Requirements, Responsibilities, Expectations or What?

Fifty2 Sunday's ~ Listening 4 God

           The sermon title was "What God Requires" and the biblical texts were Micah 6:1-8 & Matthew 5:1-12.  Both are frequently cited passages of scripture, as the minister noted, Jimmy Carter in his inauguration speech cited Micah 6:8 that asks "What does the Lord require of you?"  

         There are some people who feel that God (or Christianity) is all about do's and don’ts, rules and expectations - which are like requirements.  When something is 'required’, the implication is that there is no other option but to comply.  We all have requirements to fulfill at home, in school, with our work and as a member of society.  There are little escaping requirements in life - as Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain [required], except death and taxes".  

         God tells us in Micah 6:8 to "act justly”, “love mercy" and "walk humbly" and in Matthew 5:3-12,  Jesus described how to live a blessed life. Are these requirements, responsibilities, expectations or something else?  Certainly, they may be all of these - or perhaps they are an expression of God’s love, mercy and grace toward us. 

        God acts in advance -as exemplified by how He "made us alive" even "when we were dead in our transgressions" (Ephesians 2:5).  Likewise, our fulfilling a requirement, a responsibility or striving to please God-is an expression of our love and gratitude for that which we have already received as described in I John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us”.  

Does This Fit Your Reality?

    The sermon Sunday was about Joseph's life; the key verse was Romans 8:28 (below).  Throughout the sermon, the minister highlighted how through the difficulties of Joseph's life he remained faithful to God. 

      "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).  (NIV)

     

      'In all things...God works...for the good ...of those who love him...and have been called according to his purpose.'  This verse can serve as a 'faith barometer'.  It sounds good and it seems easy to believe when things in life are going well.  In difficult circumstances, extreme hardship or tragedy, am I still as confident about this? 

     Like any faith test, there is my part and there is God's part.  I have to decide what I believe.  Do I put my trust in Him and believe that God has my well being or 'good' in mind?  Am I willing to acknowledge I have limitations, God's thoughts and ways are not my (our) thoughts or ways (Isaiah 55:8) and I don't have all the information, as the Apostle Paul said, I only "know in part" but someday "I shall know fully" (I Corinthians 13:9-12).  To be ‘called’ (see: Vine's Dictionary) means to be invited, summoned, etc.  I Timothy 2:4 says that God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth"; and Jesus said that no one could come to him unless "the Father who sent me draws them" (John 6:44).  God's part is the calling and drawing of the person; my (our) part is in hearing and responding to His invitation.  As it pertains to "his purpose", God's (eternal) purpose, was accomplished in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:11) to "bring many sons and daughters to glory" and free them from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:10 & 15). 

     If then, I as a daughter (or son) of God, have been set free from the burden of sin and the fear of death, what can prohibit me from believing that God is working in and out the details ("all things") of my life in a way that is "good" and according to His purposes?  Why should I not accept this as reality? 

     It is a strange thing what we consider real.  I recall when I was in fifth grade one of my teachers read us a story reported in Look Magazine about aliens abducting a New Hampshire couple and taking them on their spaceship (see: Alien Abduction).  The wisdom of that teacher is definitely in question for having read that to us because the impact on me was profound.  Prior to hearing that story, I had never heard of UFOs or aliens and therefore, they were not a part of my reality.  Afterwards I thought that aliens might be (?) real and for long time I was scared, especially at night when I saw any light move across the sky.  I have since quit worrying about aliens and abductions, but of late have grown concerned about publically presented information that claims to be real and representative of reality - only then to have the information said to be "alternative facts" or "fake news" (new terminology for lying?). 

     The enemy of our souls would desire nothing more than to lead us a stray, or have us put our confidence in something not accurate or true.  Satan is very skilled at this.  Consider how he tempted Eve, by twisting the truth just slightly so that she believed him and acted accordingly (Genesis 3:1-6).  One could say one bite altered Eve's reality!  We need to be well acquainted with the truth of scripture and ask God to give us wisdom, not the wisdom of the world, but wisdom that comes from Him to be able to discern what is true, right and real and let this be our reality. 

    

Find Out What Pleases God

Fifty-2 Sunday's ~ Listening for God

       The focus of Sunday’s sermon was on having an "authentic" relationship with God.  The first commandment tells us to love God “... with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:28-30).  The emphasis of the sermon was on holiness as a factor of being in relationship with God. 

       The scripture says, ‘be holy as he is holy’ (I Peter 1:16).  So what is holiness?  What does it mean to 'be' holy?  The dictionary defines holy as “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred".  The minister said, holiness is not about being "perfect" ~ which may seem contradictory to the scripture that says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  The verse follows the Beatitudes which Jesus taught using stories that contrasted God’s ways with the ways of the world.  To be ‘perfect’ is to do it God’s way.

       Jesus had to be "made perfect" in order to become the "source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:9).  This process occurred over the course of Jesus' life on earth (Hebrews 5:7 & 8).

          As born again believers becoming and being holy is a process for us too.  We are charged "... to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22).

     The process starts in the heart; having the desire to be in close relationship with God, to be 'right' with him and to please him in how we live and conduct ourselves.  We are told to "find out what pleases the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10) and to "work out our salvation" (Philippians 4:12) with "fear and trembling"- which is 'the process' (above).  We will make mistakes and fail at times, but if we get back up and ask for forgiveness, he is faithful to forgive. 

       God wants a relationship with us. He has not left us to figure this out on our own; we have the body of believers, the Word of God and the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  Therefore, let us not forget "... that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). 

"More Perfect" & A Daily Routine

Fifty-2 Sunday's Listening for God

     The church I was sitting in last Sunday was a beautiful cathedral like structure that sits high on a hill overlooking the surrounding area.  The choir sang beautifully, the clergy were attired in their robes and the people attending were dressed up more than folks generally do these days for church.  I had to follow the program guide to be sure I was standing, kneeling, responding, praying and singing on cue.  There were intentional connections and references made between the Old and New Testament covenants and an explanation of the meaning in the context of worship. 

     This is different from the sort of church I have been a member of most my Christian life.  In many ways, I found it (and other services like it) to be too formal, too rigid and too dependent on a programed routine.  However, in other ways, I found it to be uplifting.  It has never been my intent in the writing of these blogs to provide a value judgement on the worship style or routines of any particular church I attend, rather it is my desire to listen for how God is at work in his body independent of the many and varied styles of worship. 

     The sermon was less eloquent and subtle than I expected.  The scripture text was Hebrews 9:1-5:

"Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.  A tabernacle was set up.  In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.  Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant.  This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now." (NIV)

     The minister discussed (in an abridged format) how the Old Testament tabernacle and its items were descriptive of the new covenant in Christ.  He briefly ran through a explanation of the parallels between the two.  Perhaps because it was the abridged version I could not get into it, or maybe it was because I was distracted with a partial verse of scripture that his sermon brought to mind, "more perfect".  As it turns out my mind (and my spirit) were a few verses ahead of the text used for the sermon; I was thinking of Hebrews 9:11-15; 

"But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”  (NIV)  Amen!

     I am so grateful for the "more perfect" tabernacle - in that I do not have to live from year to year looking to animal sacrifices to cleanse me of my sins and grant me a 'right' relationship with God - Jesus did this "once for all" - for all who will come to him in faith!  Amen.

     Back to the sermon for a moment, what I found most edifying was the personal daily routine of the minister that he shared with us.  Every morning he starts with focusing on the cross Christ died on and the meaning of it for him personally.  He then asks God to reveal his sins to him - so that he can repent of them and ask for forgiveness.  After that he spends time in God's word and re-reads the scriptures several times, because he said he can never 'hear' them the first or second time through, he waits until he 'hears' before moving on.  The last thing he does is pray.  These four things: focus on the cross; ask God to reveal one's sin(s) and ask for forgiveness; soak in the Word and pray make for a good daily routine for our spirit.

A New Direction or Not?

Fifty2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

        The New Year’s Day sermon titled “A New Direction” was an encouraging message to remain open to how God might lead us in the coming year.  A 'new' or 'alternate' direction might be just in order.  The scripture text for the lesson came from Matthew 2:1-12- the story of the Magi who visited the Christ child and return to their home a different way having been warned to do so in a dream. 

         After doing a bit of reflection on my history with 'new' versus 'old' (or 'same'), I have to admit I probably prefer the new to the old or familiar.  When I first came to Christ, I experienced being 'made new' (II Corinthians 5:17) and I wanted all of my life to reflect this change instantly.  However, it did not work that way, change had to happen on the inside first.  It was a learning process and scripture, along with the encouragement of other believers and my church were all instrumental to the transformation that occurred.  Old ways of living began to be replaced with new ones and over time-both the person I was on the inside and the life I lived on the outside were changed. 

        I desire to finish 'the race' (my life) strong in the faith even as I physically grow old and weak.  To do this, I need to continue to seek Him much like the Magi who sought to find the infant born in a manger and if there are course corrections required, I trust God to show me, as he showed the three wise men. 

           It is good to be committed to what we understand to be God's will and way-but we never want to miss the adjustments he might be asking us to make in our lives. And this may involve an alternate route. Whatever direction life takes you this year, may you draw nearer to God along the way (James 4:8 & Hebrews 10:22).  Amen.

                                              Happy New Year! 

The Gift of God

Fifty 2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

        Many of us are preoccupied this time of year with the giving and getting of gifts.  It is said in giving one becomes like God. There is the biblical principle that it is “greater to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) and certainly, there is joy in giving when it meets a need, fulfills a longing or lifts another up (figuratively or literally).  

        The scriptures are full of instructive examples of giving (and receiving); Luke 6:38 tells us “Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Moreover, in Matthew we read “Freely you have received; freely give” (10:8b).  

       God's gift accepted by faith (John 3:16) is for all who will receive it. For those who believe and place their trust in Jesus the gift sets them free. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1 & 2). Amen! Let's rejoice in the gift of God that keeps on giving. 

~* Merry Christmas *~

For God So Loved

Fifty-2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

        The minister said it may be the best known verse from the bible- John 3:16:”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. "The world" includes all of humanity -past-present-future. "The world" embodies all of us and all of our messy, stubborn hearted, idol worshipping self-serving sinfulness. God so loved that he gave. 
         This can be hard to grasp; hard to believe. It makes me think of when I was a teenager and how my parents would occasionally say to me—that they always loved me but they did not always like what I did or how I behaved. I took it a step further and actually told my children during their adolescent years that although I loved them, at a particular moment because of the way they were acting/being, I was not feeling very loving toward them. The point being, it can be a challenge to love in the face of rebellion, rejection, offense,etc. 

      God understands this. The nature of his love is that although we have repeatedly and metaphorically spit in his eye and turned our back on him-he has never stopped loving us. “While we were sinners…Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Maybe this doesn’t sound so extreme, after all the preceding verse says “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die” (Romans 5:7). Certainly there are times when someone will die for another person, but in general, it is a rare. No one, however, can die on behalf of another person and serve as an offering for their sins. Only Jesus can do this: "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:24). God's love expressed to us through his son cancels our debts and nullifies our sins. "This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (I John 4:9). This love continues today, "Christ Jesus-who died--more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:24).

       There is really only one response we can have to such love - and that is to graciously accept it and strive to love others as he has loved us; “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (I John 4:12). This is how we testify to how God so loves the world.