7/9/16-Luke 14:15-24: Life in the Kingdom: Blessings and Priorities

As we continue our look into Jesus’ parables to see what life in the Kingdom of God is all about, we notice a pattern…Often God acts in ways opposite of how we expect Him to act.

There are a few clues we need to know that are not written at first glance. So, to truly appreciate this punch this parable packs we have to put ourselves back into the time when Jesus spoke it.

Let me set the stage for this biblical drama: The Jews were God’s chosen people throughout the Old Testament. God desired them to live holy lives of love that would show Him to the world. Yet, by the time of the New Testament, the culture’s idea (not biblical but cultural) was that everyone who was not Jewish (Gentile) were not going to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

Even further, there were social outcasts who were Jewish (“the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame” (v. 21) but were still regarded as “unfit” or “unclean” to be in God’s Kingdom. To summarize, good “religious” “pureblood” Jews only would be in God’s kingdom. With that said, let’s take a look.

Upon reading this parable initially, we are tempted to think the reasons the 3 invitees gave for not attending are understandable (property, work, marriage). After all, it is not like they were defiant (“I just don’t want to go!” “The party won’t be any fun”), but we have to take two points into consideration.

First, all the guests previously had RSVP before because a first invitation would have been sent out (so the invitation in the parable would have been more of a “follow-up”), and so the master assumed they were attending.

Second, each of the reasons given were more like excuses than good reasons (one could have gone and seen the land another time, someone else could have looked at the equipment, and being married was not a good excuse for missing a banquet). Hence, these excuses would have been seen as a grave insult to the master, who prepared the feast at a great expense.

What is the Master to do? “Go out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame!” (the very people once thought to be out of God’s Kingdom are now in!)

Still more room? No problem! “Go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in so that my house may be filled!” In other words, go to the “foreigners” (Gentiles) and invite them in as well! (the other group of people once thought to be out of God’s kingdom are now in too!)

Interpretation of the Parable:

All throughout the Old Testament, God had sent the first “invitation” to Israel. He sent them Moses with the Ten Commandments and the Law. He sent prophet after prophet reminding the people that His Messiah was coming.

God desired that His people would listen, but when the second invite came (when Jesus arrived on the scene and the Kingdom of God had come), while some Jews did accept (that’s crucial to remember), Israel as a whole nation rejected Him.

They did not RSVP to the second invitation. They thought that just belonging to the “chosen nation” was enough to be saved (the response to the first invite), but what determines their salvation (and ours too) is whether we accept the second invitation: the offer to follow Jesus and submit to Him, and accept His offer to be renewed and cleansed of our sins and failings, and to have a whole new life in Him.

We can probably all picture people who say, “Well, I go to church. Is that not enough?” “My parents were active members in their church, is that not enough?” It really boils down to one question: Have you turned from your sins, accepted God’s grace, and now follow Jesus?

So, just like the parable, Jesus went to the outcasts of society, and imagine the shock when the so-called “religious” people were hearing: “the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom before you!” (Matt. 21:31-32). It was not that God approved of their sinful lifestyle, but they at least recognized their need to be saved and put their trust in Jesus, while the “religious” folk did not.

And then even more shocking to hear, God was opening His Kingdom to Gentiles! So now all have the invitation of grace, the invitation to be a part of God’s banquet. We must RSVP to Jesus’ offer to follow Him.

We celebrate the blessings, but we must also care to our priorities. If we seek after the things of this world like those who made the excuses, we will only waste our time for they will never satisfy our souls.

But…We must seek His kingdom in our lives first, and then trusting that He will provide all of our needs (and I mean all of our needs).

Main Points: 1) Be joyful and filled with gratitude that God gave us grace and invited us to the banquet.

2) Never think that anyone is beyond His loving mercy to invite them also, for this is who we should be seeking to invite. (As God did for us, so should we do for others, remember.)

3) Seek first the kingdom of God, and do not be like those who made excuses for not accepting the invite.

7/3/16-Matt. 18:21-35 Life in the Kingdom: Forgiveness and Freedom

This weekend we celebrate a Declaration of Independence. In Jesus Christ, we have a deeper freedom, because it is a freedom of our hearts from sin. We are freed from a kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God.

As citizens of His Kingdom, we are to live by its values and its truths. This is discipleship in a nutshell: “As God has done for us, so should we do for others”

We can see this not only in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but also throughout the New Testament. When Paul, Peter, and John and others write, even those lengthy parts of complex doctrine,

…it is always written so that it will impact our daily lives as believers. As God has shown us mercy, love, and in this story, forgiveness, so should we show it to others.

And Jesus gives us a picture of what that looks like by explaining a really deep idea (sin) with something very easy to understand (debt).

Debt is something that affects most if not all of us, and it is really humiliating when we cannot pay it. This is was the position of this first servant.

He can never pay back what he owes the king, so all he really can do is be humble, and plead the king’s mercy.

YET this king is so gracious, he forgives the debt!! Although the king had to suffer the loss, his heart was still so good that he forgave the servant, freeing him.

As the debt was great, so the forgiveness was that much greater. Is this not also a picture of what it means to come to God?

He is the King, and like the servant, we too owed a debt that was impossible to pay: the debt was sin, selfishness, and when we wanted our own way at the expense of both God and our neighbor.

The only response of the servant was to cry out to the king for mercy, and our only response is to cry out to God for His mercy and say, “Please forgive me”.

The only way to walk into God’s kingdom is on our knees. And the amazing truth is His amazing grace sees us, loves us, and forgives us our sin!

When we repent, and turn from evil and turn to God, He forgives us! We know the debt is paid when we hear Jesus’ words from the cross: “It is finished”

The Lord took our debt and forgave us and we are free from sin. We all love that part, but it is not supposed to end there!

As God has done for us, so are we to do for others. And when He showed us grace, it compels us to ask the question, “What does grace require of me?”

When this servant was forgiven, he was not only given freedom, but an opportunity to put what had been done to him into practice.

When we become Christians, we not only have been given freedom from sin, but opportunities to put what had been done to us into practice too.

This servant also has a servant under him that owes debt (though not nearly as much! This would be comparing millions of dollars to maybe a few hundred at most!)

The King’s heart desire was for the servant to show grace just as he had been shown grace, but the servant went the exact opposite direction. He wanted to punish rather than forgive.

The forgiven servant looked like a hypocrite and the King would be dishonored. The King has the servant thrown into prison, but that was just a reflection of the prison of unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger the servant had locked himself into by not forgiving the debt.

True forgiveness does not ignore the hurt done to us. Forgiveness does not say “well that hurtful event was not all that bad”. Rather, true forgiveness says, “what was done to me was wrong, but I am going to choose to not collect what is owed to me”

If you or I have a hard time forgiving others and still struggling with the root of bitterness that has taken up in our hearts, look to Jesus, who prayed, “Father forgive them” (and “them” includes you and I).

If the Son of God who was perfect and had every right to collect the debt we owed Him still loved us enough to forgive us, then rest assured, He left us 1) the example, and 2) the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to forgive others. Even Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

Forgiving others may hurt at first, for you are taking on the debt they owe you. When we hurt like this, we understand what Jesus must have felt on the cross.

But…forgiveness also frees us, it frees us from bitterness and a quest for revenge. It frees us to live godly lives and brings honor to our king.

For what could show more proof of a miracle? What would give more evidence of Jesus Christ living in us? To take the natural fleshly way of revenge and further the endless cycle of violence and hate? Or to take the godly way of the Holy Spirit, and forgive others, so that we would be free to experience life God’s way.

As God has done for us so should we do for others. Forgiveness is not an easy choice to make, but when we do, we are freed.

6/17/16-Psalm 1; Titus 1:1-9-Dad We Really Need You

Happy Fathers Day to you!

Like on Mother’s Day, we said, “Mom, We Really Need You”. Today, we now say, “Dad. We really need you”. This sermon is mean to show what holiness planted on the rock of Christ looks like, and it applies to us men.

We live during a time when we see young men and women acting hurtfully toward themselves and others, and we wonder, “What was their home life like?”

We live in a world where often young boys are not taught to act like men, never taught how to properly treat a lady. Brothers, we have work to do.

We as men can be leaders in the lives of others, mentoring them, and giving them someone they can look up to, because this is what “Discipleship” looks like,

When we look back at Gen. 1:26-27 and it says God made mankind in His image. This image is a royal word, used to describe an ambassador of a kingdom.

…and we already know we are Christ’s ambassadors, representing the kingdom of God to the world.

In Christ, we are given new identities as believers, we are disciples and children of our heavenly King (and we can have joy in that!)

Yet, this joyful truth also calls and beckons to our souls to remember who we are. We talked on Mother’s Day about how you ladies are princesses and royalty.

You ladies bear the image of God in your compassion, love, and mystery. Us men also bear His image, but in a different way.

We reflect God’s courage, His desire to protect, His acts of justice and fairness, and safety for our loved ones.

That is exactly part of who Jesus is, what Adam was meant to be, and who we as men are meant to be.

Yet, we do not need to look back at our earthly father, Adam. Rather, we look to our Heavenly Father, who did act,

Culture & media may not give us too many men to look to and admire, so sometimes it can be hard for our young men to know what it means to be good.

That is why we as Christian men must look to Jesus and find guys in our lives who love Jesus, who know how to lead with character and integrity.

…and then we grow to be more like them. We are discipled by them so that we can turn around then disciple others, and it goes on and on. This is how the Christian life is passed from generation to generation.

Let us look at Titus 1:1-9 and examine each of the characteristics of what leaders in the church are to be.

You may be saying “Yes Craig, but this applies specifically to ministers.” And I answer, “Yes, but we are all called to be ministers”

…and these qualities we would all do well to learn and put into practice. All of it leads to verse 9,

Verse 9-Paul says a man of God must know the Bible so he can lead with truth and know where falsehood and lies are in the world.

For we are all called to be a kingdom of ministers for the sake of God and His good news to people.

Maybe you aren’t a teacher in the formal sense, but when we as Christians live in the world, people are watching, and so they are learning about God through us.

If so, we are called to live lives as men, good men, in order that we may thank God and to lead and protect our families, friends,

…even the strangers who may be angels in our midst 😉 But remember this: How you live is a reflection of what you believe about God

Men, to be a good man, you must get right in your relationship with Jesus. He is the only one who can make us into good men.

Good men. Men who continue to love our wives and our families so we will work to make the world better for them.

Men who have hands soft enough to carry the broken, yet hard enough to fight against the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion ready to devour.

God calls us to be men. Whereas the kingdom of the devil tells us to be led by our sinful passions, God calls us to led by His Spirit.

Look at Psalm 1-The righteous man delights in God’s Word. He is like a tree nourished by the Holy Spirit so that everything He does is good.

Dad we really need you. So men, I call upon all of us here to stand together and renew our commitment to following Jesus.

If you have children and/or grandchildren, be a Christian father to them, If not, find those who look to you and lead them to Jesus.

Let us be good men, men our heavenly Father could be proud of, and when we stumble, let us look to Him to shape us into men we need to be. Men who will be lovers of God, leaders in our families and jobs, men who when the world says, “Dad, we need you” we can answer with boldness and say, “in Jesus’ name, I’m here”.

Luke 10:25-37-A Most Unlikely Friend-6/12/16

This particular story may be very familiar to most of us. So familiar in fact, that we sometimes can lose the “thrust” of what Jesus is really showing. Remember the story of Cain and Abel? Cain was the unrighteous brother, Abel the righteous one, yet after Cain did such a despicable act and God asked him, “where is your brother?” Cain replied, “Am I responsible to care for him?”

Our world today says “no”, but this parable of Jesus answers that question for the life of a Christian, and it is a clear “yes”.

Let us look at this story, this lawyer comes to Jesus with two purposes: To trick Jesus, and also “to justify himself”. In other words, he wanted to make himself look righteous by his own actions. He wanted his own works to earn him ‘eternal life’.

(If we try to earn righteousness with God by our own works then we are not ready for the gospel, for it is by His gift of love that we are saved, and we must humbly accept it by trusting Him.)

After asking him to answer his own question, Jesus affirms the answer, but the lawyer wants to press the issue and asks, “who then is my neighbor?” This lawyer thought the his neighbor only meant his fellow Israelites, people who were just like him.

We all ask the same question sometimes, “Who is my neighbor?” Is it only those whom I feel comfortable around? My circle of friends? My next-door neighbor? Or is the circle a bit wider to include…everyone?

Let me set the background for this story: Jews and Samaritans hated each other. The Jews saw themselves as pure descendants of Abraham, while the Samaritans were a mixed race produced when Jews from from the norther kingdom of Israel intermarried with other people after the country went into exile. Hence, there were some national and racial tension there.

So when this lawyer questioned Jesus, he would have never thought this “enemy” of the Jews could show love to a Jew, but that is exactly what the Samaritan did. The priest and the Levite, who should have been the first to show mercy, absolutely refused to do so.

Look at the irony here. This lawyer, who was a Jew, answered the question rightly by saying the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.

Yet, his fellow Jews (the Priest and the Levite) would rather have obeyed other laws about purity rather than the chief commandments of loving God and loving neighbor.

On the other hand, this is exactly what the Samaritan does. The roles are switched. The “righteous religious leaders” who should have know better failed to act, while the person no one thought could be righteous did act!

Hence, the lawyer has to answer his own question that anyone who acts with love toward their fellow man, even if he be an enemy, acts godly.

Jesus reversed the lawyer’s original question (v. 29). The lawyer assumed it was up to others to prove themselves neighbor to him, not that he ought to go and show himself to be a neighbor to everyone else. Jesus makes it clear that each of us has a responsibility to be a neighbor, especially to those in need.

One commentator says it like this: “The legal expert viewed the wounded man as a topic for discussion; the bandits, as an object to exploit; the priest, as a problem to avoid and the Temple assistant, as an object of curiosity. Only the Samaritan treated him as a person to love.”

We all have those people in our lives with whom we disagree. Yet, we must never let that stop us from remembering they are fellow human beings, created by God (just as we were), broken by sin (just like us), and loved by Him (same as us).

From this story we learn three principles about loving our neighbor.

(1) Lack of love is often easy to justify but it is never right;

(2) our neighbor is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need; and

(3) love means acting to meet the person’s need.

Wherever we live, there are needy people close by. The church grows when we meet the needs of the community.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan occurs only in Luke, and illustrates Jesus’ teaching of who our neighbor is: anyone in immediate need, even a supposed enemy. For what quicker way to turn an enemy into a friend then by loving them. Hatred cannot do that, only love can.

How do we love all men, even our enemies? We cannot on our own, but God fills us with His love by the power of the Holy Spirit, and gives us His love so that we can love others as He does, even if we do not always like them.

To quote Thomas Oden-”Where brokenness is found in the world, the church mends, where hunger, it feeds, where suffering, it heals, the people of God are called to do whatever is at hand to do, act with all their might, and hear their neighbor’s cry and answer it, loving the ones they see.”

Caring for neighbor goes hand in hand with loving God. This truth is repeated many different times in Scripture. God is duly served through service to the neighbor.

How do I love my neighbor? Treat them as Jesus would. Do good to all men at all times in all places under all circumstances. Ask yourself what would produce the maximum good without being in direct contradiction to the Scriptures.

Am I my brother’s keeper? If we claim to be Christians, our answer is YES.

6/5/16-Luke 18:1-8-“Take It to God (Pray Without Ceasing)”

Our life of faith is like a race, and God’s desire for us as Christians is to run this race faithfully. One way we persist in the race in the face of life’s hardships is through prayer.

Remember: Prayer is how our redeemed souls are fed spiritually, and it is a constant nourishment. Prayer is how God shapes us like Christ, to live everyday with his Kingdom in our minds.

The reason we are to persist is because God desires us to experience Him, His faithfulness, love, and absolute goodness. It is not because we pray that causes God to be good, rather it is because God is good that we pray. It is because God is good that the offer of eternal life is before us to experience.

God wants us to grow in grace and loving, becoming more like Jesus, and prayer is one way of how we grow. Just as a parent, while treasuring their child when they are a baby, also wants them to grow up and be mature. So it is with God, who wants us to grow in our faith and understanding of Him.

With that, we turn to the story. We have one corrupt judge, and one persistent and faithful widow. One who has all the power and one who is powerless. This judge, who should have shown the most compassion, didn’t care about God or about people. The widow’s odds are slim, but what other choice does she have, and so she goes to plead her case.

And she keeps pleading…and pleading…and finally this judge (no doubt fed up!), finally gave in and gave her the well-deserved justice.

Just like last week, Jesus is not saying that God is like this corrupt judge, only answering our prayers when we nag Him (He is much more good than that!) Rather, it is a contrast. If this evil judge who did not respect widows or orphans finally did give justice, how much more will God, the great defender of widows and orphans is wanting to give justice to all who are oppressed. It is because God is faithful that we persist in prayer.

Often we struggle with endurance. We want to throw up our hands after only a week praying for someone or for a situation and we quit thinking God does not hear us or does not want to answer our prayer. Yet, God desires that we endure in our prayers for others, not only for their sake, but for ours, because the more we have that time spent with our hearts lifted to God, the more He takes our hearts and fills them with faith, hope, and love.

Remember: When we pray God changes the situation or He changes us, and often it is both.

Look once more at Jesus’ words, “how much more will God bring about justice”. Persistence in prayer does not mean we keep asking for that million dollars or that great new car we desire.

It is saying, “pray for someone the way Jesus would pray for them.” A simple prayer goes something like this, “Dear Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours”. Look to Jesus and use His prayer as yours: “…God, Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

The justice mentioned in this parable is the justice God is eager to grant. It is the justice of His Kingdom, “on earth as it is in heaven”. This is the purpose of us here as a church: to pray this Kingdom of God into our lives then go live that kingdom to impact the lives of others.

Now, I will level with you. You may be thinking, “what about some of the prayers I have prayed that were not answered in the way that I prayed them?” I have struggled with this myself, but let me encourage us when I draw your attention back to last week’s lesson.

Remember: Out Father does not give us stones when we ask for bread, so whatever answer He ever gives you in answer to prayer, trust Him, even when it seems like His answer is, “Keep coming to Me with this request”.  Pray without ceasing

This parable has two points to remember: One is a truth, the other a challenge

Truth: God is the perfect judge eager to do justice in the world

Challenge: Will God find us faithful in our praying to Him? Let your entire life be a prayer so that all will know you have Jesus in your hearts. 

Listen to this to hear more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhi8HCzcQ_8

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!”

Matt 25:14-30; 1 Cor. 10:31-4/21/2106-Don’t Bury Your Gift

Last week we talked about grace and how it is equal and given to all who come to Jesus Christ and once we accept Him as Savior and Master over our lives, we find out we have certain gifts.

Maybe these were talents we had before we became believers, and maybe we discovered them after. The important note is not to get caught up in the details of whether you had the gifts, talents, or abilities, or even resources before or after you became a Christian.

Rather, remember that every good thing you have, whether a talent, ability, or resource is ultimately a gift from God.

We are caretakers, and if we know who has given us these gifts, and if we love Him, should we not use them for His glory? If the farmer has graced us to work in His field, and has promised us a grace-filled reward, should we not do all we can to please Him?

If you work a muscle and you use it, it becomes stronger, if not it weakens and shrinks. It is the same idea with our talents and gifts, and we can look at this parable to prove that.

The Master gives the talents (here “talents” means money) to these servants and leaves, and in the meantime the servants are given the chance to be faithful, and so the first servant invests well and doubles his money, and the second servant does the same.

The third servant…hides the money in the ground, and as time passed the Master returned and look what happened. The first two servants, who I can imagine loved their Master, came forward, and I would imagine they couldn’t wait to show Him what they had.

Then we get to the third who shows…nothing but what he had been given at the start, and when we read the Master’s response, we think it is a bit harsh and unfair, but before we judge the Master, we have to look at the servant first.

It is not as though this servant had tried sincerely to please the Master but just had a string of bad luck. Instead, the third servant didn’t even try. He did not even try because He did not love the Master and did not trust Him. Instead the servant thought he could just get by with the bare minimum.

So, the Master is saying, “You didn’t try at all here. If you had tried because you love me and even if it was not that much that you earned, I still would have celebrated with you. It was because you did not even try that I am taking your gift and giving it to those who trust me enough to take a step forward in faith, and they were blessed.”

I think the third servant acted wickedly because he did not have a proper understanding of the Master. So how does this parable speak to us today?…It is meant to show us something. The Master in the parable is God, and He gives us giftings, and says, “Ok, at the end of it all, I want to see how you have used what I gave you.”

But unlike the master in the story, God does not leave us completely. He gives us the Holy Spirit, who shows us in the Bible, in prayer, in worship and in community what to do with our talents. He shows us how to use them wisely.

If we are seeking after God and His will for our life, He will show us the way. So He gives us these talents, and just like a muscle grows when it is used, He wants us to use them, and to be like the first and second servants.

Sadly, there are many people, individuals, and groups, that don’t have a right understanding of God, so they act like the third servant, and they take their God-given gifts, and because they are scared, they don’t use the gifts.

I can understand because I still struggle sometimes, and I think, “But Lord, what if I fail at it?”

Friends, take joy in this fact: If you are sincerely trying to serve God with the gifts He gave you, and are using them the best that you can, then you cannot fail.

So don’t let fear stop you from serving. Trust God instead. He wants us to use what He gave us for His glory, and our neighbor’s good. We all have gifts. Everyone is good at something, so put it in God’s hands and say “Lord, how do you want me to do this for you?”

Take responsibility for the gifts He gave you. This is how a church grows, everyone using their God-given gifts for His glory and our neighbor’s good. And remember, if you have a heart that loves God, and you use your gifts for Him…YOU CANNOT FAIL 🙂