The entire United Methodist Church is encouraged to study  This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.  You can download the study or read it online by clicking on the image above.

Selected Sermons From the Pulpit

 

Managing Your Finances…Without Losing Your Soul  

Scripture Text: 

I Timothy 6:6-10, 17-18

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains…As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Introduction

Illustration:
A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates.  When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: "Don’t pay for me Daddy. I’m under five."

Quotes:
"God judges what we give by what we keep." - G. Mueller
"I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess." – Martin Luther
J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”
"When it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing." - Jimmy Carter
"Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving"-Peter Marshall
"If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving"-Mother Teresa

"The trouble is that too many people are spending money they haven’t yet earned for things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. " Anon.

John Wesley once said…
"When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, He placed you here not as an owner but as a steward--as such He entrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds--but the sole property of these still rests in Him, nor can ever be alienated from Him. As you are not your own but His, such is likewise all you enjoy. "

I. Common Struggles with Money

A. Living Beyond Our Means

B. Consumed with Greed, Fear,

C. Valued by Our Possessions

 

II. Four Keys to Freedom and Joy in Finances

A. Connect Your Faith and Finances

B. Change Your Lifestyle

B. Practice Restraint and Self-Control

C. Develop a Plan

III. The Bible on Giving

A. Biblical Tithing

Illustration:
Story of a pastor once asked one of his parishioners to serve as financial chairman of his parish. The man, manager of a grain elevator, agreed on two conditions: No report would be due for a year, and no one would ask any questions during the year. At the end of the year he made his report. He had paid off the church debt of $200,000. He had redecorated the church. He had sent $1,000 to missions. He had $5,000 in the bank.

"How did you do all this?" asked the priest and the shocked congregation.
Quietly he answered, "You people bring your grain to my elevator. As you did business with me, I simply withheld 10 percent and gave it to the church. You never missed it." --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 460.

B. Origins of the Biblical Tithe:

How much should I give to God? This is a practical question that each of us should ask. Abraham set the example for us, hundreds of years before the Law, when, after a battle, he gave one-tenth of the spoils of war to the priest of God in Jerusalem ( Salem as it was called then). You can read this story in Genesis 14:17-20. The tithe, or tenth, was typically what a subject gave to his or her king. Abraham gave this to the priest recognizing that God was his king. Later Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, has a great vision from God (in which he sees a ladder or, in the words of a classic rock and roll song, a stairway, to heaven). Here Jacob promises, in advance, to give God one-tenth of all he gains. Read Genesis 28:10-22. By the time the Law was given, several hundred years later, the tithe, or tenth, was the established norm for giving. Read Leviticus 27:30. By the time of Malachi (ministering almost 800 years after the Law was given) the people were becoming lax in giving their tithes. They often gave diseased animals to God, or refused to bring the entire tithe. Listen to what God says to the Israelites:

Read Malachi 3:8-10.

 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.    You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me.   Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

How does this passage speak to you? The tithe is a way of putting God first in our lives. But in order to tithe most of us would need to simplify our lifestyle if we were to give our first tenth to the Lord. How do you think God would look at you if you were to take this step? How would you explain to God why you would not tithe?

Conclusion:

Wesley’s Ideal for the people called Methodists…

Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

2 Corinthians 9: 6 f.

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.   Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.   And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.   As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.“    Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.   You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.   This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.   Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.    And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.   Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

My King  - Dr. S.M.Lockridge

My King was born King. The Bible says He’s a Seven Way King.

He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King.

He’s the King of Israel – that’s a National King.

He’s the King of righteousness.

He’s the King of the ages.

He’s the King of Heaven.

He’s the King of glory.

He’s the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that’s my King.

Well I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him?

Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King?

 

David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament show His handiwork.

My King is the only one whom there are no means of measure can define His limitless love.

No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shore of supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. Well, well,

He’s enduringly strong.

He’s entirely sincere.

He’s eternally steadfast.

He’s immortally graceful.

He’s imperially powerful.

He’s impartially merciful.

That’s my King.

 

He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s saviour.

He’s the centrepiece of civilization.

He stands alone in Himself.

He’s august.

He’s unique.

He’s unparalleled.

He’s unprecedented.

He’s supreme.

He’s pre-eminent.

Well, He’s the loftiest idea in literature.

He’s the highest personality in philosophy.

He’s the supreme problem in high criticism.

He’s the fundamental doctrine of proved theology.

He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion.

That’s my King.

He’s the miracle of the age.

He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.

Well, He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously.

He supplies strength for the weak.

He’s available for the tempted and the tried.

He sympathizes and He saves.

He’s strong God and He guides.

He heals the sick.

He cleanses the lepers.

He forgives sinners.

He discharged debtors.

He delivers the captives.

He defends the feeble.

He blesses the young.

He serves the unfortunate.

He regards the aged.

He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek.

Do you know Him?

 

Well, my King is the key of knowledge.

He’s the wellspring of wisdom.

He’s the doorway of deliverance.

He’s the pathway of peace.

He’s the roadway of righteousness.

He’s the highway of holiness.

He’s the gateway of glory.

He’s the master of the mighty.

He’s the captain of the conquerors.

He’s the head of the heroes.

He’s the leader of the legislatures.

He’s the overseer of the overcomers.

He’s the governor of governors.

He’s the prince of princes.

He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.

That’s my King. Yeah. Yeah.

That’s my King. My King, yeah.

 

His office is manifold. His promise is sure.

His light is matchless.

His goodness is limitless.

His mercy is everlasting.

His love never changes.

His Word is enough.

His grace is sufficient.

His reign is righteous.

His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Well. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable.

He’s indescribable.

Yes. He’s incomprehensible.

He’s invincible.

He’s irresistible.

I’m coming to tell you, the heavens of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explaining Him.

You can’t get Him out of your mind.

You can’t get Him off of your hands.

You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him.

Well, Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him.

The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.

Herod couldn’t kill Him.

Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him.

That’s my King. Yeah.

 

He always has been and He always will be.

I’m talking about He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor.

There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him.

You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign.

That’s my King! That’s my King!

Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.

Well, all the power belongs to my King.

We’re around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but it’s God’s power.

Thine is the power.

Yeah. And the glory.

We try to get prestige and honour and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory,

forever and ever and ever and ever.

How long is that?

And ever and ever and ever and ever.

And when you get through with all of the evers, then, Amen.

 

—Dr. S. M. Lockridge

 

Rev 3: 20  Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.21  To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Looking, Lusting or Loving

Matthew 5:27-5:30

INTRODUCTION
Imagine a husband and a wife on Sunday night, getting me home in time to watch a favorite  TV program. They are settled into a favorite chair, feet  propped up on the ottoman. Or maybe they are seated beside each other on a sofa.  They are looking forward to winding down after a week of work.   

Invariably a commercial break roughly halfway into the program hails the latest product from a regular advertiser. The screen pans the curves of a shapely woman’s body, and the familiar seductive voice bears these glad tidings… “ Victoria ’s Secret presents a new line of lingerie for the spring season…”

Kim turns her head from the television and says, “So how was your week at work? What do you have going on in the morning?”   The husband turns to look at his wife, he wants to engage in the conversations.  He know that his wife wants to connect by sharing the details of what is happening in their lives.  But in the background he hears, “indulge yourself in satiny smooth fabrics designed to give you maximum cleavage, while bringing unsurpassed comfort, on an on…”  He wants to listen to his wife,  but he knows that on the screen beautiful young models like Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks and Laetitia Casta are parading around in nothing but their skivvies.

Inside he is divided.   He wants to turn and check it out. If she were to stop talking, he would  immediately have the desire to see the rest of the commercial.   Why? Is it because this would make a great birthday gift?  If it because here is some secret about
effective communication ?

No, it’s because of an issue that goes much deeper. Because of something we all struggle with – and something we need to deal with.

You know, it’s difficult for Christians to admit they struggle with lust. Often we think we’re alone, and no one would understand.

I think one preacher hit it on the head when he said, “It’s surprising to find that most of us are like the rest of us.”

Charles Mylander writes: “Am I the only one who failed miserably in combating lust while seeming to succeed in most of my Christian life? Don’t others struggle too?” (From Mike Breaux message on Lust, 1993 Natl. Youth Leaders Convention)

The answer is, yes, we do.

Let’s read the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:27-28…
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

It’s pretty plain from these words, God doesn’t approve of our lustful thoughts. And even though Jesus says lust is sinful, I believe today lust isn’t so much viewed a sin as much as it is perhaps the national pastime.

ILLUS - I remember relating to a gym full of high school students how Jesus asks us to stay sexually pure - a group of boys had recently started attending our weekly youth event, sitting in the back – judging by their reaction when they learned what the Bible had to say about engaging in sex before marriage – you’d have thought they’d never heard anything so ridiculous. I’ve often wondered what they would have thought if the message that night was on what Jesus said simply about having lustful thoughts. Either way, the concept to them was totally foreign.

ILLUS - Philip Yancey relates how a professor Virginia Stem Owens assigned the Sermon on the Mount to her composition class at Texas A&M University . She asked her students to write a short essay on this passage of Scripture. Here is what one student wrote: “The things asked in this sermon are absurd. To look at a woman is adultery. That is the most extreme, stupid, inhuman statement that I have ever heard.” (The Jesus I Never Knew, p. 130).

Professor Owens reflected: “There is something exquisitely innocent about not realizing you shouldn’t call Jesus stupid…I find it strangely heartening that the Bible remains offensive to honest, ignorant ears, just as it was in the first century.” (Ibid.)

It’s still shocking today. Shocking to many that God places limits on acceptable sexual behavior. Shocking, and perhaps unfathomable, to many more that God actually places limits on acceptable sexual thoughts.

ILLUS - In the recent book, Speechless, Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his pastor, Scotty Smith, say this: “In the Gospel we discover we are far worse off than we thought and far more loved than we ever dreamed.” (As heard in the intro of tape #206 from Preaching Today)

When Jesus talks about lust, he helps us to discover we are worse off than we thought – we really are poor in spirit. Maybe we are ashamed. But as we talk about this today, I don’t want you to forget the rest of his message: You are more loved than you ever dreamed.

So, what does Jesus say?
He says it’s not enough to act right sexually, we have to think right too. Because when you think right sexually you will also act right sexually

Lets look for a few moments at some…

I. THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LUST (v. 27-28)

#1. It’s raging in the heart

Jesus said looking at a person lustfully is adultery in the heart.

Adultery was prohibited by the 7th of the 10 Commandments.

The religious leaders in Jesus day had a conveniently narrow definition of sexual sin (just make sure you don’t have intercourse with someone other than your spouse), and because of that, they had a conveniently broad definition of sexual purity (just have intercourse with your spouse and you are sexually pure). Jesus says, “That’s surface stuff. What about your heart?” A painfully probing question.

Lust in simplest terms means to desire what belongs to someone else – comes from the Latin word luxuria – which means to overindulge for the sake of pleasure.

As Jesus uses it here…
Definition: Lust is the encouraging and cultivating of sexual fantasies about someone other than your mate in marriage.

Russell Willingham is a Christian counselor who specializes in issues related to sexual addiction. In his book, Breaking Free, he says that lust is made up of 5 interrelated desires (p. 158-162):

 Developmental needs·
 Spiritual· needs
 Healthy sexuality·
 Habit·
 True lust·

Of those components, the first 3, developmental needs, spiritual needs and healthy sexuality are all good things. In fact, sexuality and spirituality are very closely linked. When God made his covenant with Israel , doesn’t it seem odd that he chose the mark of circumcision? Of all the ways ratify a covenant, and of all the places on the human body, why there? I don’t mean to be too graphic, but think about the times when a man sees that part of his body. Could it be that that God was saying, “What you do sexually says more about your relationship to me than anything else?” I think so.

You see, God is pro-sex. He gave us the desire to have it. He wants those who are married to enjoy sex as a gift. It’s a good thing, it’s a spiritual thing. Part of what is at work when we lust is a misuse of healthy God-given desires.

Habit and true lust are the unhealthy components of lust. Habit is the result of thousands of undisciplined choices.

If Jesus isn’t condemning healthy sexual desire that means he’s not heaping guilt on you for simply noticing an attractive person.

So, when do we cross the line between looking and lusting? When is a look more than a look? From what Jesus says…

A look becomes a sin at the point you or I dwell on a sexually attractive person and build scenarios which emerge as fantasy.

It’s sinful when we deliberately and repeatedly fill our minds with fantasies that would be evil if acted out. Adultery in the heart.

Proverbs 12:11 says, He who chases fantasies lacks judgment

So think this… If I were to actually do what I’m imagining doing, whatever it is, would that be evil? If the answer is, yes, then that’s lust. You’ve just done it.

True lust is predatory. Because to declare someone lustworthy is to reduce them to a sexual creature. It’s dehumanizing.

Like anger and murder – this is a heart issue – raging in the heart.

2. It’s impossible to satisfy

The most deceptive aspect of lust is that the more a person tries to satisfy it, the more intense it becomes. The more we feed lust, the greater our hunger for gratification. The more one gets, the less one is satisfied.

Samson – First words of his recorded in the Bible, “I saw a woman. Get her for me.” Leader of Israel . He man with a she weakness. Never satisfied. Sleeps with prostitutes, and then gets involved with this woman named Delilah. He allows her to cut his hair, the Philistines come in to seize him, Bible says he tried but he couldn’t muster the strength, b/c “He did not know that God’s spirit had left him.”

Scary thought – to be so preoccupied with lustful desires to not know God’s hand isn’t on your life anymore.

One guy said, “I learned quickly lust, like physical sex, points only in one direction. You cannot go back to a lower level and stay satisfied. Always you want more. A magazine excites, a movie thrills, a live show really makes the blood run. Lust does not satisfy. It stirs up.” (Taken from Mike Breaux message on Lust, 1993 National Youth Leaders Convention)

That’s why pornography is so dangerous. What you see is never enough.

ILLUS – In an episode of the TV show Friends Chandler and Joey turn on their television to discover that for some reason, their cable company is allowing them to receive free porn. For the rest of the episode, these guys are glued to the set. They never leave the house. They never leave their chairs. The TV never gets turned off. They couldn’t get enough of the stuff.

Pornography is dangerous because it always leaves you wanting more. Lust never delivers what it promises.

It’s like pizza that your delivery service secretly laces with crack cocaine. Umm. It sure tastes good, even makes you feel good, but quickly you’re hooked. You just need more and more pizza. Soon that’s all you think about – more pizza. Your lifestyle begins to revolve around getting more pizza. It begins to affect your work, your relationships – you don’t fully understand it, but you crave it all the time. All you want is more pizza.

It’s embarrassing to feel so out of control and not be able to explain why. But that’s the nature of lust. When lusting we lose our sense of rational thought and reflection.

Satan is the great deceiver. He gives us what we think we crave only to leave us emotionally empty and spiritually unfulfilled.

3. It’s outcome is disastrous

Destroys families, Kills ministries, Wounds people

Pastor J.D. writes:  At a conference last year, I heard the sad story of someone who is no longer in ministry. The speaker related how a friend of his went to a convention planning meeting in another state, and stopped for gas along the interstate on the way home. Near the gas station was an adult bookstore, where parked in front was a car of an unusual make and color. The same unusual make and color of the car driven by one of the other minister’s at the meeting he had just attended – a minister with whom he was friends, and who worked in the same city he did. Hoping it wasn’t the case, he pulled up next to the empty car and looked inside. On the seat was the planning notebook from the convention planning meeting. He walked to the door of the bookstore and looked inside – there was his friend with flipping through magazines, holding several under his arm.

Brokenhearted, he didn’t go inside, but waited a couple of weeks to confront his friend. The two got together, and when the matter of finding him at the adult bookstore was brought up, the man said, “Well, I was doing some research on pornography. I’m preaching on it, so I figured I should a little about it.”

Not very convincing. It was only days later when that minister who brushed off the adult bookstore incident was caught having a sexual affair with a woman in his church.

It all started with the encouragement of lust long before it was acted out. But the outcome was disastrous for these people, their families and their church.

So those are some things to know about lust.

One of my basketball coaches frequently told us, “Play to win.” Before we label him someone with an unhealthy view of friendly competition, you need to realize we didn’t win very many games. But he kept telling us, “Play to win. If the game is worth playing, it’s worth playing like you want the victory. So don’t go out there and play like you’re already beaten. Play to win.”

In this area of lust, God wants us to have the victory. Play to win. Don’t live like you’re already defeated. Play to win. Let’s look at…

II. A STRATEGY TO WIN (v. 29-30)

Let’s read v. 29-30
29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

To win the battle against lust, the first part of the strategy is…
1. Monitor your eyes

Jesus says – If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.

Jesus identifies the problem as the eye. If heart adultery is the result of eye adultery, then the only way to deal with the problem is at its beginning, which is our eyes.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. (Matthew 6:22-23)

If that’s how lust gets in the heart, it makes sense to put a stop to it at the eyes.

John Stott says, “Deeds of shame are preceded by fantasies of shame, and the inflaming of the imagination by the indiscipline of our eyes.” (Message of the Sermon on the Mount, p. 88)

Jesus isn’t calling for mutilation. After all a blind man can still lust. He simply calling for drastic measures. Do what it takes to monitor your eyes.

ILLUS – An old friend called me a few days after Christmas. He needed to confess a sin to someone. He was getting hooked on Internet pornography. Because of their jobs, he and his wife were home at different times. He had to have the Internet b/c his work required him to take some online courses. I encouraged him to get a filter and let his wife have the password.

Bob Russell is the Sr. Minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville , KY. The Southeast youth staff asked him to tell this to the congregation: “Teens should not be allowed to have a computer in their own rooms. It should be in an open space that is visible. Even with a filter they can still bring home disks or CD roms of harmful content.”

If you think your son would never look at pornography, wouldn’t know how to access it on the Internet, you’re being naïve. Help him out – help him to monitor his eyes. Someday he’ll appreciate it.

I just talked to a guy a couple of weeks ago about cable TV. It was taking him down the path of lust. My recommendation was get rid of it.

For $7.55 a month you can get something called antenna service - channels 2-23 (I go crazy during college basketball season, but for someone who grew up in the country and the choices were ABC, NBC and CBS, 20 channels is still feels like a luxury)

When you monitor your eyes, you are better able to withstand the temptation to lust or act out on lustful thoughts.

Friend of mine knows a guy who had an interesting encounter on trip. He’s a good-looking guy, was flying Delta airlines, he and a female flight attendant struck up a conversation. In the course of the conversation, he could sort of see where this was heading. She leaned over touched him on the arm and said, “I want you to know, Delta is ready when you are.” He put up his hand and said, “I fly United.”

A sign of a man who monitors his eyes.

I shared my opening story about the Victoria ’s Secret commercial with Kim on Friday morning. Her response: “Use the story, I’m still better looking!” That’s a smart woman right there!

We cannot avoid seeing attractive people – and out of looking we can lust, or we can love. The heart Jesus is asking us to have is interested in relationships – godly relationships – real loving relationships as we say around here.

Eyes that are monitored see other people as brothers or sisters in Christ. Or future brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sees others as the child of the Father. That girl who makes your mind go crazy – she’s someone’s daughter. She’s probably someone’s sister.

So, don’t look to prompt lust. Don’t stare. Train your eyes. Your habits can be unlearned.

2nd part of the strategy to win…
2. Eliminate sources of temptation

Jesus says, If you’re right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and throw it away.

Again, He’s not talking about self-mutilation or amputation.

In response to this passage, Origen of Alexandria actually made himself a eunuch. The council of Nicea was right to condemn this practice in 325.

Jesus wants us to eliminate the sources of temptation that lead us to lust. Deal drastically with these things.

For the single person –
Dating situations – time alone together – watch out (Studies say that after 300 hours alone a couple is typically physically intimate). Fantasies grow and you find yourself wanting to act them out.

In what I do, I am privileged to talk to a lot of people about issues in their lives.
Many people think, “Once I get married these intense lustful desires will go away – it doesn’t work like that.”

A single person inflamed with lust once married will become a married person inflamed with lust.  A single person who struggles with masturbation will usually become a married person who struggles with masturbation.

Start now to eliminate sources of temptation.

Don’t travel alone – if you must and you know you struggle with lust – have the access to adult entertainment turned off when you check into your room

I personally don’t stay in hotel rooms alone. I went to a conference in February and I stayed with Kim’s uncle. I just don’t want the temptation

There may be people in your life who trigger your lust button. Don’t make lunch appts with them.

Don’t linger at the magazine rack or the video store
Read something other than romance novels if that creates lustful thoughts
Don’t go to Internet chatrooms if you are tempted by the fantasy of encountering someone new

If the temptation to lust at a certain place is too great, don’t go.

Cut it off!

Last part of the strategy…
3. Tell someone you can trust

Here’s what Jesus says about eyes and hands…
It’s better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into Hell.

Tell someone… It’s better to forfeit maybe your pride or image than go to Hell with them intact.

Tell it to a friend.   Find a Christian friend that keeps a confidence

Pornography may have a grip on you
You may find it difficult to resist nightclubs with live shows
You may be overpowered by the desire to have a prostitute
You may be consumed with the thought of a same sex encounter
You may even secretly desire one of your daughter’s friends

Talk to someone – talk to one of us on staff here at the church. Talk to one of our elders. Talk to a friend you can trust. Ask them to keep asking you how you’re doing in this area.

This may be sound odd, but if you’re married – talk to your spouse

Some of the more difficult, but overwhelmingly most beneficial conversations Kim and I have had have been about our thought lives. These are the things I struggle with. Not fun to hear, but we’re much closer because of it.

A good friend of mine told me when he admitted to his wife that he struggled with lustful thoughts. He said, “That’s one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It broke her heart. But it also helped our marriage.”

The Lord will tell you how much detail you need to share

Risk it – Risk that rather than letting this get out of control

And wives – be sensitive – if he tells you he struggles with lust, it’s not because he’s proud of it, and it’s not because he doesn’t love you.

Russell Willingham says, “The most virtuous man who is deliriously happy with his wife will still have sexual energy left over. This energy is intended to drive him to the ultimate satisfier of human need: Jesus Christ.”

So help to point him to Jesus.

Tell it to God

Randy Rowland prays this prayer…
“God, I know you gave me this sex drive and its really hummin’ right now. Thanks for the drive and the verification that all the wiring is in place, but will you also help me to control myself here lest I damage you, myself or another.” (From Sins We Love, p. 181)

This may be an issue you really struggle with, but if you’re going to win, you’ve got to tell someone. Start with God, but tell someone else.

CONCLUSION

At Jesus People U.S.A. working in the Soup Kitchen. My job to take out the trash. Heaved it over my shoulder and went outside. The bin was near the door. I lifted up the lid, but didn’t notice the man who was bent over inside, opening up the previous bags I had dumped, and picking out pieces of bread. I startled him – he startled me. We stared at each other for a few seconds. He nervously put some scraps in the pocket of his tattered coat. I said to him, “Hey buddy, they’ve got a free hot meal inside.” He turned and ran away. Just inches from what would really satisfy, he chose to pick through the garbage.

Sad, but many of us are like that guy. Lust never satisfies, and yet we sometimes pick through trash attempting to get our fill.

What we’re really looking for is available in a relationship with Jesus.

The ache in your heart is Jesus knocking at the door

The Roman "Road Map"  to Salvation

You have heard the questions, or maybe asked them yourself.  

Here is the scripture way of salvation in Romans. 

Some call it the “ Roman Road to God.”  Read the scriptures and then ask yourself the questions that follow.

Romans 3:23-25b

Romans 6:23

Romans 5:8

Romans 8:5, 11-18

Romans 10:8-10

Romans 12:2

Who is Jesus to you?

Helps in coming to know the Lord

The Joy of the Living Hope

1 Peter 1: 3  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  7  These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  9  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Is there any hope?   This is a question that many of us face at some point in our lives.

The dominant theme found throughout this letter from Peter is that there is hope.
And it is a radical hope!

We’re talking about Christian hope.  And Christian hope is a hope that does not rest on humankind...but on God and God alone.This hope rests on the living God who is known by His loving deeds... The God who raised Christ from the dead and gave Him glory, so so that our faith and hope can be in Him.  Christ is the only One who offers us this hope which is incorruptable and undefiled and will never fade away!

While Greco-Roman civilization abounded with beauty, with courage, and intellectualism, it was indeed a world without hope!  In our time we have vast knowledge, great power, the ability to do good, and the ability to even mess things up globally.  But we still need hope.

The hope produced by the resurrection is a living and active reality; it produces the life of hope in which the eternal power of God is at work. 

We have a “living hope”, because we have a living Savior raised to life from the grave, who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. It’s true that we may never know complete freedom from the problems of this life while we live on this earth.
Each of us has a personal struggle of one kind or another that may be with us till the day we die.

There will always be something that will remind us that we live in a fallen world.
And the Apostle Paul was no stranger to these trials in life. But listen how Paul expresses the radical Christian hope:  “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though deeply hurt at times, we are not destroyed....And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us tremendous and eternal joy, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.”

It is this hope that keeps our troubles in perspective.
Our troubles are only passing events, but the joy of heaven is forever.
And with that in mind we can endure anything!

Christian hope has nothing to do with the material and the external.
It has everything to do with the spiritual and the internal!

Example of Peter: 

And just think of the guy who wrote our Scripture lesson for this morning.
The author is the Apostle Peter.  The same Peter who, during the trial of Jesus, denied three times that he even knew Him; the same Peter who during the crucifixion of Christ ran and hid for fear that he would be next; the same Peter who had given up everything to follow Jesus only to find his world crumbling when the body of Jesus was removed from the cross and sealed in a tomb.  Peter was crushed.    He was truly a man without hope, beaten, defeated, and humiliated.  If you could have chosen any person on the face of this earth most likely to fail, most likely to self-destruct--Peter would have been the man!

Six weeks later, according to the Book of Acts, this very same Peter stands in the center of Jerusalem and preaches to thousands of people that Christ has risen from the dead!

Over the next few years, Peter travels the world preaching the Gospel. Several times, he’s beaten and  imprisoned for it. Eventually, the Roman government has enough of him and gives him the ultimatum: “Stop preaching about this resurrected Jesus or share the same fate as Him.” Peter makes his choice. Peter winds up on a cross.

Where did this once defeated man get the courage to live that kind of life and choose that kind of death?

Peter didn’t hope against hope that Jesus was alive. A person doesn’t take the kinds of risks Peter did on that kind of hope. He didn’t wish or imagine that Jesus was alive.  You don’t let people nail you to a cross over wishes and imaginations.

Peter got his courage because he saw and experienced and knew that Christ actually rose from the dead!!!

Therefore, Peter was able to have radical hope!

Our situations may not change around us, but our hope can... because real hope, radical hope, Christian hope, resurrection hope is not about changing what’s going on around us personally. It’s about allowing God to change what’s going on in us!

Do you have this hope?

Early Christians were characterized by their spirit of triumph!  And this is how we should be characterized.  Their worship and their work were done in the spirit of joy and anticipation!  They were already “raised with Christ” and enjoying the life of hope.  Are we?  Their new look caused pagans to inquire what the secret was to their new life.  Do others inquire what the secret is to our new life? 

Their acceptance of suffering-- was unheard of in the Greco-Roman world.
Nothing could daunt them.  The center of gravity in their lives was a triumphant, living Person.  What is our center of gravity?  As Christians, we are heirs...  We are given an inheritance from God...   We are God’s adopted children....  We are “Heirs of salvation,”    “Heirs of the kingdom,” and “Heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”    And even though we can know we are children of God through faith in Christ while still on earth, “No eye has seen, no ear heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”  For Christians, what will come is much more important, significant, and wondrous than what we have already experienced. The best is yet to come!

Here is why the Bible calls it a living hope:

1. A Hope That Transforms Your Life
a. This hope comes from God Himself.
Too often hope is placed in the wrong source: people have hope in themselves; they have hope in their partners; they have hope in their jobs, they have hope in their futures; they have hope in their doctors; but all of these can fail.   The hope of the Christian is rooted in the God and Father of Jesus Christ, and He can never fail. His Word is true. His promises are sure. His salvation is eternal.
b. This hope issues from His abundant mercy. “...who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope...”    Our sin is an offence to God. He could have cast us off forever. But in mercy He sent His Son Jesus into this world to become a human being like us, to live a sinless life unlike us, to give that sinless life as an atoning payment in place of us, so that we who are guilty might be declared to be innocent because we have been forgiven by the very one we offended. Abundant mercy indeed. Beyond all measure!
c. This hope brings about a new or second birth.
By our first birth we were born sinners; by our first birth we grew up to be rebels; by our first birth we could not please God, no matter how hard we tried; so God caused us to be born again through faith in Jesus Christ. By our new birth we were born as children of God. By our new birth we received a new nature of servants but even more, of sons and daughters. By our new birth, we can please God, and live for Him and worship Him, and be like Him, and go at last to live with Him forever.
d. This hope is made sure by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. “Blessed be God... who has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”   If Jesus had just died on the cross, we could not have been saved. That may be shocking to say that - not saved by the death of Jesus Christ? If Jesus had just died on the cross, we could not have been forgiven. But Jesus did not stay dead. He died for us but He also rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that His sacrifice was accepted by God. His resurrection proved that our sins are really forgiven. His resurrection proved that He is able to give us new life, that we too are raised from the death of sin into the glory of new life, that He is able to keep us forever, that He is able to take us to heaven when we die.   Here then is a sure and certain hope; here is a hope that cannot fail; here is a hope that is firmly anchored in heaven in the person of Jesus Christ. Oh, dear ones, we don’t know if we will live a long life, if our health will hold, if our money will be sufficient for retirement, but we know the thing that really matters, but there is one thing we do know: we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are safe in Jesus, and the He will never fail us nor forsake us, either in this life or in all of eternity. Man! There’s hope!

2. A Hope that Assures Your Inheritance! “...to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...”    An inheritance is something that we haven’t earned, which we receive through the death of a loved one or friend. Receiving the inheritance means someone has to die.   You’ve seen the bumper sticker on the back of a motor home that says “We’re spending our children’s inheritance”.   Well here’s an inheritance that can’t be spent. It’s guaranteed. v. 4. “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” The NIV says it can never perish, spoil or fade.
a. It is an inheritance that is secure
This inheritance can’t be decayed away - it is incorruptible or imperishable.
This inheritance cannot be diluted away - it is undefiled.
This inheritance cannot fade away, like our money in mutual funds at the moment- it is on reserve in the bank of heaven and the interest rate is out of this world!
b. It is in an inheritance that is guaranteed
“For it is reserved in heaven for you who are kept through the power of God through faith ready to be revealed in the last time.” v. 4,5
In v. 4 our inheritance is being kept for us. In v. 5 we are being kept for our inheritance!
c. It is an inheritance that will be revealed at last.
We are being kept by God through faith - but even our faith in Christ is a gift of God.
We are being kept unto salvation- we have been saved from the penalty of our sin; we are being saved from the power of our sin; we shall be saved from the presence of our sin.    And it will be revealed at last. It will be revealed when we close our eyes in death and open them in heaven. It will be revealed when Jesus Christ comes back to receive us unto Himself. And it will be finally and fully revealed at the judgment when it is shown forth to all of creation that our salvation was not based on any merit we may have thought we had, or any works which we have done; but it is based solely and completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of His name.

3. It is a Hope that will Keep Us Going Through Every Trial;
For there are trials in the way. This life was not designed to be easy or free from difficulty or sorrow or suffering.     Too many people base their whole lives on a false philosophy, that says life should be easy. Even Christians get seduced by a false philosophy at times and wonder why they have to go through any trials. We too have struggles; we too have financial collapses; we too have people break their promises or act terribly toward us; wee too have to fret over the kids. We too face health problems. We too face death. There are no exemptions just because you are a Christian. You know that, don’t you? Life is not easy. But this hope will keep you going.

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials..”     Here is the answer: “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” My friends, God is in the process of refining you.   In the midst of your disappointments, take comfort in this, “God is getting me ready for glory!” and it will make the trials more easy to bear.

But if all the trials do is make you angry, and resentful and bitter, then you are robbing them of their intended benefit, and you are refusing the sanding and the grinding that is designed to polish you not only for the future but also for the present. God designs that not only in the future but in the here and now you shall show forth the grace of God in your personality, reflecting His glory in your present world so that others may look at you and learn the value of the Christianity which you claim.

4. It is a Hope that is Centred in the Person of Christ your Savior.
“In this you greatly rejoice...that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes... may be found to praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet, believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”   “Whom having not seen you believe.”

We have not seen Jesus Christ with our physical eyes but only with the eye of faith. We shall see Jesus, but that day is not yet. But having not seen him, we love him. There is the bottom line for the Christian life. What does it mean to be a Christian? It means to love Jesus; to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. It is to love Him in spite of the fact that we have not seen Him. 

Down deep inside the Christian heart is a joy that cannot really be stopped or contained. It is a joy that is not natural; a joy that is not emotional; it is a joy that is rooted in your relationship with God, and nothing that can happen to you can get down that far into your life to destroy that which God has placed there in the bedrock of your soul.

The true Christian should be the most joyous person that walks the earth. This joy should show out through your eyes, through your face, through your expression, through your body language, through everything about you. Everything about you should speak to others about your relationship to the Lord God who has saved you, through the death, burial and resurrection of His own Son.

God loves you with an everlasting love, and that should put a smile on your face and a gladness in your heart and a light in your life and a bounce in your steps that speaks about Jesus.

Hebrews 12:   2  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

O To Be At Home This Christmas

Based on John 1:1-18

It’s amazing all the images a simple 4-letter word can conjure up. I’m referring to the word “home.”

In our vocabulary we have expressions like “home life,” “home, sweet home,” “home-maker” and “home free.”

In sports its nice to have the home court advantage.
Kids that go away to camp sometimes get home sick.
Sometimes good food is likened to home cooked meal.
Tim Allen starred in the TV show “Home Improvement.”
In baseball to score you have to come home.

We may know the words to songs like “Home, Home on the Range,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “ Sweet Home Alabama ,” or “Take Me Home Country Roads.”

James Dobson made a series of videos called “Turn Your Heart Toward Home.”

When you were little and rode your bike off to play with a friend, what would Mom say? Maybe, “You be home by dark,” or “Be home before dinner.”

Parents with teenagers may ask at the door, “What time are you coming home?”

When someone is in transition, they may be reminded “Home is where you hang your hat.” Or someone feeling out of place in a new residence could be comforted with, “Home is where your heart is.”   “Home is where you are loved just the way you are.”

Christmas has a lot to do with home.

The songs, “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” make us think of times around the Christmas tree where “faithful friends who are dear to us will be near to us once more.”

ILLUS – It was in December of 1903, that after many attempts, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground and into the air at Kitty Hawk .  Thrilled over the accomplishment, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”  Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news—for the first time in human history, man had flown! (SOURCE: Daily Bread, December 23, 1991.)

Or had he missed the big news? The boys would be home for Christmas.

You know, the image of home is all over the Christmas story in the Bible.

Joseph and Mary traveled for that first Christmas. They had to go to Joseph’s family’s home-town. The tiny village of Bethlehem in Judea . And that is where Jesus was born. In a sense, Joseph could have said, “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

But there is another way in which home plays a part in the Christmas story. Maybe this picture can help us out.

The angels sang “glory to God in the highest” which must have touched him deeply. And I’m sure God rejoiced in the miracle of incarnational love. Who wouldn’t have pride in their one and only Son?
But God’s gift to us didn’t come without a tremendous price tag.

Jesus left his home in heaven. Temporarily sacrificing the kind of union He had known with the Father throughout all eternity. The Father too would feel and notice the change in the way things had always been.

The Son came to earth as a baby. Vulnerable. Little. Helpless. Imagine this. The caregiver subjected himself to needing constant care. The Creator Himself willingly dwelt bodily inside the form of that which he had created. To be our salvation. To give His life for ours. To call us home.


One time Jesus would say, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it weren’t so I would have told you.” (John 14:2)

He was telling us about home. Not just his home, but ours. A place with many rooms for many people that really does exist.

And quite simply, here lies the message of Christmas:
Jesus left His home to remind us, we’re not home yet.

That’s the point. That’s the message of Christmas.     

Another Illust- The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once sought to describe the incarnation of God in Christ. He used this simple illustrative story:

A certain king was very rich. His power was known throughout the world. But he was most unhappy, for he desired a wife. Without a queen, the vast palace was empty.

One day, while riding through the streets of a small village, he saw a beautiful peasant girl. So lovely was she that the heart of the king was won. He wanted her more than anything he had ever desired. On succeeding days, he would ride by her house on the mere hope of seeing her for a moment in passing.

He wondered how he might win her love. He thought, I will draw up a royal decree and require her to be brought before me to become the queen of my land. But, as he considered, he realized that she was a subject and would be forced to obey. He could never be certain that he had won her love.

Then, he said to himself, “I shall call on her in person. I will dress in my finest royal garb, wear my diamond rings, my silver sword, my shiny black boots, an my most colorful tunic. I will overwhelm her and sweep her off her feet to become my bride.” But, as he pondered the idea, he knew that he would always wonder whether she had married him for the riches and power he could give her.

Then, he decided to dress as a peasant, drive to the town, and have his carriage let him off. In disguise, he would approach her house. But, somehow the duplicity of this plan did not appeal to him.

At last, he knew what he must do. He would shed his royal robes. He would go to the village and become one of the peasants. He would work and suffer with them. He would actually become a peasant. This he did. And he won his wife.

Jesus, God Incarnate, the Word became flesh and lived among us; Jesus pitched his tent among us. The very God who created the universe humbled himself by willingly being born a tiny baby in a manger and living as one of us, with all of our limitations. He did it out of sheer love for us all. To become like us, to become one of us and live among us as the king did among the peasants in Kierkegaard’s story; is the best, most effective way to get our attention; to reach us and convince us of his love for us.

On the night before He died, Jesus took his disciples into an upper room, gave them some bread and wine and told them, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in remembrance of me.”

I think he wanted to establish a reminder that we are never far from home. This meal – of bread and wine - is a piece of home. And in strange surroundings, that piece of home brings a whole lot of security.

Where will you be this Christmas? With family? With friends? Maybe working. Maybe even alone.
The words of one song say,
“Are you far away from home
This dark and lonely night?
Tell me what would best help
To ease your mind.
Someone to give
Direction for this unfamiliar road
Or one who says, “Follow me
And I will lead you home.”
(“Christmas Lullaby” by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton)

If you feel like you’ll only be home for Christmas in your dreams, just remember this. Jesus left His home to remind us, that none of us is really home yet. But here’s a taste of home. Sweet communion.

And we’re going to take Christmas communion together right now.

Thy Kingdom Come   Luke 11:1-11:4

Introduction: Astronaut James Erwin is one of but a few men to walk on the moon. As he stood upon the lunar landscape and looked up at the earth, he prayed for the first time in his life. He thought about the strife among nations, poverty, hunger, and rampant evil; and he thought to himself: "What is more important than man walking on the moon is that God should walk on earth." This is the desire we express when we pray, "Thy Kingdom come."

The King and His present-and-future Kingdom

The prophet Isaiah offers a wealth of prophecy about the coming Messiah-He reveals that one day God’s Son will establish His Kingdom: "The government will rest on His shoulders…His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!" (9:6-7). The Messiah will establish His authority. The title Messiah means "anointed one." We inaugurate Presidents; we anoint Kings.

The word "kingdom" in the original language means "rule" or "reign". God’s Kingdom is unique-it is not a human kingdom. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but the reign of God will prevail and last forever. God’s program involves the rule of righteousness.

Pilate asked Jesus what kind of king He was; Jesus didn’t fit Pilate’s perception; He didn’t conform to the popular notion of a political ruler. Jesus responded, saying, "My Kingdom is not of this world." He told His followers, "the Kingdom of God is within you." In a spiritual sense, we are living now in the Kingdom. Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries announcing that the Kingdom of God had come-it is here. When we pray "Thy Kingdom come" we are asking God to advance and expand that Kingdom in the hearts of people, and we are anticipating the day when that Kingdom literally comes when Jesus returns. It is a Kingdom that is both present and future-it is here and now, and will one day come in fullness.

This second petition of the Lord’s prayer is a multi-faceted request…

1) "Thy Kingdom come" is an evangelistic prayer. We are part of the answer to this, our own prayer. For we have a role in bringing God’s Kingdom to completeness. "Thy Kingdom come" is a call for God to increase His Kingdom, to convert the hearts of unbelievers, to draw people to a saving knowledge of Christ. We need to pray for revival. Many years ago New England was the scene of the Great Awakening, a time of tremendously effectual evangelism as the Holy Spirit moved throughout this area with great power. We are seeking missionary achievement at home and abroad. God can answer this prayer through us-we can be the means for bringing people into His Kingdom as we share the Good News that Jesus saves.

2) "Thy Kingdom come" is an ethical prayer. When John the Baptist announced that "the Kingdom of God was at hand" he called people to repent. If we want to see God’s Kingdom evident in our lives, then we will want to live accordingly. We are confronted with a choice-to live according to Christian virtue or to follow the values of our culture. Paul describes "the Kingdom of God…as righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." By asking for the Kingdom, we’re asking God to make us holy. If the Kingdom is within us, this means we’re children of the King. We can’t pray "Thy Kingdom come" if we’re living like orphans. We can’t honestly pray for His rule over others unless want Him to rule us. "Thy Kingdom come" means we are under the Lordship of Christ.

3) "Thy Kingdom come" is a prophetic prayer. Believers see farther on their knees than philosophers on their tiptoes. History is headed to a climax, a Kingdom-conclusion. We place our trust in divine providence. One day Jesus will return. No one knows exactly how or when this will play out-much has been written about Biblical prophecy and the Second Coming. Good Christians differ on how things may unfold. One thing we can know for sure-God is in control of history. In the meantime, we’re to be watchful and spiritually prepared, and occupied with fulfilling the Great Commission to disciple all nations. This petition is much like the final, concluding words of the Bible: "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).

4) "Thy Kingdom come" is a protest prayer. We are opposing every worldview that is contrary to God. Prayer is political action and social energy. David Wells of Gordon-Conwell Seminary calls this kind of prayer a "refusal to accept as normal what is pervasively abnormal." We see this kind of prayer in what’s called the imprecatory psalms, protest songs and prayers that complain about the evil corruption in the world. God welcomes our complaints. Why don’t we pray more? We’re not angry enough. God wants us to process our strong feelings about life through prayer.

5) "Thy Kingdom come" is also a warfare prayer, a battle cry. How come everyone is not bowing before the hallowed Name of God? Because there is another kingdom, the kingdom of darkness. People are enticed and enslaved by sin-this is the very essence of the human predicament. Our desire as Christians is for God to be honored and revered, but we realize that there is enemy opposition to God’s Kingdom. We are engaged in spiritual warfare and we’re praying for victory. Are we prayer warriors? Paul writes, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm" (Ephesians 6:12). God’s wrath is certain and His Truth is marching on!

6) "Thy Kingdom come" is a submissive prayer. The function of prayer is not to inform God of our plans but to call on Him to fulfil His plans-it’s not "my kingdom come." Some people are involved in personal "kingdom building." Proper prayer is that God’s kingdom be extended. How concerned are we with God’s plans? How concerned are we with the rule of God in our lives? Have we surrendered our plans and priorities to God? Are we trusting Him with our plans, or are we more concerned that God’s plans might interfere with ours? Jesus tells us to "seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness" (Mt 6:33).

7) "Thy Kingdom come" is a comforting prayer. Anxiety should be a reminder for us to pray, to "cast our cares" on God. When we realize that our sovereign King has things in control, that life has a purpose, that there is a Kingdom apart from our secular culture, we breathe a sigh of relief. Life may seem chaotic, unpredictable, and harsh, but we belong to a Kingdom that will overcome the world. In Isaiah we’re assured, "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (11:9). God will also protect His people; in Jeremiah God promises, "I will defend your cause" (51:36). When this Kingdom comes in its fullness we will be freed from all suffering and sorrow.

8) "Thy Kingdom come" is a unifying prayer. There are not many Kingdoms of God, only one. And all who trust in the Lord are one-there is not a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or Congregational Kingdom. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. In this prayer we hope for the day when all divisions will be done away with, and we will all be members of this one Kingdom, praising God together. We anticipate this with confidence; in spite of divisions within the Church we are encouraged, knowing that believers from all churches are praying this prayer.

9) "Thy Kingdom come" is an identifying prayer. As Christians, we hold dual citizenship. Paul states, "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:20). We are governed by human law, but also by Biblical truth. We are loyal to our nation, but we recognize that we belong to God’s Kingdom. Nations may rise and fall, but we are part of a holy, perfect Kingdom that will last forever, Whose Architect is the Lord God Almighty. We have an inheritance secured for us by the sacrifice of Christ. Paul explains that God "has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13-14). When we pray "Thy Kingdom come" we identify ourselves as subjects of the King of kings.

10) "Thy Kingdom come" is a realistic prayer. Some people view faith and prayer as some sort of emotional escape from reality. Karl Marx called religion the "opiate of the masses". Yet when we pray, it is not to escape reality, but to find it. The problem is, what we see around us is not true reality. We are journeying to the Kingdom, our true home, and this world is but a shadow of the reality that awaits us. Faith is not a leap into the dark, but a leap into the light. We belong to God’s Kingdom, not the "shadowlands" of this world. Gordon Hugenberger (of Park St Church, Boston) calls this petition a "request for eternity to break into the present."

Conclusion: We obtain this Kingdom by trusting Christ as our King, by receiving Him as our Lord. Then whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer we indicate our desire for the dominion of God and the success of the Gospel. We have a Kingdom worth praying for! One day, yet future, the forces of evil will be finally routed by the host of heaven. In the meantime, we pray, "Thy Kingdom come."

Five Ways to Walk in  God’s Blessing 

Numbers 6:24

FIVE RULES OF GOD’S BLESSING

1. God wants to bless others.

2. God uses people to bless others.

3. God’s people must be able to bless.

4. We bless others following God’s pattern.

5. Those who are blessed have improved lives

A. GOD WANTS TO BLESS OTHERS

1. Money. “Open the windows . . . pour you out a blessing” (Mal. 3:10).

2. Spirituality. “Hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3).

3. Physically. “God blessed them . . . be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish” (Gen. 1:28).

4. Influence. “I will bless thee and make thy name great” (Gen. 12:2).

5. Children. “Children are a reward from Him . . . blessed is the man whose quiver is full” (Psa. 127:3-5).

6. Happiness. “Blessed (happy) is the one . . . their delight is in the principles of the Bible” (Psa. 1:1-2, ELT).

B. GOD USES PEOPLE TO BLESS

1. Friend. “He (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abraham)” (Gen. 14:19).

2. Father. “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob” (Heb. 11:20).

3. Grandfather. “By faith Jacob blessed both sons of Joseph” (Heb. 11:21).

4. Priest. “Ye shall bless the children of Israel” (Num. 6:23).

“The Lord bless thee and keep thee (protection). The Lord make his face to shine upon thee (prosper), and be gracious unto thee (your actions). The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (presence), and give thee peace (inner happiness).” (Numbers 6:24-26).

5. Jesus. “He put his hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).

C. GOD’S PEOPLE MUST BE ABLE TO BLESS.

1. You can’t give to others what you haven’t experienced.

2. Jacob. “All people on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 28:14, NIV).

3. Laban. “The Lord hath blessed me because of you (Jacob)” (Gen. 30:27, NIV).

WHAT DOESN’T BLESS
Making the cross.
Holding the Bible.  
Using a Formula 

Empty words

D. WE BLESS OTHERS FOLLOWING GOD’S PATTERN

1. Use God’s name. “They shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them” (Num. 6:27).

2. Speak in faith. “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob . . . concerning things to come” (Heb. 11:20).

3. Be obedient. “Bring ye all the tithes . . . pour you out a blessing” (Mal. 3:10).

4. Use the Bible. “Blessed is he that readeth and they that heareth the words . . . and keep those things that are written” (Rev. 1:3).

5. Pray. “He looked up to heaven and blessed . . .” (Mark. 6:41).

E. THOSE WHO ARE BLESSED HAVE IMPROVED LIVES

1. Total well being. “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, as the blessing of the Lord was upon all that He had” (Gen. 39:5).

2. Business leader. “Boaz . . . a mighty man of wealth” (Ruth 2:1). “They (workers) answered him, ‘The Lord bless thee’” (Ruth 2:4).

3. Worker. “Blessed shall those be in the field” (Deut. 28:3). “Thou hast blessed the work of his (Job) hands” (Job 1:10).

4. Children. “Blessed shall be the fruit of the body” (Deut. 28:4).

5. Adding value. “Blessed is he that blesseth thee” (Num. 24:9).

 

God Bless You -- What Does It Mean To Bless?  Genesis 1:28, Genesis 12: 1-3,  Ephesians 1:3-13  1/23/05

A.     INTRODUCTION

About forty miles from our church here in Huntsville, Alabama is a business in Scottsboro, Alabama called "Unclaimed Baggage". The business sells items that were left unclaimed at airlines and can be purchased at a fraction of the original cost. They have everything from expensive watches and cameras to clothing and sports equipment - you name it. According to the store’s web site, "Over one million items pass through the store annually." It runs into the millions of dollars worth of items every year! Amazing!

What’s even more amazing are the unclaimed blessings we leave with God.

1. Sneeze. “God bless you.”

2. Christian greetings. We say, “God bless you.”

3. Formula. Table blessing of food.

4. We string together words, but cannot decode them.

5. What does the hymn mean, “Count Your Many Blessings”? More and many.

6. First reference. After six days of creation, God created man and woman, “God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion (over it)’” (Gen. 1:28). The seed truth of blessing meant, (a) to be and do what is expected of you and more, (b) to have God’s protection and more, (c) to have God’s presence.

7. The Bible is filled with references such as, “Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1). You are worshipping the Lord and asking God, (a) to do what He can do for you and more, (b) to be what He can be for you and more.

8. A blessing is an added extra to what God has given, i.e., to prosper.

Illustration: At age 16 Andor Foldes was already a skilled pianist, but he was experiencing a troubled year. In the midst of the young Hungarian's personal struggles, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to Budapest. Emil von Sauer was famous not only for his abilities; he was also the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt. Von Sauer requested that Foldes play for him. Foldes obliged with some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. 

When he finished, von Sauer walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. "My son," he said, "when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, 'Take good care of this kiss--it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.' I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now it is yours."

What Blessings Are Not

1. God doing miracles.

2. For something to come from nothing.

3. Deliverance from trouble.

4. To solve a problem.

B. THE MEANING OF THE WORD BLESS

1. Barak (Hebrew) means, “to kneel” as kneeling before a king or sovereign to receive something, i.e., adding to your position, honor or monetary blessing. When you say, “The Lord bless you,” that person should kneel before God to get “added extras” to his/her life.

2. Eulogew (Greek) means, (a) to speak well of a person, i.e., to bless the Lord. “Therewith bless we God, ever the Father” (James 3:9), (b) to invoke blessing upon, “And He (Jesus) put His hands on them (the children) and blessed them” (Mark 10:16), (c) to cause another to prosper, be happy, “Blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

C. THE ABRAHAMIC SEVENFOLD BLESSING

While this blessing has specific interpretation to Abraham and his seed, it has general applications to us, “So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Gal. 3:9).

“The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.   "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.    I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:1-3).

1. Increased children. “I will make of thee a gr