One of the great challenges in life is learning to say “no” to sin
Grace protects us by teaching us how!
“For the grace of God...teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Titus 2:11-12
What helps you say no to sin?
Guilt helps
Shame, Self-disgust
It is brought on by the Holy Spirit’s conviction
He nudges our conscience and we get that sick feeling and we know something needs to change
But guilt alone doesn’t have the power to change us
We can handle guilt - shove it down, step on it, bury it with medication, food, sleep
Fear helps
That also comes from God
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” Hebrews 10:31
Hell wasn’t some preacher’s creation
It is God’s punishment for the devil and his angels
And the eternal destiny of all who reject him
It is a motivator for us
When I preach a sermon that mentions hell, many come to me and thank me
“I needed that”
But we can handle fear
Soon our weakness gives way in spite of fear
The best motivator is grace
It teaches us to say no to sin
I will never forget a lie I told in 5th grade
I had a teacher that was one of those two or three great ones you get in a lifetime
You have a special connection with them – admire them, work hard to please them
My fifth grade teacher was like that
She was an older woman
I remember her reading us the book “Where the Red Fern Grows”
I came to class unprepared – my math homework wasn’t finished
Instead of admitting it, I lied and said I had left it at home
During recess she went through my math book and found it incomplete
She took me to the back of the room where we could have some privacy, and was holding my math book
She opened it and showed me the unfinished page
“You lied to me”
“I’m sorry”
I stayed after school that day, and finished my math paper
When I handed it in, she simply said, “Thank you” and never mentioned it again
She had given me grace: Unconditional love that responds with full forgiveness
I did not lie to her again
Though her forgiveness was easily given, I did not want to disappoint her again
God is easily as wise as my fifth grade teacher
He knows the power of guilt, fear, punishment
He prefers grace
Guilt, fear and punishment only change our behavior, and temporarily at best
God wants to protect us from the heartache of sin, so he gives us grace
Grace protects us from heartache in a way that guilt and fear cannot
And God wants to protect us
Our problem is the “loophole” of forgiveness offered by grace
It is easy to choose sin, planning to return to doing right at a later day!
W.H Auden writes in his poem “For the Time Being”
“I like committing crimes. God likes forgiving them. Really the world is admirably arranged”
We live that way
If you are living a lie right now, you are doing so with the plan, "I will straighten this out"
It is possible to do as Jude 1:4 warns “change the grace of God into a license for immorality”
If you are tired of the stress and heartache that comes with sin, try grace
I Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
You will discover that the problem with sin was you
Not circumstances
Not people who have wronged you
Not temptation
The problem with sin was you
Your heart
The only thing that changes your heart is grace
Not guilt, not fear - they only change your behavior, and temporarily
God wants to change your heart so you are protected from falling again
He offers full forgiveness, and gives your hope back, lifts you up
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Grace Saves
“He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” II Peter 3:9 (NLT)
From the Old Testament of the Bible comes a story of incredible pain
Painful, not as much for the listener, but for the one who told it
God understands that no one tells a story better than someone who has lived it
So, God asked his prophet Hosea to do something no parent would ever ask
To marry an openly promiscuous woman
A woman with a reputation of being available, a woman with a history of adultery
For Hosea, it had to have been exciting in the beginning
Who wouldn’t want Gomer
She was hot
Her every move communicated sexual interest
Her eyes said, “I want you” to every guy she looked at
So he married her
And a pain he could never have dreamed of entered his life
He gave her his entire heart
But she had no heart to give him back
There was something broken inside her that all his love couldn’t fix
She could give him her body, but never her heart
No one could ever touch her heart
But her body was available for every man who gave her an admiring glance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHhWTahYQM
You know the meaning behind the story
Hosea, the wounded husband, was living out a story that wasn’t his alone
God explained to Hosea
I want you to live my story, experience it with me
Then you can tell the people how I really feel
Because you will feel it as well
Before living this, Hosea was probably like you and me
Convinced that God was a non-involved judge
Making the rules and carrying out the punishment
Unaffected by the pain of our disobedience
Watching us sin with an attitude of disgust
Then handing us a painful punishment to teach us a lesson with no more emotion than a judge in traffic court
“That will be $200 plus $50 court costs
Will you be able to pay that today Mr. Heese?”
God isn’t detached
His heart is attached to ours
He can’t let us go
He can’t toughen up and deal with our decision to choose another path in life
He wants us back
The story of God and mankind is a mirror of your story
A journey from innocence to guilt
“where sin increased, grace increased all the more”
Romans 5:20-21
Every one of us has struggled with the question, “Why is there evil?”
Few of us struggle with the question, “Why am I evil?”
When we look at the Adam and Eve story, it is usually from their perspective
We read the conversation with Eve and Satan, and wonder how she could have fallen for it
We follow her choice to take the bite of the apple, and dismiss it as a minor act
She was just impulsive, curious, unaware
This was no premeditated, violence act of defiance against God
She was as innocent as a two-year old picking up a piece of candy off the table
God should have been smarter than to leave it out where she would see it
But as her life progressed, she became more expert at her sin
Planning it in advance, being sneaky, acting out of bitterness and anger
Her story isn’t a lot different than yours
Your first lies were innocent and almost humorous
Your first theft would probably have been a winner on America’s Funniest Videos
I was watching my grandson and counseling with a friend in my living room at the same time
The little guy was on my bed, watching Dumbo, and probably safe for at least an hour
I heard a cupboard door open, and box hit the floor
He was into Grandma’s cookies
When my friend left a little later, I walked into the bedroom
“Did you get cookies without asking?”
His eyes went to the package on the nightstand
There was chocolate on his face
And his little mind was working furiously on a defense
Do you remember your first boy-girl encounter in adolescence?
You were nervous, scared, surprised at the feelings you felt
And a door was opened in your life that has never shut
You became an expert liar
An accomplished thief
Your sexual appetite grew and wouldn’t be denied
As your life moved from innocence to guilt
As you discovered the attraction of sin, and willingly volunteered for the excitement, risking the punishment promised
God turned up the grace output
Grace is unconditional love that responds with full forgiveness
Undeserved favor
Jim Cymbala leads the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a congregation in the inner city
Because of their location, they have a lot of diversity in their congregation
From the wealthy to the poorest of the poor
A few years ago on an Easter, Jim preached several times to a packed house
And he was done for the day
Many had come to the front for prayer after his last message of the morning, and while counselors talked with them, he sat down with his feet hanging over the edge of the stage, loosening his tie, relaxing and taking it all in
From the back came a man who was clearly from the streets, and he walked up to Jim
His aroma preceded him, but Jim was used to that
He asked the man his name, and the man responded “David”
Jim wanted to be kind and help the man out, so he asked, “How long have you been on the
street?”
“Six years”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty two”
“Where did you stay last night?”
“Abandoned truck”
Jim had to turn his head to breathe
This guy was at the bottom – missing teeth, alcohol on his breath, eyes bloodshot and glazed
over”
The church has a policy that they don’t give anyone cash, they offer to take them to eat
But this was Easter, and Jim had a family dinner waiting for him
He reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill
“Get yourself some lunch, David”
David pushed his hand with the ten in it away and said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
Jim was embarrassed and ashamed of himself
This man wanted Jesus, and he was wanting to get rid of him with a ten dollar bill
Jim said, “I forgot all about David, and I began to ask God to forgive me”
“I couldn’t help it, but my eyes filled up with tears. Now I was even more embarrassed”
Seeing Jim’s tears, the homeless man began to cry as well, and soon he and David were embracing
David became a Christian that day, and his life changed dramatically
He began to memorize verses from the Bible
Soon, he was quoting entire chapters
The church hired him to help out with cleaning and maintenance
They helped him find a place to live, sent him to a dental surgeon to get his teeth fixed
He spent Thanksgiving at Jim’s house, then Christmas
He gave Jim a white handkerchief as a gift – all he could afford
David is now serving as an Associate Pastor in a sister church in Newark
Saved by grace
Reconciliation begins with a decision in the heart
And on it’s way home, it finds grace!
“By grace are you saved, through faith”
Ephesians 2:8-9
From the Old Testament of the Bible comes a story of incredible pain
Painful, not as much for the listener, but for the one who told it
God understands that no one tells a story better than someone who has lived it
So, God asked his prophet Hosea to do something no parent would ever ask
To marry an openly promiscuous woman
A woman with a reputation of being available, a woman with a history of adultery
For Hosea, it had to have been exciting in the beginning
Who wouldn’t want Gomer
She was hot
Her every move communicated sexual interest
Her eyes said, “I want you” to every guy she looked at
So he married her
And a pain he could never have dreamed of entered his life
He gave her his entire heart
But she had no heart to give him back
There was something broken inside her that all his love couldn’t fix
She could give him her body, but never her heart
No one could ever touch her heart
But her body was available for every man who gave her an admiring glance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHhWTahYQM
You know the meaning behind the story
Hosea, the wounded husband, was living out a story that wasn’t his alone
God explained to Hosea
I want you to live my story, experience it with me
Then you can tell the people how I really feel
Because you will feel it as well
Before living this, Hosea was probably like you and me
Convinced that God was a non-involved judge
Making the rules and carrying out the punishment
Unaffected by the pain of our disobedience
Watching us sin with an attitude of disgust
Then handing us a painful punishment to teach us a lesson with no more emotion than a judge in traffic court
“That will be $200 plus $50 court costs
Will you be able to pay that today Mr. Heese?”
God isn’t detached
His heart is attached to ours
He can’t let us go
He can’t toughen up and deal with our decision to choose another path in life
He wants us back
The story of God and mankind is a mirror of your story
A journey from innocence to guilt
“where sin increased, grace increased all the more”
Romans 5:20-21
Every one of us has struggled with the question, “Why is there evil?”
Few of us struggle with the question, “Why am I evil?”
When we look at the Adam and Eve story, it is usually from their perspective
We read the conversation with Eve and Satan, and wonder how she could have fallen for it
We follow her choice to take the bite of the apple, and dismiss it as a minor act
She was just impulsive, curious, unaware
This was no premeditated, violence act of defiance against God
She was as innocent as a two-year old picking up a piece of candy off the table
God should have been smarter than to leave it out where she would see it
But as her life progressed, she became more expert at her sin
Planning it in advance, being sneaky, acting out of bitterness and anger
Her story isn’t a lot different than yours
Your first lies were innocent and almost humorous
Your first theft would probably have been a winner on America’s Funniest Videos
I was watching my grandson and counseling with a friend in my living room at the same time
The little guy was on my bed, watching Dumbo, and probably safe for at least an hour
I heard a cupboard door open, and box hit the floor
He was into Grandma’s cookies
When my friend left a little later, I walked into the bedroom
“Did you get cookies without asking?”
His eyes went to the package on the nightstand
There was chocolate on his face
And his little mind was working furiously on a defense
Do you remember your first boy-girl encounter in adolescence?
You were nervous, scared, surprised at the feelings you felt
And a door was opened in your life that has never shut
You became an expert liar
An accomplished thief
Your sexual appetite grew and wouldn’t be denied
As your life moved from innocence to guilt
As you discovered the attraction of sin, and willingly volunteered for the excitement, risking the punishment promised
God turned up the grace output
Grace is unconditional love that responds with full forgiveness
Undeserved favor
Jim Cymbala leads the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a congregation in the inner city
Because of their location, they have a lot of diversity in their congregation
From the wealthy to the poorest of the poor
A few years ago on an Easter, Jim preached several times to a packed house
And he was done for the day
Many had come to the front for prayer after his last message of the morning, and while counselors talked with them, he sat down with his feet hanging over the edge of the stage, loosening his tie, relaxing and taking it all in
From the back came a man who was clearly from the streets, and he walked up to Jim
His aroma preceded him, but Jim was used to that
He asked the man his name, and the man responded “David”
Jim wanted to be kind and help the man out, so he asked, “How long have you been on the
street?”
“Six years”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty two”
“Where did you stay last night?”
“Abandoned truck”
Jim had to turn his head to breathe
This guy was at the bottom – missing teeth, alcohol on his breath, eyes bloodshot and glazed
over”
The church has a policy that they don’t give anyone cash, they offer to take them to eat
But this was Easter, and Jim had a family dinner waiting for him
He reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill
“Get yourself some lunch, David”
David pushed his hand with the ten in it away and said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
Jim was embarrassed and ashamed of himself
This man wanted Jesus, and he was wanting to get rid of him with a ten dollar bill
Jim said, “I forgot all about David, and I began to ask God to forgive me”
“I couldn’t help it, but my eyes filled up with tears. Now I was even more embarrassed”
Seeing Jim’s tears, the homeless man began to cry as well, and soon he and David were embracing
David became a Christian that day, and his life changed dramatically
He began to memorize verses from the Bible
Soon, he was quoting entire chapters
The church hired him to help out with cleaning and maintenance
They helped him find a place to live, sent him to a dental surgeon to get his teeth fixed
He spent Thanksgiving at Jim’s house, then Christmas
He gave Jim a white handkerchief as a gift – all he could afford
David is now serving as an Associate Pastor in a sister church in Newark
Saved by grace
Reconciliation begins with a decision in the heart
And on it’s way home, it finds grace!
“By grace are you saved, through faith”
Ephesians 2:8-9
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Church is a Body
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”
I Corinthians 12:27
30 times the Bible compares the church to a body
“The body of Christ”
“You were baptized into one body”
“There is one body”
“You are members together of one body”
When God was searching for the visual aid – the object lesson – to teach us what the church is supposed to be like
He chose the body
He knew you could understand that visual aid – you live in a body
You fed it this morning
Washed it, dressed it up, looked in the mirror and tried to straighten the mop you wear on top of it, maybe shaved some fur off, maybe put on some makeup
A little jewelry, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes
How do you feel about your body
Did you catch sight of yourself in the mirror this morning and it was so good you had to take a
second look?
Would you have the courage to walk the catwalk with a hundred pair of eyes noticing every detail
Probably not
Nobody is very happy with their own body
But the body is God’s object lesson to help you understand the church!
The body is a great object lesson when we are thinking about the church and how it works
In the best of times its a little flawed, a few embarrassing parts
But an important part of each of our lives
We are bound together by memories, values, marriages
We are a body
As a church we function together naturally
We notice each other, smile, talk about the things we have in common
The responsibilities that need to be taken care of to function well, we share
We naturally behave and work together
It’s so smooth, we almost take it for granted
To make all this happen takes a few things that we don’t consider very often
It takes a leader to unite us, and he has
We all share a relationship with Christ that naturally unites us
We were baptized by the Holy Spirit into this body – we each made a commitment to God
An outward, visible statement of our will
I was talking with a young man who had attended our services for a couple months
“Would you consider yourself a Christian?”
“I don’t know. My brother is a Buddhist, and I’m not really interested in that.”
“Would you like to learn about being a Christian?”
“No thanks. I kind of like free-lancing it.”
“What troubles you about Christians?”
And, he had a few things
I have a few things that trouble me about Christians, too
But I really like the guy we follow
So, many years ago, when given the challenge, I was baptized – I committed my life to Him
So did you
And that commitment to him unites us
That commitment to him unites us with believers all around the world
We are all parts of a big body
Jesus is the head, and we are his body
It makes us feel good to know that 1/3 of the world’s population is with us in that commitment
That in every nation, every major city, almost every town of any size
There are others who are singing this morning
Praying for each other
Praying for their neighbors
We don’t have to do it all
We don’t have to do what everyone else is doing
If we are different, it doesn’t make us less valuable, less hip, less committed
We are unique, a one-of-a-kind group
You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing
If you are different, it doesn’t mean you are in the wrong church
If you ever start a sentence, “I’m the only one around here who…” you are acknowledging the important place you have in the body
That is what life is like in a body
Imagine the brain saying, “I’m the only one around here who thinks. I think I would fit in better somewhere else.”
Or the liver saying, “I’m the only one around here who care enough about the blood to filter it. I think I should go somewhere else where I can find organs with similar interests to mine.”
Being different doesn’t make you less valuable, less hip, or more hip
Comparing parts is harmful...
You lose focus on your own responsibility
And miss the blessing of working as a team!
I Corinthians 12 points out the adjustments you need to make in the way you think if you are going to function in the church
You are going to feel insecure about thinking and looking differently than others
The church needs your viewpoint and input
You are going to feel superior because you can do some things better than others can
The church needs you to serve with humility
You are going to feel out of place
God arranged for you to be here
Join the body
Get over yourself and choose to love the people God has placed you with
Suffer with those who suffer
And rejoice with those who are honored!
I Corinthians 12:27
30 times the Bible compares the church to a body
“The body of Christ”
“You were baptized into one body”
“There is one body”
“You are members together of one body”
When God was searching for the visual aid – the object lesson – to teach us what the church is supposed to be like
He chose the body
He knew you could understand that visual aid – you live in a body
You fed it this morning
Washed it, dressed it up, looked in the mirror and tried to straighten the mop you wear on top of it, maybe shaved some fur off, maybe put on some makeup
A little jewelry, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes
How do you feel about your body
Did you catch sight of yourself in the mirror this morning and it was so good you had to take a
second look?
Would you have the courage to walk the catwalk with a hundred pair of eyes noticing every detail
Probably not
Nobody is very happy with their own body
But the body is God’s object lesson to help you understand the church!
The body is a great object lesson when we are thinking about the church and how it works
In the best of times its a little flawed, a few embarrassing parts
But an important part of each of our lives
We are bound together by memories, values, marriages
We are a body
As a church we function together naturally
We notice each other, smile, talk about the things we have in common
The responsibilities that need to be taken care of to function well, we share
We naturally behave and work together
It’s so smooth, we almost take it for granted
To make all this happen takes a few things that we don’t consider very often
It takes a leader to unite us, and he has
We all share a relationship with Christ that naturally unites us
We were baptized by the Holy Spirit into this body – we each made a commitment to God
An outward, visible statement of our will
I was talking with a young man who had attended our services for a couple months
“Would you consider yourself a Christian?”
“I don’t know. My brother is a Buddhist, and I’m not really interested in that.”
“Would you like to learn about being a Christian?”
“No thanks. I kind of like free-lancing it.”
“What troubles you about Christians?”
And, he had a few things
I have a few things that trouble me about Christians, too
But I really like the guy we follow
So, many years ago, when given the challenge, I was baptized – I committed my life to Him
So did you
And that commitment to him unites us
That commitment to him unites us with believers all around the world
We are all parts of a big body
Jesus is the head, and we are his body
It makes us feel good to know that 1/3 of the world’s population is with us in that commitment
That in every nation, every major city, almost every town of any size
There are others who are singing this morning
Praying for each other
Praying for their neighbors
We don’t have to do it all
We don’t have to do what everyone else is doing
If we are different, it doesn’t make us less valuable, less hip, less committed
We are unique, a one-of-a-kind group
You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing
If you are different, it doesn’t mean you are in the wrong church
If you ever start a sentence, “I’m the only one around here who…” you are acknowledging the important place you have in the body
That is what life is like in a body
Imagine the brain saying, “I’m the only one around here who thinks. I think I would fit in better somewhere else.”
Or the liver saying, “I’m the only one around here who care enough about the blood to filter it. I think I should go somewhere else where I can find organs with similar interests to mine.”
Being different doesn’t make you less valuable, less hip, or more hip
Comparing parts is harmful...
You lose focus on your own responsibility
And miss the blessing of working as a team!
I Corinthians 12 points out the adjustments you need to make in the way you think if you are going to function in the church
You are going to feel insecure about thinking and looking differently than others
The church needs your viewpoint and input
You are going to feel superior because you can do some things better than others can
The church needs you to serve with humility
You are going to feel out of place
God arranged for you to be here
Join the body
Get over yourself and choose to love the people God has placed you with
Suffer with those who suffer
And rejoice with those who are honored!
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