5/29/16-Luke 11:1-13-”Pray, Pray, and Pray Again”

Nothing is more basic to the life of a Christian than prayer. It jolts us to the frontier of spiritual life, and it is vital because it brings us front and center into God’s presence.

Through prayer God reforms, shapes, and molds us into the image of Christ. Like a painting, in prayer God adds the brushstrokes, to create in us a masterpiece that looks like Jesus!

It gives God joy to make us more like His Son. Yet, when we think of prayer, we could all list some reasons why we may not take advantage of this most holy of practices.

Remember friends, prayer is our spiritual nourishment. It is how we partake of the divine. Just as it is impossible to sustain our bodies without physical food, it is impossible to sustain our souls without spiritual food through prayer.

When prayer becomes an empty ritual in our lives, it becomes boring, but when we realize that God values the time we spend with Him, it shifts focus from us to Him it is enjoyable and we are excited to pray.

Think of prayer like a child coming to their parent. Just as a child should come to a parent with complete openness, honesty, and trust, so we too can come to God that way, reverent and humble, but also fearless and bold.

Think of prayer like God inviting us to sit with Him in a safe place and present our needs, wants, dreams, and desires. Be truthful with God, no matter our emotions, because He knows our requests before we even ask.

We can never pray too much and we will never tire God out! With that in mind let us look at the story.

It teaches us that when it comes to prayer, God wants us to be as bold and persistent as if we were firemen rescuing people from burning flames!

We start off with the Lord’s prayer, which could be a whole sermon series, but right before Jesus starts the prayer, the disciples ask Him, “Lord teach us to pray”.

The disciples had prayed their entire lives (they were Jews after all), and many of us grew up being exposed to prayer (grace before dinner, bedtime prayers, and such). Yet this request shows us a joyful truth: if you think you are not that good at praying, don’t worry, Prayer can be taught! If you keep practicing, you will get better.
Look at how bold and persistent the man in the story was. Now this next part is important.

Jesus then goes to vs. 9-13, and by saying this, Jesus is not stating that God is going to be worn down by our prayers, and say “oh fine, I will grant your request if you just leave me alone!”

Quite the contrary! Jesus is explaining how different God is from us. If persistence and boldness eventually wore out a wicked person and forced him into generosity, how much more will our good and generous Father be excited to give us good gifts, first and foremost, the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God living in our hearts. The best gift God could give us is Himself. He gave us Himself when Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, and He gave us Himself when we accepted His grace, and became a Christian.

The Holy Spirit is in our hearts, and we are God’s Temple, God’s people. The Holy Spirit is to be our leader, to empower us here to do God’s work in the world, so that we don’t rely on our strength but His.

And if we are God’s people, we need not hesitate to be bold and to persist in our prayers for we know our Father hears us. We must start, continue, and end everything in prayer.

If we practice, prayer will become to us as naturally as breathing and as joyful as a phone conversation with our best friend.

Look at the Scriptures, those we read in the Bible prayed as if their prayers could make a difference. Do not wait until you are perfect to pray! None of us are, but God loves the prayers of imperfect people.

Pray and trust God with an expectation that change will occur. God has done it before with us here at Conemaugh, and He can do it again. We must pray for our loved ones, for our enemies, for strangers, for our church. We must pray against evil, for the devil prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour. We need to be protected by the blood of the Lamb.

Whatever God does, He won’t ever give us something evil, like a stone for bread or a snake instead of a fish. He won’t give us all our wants, but will provide our real needs. Pray always-Ask, Seek, Knock, for everyone who asks receives, seeks finds, and knocks the door is open.

When we have prayed God does one of two things, and they both involve change. God will either change the situation or change us to reassure us He is to be trusted

Acts 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 12:3-11-Empowered By The Holy Spirit

Today is a day to celebrate the birth of the church, because today is when God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church in order to empower us to live the Gospel!

 

I would encourage you to think of the Bible like a dramatic play, separated into 5 different acts. Act 1 is Creation, Act 2 is Israel in the Old Testament, Act 3 is Jesus Christ in the four gospels, Act 4 is the church in Acts and the Epistles, and Act 5 is Revelation and the end of the world.

 

We know how the story begins, and we know how it ends. Yet, Act 4 is not quite complete. If you look at the book of Acts, there are only 28 chapters, and it is as if the actors on the stage look at us who are watching in the audience and say “Ok, it is your turn now, come on up and act the next part of God’s play”.

 

We are not simply to be passive spectators as Christians. Instead we are to be active participants in God’s redemption story, for we are to be the Body of Christ, continuing His work in the world. We are to be God’s kingdom ambassadors. Remember it is the same church in the book of Acts that we are a part of here at Conemaugh, and just as they did great deeds for the Kingdom, so can we, for it is the same Holy Spirit then that empowers us now!

 

Do not fret, for God does not leave us alone on the stage to act without guidance. He is the director who actively gets involved with us. The proof of His presence is the Holy Spirit that He gave to the church.

 

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is just as much God as the Father and the Son. It is one Being in three Persons. (This is a mystery and difficult to explain, but it is biblical) Think of it like love. Love is one thing, but there is the giver of the love, the receiver of the love, and the love between the two.

 

In John 14, Jesus comforts His disciples, saying, “I am going to die on a cross to purchase your freedom but I am sending someone exactly like me to come to you and dwell in your hearts, so that it will be like I never left”  

What does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit has many functions in the life of us believers.

1. He is an Mentor-One who comes alongside us to help us stand even when we don’t think you can take another step
2. He is a Lawyer-Yes, a lawyer, meaning He makes appeal and advocates for us.
3. He is a Counselor-He gives guidance and comfort to us on our faith journey with God.
4. He is a Proclaimer-working through us to show the world who Jesus is and what the Gospel is really all about.

 

The Holy Spirit is God’s power given to each of us who have made a true commitment to Jesus Christ as our Master and King, but this is not “power” like the world understands it

 

Instead, this Holy Spirit power is the power to be like Jesus. It is the power to love, forgive, serve, and witness.

 

God has given each of us gifts. Look at what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. God had given them gifts so that they could go about the work He had called them to do.

 

He has also given us here at Conemaugh Church of the Brethren gifts and a special purpose for this time as a church. We have a mission, and we must seek the Lord as to what that mission looks like and how He wants us to go about using our gifts to do it.

 

Not sure what your gift is? Place your trust in Christ, and then just ask dear friend, for our loving Savior wants us to use the gifts He gave us.

 

The book of Acts ends after 28 chapters, that is because the Holy Spirit wants us to be about the same work they were. We are to be the church of “Acts 29”. Through this, we will grow in number and in depth of the truth.

Prov. 31:10-31-”Mom, We Really Need You”-5/4/16

Today is a day we celebrate the mothers in our lives. Did you tell your mother, grandmother, wife, or special lady in your life that you loved her?

The Bible speaks to us about mothers, and ladies, even if you don’t think you are a mother in the traditional or biological sense, you are still called by god to exemplify the qualities of holiness and goodness like those mentioned here.

Ladies, you are more than what the world tells you that you are. Maybe you grew up believing you weren’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, etc. I tell you that those are lies! God says you are more than that, and when Jesus died on the cross, He showed all of humanity (and yes including you 🙂 that you are loved and treasured by God.

If you ever have any doubts, remember your chief identity…children of God. And if you are a woman, that means you are a princess, a daughter of the King of Kings.

Right here are the virtues to show the world your royalty, that you belong to God. Ladies, don’t look at culture or the media to show you what it means to be a woman, for the world is far to obsessed with the image of the eyes instead of the beauty of the character.

Remember, man looks at the outer appearance, but the Lord judges the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). If you look back in the beginning in Genesis, you see God created man in His image, and from man (Adam), He created woman (Eve). I believe God created man and woman to compliment and bring out the best in each other, because both have characteristics of God.

Just like a mirror reflects the light of a candle, both men and women reflect different qualities of God. Ladies, you reflect God’s mercy, tenderness, and unconditional love. (Gentlemen, we will be looking at your qualities).

This woman in Proverbs is a robust picture. The woman you see here is an excellent wife and mother. She is also a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor, farmer, seamstress, upholster, and merchant. Think her life got busy?

Now, before you say, “Woa! I cannot do all that!”. Fear not, you don’t have to. Maybe God has given you gifts so you can do a few of them well. Play to your strengths! And remember what we said before, “Whatever you do, do the glory of God!”

Look at the virtues displayed here: Hard work, wisdom, caring for others, concern for the poor, love for her family. These virtues adorn this woman life jewels, they draw to attention to her character,

…and yet, look the most important facet, the foundational rock, the crown jewel. Her strength and her dignity DO NOT come from her amazing achievements. They are the fruit produced from a tree firmly planted in the soil of love for God and neighbor.

In our society today, where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise you in this whole section that this woman’s appearance is never mentioned. Sounds cliche, but its true: it is not what is outside but inside that counts.

For God does not adorn his royal children with robes and jewels, but with holiness and goodness. Looks fade, character doesn’t. None of us could choose when we were born how we would look, but we can choose what we do with our lives.

Mom, we really need you, and I refer to any woman in this church who makes an impact on the life of another. In other words, all of you sisters here. For we all have a part to play in God’s Kingdom.

I know the woman in this Proverb seems impossible, but use her life as a model. Mothers, do your children know and see that you love them? Children, do your parents see and know you love them?

Wives and husbands, have you shown your spouses that you love them and are thankful for them even when they aren’t perfect?

Grandparents, keep offering that wisdom, because there are members of your family who are listening.

Do you work? Work to the best of your ability as if you were doing it for Jesus Himself, for you are a missionary in your job.

Finally, here is what you need to know: Think of a magnifying glass. It makes bigger and clearer everything it views: A biblical woman who loves God and lives for Him enhances and blesses everything she touches: marriage, work, family, society.

5/1/16-Matt. 17:24-27-Ambassadors for Jesus

Theodore Sorensen once said, “The ambassador was never present, but his presence was never absent.

An ambassador is a citizen of a country that goes to live in another country to be a representative, to live, teach, and promote goodwill. It may live in the new, but it never forgets the home.

As a Christian people, we are to be ambassadors too. To be in the world, yet not of it, and this requires us to walk a balancing line.

On the one hand, we cannot be so “out of this world” because we have to realize people need to hear and see the good news of Jesus Christ, yet we cannot be so much “of the world” that people do not see the difference Jesus made in us.

So it comes down to one simple question, Can people see Jesus in our lives? If we are so sheltered and removed from everyday life, people can’t see Jesus in us. Yet if we go and act no differently than everyone else in our life, people can’t see Jesus in us either. So “let your light so shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.

With that in mine, let us look at this parable. Jesus’ disciple, Peter, is asked a simple question, “Does Jesus pay the temple tax”? Peter answers, “Yes.”

And here is Jesus, almost as if He knows Peter’s thoughts (which by the way He does because He is God), and He asks a question to Peter, “From whom do the kings of the earth collect taxes?” In other words, “Peter if you were the boss, would you collect money from your own children or the people who worked under you?” Peter replies, “From the strangers under me”.

So Jesus replies, “Then the sons are exempt.” Yet, He tells Peter, “Let us not offend anyone.

Peter go and catch a fish and in its mouth you will find the tax money for both of us.”

So, what lessons are to be learned here? Well, let us unpack this a bit to find out. Jesus says the sons of the king are exempt.

Now, if Jesus is the Son of God, and the temple was the house of God, then Jesus is basically asking Peter, “If Kings do not tax their sons, and if Jesus is God’s Son, then Jesus is exempt from paying the temple tax, because He is God of the temple!

The first truth: Jesus the Son of God is exempt from the tax.

The second truth: The second truth goes back to what we said about being ambassadors, or being in the world but not of it.

Look at what Jesus does here, He says “the children are exempt” from the taxes. (It says “children” meaning both Jesus and His followers (all of us). YET, He still turns around and pays the tax…why? What is going on here?

He is trying to not offend and so He pays the tax and also leaves us an example by doing so.

As ambassadors for Christ, we must be careful to, on the one hand, obey the laws of the world, yet always remember where our true loyalty must always be, God’s Kingdom.

How? Know the Word of God, and if a law is passed that violates God’s Word or Doctrine, then we must obey God rather than man.

But if a law does not contradict His Word, then it does no harm to our souls to obey it.

So, it comes down to this, Can people see Jesus in you?

Remember as Christ one said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar, and give to God what is God’s (which by the way is everything!).

Or another way to remember, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar, but realize Caesar does not own you. We Christians belong to a much more good and loving King of Kings!”