Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Beloved,
Christmas season is upon which means one thing: The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is here. Jesus has given us a mission. We are to go and make disciples of ALL nations. One of the greatest privileges of this life is the opportunity we have to partner with God in making his name great among the nations. We can partner in His mission through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 100% of the Lottie Moon Offering goes to support missionaries working overseas.
We have a command to make disciples of all nations. I pray that this season we will sacrifice to help others shrouded in darkness experience the light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The International Mission Board has over 5,000 missionaries throughout the world on assignment to fulfill the Great Commission. Last year alone, IMB workers and their Baptist partners overseas reported a record 506,019 baptisms and 24,650 new churches worldwide. The Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Right now, they are more laborers ready to go into the field, but there are not enough funds to send them. Our church goal this season is $2,000. I pray we will rise up to help meet the need so the lost can hear and believe the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Let us be part of the making disciples in the nations. This is a great privilege. Let us do our part.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave
Sunday, November 25, 2012
How to Persevere in Suffering
“Horatio G. Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer. He and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.
Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up.”[1]
Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Have you ever felt utterly alone? Have you ever experienced an intense distance from God? Have you ever cried out to God day and night for relief and heard only silence? Have you ever felt the rejection of those who were supposed to be your closest friends? Have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever wanted just to give up in the midst of your suffering? Have you felt forsaken by God?
In our fallen world, we are going to experience suffering. Our suffering may be physically. We may hear the awful words of cancer from the doctor. We may have to deal with daily chronic pain. Our suffering may be relationally. We are hurt deeply by those who we love. We may experience the chronic pain of constant belittlement and ridicule. Our suffering may be financial. It may be that after countless applications and interviews, you have not received any call backs and you are struggling to pay all your bils. In our fallen world, we will experience suffering. As a congregation, we have many in our midst that are suffering. You may not be suffering now, but you will one day. So how do you persevere in suffering? Our text this morning gives two principles that I believe our foundational to help us persevere in the midst of extreme suffering. The first principle: Entrust Yourself to God’s Past Faithfulness.
Entrust Yourself to God’s Past Faithfulness
Look back at verse 1-2, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” Can you feel the anxiety of his soul? Hear him, “Why have you forsaken me?” Abandoned me, given up on me, and completely deserted me? I cry out to you day and night and you are not answering my prayers. You are far from saving me and far from my words of pain. The pain is severe. The emotional turmoil is crushing. Have you been there? Are you there now?
So in the midst of this extreme anguish, what does the psalmist do? He reminds his soul of the past faithfulness of God; His past faithfulness to others. V.3-5, “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” The psalmist was comforted in his affliction by God’s faithfulness to his forefathers. They cried out to God and were saved. They trusted and were delivered. They trusted and were not disappointed. This should be an encouragement to us. There have been others before us that have walked through the same pain we are feeling and have been delivered by the hand of the Lord Almighty.
We struggle more when we isolate ourselves from others. We struggle when we believe that no one else can relate to our struggle and pain. But know this, there have been others who have been in extreme suffering who have trusted in God and were not disappointed. One of the challenges of suffering is that its intensity makes us feel that our suffering will never end. But this text should show us that is not the case. Look to the examples of those around us who have persevere through suffering as an encouragement that you will be able to persevere as well. Those of you who have suffered greatly share how God showed you grace in your affliction.
But the affliction is still great. Listen to verse 6-8, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him since he delights in him.” So now we see more of direct cause of the suffering. The psalmist is being scorned and despised. He is being mocked and insulted. The mockery and insults are because of his trust and devotion to God. He is calling out to God, but there God is not answering his prayers. He is silent. And the silence of God is only intensified as people are pointing it out. “You trust in God than why won’t he save you? Ha.” This suffering is intense and the soul is in anguish. Can you relate to this? Have you experienced this degree of suffering? What does the psalmist do?
Verse 9, “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” The psalmist is not only comforted by God’s past faithfulness to others, but to himself. God has been faithful to you. The psalmist reflects on his own life and how God has been faithful and gracious to him since birth. He says, “from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” The psalmist is strengthened in affliction as he remembers God’s past faithfulness to him. We do not only have to look at others, but we can look back at our own lives in how God has been faithful to us. CH Spurgeon says, “We receive, perhaps, ten times as many mercies which escape our notice as those which we observe.” Make it a practice to observe how the Lord has been merciful to you. I see this often when I talk with you. There are many hospital and home visits in which I hear a common refrain, “The Lord has blessed us. He has been so good to us.” So when I walk in to see a suffering Winnie McKee, or a suffering Dot and Carroll Greene, what I hear is about the faithfulness of God. God has been faithful you. God has shown you his grace in past. Entrust yourself to him. He has been faithful and he will be faithful.
The psalmist continues to share his suffering, look at verse 12, “Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of the death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones, people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”
We persevere in our suffering by entrusting ourselves to God’s past faithfulness as demonstrated in others and in our own lives, but primarily the number one way we can persevere in our suffering is to entrust ourselves to God’s past faithfulness in Jesus Christ. I am sure that there have been many verses in this psalm that have sounded familiar. They sound familiar because they are familiar. This psalm is a prophetic psalm speaking about the innocent suffering of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. The psalm opens with, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” and those are the same words that Jesus said on the cross. In Matthew 27:46, “46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Now in those days when they wanted to reference scripture they did not use chapter and verse like we do today, but rather quoted the first line of the chapter. In quoting the first line of the chapter is Jesus’ way in bringing the whole psalm to mine. He wanted to show how his crucifixion was prophesied in Psalm 22.
Psalm 22:6-8
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 “He trusts in the Lord;
let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
Matthew 27:39-43
39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Psalm 22:14
“I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.”
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced[c] my hands and my feet;
Crucifixion disfigured the body as if all the bones were out of joint. The common practice during the crucifixion was the piercing the hands and feet to a tree. The amazing thing is that David spoke in detail about the crucifixion 1000 years before the crucifixion of Christ. Crucifixion was not a common form of execution in the days of David. This had to be a psalm of prophecy pointing us to Christ.
Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me[b] in the dust of death.
John 19:28
28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
Psalm 22:18
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
Matthew 27:35
35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.[b]
The intense suffering in Psalm 22 is speaking of the intense suffering of the Son of God. He was forsaken by God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a]for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). He was mocked and insulted. He was beaten and spit upon. He took the punishment that was reserved for sinners like you and me. The greatest suffering the world has ever known was seen on that Cross. And yet the greatest suffering the world has ever known was decided before the foundation of the world. The cross was not an accident, but rather was part of God’s plan from the beginning. Look back at the end of Psalm 22:15, “You lay me in the dust of the earth.” God was the one that was ultimately responsible for the death of the Lord Jesus. Philippians 2:8, “And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!!.” Jesus was obedient to the Father for he lived to do the will of Father. Isaiah 53:3-6,10
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all…Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.”
So how do you persevere in the midst of your suffering? You entrust yourself to God’s past faithfulness in Jesus Christ. God has laid your iniquity on him. He was punished for your sins. By his wounds you have been healed.
Remember two things beloved: First, no matter what trial you are facing, that trial is not greater than your trial as a sinner against a holy God. The greatest suffering has already been suffered for you. The wrath of God against you has been paid. Secondly, we are not greater than our master. Our Savior was persecuted, insulted, mocked and suffered greatly. When Jesus suffered he entrusted himself to God who judges justly (2 Peter 2:23). We must do the same. We do not have a high priest, who is unable to sympathize with our pain, but was tempted in every way and yet was without sin. Hebrews 12:2-3, “2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Your struggle may be great, but you have one to look to that will help you endure. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Number 2 -How do you persevere in suffering?
Entrust Yourself to God’s Future Grace
Not only do we look back on God’s Past Faithfulness, we look forward to the future grace we will receive by his hand. V. 19-21 are the hinge of the Psalm. They connect the present suffering with the future grace. “But you, O Lord, be not far off, O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouths of lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.” Here we see a prayer of deliverance from our enemies. In this section, we see the same enemies (dogs, lions, oxen) listed earlier in the psalm but in reverse order. I believe, this is the psalmist way of showing the total deliverance from all his enemies. Now, we know that the Lord Jesus was delivered from all his enemies, but he was not delivered prior to death. Our Lord was not delivered from death, but unto death. But he was ultimately delivered over death. Our greatest worldly enemy, death, could not hold the Lord Jesus and therefore it will not be able to hold us.
You need to trust in the future grace given to you IN YOUR OLDER BROTHER. Following the deliverance from all his enemies, listen to the words in verse 22-24,
I will declare you name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cry for help.
Verse 24 helps us see the deliverance that God has given. For he, God, did not despise or disdain the suffering of the afflicted one, the Lord Jesus, he did not hide his face, but listened to his cry for help. And because God delivered the Lord Jesus, Jesus will declare God’s name to His brothers. One pastor shares this story:
“Ryan Chapel writes of two brothers who, one day, decided to play on the sand banks on the edge of the river of his home town. He writes that, because his town depends on the river for commerce, dredges often clear the river’s channels of sand into great mounds on the banks of the river. Nothing is more fun for children than playing on these mountainous sand piles, and few things are more dangerous. While the sand is still wet from the rivers bottom, the dredges dump it on shore and piles of sand dry with rigid crusts that conceal cavernous, internal voids formed by the escaping water. If a child climbs on a mound of sand that has such a void, the external surface easily collapses into the cavern. Sand from higher on the mound then falls into the void trapping the child in a sinkhole of loose sand.
This is exactly what happened to these two boys as they raced up one of the larger mounds.
When the boys did not return home at dinner time, the family and neighbors organized a search…and found the younger brother. Only his head and shoulders protruded from the mound. He was unconscious from the pressure from the sand on his body. The searchers began digging franticly. When they cleared the sand to his waist, he roused to consciousness.
‘Where is your brother?’ The rescuers shouted.
‘I’m standing on his shoulders.’ Replied the child.
With the sacrifice of his own life, the older brother had lifted his younger brother to safety.”[2]
The sacrifice of our older brother has lifted us to safety. Hebrews 2:10-12:
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
In Your Satisfaction
You need to entrust yourself to God in your Future Satisfaction. Verse 25-26, “From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him—may your hearts live forever!” I love the imagery that the poor will eat and be satisfied. We are poor now, but we will be satisfied for Jesus will fulfill his vows to those who fear him.
When Ellen and I lived in Washington, D.C. every Thanksgiving we would partner with a large church to serve the poor in the city. The church gave away 20,000 Thanksgiving meal boxes. Each box had a turkey, corn, potatoes, bread, a pie and the gospel of John. We would take the seats out of our minivan and fit as many boxes as we could in the back. Then we would go throughout the city and drop off a Thanksgiving meal to the poor. I can remember seeing the joy on their faces when we gave them their box. Those who were wondering how they were going to provide a meal to their families on Thanksgiving. They ate and were satisfied. The poor will eat and be satisfied. They who seek the Lord will praise Him—may your hearts live forever. Although we are poor, we will eat and we will be satisfied. Trust him.
In Your Worship
You need to ENTRUST YOURSELF to God for Future Grace in your Worship. We are going to suffer in this world, but there is coming a day when we will live in unending worship. Verse 27, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive.” We will be part of the endless throng of people who turn to the Lord and worship him. As Christians, we can entrust ourselves to the future grace that Lord will give us in endless worship. But notice that every knee will bow down before the Lord. We either can do so willingly or we will be forced to bow. There is only one King. Bow before him now and experience satisfaction and salvation, or bow before him later and experience the depth of the suffering described in this psalm. For if by faith Jesus does not suffer for you, you will have to suffer for your sin.
In Your Proclamation
Lastly, Entrust yourself to God for Future Grace in Your Proclamation. I think this is often forgotten when we are in intense periods of suffering. One danger of suffering is that it causes us to become self-centered and focus only on our pain. Pain is very real, but we cannot allow our pain to blind us. In the midst of our pain we must fight for faithfulness. For our pain, may be a spring board for someone else’s faith. Verse 30, “Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it.” Future generations will be told about the Lord and serve him. And those who were told of the Lord will then proclaim his righteousness to their future children. For God has done it. It is easy to turn inward in the midst of pain, but can I encourage you to be part of the “they” in verse 31. Proclaim his righteousness. Proclaim what he has done. Listen to Isaiah 58:9-11:
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
Here those precious promises. Darkness to Light, Gloom to the Noonday, scorched places to a watered garden.
Conclusion
Well, we end, where we began. How did Horatio and Ann Spafford respond to their extreme suffering? After losing much of their fortune and all of their children, how did they respond? Listen:
“When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."
Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn, It is Well.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.
It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.
No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!
It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”[3]
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Be Grateful
(Below is the manuscript for the Thanksgiving Service.)
There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house. They were happy and contented because they shared all the work. The rabbit cooked the meals. The chicken carried in the firewood. The mouse brought the water from the nearby brook. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly.
But one day while the hen was going to the forest for wood a busybody crow asked her what she was doing. When told, the crow complained that the hen was doing the hardest part of the work and that the rabbit and mouse were making an easy-mark of her. Try as she would, the thought kept rankling in the hen’s mind, and when she returned home with her load of wood and her still heavier load of discontent, she cackled: “I do the hardest work ever. We ought to change our jobs.”
Discontent spreads, as you know, and immediately the rabbit and mouse also thought they had been doing the hardest work. They agreed to change jobs: the mouse would cook, the rabbit would gather the firewood, the hen would bring the water.
As the rabbit hopped into the woods, a big fox trailed him, caught him, and ate him. The chicken put the pail into the creek, but the current pulled the pail down under, and the chicken with it. The mouse wondered why they did not come back, but not for long. While he was sitting on the edge of the big pot of soup, he lost his balance and fell in. Through discontent all three not only lost their happiness but their very lives. [1]
Complaining has become a stable in our fallen world. If you turn on the TV and listen, you will hear a lot of complaining. Our culture is plagued by complaining. And unfortunately, that complaining and discontentment continues to seep into our churches and homes. If we are not careful, we may not lose only our happiness, but our very lives.
Complaining, at its root, is an issue of pride. We believe our way of doing something or our way of thinking is just better than someone or something else. And because it is better, now it is my right to state my opinion or I am entitled to complain. Wasn’t this what we saw in the Garden of Eden? Satan was able to make Eve believe that God was withholding something from her. Genesis 3:4, “4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” She wanted to be like God, knowing good and evil. She believed her way was better than God’s. In her heart, she was complaining about God’s way.
The Bible says in Philippians 2:14 and following, “Do everything without arguing and complaining so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” Complaining and arguing is destroying fellowship and unity in our churches and in our homes. Instead of being blameless and pure children of God without fault in this depraved generation as we hold out the word of life, we become guilty and defiled along with this depraved generation. And without being separate from the world, we are not holding out the word of life which brings salvation. Complaining and arguing are no small sins for it keeps us from completing God’s mission. If we are going to reach the world, we must be different from the World. Christians must speak with grace and purity without arguing and complaining. For if we are full of complaining (proof of worldly discontent), Paul says he labored in vain. Paul wanted to boast on the Day of Christ that his labor produced God-fearing Christians who lived to reach a corrupt world with the gospel. He did not want to labor in vain as the people were corrupted by the world. The church will either purify the culture with gospel living, or the culture will corrupt the church. If our churches are full of complaining, we have lost sight of our mission and we have been corrupted by the world.
We are called to do everything without arguing and complaining, how do we do that? Well I think this evening text gives us the solution. If you want to be faithful to God and honor the Holy Scriptures by doing everything without arguing and complaining here is what you need to do: Be Grateful. We need to be a grateful and thankful people. We are going to look at three things, this evening, that no matter what you have going on in your life, no matter what you think you have the right to complain about, that you can always be grateful for. Ready for the three things: We Need to be Grateful for God, for Hope and for Growth.
Grateful for God
Look back at v.3 Paul starts his letter, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s view of the church at Colossae is informed by his Theology, his view of who God is and what God is doing. Many in our culture will stop this week and thank God for their blessings. And many of those same people will forget God the following morning as they are fighting for the best black Friday deals. Beloved, God is not pleased when his children give thanks to Him in the same way as world does. We do not want to thank God tritely and sporadically but joyfully and regularly thank Him for who He is and What He has done. And Paul does that here. He thanks God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has revealed himself specifically in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We do not just worship and thank God; we worship and thank God for how He has revealed himself in the Bible. We need to have informed opinion about God.
The Holy Spirit reveals through Paul, that we pray and give thanks to God the Father, through Jesus Christ. The only way we can get to God is through Jesus Christ. Paul calls Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word for Lord, kurios, is filled with meaning. It is referring to his divinity and kingship. Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is equal with God. Listen to 2 Corinthians 8:5-6, “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. [2]Paul is showing that there is no conflict in Jewish Monotheism and Jesus Christ being Lord.[i] We worship a Trinitarian God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We should be grateful for this Trinitarian God. For only in the Trinity can we have salvation and life. God the Son offers His life to the God the Father on our behalf and we are regenerated by God the Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in our salvation. So when we give thanks to God, we are giving thanks to God the Father, through God the Son, and in the power of God the Spirit.
But is giving thanks or being grateful to God really that important? Will that actually change my life? Listen to Romans 1:21-23,
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. [3]
When we do not give thanks to God, we become empty and foolish. We exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. How does this work? So remember how I said that complaining is a form of pride. We complain because we feel our opinion is better than someone else’s. Do you ever complain about God? Do you ever believe that your way of doing something is better than God’s? Every time you sin and disobey God’s Word, what you are saying is that you know better than God. You do not give thanks to Him and honor His good, pleasing, and perfect Word, but rather you exchange the truth about God for a lie and chose to worship the creation, yourself, rather than Creator. For example, God says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses; neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” But there are times when we do not forgive others when the trespasses against us. We say things like, “but you do not know what they have done to me or I can never forgive her for what she did to me or my God would never make me forgive them after that.” By choosing not to forgive you are going against God’s Word and replacing His Perfect Word with your own. Are you holding a grudge against someone this morning? Are you withholding forgiveness? Turn back to God.
Beloved, God’s Word and His way is better than anything in this world. Do not become futile or empty in your thinking, but rather Be Grateful for God. He is our ever present Help in time of need. He will never leave you or forsake you. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore. No matter what you are going through, what struggle, what pain, do not complain, but be grateful for God.
Be Grateful for Hope.
The second thing we can always be grateful for is Hope. As with giving thanks, hope is often expressed in our culture. Our culture loves to use the word hope. But most often when they use the word, it is not grounded in truth. We hear things like, “I hope things will get better for you or just have hope that your relationship will improve.” They are well intentioned statements, but they are not grounded in anything. We want a hope that is grounded in God. I know that many you have heard the saying, “You are so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” According to the Scriptures, being consumed with a heavenly hope actually affects how we live in the here and now. Look at the end of v.3 of our text, “when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints---the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” The hope that is stored up for us in heaven is referring to the eternal salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.
Look at what Paul says about the Colossians, “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.—the faith and hope that springs from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.” The love that was expressed to the saints was not in spite of their focus on heaven, but because of their focus on their heavenly home. Our problem is not that we are so heavenly minded we are no earthly good, but rather we are so earthly minded we are no earthly good. The Colossians were so heavenly minded that they were full of earthly good so much so that Paul heard about their love expressed in acts of good deeds and grace to all the saints.
As Christians, we live in and with hope in our heavenly home. No matter how bad things get in our lives, we know that we have a heavenly home. Listen to Romans 5:3-5:
And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
We can rejoice and be thankful in all circumstances because we know that our sufferings will produce hope in us. Suffering can never take away our hope, but actually helps to produce it. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. He died and rose again.
I think that a lot of the reasons that we complain is that we are so focused on earthly happiness that we forget about the living hope we have in Jesus Christ. Christian, is your life hard? Absolutely. Are our struggles real? Amen. But remember this; the greatest problem that you have ever known has been solved in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will no longer be punished for your sins. You will never be put to shame. You are forgiven. Your debt has been paid. The Bible says you are raised with Christ and a co-heir to the kingdom of heaven. I do not want to minimize your problems, but I want to maximize the hope that you have in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us not put hope in our earthly circumstances, but rather let us be grateful for the Hope that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christian, Jesus Christ has given us a living hope. We have a hope that is unfading, imperishable and undefiled. The only hope that will last is the hope held out in the gospel. 1 Peter 1:3-5, “3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [4]” Be thankful this Thanksgiving season, but let us not be thankful like our world. Our world rejoices in the gift rather than in the Giver of life. Our hope is not grounded in this world. Church, where are you placing your hope? Our world is full of false hopes. Do not be deceived by false hope. Our hope is a living and true hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Non-Christian, where are you placing your hope? Financial security? A spouse? your family? Will your hope stand if it is tested? If you could lose it, then it is a false hope and not built on a sure foundation. Can I challenge you this morning, to consider building your hope on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness? Jesus is the only true hope in this world. His hope is the only hope that you cannot lose and that will last forever. If you want to know more about this hope, you will have a chance to come forward following this message or ask someone seated around. I am sure they would love to talk with you about the hope they have in Jesus Christ.
Be Grateful for Growth
Lastly, let us look at our last reason to be grateful from this passage: Be Grateful for Growth. Look at verse 6. “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.” Paul did not start the church at Colossae. It was most likely started by someone from Colossae named, Epaphras. It is reasoned to believe that he traveled to Ephesus heard the gospel while Paul was there and then came back to his hometown to share the message. He was a faithful minister on behalf of Paul because he was a faithful to the gospel.
Epaphras ministry among the Colossians proves that we can be grateful for growth. Paul writes that the gospel is “bearing fruit and growing, just it has been among doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in truth.” It is important to see that the verbs bearing and growing are present participles which mean ongoing continuous actions. The gospel just does not grow once in a seed of faith, but continues to grow and bear fruit. Once the Colossians heard and believed the gospel they were planted on a continuous growing trajectory towards Christ. This growth is seen both inwardly in their own lives and outwardly in others responding to this gospel message. Isn’t it comforting that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing? I love this because this verse shows me that if we continue to proclaim this gospel message in truth that growth is going to happen. Growth is of God. Our job is to be faithful to proclaim truth and it is God’s job to cause growth.
Look back at v. 6, growth was not something that was just happening in the Colossians, but all over the world. The same experience that the gospel had in Colossae was happening all over the world. Remember that this is an epistle written by the Apostle Paul. Paul had a missionary heart. We wanted churches to look beyond their gathering to the lost world. Listen to Paul’s heart in Romans 15:20-21, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Paul wanted to the Colossians to remember that the hope held out in the gospel is for the whole world. I think that Paul is gently reminding the church that growth is not only for their church. The growth in the gospel is for the whole world.
So church, what happens in our gatherings, is also happening on the plains of Africa, in the caves of Pakistan, on the shores of India. We are part of something much larger than ourselves. We are able to participate in a gospel that is bearing fruit and growing. What a great God that allows us to participate in his mission of growth!!
Would you rejoice if growth came to Park Baptist? Would you be happy if growth came to Calvary? What about Northside? Or Eastside? Would we be happy if the growth that comes is different than our expectations? What if the growth came from people that looked different than us? If growth is God’s, we have to rejoice in how God wants to grow his church and build his kingdom. We cannot be churches that complain about the growth that God gives, but rather we must be churches that rejoice in any growth that comes from God and His gospel of truth!! That is why at Park, we pray publicly for Pastor Reggie and his faithfulness to God’s Word. We want Calvary to grow, because we want God’s Kingdom to grow. I pray you at Calvary will pray for us.
Beloved, we need to take a long look at our hearts. We need to have hearts that are more about the Kingdom of God than our own churches. So let us be faithful to present the gospel in truth and rejoice in any and all growth, where ever it comes; for all growth comes through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also must remove our blinders. We must realize how our complaining affects our mission. If our churches are full of complaining, we will not effectively hold out the word of life. Our complaining affects people’s ability to hear our message. But the opposite is true. A grateful church will be better at making others grateful in God. Our gratefulness, not a temporary Holiday induced gratefulness, but true heartfelt continual grateful will help to open people’s ears to the gospel. A grateful church will call the bitter and the angry to be grateful in God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
So beloved, will you be grateful? Will you be grateful for God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Will you be grateful for the eternal hope offered in Christ Jesus? Will you be grateful for the growth that God gives? Let us throw aside sinful complaining rooted in pride and let us be grateful for all that God has given us in Christ Jesus.
There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house. They were happy and contented because they shared all the work. The rabbit cooked the meals. The chicken carried in the firewood. The mouse brought the water from the nearby brook. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly.
But one day while the hen was going to the forest for wood a busybody crow asked her what she was doing. When told, the crow complained that the hen was doing the hardest part of the work and that the rabbit and mouse were making an easy-mark of her. Try as she would, the thought kept rankling in the hen’s mind, and when she returned home with her load of wood and her still heavier load of discontent, she cackled: “I do the hardest work ever. We ought to change our jobs.”
Discontent spreads, as you know, and immediately the rabbit and mouse also thought they had been doing the hardest work. They agreed to change jobs: the mouse would cook, the rabbit would gather the firewood, the hen would bring the water.
As the rabbit hopped into the woods, a big fox trailed him, caught him, and ate him. The chicken put the pail into the creek, but the current pulled the pail down under, and the chicken with it. The mouse wondered why they did not come back, but not for long. While he was sitting on the edge of the big pot of soup, he lost his balance and fell in. Through discontent all three not only lost their happiness but their very lives. [1]
Complaining has become a stable in our fallen world. If you turn on the TV and listen, you will hear a lot of complaining. Our culture is plagued by complaining. And unfortunately, that complaining and discontentment continues to seep into our churches and homes. If we are not careful, we may not lose only our happiness, but our very lives.
Complaining, at its root, is an issue of pride. We believe our way of doing something or our way of thinking is just better than someone or something else. And because it is better, now it is my right to state my opinion or I am entitled to complain. Wasn’t this what we saw in the Garden of Eden? Satan was able to make Eve believe that God was withholding something from her. Genesis 3:4, “4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” She wanted to be like God, knowing good and evil. She believed her way was better than God’s. In her heart, she was complaining about God’s way.
The Bible says in Philippians 2:14 and following, “Do everything without arguing and complaining so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” Complaining and arguing is destroying fellowship and unity in our churches and in our homes. Instead of being blameless and pure children of God without fault in this depraved generation as we hold out the word of life, we become guilty and defiled along with this depraved generation. And without being separate from the world, we are not holding out the word of life which brings salvation. Complaining and arguing are no small sins for it keeps us from completing God’s mission. If we are going to reach the world, we must be different from the World. Christians must speak with grace and purity without arguing and complaining. For if we are full of complaining (proof of worldly discontent), Paul says he labored in vain. Paul wanted to boast on the Day of Christ that his labor produced God-fearing Christians who lived to reach a corrupt world with the gospel. He did not want to labor in vain as the people were corrupted by the world. The church will either purify the culture with gospel living, or the culture will corrupt the church. If our churches are full of complaining, we have lost sight of our mission and we have been corrupted by the world.
We are called to do everything without arguing and complaining, how do we do that? Well I think this evening text gives us the solution. If you want to be faithful to God and honor the Holy Scriptures by doing everything without arguing and complaining here is what you need to do: Be Grateful. We need to be a grateful and thankful people. We are going to look at three things, this evening, that no matter what you have going on in your life, no matter what you think you have the right to complain about, that you can always be grateful for. Ready for the three things: We Need to be Grateful for God, for Hope and for Growth.
Grateful for God
Look back at v.3 Paul starts his letter, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s view of the church at Colossae is informed by his Theology, his view of who God is and what God is doing. Many in our culture will stop this week and thank God for their blessings. And many of those same people will forget God the following morning as they are fighting for the best black Friday deals. Beloved, God is not pleased when his children give thanks to Him in the same way as world does. We do not want to thank God tritely and sporadically but joyfully and regularly thank Him for who He is and What He has done. And Paul does that here. He thanks God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has revealed himself specifically in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We do not just worship and thank God; we worship and thank God for how He has revealed himself in the Bible. We need to have informed opinion about God.
The Holy Spirit reveals through Paul, that we pray and give thanks to God the Father, through Jesus Christ. The only way we can get to God is through Jesus Christ. Paul calls Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word for Lord, kurios, is filled with meaning. It is referring to his divinity and kingship. Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is equal with God. Listen to 2 Corinthians 8:5-6, “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. [2]Paul is showing that there is no conflict in Jewish Monotheism and Jesus Christ being Lord.[i] We worship a Trinitarian God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We should be grateful for this Trinitarian God. For only in the Trinity can we have salvation and life. God the Son offers His life to the God the Father on our behalf and we are regenerated by God the Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in our salvation. So when we give thanks to God, we are giving thanks to God the Father, through God the Son, and in the power of God the Spirit.
But is giving thanks or being grateful to God really that important? Will that actually change my life? Listen to Romans 1:21-23,
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. [3]
When we do not give thanks to God, we become empty and foolish. We exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. How does this work? So remember how I said that complaining is a form of pride. We complain because we feel our opinion is better than someone else’s. Do you ever complain about God? Do you ever believe that your way of doing something is better than God’s? Every time you sin and disobey God’s Word, what you are saying is that you know better than God. You do not give thanks to Him and honor His good, pleasing, and perfect Word, but rather you exchange the truth about God for a lie and chose to worship the creation, yourself, rather than Creator. For example, God says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses; neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” But there are times when we do not forgive others when the trespasses against us. We say things like, “but you do not know what they have done to me or I can never forgive her for what she did to me or my God would never make me forgive them after that.” By choosing not to forgive you are going against God’s Word and replacing His Perfect Word with your own. Are you holding a grudge against someone this morning? Are you withholding forgiveness? Turn back to God.
Beloved, God’s Word and His way is better than anything in this world. Do not become futile or empty in your thinking, but rather Be Grateful for God. He is our ever present Help in time of need. He will never leave you or forsake you. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore. No matter what you are going through, what struggle, what pain, do not complain, but be grateful for God.
Be Grateful for Hope.
The second thing we can always be grateful for is Hope. As with giving thanks, hope is often expressed in our culture. Our culture loves to use the word hope. But most often when they use the word, it is not grounded in truth. We hear things like, “I hope things will get better for you or just have hope that your relationship will improve.” They are well intentioned statements, but they are not grounded in anything. We want a hope that is grounded in God. I know that many you have heard the saying, “You are so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” According to the Scriptures, being consumed with a heavenly hope actually affects how we live in the here and now. Look at the end of v.3 of our text, “when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints---the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” The hope that is stored up for us in heaven is referring to the eternal salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.
Look at what Paul says about the Colossians, “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.—the faith and hope that springs from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.” The love that was expressed to the saints was not in spite of their focus on heaven, but because of their focus on their heavenly home. Our problem is not that we are so heavenly minded we are no earthly good, but rather we are so earthly minded we are no earthly good. The Colossians were so heavenly minded that they were full of earthly good so much so that Paul heard about their love expressed in acts of good deeds and grace to all the saints.
As Christians, we live in and with hope in our heavenly home. No matter how bad things get in our lives, we know that we have a heavenly home. Listen to Romans 5:3-5:
And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
We can rejoice and be thankful in all circumstances because we know that our sufferings will produce hope in us. Suffering can never take away our hope, but actually helps to produce it. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. He died and rose again.
I think that a lot of the reasons that we complain is that we are so focused on earthly happiness that we forget about the living hope we have in Jesus Christ. Christian, is your life hard? Absolutely. Are our struggles real? Amen. But remember this; the greatest problem that you have ever known has been solved in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will no longer be punished for your sins. You will never be put to shame. You are forgiven. Your debt has been paid. The Bible says you are raised with Christ and a co-heir to the kingdom of heaven. I do not want to minimize your problems, but I want to maximize the hope that you have in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us not put hope in our earthly circumstances, but rather let us be grateful for the Hope that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christian, Jesus Christ has given us a living hope. We have a hope that is unfading, imperishable and undefiled. The only hope that will last is the hope held out in the gospel. 1 Peter 1:3-5, “3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [4]” Be thankful this Thanksgiving season, but let us not be thankful like our world. Our world rejoices in the gift rather than in the Giver of life. Our hope is not grounded in this world. Church, where are you placing your hope? Our world is full of false hopes. Do not be deceived by false hope. Our hope is a living and true hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Non-Christian, where are you placing your hope? Financial security? A spouse? your family? Will your hope stand if it is tested? If you could lose it, then it is a false hope and not built on a sure foundation. Can I challenge you this morning, to consider building your hope on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness? Jesus is the only true hope in this world. His hope is the only hope that you cannot lose and that will last forever. If you want to know more about this hope, you will have a chance to come forward following this message or ask someone seated around. I am sure they would love to talk with you about the hope they have in Jesus Christ.
Be Grateful for Growth
Lastly, let us look at our last reason to be grateful from this passage: Be Grateful for Growth. Look at verse 6. “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.” Paul did not start the church at Colossae. It was most likely started by someone from Colossae named, Epaphras. It is reasoned to believe that he traveled to Ephesus heard the gospel while Paul was there and then came back to his hometown to share the message. He was a faithful minister on behalf of Paul because he was a faithful to the gospel.
Epaphras ministry among the Colossians proves that we can be grateful for growth. Paul writes that the gospel is “bearing fruit and growing, just it has been among doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in truth.” It is important to see that the verbs bearing and growing are present participles which mean ongoing continuous actions. The gospel just does not grow once in a seed of faith, but continues to grow and bear fruit. Once the Colossians heard and believed the gospel they were planted on a continuous growing trajectory towards Christ. This growth is seen both inwardly in their own lives and outwardly in others responding to this gospel message. Isn’t it comforting that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing? I love this because this verse shows me that if we continue to proclaim this gospel message in truth that growth is going to happen. Growth is of God. Our job is to be faithful to proclaim truth and it is God’s job to cause growth.
Look back at v. 6, growth was not something that was just happening in the Colossians, but all over the world. The same experience that the gospel had in Colossae was happening all over the world. Remember that this is an epistle written by the Apostle Paul. Paul had a missionary heart. We wanted churches to look beyond their gathering to the lost world. Listen to Paul’s heart in Romans 15:20-21, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Paul wanted to the Colossians to remember that the hope held out in the gospel is for the whole world. I think that Paul is gently reminding the church that growth is not only for their church. The growth in the gospel is for the whole world.
So church, what happens in our gatherings, is also happening on the plains of Africa, in the caves of Pakistan, on the shores of India. We are part of something much larger than ourselves. We are able to participate in a gospel that is bearing fruit and growing. What a great God that allows us to participate in his mission of growth!!
Would you rejoice if growth came to Park Baptist? Would you be happy if growth came to Calvary? What about Northside? Or Eastside? Would we be happy if the growth that comes is different than our expectations? What if the growth came from people that looked different than us? If growth is God’s, we have to rejoice in how God wants to grow his church and build his kingdom. We cannot be churches that complain about the growth that God gives, but rather we must be churches that rejoice in any growth that comes from God and His gospel of truth!! That is why at Park, we pray publicly for Pastor Reggie and his faithfulness to God’s Word. We want Calvary to grow, because we want God’s Kingdom to grow. I pray you at Calvary will pray for us.
Beloved, we need to take a long look at our hearts. We need to have hearts that are more about the Kingdom of God than our own churches. So let us be faithful to present the gospel in truth and rejoice in any and all growth, where ever it comes; for all growth comes through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also must remove our blinders. We must realize how our complaining affects our mission. If our churches are full of complaining, we will not effectively hold out the word of life. Our complaining affects people’s ability to hear our message. But the opposite is true. A grateful church will be better at making others grateful in God. Our gratefulness, not a temporary Holiday induced gratefulness, but true heartfelt continual grateful will help to open people’s ears to the gospel. A grateful church will call the bitter and the angry to be grateful in God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
So beloved, will you be grateful? Will you be grateful for God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Will you be grateful for the eternal hope offered in Christ Jesus? Will you be grateful for the growth that God gives? Let us throw aside sinful complaining rooted in pride and let us be grateful for all that God has given us in Christ Jesus.
[1] Tan,
P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700
Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001 (1 Co 8:5–6). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001 (Ro 1:25). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001 (1 Pe 1:3–5). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
“16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Dear Beloved,
It is the time of year where our country stops from the busyness of life to gives thanks for all their many blessings. People all over our land will gather around tables and share with each other what they are thankful for in their lives. This is good thing. I pray that many of you will be counted among the many that rejoice in thanksgiving to God for all that He has given us.
Although Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to give thanks, we must use it as a reminder that we are to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. Our country stops for one day to give thanks for their blessings, but as Christians we are called to never stop giving thanks for our blessings. Even more, we are called to give thanks not only in our blessings, but in our trials. James 1:2-4 says, “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
As Christians we must use this Thanksgiving season to remind us that God wants us to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all circumstances. We must go beyond the thanksgiving of our world, because our hope goes beyond this world. Romans 5:3-5 shows us that our sufferings eventually lead to hope; a hope that does not disappoint us because God has poured into our hearts the Holy Spirit. We give thanks in all circumstances because we know that God will use all our circumstances for our good.
Beloved, I know that many of you face trials this season. Although you are facing trials, give thanks because your trials are leading you to glorious hope (Romans 5:3-5). So let us give thanks this season, not as our world give thanks, only in blessings, but in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Never the Same
Great video below. Click on the link. It is worth 15 minutes!! May the name of our Great God be praised among all the nations!!!!
Never the Same
Never the Same
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One
“2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1
Beloved,
I love this verse for many reasons. First, you can see the heart of a pastor. John, the elder apostle, refers to the people as his dear children. John viewed himself as a spiritual father to the church. The church should be a place steeped in the affection and love seen in a healthy family. Secondly, John cares about the purity of the church. Our goal should always be to obey God in everything. We should never be satisfied with anything less than full obedience to our Great and Mighty Savior. God is worthy of our complete obedience. Therefore, our goal should be nothing less. “15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).”
Finally, I love this blessed thought; we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. We will always need someone speaking to the Father on our behalf. We have been redeemed and justified, but we will continue to sin. And when we fall into sin, Jesus speaks up for us. He tells the Father that our sin is forgiven because though he was righteous, he died as a sinner to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. He lived a righteous, perfect, and holy life. And now through faith, HIS righteousness life becomes OUR righteousness life. What a great God we serve!!!
Beloved, I pray you strive for holiness and full obedience. And I pray that when you fall short, you know that one speaks to the Father in your defense: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Beloved,
I love this verse for many reasons. First, you can see the heart of a pastor. John, the elder apostle, refers to the people as his dear children. John viewed himself as a spiritual father to the church. The church should be a place steeped in the affection and love seen in a healthy family. Secondly, John cares about the purity of the church. Our goal should always be to obey God in everything. We should never be satisfied with anything less than full obedience to our Great and Mighty Savior. God is worthy of our complete obedience. Therefore, our goal should be nothing less. “15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).”
Finally, I love this blessed thought; we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. We will always need someone speaking to the Father on our behalf. We have been redeemed and justified, but we will continue to sin. And when we fall into sin, Jesus speaks up for us. He tells the Father that our sin is forgiven because though he was righteous, he died as a sinner to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. He lived a righteous, perfect, and holy life. And now through faith, HIS righteousness life becomes OUR righteousness life. What a great God we serve!!!
Beloved, I pray you strive for holiness and full obedience. And I pray that when you fall short, you know that one speaks to the Father in your defense: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave
Pastor Dave
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Trust in Lord
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Beloved,
In whom do you trust? I know that many of you are discouraged with the results of last night’s election. It can be deflating and discouraging when your candidate is not elected. But can I encourage you to trust in the Lord. Do not trust in a political party. Do not trust in the government. Do not trust in a particular candidate. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
God was not surprised with last night’s election results. He is still on the throne and still reigns over all. We may not understand why the election happened as it did, but we do not lean on our own understanding. Our job is to trust the Lord and in all our ways to acknowledge him, and he will make our path straights. We can honor and trust the Lord under any president or any government. Let us be steadfast in our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have an opportunity to show the world around us that our ultimate hope in Jesus Christ and not politics. Remember the words of Peter, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:16-17). We are to live as servants of God, thus we must show proper respect to everyone which includes our president. Beloved, fear God and honor our president.
We must not compromise our biblical values. So respectfully, we must continue to fight for the unborn and for a biblical understanding of marriage. Hold fast to truth, but do it with all gentleness and respect so that, “those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:16-18).”
So be respectful and be willing to suffer what is good. And trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave
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