Category: Sunday School Lessons

Freedom

 

 

This was a sermon from Palm Sunday. The real Preacher was gone that Sunday and I got picked to do the Sunday Message. I am not a Preacher but I love any chance to tell a story and there is no better story to tell than Jesus.

Some of the things I found out

The future will not be what you expect but it will get here sooner than you think.

Don’t make fun of preachers.   (The bad kids that picked on Elisha got eaten by bears!)

We are approaching a holiday! Yah! Paid time off if you are lucky enough to have it. Maybe a long weekend to do something special. The holiday I’m talking about isn’t Easter. It’s Good Friday. Something special happened on that long weekend around 2000 years ago. Jesus went to his death for my sins. Yes he went for all but I don’t ever want to forget it was for me. Most of the time this special day passes without comment but I think it deserves our respect. It was on Good Friday that the sacrifice was made. It was not a done deal till Jesus died. He was both fully God and fully man. He could have cried out from the cross “They are not worth this, let it end” and it would have been finished. That Friday was anything but good for Jesus

You hear a lot of things being attributed to the Bible. Are they really there?
1. Spare the rod and spoil the child? (nope)
2. I saw the handwriting on the wall? ( Yep)
3. God will never give you a burden you can’t bear? (nope)
4. The truth shall set you free? (Yep)

Jesus said the last one but like so many quotes it is best to know the whole conversation than to only remember one line. John 8:31
He was speaking to his followers that were Jews. He said
“If you continue in my ways then you are my disciples indeed; And (some say then) you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” What kind of freedom was he talking about? Jesus talked a lot about freedom. He made it possible on that day we call “Good Friday”

Then the Jews said something really dumb. They said they were Jews and they had never been in bondage to any man. Rather than giving them a history lesson:
Slaves to Egypt
Slaves to Babylon
Slaves to Assyria
Slaves to Greeks
Currently slaves to Romans
He simply said “Verily verily, I say unto you. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” We know that sin is anything outside of God’s will. We know we are born in sin and will die in sin without God’s grace. We know sin is an appetite. An appetite is never satisfied. A little sin won’t ever satisfy anyone.

And we know it’s the truth! Nothing is easier than staying like we are. We ask God for change but we don’t want to be transformed, we want everything but us to change. Change is scary and forces us into the unknown. So how do we learn to trust God and be what he would have us to be? Maybe we have to learn what we are and how we work.

Millions of dollars have been spent on research into how the human brain works. There is a good reason for this. It might make you rich. What researchers found out is that you have three levels of consciousness going on.

First you have a conscious mind. If your brain were an iceberg this would be the tiny part that sticks out of the water.

Second you have a subconscious mind. This would be under water but you could look down and see it if you think about it (or something makes you think about it).

Third you have an unconscious mind that is on the bottom of the iceberg. It is everything that ever happened recorded and stored that you can’t remember, but it shaped who you are and it’s still there affecting your decisions.

Researchers also discovered that only 20 percent of the decisions we make are done with the conscious mind. That means that 80 percent of our decisions are made outside of the mind we stay in! Think you are in your right mind most of the time? Think again.

Remember the wizard of Oz? There was a man behind the curtain pulling levers and pushing buttons. When the man was revealed they knew the truth. It wasn’t pleasant and didn’t make them happy but once they knew the truth they could change.

Researchers have cataloged 40 different mechanisms that we use to deal with the problems we don’t want to face. These are called defense mechanisms. They have a long definition but the short version is “The way we lie to ourselves so we can live with ourselves.” Here are some of my favorites

1. Denial- No not the river in Egypt. This one gets used all the time.
IM NOT UPSET! THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID! IM NOT SHOUTING! I was listening. I never thought of that.
2. Projection- This is putting your faults on someone else. Why are you being such a jerk! I will be glad when you get out of that crappy mood!
3. Rationalization- Tries to justify unacceptable behavior. I did it for your own good! It was payback! I took it from work but they don’t pay me like they should!
4. Distraction- Probably the Grandaddy of all for our generation. How long do you sit before the phone come out? Could you go a day without the phone? TV? Internet?

Others includes sexualization, deferment and lots more
The researchers say all of us are doing some of these.
Why do we do this ? For the simple reason that a lot of things are just too painful or dangerous to discuss or even think about. How many times have you seen a married couple argue of trivial items because the real problems were too scary? As long as we lie to ourselves our problems will stay with us. These old problems prevent us from the rich freedom God wants us to enjoy.
How can we ever escape the problems of the past? If it is just a memory then why is causing problems? It has already happened!
First with God’s help we have to own the problem. We have to admit the problem is ours and then we have to look deep to see what the problem really is and how it got there. Easier said than done. We lie! How many diets go from Monday morning till lunch? We lie not just to others but to ourselves. Use this quick test. If your answer gets you off the hook it’s probably a lie.
The Jesus quote of “Then you shall Know the truth and the truth shall set you free” is part of a conversation Jesus is having with his followers. The word “then” lets you know something that makes this statement true was said earlier. Jesus said “when you continue in my word Then”. You are not set free when you become a follower, you are set free when you continue to follow. This was the reason Jesus didn’t ask people to change, he simply asked them to follow like he did Matthew.
The conversion to the freedom God wants for us doesn’t happen at the snap of a finger when you become a Christian. It comes when you continue to follow and as Jesus said Then you will know the truth and the Truth will set you free!
The truth that will set us free starts with the truth about us. It starts with awareness. Awareness is knowing why. Why I feel the way I do. Why I react like I do. It requires us to look far beyond the surface and to be absolutely honest with ourselves.
Problem is we don’t like being absolutely honest when we look at ourselves. We will lie like a rug when we self-assess. Don’t do it! If your answer lets you off the hook for anything it is probably a lie. Oh you can call it a “defense mechanism” but in truth it’s just a lie.
We have certain things we need to get done by a certain time. April 15th is looming in my future. I know I have to get that check in the mail by then. Other things I need to do this week, some this month and some this year. The last category has always been the before I die category.
Just like I know I have to get that check in the mail April 15th I know I have to make my life right with God before I die. Sobering thought but it comes with good news. You don’t have to wait! Do it now and start on the path that will give you a life of freedom! You will become what you were meant to be and know the true meaning of joy! Do it now. Talk to Jesus. Accept his invitation to follow. You don’t have to change, you don’t have to tell anyone, you don’t have to do anything but listen to God. He wants you free from all that baggage you have been dragging around your whole life. There is no one that can accept the invitation for you and no one that can stop it. It is up to you.
The Real You:
Not the person they see at work. Not the person your friends see but
The person that talks to God. I call it the secret person. This is the
Person God wants to set free. When you change the inside you don’t
Have to worry about the outside.
I believe the real you is so much better than you realize. You have
Formed this image of a person inside Formed this image of a person
Inside you that you think doesn’t measure up. From the time you
Were a small child with every failure, every scornful jest, every
Rejection this personality you created to get you through life was
Damaged and changed by the lies you had to tell yourself to survive

The real you was formed by Almighty God in his image.
Think about that for a second! God want you to know the freedom like
You have never experienced. Freedom that is more than doing what
Want but the freedom to become what you were designed to be by God!
The Challenge:
Try this for just one day. If that is too much do just ½ day. This Friday
Don’t say anything negative about anything or especially anybody. I
Know there are lots of things that you need to point out but just wait till Saturday!

 

 

I Heard God Praying!

I met a man that needed help. He had lost his wife and was facing many challenges. He was depressed and it showed in his face and in everything he said. I listened to his story and told him I would keep him in my prayers. He didn’t seem impressed but I really pray for people and believe in the power of prayer.
This was my prayer: God only you are all powerful. With words you created all that is. God I know that there are no miracles for you because you can do anything with a whisper. This man needs your special touch. He needs to know he is not alone. He needs to feel your love and to know he is not forgotten. Please do something. Amen
After I prayed my prayed I sat in silence and I heard the voice of Almighty God in my head praying. God said: Tim I have given you far more power than you know. I had you raised by special people that taught you to love. I brought you through hard times so you would know to never place yourself above anyone. Everything this man needs I have given to you. Please do something.Amen

 

 

 

Presence of God

I’m not addicted to TV but recently I watched the Olympics with interest. It was certainly better than standard TV but that doesn’t say much. I watched the opening ceremony just to see what they looked like and the outfits. Then each night we watched a different event. It took a while but I finally decided the end of the events were the most interesting part. Just to see the look on their faces as they realized their dream had come true. Even the ones that didn’t medal seemed to be happy. Some showed disappointment but all projected that they were glad to represent their country and be a part of a great competition. You would think our highly paid professional athletes would show even more appreciation but I guess money changes things.
There was no doubt about it, the outpouring of emotion by those athletes could be felt through the television. Seems we have the ability to pick up emotions even faster than the flu virus. Many cried, unable to handle the flood of feelings. Many spectators cried for the same reason (especially the parents!). Seems people really like to get emotional about something they can see. Maybe that was why God was so focused on keeping his people from worshiping idols. It was a hard task to keep people from idol worship. It still is.
Long before Indiana Jones I was fascinated by the stories of the Ark of the covenants. It was a box built to hold the stone tablets inscribed by God with the Ten Commandments. Ten rules for his people to live by that would make them different from the rest of the world. The rules have never changed. While we have never lived by them in earnest have you ever wondered what the world would be like if we could?
Incredible wealth- No need for armies, tanks, planes and missiles. No need for Police Departments, FBI, SBI, CIA, Homeland Security, IRS or any enforcement of a law. As a matter of fact if you could follow the 10 you wouldn’t need the millions of laws written by man.
Incredible Health- All STD diseases gone. When a virgin marries a virgin they don’t have STDs! With so much wealth other diseases would be wiped out by fantastic research.
Incredible peace- No locks needed. No alarms. You live without fear of your fellow man. There is nothing to fear, you won’t be hurt by anyone and when you die you will live with God forever.
Incredible happiness- With so much health, wealth and peace it would be hard to not be happy all the time.
These are not vague projections but facts of life. We all know it would work. We all know we can’t do it. What a shame.
The Ark was used as a symbol of the presence of God. The presence of God is a powerful thing and the Ark reflected that. It was so powerful that they never knew how to handle it. Of course when anything has power someone will want to use it as a weapon. It proved to be a double edge sword.
Joshua used it as the Lord instructed and stopped the waters of the river Jordan to cross into the Promised Land. He used it again to defeat Jericho.
Years later the Israelites were in battle with the Philistines. Israel had sinned greatly and lost the favor of God. They were defeated by the Philistines and fear was in their hearts. They didn’t turn to God but went and got the Ark to use in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines killed thousands and captured the Ark. It was a bad time!
When the Philistines carried the Ark home they got a nasty surprise. God sent a plague against them. Those that didn’t die were struck with hemorrhoids. Now I’m sure if almighty God gives you hemorrhoids they are not going to be little! No surgery, no preparation H, no ice cubes. Eventually the Philistines send the Ark back to the Israelites. They even sent it home with an offering attached. The offering was 5 golden hemorrhoids and 5 golden mice. You can’t make up stories that good!
When the Jews receive the Ark from the Philistines they were happy. So happy they opened it and looked inside. 50,000 died for this transgression. Then they took the Ark to the house of Abinadab. It stayed there 20 years.
After King Saul died David became king and wanted the Ark to have a resting place in Jerusalem. He goes with a military detachment to retrieve the Ark. They load it on an ox cart and parade in front of the Ark. When the oxen stumble Uzzah reaches to steady the Ark and is struck dead. Parade over! David is scared to go any farther and decides to leave the Ark and go back till he can decide what to do. He leaves the Ark with Obed Edom the Gittite.
Obed was a Gittite which meant he was from the Philistine city of Gath. It also means he would have known about the Ark. I can only imagine his feeling knowing the same Ark that had killed thousands and plagued his hometown with hemorrhoids was going to be left with him!
Obed means “worships God” and it must have been a name he earned. Our Bible only says Obed and his house were blessed. Sources outside the Bible say all the women of his house gave birth every two weeks for the 3 months he kept the Ark. That would have been a blessing then in a world that ran on child labor. Obed honored the presence of God and worshipped Him.
David hears Obed is being blessed and decides it is safe to go get the Ark. This time he dances his heart out while musicians play as the Ark is moved. They stop every 6 paces and offer sacrifices. The Bible says David was dressed in linen. Linen was underwear and David’s wife was not happy to see her husband dancing in public. She tells David with great sarcasm that he has exposed himself in public and is a disgrace. David is not impressed by her and explains that he was dancing before God and worshipping him.
David stands out as someone who really worshipped God. In the true sense of worship he put aside his life and honored God. His example of worship is still valid. Even though he was flawed he still worshipped. He maintained a wonderful connection to God. A worshiper puts aside the self-centered life and focuses on the true greatness of God.
But what happens when we worship God. It seems counter intuitive but we have improvement in our lives. It would make sense that if we get what we want we will be happy. It also makes sense that the more we get the happier we will be. Only problem is we aren’t wired that way so it doesn’t work. We are designed to connect and that connection we get with God when we worship far outshines anything the world can offer.
Need proof? Look at the most devout Christians you can find. You will have to look because they don’t stand up and wave but they are there. Usually working away in some church program or maybe a soup kitchen. You might find her working in the church nursery. You might find him painting the church or raising money to help someone. They will tell you the source of everything good in their life including their happiness is God. They will take no credit for their success. Their fruit will be abundant.
We don’t have the Ark but we have the Holy Spirit. It is the presence of God in our lives. If we take time to worship we will be blessed. It may not be with childbirth every 2 weeks but if it is from God you know it will be good!

You don’t really believe that stuff do you?

 

It’s a real question you will have to answer if you haven’t had to all ready. It might come in a real conversation about religion but more than likely it will be just a quick comment and the conversation will move on to something else. Maybe you don’t know what to say or maybe you want to say something but don’t have time but either way you feel like you got attacked. Don’t feel too bad because you are not alone. A lot of Christians have a hard time defending their beliefs. Many will get frustrated and some will even get mad if you ask them to explain why they believe. They need a plan.

The apostle Peter wrote two letters to followers of Jesus that are in the Bible before he was killed by the Romans. He said Christians needed to be prepared to explain why they believed. He didn’t say you needed to be able to explain everything in the Bible but just why you believe. Peter explained why he believed. He was there. He saw Jesus perform miracles. He saw him die on the cross. He looked at his dead body and saw it placed in the tomb. He look in the empty tomb. He saw Jesus alive and had breakfast with him on the beach. He saw the nail prints and marks from crucifixion. He was changed forever by what he saw.

I think we would like Peter. He was a commercial fisherman. He was in business with his Dad and brother Andrew. Probably had a commercial license from the Romans. We know he had a boat and nets. Apparently he fished naked according to John 21-7. Ancient people were not prudish. If you grew up in a one room house and you parents had 10 children or more you knew a lot by the time you left home! Peter was the one that would speak up first when Jesus asked a question. He was out in front. Jesus named him Peter which when translated from the Greek meant rock. When we look closely at his life we see a huge transformation in Peter after the resurrection. He was afraid when Jesus was arrested and denied he knew him. He went into hiding as did the other disciples when Jesus was crucified. After the resurrection he openly preached the gospel till he was crucified himself. According to history Peter told the Romans he wasn’t worthy to die like Christ. The Romans having a sick sense of humor said “we can take care of that for you” and crucified him upside down. Peter lived up to the name Jesus gave him and became the “rock” the Christian church was built upon.

But was Peter the only one? No, not by a long shot! Look at the transformation of Paul. He was a Christian hunter that hunted down Christians for persecution and destruction. In one day he completely changed. He didn’t moderate his life he totally reversed it. It wasn’t like when someone joins the church and starts trying to cuss with less offensive cuss words he really completely changed. Try to imagine a hard line Democrat. Drives a hybrid car with Obama and Biden stickers all over it. Hates big business, oil fired power plants and anybody that would cut down a tree. Next morning he is a registered Republican and wants more off shore drilling and coal mining. That was the kind of change that happened in Paul.

Anybody else? The list is long but another is James the brother of Jesus. Now if it would be hard to convince anyone you were the Messiah it would be hard to convince your brother. Before the resurrection James mocked Jesus when he said he was the Messiah. I can assure you if I tried to convince anybody in my family I was the Messiah I would be laughed off the porch. Imagine if you had grown up with this person and then all of a sudden he is telling people he is God and saying “when you see me you have seen the father”. Yea, that wouldn’t have worked for me. Mama would have beat the health out of me with a damp stick if I had tried that. But after the resurrection James became an ardent preacher of the gospel of Jesus. He believed Jesus was the Messiah in spite of seeing him grow up in his home.

How about his Mom? I have often heard it said that if anybody knew Jesus was the Messiah it was Mary. She alone knew the truth about the virgin birth. Imagine how hard it was to tell that story knowing everyone would think it was a lie. I can just imagine the eye rolling and looking away she experienced. Look at the silence of Mary at the crucifixion. Jesus was killed for saying he was God. If Mary thought he was anything else she would have cried out against the judgement but she was silent. My mother would have said “he is just crazy, don’t kill him for that”! Mary knew the truth.

The list goes on of people that experienced Jesus and totally changed. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Even John the Baptist who was already famous and had lots of people coming to him for baptism. He didn’t get to see Jesus after the resurrection but he instantly knew Jesus was the Messiah when he saw him approach before Jesus was well known and said “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world”. Botton line is there were lots of others that reported seeing Jesus after the resurrection. Lots of witnesses equals lots of proof.

For me compelling evidence comes from the story of the resurrection itself. If it was a carefully constructed lie fabricated by the disciples it might have sounded like this. Jesus was crucified like he said would happen. We knew he was dead but our faith was solid and we knew he would rise on the third day just like he said. We were sorry to see him suffer so badly but we were ready to celebrate his return on that morning at the tomb. At sunrise we were all gathered at the tomb and watched as the angels rolled back the stone and Jesus walked out.

The real story just has the fabric and context of people telling the truth. “We were shocked that he died. We thought he was the Messiah and couldn’t be killed by humans. We were devastated that our world had disappeared and the Jesus movement was over. We didn’t believe it when women said the tomb was empty. That sounded impossible. Most of us wouldn’t even go look for ourselves. Peter went and saw some strips of burial cloth but couldn’t find the body. We thought the body had been stolen or moved. We started hearing reports of people seeing and talking to Jesus but we still didn’t believe it till he came to us in person”. People just don’t make up stories like that.

Then we have the proof of how the Jesus movement spread from such a small group to become not only the dominate religion but a way of life that shaped the western world and changed the rest of the world in such short time.

So what do you say to the person that ask why do you believe? Or maybe the statement will be “You don’t really believe that stuff do you”? You will have to decide for yourself but I like something quick like: “I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead”. Then one of two things will happen. They will be silent for a couple of seconds and the conversation will move on or they will simply ask why? The hope is always that they ask why and you can start telling some of the stories that prove the resurrection. But even if it is the moment of silence a seed has been planted. It might be a seed that doesn’t produce but it might be a seed cast in just the right spot. Just remember to cast lots of “seeds”!

 

 

 

It’s in the Bible, Really!

I love a good story. Maybe cause my Dad was the best story teller ever. He had a way of explaining things as his story unfolded that just seemed to make you wish you had seen it for yourself. Most of his stories were hunting and fishing stories. They were never the short version that start like “we caught a big fish once.” His stories would start like “It was the fall of 35 and it was the coldest ever.” Then we could hear how cold it was, how hard it was to break the ice, how long they fished before he bit, how the others wanted to go home and finally how he caught the big fish. There would be time allotted to ask questions during the story if anything wasn’t clear. Since he was always old (he was born old to me!) I used his stories to get a picture of what his life was like before me. I still tell his stories to myself when I miss him.
Maybe my love of stories is what interested me in the Bible. It took way to long for to figure it out but it is the greatest story book on earth. It has stories of every situation you can imagine. I thought Hollywood could come up with some strange creepy situations until I started my own study of the Bible. Sure I went to Sunday school and church growing up but we got the sanitized version. They would only use the cleaned up version. Most of the preachers used the same stories over and over and left out the small details. I feel it’s always a mistake to leave out the details in a story because it loses its credibility without details. If the details are of a disturbing nature or extremely graphic there is a reason. Leaving out the rough parts might make it easier to talk about but it isn’t the same story.

It’s important to realize the Bible is a single purpose book. It isn’t a history book or a how to book for any task. Its sole purpose is to teach us the nature of God and his will. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years but the bible only gives a small portion of what they did. It isn’t missing, it’s just not important to the purpose of the Bible. The stories that are in the Bible are important and each one is there for the same reason.

The next problem was the partial story. How many times have you had a lesson or sermon that required you take part in a sword drill marathon. Bible stories are complete and convey important lessons. It’s up to us to decide how to interpret the story and apply it to our lives for benefit. Hard to do when you extract one line from First Timothy and the next from Genesis.
For me it finally became apparent that the Bible was important. Then I realized it was too important to let someone else tell me what it says, I needed to find out for myself. This doesn’t mean I don’t listen when a bible story is told or explained. It just means I want to make sure I’m getting the whole story. I want to know who was in the story, where they came from, who wrote the story and who was it written for. Sometimes this takes some effort but it’s easier for us than any other generation.
Christians are just like the Bible when you stop and think about it. We too have only one purpose. Fulfill God’s will. That will mean different things for each person but it still comes down to serving God. Christians are God’s willing servants. Each with abilities and gifts that will glorify God when used in Christian service. The Bible is our rule and guide throughout life on earth and our instruction manual. Yes it’s always more fun to try it our way first but doesn’t it go better when we read the instructions first?
So what kind of stories can we find in that old book? It opens with our first dysfunctional family. In our family they were simply called Adam and Eve. I heard rumors that they had last names but I’m not sure. Adam’s answer was classic “The woman did it”. It never worked but we still try to pass the blame. They had two boys. Cain and Able. Then after Cain killed Able they had Seth. But who was Noah’s ancestor? It was the bad boy Cain.
Noah’s classic story was he built an Ark and had animals in it. That’s probably all most people know. He was also our first person to get drunk in the Bible. Ended up putting a curse on his son.
Abraham is called the father figure but his life didn’t give us much to brag about. Lied to the Egyptians about his beautiful wife being his sister. Had illegitimate children with his wife’s servant with her blessing. Left her to die with child in the desert.
While this is going on Lot is living in Sodom. He has to get out of town with his family but only his wife and daughters go. After his wife is turned to salt he is given wine till each of his daughters trick him into incest. They fear he is their only chance. Second example of alcohol and its effects on a family.
Abraham’s legitimate son was Isaac. His wife had twins. Difficult deliver. His wife helped one son defraud the other of his birthright and he had to flee for his life. His name was Jacob. While on the run he falls for a beauty and agrees to work 7 years to marry her. Pulls back the vail after the wedding and he has her ugly sister. Then has to work another 7 to get the girl of his dreams. The wives compete but the ugly one gives him more sons. Then to make up the difference the wives send in their servant girls to get pregnant. Out of this mix of dysfunction comes the 12 tribes of Israel.
Now you know with 12 brothers there are bound to be problems. Probably this was compounded by having different mothers and Jacobs feelings toward them. The Bible doesn’t try to conceal that he loves Rachael and the others are just to enlarge and enhance his work force. Everyone in the family would see this because emotions are not concealable.
You are more susceptible to another person’s emotions than you are the flu. Usually you will be affected by another’s emotions within the first minute. Your brain has a section devoted to picking up on the emotions present. Unfortunately that part of your brain doesn’t think, it just senses and reacts.
Joseph as a young man lacks “emotional intelligence” when it comes to dealing with his brothers. They already don’t like it that Jacob sees him as his favorite and gave him a special coat. Then Joseph throws gas on the fire by telling them about dreams where he will be their ruler. These are not boys and they are experienced at killing. They plan to kill Joseph and tell that he was killed by a lion or bear.
At the last minute one brother convinces them to put him in a pit but they see spice traders coming by and sell him as a slave. He is carried to Egypt and sold as a slave. He has gone from favorite son of a wealthy man to slave.
His life gets worse in Egypt. He is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown in prison. Now in prison he is assigned to take care of Pharaoh’s baker and butler when they made Pharaoh mad. (wonder what they did? Bad donuts? Unshined shoes?)
It’s a small detail in a big story but we get to see how Joseph has learned and developed a critical skill. Joseph has learned to read emotions. Joseph has also learned how to keep a relationship with God while enduring what must have been terrible conditions. He is in a foreign prison and a slave. There will be no parole, no early release and if he does get out he will still be a slave. In spite of this he is true to God and seeks God’s will. It would be so easy for Joseph to give up on God and focus on himself.
The Bible says he looked and saw they were sad. Then he asked. Let that sink in—he asked. It is a logical step when we see someone giving off bad vibes but how many times do we use this as an opportunity to inject our own emotions? Since we already believe everything is about us it is a logical step. We assume we have done something or decide they are mean or crazy instead of just asking “what’s wrong.” I personally have a poor track record when I assume. I finally discovered with some help from the Bible that I was looking in mirrors with a lot of people. They were just showing me what I was showing them.
Ok it’s finally time to talk about what this lesson shows us. As Christians we know that we have a purpose. The “Great Commission” Jesus gave the disciples was to spread the Gospel. It wasn’t just for the disciples but for every Christian then and now. Doing this task well requires us to understand others and be able to empathize. (EXPLAIN EMPATHIZE!) By understanding the person we will be able to know the right thing to say at the right time and know when to shut up. Know anybody lacking that skill?
Timing is everything but unless you can understand someone you can’t possibly know how to time. You can’t just tell funny jokes to a grieving person, it doesn’t work. You have to connect with the person in such a way that they will ask why are you interested in me. Then your door is open. They are asking and you can answer “God loves me and changed my life, he can change yours if you let him.” You can use any phrase you like but getting them to ask is the key.
What I hope you take home today is that as a Christian I have a purpose. There can be many ways to achieve that purpose and we are all different but our purpose is the same. The Will of God.

 

 

Gods Big Story

It is the story of an artist. He created his masterpiece and we call it the Universe. He always was above all things. He always will be above all things. His creation was perfect in every way until sin. He must have been tempted to destroy it and start over but he didn’t. Instead he started to restore his creation. The Bible is the written record of this restoration. A restoration of a world that will become a place where everything is God’s will. Like our prayer says “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
How many of us have heard of Abraham? God told him his name would be known. Pretty amazing for someone who wasn’t a king, conqueror or explorer that lived almost 4,000 years ago. When God makes a bargain with someone you can count on it.
I have been disturbed by the story of Abraham for many years. I talked with preachers and teachers but I just didn’t get it. They wanted to tell me Abraham’s story in a way that showed him as deserving of God’s blessing but I didn’t see it. They talked of his faith but I saw his sins. Bottom line was if I was a juror and Abraham was brought to trial I would have to give him the death penalty! How can a person that flawed be our father figure? Finally I took the advice of a trusted Christian friend and studied the scripture. Just like he said it was right there in the Word!
Bible study will reveal some interesting things about the God we worship. One of his favorites is his use of underdogs. You would think the great creator would use a rich or powerful or famous person to be his spokesman but over and over we see just the opposite. Who did he pick to free the Israelites? A king with a powerful army? No, just a man. Not even a good man. Moses was a murderer on the run and had trouble speaking. When his people were facing an overwhelming enemy he selected Gideon. Gideon was a coward with no experience in battle. He selected David to be king. He was the youngest son. A mere shepherd.
It’s clear that God likes to use underdogs. Question is why? It is so we can more easily see that it is God. If the strong man wins the fight we say so what. If the man with no strength wins we want to know how he did it. We know the strength had to come from somewhere. If it wasn’t the man then it must be from God.
It reminds me of when I was shooting a rifle I built from spare parts. It shot unusually well. It shot so well that a couple of top shooting coaches came over to watch me shoot. I had a new hearing protector that picked up normal conversation while it suppressed the gunfire. They didn’t know but I could hear them talking behind me while I was shooting. Finally one said “That has to be a super gun cause he don’t shoot that good.”
In spite of the flaws of Abraham he did two things right. He believed God and he trusted God. You believe with your mind. You trust when you take actions based on that belief. Belief is nothing without trust.
God said to Abram (God liked to change names), move to another land. Abram trusted and started moving. Imagine telling your wife “Honey you need to pack, we are moving.” When she ask where you say “I don’t know!” Wives are funny about stuff like that.
God made a covenant with Abraham. He said you trust me and I will bless your socks off. I will bless you and all your descendants. I will bless everybody through you. We don’t make covenants much anymore but I did on Dec. 19th 2015! ( I got married!)  The old ceremony involved splitting an animal and walking between the two halves to say “If I break our agreement I hope worse comes to me than this animal.” (We just sign. Less messy!)
Another important feature about God shows up here. God’s blessings are always instrumental. (read that again) They are always an instrument to be used to bless others. Abraham didn’t get blessed because he deserved it. He was blessed to bless others. To bless is to give enhanced life. Others could see God blessing Abraham and know God was real. They found they could connect with God in their life. As Abrahams blessing was carried on to his descendants the blessing spread across the world. It’s only natural. When people see something good the next thing they ask is “where did you get it? Can I get some too?” Thank Heaven (literally!) the answer is YES!
When Abraham did what he decided was right he really made a mess of things. He lied about his wife and said she was his sister so he would gain favor with the Egyptians. She ended up in Pharaoh’s harem for a while. Not exactly a good arrangement for her. When Pharaoh found out she was married she was kicked out of Egypt with her husband.
Then when she couldn’t conceive he agreed with his wife to take her maid to have a child. God had told him he would have children with Sarah but he just couldn’t wait. It worked and what came out of it?
Ishmael was Abraham’s son born with her. Abraham uses his lie again about his wife being his sister and King Abimelech took her. Another trip to the harem for poor Sarah. When she gets back she conceives with Abraham (100 years old) and births Isaac. Sarah despises the maid that birthed Ishmael and makes Abraham sent her out with child and one bottle of water into the wilderness. A death sentence for a woman alone.
God hears her cry and saves her and Ishmael. God says Ishmael will be blessed with 12 sons and be a mighty nation. He says he will be wild like a donkey and against every man. One guess what religion came out of Ishmael.
In spite of Abraham’s poor judgement when he decided on his own he did one thing right. He trusted God and did what he said. That alone assured him of his place in history and fulfilled the meaning of the name God gave him. Abraham means exalted father.
Abraham’s son Isaac has Jacob who has 12 sons and the nation of Israel is born. God selects this nation to be a nation of priest. They will be his special people that will show the world the path to God. Their story is amazing as they go from captivity to rulers of the Promised Land by following God’s will. It all seems good for a while. They build a fabulous temple and become a center for worship. But they lose their identity again and become like the people around them. Then they are conquered by first the Greeks and then the Romans. They go into periods of captivity at home and in Babylon.
They wait and wait for a Messiah that was promised to deliver them. Then after their greatness is so far in the past it is only a story an angel comes to a young girl and says “Mary, God is getting the band back together”
In God’s big story the entire Old Testament leads to the birth of our savior. While it sets the stage for the story of Jesus it also reveals much about God.
1. No matter who or what you are or have been God can use you to accomplish great works.
2. You have to believe and then you have to trust.
3. What God gives you will give you enhanced life but its purpose is to be a blessing for others.
4. You will be pushed way out of your “comfort zone” when you trust God but God will be with you always.

 

P.S. This was a Sunday School lesson I wrote a while back. I always loved stories and the Bible is crammed and jammed with every sort of story. It is better than reality TV any night of the week! Don’t let someone else tell you what’s in the Bible. They might leave out a part meant for you!