Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Living Testimony; Psalm 119:73-80, I Corinthians 10:27-11:1

As I shared with the children this morning, you were created intentionally and for a purpose. We see that in the first verse of our Psalm reading this morning. “Your hands have made me and fashioned me.” Most of us take for granted that God made us, but the word “fashioned” indicates particular attention to what is being created to shape it and form it. In the women’s Bible study, there was a question that we didn’t have time to address, but it had to do with wrong thinking. The question asked us to refute some common wrong ways of thinking. One of those dealt with the reason God made us. The wrong assumption was, “God made us because He was lonely.” You may have even heard this before. God did not make us because God was lonely. The Trinity is a complete community of love. God lacks nothing in Godself. One of the most common questions is, “What is my purpose in life?” Most of us really begin asking that as teenagers, beginning a serious quest to find out the answer. For some people, this also marks the beginning of a spiritual quest. Somewhere along the line, and even as early as childhood, those on a spiritual quest ask the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” It is an important question, and one that we shouldn’t stop asking if we are seeking to follow Jesus. But as I said at Tammy’s memorial service yesterday, the answer to the question of God’s will for our lives is often much simpler than we think it is. We were created to glorify God. That’s what the Westminster Catechism tells us—Question 1: “What is the chief end of man? What is the ultimate purpose of human beings?” Answer: To glorify God and enjoy God forever. Like I said, that doesn’t mean we stop asking the question, but it ought to change how we ask the question. What can I do to bring glory to God today? How does God want to be glorified in and through my life? Is what I’m doing right now bringing honor and glory to God? These are questions we can ask ourselves not only daily but throughout the day, if we want to make doing God’s will and allowing God to fulfill God’s purpose in our life a priority. These are the questions we ask if we really care about what our purpose in life is. Our New Testament passage goes so far as to say, “Whether or you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Every little thing we do is an opportunity to glorify God or to do dishonor God. We are a living testimony. Sadly, we dishonor God a lot. Last week in Sunday School, we read of the promise of God to restore Israel. God had punished them for their gross idolatry. God promised to bless them, not for anything they had done but for God’s own Name’s sake. God will always defend God’s own reputation, despite the ways we can muddle it up. When we dishonor God, it can lead other people away from God. Now God will find a different way to bring those people to the Lord, but we miss out and we hinder the gospel, because one of the main ways we glorify God is to bear witness to the gospel with our lives and words. The way we find out what brings God glory is in God’s word. We spend so much time wondering what God’s will is when we barely give Scripture a passing glance. If we read it and spend time in it like the psalmist does, we will know what God wants us to do. If we start with the obvious stuff and are faithful in those, God will make that which is less obvious more clear. But how faithful are we at obeying even God’s obvious commands? God created us to bear witness of God’s glory, and that includes being an ambassador of God’s kingdom in the world. If we are going to witness to unbelievers, then we have to develop relationships with them. That means making friends, sharing meals, and hanging out. It means listening. These are all the things that Jesus did, and the Pharisees and religious leaders hated Him for it. They never understood why He was always hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. Paul gives these instructions about what to do when invited to the home of not yet believers, because he practiced the Jesus way. He expected those who read his letter to have unbelieving neighbors with whom they develop friendships. We may or may not have to deal with the specific issue of whether or not to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols, but that’s why Paul went further to say, whatever we do, we are to do it for God’s glory, and then he went on to elaborate that we should not do anything that would offend people, whether unbelieving, or those that are doing the best they know to follow God, or to the Church. Paul isn’t talking about being politically correct, although that could be part of it, but again, he is talking about doing something that would tarnish God’s reputation by confusing people as to who God is—God’s nature and character, or even giving the church, which is the people of God, a bad name. And yes, we are to witness even to our enemies. We must not hinder people from seeing Jesus, and to aid people in seeing Jesus, we need to treat them dignity, respect, and honor. Remind yourself that people, no matter how strange or seemingly repulsive, are created in the image of God. They too were fashioned carefully by God’s hand. That image may be deeply marred and buried, but it is there nonetheless. Go out of your way to treat people with kindness, just as Paul did when he said that he “worked to please all in all things, not seeking [his] own profit, but that of the many, that they may be saved.” Both Paul and the psalmist are people who consider themselves as examples for other people to follow. Paul says, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” The psalmist says in Psalm 119:74, “Those who fear You will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in your word.” Since he goes on with prayer requests for mercy and comfort and even mentions those who have treated him wrongly, it sounds like he is being faithful in the midst of persecution. He hopes his faith will encourage others to follow his example and remain faithful to the Lord, despite circumstances. This reminds me of a story in this month’s VOM magazine about how precious the Scriptures were to a believer in prison. It took him many months to get a Bible, but once he got one, he read the entire thing in 3 weeks. I know that I personally am encouraged by my persecuted brothers and sisters who remain faithful to God’s word and God’s will despite horrible and difficult circumstances. In verse 78, the psalmist asks that the proud would be put to shame for treating him wrongly. He is not going to take revenge. He is going to continue meditating on God’s precepts. But when we live faithfully in the presence of our enemies, they can become convicted and have their hearts changed. And then in verse 79, he sounds like Paul—“Let those who fear You, who know your Testimonies, turn to me.” He wants to be an example worthy of imitation and to be found blameless in keeping God’s Word. What about you...Could you tell other people to be like you? Is your life worth imitating? Can other people see Jesus in you, or does the Lord have to defend His own name because you do more to discredit him through your words and actions than to reveal Him to others? Is there someone you strive to be like or want to be like? Is that person someone in whom you see Jesus? God made us intentionally for God’s glory. We are living testimony, whether or not we are conscious of it. As we wait to hear God’s response to the question, “What is your will for my life,” we are to persevere in doing the last clear thing we know God told us to do and not stop doing all those little things we know God wants us to do. In closing, I’d like to share “Seven practices to encourage perseverance in waiting for God’s Word” from a curriculum called “A Walk Through Psalms,” which is meant to be used for family devotionals. This is page 45 from the curriculum for Psalm 119. I will put a link to the full PDF on my blog, or if you would like a copy of this page, let me know, and I’ll make sure you get one…. Here is the link to the curriculum referred to in the sermon http://houseoftherighteous.org/Pages/Books_AWAP/A_Walk_Through_Psalms/eBooks/A_Walk_Through_Psalms_VOL_25.pdf Scroll down to page 45.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

God Said It; That Settles It!--Psalm 119:89-96, II Peter 1:16-21

To listen, click here. The link to the Sola Scriptura lecture and response from the Fellowship Community Conference featuring Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer is here.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Economics

I'm angry. Two weeks ago while stopped at a stoplight, I got rear-ended. When we were hit the 2nd time, I knew my car was totaled. That's when I got angry. I knew because I had over 100,000 miles, despite the fact that my car is in excellent condition and well-maintained, that I wouldn't get diddly squat for it. I had just paid it off in December. It's the first and probably only new car I will ever own. It is top of the line in its class and gets fabulous gas mileage. I average 38.8 mpg/tank in the winter and 36.4 mpg/tank in the summer. There have been multiple times when I've gotten 40 mpg/tank. I drive approximately 27,0000 miles/year. Our family spends over $12,000 on gas and car maintenance according to our annual credit card report. Cars are not cheap. Insurance is valuing my car at less than half it's original value, although that's where we are in it's life span. This car can easily break 200,000 miles before it's time to start looking for something else. There's no way I can buy a car that is as anywhere near as good as what I have for that kind of money. We need to do some house repairs and we are working on paying off another car loan, so we do not need another loan, especially as I have no idea what my income will be come January. My current contract expires at the end of the year, and while it is likely to extend into the first quarter, that would be it. In order to afford something comparable, I will probably have to cancel my trip to the Holy Land, which would have been a tax deductible business trip, but we need that $ to add to the pittance that we are getting. I feel violated and robbed because what I worked hard for is being stolen from me--both the car and the trip. I paid off that car and don't even get to wear it out. On top of that, we had just purchased brand new, top of the line replacement tires that are sitting in our carport. We cannot send them back as they have sat here nearly a month because it has either been pouring down rain or boiling hot whenever Jim has had time to fix the car. I'm further angered by the fact that this is another place where the system sets people up to fail. Imagine if I were a single parent. I rent my house, pay all bills on time, live within my means and even have a month of emergency savings in my account. My car is paid for, but it is old. I bought it used and salvaged (like my own first two cars), but am mechanically inclined and fixed it into good, working order. It's gets me to and from my job just fine, which pays a barely livable wage but provides healthcare for me and my kids. Someone wrecks my car. Insurance gives me $800 (what I was offered once for my salvaged car that got backed into in the parking lot and was totaled). Where can I buy a car that runs for $800?!!?? It's impossible. Even if I take my month of savings, it isn't enough. Sure, I'm loaned a car for a few weeks, but after that, I have no transportation. Public transportation doesn't exist because I live in a rural area. I pay people for rides, but I can't always get one or they get me to work late. Eventually, I'm fired because I can't get to work. Now my family has no health insurance. My kid gets sick. After a couple of months, I am homeless because my savings are depleted. Now we are homeless. Yes, this scenario happens. I've seen it. I have worked with Family Promise. People who are making it can be brought to ruin because of this type of thing. UPDATE: Just got a call from the insurance company after meeting with a lawyer this morning and getting a 2nd estimate for damages. The insurance company now says that they will fix the car! Hallelujah! This is a win-win situation. I get my car back and don't have to expend money I don't have to get get a replacement. The insurance company will actually be spending less money to fix the car than they would have fulfilling the initial settlement. Why wouldn't they just do it in the first place?!?! Makes no sense. It's sad when you have to threaten legal action that could have been avoided if people would just do the right thing to start with. Again, poor people don't necessarily have access to the same recourse as we did. My husband took a day off work to get a 2nd opinion on the car and to meet with a lawyer. Poor people can't afford to take time off and drive all over town or to pay a lawyer's fee. Thanks to those of you who prayed! Look for ways to change systems that are inherently unjust.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Salvation Revealed; Psalm 98

Did the reading remind you of any particular hymn this morning? Perhaps one we sing around Christmas?... Joy to the World!... Psalm 98 was the direct inspiration that Isaac Watts used in writing “Joy to the World”. Psalm 98 appears twice on the church calendar—during the Christmas season and during the Easter season. Psalm 98 is an enthronement or theocratic psalm, celebrating God’s reign and rule and God’s future coming as Judge. It is related to Psalm 96, which is also read in the Christmas season. Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection made salvation possible. His return will make His salvation fully evident. “Joy to the World” wasn’t originally intended to be a Christmas song. We typically sing it on the 3rd Sunday of Advent—the Joy Sunday. But it is often used on Christ the King Sunday, Ascension Day, and other times during the year because it celebrates the reign of Christ. We could have sung it today. In the Easter season, we celebrate Christ’s victory. The song says, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” Not merely did He come or has He come or even will He come, but He is come! He is here even now. He reigns even now, and He dwells in earth through His people even now. To celebrate God’s reign is to celebrate what God has already accomplished. Psalm 98 celebrates God’s victory, which in verse 2 is spelled out as salvation revealed. In this Easter season, we celebrate salvation revealed. Last week we heard the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It took them awhile to understand as Jesus first revealed Himself and God’s plan of salvation through the Old Testament scriptures, but when He revealed Himself through the breaking of the bread, they understood instantly. How did Jesus reveal Himself to you? Though whoever wrote this lived long before God’s right arm was revealed as Jesus Christ, the psalmist celebrates that salvation is already accomplished and made known. Again, last Sunday, we saw the confident hope that Job had in the future resurrection, where he would stand face to face with his Redeemer. He didn’t know the details about Jesus either, but it did not change the fact that he was certain of his salvation. Both Job and the psalmist saw God’s salvation through His right arm, the Christ, as a done deal long before it happened in time. They knew it had been accomplished in eternity. At my friend David Phipps funeral, the song “Already There” by Casting Crowns was played at his and the family’s request. This song was special to both David and his wife Nicole, who also died of cancer a few years ago. The second verse and chorus of the song says: From where You're standing Lord, You see a grand design That You imagined When You breathed me into life And all the chaos Comes together in Your hands Like a masterpiece Of Your picture perfect plan. When I'm lost in the mystery To You my future is a memory Cause You're already there, You're already there Standing at the end of my life Waiting on the other side” David and Nicole shared the hope of sure salvation with their family. That when life doesn’t make sense to us, when we don’t know what’s going on like the two on the road to Emmaus, we can know that for God it is already a done deal. God knows the plan and it is already accomplished and will come together perfectly. We can walk confidently in faith because the victory has been won. Unlike these Old Testament saints, we engage this psalm knowing that God’s right arm is Jesus Christ, and that Jesus has gained God victory. We know that Jesus died and rose again, conquering sin and death. God has done marvelous things through the resurrection of our Lord. He has procured our salvation. And the fact that we know it is proof that, “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” And so we praise God for the wonders He has wrought, or as “Joy to the World” says, He “makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.” Just over a month from now, we will be celebrating Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh, and the gospel was spread around the world. There are still those who need to hear both near and far, so we are called and commissioned by the Savior to share the gospel as we go. It is a sign Jesus gave that before He would return, “this gospel shall be preached to the ends of the earth, and then the end will come.” In Revelation, we again see the end that has already been accomplished, that people from every single people group that has been or ever will be are standing around the throne worshipping the Lamb. It’s a done deal, but God calls us to make it happen. Scriptures still need to be translated into languages that have none. Indigenous leaders need to be raised up. Prayers for the salvation of the lost still need to be prayed. We are called to this work, confidently knowing God will complete what God has started. It is God’s victory and His right arm that has accomplished our salvation. James Howell said, “Christianity is not about wielding power; but is a yielding to the power of God.” We are recipients of the salvation that Jesus Christ has accomplished. When we step back, we see God doing awesome things in and around and through us. Yielding to the power of God is to also recognize that Christ is returning to Judge the earth—the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. On Palm Sunday, we read the passage where Jesus will be returning on the white horse as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will separate the peoples. Hopefully, as in this psalm, that will be a day we look forward to with joy because there will truly be justice for all. But for some, it will be a day of terror. St. Augustine warns those who pray to see Jesus return and bring justice, “Reform yourself that you might not pray against yourself.” We need not fear if we live in humble repentance and submission to the will of the Father through the Holy Spirit’s power. God’s salvation revealed in Jesus Christ is always worth singing about. This psalm calls for unstifled worship. What does unstifled worship look like for you? How do you worship when you are unrestrained? We are exhorted to sing new songs, to shout joyfully, to break forth in song, rejoicing. To break forth is spontaneous, can’t-hold-back joyous exclamation of praise and devotion. There is a call to sing with all kinds of instruments. We see nature personified and commanded to praise—the sea, rivers, hills, and all nature, including plants and animals. Again, we are reminded of “Joy to the World”—“let fields and floods, rocks hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, Let heav’n and nature sing.” Jesus told those who criticized the children and crowds praising Him on Palm Sunday, that if they were silent, the rocks would cry out. All creation is impacted because salvation has been accomplished. And all creation continuously points us to God. The pine trees and dogwoods were right on time again this year. I don’t know if you know the story of the dogwood blossoms. It’s certainly not a true legend, but the flowers do bloom and show their faint red during Holy Week. After polluting us with all that pollen, pine trees first look like they are sticking their fingers in the air, but around Holy Week, they develop crosses as the beginnings of the new pine cones develop. The little crosses were right on time. The curse of the Fall is broken and is being reversed. Though creation groans for the full reversal as we all await Christ to return as Righteous Judge, we praise with confidence that victory is already achieved.

Monday, March 13, 2017

A Day with God; Psalm 63

I hope that in this season of Lent, your desire is to deepen your relationship with God. We recognize our need for God and our world’s need for God. In Psalm 63, David begins and ends his day with God and acknowledges his longing for and dependence upon God in body and soul every moment. Psalm 63 was sung as the opening to every worship service during the 4th Century. It is known as the morning psalm because it begins with “Early in the morning, will I seek Your face.” It is full of joyful anticipation, yet can be sung like blues because of the deep yearning and desire for intimate relationship with God. Nor was it written during an easy time. David is literally in a desert, the Judean wilderness. While some scholars think this was written while David was fleeing Saul, it is more likely that it was written when David was fleeing his son, Absalom. David literally knew what is was to be in thirsty in a land where water was scarce. His life was literally in danger. He was being hunted, and yet even in this place, David worshipped God and oriented his life to God. For what do you thirst? Would it be Jesus? Someone said, “That which we long for is proof of its reality.” We long for God because God is real. Maybe David wrote this on a Sabbath day. He cannot be in Jerusalem to worship, but he remembers with great fondness what worship on Mt. Zion is like. Though he cannot go to the house of the Lord, David knows he can worship anywhere. Or, it may not have been a Sabbath, and we’ve already described how David was in a difficult situation, but David knows he can worship God anytime. He spends his day with God. What would it look like if we spent a day with God? I can tell you that it is more than just coming to church on a Sunday morning for a couple of hours. Frankly, I’m pretty bad a typical Sabbath-keeping, but according to the New Testament, Jesus is our Sabbath rest. We are told again and again not only by Paul and the other NT writers, but by Jesus Himself, to rest in Him. To rest in Jesus is to lean on Jesus, to trust Him, and depend on Him, to orient our lives in Him, which is what David does with God. Our relationship with God is personal. David calls Yah, “his God.” Do you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ? David commits to seeking the Lord early in the morning. This isn’t just about praying about the day’s concerns or seeking guidance from the Lord, although, to be sure, David did that, but David anticipated being with God. He sought God’s face, God’s presence. The way David writes in this psalm is like a lover for his beloved. One of the primary metaphors in Scripture to describe our relationship with the Lord is a marriage. Earthly marriage is a type for Christ’s relationship to the Church and God’s relationship with God’s people. Early in our dating relationship, Jim called me relatively early on a Saturday morning (it was barely 8am), even though we had talked the day before. He was inviting me to lunch with another couple. I’m not fond of being invited to things at the last minute. We Myers-Briggs J-type people do not find that at all appealing, and I told Jim, I didn’t want to be an afterthought. He replied that’s why he called me so early, because I was his first thought. He had only gotten the invitation the day before. Is God your first thought or an afterthought? Do you seek God’s face early in the morning? If you do, is it because you enjoy being in God’s presence? Generally, I look forward to meeting with God in the morning. But other mornings, I do it out of duty. And some mornings, I don’t meet with God at all. Better to meet with God out of duty and pray for a rekindling of desire to be with God then to neglect your relationship with God. Our relationship with God is physical as well as spiritual. Next we see David saying that not only does his soul thirst for God, but his body longs for God as well, even more than the water that he needed to survive in the desert. In other words, he desires God with everything he’s got, with all that he is. This is what it looks like to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we are sick or in pain, it is easy to long for God with our bodies, isn’t it. We want to know God’s power in our bodies. And maybe David was having some physical difficulties, but I believe it goes beyond that. Again, think of lovers. We want to feel the love of our spouses, and we desire to be known by them, but we also want them physically. We want their company, we want their touches, their hugs and kisses, and yes, sex, which ideally is a body and soul connection. We are made for union with God. Our bodies have become the dwelling place of God. The Holy Spirit, while not confined to our bodies, does dwell in our physical bodies. And it isn’t just our souls that are redeemed by Jesus, but our bodies are too. One day, we will be raised in body to be with the Lord forever. And love for God results in physical response. We praise with our lips. We lift up our hands, a sign of praise and of surrender to God’s lordship over our lives. He knows he is dependent upon God for everything, and it is a joyful dependence. Sometimes we are reluctantly dependent upon God. We rely on God because it becomes necessary, not because we have a choice, event though we cannot choose otherwise because our self-sufficiency fails, and other people disappoint us, and systems and things are unreliable. Joyful dependence brings peace and comfort, knowing there is Someone out there who knows more than we do, who is wiser and stronger than we are, who really does have all the answers. We can surrender in joyful dependence upon God, even when it doesn’t seem necessary, even though it always is. We are at the mercy of God for everything every day, for every moment, every breath. David says God’s love, grace, mercy, lovingkindness is better than lives—than life itself. Certainly God’s lovingkindness extends beyond this mortal life. God loves us forever. And God loved us before the world was created. It’s hard for us to picture how that can be. David treasured this love. He describes the experience as having a full soul, like how your belly feels after you eat a hearty and delicious meal of rich foods and delicacies. Maybe Fig Newtons aren’t your thing, but think about your favorite indulgent foods. We are reminded that Jesus is the Bread of Life and that His blood is the cup of salvation, and that He gives the living water. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way? What does God’s love mean to you? How much do you value God’s love? A day with God ends as it begins, by spending time with God in prayer and thinking about God. David is comforted because he reflects on how God has helped him through the day. He can rest in peace, knowing God is still with him. Do you take time at the end of the day to look back on how God has helped you through the day? Where did you see God’s hand in the day? When sleep eludes us, prayer is a good cure as well. Matthew Henry says, “When sleep departs our eyes (through pain, or sickness of body, or any disturbance of the mind) our souls, by remembering God, may be at ease and repose themselves. Perhaps an hour’s pious meditation will do us more good than an hour’s sleep would have done.” David also says he meditates on God in the watches. Those are different times of the day and night. Watches for guards were set up in 3 hour intervals. Apparently, the Levites kept watch in the temple as well and were on duty for 3 hours intervals 24 hours a day. Have any of you ever participated in a 24 hour prayer vigil? Usually the intervals are set up in 15 minutes to 1 hour. Any of you ever sign up for those wee hours of the morning? It sounds as if there were times when David would join with the Levites in their nightly prayer vigils. Finally, a day spent with God results in confidence, even in difficult times. David is confident of victory over his enemies even while in the desert. He trusts he will be saved and that his enemies will be defeated. He writes, “The King will triumph.” Certainly, he is speaking of himself as king, but he is also speaking prophetically of Jesus. King Jesus will triumph. We know that Jesus has already triumphed over the grave, and we know that He will triumph over all enemies. Also keep in mind that the psalms are the prayers of Christ. As Jesus prayed this in His desert times, He kept in mind that He would triumph. Remembering that the King triumphs certainly ought to give us peace and confidence as well, even when we are in the desert. We must go through the desert to reach the joy of Easter resurrection, and yet Jesus is no less present in the desert. He is our Good Shepherd who leads, feeds, protects, and guides us. In good days and difficult days, may we be those who delight to spend each day with God, whose lovingkindness is better than life.