Handling the Sin of Others

“If you brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained a brother.” Matthew 18:15


Beloved,

I hate sin. I hate how my sin hurts others. God made us to live in community. The design was to live in a perfect community in perfect fellowship with Him and our fellow man. This picture of perfect community living in perfect fellowship with God and others is the destination of all Christians as we press on towards the goal of the heavenly call of Christ Jesus. But we still live in the flesh until the Lord returns or He calls us home. So as a people, we still must deal with sin and in particular our own sin and the sin of brothers and sisters against us. We cannot allow sin to fester and grow into bitterness and anger.


Jesus says that, “If a brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault.” This is very simple and sound advice. No one likes to be confronted in their sin, but when we are it is a gift from God. I sinned against someone in the church this past week and the dear saint came and told me my fault. It was the Bible coming to life. I was so grateful for this person to make me aware of my sin. It was a blessing to me. Knowing your sin hurts someone is an awful feeling, but when the offended person handles it biblically and works for restoration, God takes it and brings good out of it.


Can I ask a personal favor? If something that I have said or done hurts you, walk in the words of Jesus Christ and come and tell me my fault. If something that someone else does or says hurts you, walk in the words of Jesus Christ and go and tell them their fault. It takes courage to speak up, but a deeper and closer relationship is waiting on the other end. For look at the second half of the verse, “If he listens to you, you have gained a brother.” There are two responsibilities that God gives in this verse. One is to the offended party: go and tell him his fault. The second is to the offending party: listen to them. Listening to one you offended takes humility and is a sign of wisdom. Proverbs 9:8, “Reprove a wise man and he will love you.”

Praise God for Jesus’ simple and sound advice in how to work for peace in His body, the church. The challenge of his words is not in their complexity, but in obeying them. Let us walk in obedience to the words of Jesus.

In Christ,

Pastor Dave

Guard Your Soul (Luke 10:38-42)

       

I have a love/hate relationship with my cell phone. It always amazed me how much this small device can do. This device is my navigation tool. I no longer need a map in my car because my phone is a GPS device. I can send an email, a text message, a tweet, or a Facebook post that can reach all the way to Africa from the comfort of my living room. I no longer have to wonder if the Krispy Kreme donuts are Hot and Ready because there is an app for that. I can get the score of every sporting event in the known world in a matter of minutes. And I even can make phone calls from my cell phone. I love my cell phone. But I also hate my cell phone. I hate my cell phone because I am addicting to my cell phone. Every time my phone buzzes or beeps, I am addicted to find out who or what is trying to contact me. Usually only to find that some company that I don’t really care about is having a sale that I don’t really care about, but it could have been something that I really should care about. I hate my cell phone because I distract from paying attention to my wife and my children. I find myself occasionally sitting in my living room or at the dinner table staring at the screen instead of staring at my family. Even if my phone is in another room, but I here that I have a text message, my mind is immediately distracted from my current conversation to wondering who is texting me and what do they want. There are even times when I imagine hearing my cell phone ring. My soul has become incredibly cluttered because of my lack of discipline and self-control with a cell phone. I love and hate my cell phone.

For all the blessings of technology, it has created a culture of anxious and stressed individuals. In an article in the Herald this week, regarding this over anxious culture, Psychologist Francine Toder refers to this anxiety to the “always on” syndrome. She has seen patients who are already “overwhelmed by life, and now their problems become much more complicated by all these new devices and nonstop data coming at them.”[1] Today we must protect our souls. There are obvious things we must guard our soul from, but today I want exhort to guard your soul from two things that I see in the text. Then we will look at what we are guarding our soul for. First we must guard our soul from Distractions

I. Guard Your Soul from Distractions

Verse 38, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.” Now remember back the context of this chapter. Jesus just sent out the 72 disciples and told them to enter a town and look for a person of peace. Luke 10:5, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him.” Verse 7, “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.” So Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. She was a person of peace who graciously opened her home to Jesus and his disciples. And in opening her home, she was now responsible to provide food for Jesus and 12 hungry men. It is easy to give Martha a hard time in this text, but we cannot lose sight of how gracious and hospitable she is to bring these men into her home.

I use to teach High School in D.C. I started teaching because I wanted to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with students. I developed a relationship with a group of students and started to have a bible study at my house. And as these hungry teenage boys came into my apartment I was responsible to feed them. Let’s say these guys were happy when I met and married Ellen. It was a definite upgrade. The group grew to about 10 teenagers. And it is no small task to feed 10 hungry teenagers. And it is no small task to clean up after feeding 10 hungry teenagers. So let’s give Martha some credit. She was a gracious and hospitable woman that welcomed in Jesus into her house. I believe that she was a person of peace and wanted to show love and grace towards Jesus.

We pick up the story in verse 39, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Luke says that Martha was distracted with much serving. As we just mentioned, Martha had a lot to do. Of course she is distracted with serving. She has to feed the entire household and had to entertain house guests. The word for serving used here by Luke is the Greek word diakonian which is where we get the word deacon which is the ministry of service. Serving is a good thing. The issue in this passage is not serving, but it is the heart in the serving. Mary was distracted from the reason for her serving. She was so focused on what needed to be done that she forgot who she was serving and why she was serving. She was distracted. She was preoccupied and troubled.

She was serving, but her heart was not focused on the Lord. She was more concerned with herself. Second half of verse 40, “And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” She forgot why she was serving and who she was serving. She lost sight of the privileged place in which she stood. Instead of realizing that she “got” to serve the Lord of lords, she changed to she “had” to serve. I think the attitude from “have to” to “get to” is a huge divide and yet can be crossed in a millisecond. Martha went from welcomed Jesus into her home to questioning his love for her. Have you ever been there? Have you ever started out with joy in serving only to have your joy turn to bitterness? Notice how Martha’s bitterness is directed. Her bitterness directed at Jesus. The very person she wanted to welcome and honor. So Martha’s bitterness affected her vertical relationship with God, but also her horizontal relationship with her sister. Martha was serving and Mary was sitting. Can you hear the disgust in her tone? How incensed she was at sister? “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

Do you see how dangerous serving the Lord with the wrong heart can be? It affects your relationship with God and your relationships with your closest family and friends. Beloved, we must be on guard because it is subtle and dangerous and for it shows itself in so many ways. Be on guard you who are a regular tither against your bitterness towards those who may not give. It is a privilege to give your money to God. Be on guard you who serve in a ministry in the church against your bitterness towards those who are less active. Be on guard you who serve God in any way against your bitterness towards those who do not serve God like you. Guard your Soul from Distractions.

II. Guard Your Soul from Demands

There are many demands in our age for there are many demands in every age. One of the reasons our souls can become distracted and then embittered is simply because you are too busy. Listen again to verse 40 and following, “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Many of our souls are distracted, anxious and troubled because we have too many things going on. Can you relate to Martha? Have you ever felt overwhelmed and anxious with all the things you have on your plate? Have you ever felt too busy? So we have to ask ourselves, why are we so busy?

Pastor Kevin DeYoung recently wrote a book, “Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. He writes in his book that he believes that one of the reasons people are crazy busy is because they demand more of themselves than God does. We expect more out of ourselves than God expects of us. The good news of Jesus Christ says the demands against us have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sin and under the wrath of God. We could not meet those demands so God sent His Jesus Christ to meet the demands for us.

Friend, if you are here and you are not a follower of Jesus, let me tell you that Christianity is not a list of demands we must meet to please God, but it is the opposite. It is a list demands that has already been met in Christ so we no longer have to work at a frantic pace to be accepted, but simply to trust and believe in Jesus Christ. The only way we are accepted by God is through His Son, through the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. Friend, consider this good news, consider how God has met the righteous demands of the law in Jesus Christ. He has done this for all who would turn from their sin and trust Him as Lord and Savior. God does not give us a list of demands, God gives us Himself. What a great God!!

And yet, we often revert back to our old ways of trying to win God’s approval. We think the more we do, the healthier we are spiritually. Pastor John Ortberg writes:

Not long after moving to Chicago, I called a wise friend to ask for some spiritual direction. I described the pace of life in my current ministry. The church where I serve tends to move at a fast clip. I also told him about our rhythms of family life: we are in the van-driving, soccer-league, piano-lesson, school-orientation-night years. I told him about the present condition of my heart, as best I could discern it. What did I need to do, I asked him, to be spiritually healthy?

Long pause.

"You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life," he said at last.

Another long pause.

"Okay, I've written that one down," I told him, a little impatiently. "That's a good one. Now, what else is there?" I had many things to do, and this was a long-distance call, so I was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least amount of time possible.

Another long pause.

"There is nothing else," he said. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

I've concluded that my life and the well-being of the people I serve depends on following prescription, for hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls.[2]

So what makes us so hurried and busy? Analyze your schedule with the killer P’s. How much of your schedule grow out of the root of Pride?

People Pleasing – do you say yes to certain activities in an effort to please others around you? How much does the opinion of others affect your life? Guard your Soul from Demands Pleasing People.

Proving Yourself- Do you keep a certain pace of life to prove yourself to friends or family? How much of your activity is driven to prove yourself to that one person who seems to constantly disapproving? Guard your Soul from the Demands of Proving Yourself

Possessions – How much of your life is driven in the accumulation of possessions? A bigger house, a nicer car, etc. Guard your Soul from the Demands of Possessions.

There are more P’s to consider: poor planning, perfectionism, etc., but those are a good place to start. We must guard our souls from Demands if we are going to keep our souls for ultimate joy.


III. Guard Your Soul for Delight

The reason we must guard our souls is that we want ultimate joy. God knows what is best for us. We try to fill out schedule and our lives with activities and things that will bring us joy, but the best thing for us is right in front of us. Verse 39, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” And verse 41, “But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” While Martha went from welcoming the Lord to questioning the Lord while Mary chose the good portion. There are many things that are good in this life, but one thing is necessary. Jesus Christ and His Word is the one thing that is necessary.

So if you want true delight that can never be taken from you, you must choose the good portion. This is what David says in Psalm 16, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Do not miss this. There is a reason God is called the good portion. V. 42, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” God is the only thing that can never be taken from you. Money won’t last. Reputations won’t last. Your body won’t last. This earth won’t last. But your soul will last. You soul will last forever. But the only way your soul will find true delight is if you have that which cannot be taken from you. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says that God dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing us that God will never leave. Listen to Romans 8:37-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Mary chose the good portion. She chose to sit at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. Women were not allowed to sit at a Rabbi’s feet for instruction. Mary was breaking social norms by taking the initiative to go and sit at Jesus’ feet. The word used to describe Mary’s action even implies her initiative. Mary chose to feed on the Word of the Lord than other food that will not satisfy. Mary understands Moses words in Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word1 that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

This story is a great object lesson of the importance of a Christian disciple to rightly order one’s life around the Word of God. The Word of God is the food that truly satisfies and that will never be taken away. Listen to Psalm 119:57-64:

“The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think of my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statues!”

Beloved, we must guard our soul for true delight in guarding our time for the Word of God. Let me make three applications before I close.

First, you must order your daily life to ensure that you have time to sit and meditate on the Word of the Lord. Feeding on the Word of God is more important than food. Even when I am crazy busy I always make time to eat. The same must be said of our desire to feed on God’s Word. So if you are not regularly spending time in the Word, you have to reorder your priorities. You must cut things out of your life to ensure you do not neglect God’s Word.

Secondly, you should not only feed on the Word alone, but also with others. In our frantic pace, relationships suffer. One of the things we have instilled in our home is eating our family meals together at the table. We want to slow down and sit enjoy fellowship with one another. As we feast around the table, we also should feast on the Word together. We try to have regular family devotions every night when we spend time in the Bible together. Our family devotions suffer when our schedule gets too busy. We are too tired at the end of the night that all we want to do is go to bed. If we are not careful, what we are teaching our kids is that those others things are more important than the Word of God!! Beloved, this should not be.

Lastly, you should feed on the Word with the church. One thing that is primary for the Christian is the regular hearing of God’s Word. God commands pastors to preach the Word of God to the people of God for the glory of God. My primary role as a pastor is the preaching of the Word of God. There are many other good things that I can spend my time on throughout the week, but my job is stand up three times a week and feed you with God’s Word. This is why as long as I am your pastor I will preach God’s Word to you. This is what you need. You need God’s Word!! There are a lot of good things we can do as a church, but one thing is necessary. We do not want to be distracted from the best thing. The best thing a church can do is to preach the Word of God. The best thing you can do for your church is to hear the Word of God. This is how God has designed for your soul to be nurtured and cherished. God knows what you need more than you know what you need. Guard your soul for Delight, by guarding your soul to hear and obey God’s Holy Word. (Side note: if you have family or friends that attend churches that do not teach the Bible, encourage them to find another church. There are many good churches in this city that preach the Bible. Help them find one for the sake of their own souls).

Beloved, Martha was a gracious and hospitable woman that became distracted and anxious with much serving. Mary chose the good portion in delighting on the words of our Lord. Are you distracted or have you chosen the good portion?


[1] http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/10/16/5303958/tech-stress-builds-with-proliferation.html accessed on 10.17.13


[2] http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/august/13764.html accessed on 10.19.2013

Love Can Change a Nation - Luke 10:25-37

Our Federal Government has been officially shutdown for 12 days. Regardless of what side of the political

aisle you fall, it is pretty clear that our country is extremely frustrated with the lack of cooperation and the lack of effectiveness of our government. We have fought in recent years to further democracy around the world. And now, we are showing the world a dysfunctional democracy. Or are we? I believe that the government shutdown is showing not the fruit of a dysfunctional democracy, but rather a dysfunctional society. Politicians will always bend to the will of the people. And what we see in Washington is the fruit of a country that has turned its back on God. If we want to change Washington, then we must change the people.

Noah Webster, who has been called the “Father of American Scholarship and Education,” was an avid political writer and became one of the prominent spokesman for American Democracy in our early years as a nation. Listen to how important he believed the Christian faith was to the success of American Democracy, “The Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government…and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exists and be durable in which the principles of that (Christian) religion have not a controlling influence.” He says in essence that an American Republic government will not last without the principles of the Christian faith. I would concur with Webster on the importance of the principles of the Christian faith for the longevity of the American Republic.

America has turned its back on God. The nation has changed a lot over the last few decades. A nation that was once founded on Christian principles has turned to a nation that ridicules Christian principles. Our nation has turned away from God. And when our nation started to turn, the church became silent. They removed themselves from the public square to preserve their heritage. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in Christians entering the public square (even in the face of persecution). Christians should enter the public square and should serve in public offices. The church is often derided and characterized as only speaking against things. People say the church should speak what they are for rather than what they are against. But in speaking for something, in many cases it is speaking against something else.

Christian should speak to the issues of the day, because we believe that the Christian faith is not only right, but will maximize human flourishing. This is what Noah Webster was saying. A civil government will flourish with Christian principles at its root, but if you remove Christian values, you damage society. So how can Christians help change this dysfunctional society? How can we change this nation? I pray this morning that I will give you 3 simple yet profound truths that if we get a hold of will make a dramatic impact on our city and eventually our nation. These first truths are connected so let’s give them both together:

I. Love God and Love Others.

Verse 25, “And Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test. His motivation was not to truly listen to Jesus, but to challenge him. He asks a great question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a great question to ask.

The Mayan Calendar has caused many to believe in the end of the world. So on December 21, 2012, the Mayan Calendar was reaching a 5, 126 year-long cycle, many believe that it was a sign of the end of the world. Now most people dismiss the thought that the world is going to end, but the conversation does press the question, “What is next? Is there anything after? What will happen when I die? Or…What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Have you ever asked that question?

Jesus responds with a question, which he often does in the Scriptures. “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” Jesus knows the heart of this lawyer that his intent was to test him, but to you see that Jesus is the one that puts him to the test. The same is true today. Many people test the claims of Jesus, when Jesus is the one who tests the hearts of men and women. So the lawyer, answers the question from the law in quoting one of the most well-known passages in all of Scriptures for the Jewish people. It is found in Deuteronomy 6. Please turn there with me.

Deut 6:4-6, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

This was known as the Shema. One of the most important teachings for the Israelites, but look at the context in which this is said. The Jews are about to enter into the promise land. They are about to establish a nation.

Deut 6:1-3, “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.



Notice this God’s way to establish a nation is to tell the people to fear Him and love Him. And whose responsibility is it to make this commandment known. Fathers. The strength of a country is never in the government, but always in the family and more particularly, fathers. A nation with strong and godly fathers is a nation that will be a nation after the Lord’s own heart. A church with godly fathers is a church full of love. Strong fathers makes a strong church and a strong nation. This is why it says down in verse 7, “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” Fathers must pass this to the next generation.

Now jump back to Luke 10. Jesus said that the lawyer answers well. He probably had been taught the Shema by this father and knew the principles of the law. But we know the purpose of the law is to expose sin. Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” And Romans 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.” The Law came to expose sin. Stay with me. You will see how this lawyer is the one being put to the test.

The lawyer said, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life? And the lawyer answered his own question, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says do this and you shall live. So one can inherit eternal life if one loves the Lord with all that they have and loves their neighbors as themselves. Have you done that? Have you loved the Lord with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength and with all your soul? NO. Therefore you are disqualified from eternal life. Your sin, in not loving God with everything, disqualifies you from inheriting eternal life. And if we do not have eternal life, we have eternal death. So has any human being ever done this? Has any human being perfectly loved God? Yes.

God knew that we were disqualified from our inheritance because of our sin. There was nothing we could do to inherit eternal life so God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to inherit eternal life for us. Jesus is the only one who has ever lived that has perfectly loved God with all his heart and all his soul and all his strength and all his mind. Therefore, Jesus is the only one who has inherited eternal life. But Jesus came to share that inheritance with us.

Listen to 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Paul pray for the church in Ephesus that, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” (Ephesians 1:17-18).

How different would our lives be if we realized that we cannot do anything to inherit eternal life, but eternal life has already been inherited for us?

Fred Craddock, while lecturing at Yale University told of going back one summer to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to take a short vacation with his wife. One night they found a quiet little restaurant where they looked forward to a private meal - just the two of them. While they were waiting for their meal they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting guests. Craddock whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn’t come over here." He didn’t want the man to intrude on their privacy. But the man did come by his table.

"Where you folks from?" he asked amicably. "Oklahoma." "Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there. What do you do for a living?” "I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University." "Oh, so you teach preachers, do you. Well, I’ve got a story I want to tell you." And with that he pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.

Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly: Oh no, here comes another preacher story. It seems everyone has one. The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply.

"What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was. "When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me.

"Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ I felt the old weight come on me. It was like a big black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. "Wait a minute," he said, "I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God."

With that he slapped me across the rump and said, "Boy you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it." The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, "That was the most important single sentence ever said to me." With that he smiled, shook the hands of Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends.

Suddenly, Fred Craddock remembered. On two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate son to be their governor. One of them was Ben Hooper...a man with a great inheritance. And so it is with you![1]


We have received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Ephesians 1:13-14, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”



II. Love Others and Love Mercy

The lawyer had the right answer, but he still doesn’t get it. He is staying right at the one who will inherit eternal life for all who believe in him, but he just doesn’t see it. Verse 29, “But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” It is curious why he would ask this question. One thing jump out at me. He wants to justify himself or prove himself right. First, he must assume that he has met the first commandment to love the Lord. In seeking to justify himself he immediately jumps to the second commandment. He also could have felt guilty of the second commandment in not loving his neighbors and was trying to change the meaning of the commandment.

I think we can see both of this in our own lives. First, we are blind to our lack of love against God and secondly, we often try to change the meaning of the Scriptures to ease our consciences.

Jesus has a wonderful way of speaking directly to the person’s heart. He tells this lawyer what he lacks. Verse 30, Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

It is a very straight forward story. A man was on a trip and fell among robbers. He was attacked and beaten and left almost dead. This man was in need. Then Jesus shows how three different men encounter this man. The first a priest saw him and passed by to the other side of the road. Next, a Levite saw him and passed by to the other side of the road. They saw a man in need, but did not bother help.

Why? Why didn’t they help?

1. They didn’t want to help. Sometimes it is just that simple. We see someone in need, but our hearts are unaffected.

2. They had more important things to do. Maybe there were on their way to an event or a meeting and they just could not change their schedule.

3. They felt he deserved what he got. They could have saw him there and assumed that he deserved that punishment.

4. They thought someone else was going to help. They just assumed that it was a busy road and that someone else was going to come by and help.

5. They were afraid it would have cost them.- They had money, but it was earmarked for something else and did not want to spend it on some man in the street.


When you see people in need, do you ever say similar things to yourself? If you say a man there, what would you do?

Verse 33, But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

It is important that Jesus references a Samaritan here. Samaritans were half-Jewish and half Gentiles. They were outside of the people of God. Yet, it was a Samaritan that showed compassion and mercy. The point would have been very clear. Jews rejoiced in their heritage, but God rejoices in mercy.

Verse 36, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Beloved, this story should have a dramatic influence on our society. Christians should always be about mercy and compassion. We can look back at this whole section and see it really is all about mercy. God has shown mercy to us in sending his son to fulfill the law that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but inherit eternal life. We don’t deserve, but God in his mercy and compassion, saved us. THEREFORE, as we have received mercy, we must go and do likewise. Listen to me, a life of mercy and compassion to those in need should be the norm for the Christian.

So how can we show mercy?

1. Be willing to help – the Samaritan saw a man in need and his heart was stirred with compassion. Before mercy shows itself externally, it has to be in the heart.

2. Realize the importance of mercy – The Samaritan was on a journey and probably had somewhere he needed to go and things he needed to do, but he realized that mercy should trump our schedules.

3. Treat others better than they deserve- We are all sinners and deserve wrath, but God did not give us what we deserve, he gave us life. Do not treat people the way their sins deserve, treat them as God has treated you in your sins, with mercy.

4. Assume the need is your responsibility- When God gives you eyes to see a need, assume it is God telling you meet it. Christians have the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth. It is a privilege to meet the needs of others. Open your eyes to the needs around you.

5. Be willing to lose to gain – Showing mercy will cost you. It costs the Samaritan time and money. The two most precious things in our society, yet they are not more precious than mercy.


A society that lives on Christian principles is a society that is governed by mercy. If we want to change this nation, then we must be a people of mercy. And the only way mercy will reign in America? Is if people turn to the one who has showed mercy, Jesus Christ. How do you fix our dysfunctional society? Love God, Love Others. Love Mercy.

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[1] www.christianembassy.com accessed on 10.12.13

It is More Blessed to Give...

“For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” Romans 15:27

Beloved,

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Jesus always speaks the truth so we know that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This has been one of the founding principles of Christianity since the foundation of the church in the 1st century. Paul makes the statement that as the Gentiles have come to share in spiritual blessings, they also should serve in material blessings. As this was true then, it is also true today.

As a church we are not currently meeting our budget. There are several factors that have contributed to us not meeting out weekly budget, but I believe it is important to inform the congregation of our need. As the church continues to care for you spiritually, will you prayerfully consider increasing your weekly giving to meet our financial needs? Can I also encourage those who are not currently tithing to experience the blessing of obedient giving?

Old Testament Prophet Malachi says, “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions…Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal 3:8,10).” The Lord will honor those who give for it is more blessed to give than to receive, but to those who do not give, they are equated with robbing God.

Although the New Testament never explicitly says that it is the Christian’s responsibility to give 10% of their income to the Lord, Jesus affirmed the importance of tithing when he said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23, “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

We should not only tithe, but also not neglect others. God wants you to give, but also cares about how and why you give. God does not want your money, but he wants your heart. And he will use your money to get to your heart. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive because as we give we show that our treasure is in Him and not in our wealth.

Listen to 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Jesus always deepens the demands of the OT law. This can be seen in the Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard that it was said, you shall not murder and whoever murders is liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Matt 5:21-22). Jesus wants more than external obedience, he wants your heart. He wants you to cheerfully and willingly give to the Lord’s work. 

The New Testament expects you to tithe and to tithe with a joyful heart. Tithing should not be the end goal for Christian giving, but rather tithing should be the starting point. Sometimes obedience follows emotion and sometimes emotion follows obedience. We cannot be satisfied with one or the other, God wants both. He wants our obedience and our hearts. Financial giving is one of the way we can show the Lord is our true treasure. So give and give from a cheerful heart.

In Him,

Pastor Dave

To God to be the Glory

Beloved,

We will be singing the great hymn of the faith, To God Be Glory, tomorrow. It would do our hearts good to reflect on these lyrics in preparation for our corporate gathering.


1. To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

and opened the lifegate that all may go in.


This verse highlights that all glory goes to God. When you read the New Testament letters, all of the writers give God all the glory for what he does for his people. The word for glory in the New Testament occasionally refers to human honor, but predominantly is a reference to the weightiness or the worthiness of God. Ultimately, God’s glory is revealed in the salvation that he offers the world in the giving his Son. As we sing, we can join thousands of other believers, who have sung this song to God’s glory.


“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”


Jesus also gave his life as an atonement for sin. In his mercy, he did not make us pay for our sin, but took it upon himself through his death. It is through this atoning sacrifice that he makes amends for us with God and allows the lifegate to be opened for all who believe.


Psalm 78:38, “Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

Refrain:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory, great things he hath done!


This is why we can sing, “Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord.” He is most definitely praiseworthy for this great gospel. So we sing not only to his praise, but to those who are with us. We plead with them through song to come to the Father thru Jesus the Son. We are singing a gospel call to sinners. We should give him glory for the great things he hath done. Teach your children the great things he hath done so they can join in the gospel call.

2. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

to every believer the promise of God;

the vilest offender who truly believes,

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.


The redemption of God is a perfect redemption. The perfect Son of God spilled his perfect blood to purchase his church (Acts 20:28). We are part of the redeemed because we were bought with a price, the price of the blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ. So every believer from every generation receives the promise of redemption through faith. “Therefore since we have been justified by his blood, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we have access by faith into the grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:1-2).


We are not saved because of our good works, but through the blood of Christ. The vilest offender who TRULY BELIEVES will receive pardon from their sin through Christ. What a great promise!!! Your vilest and most evil sin is not able to separate you from God through the blood of Christ.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-9)

3. Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,

and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son;

but purer, and higher, and greater will be

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.


Oh what joy does the gospel bring!!! There should be great rejoicing to God thru Jesus. But our current joy is only a glimpse of the joy we will have when we see Jesus face to face.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Cor. 2:9

So before worship tomorrow, take 15 minutes and meditate on the lyrics. Listen to the link below and rejoice in the salvation we have in Christ. Teach the song to your children. God has sovereignly revealed Himself to us which should cause our hearts to sing to His glory.

Don't Be a Fool....Learn to Listen

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12, ESV)


Beloved,

I need to grow in my listening. As the old adage says, “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you should

listen twice as much as you speak.” But listening is not easy. It is hard to listen, because we naturally think our opinion is the most important one. We do not want to apply our hearts to instruction and our ears to words of knowledge, because there is a part of us that believes that we do not need to be instructed and to hear words of knowledge. Our lack of good listening skills could be, at its core, an inflated view of ourselves. James writes that we should, “be quick to hear and slow to speak,” but too often we are quick to be heard and slow in allowing others to speak.

Before we are able to give our ear to words of knowledge, we must apply our hearts to instruction. We have to open our hearts so we will be able to hear from others. For if we close our hearts to instruction we will be like the fool:

· The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to run. (Prov. 10:8)
· The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. (Prov. 10:14)
· The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Prov. 12:15)
· Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge (Prov. 14:7)
· A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Prov. 18:6-7)
· Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. (Prov. 17:28)
· A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. (Prov. 29:11)
· Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him (Prov. 29:20)

Beloved, one of the best ways not to be a fool is to listen more and talk less. We have to open our hearts to instruction which will close our mouths to our own opinions. Let us be quick to listen and slow to speak. Listening is hard, but the benefits are tremendous.


In Christ,

Pastor Dave

"We Shall Certainly Be..."

“For if we have been united him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Romans 6:5

Beloved,

The Bible is full of beautiful and precious promises. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than the promise of our union with Christ. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. He perfectly obeyed the Father. He always spoke perfect words. He always treated others with a perfect love. His perfect life led him to the cruel cross of Calvary in a perfect sacrifice for sinners. Jesus Christ is the perfect man.

So notice that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ the Bible says we are baptized with him into his death. His death becomes our death. His death pays the penalty for our sin. But our faith in Christ not only unites us in his death, but also unites us with him in his resurrection. Jesus’ perfect life is credited to us so when we close our eyes in death, we can be confident that we will open them in glory. For our union with Christ gives us confidence for the Apostle Paul writes that, “we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” We must hold fast to this confident hope. And none of this depends on us, but on the death and resurrection of our perfect Savior. Our faith brings us in union with His perfection. What a great promise!!

John Kent (1766-1843) wrote about this union:


Hail, sacred union, firm and strong
How great thy grace, how sweet the song,
That rebel worms should ever be
One with incarnate Deity!

One in the tomb, one when He rose,
One when he triumphed o’er His foes
One when in heav’n He took His seat,
While seraphs sung at hell’s defeat.


Beloved, is there any greater promise that we are united with Christ? “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Take heart and rejoice in your union with Christ!! For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

In Christ,

Pastor Dave

While We Were Still Sinners

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly; but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:6; 8 ESV)

Beloved,

      Some days feelings of guilt and shame can be overwhelming.  We make another mistake and hurt someone we love. We fall again into a sin that we said we were never going to do again.  We feel alone, condemned and start to lose hope.  Regardless of where you are at on your spiritual journey, we all have days when we feel weak and our sin feels overwhelming. We may even doubt God’s love for us.

      In those moments, we must remember the great compassion and the immense grace that has been given us in Jesus Christ.  Jesus died for us while we were still weak.  Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  Before Jesus died, he knew who he was dying for: wretched sinners.  But the truth of our sin should not overwhelm us in grief, but should cause our hearts to overflow in love.  For “God shows his LOVE FOR US in that while were still sinners, Christ died FOR US.”  This is a profound truth.  When we understand the truth about our sin, we only begin to understand how great God’s love is for his people.  God did not come to crush his people in there sin, but graciously and lovingly save them from their sin.  “As sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21).”

    Beloved, grace is always more powerful than sin. We can trust that whenever our sin feels overwhelming in our life, the grace of God abounds all the more.  We will have days of guilt and grief over our sin. But in those days we have a choice: condemn ourselves or rejoice in that while we were still sinners, Christ was condemned for us. Oh what a great God we serve!!! “Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God shouldst die for me?” 

In Christ,

Pastor Dave

Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shenand called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

Dear Beloved,

It is important to remember what God has done for his people. God’s past faithfulness will ground us in his future faithfulness. After great miracles and victories, the nation of Israel would set up a monument to remember God’s deliverance.

After the return of the Ark, Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer for the Lord had helped his people. The stone would serve as visual illustration of how God helps His people. So as children would walk by that stone, a father or grandfather would be able to pull them aside and tell them about the great victory God gave over their enemy. Monuments are instruments of remembrance.

Like Israel, we should take time to remember all that God has done for us. This Sunday, we celebrate our 106th year of the Park Baptist Church. God has been very gracious and kind to the people of Park. He has used this church to bring many people to Christ and to strengthen their walks with the Lord Jesus. In an effort to raise our remembrance of God’s faithfulness to us, we stop once a year to remember what God has done in and through us. As the great hymn of the faith, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, says,

Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by they help I’m come; and I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.

We can rejoice in what God has done through Park for ultimately it is a work of His hand. Think about how many Jesus has sought when they were strangers, wandering from the fold of God through our 106 year history? Think about how many Jesus has rescued from danger by interposing his precious blood in the last century? Oh beloved, let us use this coming Sunday as a special day to rejoice in God’s faithfulness to the Park Baptist Church. We hope by His good pleasure that we will labor for his glory until we safely arrive at home.

In Christ,

Pastor Dave

From My Youth

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth; O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. (Psalm 71:5; 17)


Beloved,


According to the Barna Research Group, less than one out of every four born again Christians (23%) embrace Christ after their 21st birthday. This means that it is vitally important for young people to hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ while they are still in their youth. The number one reason for young people to come to Christ is to be raised by parents who love Jesus Christ. The best evangelism will always be when parents pass on the truths of the gospel to the next generation. It is responsibility of every Christian parent to teach the hope held out in the gospel to their children.


My prayer is for the young people at Park Baptist Church that they will be able to say along with the Psalmist, “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. O God, from my youth you have taught me.” We want our children to come to faith in Christ at a young age. We want them to hope and trust in Christ as their Savior. This should be the heart’s desire of every Christian parent.


Although this is the hope for every Christian parent, this is not the hope of every parent. Many parents have abdicated their spiritual responsibility leaving their children susceptible to the lies of the evil one. If parents do not believe in Jesus Christ, neither will their children. Therefore it is our responsibility as a church to aggressively fight for the souls of the youth in our city. As the statistics show, the hearts of youth are more receptive to the gospel message. We need to go to our youth with the gospel. To that end, I pray you will support our church’s effort to take the gospel to youth which, Lord willing, will be spearheaded by our new director of youth ministries, Casey Espich. Casey is a passionate young man with a great fervor for the glory of Jesus Christ. It has been an honor to get to know him and see his heart to reach young people with the gospel of our Lord.



The Psalmist had come to the Lord in his youth, but writes this psalm at the end of his life. Listen to the lifelong impact that the gospel had on this man when he says, “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.” He came to the Lord as a young man and was still proclaiming the wondrous deeds of the Lord to end of his life. Beloved, imagine how many teenagers are in our city that could one day say as senior saints, “O Lord, from my youth, you have been my hope and my trust. You taught me from my youth and I am still proclaiming your wondrous deeds.” Let us fight for the souls of our young people with the gospel of Christ. Let us be intentional as a church to be a vehicle for the spread of God’s glory throughout this city.



In Christ,

Pastor Dave

Serve the King in Community

            Life should never be lived alone.  Some of the best friends in my life are those with whom I have labored with serving the Lord.  You can build friendships around a common activities or events, but I believe you build deep “family” friendships when you serve the Lord in close community.  The Apostle Paul gives us a model in how to serve in close community.

Serve in Close Community

            Paul was an extraordinary man.  Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, he probably did more to spread Christianity than any other individual in history.  He wrote 13 books of the Bible. He planted numerous churches. He was an extraordinary man, but he was also just a man.  He struggled with sin. He struggled with loneliness and fatigue.  He struggled with hurt and confusion. Paul was a man that was able to accomplish extraordinary things, because he had help.  First and foremost, he had help from God.  1 Tim 1:12, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service.” Paul ultimately knew that whatever he was able to accomplish for God he did by the strength and grace of God. That being said, Paul was able to accomplish much for God, because he served in close community with other brothers in the faith. 

            Remember Paul is writing this letter in prison.  He was put into prison because of his preaching of the gospel. He was put in prison for following the will of the Lord.  It is hard emotionally to experience trials and difficulties when you are following God.  Have you ever been there?  You are working for the Lord and trying to serve him and yet are experiencing hardship and difficulty. Following God does not always produce comfort, but often it brings persecution and affliction.  If that is the case, how important were the men that served alongside Paul?  Listen to how Paul speaks of these men, verse 7, “Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” Verse 9, “⁹ He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.” Verse 14, “¹⁴ Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.” Can you hear his affection for these men?  There is so much warmth and love for these men. 

            Listen to verses 10-11, “¹⁰ My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) ¹¹ Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.” Paul is in prison, experiencing hardship and trial, and yet God comforted him. How? Paul is comforted through the faithful service of his dear brothers in Christ.  Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.”  Aristarchus, a name that is not regularly used in our conversation, was a fellow prisoner. He was jailed with Paul for his service for King Jesus.  He was also with Paul during the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19:28-29” ²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater,” and in again during Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27. And yet, he was still with Paul.  A brother is born of adversity. 

When someone is with you and comforts you in adversity, your love for them grows exponentially. So let me say two things. First, if you are in trial, do not face it alone.  Invite people in to comfort you in the midst of that trial.  Secondly, if you see someone in trial, comfort them. Beloved, we do not need to go through affliction alone.

            Another blessing that Paul experienced in serving in a close community was that he was able to give away the ministry. The mission was bigger than the Apostle Paul.  He knew that there was much work to be done and more than one man can handle.  So he delegated the ministry to other men.  Paul sent Tychicus and Onesimus to the church to tell them about what was happening with him and to encourage their hearts. Verse 8-9, “⁸ I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our^[a] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. ⁹ He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.”

  Paul could not make it personally, but he still wanted to care for the people.  He wanted their hearts to be encouraged.  These two men came on behalf of Paul as if Paul was coming himself.  They came as a representative of Paul.  Would they have preferred for Paul to come? Of course, but they appreciated the men who came. Recently, our deacons have divided up on church membership roll to share in the responsibility of caring for the flock.  So if a deacon calls or visits, they are coming as a representative of the church.  As a pastor I want to make as many visits as I can, but if I do not make a visit, know that it is not out of lack of concern. Like Paul, I want your hearts to be encouraged, that is why we are dividing up our membership so that we may more effectively care for you and to work that no one is overlooked. More information will be announced in the forerunner this coming week regarding our deacon families.  

            Paul served in close community with other believers.  His friends and brothers were one of the reasons he was able to accomplish so much for kingdom of God. His brothers were dear to him and much loved.  So do you have close brothers or sisters that you are serving with?  If you don’t, you have to ask yourself why don’t you have these kinds of relationships. Pride? Selfishness? Fear of Rejection? Timidity? Friendships and relationships are strengthened when we serve together.  Serve in close community.

Serve your Church Community

            Paul wanted to see the church in Colossae grow in Christian Character and Christian Service.  We have seen that theme throughout this letter

. 

Colossians 1:9-14:                  

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption,^[e] the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 2:1-7

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. ² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁵ For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

3:12-17:

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul never had met this church personally, but he loved his church.  Why? Because the people that he loved, loved this church.  Onesimus was from among the church as well as Epaphras. Onesimus was a run-away slave from the household of Philemon.  Paul sent of Colossians as well as the letter to Philemon with Tychicus and Onesimus.  So the last time Onesimus was back home, he was known as a slave and thief, but he returns as a faithful and dear brother. Do the words forgive as Christ has forgiven you, mean more knowing that one of the recipients of this letter was going to have to forgive the one who brought the letter? But do not miss it, Onesimus came back to serve his people.  He name means useful, which was a common name for a household slave, which is fitting for he returns to his home to be useful for the Lord.

            And look at the example of Epaphras in verse 12-13, “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.”  Epaphras served the church through faithful and consistent prayer for the church.  He prayed that they may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.  He was not casual about his devotion to prayer, but it says he wrestled in prayer.  The word used there is how we get the word gymnastics.  He labored for these people in prayer.  So Epaphras was serving the church in his prayers, he was also serving the church by caring for Paul’s needs. Many scholars believe that Epaphras was sent by the church to serve Paul. Also, Paul wrote the letter to the church because of the information shared by Epaphras as seen in Colossians 1:7, “You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”

            Epaphras and Onesimus were both servants of the church.  Epaphras left Colossae as a servant in his ministry to Paul while Onesimus returned to Colossae to serve the church. God used Epaphras and Onesimus to serve and grow the church at Colossae.  Although Onesimus and Epaphras served alongside Paul in planting and strengthening churches, they were just examples of the typical believer in the New Testament.  Paul writes in Romans 12:4-8:

⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his^[b] faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:17-11

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.  What is your gift? What has God given you to serve others?  Use whatever gift you have to serve this church. Sunday School, Nursery, Visitation, Welcome, Outreach, Sound, Power-point, Choir, Prayer, Fellowship, Teaching, Giving, Administration, Transportation, etc. 

Paul’s companions were not special super Christians.  They were just ordinary people doing ordinary things for the glory of God.  I do not want to put an additional weight on you, but if you are not serving the church, you are the one missing out. But here is the thing, I should not have to convince you to serve the church.  The church is close to Jesus’ heart and if you love Jesus you should want to serve his bride. Listen to the words of the great hymn of the faith, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross:

        Were the whole realm of nature mine,

        that were an offering far too small;

        love so amazing, so divine,

        demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts captured the heart to service.  God has given us so much that even if we had the whole world, it would not be an offering far too small.  He is so worthy. He is so excellent.  He deserves everything and we should want to give it to him. God has blessed you with gifts so that you can bless others.  Be a blessing.  Serve the church community.

Serve for the Conquered Community

            We end the book of Colossians, where we began four months ago.  The first sermon I preached as your pastor, I challenged you to be fit for heaven.  There are many things that are important in life, but nothing is more important that being with God forever in Heaven.  This book is full of thoughts of Heaven. Col 3:1-2, “ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  Thinking about heaven is so important because it helps us finish the race, to fight the good fight and to keep the faith until we are part of the conquered community.

Let me point out a few things here.  Laodicea mentioned here was a neighboring city to Colossae.  It is also mentioned by Jesus in Revelation 3:

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”

Church at Laodicea was once strong and vibrant, but their works became lukewarm and they became wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  We are all susceptible to become lukewarm believers.  I believe that much of the American church has suffered from the sin of Laodiceans.  We have become lukewarm; we are neither white hot for the Lord or ice cold.  The Lord says that he wants to spit out the lukewarm believers. But God in her mercy reproves and rebukes those he loves and encourages his people to repent and turn back to him.  He is the one that stands at the door and is knocking for us to turn from being complacent and indifferent to red hot burning embers for the Lord Jesus Christ.  He says to get white garments to clothe ourselves so that the shame of our nakedness may not be seen.  For the one who conquers, Jesus will grant him sit with him on the throne as a co-heir of heaven.  Jesus has conquered death through his resurrection from the dead and is seated down with the Father in Heaven. 

            Beloved, we must serve with an eye on that conquered community which is the community of the

saints that have conquered death by trusting in Jesus Christ for their resurrection from the dead to eternal glory.  For even in the list we just read, we see one who did not endure until the end.  2 Tim 4:9-10, “⁹ Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰ for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.” Demas, who was once a faithful servant of Jesus Christ and a minister with the Paul, fell in love with this world and deserted the faith.  When you love this world, more than you love the world to come you end up abandoning the faith and losing eternal life.  We see a negative example in Demas, and a positive example in Paul.  Colossians 4:18, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains.” Paul was in prison.  He was in prison for preaching the gospel.  He could have left prison if who would have denied Jesus Christ. But his hope in heaven was far better than his hope for comfort and ease in this life.

1 John 2:15-17:

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

One of the ways we protect our soul from love of this world is in serving others for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we serve, we give ourselves for others. We give our time, our energy, our money, our wisdom etc. We give ourselves.  And when we give ourselves for the sake of others, we follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Galatians 1:3-5

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And Ephesians 5:1-2

5 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

When we serve others, we love others and follow in the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Jesus gave his life so we could be with God. In many ways, our service helps people experience the Lord. 

            God has given us gifts to build up the church. Look back at our text in Verse 17, “Tell Archippus: See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”  Archippus had given a work from the Lord, it was his job to complete it.  Let me ask you, what work have you been given in the Lord?  Where is God calling you to serve? See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.

            So how do you complete this work? How do we serve with an eye on the conquered community?  The last four words of this letter some it up. “Grace be with you.” Live in grace. Live in community.