Mom’s Funeral

(This is the written notes for the final portion of my mother’s funeral. If you know me, I added along the way but this was my message. Her present pastor did a great job of the earlier portions)

Before we leave here today I must talk to you all very seriously.

The majority of people do not understand death from a theological or doctrinal position. Most of you wonder, “What happens to a person at death?” I’d like to use this opportunity to explain death and eternal life to you through the Scriptures. I’ve made the explanation as short as possible.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. 4 Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.

My mother is not in this casket.

The body she wore while on earth is in this casket.

Now, according to Scripture her body had to die because she’s a part of the human race.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. 22 Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life.

My mother’s soul; her mind, will, emotions, personality and memories have left her body. She no longer lives in this earthly container.

But we were created to be eternal creatures. So, once the body dies the person returns to the Lord.

Now, according to Scripture, unless the Lord returns we will all face this destiny. We will all have to face a date with death.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment.”

According to Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.”

According to Ephesians 2:1-3 “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.”

Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

If this were the whole story, my mother would not be in a very good state at the present time.

See, she, just like you and me, was a sinner. She was not perfect. She was not basically good. None of us are. Paul wrote in Romans 3:10-12, 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is good—not even one. 11 No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one.”

I hope you’re getting the point here. If left to ourselves we have no hope of heaven. But, now, the word “but” is a great Scriptural word.

Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Here is the loophole in the Scripture. We all deserve to die and be separated from God due to our sin for all eternity.

“But”, according to John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

The key to the loophole is belief in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin.

So, as the Scripture says in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Following this line of reasoning we see that God does not judge us upon how good or bad we were in our bodies. He Judges us based upon what we believe about His Son Jesus Christ. Belief in Jesus plays out in what we do in our bodies. Once we see our sin and come to Christ for forgiveness our lives will be changed.

See, Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”

The only blood that God will accept for the forgiveness of your sin is the blood of Jesus shed for us on the cross.

John 14:6, “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’”

How do we know this is all true?

The resurrection of Jesus!

I want you to think for a moment. If Jesus had lied to us about anything death would have had a hold on Him.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”

If death would have had a hold on Jesus there would not have been a resurrection. The resurrection proves that everything Jesus said was true.

So we can rest with assurance that those who believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins will be saved from eternal death and be given this new eternal life.

The human being is not judged on the scale of good and bad. If so, we would all fail. God judges us on the scale of belief in His Son.

John 3:18, Jesus spoke these words, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

My mother is in heaven today because she believed in what Jesus did for her at the cross.

I pray that you will accept the free offer of eternal life in Christ also.

Is There Any Hope?

Audio Message

Life seems to be racing by at hyper speed. All we seem to be able to do is hang on allow the journey to unfold before us.

We live at a very difficult time in history.

It seems that the whole world is out of control.

The Middle-East is burning up with revolt and regime change. Iran is working toward nuclear weaponry, We still have wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Christian martyrdom is common around the world, The United States has become involved in the killing and toppling of foreign leaders, The European financial crisis is causing world market strains, The United States debt crisis is out of control and nobody is willing to take a firm stand on how to fix it, Illegal immigration is still causing huge problems, The drug wars in Mexico are spilling over the border, Unions are protesting, The greedy “Occupy Wall-streeters” are protesting greed all across the nation, Natural disasters are costing nations billions, Unemployment is still above 9%, Housing markets are still in great decline, More people are receiving government help than ever before, There’s no inflation yet the cost of everything is going up, The environmental problems still exist, Banks are still in danger of collapse, Government bailouts and stimulus haven’t worked and have been used wrongly, Government loans are not going to be recovered, Penn State is being investigated by everyone, Election 2012 is everywhere, Boeing may be leaving Wichita, The breakdown of the family continues, Pippa Midleton’s bridesmaid dress is this year’s hottest seller, Black Friday saved the retailers, Justin Verlander won the Cy Young and American League MVP in the same season, and the N.B.A. is still not playing Basketball. That’s the Way It Is… November 27, 2011.

I must ask the question, “Is There Any Hope?”

We elected a President than run under the slogan “Hope and Change”. How’s that working for you?

Where is the hope?

Have we passed the point of no return?

The hope we need was spoken to us by the Prophet Isaiah about 2700 years ago.

Isaiah 9:1-7 ( The Prophecy )

1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.

4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Isaiah has prophesied a future hope. A child will be born. A Son will be given. The government will rest on His shoulders. For those who come into His kingdom their yoke of slavery, their heavy burden and their darkness will be lifted from them.

Where is this Child? Where is this Mighty God? Where is the Wonderful Counselor, Where is the Prince of Peace? We sure could use this child about now!

Let’s think for a moment. If the government was to rest on His shoulders, why are we always looking to fallible men to save our nation through political power?

Isaiah’s prophecy of a future hope was a King that would rule properly. This was not just a King for the Jews but for all mankind everywhere.

But something is amiss. We must be doing something wrong. The world is messed up and I don’t see us seeking out this wonderful Counselor, mighty God or Prince of Peace for the answers to our problems.

John 1:1-14 ( The History )

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

According to John the Apostle this light has come into our world. John the Baptist announced this light to the world. But as great as the light is that came, mankind loved the darkness. They didn’t want to come to the light and submit to His governing rule.

We didn’t need a Savior from God we just needed to gain control of the world we live in.

We do not want the Light this Child brings into our world. I guess we would rather continue down our present path to destruction than give this Child a chance.

Let’s look at the birth of this Child.

Luke 1:26-38 ( The Reality )

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

How great it would be if everyone came to the realization that we are the Lord’s servants and we need to submit to His will and way for our life.

Isaiah 45:22-24 (God spoke through the prophet)

22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.
23 I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”
24 The people will declare, “The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength.” And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.

The Lord is the source of righteousness. Is this where we are turning for our right leadership?

Romans 14:10

10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”

God is the Judge and He has sent His Son to save us. Are we going to submit to His way of salvation or continue down the road to destruction?

Philippians 2:5-11

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus was and is God. Yet, He humbled Himself to the point of the cross for our sake. And we will not humble ourselves to Him and His way? Who do we really think we are?

Most people I know are not prepared to take up Christ’s attitude.

Jesus Christ was, before He came to earth, He was while on earth and is now in heaven the Son of God.

Although He held this position He obeyed God unto His death. He did not rebel against a corrupt government. He did not rebel against a corrupt church. He spoke harshly toward the leaders but He obeyed the doctrines set by His Father in heaven. He did not rebel against the armed forces that came to arrest Him the night before He would die a cruel death that He did not deserve.

Jesus had a future Hope.

Hebrews 12:2

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.

Jesus knew this world was a temporary stop on His journey back to the Throne room where He would be lifted up above all mankind.

Jesus is now Lord, King, and Ruler. The government, even those of this world rest upon His shoulders.

If you are having a problem with what is going on in our world today, take it up with God. He is the One that is allowing all that’s happening to happen.

Some believe we have been turned over to our enemies.

God has done that in the past.

Why?

To bring His people to repentance.

Some people believe that God has abandoned our nation.

If you read the book of Romans in chapter one He tells us what His abandonment will look like.

Romans 1:18-32

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Why would God do such a thing as this?

To bring His people to repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:12-16

12 Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said,
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

My friends, God sent His only Son into this world to save us from our sin. He sent Jesus to show us the way. He sent Christ to atone for our sin. He sent the King of kings and the Lord of lords to set up a new Kingdom.

Revelation 21:3-7

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

“We Have Hope!”

The world may look dark and dreary at this present time but trust me when I say, God is not surprised and He has not been caught off guard.

In all reality, He has told us how it’s going to be. He has explained it to us. He has prepared us for this day and promised that we could trust in Him with an everlasting hope.

“We Have Hope!”

It’s time we start living as though we believe the Hope we have is as faithful and true as the God of Heaven has declared it to be .

Let us Pray.

Who Are You Thankful To?

Audio Message

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. This is a day in which we pause to give thanks. Why do we do this? Why do we take a day out of our lives to be thankful? To whom or what is our thanks directed to?

This is a mighty thought. If you were sending out a thank you card it would need to be addressed to the one whom you are thankful to. To give thanks, there must be a target for your appreciation. Someone must receive your thanksgiving.

To be thankful to nothing for something is an empty thanksgiving. How can you give thanks to nothing? How can you be thankful if what you are grateful for has no origin from which it came?

Many people like to state what they are thankful for especially at Thanksgiving time. Who is it that is receiving your thanksgiving for that which you are thankful for?

Have you ever really thought about who you are thankful to? We all think about the things we are thankful for but do we take time to acknowledge where it came from.

The statement, “I’m thankful for _______” (you fill in the blank), is an idolatrous statement if the one whom you are thankful to is not recognized.

What I am thankful for revolves around me. It’s a personal statement. It’s about me. It’s about the item I am thankful for. I’m thankful for this item because it serves me in my need, desires or wants.

It’s not wrong to be thankful for things and stuff. We should be very grateful for what we have. But sometimes I think we miss acknowledging to Whom we are thankful.

If you were in desperate need and someone came to you and fulfilled your need, you would be thankful that your need was met but wouldn’t you also be thankful to the one who supplied your need?

True thanksgiving must be directed to the target of your appreciation or it’s a pretty empty act of giving. You cannot give thanks to a thing. To do so would be idolatry for sure.

If you are in need and your need is supplied the only thing you can give in return is thanks. Giving thanks for something can be pretty prideful were as thanks to the One who supplied your need is very humbling.

Most of us are good at teaching our kids to be thankful for the things, stuff and blessings they have received and acquired. This Thanksgiving I believe we should be teaching them to whom their thankfulness is given to.

To be thankful for something is inward. To be thankful to someone is an outward giving. Thanksgiving is to or toward the target of our appreciation. True Thanksgiving is to whom we have received that which we are thankful for.

Psalm 100:1-5

1 Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth! 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Did you notice that the Lord is the target of the Psalmist’s thanksgiving?

We need to see this as we go forward.

Psalm 95:1-7

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us give a joyous shout to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving. Let us sing him psalms of praise. 3 For the Lord is a great God, the great King above all gods. 4 He owns the depths of the earth, and even the mightiest mountains are his. 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care.

Psalm 28:7

7 The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

These two Psalms show us that our songs of thanksgiving are sung to the Lord.

Psalm 107:21-22

21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

As you can tell, by these passages from the Psalms, the Lord our God is the target of our Thanksgiving.

Now I want to look at a song written by David.

1 Chronicles 16:7-36

7 On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:
8 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
11 Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, 13 you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land.
15 Remember his covenant forever—the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
16 This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant: 18 “I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”
19 He said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
20 They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
21 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:
22 “Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.”
23 Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
25 Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.
26 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens!
27 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.
28 O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.
29 Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.
30 Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
33 Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise, for the LORD is coming to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
35 Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.”
36 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the LORD.

When was the last time you spoke in this manner about thanksgiving?

Our passage says; He is our Lord and God. Great is the Lord! The Lord reigns! The Lord made the Heavens!

Because of who God is we are told to, Give thanks. Proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know. Sing praises. Tell everyone. Exalt His holy name. Rejoice. Worship. Search. Seek. Remember. Publish. Tell. Recognize. Give glory to the Lord. Bring offerings. Be glad. Shout His praises. Burst out with joy. And all the people shouted, AMEN!

Here’s the deal. David’s song of thanksgiving was toward the target of his appreciation. David’s thanksgiving to God is not how we think in our world today. We think we’re thankful but we are really only comfortable and happy that we have certain stuff and things.

I believe this failure to be thankful to the target of our appreciation instead of for the things we have been given is a major problem in our world today.

I want you to listen closely to the following passage. You are going to hear why our world is in the mess it’s in.

Romans 1:18-32

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

What happens when we are thankful for things and stuff instead of being thankful to the one whom we have received it from?

I believe this is one of the major problems of our society. Our thanksgiving proves our self-centeredness. It proves our self-sufficiency. It proves our self-focus and it shows our lack of appreciation for the one who has supplied on needs.

We have so much to be thankful for. We have been so blessed with things and stuff. We are so grateful for what we have that we have become a bunch of spoiled brats that want more and more and we never really get around to giving thanks to the target of our appreciation.

In all actuality we get angry because God won’t give us more. We are not thankful but demanding. We do not thank but request.

With Christmas coming soon there will once again be pages of letters to Santa published in the paper. These letters are a want list from children that are being brought up in the give me more world. They will be thankful for what they have received but will they be thankful to the one who supplied their desire?

Our self-centeredness is at the root of almost all of the problems of our society today. Since we are thankful for the provision and not the provider we chuck off the provider as soon as our desired provision is not met.

This is true about God, spouses, jobs, friends, family members, co-workers, schoolmates. The list could go on and on. I’m thankful for stuff when I am receiving it but I am not thankful to the one who is supplying it.

I hope you’re seeing something here today.

Now, how are we going to be thankful for something like our salvation? I’m thankful that my sin is forgiven and that I am going to receive heaven when I die. Or am I thankful to the One who did for me that which I could not do for myself. Are you eternally grateful to God for His provision?

2 Corinthians 4:14-18

14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Are you today thankful to God? We can stumble here and be thankful for what God has done and overlook the God to whom we are thankful to.

There will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

When a person comes to realize that God has given to us that which there is no way we can attain for our selves, then we will be thankful. Then we will target our thanksgiving to the One whom we are thankful to and not just for.

The gifts that God gives are not attainable from any other source. Who do we thank for the things that only God can supply?

Revelation 7:9-17

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

The thanksgiving here in this passage belongs TO our God.

For thanksgiving this year we need to give thanks to God not just for stuff and things.

Let us pray and then worship our Lord with Communion.

Who Made You God’s Judge?

I am amazed at how often I hear people judging the Almighty God.

Most people don’t even realize they are doing this so I would like to explain how it is so casually done in our daily conversations.

People say things like, “If God is, was or were …then He would…” This is nothing more than a mere mortal human judging the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God.

God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. His position, on any issue, is the highest, best and most reliable because it is based in truth.

God is all knowing. This means that He knows everything. He has all wisdom. He has all understanding, He has all intelligence. He is the truth. This is true for all things past, present and future.

For a human being to say something like, “If God only knew what we know now…” is an absolutely laughable statement, yet I’ve heard it spoken from people within the church.

We, rebellious humans, for some reason, believe that we know so much that God should change His ways to ours. We truly feel as though He should accept our actions and habits as allowable and tolerable because we have evolved into such knowledgeable creatures.

We really do not understand that God has all authority. Because He knows all and has all power we must submit to His Word and ways because they are right and true.

God is Almighty. He has all authority. He is the Creator. Nothing exists that He did not create. There is nothing before or proceeding God and there is nothing after of following God. God is and all life is in Him.

We may desire, in our rebellion, to refuse to believe these truths about God. We may want to eliminate God and His authority over us. But this is futile.

We cannot change truth. Truth does not evolve. It does not become old fashion our go out of date. Truth, just like God, is eternal. It’s eternal and never changing because God is.

It’s time that we, mere created mortal beings, get back to a true understanding of God. It’s time we repent of our rebellious ways and return to the One and only Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.

Once we submit to the Lord we will see that His ways are right and true.

Let’s stop judging the Almighty and allow Him to Judge us for a change.

Hope you have a happier Thanksgiving knowing who you should be thanking for all things.

Let’s Stop Playing Church Pt. 6

Audio Message

Over the last five weeks we have looked at the Act-ions of the early church from the book of Acts.

We have seen how Peter and the Apostles preached in Jerusalem and increased the church by thousands. We have seen the outbreak of persecution that began with the stoning of Stephen. We have seen the conversion and transformation of Saul of Tarsus. We then studied the two formats that Paul used to preach to Jews and Gentiles.

Today we are going to look at how our actions differ from those of the early church.

Acts 1:4-8

4 In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”

7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I spent some time on this early in the series but I want to revisit this as one of our errors of today.

We are not waiting until we are filled with the Holy Spirit to do our work. Far too many get involved in Christian ministry because it seems right. It may be prosperous. It’s a good career. Some want to help others. Some do it out of guilt. But none of this has to do with the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.

Due to a lack of empowerment from the Holy Spirit, the work of the church is being done by natural spirited people through natural means. We are using human reasoning to try and bring about the change in others.

Here’s a couple of points to define what I mean.

“Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”

7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know.

Why do we spend so much time trying to figure out and predict the times, when telling people about Christ is our commission?

If you knew the time of Christ’s return would it really change the hearts of the people you’re trying to reach?

Let’s say Christ is going to return at the end of 2012. (This is not a prediction but an illustration.) Would you be more concerned about reaching people for Christ than you are right now? If your answer is yes, you are being manipulated by a date and not by your love for others. The people you want to reach with Christ may not make it to the end of 2012. Their salvation is urgent right now. Knowing the times should not be a factor for spreading the Good News.

The Scriptures says, “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere.”

Is this the present mission of the church?

If you were to define the outside of the church building activity of the church today would it be telling people about Jesus?

Let me rephrase this. When Christian leaders enter into the political, social, scientific, educational, rehabilitation or financial debates of our day, do they offer or even bring up Jesus as the solution to the many problems?

If we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to tell people about Jesus and the Gospel Message has been empowered by God to transform lives shouldn’t we hear it more often from the Christians involved in the debates?

Acts 2:36

36 So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!”

The message has now moved out of Israel and Jesus is Lord and Messiah of all.

If everyone were under the Lordship of Jesus Christ wouldn’t this be a great and wonderful world?

We know that according to Scripture this idea is not going to happen in this world. But, if we believe that Jesus is Lord, shouldn’t we offer His ways, His Kingdom and His salvation to those who are not operating according to this truth?

Acts 2:37-39

37 Peter’s words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Once again we see that the message had an unseen power. The name of Jesus has power. He is God, Lord, Savior, Messiah, Christ and the Hope of the world. To drop His name into the conversation lifts the debate from a worldly issue to a whole new level. We are no longer dealing in the natural world but the supernatural world. We are drawing upon the spiritual realm to solve our physical and worldly issues.

So, is this the way Christians deal in their debates?

The world will not accept anything that does not reason with their predetermined methods. To bring spiritual or supernatural ideas into their natural physical conversation is not acceptable.

Acts 4:1-3

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the leading priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees came over to them. 2 They were very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming, on the authority of Jesus, that there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, jailed them until morning.

Acts 4:18-19

18 So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus.

19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard.”

What a reply to the religious leaders. They were supposedly men of God yet they were denying the very power of God.

Acts 5:28-29

28 “Didn’t we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?” the high priest demanded. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about Jesus, and you intend to blame us for his death!”

29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human authority.

Now we are about to see that the governing officials are starting to get involved in the persecution.

Acts 12:1-4

About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover celebration 4 and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod’s intention was to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.

Herod surfaced something here. He pleased the Jews with his actions.

As we work through this we are going to see that the Religious leaders begin to call on the governing officials to put a stop to this message of Christ.

Acts 16:16-24

16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed along behind us shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and spoke to the demon within her. “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her,” he said. And instantly it left her.

19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted. 21 “They are teaching the people to do things that are against Roman customs.”

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So he took no chances but put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas have now irritated the people and started a riot. The governing officials don’t like riots, so they punish the one’s blamed for starting it.

The religious leaders were aware of this situation so they begin to manipulate things so the governing leaders will once again get involved.

Acts 17:5-7

5 But the Jewish leaders were jealous, so they gathered some worthless fellows from the streets to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city,” they shouted. 7 “And Jason has let them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, Jesus.”

Are you seeing something here?

There is an anti-Christ union being made here. The religious leaders and the governing leaders are now coming together for the purpose of persecuting Christians.

Acts 17:14-15a

13 But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. 14 The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast,

Now, the religious people, knowing the governmental situation, are creating trouble to get the governing leaders to react.

Religion and government generally produce an unholy relationship. They are interested in different realms and their workings are diametrically opposed to one another. One is worldly and the other is spiritual. Yet, together, they can begin to eliminate this Lord and King that is calling people to a higher kingdom.

Here’s what I want to point out with this information. Why are the Christian leaders in our world today working so hard to control and manipulate the government to do their workings?

Throughout the Scriptures government and religion never really worked together for good. Are we different or are we missing something?

I happen to believe that Christians need to get back to their calling. We have been commissioned by our King to take a message to the world. This message will set people free and allow them inclusion into a higher spiritual kingdom.

Is this what we are doing? Are we increasing God’s Kingdom or trying to make our world a more tolerable place to live?

Acts 19:23-41

23 But about that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called the craftsmen together, along with others employed in related trades, and addressed them as follows:

“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 As you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t gods at all. And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her prestige!”

28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, but the believers wouldn’t let him. 31 Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.

32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. 33 Alexander was thrust forward by some of the Jews, who encouraged him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak in defense. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn’t be disturbed, no matter what is said. Don’t do anything rash.

37 You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess. 38 If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the judges can take the case at once. Let them go through legal channels. 39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly. 40 I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.” 41 Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

As you can see through this passage government, commercialism, religion, trade unions and community concerns are all involved. We have the foundation being laid for a great movement. You might want to call it “Occupy Ephesus”.

Thankfully there was a wise mayor that took the stand and dismissed the crowd. He saw that his political position was at stake due to this riot.

What if His political power would have been empowered by this riot? Do you think he would have dismissed it or encouraged it?

Are you starting to see how fickle government and religion really are?

Why are we trying to join the two together?

Is it for the purpose of spiritual gain? Is it for the eternal salvation of people? I happen to believe it’s for self-motivated reasons.

The Scriptures never lead us to believe that Christianity will be spread via government. Government is not the enemy to Christianity it’s just not the chosen vehicle by which Christianity will be spread.

Romans 13:1-5

Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well. 4 The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong. 5 So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.

Now if the government seems to be falling to an anti-Christ way, we, the Christians, need to repent of our ways and turn back to the Lord that He may give us leaders that will be more accepting of His Kingdom.

Instead of trying to overpower government by human reason and ways, we need to trust God and do as He has told us to do. The outcome will be favorable.

I believe we are working against God by trying to occupy government through religious power and not His supernatural ways. History shows that when the Jews worked with government or when the Church of Rome controlled government during the Inquisition, the Christians were the target of persecution.

Today, Christians who are not willing to get behind this governmental move or the protests of social issues are being questioned about their faith. I must ask, Faith in what? Is your faith in a powerful move of the people or a powerful move of God?

God’s power is shown through salvation that comes from hearing the Word of God. The Gospel message, the message of Christ, the message of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation. Are we trying to save souls into the Kingdom of God or trying to set up a better society so people can live more moral on their way to hell?

A moral society has never saved anyone. It’s probably more of a deterrent to salvation than it is helping people to be saved.

It’s going to be hard to prove all this but I sure wish we, as Christians of our nation, would try it. Let’s get back to spreading the message that will save.

It’s time to quit playing church and following all the human inspired ways of drawing and attracting people to a way of life that will not save their soul into the eternal Kingdom of God.

We may be persecuted by our fellow religionists but we must continue to do that which Jesus has called us to do.

8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Let’s Pray.

Let’s Stop Playing Church Pt. 5

Audio Message

Last week we looked at the amazing conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Saul has now become the Apostle known as Paul. He is beginning his mission work of taking the Good News to the Gentiles world.

As we look at a couple of different messages that Paul delivered I want you to pay close attention to how he preaches to two separate groups of people.

When he speaks to the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue he has one format. When he preaches to the Gentile Greeks outside of the synagogue he has a totally different format.

The first message we are going to look at this morning is one preached in the Synagogue at Antioch.

Acts 13:13-43

13 Now Paul and those with him left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Barnabas and Paul traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia.

On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and from the Prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for us, come and give it!”

16 So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “People of Israel,” he said, “and you devout Gentiles who fear the God of Israel, listen to me.

17 “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them prosper in Egypt. Then he powerfully led them out of their slavery. 18 He put up with them through forty years of wandering around in the wilderness. 19 Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. After that, judges ruled until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed him from the kingship and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do everything I want him to.’

23 “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! 24 But before he came, John the Baptist preached the need for everyone in Israel to turn from sin and turn to God and be baptized. 25 As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No! But he is coming soon—and I am not even worthy to be his slave.’

26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also all of you devout Gentiles who fear the God of Israel—this salvation is for us! 27 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders fulfilled prophecy by condemning Jesus to death. They didn’t recognize him or realize that he is the one the prophets had written about, though they hear the prophets’ words read every Sabbath. 28 They found no just cause to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

29 “When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead! 31 And he appeared over a period of many days to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem—these are his witnesses to the people of Israel.

32 “And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News. God’s promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, 33 in that God raised Jesus. This is what the second psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus,

‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’

34 For God had promised to raise him from the dead, never again to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ 35 Another psalm explains more fully, saying, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ 36 Now this is not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.

38 “Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God—something the Jewish law could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,

41 ‘Look you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’”

42 As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people asked them to return again and speak about these things the next week. 43 Many Jews and godly converts to Judaism who worshiped at the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them, “By God’s grace, remain faithful.”

As we look at this message we see that Paul is in the Synagogue. He is speaking to Jews and devout Gentiles. To make this as simple as possible he is speaking to people who have been brought up in the religion. They have been instructed from early in life to know and understand the Scriptures of old.

He calls them brothers and puts forth a history lesson. We saw this when Stephen was preaching to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. If you are a Jew and are going to speak to fellow Jews you must put forth a common foundation.

This foundation begins with Abraham, the promise, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the promised land, the judges, Samuel, the kings, the prophets, King David and a Messiah that comes from his lineage.

To speak to a Jew and begin with Jesus is a moot point because they do not accept Him as their Messiah. So you must set a common foundation and then show them where Jesus fits into God’s written history.

Before we go on I want you to see that John the Baptist was a much more important figure than most of us Gentile believers understand. He shows up in Paul’s sermon because many people believed in his baptism but not in Jesus as the Messiah.

Luke 1:5-9

5 It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord’s presence.

I put this before you so that you will know the importance of John the Baptist. John would have been a priest. His dad was a priest that could actually enter the holy place and burn incense to God. John’s mother was from the priestly line of Aaron. On top of all this John was a prophesied son brought forth by a miracle of God.

Jesus once asked a group of Jewish leaders, “Did John’s baptism come from heaven or was it merely human?” The Pharisees were unable to answer the question because they refused His baptism yet many of the Jews accepted his baptism because of who he was in the Jewish history.

Now, as Paul preaches to the Jews and the devout Gentiles, he has set a common foundation to build from. The history was in order and now Paul would show them where Jesus fits into the work of God.

Paul ends his message with this, 38 “Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God—something the Jewish law could never do.

The people asked them to return and speak of this again. They weren’t ready to accept Jesus yet but they were willing to hear more.

Acts 13:44-52

44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that this Good News from God be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life—well, we will offer it to Gentiles. 47 For this is as the Lord commanded us when he said,

‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were appointed to eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.

50 Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and went to the city of Iconium. 52 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Are you starting to see the problem with the Gospel? It sets people free from the religious control. The Jewish leaders had become comfortable with their place and it was being challenged. They were against Paul’s preaching. Not because it wasn’t true but because it wasn’t theirs.

Now let’s look at how Paul addressed those without any Jewish religious training. The Gentiles were not taught about God and the Jewish history. They had different religious ways but it was not based in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Acts 17:16-34

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.

We must stop for a moment and explain who these people are. Epicureans were Greek philosophers who belonged to the School of Epicurus. They were concerned about how practical philosophy worked in everyday life. Their chief aim was pleasure. They believed happiness was found by seeking that which brought physical and mental pleasure.

The Stoics believed that man is part of a universe that is dominated by reason. They believed man’s goal was to identify himself with this universal reason which determines his destiny and proper place in the natural order of things. They also believed that man must be self-sufficient, living life with dignity and pride.

This is still the philosophies we follow in our world today.

When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “This babbler has picked up some strange ideas.” Others said, “He’s pushing some foreign religion.”

19 Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers. “Come and tell us more about this new religion,” they said. 20 “You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” 21 (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

22 So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it—‘To an Unknown God.’ You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him.

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

27 “His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. 30 God overlooked people’s former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” 33 That ended Paul’s discussion with them, 34 but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Council, a woman named Damaris, and others.

What is amazing about this sermon is that a few became believers. Could you imagine standing before the new age gurus of our day and trying to speak to them about Jesus? Where would you start?

Would you start with Jewish history?

Romans 1:16-20

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—Jews first and also Gentiles. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

Ephesians 1:4-5

4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.

Colossians 1:15-20

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. 16 Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. 17 He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.

18 Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

I want to contrast this with the opening to the letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 1:1-3

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. 3 The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.

I hope you can see the difference.

We use the idea of Hebrews preaching in the church still today.

A few generations back it was working. People were brought up in the church. They were accustom to hearing the Scriptures. They were aware of God and most believed in Him.

This is not the way things are in the world we presently see before us. People have very little if any knowledge of the Scriptures. Young people are learning more about other religions and foreign gods than they are the God of the Bible.

So when we teach our Sunday school lessons about Abraham, the promise, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the promised land, the judges, Samuel, the kings, the prophets, King David and a Messiah that comes from his lineage they are lost. They just don’t see how this is relevant to the lives they are living.

What is this all about?

We try to teach our youth about the History of the Bible. We take a bunch of Gentile kids that know very little if anything about Jewish heritage and then we set them down in a strange building where they feel very uncomfortable and we begin to teach them things that have nothing to do with their lives.

See, until a Gentile is adopted as a child of God they don’t want to know about some foreigner’s genealogy.

Let’s look at where Paul starts with the unbelieving Gentiles.

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it.

The common foundation that must be set is God as Creator. The Gentile has no knowledge of the Jewish history. To offer Jesus to a Gentile is really futile. Who is this Jesus and what makes Him so special?

If there is no God, if He was not the Creator, If He is not Lord of everything, there is no need for Salvation in Jesus. There is no need for a Cross and there is no need for atonement. We only need forgiveness if there is a God who created all things.

See Paul teaches us…

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

22 God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God.

Paul has started by setting the foundation upon a Creator God.

Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is.

God is Creator and sustainer of all things. We can’t really do anything for a God that is Almighty.

26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth.

We are all descendants of Adam. Not evolved and not from many different created humans but from one man.

At Babel there was a separation of people with races, languages and nationalities coming into existence.

He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

Paul uses the word feel in this passage. God has placed eternity upon the heart of mankind. We know instinctively that there is more than what meets the eye. We, though, desire to push that out and not seek to find the answers for our inner longing.

28 For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

Once again we know there is more. We came from somewhere and we need to seek to find the answers and not just accept what someone tells us. Once we come to realize where we come from then we should try to know the one who created us.

30 God overlooked people’s former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Now we get to the bottom line. There is a day of judgment ahead. There is a man that has been appointed as the judge. He is the one who was raised from the dead. He offers us forgiveness for our ignorance.

Do you want to know more?

1 Corinthians 1:18

I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.

Before a Gentile comes to Christ and is adopted into the family of God the history of the Jews does not matter. What matters is God the Creator has set a day of Judgment. He will forgive you of your ignorance, unbelief and other sins if you will come to Him. Once a part of the family then you will want to know the way of God and then the history will make much more sense.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob doesn’t carry much weight with the Gentile. Moses appeared before Pharaoh in…

Exodus 5:1-2

After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, for they must go out into the wilderness to hold a religious festival in my honor.’ ”

2 “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the LORD that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”

The Gentile does not know the Lord. To need salvation before an ‘Unknown God” is foolish to the Gentile.

Could we be approaching our teaching to a Gentile world in a wrong manner?

The church has lost its position in the world because we are no longer relevant to the society. We want to teach them Jewish history before they are members of the family of God.

We must reach them where they are and draw them to the Savior. Once they come to the Cross then we can educate them about God and His work in our world.

Why do you think Satan is working so hard to dismantle creation and set up a false theory like evolution?

If you take away the common foundation from which to build, there is no way to bring salvation to the Gentiles because the message is utter foolishness to what they have come to know as true.

The battle for the beginning is a far greater battle than most in the church want to acknowledge. The older generations say things like, “Just give them Jesus”.

The world would answer back, “Who is this Jesus and why do I need Him anyway?”

Next time you want to reach someone with Christ, remember you must find a common foundation from which you both can stand and move forward.

What is our common ground with those we are trying to reach? Is it Jewish history and traditions? Is it our beliefs in Creation? Could it be our desire for a better world?

Acts 14:15b-17

“We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In earlier days he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left himself without a witness. There were always his reminders, such as sending you rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts.”

Have you ever considered how what we have to offer is going to change the lives of those we offer it to?

Before offering Jesus to a Gentile they must know that you are concerned about them and that this Jesus is worthy of their consideration.

How do you think we should go about this in our world today?

God has placed eternity upon the hearts of the human race. There might be the best place to start. Yet, much like those Paul encountered in Athens, they laughed at the idea of resurrection.

Satan has done his homework. He has established road blocks that are hindering our ability to spread the Good News.

If we are going to reach the generations that follow us with the Gospel message we are going to have to be crafty. We are going to have to take on their beliefs and pluck a few at a time from the road to destruction.

Paul’s ministry wasn’t all that successful by the numbers. Yet, if you realize what he was up against in his ministry, you must see that anyone who was converted or transformed was a miracle of God through Jesus our Lord.

Our work is cut out for us. Are we going to spread the Gospel or just play church?

Let us Pray.