. 27:4). So Isaac set himself against the will of God. He was determined to make Esau his heir. Isaac, then, is anything but an innocent victim.

Things may have turned out different had he been faithful to God. As the leader he could have brought his family together, joined with his wife, and explained God’s will for their future. He could have pleaded with his sons – especially Esau – to accept God’s will. Had he done this he may have spared his family so much misery. But Isaac did not do this and made things worse for his family.

The next character is Esau who was “godless”. He married two women – a Hittite and a Canaanite – who were a constant source of grief to his parents (Gen. 26:34-35). One day (Genesis 25:29ff)when Esau came in hungry. Jacob was cooking up lentil stew. He asked Jacob for some stew. Jacob said “I’ll give you some stew if you give me your birthright.” So Esau swore an oath and traded his birthright for a bowl of beans. The Bible says, "See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son" (Hebrews 12:16).

Then there was Rebekah. She was eavesdropping when she overheard her husband’s plan to bless Esau. Rebekah could have responded by reminding Isaac of God’s will. Instead she plotted to deceive him. She to Jacob to slaughter a goat and she prepared it. Then she dressed Jacob up in Esau’s clothing. And Jacob went along with her plan without protest. His only concern was that he may be cursed for deceiving his father. Rebekah said “Let the curse fall on me.”

Finally we turn to Jacob who entered the room disguised as Esau. Jacob said, “Dad, Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing' " (Gen. 27:18-19). Isaac was blind and couldn’t see him. He said “How did you find in so quickly.” Jacob said “The Lord your God gave me success.” He not only deceived his dad he used God’s name in vain to make his lie believable. Isaac was suspicious and ask him to come closer. “"Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, 'The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau' " (Gen. 27:22). So he asked point blank: "Are you really my son Esau?" And he lied again "I am" (Gen. 27:24). Isaac tasted the food and wondered what was going on before his blind eyes. So he added one more test. "Then his father Isaac said to him, 'Come here, my son, and kiss me.' So he went to him and kissed him [like Judas kissed Jesus]. When Isaac caught the smell of the clothes, he blessed him . . ." (Gen. 27:26-27a). Isaac gave him

- material prosperity (Gen. 27:28)
- dominion over other nations (Gen. 27:29a)
- leadership within the family (Gen. 27:29b).

No sooner than Jacob left the room Esau returned from hunting and said “Dad, sit up and eat some of my game and give me your blessing (Genesis 27:31ff). Isaac said “Who are you?” “I am your first born son, Esau.” Isaac trembled violently and said “Your younger brother deceived me and I blessed him.” Esau burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said “Bless me – me too, my father.” But Isaac could not.

So Esau’s anger turned to bitterness and he plotted to kill his brother. He said to himself “After dad dies I will kill my brother.” Jacob eventually left home under the pretense of looking for a wife but the real reason was that his life was in danger.

Genesis 29. So Jacob began to work for his uncle Laban and he fell in love with his daughter Rachel. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, but Jacob was in love with Rachel. So agree to work seven years for Rachel. Seven years past but they seemed like only a few days because he was so in love with Rachel. But something terrible happened on his wedding night. Laban disguised Leah as Rachel and Jacob married the wrong woman. He didn’t realize it until the next morning. He said to Laban, “Why did you trick me?” Laban said “It’s our tradition to give the oldest daughter in marriage first. You can marry Rachel too but you have to work another seven years.” Jacob agreed. So now he has two wives who are jealous of each other and they start competing to see who can have the most babies. They even give Jacob their handmaidens and he has children through them. But there is jealousy, conflict, fighting and turmoil in his family.

You reap what you sow. As Jacob watched these events unfold do you think he ever thought about what he had done to his family? When Laban deceived him by disguising Leah as Rachel, do you think it reminded him of how his mom disguised him as Esau to deceive his dad? When Jacob looked into Leah’s eyes and saw the hurt because she felt rejected by him, do you think it reminded him about what it felt like when he looked in his father’s eyes and felt rejected. And when he saw the rivalry between his wives, do you think it ever dawned on him that they acted just like him and his brother.

Genesis 31. Jacob finally had all he could stand and said “I’m going to take my family and go home.” He ran away from his father-in-law like he ran away from his brother. As he traveled home he dreaded the thought of meeting his angry brother. But on his way home he had an encounter with God that changed his life. Genesis 32. God got Jacob alone and a man appeared out of nowhere. Jacob wrestled the man all night long without knowing who he was. Finally, the man touched Jacob’s hip and wounded him. Then Jacob realized this was no mere man and refused to let go. The man said “Let me go.” Jacob said “I’m not going to let you go until you bless me.”

God said, “What is your name?” He said “Jacob” My name is “Deceiver”. The Lord said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome" (Genesis 32:28). So God blessed him in his brokenness. And Jacob limped away, wounded by grace. He was a changed man. Genesis 33. When he saw his brother coming he bowed down seven times. He approached him humbly, limping along and bowing low. When his brother saw him he ran to him, embraced him, and forgave him. So Israel bought some property near the city of Shechem (Genesis 33:18). He pitched his tent and built an altar called “The God of Israel.”

Why would God bless a family that is so dysfunctional? Why would God bless a sinner like Jacob? Because that’s all he’s got to work with. This is my story and your story. You don’t have it all together. God loves us and wants to bless us.

I used to think that God only blesses good people. That you have to chase him down with prayers and church attendance and good deeds. You’ve got to get all your family problems worked out before he’ll bless you. But that’s not true. God will come to bless you in the middle of a messy divorce or some terrible sin. You don’t so much find him as he corners you! You don’t run and catch him so much as you run from him until, in your absolute exhaustion, he picks you up in love and he blesses you.

You may have come from a dysfunctional family or you may be in one, it doesn’t matter, God loves you and wants to bless you. I’ve seen God bless people in AA meetings and in jails cells. God shows up in the middle of your mess. That’s why we call Jesus the Mess-iah. I made a mess. The Mess-iah saved me and gave me a mess-age. The message is simply this: The God you’re looking for is the God who blesses.

Prayer Time

The God You Are Looking For (Part 3) - Genesis 12-25

The God You Are Looking For (Part 3)
Genesis 12-25
The God Who Keeps His Promise
Jeff Garrett

This is the third in a series of lessons from the book of Genesis. The theme of the series is called The God You’re Looking For. The title of today’s lesson is “The God Who Keeps His Promise.” The objective of this lesson is to convince you that you can trust God and his Son Jesus Christ. God keeps all of his promises. The story begins in Gen 12.

12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

I want to give you five challenges that relate to believing the promises of God. There are five things you need to do.

1. Leave the past behind.

God told Abram to do was to leave three things behind. He said, leave your country i.e., the region around Haran; leave your people i.e., the larger ethnic group he belong to; and leave your father’s household i.e., his extended family. Basically, he told Abram to leave everything that represented his identity and security. And that’s the first point I want to make - you have to leave your past behind and you move forward with a new identity.

This week Amber prepared for an exam on the bones of the body. I was interested to learn about the cranium, the scapula, the humorous, the radius, and the carpals and the femur and the tibia and fibula, and the metatarsals. And I began to notice how God put the body together. The whole body is oriented to move forward, not backward. God put your eyes in front so you could look forward not backwards. Your ears are facing forward so you can hear God’s promises. He made your arms and hands to reach forward. And your feet are made to move forward, not backwards. He wants you to walk forward in faith and not backward in fear. In fact, in your entire anatomy, there’s only one part of your body facing your past. There is only one thing behind you. They don’t call it “the behind” for nothing. I think even in God's sense of humor He saying, “Folks, there’s some stuff in your life you really ought to leave behind.”

Philippians 3:13 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

2. Look forward to the promise.

God gave Abram a sevenfold promise.
1. I will make your name great.
2. I will bless you.
3. I will make you into a great nation.
4. You will be a blessing.
5. I will bless those who bless you.
6. I will curse those who curse you.
7. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

We are included in the seventh promise (Galatians 6:7-9): All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. All the promises God made to us – the promises of forgiveness, eternal life, peace that passes understanding, joy that no one can take away – all those promises are ours in Jesus Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1: 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. But you have to leave the past behind and look forward to the promise and third

3. Let go of doubt.

In Genesis 15 Abram complains to the Lord. He said, “I’m childless. We still can’t have a baby and one of my servants is going to inherit my estate.” So God brought Abram out of his tent and said 15:5 "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." [In the middle east you can see about 8,000 stars on a clear night] Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Why? Because he let go of doubt and believed him. Abram was not made righteous because of his good deeds. He was made righteous by faith. This is exactly how God’s righteousness is imputed to us. God credits us with his own righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. But you have to leave the past behind, look forward to the promise, let go of doubts, and

4. Learn from your mistakes.

Abram made three big mistakes. In Genesis 12 he lied to Pharaoh. In Genesis 16 he got involved with another woman, at the suggestion of his wife Sarah. Then, in Genesis 20 he lied to Abimelech. Abraham sinned but God still kept his promise.

Some of you may think that God will not keep his promises if you make a mistake or sin but that’s not true. He wants you to learn from them. Most of the great leaders of the Bible made bad mistakes. Moses committed murder. Jacob deceived his dad and brother and stole the family inheritance. David committed adultery and murder. Abraham gave his wife away – twice! Judah slept with a woman he thought was a prostitute but she turned out to be his daughter-in-law. Paul was a religious terrorist. Peter denied Jesus three times. Yet God fulfilled his promises to all of them. God doesn’t want you to beat yourself up with guilt. God wants you to learn from it. He will use your brokenness to help other people.

5. Love God more than everything.

Abraham and Sarah had a son. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 and they named him Isaac which means “laughter.” Abraham loved Isaac like you love your children. But this was his only child. The child of promise. The child through whom all people on earth would be blessed. Then one day God spoke to Abraham and said Genesis 22:2 “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." God did this to test Abraham i.e., to prove that he loved God more than everything, including Isaac.

Three days later they climbed the mountain and Genesis 22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

Abraham tied his son on the altar. One time I took Amber, Tori and Shayna to a Sears Hardware Store. Shayna walked around a corner and cut her head on the sharp edge of a shelf. Blood was pouring out of her head. I picked her up and my shoulder was covered with blood. We ran out of the store, Amber and Tori following me, across the parking lot to a Urgent Care. By the time we arrived my shoulder was soaked with her blood. I’ll never forget the look in Shayna’s eyes as the doctored stitched up the gash in her head. Her eyes were pleading at me and spurting tears. She didn’t scream. She was so brave. She didn’t turn loose of my hands. She didn’t fight. She just trusted me and the doctor to do the right thing for her. Since I told her it had to be done she believed it.

Since that day I have wondered if Isaac looked at his father with such pleading and tearful eyes. He placed him on the altar. Drew back the knife. But God spoke and said, Genesis 22:11 "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram …
God did provide. He provided a ram that day. But the true sacrifice came when Jesus was crucified. God sacrificed his one and only Son to demonstrate his amazing love. I want you to listen to the words of this song and worship the Lord.

Amazing Love (You are My King). [Matt and the Praise Team].

What have we learned? The God you’re looking for is a God who keeps all of his promises. 2 Corinthians 1: 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.

Five Challenges.

Leave the past behind.
Look forward to the promise.
Let go of doubts.
Learn from your mistakes.
Love God more than everything.

Prayer Time.

The God You’re Looking For (Part 2) - Genesis 6-9

The God You’re Looking For (Part 2)
The God Who Saves
Genesis 6-9
Jeff Garrett

This is the second in a series of lessons from the book of Genesis. The name of the series is called The God You’re Looking For. The title of today’s lesson is called The God Who Saves. Today we are going to learn how God saved Noah and his family and how he will save us by faith in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 6:1-8 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Last week we learned that everything in creation was made by God and everything God made was good. But after the fall things turn from bad to worse. Two major reasons for the flood.

1. Sexual Immorality

6:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

This is one of the thorniest passages in the book of Genesis. Who are the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”? Some people believe that the sons of God are fallen angels or demons because that’s the title given to angels in the book of Job. Genesis 6, the book of Job, Jude 6-7 and 2 Peter 2:4-6 are the passages used to support this view and lead some to believe the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 refer fallen angels that cohabitated with women and had children that were superheroes called the Nephilim – men of great size and strength.

Other people believe that the “sons of God” is a reference to godly men who married sinful women. If that is true it was simply intermarriage between the Sethites (sons of God) and Cainites (the daughters of men).

Still others believe the name “sons of God” is a reference to rulers or royal figures (kings were considered gods in the middle east) who practiced polygamy and established royal harems.

We simply do not have enough information to know how to interpret it. But whatever happened it was wicked and God’s reaction was strong. 5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

I believe God is grieved today when he sees so much sexual immorality on the earth. But that was not the only problem. There was another reason for the flood.

2. Violence

6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
6:13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

So the two major reasons for the flood in Genesis 6 are sexual immorality and violence.

As I thought about this it occurred to me that that’s how we rate our movies. How much sex and violence do you want to see? All you have to do is check the rating. And here’s my problem. How do I maintain a G rated life in an X rated world? Is it even possible? Yes, Noah did it. Verse 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. And look at the character of Noah: 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Those are three wonderful character qualities. Noah was righteous, blameless and he walked with God. The first thing we can learn from Noah – it is possible to live a godly life in an ungodly world.

The second outstanding quality is that Noah obey God when he was given a tough task.
God told Noah to build an ark. He gave him the exact dimension. 6: 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.

[PIC OF NOAH’S ARK]
150 yards long (1 and ½ football fields).
75 feet wide
45 feet high with three decks.
There was 18 inches between the ark and it’s roof for ventilation.
And it was covered with pitch inside and out.

Noah built it just as God commanded. The dimensions of the ark enabled it to withstand the most violent storm in history [PIC OF ARK IN STORM]

6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him. 7:5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

Think about how difficult that would be for your family to build without any help from others. Cut cypress trees, skin and prepare wood, and lift and assemble it without any modern equipment. It was difficult. Do really think there was never a time when his children complained. The probably said “Dad, I’m tired of building this boat. It’s too big. It taking too long. It’s been a hundred years and it’s not rained a drop. It’s rained. I don’t want to skin that tree. I don’t want to lift that board.”

Sometimes you will be given a task that is difficult. Learn from Noah. Endure and persevere. Obey God even when the task is tough. Stay together as a family and keep working on your boat. Don’t come out of the boat.

Another thing that made it difficult was the ridicule they had to endure. Noah’s neighbors thought he was crazy 600 year old man that lost his made. They scoffed at him and his family. They painted signs on their barns that read “Noah’s ark 10 miles.” And everybody can to see this man and they said “There isn’t even a river around these parts that is big enough to float that boat. You are crazy! Out of your mind!” Do you think his children ever felt peer pressure or ever complained “Dad we have no friends.” They faced rejection. The next time you face rejection or peer pressure remember Noah and don’t come out of your boat.

Noah lived by faith as he built the ark - Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

The third outstanding character quality was: Noah warned other’s of God’s impending judgment. 2 Peter 2:5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, Noah warned others of God’s impending doom but nobody listened. I can’t imagine how discouraging it would be if I was able to persuade no one. No converts. No reception only rejection. But Noah continued to warn people and we have to do the same.

2 Peter 3: 3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago ... [God destroyed the earth with water]. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.


The Lord wants us to warn others just like Noah. The may scoff at our message just like they scoffed at Noah’s. But we will continue to preach and warn and plead with people because it will certainly happen as God said it would.

Genesis 7:1-4 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

So Noah and his family go in the ark one week before it began to rain. The next day they looked out an their were a line of animals walking in their direction. They walked right into the ark. I wonder what the neighbors thought. “Man, that’s weird. There’s a bunch of animals going in Noah’s ark. What’s going on?” All the animals came to Noah. He didn’t have to go gather them. They came to him. 7:8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.

When all the animals entered the ark 7:16 says Then the LORD shut him in. And it began to rain and water came up out of the ground. And the people began to panic because the flood was so great and everyone perished but Noah and his family. 7:21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished. 23b … Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Finally the water receded. 8:14 the earth was completely dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you. … 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and … 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. …9:11 I establish my covenant with you: … never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." 9: 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making … a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. … 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Somebody says, that’s a great story but I don’t have the faith of Noah. I am not righteous, blameless and I have problems walking with God.

So did Noah. Look what happened after the flood. Genesis 9:20-21 9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

Noah got drunk on homemade wine and one of his children mock him and when he sobered up he cursed him.

That’s amazing! You’d think he would do something like that but he did. And I’m so glad this event is recorded in the Bible because it helps us understand that everyone is saved by grace.

That’s why I titled this lesson the God who saves. And the God who saved Noah wants to save you.

I want to end with 1 Peter 3:18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge[e] of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Prayer Time

The God You’re Looking For (Part 1) - Genesis 1-3

The God You’re Looking For (Part 1)
Genesis 1-3
The God of New Beginnings
Jeff Garrett

This sermon was presented as a dialogue - a conversation between Bob Gill and myself.
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Props - Bob Gill's award winning art work - wood carvings and sculpting.

Introduce Bob Gill

Robert W. Gill12 Rebecca LaneHuntington, WV 25701304.529.4243 Growing up in Huntington, WV in the 1930’s, young Robert Gill always had a pocket knife handy and spent precious free time whittling on a piece of firewood from the stack on the front porch of their home. From miniature cars to sling shots to whistles, Robert whittled out many childhood toys for his siblings and himself. As he grew older, chores, school, World War II, work and family curtailed his efforts for many years. After retiring from Houdaille Industries in 1980 he once again had time to explore and refine this art; this time with a more serious heart, and most importantly, the support of his wife. After attending training seminars at an art school in Lincoln, Nebraska, Robert knew wood carving and sculpture was a craft he enjoyed, had a talent for and wanted to pursue. He briefly studied under a doll sculptor for Disneyland in Orlando, FL and has attended art classes and wood carving/sculpting workshops as available though out the US.
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Sermon
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. God had no beginning. God is eternal From everlasting to everlasting. John used the same language to describe Jesus. John1:1 begins just like Genesis 1:1. John1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Genesis gives a day by day account of how he made all things.

On the first day God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. On the second day God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters ..." And God called the expanse "sky." On the third day God said “…let dry ground appear … and … let the land produce vegetation.” And God saw that it was good. On the fourth day God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night …”. So God made the sun, moon and stars. And God saw that it was good. On the fifth day God said "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So fish swam in the water and birds flew in the sky. On the sixth day God said, "Let the land produce living creatures.” So God made all the animals, each according to its kind.” Then 1:26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over all the creatures on the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. On the seventh day, after God had finished his work, he rested.

QUESTIONS FOR BOB
1. It took God seven days to create the world, how long did it take you to create the picture of your mom and dad? (Bob talks)
2. Tell us about some of the detail work in this piece. (Bob shows how people can use a magnifying glass and how they can feel the texture with their hand as he explains some of the detail).
3. Tell us about some of these busts. Who are these people?
4. What does it feel like when you finally finish a project? Do you ever say to yourself “that is very good”? (Bob talks).

Everything in creation was made by God and everything God created was good. I like to think about the size of the universe. It is so large that scientist have to measure space by the speed of light. The ruler of measurement is one light second. Light travels 186,000 miles per second. It’s 1.3 light seconds to the moon. It’s 500 light seconds to our sun.

When you move beyond the sun to other stars you need a bigger ruler called a light year. A light year is 32 million times longer than a light second. It takes 10 light hours get from one side of our solar system to the other. There are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way) and it takes 100,000 light years to get from one side of our galaxy to the other. That’s just our galaxy. Over 2 million galaxies have been counted and scientist estimate that there could be as many as 100 million galaxies.

Now, when you look up at the stars and think about the size of God’s creation don’t you feel like singing with David? Psalm 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

We are different from all other creatures. God put us in charge of his creation (1:26). God made us in his image (1:26). Genesis 2:7 says … the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. I underlined the word formed. The Hebrew word means “to squeeze into shape” or “to mould into a form” like a potter uses clay.

QUESTIONS FOR BOB
1. Bob, when you work with clay, how do you squeeze it into shape? (Bob talks about how he shapes and moulds it with his hands).
2. How do you measure the dimensions of the face? (Bob talks as he demonstrates by placing his hands on my face).
3. Tell us whose finger prints are on your creations? (Bob talks).

When the Bible says “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground” – this is how I imagine it happened. God came down to earth and scraped some dust or dirt into a pile. He probably added a little water so he could work with it. Then he began to squeeze and mould and shape the face, the eyes, the nose, the lips, the ears, the neck and shoulders and so forth. After making a mud man he stood up and looked down at it. It wasn’t alive yet because it was still dirt. Finally, God stooped down and breathed in it’s nostrils the breath of life. Suddenly the man opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his creator with clay dripping from his hands. And when he got up he realized that God’s fingerprints were all over him.

Then Genesis 2:8 says that God put the man he had formed in a beautiful garden called Eden. The Lord told Adam that he was free to eat from any tree in the garden, including the tree of life. But he must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if he ate from that tree he would surely die.

So Adam lived in Paradise and one of his first jobs was to name all the animals. Can you imagine what it must have been like as God paraded all the animals before Adam? And Adam named them all. He must have been very intelligent. Kim and I had trouble finding names for our three children. But Adam named all the animals. I want to play a little game with the children called “Name that Animal.” I’ll impersonate and you name.

Elephant –
Dog –
Monkey –
Cat –
Lion –
Ostrich –

That’s the way it happened. Adam named them all. However, Adam began to notice that everybody had a partner but him. He was all alone. God said “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” So God performed the first surgery. He put Adam under heavy anesthesia and he took a rib from his side and with it he made woman. Then he brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

This is the beautiful picture of God’s original plan. It is a climatic snapshot of God’s wonderful dream but something happened that nearly destroyed it. Something terrible happened that left us broken.

QUESTIONS FOR BOB
1. Bob, has anyone ever broken one of your creations? (Bob tells about the little kid who broke the glass eye out of his doll).
2. What would it take to fix it? (Bob explains how).

Let me tell you about our brokenness and God’s plan to fix us. Do you remember the forbidden tree in the middle of the Garden? One day the woman started talking to the devil, that old serpent, about that tree and he deceived her. She ate the forbidden fruit and Adam ate some too. Suddenly their eyes were open and they were no longer innocent like children. They realized they were naked and they felt ashamed. Before the fall they felt no shame (2:25) but now that’s all they feel. They felt so broken. So they covered themselves with fig leaves and when they heard God walking in the garden they hid behind the trees.

God called out to the man “Where are you?” Adam said, “I heard you coming and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the forbidden fruit?” Adam said “Yes, but it’s not my fault. That woman you put here with me – she gave it to me.” The Lord said to the woman, “What have you done?” She said, “It’s not my fault. I ate it because the serpent deceived me.” The man blamed God and the woman. The woman blamed the snake. And the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on.

That was the day that sin and death entered the world and pain and suffering increased. Painful toil for the man as he worked the thorny ground. Increased pain for the woman in childbearing. And God cursed that old serpent to crawl on the ground and eat dust. He told the serpent that his head would be crushed. Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy of Jesus Christ.

So Adam named his wife “Eve” - the mother of all the living. God made garments of skin and clothed them. Then God said “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to eat from the tree of life and live forever.” So they were banished from the garden and the Lord stationed a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. But don’t think for a moment that God stopped loving us. You may think that because you are broken you aren’t worth much. You feel banished, rejected, and hopeless. But that’s not true. God loves his creation.

Not long ago I visited Bob and Beulah. Bob told me about the broken doll. Then he took that broken doll and straightened her dress and hair and talked to her as if she was a real little girl.

QUESTIONS FOR BOB:
1. Bob, how do you feel about your artistic creations? Why are they important to you? (Bob talks)
2. What did you tell that famous celebrity when he tried to pay you for his bust? (Bob explains about how he wanted the money to go to children)

After service you can get a closer look at Bob’s excellent art work. We would like to asked the parents to supervise their children while you’re admiring these beautiful pieces. Thank you Bob! Let’s show our appreciation for Bob. Bob takes a seat.

What have we learned?
1. God’s creative power is awesome. It makes us want to worship him.
2. We are made in God’s image. God’s finger prints are on us and we have intrinsic worth and value.
3. God loves us even though we are broken. He has made a way for us by his Son Jesus.
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Do you need a new beginning? Do you need a fresh start? Do you feel broken? Wouldn’t it be great if God could just recreate you and you could start over again? That’s exactly what God has done for us in Jesus. God demonstrated his love for us in an amazing way. He became one of us. Think of that. It’s like Bob becoming a wooden doll. That’s unthinkable! But that’s exactly what God did in the person of Jesus. The Word became flesh and lived among us. Immanuel means “God with us.” He lived as a man. Died on the cross and rose from the grave. And everyone who accepts Jesus is a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Prayer Time.

Disciple of Jesus (Part 15) - Matthew 7:13-29

Disciple of Jesus (Part 15)
Matthew 7:13-29
The Road Less Traveled
Jeff Garrett

Before we discuss this last section in the Sermon on the Mount let’s review. You tell me – what have we learned from Jesus?

Listen as the members of the Praise Team will read summaries.

Matthew 5:1-16 - Jesus wants to transform our hearts so that we are humble and poor in spirit. He wants us to mourn over sin. He wants to make us meek so that we will hunger and thirst for his righteousness. Jesus wants our hearts to be pure and full of mercy and grace. Then we can be peacemakers and rejoice even when we are mistreated. Jesus wants to change us from the inside-out so that we will be salt and light for the world.

Matthew 5:17-48 - Jesus said that our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. As disciples of Christ, we must pursue moral excellence. The Holy Spirit empowers us to control our anger and lust. Jesus helps us enrich our marriage and to live a life of honesty and integrity. Jesus enables us to turn the other cheek and to love everyone, even our enemies.

Matthew 6:1-18 - Jesus wants his disciples to be genuine and authentic. Unlike the Pharisees and teachers of the law, we will not seek to be honored by other people. We just want to please God. So when we give and pray and fast our motives must be sincere.

Matthew 6:19-24 - Jesus has taught us not to worry and fret. To live one day at a time. To store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Jesus wants to calm our anxieties and channel our ambitions so that we will seek first his kingdom and righteousness. Since our heavenly Father takes care of birds and flowers, we know he’s going to take care of us.

Matthew 7:1-12 - Jesus wants us to stop judging other people harshly. He wants us to be helpful, not hypocritical. He also wants us to have confidence when we pray. When we ask we will receive, when we seek we will find and when we knock the door will be open

Now, follow along as I read this last section in Jesus’ most famous sermon.

Matthew 7:13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
I want you to go on a journey with me this morning. I want you to imagine that we are walking together on the road less traveled. You have to make a decision to travel on this road.

Imagine that we are walking together and we come to a fork in the road. There are two gates. One gate is big and wide and easy to pass through. The other gate is so small you would have to get down on your knees are crawl through. As you look past the gates you can see the condition of roads. One road is as broad and wide as four-lane highway and there are a lot of people traveling on it. The other road is narrow and looks like it would difficult to travel on.

Just then you hear Jesus say “follow me, be my disciple and enter through the small gate.” But the broad road looks so appealing. There are so many people traveling on it. You’ve always heard that the people who travel on the broad road were wild and crazy. The kind of people Hank Williams Jr. sings about in that song “All my routy friends are coming over tonight.” But you notice a lot of good people entering through the wide gate. Some of them are as religious as the legalistic Pharisees. Some of them are spiritual but their brand of spirituality rejects Jesus as Lord. Others are just good people. People you’ve known all your life. And all these people are traveling the broad road. It’s easy traveling but it leads to destruction. That’s right. Just like that ACDC song “Highway to Hell”. Which is a scary thought.

So you say “I’m going to follow Jesus. I’m going to enter through the small gate and walk with Jesus on the road less traveled.” As you approach the small gate you discover something. You cannot enter it unless you accept Jesus Christ as Lord. As you make Jesus Lord of your life you get down on your knees and acknowledge your sin and your heart is broken and you mourn over your sin. As you crawl through that small gate something wonderful happens. It strips you of pride and self-righteousness and you begin to hunger and thirst for his righteousness. Since Jesus has forgiven you, you begin to be merciful and forgive others. And as you forgive others your heart becomes pure and sincere. You feel so much peace and serenity that you become a peacemaker. Your heart is so full of joy that no one can take it away by mistreating you. If someone persecutes you because you belong to Jesus, you just rejoice all the more because you know you are going to be rewarded in heaven. And that’s exactly where this road leads. It’s narrow and difficult to travel but you know this road leads to eternal life. This is way! You know it is because Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” So there’s no other way to life. You know you have to walk with Jesus the road less traveled.

But it sometimes difficult to travel. There are all sorts of twists and turns. All sorts of trails and tribulations. It’s not easy. That’s why it’s the road less travel. For me, the most difficult part of traveling this road is that I have to die to my sinful nature. I am a sinner by nature and by choice. I am naturally selfish and proud and self-centered. By nature and by choice I sometimes sin by get too angry and saying things I shouldn’t say or I lust or lie. When someone strikes me or insults me, my sinful nature doesn’t move me to turn the other cheek. I want to strike back and get even. But Jesus wants me to die to all of this. Not merely on the outside, covering my sin up with religion. Going church, giving, praying, and fasting so that others will think well of me while I know full well my sinful nature is out of control. For me, that’s the difficult part.

Jesus wants to change us from the inside out. You’ve heard others say murder is wrong but Jesus says if you get too angry at someone you’re a murder. You’ve heard others say if you have sex with someone you’re not married to you’re guilty of adultery but Jesus said if you just look upon a woman lustfully you are guilt of murder. And his words about divorce and lying and hatred and resentment and revenge are just as penetrating and convicting. So for me, the most difficult part traveling down the narrow road is dealing with my sinful nature. Still, it’s the only road I want to be on. And he doesn’t expect me to do it on my own. Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit to help us has change and remind us that we are saved by grace.

There is, however, something else that makes it difficult to travel on this road. Some disciples, especially those who don’t know the Bible well, are vulnerable to false prophets. These deceivers look like disciples but they are not. They disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Someone says, “How can I recognize false prophets?” Jesus said, “You’ll recognized them by their fruit.” You can’t pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. You can recognize them by their fruit.

There are all sorts of false prophets but I want to focus on three. The first is the legalist. You may not recognize him at first because he’s dressed in the robes of a Pharisee. He’s religious. He quotes the Bible. He even talks about Jesus. But he does not teach grace. He teaches that you have to work your way to heaven by keeping the law. The second is the libertine. You may not recognize him at first because his message appeals to your sinful nature. He uses grace as a license to sin. Go ahead and sin because grace abounds. The third false prophet the universalist. You may not recognize him because he seems so tolerant and accepting. He will tell you it doesn’t matter what you believe so long as you are sincere. Jesus was a good man just like Mohammed and Buddha.

Our vulnerability to false prophets varies. I want to say a word to three groups. To the youth group – watch out for the libertine. You hear and see things we never saw when we were your age. Temptation comes through television, music and the internet. If your great grandparents saw and heard what you were exposed to they would be appalled. But it appeals to your sin nature. I know you are good. You are the best! But you still struggle with sinful desires and when someone comes along and says it’s OK to sin because you are saved by grace don’t believe them. Stay on the road less traveled.

To our college age and young adults – watch out for the universalists. You can be just about anything today and find acceptance among your peers and authority figures. Spirituality is in style. You can be Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, New Age or just about any other spiritual persuasion. But if you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only way to the Father you will be label intolerant and narrow minded. And when someone comes along and teaches that Jesus was just a good man and they deny his exclusive Lordship don’t believe them. Remember the words of Jesus, “I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Stay on the road less traveled.

To our middle aged and seniors – watch out for the legalists. You may be vulnerable to the legalist because of your religious heritage. The church is different. It’s not like it used to be in many ways and all these changes are scary. We used to believe that we were the only Christians because the Baptists and Methodists and all the other churches were wrong. Wrong on baptism, wrong on instrumental music, wrong on once-saved-always-saved, wrong on eschatology, wrong about grace, wrong about the organizational structure of the church, wrong on communion because they didn’t take it every Sunday, wrong on the name of the church. In one sense, my identity was wrapped up how right we were and how wrong others were. My identity and security was based, not on Jesus Christ, but the Church of Christ. But now, all that is changing. Nearly all those beliefs are changing. We stopped condemning other denominations. If someone was baptized in another church and they did it to obey Jesus we don’t require them to be baptized by our preachers. We play instrumental music in worship and the youth and campus groups have for years. We have accept Christians regardless of the views on eschatology. We are flexible with structure and methods, we sing with a praise team. And these changes are scary for some of you because you feel like we are loosing our identity. That’s makes you vulnerable to modern day Pharisees. They may say things like “I can’t believe you are still going to Norway Avenue. Why don’t you leave.” Don’t listen to them.

If that happens tell them we are following Jesus Christ. We preach the Bible. We focus on the essentials – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Don’t argue with them. Don’t judge them harshly. Don’t be condescending or think I remember when I was like you. Love them and be kind and stay on the road less traveled.

Jesus gives us one final warning. He’s already warned us about being deceived by others but now he warns us about self deception. Don’t be self-deceived. Jesus said, 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' I believe that is the saddest verse in the Bible. Somebody says, “Did these people really do all these things.? Did they call Jesus Lord? Did they really prophesy in his name? Did the really drive out demons and perform miracles?” Well, Jesus said they did. Somebody says, “How is that possible?” I studied the Bible and discovered a lot.

Regarding calling Jesus “Lord, Lord” – even the demons called Jesus the Holy One of God. In Luke 4:34 a demon said "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" They know he is Lord. And so does the man with a faith that is dead.

Regarding the statement “did we not prophesy in your name” – I found a passage in 1 Corinthians 13:2 that says, If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Regarding the statement – did we not drive out demons in your name – Matthew 12:27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. And in Acts 19:13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

So yes. People can deceive themselves into thinking they are disciples when they are not. They can even possess spiritual power to do all sorts of things that make them the delusion more believable. They will face judgment confidently, expecting to hear Jesus say “Well done my good and faithful servant.” But they will not hear that. Jesus said in v.23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Why? Because they did not do the will of the Father. The will of the Father is that you believe in his one and only Son, Jesus Christ and you stay on the road less traveled. And when your stand in judgment you will not argue with Jesus about all the good works you’ve done. You will say “Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me. O’ Lamb of God I come. Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” Watch out for false prophets. Don’t be deceived by others. And don’t be self-deceived.

Well, throughout the entire lesson we’ve been on a journey together. We’ve entered through the small gate and traveled down the narrow road. We know why it’s the road less traveled – it’s difficult. We have to die to our sinful nature. We have to watch out for false prophets. We are going to stay on this road because it leads to life!

But at the end of Jesus’ most famous sermon he adds a little twist. He changes metaphors. He stops talking about two roads and starts talking about two houses. Jesus said, if you hear these words of mine and put them into practice you will be like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. And when the storms of life come your house will stand because it has it’s foundation on a rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. And when the storms of life come his house will fall with a great crash.

The most important part of a house is its foundation. My friend Jim Galloway knows a lot about foundations. That’s what he does for a living. Jim pours concrete and he always makes sure that the foundation is solid. It doesn’t matter how big or pretty your house is if they foundation is bad.

Everybody is building a house. The house represents your life. Everybody faces the storm. If you haven’t faced one you haven’t lived long enough. You need to know that there is a 100% chance for stormy weather. And the most important thing in life is your foundation. And the only foundation worth building one is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Prayer: Father, after 2000 years we are still amazed at his teaching. We know that you have given all authority, in heaven and on earth, to your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to be his disciple and follow him on the road less traveled.

Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 14) - Matthew 7:7-12

Disciple of Jesus (Part 14)
Matthew 7:7-12
Ask, Seek, Knock
Jeff Garrett

Thank you Jay for preaching for me! Let’s show our appreciation for Jay.

If I told you that Jesus was taking prayer request this morning what would you ask for? I want you to write your responses on the little sheet of paper we handed out.

Please open your Bibles to Matthew 7. This is part 14 in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount called Disciple of Jesus. I want you to purchase an album of these lessons for your library. Rob Durst has done an excellent job packaging them. I believe it’s important for you to collect these and put them in your library. I hate the thought of finishing a series and never referring to it again. I love the Sermon on the Mount because it contains the teaching of Jesus Christ and it is so important. You have to come back to it again and again. So, purchase an album and put it in your library at home. Next week will be our final lesson in the series. The title of today’s lesson is called Ask, Seek, Knock. Follow along as I read Matthew 7:7-12.

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

It was interesting to learn how differently commentators viewed v.7-11. Dallas Willard believes Jesus is focusing on our relationship with people. Martyn Lloyd-Jones thinks that he’s talking about prayer. Rubel Shelly views it as evangelism. Everything they said was good and helpful. Willard is right. When we have the heart of Jesus our sphere of influence grows and we can ask, seek and knock of the door and people will answer. Shelly is right. Anyone who asks, seeks, and knocks on the door of the kingdom will be heard. But I still believe that in v.7-11 Jesus is talking about a disciple’s prayer life.

One thing is very clear. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus keeps the focus on two primary relationships. Namely, our relationship with our heavenly Father and our relationship with other people. He just finished his discussion about how to treat other people. He said don’t be judgmental, be helpful not hypocritical, and don’t cast your pearls before pigs. Now, he shifts the focus to our relationship with God in prayer and before the end of the lesson today he will move back to our relationship with other people by giving us the golden rule: do to others as you would have them do to you. Jesus keeps the focus on our relationships because that’s the most important thing in the life of his disciples: our relationship with God and with other people.
Here Jesus is talking about prayer. This is not the first time he’s talked about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has warned us about pharisaic hypocrisy - He taught us not to be like the hypocrites who loved to pray in public so that men will see. Jesus has warned us about pagan formalism - He taught us not to be like the pagans who think that they will be heard because of their many words. And then he gave us a model prayer. Let’s pray like the Lord taught us to pray. Let’s say the Lord’s prayer together.

Matthew 6:9 …" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

It’s good to say the prayer that Jesus taught us to say. Of all the written prayers I’ve read, I probably use the Lord’s Prayer the most.

But now Jesus moves beyond all of this - the warnings of how not to pray and the model of how to pray – now Jesus encourages us to pray by giving us some wonderful promises. Nothing excites us more than to know that we will be heard. We can pray to God and know that he will really listen. Have you ever tried to talk to someone who would not listen to you. What happens inside of you? You become frustrated. You may feel rejected or unimportant. You become timid and hesitant because you can tell that they do not want to listen. But Jesus promised that God will always pay attention to us when we pray.

He knows that we are timid and shy, that we feel unworthy and unfit to present our needs to God... We think that God is so great and we are so tiny that we do not dare to pray ... That is why Christ wants to lure us away from such timid thoughts, to remove our doubts, and to have us go ahead confidently and boldly.'

Jesus wanted to imprint his promises on our mind and memory by the hammer blows of repetition. Verses 7 and 8 parallel each other with an important difference.

First, he gives us direct commands with promises attached to them (v.7): 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Notice the three words - “Ask...seek ...knock ...”(7). They are stated as commands. This is something you need to do. They are stated as direct commands and these may deliberately be in an ascending scale of urgency. For example, if Andrew Chambers needs something and Kim is visible and near all he has to do is ask. But if she is not he will seek her out. If Kim is busy in another room and the door is closed he will knock on the door and she will always answer him. If you need something from a friend and they are visible and near you, you just ask them. But if they are not around, you will call on the phone. If their not at home you’ll call their work, call their cell, send a text message, or send an email. And each attempt to contact your friend becomes more urgent.

Interestingly, all three verbs (ask, seek, and knock) are stated as present imperatives and indicate persistence. In other words, ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.

Second, the promises are universal (v.8): 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Those are wonderful promises. There is never going to be a time when you ask, seek or knock, that your heavenly Father is inaccessible. Have you ever called a bank and you want to talk to a real person but you get lost in their automated phone tree with nine choices on each menu. And when you finally get to the department you need to talk to they are not in and you have to leave a voice mail. It is so frustrating that I changed my voicemail. If you call and get my voice you will hear a little prayer that goes like this: “Heavenly Father, I thank you that when we call upon you we never get an answering machine. But I pray for this person who is calling me. May this be one of the best days of his or her life. Help them to be patient with me because I can hardly wait to call them back. In Jesus name, Amen.” That’s a little better than “This is Jeff leave a message.”

When you call God you’ll never get his voice mail. Jesus’ promises are wonderful and universal. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Third, Jesus illustrates his promises by a parable (9-11). Suppose your daughter asked for bread. Suppose she asks for a peanut butter sandwich. You wouldn’t give her a stone. Suppose your son asked for fish sticks. You wouldn’t put a copperhead in his lunch box. Even though you are evil you still love your children and give them only good gifts.

I want you to notice that Jesus called us evil, we are selfish by nature because we all have a sinful nature. At the same time, he does not deny that evil people are capable of doing good things. On the contrary, “evil” parents give “good” gifts to their children, because God puts a portion of his goodness into our hearts. What Jesus is saying is that even when you are doing good, following the noble instincts of parenthood and caring for your children, even then you do not escape the designation `evil', because that is what we are. We are by nature children of wrath.

But that’s secondary to the point he’s making. The primary meaning is seen in the contrast. It’s another “how much more” argument. If you, though you are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father, who is not evil but perfectly good, give good things to those who ask him.

Our prayers are transformed when we remember that the God we are coming to is `Abba, Father'. “Abba” means “daddy” or “papa”. “Abba” is a term of endearment. None of his contemporaries called God “Abba” but Jesus always did. And that’s how he taught us to relate to God so that we would know how good and kind God really is.

Jesus ends this section with the golden rule. 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Since God is so good to you be good to other people because that’s what discipleship is all about.

The trouble is that for many of us it seems too simple or too good to be true or it doesn’t square with our experience.

Someone says, “Jesus makes it sound like you could ask God for anything and he will always give it to you no matter what it is. But I have ask God for things and he didn’t give them to me.” Well, what did you ask him for? Did you pray according to his will? Or did you pray like Janis Joplin? Oh lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz? My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So lord, wont you buy me a mercedes benz? Oh lord, wont you buy me a color tv? Or a Harley Davidson motor cycle?
James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

But there are other times our motives are good and we still don’t get what we asked for. During those times it is easy to become disillusioned. Someone says “I look around and see lots of people getting along fine without prayer. They are able to pay their bills and I can hardly keep up. They are able to have baby’s but I can’t because we’re infertile. They are healthy and I have heart disease. They are still married and I’m divorced. Their kids are healthy but one of my children died. They fulfilled their dreams but my life is full of disappointment and it makes me wonder if prayer does any good?”

Yes, the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 1 John 5: 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

I heard about a poor widow who was always thanking God for her blessings—no matter how small. She was just praising the Lord all the time. She had a next-door neighbor who was an atheist who tired of her spiritual talk. One day he overheard her praying, “Oh, God, I have nothing to feed my children today. Please provide our daily bread.”

The atheist was touched with her need and decided to teach her a lesson about always giving credit to God. So he bought several big bags of groceries, sat them in front of her front door, rang the bell, and hid. She came out, saw the groceries and burst into praise, “Thank you, God, you have supplied my need. Thank you God, you have answered my prayer. Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

Just then the atheist arrogantly stepped out from behind a bush and said, “Maam, God hasn’t supplied your need today. I did. See how foolish it is to trust in a non-existent God and give Him credit for what He really didn’t do?” The woman paused for a moment and then burst into another prayer. “Thank you, dear God, You are so wonderful! You not only provided the food, you got the devil to pay for it.”

If I told you that Jesus was taking prayer request this morning what would you ask for? What did you write down? Your children? Your health? Your job? Your finances? Your anxiety or depression? Your friendships?

Whatever you wrote down I want you to keep it for seven days. It will help remind you to ask, seek and knock. God wants you to be involved in the answer. In other words, if you are out of work and need a job you need to pray but that’s not the only thing you need to do. You need to ask people for job opportunities, send out a resume, and knock on the door. If you are single and you asked God for a mate you need to pray. But that’s not the only thing you need to do. You need to get the courage up to knock on the door and asked them out. If you are sick you need to pray but you also need to go to doctor and get the best medical treatment.

Ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.

Prayer Time.

Disciple of Jesus (Part 13) - Matthew 7:1-6

Disciple of Jesus (Part 13)
Do Not Judge or You Will Be Judged
Matthew 7:1-6
Jeff Garrett

Skit

Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

I see four things Jesus wants us to learn.

1. I will be judged the same way I judge others (v.1-2) - Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

You are going to be judged in the same way you judge other people. If you are harsh and critical, that’s the way you are going to be judged. You are going to be evaluated with the same measure you use to evaluate other people. So if you sit around criticizing and gossiping about other people, about how bad they are, about the terrible things they do, you will be judged the same way.

I know that I’m already going to be judged more strictly because I’m a teacher. James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. I believe that means that I’m going to be judged more strictly by both God and people. That’s one major hazard of preaching. I’m already judged more strictly.

But there is another way to enter into strict judgment and it’s worse. That is, we will be judged more strictly if we have a judgmental attitude. If we let conversations drift into gripe sessions and judge and condemn others – God won’t have to judged us. We will have already judged ourselves.

You will have talked about the sins of other people and how terrible they are but God won’t have to say a word. He’ll just quote your own words back to you. You will have talked about how despicable and terrible sin is in others but you will have failed to see that you have the seeds of the very same sins in your own heart. And you will have already condemned yourself. That’s why James 2:12 says “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

So the first lesson is: I will be judged in the same way I judge others. The second is …

2. My faults are bigger than your faults (v.3-4) - v.3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Notice the difference between your faults and my faults. Yours is a speck of sawdust. Mine is a great big beam. Let’s suppose we are working in a woodshop and you got a speck of sawdust in your eye and it hurts. And I say “Let me help you with that.” And you turn around and see me coming with this great big beam hanging out of my eye. It’s ridiculous for me to try to help you because my problem is so big it gets in the way.

My faults are bigger than your faults. One of the greatest men who ever lived was the apostle Paul. He continued to grow and mature throughout his ministry so that his character and heart was more like Jesus than anyone else I know. Yet, he viewed himself in such a humble way. The older he got the more poor in spirit he became.

Early in his life he wrote: 1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Later in his life Paul wrote: Ephesians 3:8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

At the end of his life Paul wrote: 1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

Isn’t that amazing! The older Paul got the more sensitive he became. He went from being the least of the apostles, to the least of all God’s saints to the worst sinner who ever lived. You see, that’s the attitude I want to have. My faults are bigger than your faults.

3. The Lord needs to change me before I can help you (v.5) – v.5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Jesus has to help me change before I can help you. It doesn’t make sense for me to be so critical of you when I know all the things that are wrong with me. If I do help you I must never do it with pride or a condescending attitude. It’s hypocritical for me to pretend that I don’t struggle with sin and it makes you feel more hopeless.

Have you ever ask someone for help and they help but their attitude stinks. They make your problem worse because they think they are better than you. They don’t realize that their condescending attitude is a beam in their eye. We don’t like to be around people like that very long. You can tolerate them for a little while but as soon as you can find an exit you get away from them and you are not going to go back to them for help.

Listen to the attitude that we should have when we help someone who has sinned: Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Your feelings about someone can change if you know more about their situation. You can be very irritated and judge someone wrongly until you understand their circumstance and when you understand your feelings change.

A man boarded a busy subway train with three children. The children became so disruptive. They were running wild and disturbing everyone. People were getting irritated. But the man just sit there with a blank look on his face. He seem totally oblivious to his disobedient children. And everyone was wondering why doesn’t this man control his children. They assumed he was a bad parent. Finally one of the women in the car said “Sir, your children are running wild. Why can’t you control them? The man looked up and said “I’m sorry. My wife just died. The children just lost their mother.”

You see how easy it is to misjudge other people. Once you understand their situation your feelings frequently and naturally change from harsh judgment to sympathy. Then your heart is right toward them and you can help them.

4. I need to be wise in my relationships (v.6) – v. 6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Some people cannot be trusted. You give them the gospel and they make fun of Jesus and they make fun of you. It’s like putting pearls on a pig or giving something sacred to a dog who in turn bites you. How many times does a dog have to bite you before you realize that it’s a biting dog.

Some people can’t be trusted. I’m not going to be open and vulnerable to someone who is mean. I’m not going to be transparent and confess my sins to someone who will use it against me or judge me harshly. I will go to someone I can trust. Then I know when I put it all out on the table, whether it’s the gospel or some other private area of my life, I know that they will not trample it under their feet and tear me to pieces with it.

Think of somebody in your life that you have misjudged. They irritate and frustrate you. Perhaps you there are reasons for their behavior that are unknown to you and if you knew, you may change your attitude towards them.

Once Chuck Swindol was speaking at a three day conference. There was a man sitting on the front row next to his wife. He was bald and looked so tired. He drifted off to sleep time and time. It was so distracting to Chuck Swindol that he had difficulty concentrating on his lesson. He thought “I wish that man would move to the back or not come at all.” At the end of the conference the man and his wife came to shake his hand. His wife said “I want to thank you for your lessons. We have read your books and have listened to your sermons on the radio for years. You are our favorite preacher. I’m sorry my husband fell asleep. He has cancer. He’s been through months of treatment and he’s lost all of his hair. The doctors told us that he did not have long to live. This is the last vacation we will take together. Out of all the places we could have gone we chose to spend our last vacation here so that we could listen to you preach.

So Chuck’s feelings naturally changed from frustration, irritation to pity, interest, and appreciation.

But let’s say this person has no good excuse. They are just down-right mean and they have caused you trouble. Why would you wrap your life around their weakness and allow them to control you? It’s hard enough already but you make it harder on yourself by massaging your wounds and gossiping and judging them harshly. Why not say “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”? Why not just release yourself from the grip that they have on your emotional life. Why not let Jesus set you free and remember

1. I will be judged in the same way I judge others (v.1-2)
2. My faults are bigger than your faults (v.3-4)
3. The Lord needs to change me before I can help you (v.5)
4. I need to be wise in my relationships (v.6)


Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 12) - Matthew 6:25-34

Disciple of Jesus (Part 12)
Matthew 6:25-34
Worrywart
Jeff Garrett

Please fill out your “Worry List”. Write down a couple of your worries.

Common Worries for Seniors
(New York Times)
1. Death of a Spouse
2. fear of becoming crime victim
3. concern about their children’s problems
4. concern about their children’s finances
5. marital status
6. relocation from their home
7. failing capacities due to illness and age
8. death of a grandchild
9. separation from children and grandchildren
10. spending quality time with their children and grandchildren

Common Worries for Adults
(Macquarie University Anxiety Research Unit)
1. Finances
2. Work
3. Children
4. Health of self
5. Health of loved ones
6. Relationships
7. Family
8. Safety
9. Community/world events
10. Worry itself

Common Worries for Children and Teenagers
(National Association of Health Education Centers)
1. being late for school
2. homework
3. changing school
4. not getting good grades
5. Sickness
6. Being smaller or larger than peers
7. Being left out of a group
8. Not getting along with teachers
9. Not good enough for sports
10. Personal harm from others

Have you ever heard of the name “worrywart.” It refers to a person who habitually worries. It is used in sentences like: “She is such a worry wart”. We use that term in such a way that you might think that worry is harmless or even a good thing e.g., she worries about me because she loves me. But worry is not really an expression of love. It’s one thing to care or to be concerned but it’s another thing to worry. Today we are going to learn that God did not create us to be a worrywart. And that’s what Jesus talks about in Matthew 6:25-34. Follow along in your Bible as I read.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own

The dictionary says that “worry” means “to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts; to fret.” It means to be troubled and filled with anxiety. In the Bible “worry” means “to choke” or “to strangle.” Worry will strangle the life out of you. That’s why Jesus said 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you'll eat or drink, or about your body, what you'll wear. That is not a suggestion. That is a command. Jesus gives us four reasons not to worry.

1. It’s unreasonable. v. 25 Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?"

Jesus asked questions to get us to think: Isn’t life more important than food? Yes! Isn’t the body more important than clothes? Absolutely! Jesus is arguing from the greater to the lesser. He’s saying if God gave you life and a body (which is the greater thing) surely you can trust him for the lesser things - food and clothes. If you were building a house for $100,000 dollars and it wasn’t finish but you only needed to pay $10 to pay it off, would you refuse to pay the $10? No. That’s unreasonable. Well, since God gave you life and a body and he has already invested so much in you, even the death of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ – it is unreasonable to waste your time worrying about these little things. Your Father is going to take care of you.

Most of the things you worry about will never happen. Dr. Walter Cavert did a study of the things we worry about. He discovered that:

40% of the things we worry about never happen.
30% concern the past.
12% are needless worries about our health.
10% are insignificant or petty concerns.
Only 8% are legitimate troubles.

Have you ever noticed how irrational your worries can become? You get a thought in your mind and you rehearse it and exaggerate it and it gets bigger and bigger every time you review it in your mind. If somebody criticizes you, your rehearse it over and over then you think about it for a couple of days and by that time you've made it that everybody's against you. It’s unreasonable. Life is too important to waste it on worry.

2. It is unnatural. v.26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? … 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

I’ve been watching birds for the past two weeks and I’m confident that birds don’t worry. They just fly around and sing songs and God takes care of them. It’s just natural.

Now, when it comes to clothing he doesn’t say look at the birds. He said look at the lilies of the field. Look closely at the delicate design and complex beauty of a lily. Stop and smell the flowers. They don’t toil. They don’t spin. And they never worry. And yet, they are so beautiful. Solomon couldn’t make a robe as fine as God makes a flower pedal.

Animals don't worry, plants don't worry. There's only one thing in all of God's creation that worries -- human beings. But God loves you more than anything else he created. Jesus said you are more valuable than birds and flowers and grass. Since God takes care of birds and flowers you can know for sure that he’s going to take care of you. So worry is not only unreasonable, worry is unnatural.

3. It is unhealthy. v. 27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" You cannot add time onto your life by worrying. In fact it does the opposite. It shortens your life because it creates anxiety. High levels of anxiety produce symptoms like headaches, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, insomnia, and an inability to concentrate which means that you are going to make more mistakes. You worry all night, your tired the next day and you make more mistakes which means that you have a whole new set of problems to worry about. It’s unhealthy.

Worry never moves you one inch closer to a solution. It's like a rocking chair. There’s a lot of movement, but no progress. Worry is stewing without doing. Worrying cannot change the past. Worrying cannot control the future. All worrying does is make you miserable today. It saps your strength. It is a useless waste of energy. Jesus said worry is unreasonable, worry is unnatural, worry is unhealthy.

4. It is unchristian. v.31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

Jesus said, “You act like pagans when you worry. You act like people who have no faith at all.” So don’t worry because your Father knows all your needs and he will take care of you. Philippians 4:19 "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Jesus said don’t worry because it is unreasonable, unnatural, unhealthy, and it is unchristian. So, that’s what we are not supposed to do but how do we stop worrying?

How to stop being a worrywart

1. Put Jesus first
v.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

2. Live one day at a time.
v.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Don’t cripple yourself by worrying about what may happen tomorrow. All you have is right now. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery all we have is today. So live one day at a time.

3. Substitute prayer for worry.
Philippians 4: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Every time you start to worry that is your cue to pray. And if you pray about it you don’t need to worry about it. And God will guard your hearts and mind.

4. Pay attention to your thought-life.
Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Let your thought-life be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Focus on the eight underlined words above. Think about what is true – not exaggerated. Think about what is right – not distorted. Fill your mind with true thoughts and the peace of God will be with you.

5. Trust your heavenly Father.

In verse 26 and in v.32 Jesus said that your Father will take care of you. You can trust him. He is good and full of mercy and grace. He loves you. He’s done everything for you.

You may doubt the love God has for you because of something you’ve done wrong. You may feel crippled by sin. You feel handicapped and so unworthy. But you need to know that your heavenly Father loves you and he’s going to make sure that you cross the finish line.

I want you to watch this video of Dick and Rick Hoyt. Dick is the father. Rick is his son. When Rick was born he was strangled by his umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development. When he was eight months old the doctors said that Rick would be a vegetable for the rest of his life.

But they never gave up. They raised him as "normally" as possible. Rick learned how to use an interactive computer that allowed him to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements. In 1975 Rick told his dad he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick was not a runner but he agreed to push his son. That night Rick told his parents that he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing. Since that time they have been running marathons. As you watch this inspiring video I want you to think about the love that your heavenly Father has for you.

VIDEO - Dick and Rick Hoyt

The video of Dick and Rick Hoyt is a perfect example of how your heavenly Father treats you. Since God loves you so much, what do you have to worry about?

Take your worry list and tear it. Give you worries to your heavenly Father. Come now. Let's pray together.

Prayer Time

Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 11) - Matthew 6:19-24

Disciple of Jesus (Part 11)
Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:19-24
Jeff Garrett

Make plans to come to the coffee house tonight at 6pm. If you are not in a small group please sign up for one tonight. The coffee house is for everyone. We will have good fellowship, coffee and refreshments and live entertainment. Make plans to come!

According to Forbes Magazine the average American household makes $54,000 before taxes (Low Income: $9,168; Middle Income: $41,614; Richest: $132,158). On the average we spend about 35% of it on housing, 15% on food, 13% on transportation, 10% on a pension, 10% on clothes, and 3% on utilities (this doesn’t account for the large amount of money that is spent on entertainment). The average American household spends $43,395 a year. That’s a lot of money.

Today we are going to discuss what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 6:19a "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … “Treasure” is a broad and inclusive word. It means more than money. It can be a valuable possession of any kind. Some of the things you treasure may not be valuable to other people. I want to begin by showing you some of my treasures on earth.

I treasure Kim, Amber, Tori and Shayna. Kim and the girls are very important to me. I love them. They are dear to me. I treasure them more than the other things I’m going to share.

When I considered the amount of time I spend studying I suppose another one of my treasures is my work which is represented by this computer and these books. I love to study and learn and I love to teach. My first love is preaching and teaching the gospel but I also enjoy teaching at Marshall.

I have a couple of hobbies. The first one is hunting. I love to hunt deer. I am a country boy and I enjoy being in the woods. I love being in a tree stand before daybreak. I am currently watching a 10 point and three 8 point bucks. But I also love to play my guitar. I love music. It’s been such a large part of my life and I treasure it.

These next too treasures are a little different. I don’t own them. They are not mine. But I would like to. First, here are some tickets the MU / WVU game. I would love to see that game. Another thing that I would love to have is a Harley Davidson Motor Cycle.

If you were to show me what you treasure what would you show me? I’m sure you would say that your treasure your family but I’ll bet that you don’t treasure the same things I do. We all have things that we treasure. It may be a house or a car or education or a job or a hobby. This morning we are going to learn that Jesus is not as much concerned about our earthly possessions as he is our attitude towards them.

Matthew 6:19-24 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Jesus began with a warning. Matthew 6:19a "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, and he gives us four reasons why we shouldn’t. First, in v.19-20, it doesn’t last. Moths and rust destroy our earthly possessions. It all depreciates with time and becomes useless. And sometimes, before it loses its value, people steal it. Kim was walking on Broad Street in Nashville and a man stole her purse out of her hand. Tori parked her bike by a Blockbusters in Reynoldsburg and it was stolen. Somebody says, “We need to lock it up and protect it with an alarm.” But that doesn’t always stop them for stealing.. One time someone put band aids over the motion detectors in the hallways and stole my laptop out of my office. The point is that earthly things don’t last but heavenly things do. No one can break into heaven and steal your treasure because God is protecting it. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:4 that you have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you.

Second, Jesus is concerned about your heart. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Your heart is attached to your treasure. That’s what you think about, dream about, and concentrate on. You wrap your life around it. Your heart and your treasure go together.

When we treasure Jesus his treasure will become ours. Jesus treasures his Father, the word of God, the kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus treasures people. One of the primary ways that we lay up treasure is to help other people.

I frequently have a problem called forgetfulness. I forget where my treasure lies. There have been many homeless people that have come across my path. I have not always been as sensitive to their needs as I ought to be. But there was one homeless man in Reynoldsburg named Bob. I could hardly pass Bob without stopping. I think I needed Bob more than he needed me. Many times he refused money and food but sometimes he let me help him. One cold winter night I was concerned about him and went looking for him. He was sleeping in a laundry matt because it was so cold outside. I offered to take him to a shelter but he wanted to stay in the laundry matt. There are many homeless people that I have met and forgotten, but I will never forget Bob because I made an investment in his life. If I’m going to remember where my treasure is I need to make regular deposits into the lives of people.

Like Martha Bills taking care of Nell. Like the Sonshiners who visit Cat Poytner our other shut-ins. Like the college students who helped people move in their dorms. When we are good to people we are storing up treasures in heaven.

Third, Jesus compares our "heartsight" to our eyesight. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good your whole body is full of light. In other words, you see everything in its true worth and relationship. I know that my guitar, my hunting equipment, my computer and books are not going to last. I can enjoy these things as gifts from God because I am detached from them. My identity is not based on my possessions. And it is certainly not wrapped up in treasures I don’t own. I’m not miserable because I don’t have a Harley. I would love to have boat because I live on the river. Since I can’t afford I boat I bought an inner-tube and a 200 foot rope so that I can float the river. I’ll bet I’m happier now than I would be if I had a boat because I would have the responsibility of taking care of it. I would worry about it.

But if your eyes are bad your whole body is full of darkness. And if the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. If I wrap my life around my work and hunting and music I will be blinded by the illusion that the meaning of my life is in storing up more toys for me to play with. It’s like living with spiritual cataracts and a distorted view of life. And at the end of my life I would suddenly realize that I have absolutely nothing. Because they are only going to put one thing in that box before they bury it. Me! I can’t take anything with me. That’s why Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:6 Godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

Fourth, Jesus is concerned about who we choose as Lord. 24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. This reminds me of that Bob Dylan song “Gotta Serve Somebody:” You're gonna have to serve somebody,Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord. But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

The choice that Jesus sets before us here is God and money. You choose one but you cannot have both. You may think you can but it’s impossible. Eventually one will be subordinate to the other. 1 Timothy 6: 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

He who has ears let him hear. Jesus said "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions"( Luke 12:15). It won’t last. It will captivated your heart. Distort your vision. Make you a slave and ruin your life.
However, if you hold on loosely, love God with all your heart, see things clearly, and make Jesus Christ your Lord you can enjoy all of these things and use them to God’s glory. 1 Timothy 6: 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Paul didn’t say command the rich to give all their possession away. The only person Jesus said that two was the rich young ruler because his possession were his god (Luke 18:22). If that describes you the best possible thing that could happen is for you to loose everything you have so that you can trust Jesus Christ.

But I don’t think that describes you. I believe 1 Timothy 6 describes you. Paul gives you seven commands and specifically tells us that this is how to store up treasures in heaven.

Don’t be arrogant.
Do not put your hope in wealth.
Put your hope in God.
Enjoy what you have and thank God for it. (You can work, hunt, play the guitar, and you can even ride a Harley if you can afford it. Chuck Swindol rides one).
Do good
Be rich in good deeds.
Be generous and willing to share.

And notice that v.19 specifically says that when you do these things you are storing up treasures in heaven. It says 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. If you think the things you have now are good wait till you get to heaven.

Now I want to turn this thing around. Up to this point we’ve only talked about what we treasure. I want to ask another question: What does God treasure?

Throughout the lesson I have talked about your treasure. But now I want to ask you what you think God treasures. Listen to this passage. Listen to what God said to Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. What God said to Israel he now says to you. You are my treasured possession.

1 Peter 2: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. You are so precious to God that he gave his one and only Son for you.

Our first treasure should be Jesus himself. So that what we "treasure" in heaven is not just the little that we have caused to be there. What we treasure most is Jesus Christ. I want to be like Mary. Luke said that Mary treasured all these things up in her heart. That’s what I want to do.

Prayer Time.

Disciple of Jesus (Part 10) - Matthew 6:1-18

Disciple of Jesus (Part 10)
Giving, Praying, Fasting
Matthew 6:1-18
Jeff Garrett

________________________________________
Commercial for UCF.

Jeff: “Good Morning, Church.”
I am stretching behind you. Then I walk next to you still stretching and making a scene.
Jeff, “Jay, what are you doing? You are interrupting me!”
Jay “I am just doing some of morning stretches.”
I do a strange stretch showing me picking up a mini-fridge.
Jeff: “What is that?”
Jay: “I have been training for several months now for Move In Weekend where we all help students move into the dorms. This is my mini fridge stretch. A few months ago I saw some pictures of you from your younger days. It inspired me and now I am ready for anything. Look at my muscle.”
I flex my bicep.
Jeff: “Hey everybody, Jay is going to need some help! We need everyone to give an hour either Friday or Saturday as we help people move in to the dorms. All you have to do is sign up and Jay will tell you everything you need to know. Be there this weekend ready to welcome students and show them the love of Christ. There are sign up sheets at each exit. Sign up before you leave this morning. Thanks”
_______________________________________

Introduction to Sermon

Two men were talking together. The first challenged the other, "If you are so religious, let's hear you quote the Lord's Prayer. I bet you $10.00 you can't." The second responded, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." The first pulled out his wallet and fished out a ten dollar bill, muttering, "I didn't think you could do it!"

Let’s begin by saying the Lord’s prayer. 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

I love that prayer. Nearly everyone knows it. We call it The Lord’s Prayer. A more accurate title would be The Disciples Prayer. In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus “Lord, teach us to pray” and Jesus gave us a model prayer. And this prayer is in the passage we are going to study today. This is the 10th in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount called Disciple of Jesus. I have titled today’s sermon “Giving, Praying and Fasting.” The objective of this lesson is to learn that the most important part of a disciple’s life is the part that only God sees.

Matthew 6:1-4 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus laid down the fundamental principle in Matthew 6:1 Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Now Jesus is not saying that we should hide our good deeds. He said in Matthew 5:16 … let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. So it is not wrong to be seen doing a good deed but it is wrong to do a good deed in order to be seen. Jesus gives three examples: v.2 when you give, v.5 when you pray, v.16 when you fast.

When you give (v.2-4)

When you give to the needy don’t be like the hypocrites who toot their own horn and call attention to themselves. They don’t give to help people, they give to be honored by men. So they have received their reward in full. God’s not going to reward them because their motive is wrong.

When you give don’t allow your left hand to know how generous your right hand is. You can’t understand that with wooden literalism. It’s hyperbole. He’s exaggerating to make his point clear. When you give don’t call attention to yourself so that others will notice. Give to help the needy. Jesus is pointing not to the deed but the source of the deed.

Jesus is saying I want your heart to be transformed so that good deeds flow from your character naturally and you don’t have to think about. For example, when I’m playing a familiar song on my guitar my left hand doesn’t know what my right hand is doing. They are doing two different things and they don’t even think about it. I’m just so absorbed in music and it just comes naturally and automatically. In the same way, you don’t have to think much about doing good for others. You hardly notice your good deed and you rarely remember it. On Judgment day Jesus will say “Well done, my good and faithful servant. I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I needed money and you gave me money. And you will say, “Lord, when did we do these things.” You see, you won’t even remember it because you are so absorbed in Jesus that it comes naturally and automatically.

There are times when it is appropriate for our giving to be totally anonymous, but not always. David told Israel the amount he was giving to the treasury. The disciples laid their gifts at the feet of the apostles. Barnabus gave generously and people knew about it. But Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) tried to use their gift to make people think they were more spiritual than they really were and God killed them because they lied to the Holy Spirit. We just need to make sure our hearts are right and when they are, God will reward us.

When you pray (v.5-15)

5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

When you pray don’t be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by me. They have received their reward in full. Here are several things to remember.

Be sincere when you pray

1. Don't try to impress others with your prayers. Have you ever heard a prayer and when they finished you wanted to go, "Wow! What a performance!" It sounded so great! Or have you ever been in a prayer group and everybody's praying around a circle and you're thinking, "There's only three left until me... only two left... only one... I'm next! What am I going to say that hasn't already been said? What are they going to think?" Don’t worry about what other’s think. You are praying to God. You’re not trying to impress them.

2. Don't try to impress God with your prayers. Don't try to impress God with fancy words and sounds. You don’t have to use special language. What if you came home and your teenager greeted you like this. “O thou, procreator of our family. How wonderful thou art. We are grateful for the bounty and the work of thine hands. As the shadows of another day fall, we beseech thee that thou mayest dine with us.” What would you do? You’d say “What’s wrong with you.” That’s what it sounds like to God. Don’t try to impress him with fancy words.

Meet God in Secret

v. 6 "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." God wants to spend time with you when no one else is around. That is a great privilege.

When I went to have lunch with Bob Russell I thought there would be other people eating with us. I just knew that I wouldn’t get to spend time with him alone. But I did and I was thrilled! We went to a restaurant and got a private booth and we talked for a long time. That was a special privilege and I will never forget it. But how much more special is it to meet privately with your heavenly Father.

And you can have ongoing relationship with your heavenly Father. That was the only time I will ever be with Bob Russell. We don’t have a personal relationship but you can spend private time with God every day.

I sometimes take my girls on daddy dates. It’s good to spend time with all of them but I also like to spend time with each of them. Your heavenly Father is no different. He loves to be with you all the time but the times when you are alone it’s more intimate and you get to know him better. The more time you spend with God in the secret place the more meaningful your worship will be when you are with other disciples. But if you spend no private time with God your spiritual life will whither.

What if the only time you talked to your wife was when you were with other people? What kind of relationship would you have? Well, she probably would not talk to you. She would probably say “Why are you talking to me now? Do just want people to think we have a good marriage.” The most important part of your relationship is the part that no one else sees. You can enjoy being together in public with other people because you enjoy each other when no one else is around. In fact, the foundation of your relationship is built in private, not in public. The same is true with your relationship with Jesus.

Prayer together with other disciples
Jesus is not forbidding us to pray with others. It is worth noting that there are no singular pronouns in this prayer; they are all plural. "OUR Father... give US ... OUR daily bread ... forgive US ... OUR debts ... as WE have forgiven OUR debtors ... lead US not into temptation ... deliver US ..." All of the pronouns are plural. It does not say, "My Father give me my daily bread. Forgive me my debts and lead me not into temptation, deliver me." I want to encourage you to join a small group where you can pray with other disciples. We are having a small group sign up August 20 and if you are not in a small group I hope you will join one and pray with other disciples.

Don’t think you have to say long public prayers

There is no need to babble on with long prayers and vain repetition. And regarding vain repetition, some commentators warn against written prayers. They say you should always be informal and spontaneous. But I disagree because you can be just as proud about being informal and spontaneous. That’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said, “Don’t be like pagans who babble all day long to get their god’s attention. They think they will be heard by their many words” (e.g., like the prophets of Baal did in their pagan ceremonies - see 1 Kings 18:26). Jesus said, “You don’t have to say long prayers to get God’s attention. He knows your needs before you even ask. Somebody says “Why then do we pray?” Because prayer prepares us for the proper use of the answer.

So you don’t have to say long public prayers. When I’m with a group and we are all praying I will sometimes say “Don’t say some big old long prayer.” Just pray a little short prayers. When Jesus was with a crowd he prayed short prayers. When Jesus was with is disciples he prayed medium prayers. When Jesus was by himself he prayed all night.

Pray like Jesus taught us to pray

Notice, Jesus didn’t say, this is “what” you should pray. Jesus said, this is “how” you should pray. Use this simple prayer as a model. Prayer is an act of giving and receiving. Jesus said there are six things we can give God in prayer. I borrowed this outline from Rick Warren and I want to share it with you.

1. PRAISE: I give God my love. v. 9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” You start by praising God. What is praise? Praise means bragging on God.

2. PURPOSE: I give God my life. v.10 “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Not my will, but your will be done. I want to do you’re will on earth like the angels do it in heaven.

3. PROVISION: I give God my worries. v. 11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” Bread represents the necessities of life.

4. PARDON: I give God my guilt. " v.12a …forgive us our debts..." If we confess our sins he will forgive us. So I give God my guilt.

5. PEOPLE: I give God my hurts. v.12b "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." We give God our hurts so that we don’t poison our lives with bitterness and resentment. We forgive other because we have been forgiven so much.

6. PROTECTION: I give God my temptations. v.13 "... And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." Don’t let me walk into a trap. Lead me in paths of righteousness for your name sake.

Trying praying through these different petitions: Praise. Purpose. Provision. Pardon. People. Protection. Give God your love, your life, your worries, your guilt, your hurts and your temptations.

When you fast (v.16-18)

16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

God required Israel to fast one day a year. The Pharisees fast twice a week and they made a show of it. Jesus told his disciples to take a bath and act normal so that others will not know that we are fasting.

Notice that Jesus said “When you fast” not “if you fast”. What does it mean to fast? Well, it’s not a diet. It’s not used to bribe God. It’s not like a hunger strike. Fasting is where you deny yourself of something for the purpose of communing with God. This is an area I need to grow in because when get grouchy when I don’t eat. I fasted in preparation for this lesson and I learned that …

It’s a discipline of self-control.
Makes us aware of our dependence on Jesus.
It’s heightens our spiritual sensitivity.
It can help us focus on Jesus.
It can also be a time of sorrow or repentance. Something that a person or a community can do to acknowledge failure before God and seek forgiveness.
I can be used to seek God’s blessing.

I want to give you a challenge. During the next month I want to ask you to fast and pray for God to bless our church this fall. There’s nothing magical about fasting. You don’t have to fast for days or even an entire day. You could miss a meal and pray.

Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 9) - Matthew 5:38-48

Disciple of Jesus (Part 9)
Love Your Enemy
Matthew 5:38-48
Jeff Garrett

This is the 9th in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount called Disciple of Jesus. The title of today’s lesson is Love Your Enemy.

Matthew 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Look at v.38. The people had heard the Pharisees teach 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' That phrase comes straight out of the Bible but the Pharisees misused it.

Two Observations

1. This instruction was intended for courts, not for personal relationships.

Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This was called lex talionis, or "the law of retaliation." The lex talionis is a law of equal and direct retribution. Justice was achieved through equal injury. It was a decision for the courts to make, not for the angry man who had been injured.

2. The Pharisees provoked personal vendettas by teaching this incorrectly.

How do you think a quick tempered person who had been injured would apply that verse – eye for eye and tooth for tooth? He would use it to justify his vengeance. “You hurt me and I’ll hurt you.” Then he would quote the Bible to rationalize his violent temper: “The Bible says ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!’ The Pharisees taught people to take the law into their own hands and retaliate. They provoked feuds. So Jesus corrected their interpretation by giving four examples of how to respond to personal injury.

Four examples of how to respond to personal injury.

First, turn the other cheek (v.39). Don’t hit back. Be vulnerable like Jesus. He could have called 10,000 angels but he did not retaliate.

Second, give more than they ask for (v.40). If someone wants to sue you for the shirt off your back, gift wrap your best suit and make a present of it. Give them more than what they are suing you for. Show genuine concern for what the other person needs and help them all you can.

Third, go the second mile (v.41). If a policeman or an official exercises the right to require your assistance, do more than they require as an expression of goodwill. Imagine a man mowing grass and a Roman soldier comes by and compels him to carry his load for a mile (a Roman mile was 1,000 paces). Jesus said you have a choice. You can resent it and count every step and drop the bag on his toe when you reach the mark. Or you can go the second mile with a good attitude and talk about Jesus along the way.

Fourth, give generously (v.42). Don’t turn away from someone who wants to borrow something. Don’t be stingy. Give it to them. Live generously. No more tit-for-tat.

This is not a legalistic list of four laws that must be obeyed without exception. These are examples that illustrate how disciples generally respond in such situations. It’s the result of a transformed heart. But here is something to consider.

In every case you must determine if the gift of your vulner­ability, goods, time, and strength is appropriate. That is my responsibility before God and I can’t escape it.

If I owe money to the bank I am not at liberty to give that money to “someone who ask.”

If someone slaps Bruce Johnson he may turn the other cheek. But if someone is beating Teresa he wouldn’t say “Here’s Timothy. Beat him too.” He has to make a decision and he will probably decide that Jesus wants him to protect his family.

If someone ask a favor of Tim Robarts while he’s on the way to the hospital to perform surgery he must make a decision and he will probably not go the second mile. If he has time he may go the first mile and then give you best wishes and a hasty farewell.

Do you see my point? You can not make a legalistic list out of these four examples and avoid the responsibility of determining whether it is appropriate for you, in a particular case, to go the second mile or to turn the other cheek. That decision is your responsibility and you should pray for the wisdom to know what Jesus wants you to do in each case.

Legalists think “You’ve got to have a law for every situation” so you don’t have to make these tough decisions. That’s why legalists live such pinched and impoverished lives and develop very little in the way of genuine depth and godly character. You can’t apply these examples in every situation because if you follow these examples in every situation you sometimes end up doing the exact opposite of what Jesus wants you to do.

I will give you a couple of examples out of the Bible. In John 19 Jesus did not turn the other cheek. John 19:22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. 23 "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" Another example is where Paul appealed to his rights as a Roman citizen in Acts 22:25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?" … 29 Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

I think the point is clear. Be like Jesus and Paul and realize that, in every case, you must determine if the gift of your vulner­ability, goods, time, and strength is appropriate. But your decision must never be retaliation.

So, Jesus says, Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The people had heard the Pharisees say 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor but God never said hate your enemy. Jesus said love your enemies.

Some people are hard to love. When I was in the fourth grade there were two bullies in my school. There names were Donnie Myers and Jack Dillon. Donnie pushed me around and made fun of me until I cried. Mrs. Hundley saw it and wrote a letter to mom. It read, “Mrs. Garrett, If Donnie bothers Jeff again, he has my permission to knock the fire out of Donnie Myers.” So the next day we had a meeting in the boys room. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

Some people are hard to love. When I was a minister in Columbus a man cornered me and asked me several questions. I tried to redirect the conversation but he was so persistent and I finally answered him. He asked, “Do you believe that there are Christians in other denominations?” “Yes.” “Do you believe that it’s OK for a woman to stand up in front of the church on Sunday morning and testify?” Yes. After he got this information he began to spread it to others. I tried to make peace but I was not successful. An elder and I visited a family and they had invited 10 people to sit in. When I got up to leave I shook hands and hugged them but this one man put his arms around me and squeezed in anger until it hurt.” I said, “That hurt me.” He didn’t say a word. The conflict became so bad that we brought in Patrick Mead as a mediator. We were in the library on the second floor when three men pounded on the door where the elders and Patrick and I were meeting. They demanded that we come down at once. Forty people were waiting in the fellowship hall. They had five chairs lined up. One for each elder and one for me. They were going to grill us. We told them that we would be happy to meet with them at another time but Patrick had driven a distance and we were going to finish our appointment with him. We thought they left. But they parked there cars on the other side of the building and hid along the wall of the church. When Greg and I stepped out the door they surrounded us and shouted at me “The devil came to our church.” I said, “What you are saying is not true” and I through the crowd. Soon after that a man went forward at the invitation and read a letter to the church calling me a deceiver and the elders liars. An angry man ran down the isle screaming at him “I’m going to get you!” Two men grab him and drug him out while he was shouting “I’m going to sue you.” Today, the conflict is over and the church is healthy but those were difficult days and some of the people were hard to love.

After I left the ministry I worked as a mental health counselor. As I built a private practice, I did contract work for a mental health agency. Since I was the only clinician with the credentials to diagnosis I did all the intakes. . I was writing a minimum of 36 pages a day. The director of the agency set unreasonable standards and demanded that I correct nearly every intake which slowed down the whole process and backed me up. The corrections were clinically insignificant. I could do nothing to please her. I spent many nights and weekends working for nothing. She was hard to love.

As I told you about these three situations from my life I hope you thought of some people in your life. People that are hard for you to love.

It’s hard to love someone who mistreats your children. It’s hard to love someone who takes advantage of your family. It’s hard to love the bully at school or an unreasonable supervisor or the woman who broke up your marriage. You can’t feel good about it.

Somebody says, “How can you love them if you don’t feel good about them?” The same way Jesus did. Jesus didn’t necessarily feel good about the Pharisees. He called them hypocrites three times in this sermon. He also called them ferocious wolves, pigs, snakes, blind guides, and white washed tombs. That doesn’t indicate to me that Jesus had warm fuzzes for the Pharisees. They couldn’t be trusted. But he loved them and died on the cross for them.

It may be hard to love your enemy but it’s harder to hate them because you have to live with yourself. If you hate someone you are imprisoned by your own resentment and your bitterness will ruin your relationships with other people.

Here’s how Jesus wants you to love your enemies.

1. Pray for them (v.44)

2. Bless them (v.45) when you have opportunity. Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. … 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

3. Greet them (v.47) when you see them. You don’t have to be fake a happy greeting but acknowledge their presence. They are made in the image of God.

4. Forgive them (6:14-15). Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. When Jesus was being crucified he said, Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus said “Be perfect.” Do we have any perfect people here this morning? One time that question was asked and fellow stood up and said “I stand in defense of my wife’s first husband.” No, no one is perfect. So what could this mean?

Perfect means “complete”. Jesus is encouraging us to let God love grow into completeness.

Jesus is encouraging us “be perfect.” It’s ort of like when I was teaching Dakota how to dive. He practice over and over. He asked me to rate his dives so he could gauge his improvement. I started low. “That was a four” or “that was a six” and finally began to dive well. And I said “I want to see a 10!” He dove in and I said “That was it! That was 10! That was perfect!” And he continued to dive and improve.

And that’s the spirit in which Jesus says “Be perfect. Love everyone just like your Father in heaven.

Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 8) - Matthew 5:33-38

Disciple of Jesus (Part 8)
Matthew 5:33-38
Honest to God
Jeff Garrett

This is the 8th in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount called Disciple of Jesus. The title of today’s lesson is called Honest to God. The objective of this lesson is to encourage us to live a life of integrity. Please open your Bibles and follow along as I read Matthew 5:33-37.

Matthew 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

An oath is a solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling on God, or a sacred object (like putting your hand on a Bible) as witness. When we hear Jesus say “Do not swear at all” it sounds like he is forbidding us from taking any kind of oath. But that is incorrect. Throughout the Bible men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David took solemn oaths. God himself sealed some of his promises with an oath. Jesus testified under oath. God commanded his people to take their oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 10:10 Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. So Jesus is not forbidding the use of an oath. He is forbidding the abuse of an oath. The Pharisees were guilty of three offences regarding oaths.

1. The Pharisees were guilty of limiting lying to perjury.

2. The Pharisees were guilty of frivolous swearing –They took oaths when it was not appropriate or necessary. They used oaths to substantiate simple statements in common conversations e.g., “I swear to God that I was late for work because I had a flat tire.” Taking an oath should be reserved for solemn occasions (like a wedding or a court hearing) where the gravity of what is being promised needs to be witnessed by God.

3. The Pharisees where guilty of evasive swearing – Notice that they swore by different things. They swore by heaven or the earth or Jerusalem or by their own head and they play games with the truth. If they swore by certain things it meant nothing. If they swore by other things they were bound by an oath. Some oaths actually enabled them to lie. Jesus rebuked them for this in Matthew 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

Negatively, Jesus said that the Pharisees were wrong on each of these points: evasive swearing, frivolous swearing, and confining lying to perjury. They used the name of God to manipulate people. They abuse their oaths in order to lie and get what they want.

Positively, Jesus said in v.37 “My disciples will be people of integrity. They don’t need to invoke the name of God to buttress what they say in common conversations. They will just say “Yes” or “No” and that will be enough because they are honest.”

All week long I’ve been singing that Billy Joel song “Honesty, it’s such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty, it’s hardly ever heard and mostly what I need from you.”
That’s what Jesus is saying. Be honest. Don’t lie.

What is a lie? A lie is a false statement that is made with the intent to deceive. Someone says, “What’s the big deal? Everybody lies every now and then.” In Boston, a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. "What are you doing, boys?" he asked. "Telling lies." one of them replied. "The one who tells the biggest lie gets to keep this dog." The minister was shocked and said to them, "When I was your age, I would never have thought of telling a lie." The boys looked at each other, seemingly a little disappointed. Finally one shrugged, pointed at the minister, and said, "I guess he wins the dog."

The New York Times did a survey and found that 91% of Americans confess that they regularly don’t tell the truth. And 20% admitted that they cannot get through the day without telling conscious, premeditated white lies. There are many different types of lies. All of which can be coupled with an oath.

Five Types of Lies

1. The blatant lie – which is deliberate deception. George told me a story of four college football players were enrolled in a course where attendance was not mandatory. The four men hired a young student to take notes but they didn’t attend any of the classes. At the end of the quarter they copied the notes the young man had taken and they studied these notes all night long but they were still not prepared to take the final. They needed one more day to study. So they called the professor the day of the exam and lied. They said “We have a flat tire and cannot make it to class. Can we take the exam tomorrow?” The professor agreed. When they arrived the next day the professor gave them the exam. He made them sit in the four corners of the room facing the wall. They got all the answers correct until they came to the last question that read: “Which tire was flat?” Their answers did not agree and the professor failed them all because they blatantly lied.

2. The poker-face lie - Proverbs 6:12-13 describes this kind of lie when it says, "A scoundrel and a villain who...winks with his eye, signals with his feet, and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart—he always stirs up dissension." You don’t have to say a word. Just listen silently and say nothing to correct it. Just wink or lift your eyebrow or shrug your shoulders with the intent to deceive.

3. The flattery lie – Jude 1:16b… they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. Flattery is insincere praise....saying something to someone's face that you wouldn't say behind their back. To a woman's face you say, "That's the prettiest dress I have ever seen!" but behind her back you would say, "She looked like a mess in that dress!" Or you might say, "Wonderful sermon!" but in the car on the way home you would say, "That's the most boring thing I have ever heard." Now, I know you guys never do that but I'm just using it as an example.

4. The Spin lie - With a turn of a phrase or a clever combination of words we can misrepresent the truth. We can spin the truth to justify anything. It happens so often one TV commentator calls his show a “No-spin Zone” but even he doesn’t escape the spin. Politicians lie to win votes. Historians can lie by revising history. Newspapers lie to sell papers. We don’t call lying by its name – today it is an art form called spin.

5. The truth-teller lie - Jay Barrow said, “The best lies contain the most truth.” Good lies are camouflaged behind truth. In John 8 Jesus is telling the Jewish religious leaders that He is the Son of God. And in response they were using truth to spread falsehood by saying, "WE were not born of fornication," and they weren't but by saying this they were inferring that Jesus was. You see, we can even use true statements to lie.

A captain on a ship disciplined a certain sailor on his crew for an infraction of the regulations. And from then on this sailor held a deep grudge against his captain. One day the captain was sick and this sailor was in temporary command. On this particular ship, it was the duty of the person in command to record the daily entry into the ship's log. This sailor entered the following statement, "The captain was sober today." Now that was the truth...he was sober everyday...he didn't drink. However, writing that in the log was a selective truth. The sailor wrote this because he wanted to hurt the captain's reputation. His intent was to deceive people into believing that the Captain had a drinking problem.

I want to give you some benefits of being honest. Jesus wants to motivate us to live a life of integrity so that we don’t have to swear or take an oath to get people to believe us. Here are some good things that will happen if we are honest to God.

The Benefits of Honesty

1. When we are honest we gain peace and strength - 1 Peter 3:10 says, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." If you want to enjoy life and see good days be honest. If you want to have peace and strength keep your tongue from evil and you lips from deceitful speech.
When you lie you hurt yourself. Lying robs you of peace and makes you weak because you will live in constant fear that others will find out. And you will have to tell more to cover-up the lies you’ve already told. It’s like a snowball. The longer it is rolled on the ground, the larger it becomes.

Lying destroys your character. A farmer cut down a huge tree. It looked good from the outside but he discovered that the heart of the tree was rotten. He looked closely at it and found a huge old nail. Apparently years ago someone had driven it in the tree and it had caused the heart of the tree to rot. This is how it is with the life of the person who lies. His life becomes a hollow shell and his spiritual life withers and dies. But when we tell the truth and live honesty we gain peace and strength.

2. When we are honest we build trust in our relationships with other people. The foundation of all your relationships is trust. Every time you tell the truth you strengthen your relationships. But when you lie you erode the foundation of your relationships. People don’t want to be around a liar. A wife once asked her husband, "Why don't you play golf with Ted anymore." Her husband replied, "Would you play golf with a man who moved the golf ball with his foot when you weren't watching?" His wife said, "Well, no. I wouldn't." Her husband said, "Well, neither will Ted." Lying destroys relationships.

3. When we are honest we strengthen our relationship with Jesus. 1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be a disciple while we are walking in darkness, we are lying to ourselves. God is Holy and he cannot tolerate lies. In a way it’s like me being allergic to poison ivy. If I get in poison ivy I can’t tolerate it. I start itching and it spreads. Now, I didn’t arbitrarily choose to be allergic to poison ivy. By nature, I can’t tolerate it. That’s just the way I am. I can have no fellowship with poison ivy. So I have to separate myself from it or cut it down. Well, God is holy. He doesn’t arbitrarily choose to dislike sin. By his very nature, God can have no fellowship with sin. So when we tell lie we separate ourselves from God and it hurts our relationship with Jesus. We move further away from him. But when we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with Jesus and our relationship is strengthened.

One final thought. Honesty means that everything you say must be true, not that everything that is true must be said. A courteous elderly lady once said to a little girl, "How do you do, my dear?" The little girl replied, "Quite well, thank you." After a long pause the woman asked, "Why don't you ask me how I am?" The girl just paused a moment and then said, "Because I'm not interested." Some people brag about how forthright and frank they are. They are insensitive and care little about how their words affect other people. They excuse themselves and say, “I’m frank. I am brutally honest.” No, you are being mean and rude. The only words that should come out of our mouths are words that are, "helpful for building others up according to their needs." In other words, we should build up or shut up. When we need to share painful truth that benefits a person and helps them to mature, we should do so in a loving manner. Ephesians 4:15 says, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him.

Prayer Time

Disciple of Jesus (Part 7) - Matthew 5:31-32

Disciple of Jesus (Part 7)
Matthew 5:31-32
Marriage and Divorce
Jeff Garrett


This is the 7th in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount called Disciple of Jesus. The title of today’s lesson is called Marriage and Divorce. This is a difficult topic. It is complex and controversial and for many people it is emotional. Few things are worse than a bad marriage or one that ends in divorce. It is heartbreaking for the couple, their children and the entire family. In some ways divorce is worse than death. If you have been divorced I love you and I’m so glad that you are here. This is a church for divorced people. This is where you belong. This lesson may bring up painful memories (please know that that is not my intention). But this lesson has to be taught because these are the words of Jesus Christ. The whole point of the lesson is to encourage married couples and those who plan to marry to keep their covenant.

I want to read two passages: Matthew 5:31-32 and a passage in Deut which is background to the text we are studying.

Matthew 5: 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Deuteronomy 24:1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

I want to make four points.

1. The Pharisees focused on the certificate of divorce but Jesus focused on the husband/wife relationship.

Matthew 5: 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' Deuteronomy 24:1 and 3 mentions a certificate of divorce. The purpose of that document was to certify that the divorced woman was eligible to marry. Isn’t that interesting considering all of our debates about remarriage? In Israel women almost always had to remarry because they had no means to support themselves.

I asked Todd Meadows, who is an attorney here in Huntington, to send me a divorce certificate. I am holding it in my hand as a visual illustration for this first point. This is what the Pharisees focused on – the certificate of divorce.

I also found an ancient divorce certificate in Adam Clark’s commentary on Matthew. This certificate, which you can see on the power point slide, was like the ones used in ancient Israel. And like most legal documents, the wording was awkward so I simplified it without altering its content. The divorce certificate contained …

Date __________________
Address (the city) __________________
Names of husband and wife ________________

I have dismissed you, so as to be free, and at your own disposal, to marry whomever you please, without hindrance from anyone from this day forward. You are therefore free for any man. Let this be your bill of divorce from me, a writing of separation and expulsion, according to the Law of Moses and Israel.

________________________ witness
________________________ witness

The Pharisees put the emphasis on the giving of a certificate of divorce as if that were the most important part of the Mosaic provision. They did not regard divorce to be a sin. They regarded it to be a sin if you sent a wife away without a certificate of divorce. You were righteous so long as you gave her a certificate. But Jesus put the emphasis on the relationship. As disciples of Jesus we are to love our wife like Christ loves the church.

2. The Pharisees were preoccupied with the grounds for divorce but Jesus was focused on God’s ideal.

Divorce and remarriage was a controversial issue in Jesus’ day. The rabbis debated Deuteronomy 24:1-4. There were two schools of thought. Rabbi Shammai and his followers were hardliners. They focused on the words “something indecent” in v.1 and taught that it meant adultery. I’m not sure that he was right because the punishment for adultery in the Old Testament was death not divorce. Rabbi Hillel and his followers took a very lax view of divorce. They focused on the phrases “becomes displeasing” in v.1 and the phrase in v.3 “her second husband dislikes”. They concluded that you could divorce your wife if she displeased you or if you dislike her. This was being debated during the first century and the Pharisees tried to pull Jesus into the debate.

Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" They were preoccupied with the grounds for divorce but Jesus didn’t answer their question. Instead, he asked a counter-question. He pointed them to God’s ideal. 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,’ 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." That’s God’s dream for marriage. You see, the Pharisees were preoccupied with grounds for divorce but Jesus was preoccupied with preserving God’s ideal.

3. The Pharisees called Moses’ provision for a divorce a command; Jesus called it a concession to the hardness of human hearts.

Matthew 19:7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. In the beginning God did not create Adam and Eve for divorce. God intended their marriage to be permanent. I got to thinking about Adam and Eve this week and how long their marriage lasted. Just think about how many anniversaries they celebrated. Kim and I have been married 21. Some of you have been married over 50 years. But Adam lived 930 years! Can you imagine being married to the same woman for over 900 years? You better say “Yes”. That was God’s dream.

However, by the time we come to Deuteronomy 24, divorce was rampant. God didn’t command divorce, they were already divorcing. God just step in and regulated it to protect women who had no social standing or means to support themselves.

But the Pharisees thought God commanded the certificate and the divorce. A careful read of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 reveals that their interpretation was a garbled distortion. Deuteronomy 24:1-3 is merely a long serious of conditional clauses (v.1-3 e.g., if this, if this, if this, then don’t do this). Verse 4 is the only command given and all it does is forbid the husband to remarry the wife he divorced. So God did not command divorce, he, as Jesus said, permitted it because your hearts are so hard.

4. The Pharisees regarded divorce lightly but Jesus took it seriously.

Some of the Pharisees and scribes followed the teaching Rabbi Hillel and they had a very loose view of divorce. They and the people who listened to them divorced their wife for most trivial reasons. For example, you have heard of the famous Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Around A.D. 70 he wrote, "About this time I put away my wife, who had borne me three children, not being pleased with her manners." (from Adam Clark’s commentary on Matthew). Jesus did not want his disciples to view divorce lightly. What did Jesus say? It’s helpful to see Jesus’ two statements about divorce side by side.

Matthew 19: 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." That is straightforward. If I divorce Kim, who is faithful to me, and marry another woman I commit adultery. I am guilty.

Now, in Matthew 5:32 Jesus turns it around and talks about the harm this does to others. I don’t want you to miss. Jesus stresses the harm done, not only to yourself, but also to your wife and anyone who marries her after the divorce. Matthew 5:32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. So if I divorce Kim, who is faithful to me, I cause her to become an adulteress. She can’t keep our covenant because I won’t let her. It’s like forced adultery. And, then anyone who claims her in a subsequent marriage commits adultery. I am the guilty one. I initiate it but I implicate everyone else involved because of my unholy deed. The Pharisees viewed divorce lightly but Jesus viewed it seriously. Jesus said, “You are my disciples and you are to love your wife or husband as I love you.”

There is an exception. Jesus said, I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, …. The word he used here was “porneia” which means fornication. It is a comprehensive word that includes adultery, fornication, or some unnatural sexual vice.’ The word “Porneia” is where we get our word pornography and is derived from a word that referred to a prostitute. It basically means some act of sexual immorality.

Yes, the exception is there but even when that happens, divorce is not required. There are many couples who have experience the trauma of infidelity but with prayer, counseling, and forgiveness, they restored their relationship.

You need to be careful with this exception and guard you heart. For instance, imagine a couple having marriage problems and feeling like there’s no way out, so they withhold sex hoping that their mate will commit adultery and when they do they say “I caught you! Now I can divorce you.” To me, that’s Pharisaic. Guard your heart. Pray and get help and make your marriage work.

On the other hand, if you are being physically abused by a husband who is out of control then you need to call the police and have him arrested. Ask the judge for a restraining order to keep him away from you. He has to be able to control his anger before he comes back in your home. Don’t put up with a man who physically abuses you or your children just because he hasn’t crossed the line and went bed with another woman. That’s ridiculous. If you anything about the heart Jesus and the spirit the Sermon on the Mount you would know that this is true. If your husband physically abuses you or your children call the police and have him arrested.

I want to talk to different groups of people. To the young people who have never been married I want to say this. One of the most important decisions you will ever make will be who to marry. I hope that you will marry a disciple of Jesus. I’m not talking about somebody who merely goes to church. I am talking about somebody who has a personal Jesus Christ. I hope that whoever that is gets to hear sermons like you have heard this morning so that they will know what Jesus teaches about marriage.

To people who have been divorced I want to say this is a church for people who have been divorced. This is your home church. No matter what has happened in your past God’s grace is sufficient to forgive every sin. I have tried to communicate God’s standard. I would not be a good minister if I did otherwise. But I want to remind you that Jesus has made it abundantly clear that no one is declared righteous by keeping the law. You’ve broke God’s law and so has everyone else in this church.

You have not committed the unpardonable sin. You haven’t disqualified yourself from serving Jesus. There are no rules in this church that prohibit Christians who have been divorced from taking communion or teaching a Bible class or leading a ministry. We don’t make rules like that because Jesus didn’t.

Somebody says, “You don’t understand. I’ve been divorced two times and now I’m married to my third wife. But I’ve been told that I’m not really married and that I’m living in adultery because, in the eyes of God, I’m still married to my first wife. They told that I have to divorce my current wife and go back to my first wife. What do you say?”

In John 4 Jesus met a woman who had been divorce 5 times. He recognized all five marriages and all five divorces. Jesus didn’t say you’ve had one husband and the four other men who were not your husband. Jesus said “You’ve had five husbands and you are shacked up with a man who is not your husband.” And then Jesus reveal himself as Messiah and she immediately became an evangelist and brought the city out to meet him.

Your question was “Should I divorce my wife and go back to my first wife?” No. I believe that you cannot honor God’s law which say “do not divorce” by adding another divorce to the list. A civil divorce ends a marriage and when you marry someone else you are married in the eyes of God. You have to pray about this and make up your own mind based on your study of God’s word. But I believe that you should stay in your marriage and make it work. If you’ve been divorce five times don’t let there be a sixth.

To people who are married I want to say - Somebody asked Winston Churchhill what he would like to be if he were to die and come back to life and he said “I would like to be Mrs. Churchhill next husband.” Isn’t that great? But it takes work to make it work. I’ve heard people say “If you have to work that hard it’s probably not true love.” That’s a bunch bologna! There are times when maintaining your marriage is hard work. I was thinking this week that if I applied everything Jesus has said in this sermon thus far it would improve my marriage. If I was poor in spirit, if I mourned over sin and was meek and gentle. If I was hungry and thirsty for righteousness and I was merciful and my heart was pure and I was a peacemaker. If I was mistreat by others because I am a disciple of Jesus and turned to Kim for support. If I stay close to Jesus who fulfills the law and if I controlled my anger and there was no lust in my heart for other women I would be a better husband. If I focus on Jesus changing me, not Kim, I can improve my marriage.

So if you start thinking start thinking “Man, I’m tired of this woman. I’m going find me a new one.” Just remember, marriage is not so much about finding the right person as it is being the right person. It will be hard sometimes. You are going to have difficulties. Someone has said that the most difficult years of marriage are those that follow the wedding. We start out thinking that it is the ideal then it turns into an ordeal then both people want a new deal. But remember, the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener where you water it. I’m done!

Prayer time.

Disciple of Jesus (Part 6) - Matthew 5:27-30

Disciple of Jesus (Part 6)
Matthew 5:27-30
Love, Sex and Marriage
Jeff Garrett

Video – Shelly’s story

This is the 6th in a series of lessons from the Sermon on the Mount. The theme throughout this summer series is called Disciple of Jesus. Last week, in Matthew 5:21-26, we discussed the sanctity of human life. This week we are going to discuss Matthew 5:27-30 which deals with the sanctity of marriage. I have entitled today’s message Love, Sex, and Marriage. To prepare yourself to receive this very important word from God I want you to do something. Please participate.

Please get your Bible and stand before the Lord. Hold your Bible in your hands and repeat after me.

This is my Bible.
It contains God’s Holy Word.
It is a lamp unto my feet.
And a light unto my path.
Open my eyes so I can see.
Open my ears so I can hear.
Lord help me to obey your word.
In Jesus name Amen!

Now please open your Bibles to Mathew 5. Follow along as I read Matthew 5:27-30.

Matthew 5: 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Notice v.27 where Jesus said to his disciples "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery'”. Now, who did they hear that from? The Pharisees and the teachers of the law who taught that you were guiltless so long as you did not commit the physical act. Jesus said “Yes, commandment #7 forbids the physical act of adultery, but the problem runs much deeper. 5:28 I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. He doesn’t forbid us from looking at a woman, but to look lustfully.

What does it mean to look lustfully? The “look” that Jesus referred to was not a casual glance, but a constant stare for the purpose of lusting or intentionally fantasizing about a woman as a substitute for the act.

It is not a mistake that Jesus spoke of the eyes as a gateway to temptation. Every man in this room knows exactly what Jesus is talking about. The eye is a gateway into the heart for lust. When your eye is evil your whole body is full of darkness because you are longing for a woman that does not belong to you. That’s what it means to lust. You look. You take a second look and undress her in your mind. You fantasize what it would be like to be with her. Some men can become so addicted to lust that, as Peter said, their eyes are full of adultery.

There are other gateways to the heart for lust. For many women, it’s not only the eyes, it is the ears and the relationship. For instance, here is a woman who is neglected by her husband. She feels unappreciated and alone. She longs for companionship. Then another man comes along and he begins to listen to her and to talk to her and she enjoys being with him and he makes her feel the way she used to feel. She feels attractive and beautiful. He makes his way into her heart through the relationship. She begins to fantasize about him.

Whether the eyes or the ears or the relationship, Jesus is warning us that any gateway into the heart can be an occasion for temptation.

It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted at every point just like us but he did not sin. So it’s not a sin to be tempted. It becomes sin when we begin to lust. So when we are tempted with lust what should we do? Jesus said we have to do something drastic. 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Notice the graphic language he uses. Jesus is using hyperbole i.e., he is intentionally exaggerating for emphasis. These are rhetorical overstatements designed to shock us and to get our attention. If your eye is causing you to lust, then gouge out your eye. If your hand is the culprit, cut it off and cast it from you. It’s better to go through life maimed than to burn in hell forever. No Puritan ever spoke harder words about the mortification of sin than our Lord Jesus.

What does this mean? Well, Jesus was not teaching that the cure for lust is self-mutilation and dismemberment. Even a blind man can lust. So it does not mean to literally gouge out an eye or cut off your hand, but it may mean that you need to
- end a relationship with someone who has gotten too close or
- that you destroy pornographic materials or
- that you put software on your computer that tracks all the websites that you visit o
- that you move to another department at work or
- that you avoid certain people, places and things or
- find another job that pays less.

These decisions may feel like gouging out an eye or cutting off your hand but you have to do it to maintain your purity. He’s not talking about self-mutilation. He’s talking about mortification. He’s talking about dying to sin.

1. Magnify your consequences

Spiritual consequences –1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? What a terrible thought!

Personal consequences – There is something unique about this sin. 1 Corinthians 6: 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Emotional consequences – Think about the guilt and shame that follows sexual immorality.

Physical consequences – In the heat of passion, Satan will never tell you, “You could get pregnant. You could get a STD.” Did you know that 65 million Americans are currently infected with STDs. Every year there are at least 15 million new cases of people infected with STDs. Over 500,000 Americans have already died of AIDS which is more Americans than died in WWII. Over 40 million people around the world are infected with HIV at this time. STDs are devastating.

Relational consequences – Infidelity is major cause of divorce.

How can you mortify sexual sin in your life? How can you put it to death? First, magnify the possibility of negative consequences. Think about the negative consequences of sexual sin.

2. Minimize your risk (by becoming accountable).

You can minimize your risk by gouging out your eye and cutting off your hand i.e., avoiding people and situations that make you vulnerable.

Do you remember the story of Joseph? Genesis 29:6b-12 Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. [Do you see how Joseph minimized his risk?] One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

That’s a great example of how to deal with sexual temptation. Flee! Run for your life. Don’t think, “I can handle it” or “It won’t go that far.” You can not handle it. You’re playing with fire. So minimize your risk by avoiding

But you need to do more than that. I suggest that you find someone you can trust, preferably someone of the same gender, and talk openly about your struggles.

Here are some practical suggestions.
- Tell a friend that you want to take your friendship to a new level
- Read Matthew 5:27-30 and pray together.
- Talk about “safe” issues first.
- Gradually move deeper as trust builds. Be open and honest.
- Invite your friend to hold you accountable by asking the tough questions.
- When you fail tell on yourself and pray for forgiveness.
- Encourage each other as you grow.

3. Maintain your marriage

Jesus does not have a prudish attitude toward human sexuality. He did not say that our sexual impulses make us immoral or impure. God created sex for marriage. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7.

1 Corinthians 7:3-5 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Husbands and wives, you are to fulfill your marital duty to your spouse. It is your duty. The best duty you will ever be assigned. Wives, your body does not belong to you alone. Your body also belongs to your husband. And Husbands, your body belongs to your wife. Don’t deprive each other. Don’t withhold sex. Somebody asks “Why would anybody do that?” That’s the way some couples fight. Don’t deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a short time so that you can devote yourself to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

You see, Jesus is not prudish about sex. He’s not giving us a bunch of rules that rob us of joy. Jesus is protecting us from a self-destructive lifestyle. If you stay faithful to your marriage vows you can have all the fun in bed you want to have and you will never wake up in the middle of the night thinking what have I done! You will never feel guilty or be crippled by shame.

Let’s read Hebrews 13:4 together.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

That’s what Jesus is teaching us this morning. We are to honor marriage. We are to keep our marriage bed and our minds pure.

What if you’ve already experienced a moral failure? What if you’ve committed adultery? Is there any hope? Jesus is so loving and forgiving. In John 8:3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group. They said to Jesus “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do you say?” They were using this question as a trap so that they could accuse him. Jesus didn’t answer. He bent down and wrote something on the ground. I believe Jesus did this to the draw attention away from the guilty woman. He wanted the angry mob to take their accusing eyes off of her and onto him. They kept questioning him. Finally, Jesus stood up and said to them “"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And again he stoop down and wrote on the ground. At this, they dropped their stones and left the scene until only Jesus and the woman was standing there. Jesus said, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

That’s the way Jesus is. That’s what Jesus is saying to you this morning. I forgive you. You are not going to be condemned and you must leave your life of sin. As Paul said Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

We need to magnify the possible consequences, minimize our risk and maintain our marriage.

Prayer Time