Category: Sermons

The Best-Laid Plans

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“The best-laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry”

Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase. It speaks of how (as human beings) we make our well-intended plans, utilizing the best of our knowledge and ability, but then things don’t always turn out as we had hoped. The phrase was made most famous by John Steinbeck in his 1937 novel “Of Mice and Men,” which came from a line within the Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1785, called, “To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough.” According to legend, Burns wrote the poem after finding a nest full of mice, in his field, during the winter. ”

On a personal note, as a parent, how many times have you inadvertently made a promise to your children, and then when plans changed, you were accused of being a liar, or that you don’t keep your word?

“Let’s try to get to the beach this weekend… “ They’re all excited about going and then something comes up, like an illness, a storm, or even a death in the family, and you simply cannot go… “Daddy said we were going to the beach but he lied.”

I eventually had to qualify all of my plans with a statement like, “I’m making no promises,” or I just don’t let them know the plans at all so it can’t be used against me, or I just tell them “NO we are not even going to talk about it” and if we’re able to go, it will just be a happy surprise.

This past week in our reading the One-Year Bible, we finished 1 Corinthians and began reading 2 Corinthians. In the Bible passage I’m using today, we’re going to take a look at the best-laid plans of the apostle Paul and how the Corinthian church reacted to his change of plans.

In 1 Corinthians 16:5-9 he discusses his travel plans. You probably heard that passage read this morning and thought to yourself, “What in the world is he going to talk about, and what will be inspirational out of THAT passage?”

Well, this is a passage that brings to light the COMMITMENT that Paul had to his Lord, his friends and his ministry.

I. Paul promised to visit Corinth in the future (1 Corinthians 16:5-7)

The first thing I want to see is that Paul promises to visit the city of Corinth in the future. You see that right up front in 1 Corinthians 16:5, “I will come to you after I go through Macedonia…”

Here is a little of the back story… Paul had likely announced his plans to visit and stay for a while, in the lost letter that he sent to the Corinthians before THIS letter. Let’s try to piece this together.

1 Corinthians 5:9 mentions such a previous letter, where he says, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral people.” We can only imagine what this church was doing or what activity was going on there, for Paul to write such a letter. He must have been addressing some gross public sin. It must have been pretty scandalous and juicy based on what Paul addresses in chapter 5 and 6!

But the point is, there is a letter to the Corinthians that comes before 1 Corinthians. The Holy Spirit did not preserve that letter for us nor did he consider it necessary that we have it included as Holy Scripture.

So, you may be asking yourself an important question, “Are we missing something in the Bible?” Let me assure you, not a chance. While it might be interesting to know what Paul wrote to them, Peter tells us that God has “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,” which includes our completed Bible (2 Peter 1:3).

Alright, let’s get back to our passage for today. So Paul made a promise to visit the Corinthians and his plans obviously changed (I’ll show in a few moments, some passages that indicate his plan B and C). When Paul’s plans changed, the church thought the WORST, they thought Paul was being deceptive, or he was punishing them for the sinful activity in their midst, or he was outright lying to them. So, he addresses his change of plans in THIS letter.

Since we know Paul pretty well, he certainly wanted to make the most of the time God had given him, and make the most of every opportunity, so in this situation, there was no exception. In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul writes, “Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Paul had to change his plans because God was doing something great where he was, and he didn’t want to leave, perhaps quenching the work of the Holy Spirit.

In this letter Paul informed the Corinthians of his revised plans but notice how tentative his plans were.

  • PERHAPS I shall stay with you or EVEN spend the winter with you. 1 Corinthians 16:6
  • I HOPE to remain with you for some time, IF the Lord permits. (1 Corinthians 16:7)

He certainly understood the message of James 4:13-15, where it tells us about the providential nature of God, “13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year…” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

So, what has happened here so far? Paul mentions his future plans to visit Corinth, but his plans changed. BUT, I submit to you that there were very good reasons why he could not keep his initial commitment. Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 16:8-9.

II. Paul planned to stay in Ephesus in the present (1 Corinthians 16:8-9)

According to this section, it is obvious that Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote this letter of First Corinthians. Let’s take a look at WHEN he will leave Ephesus…

1. When Paul will leave Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8)

Paul informs them that he will leave Ephesus at Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:8) which was the celebration some 50 days after the Passover (or for us, 50 days after Easter). Then He will travel by way of Macedonia (1 Corinthians 16:5). This was an obvious deviation from his original plans.

Notice the phrase “passing through” or “going through” Macedonia. This phrase indicates a planned, or systematic, or intentional time set aside for his ministry. There were people to see and souls to be won.

History tells us that winter was NOT the time to travel by ship in this area, so staying in Corinth would certainly be more convenient for Paul.

Regarding Paul’s plans, it is interesting to know that Paul was forced to revise his plans twice.

(1) Plan B was to visit Corinth and then travel to Macedonia, then back to Corinth on his way to Judea.

You might well be asking yourself, “Scott, where in the world do you get that information?” Take a look at 2 Corinthians 1:15-16, where Paul writes, “15 Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— 16 first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea.”

Instead of one long visit, he would make two shorter visits.

(2) Plan C turned out to be a quick and painful visit to Corinth before traveling to Ephesus.

Apparently the issues that he addresses in this letter of 1 Corinthians were not resolved, so Paul wrote a stern letter or sorrowful letter to the church (one that comes between First and Second Corinthians).

Titus delivered that stern letter and while Paul was in Troas, had no rest in his spirit wondering how they had received the letter and how they received Titus.

Let’s read 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, Now then I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord. I had no rest in my spirit not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. So, Paul went on to Troas to wait for Titus, and then he went on to visit Macedonia and eventually moved on to Judea.

Before we leave these verses, “Why did Paul go to Troas?” He went there because of the gospel of Christ, because God opened a door of opportunity for service and evangelism.

So, what are the lessons we can get from all of this?

How about this when we are discerning direction in our lives?

When was the last time that you sensed God’s direction so strongly that you changed your plans? You have this agenda, only so much time in a day, you’re a busy person, you have your schedule all planned out, you have your major all selected, your course charted, your business is already established… then you encounter the living God in such dramatic fashion that your plans change. You retire early to make plans for the mission field, or you change your major to something that has a greater impact on the kingdom of God, or you rearrange your crazy schedule to intentionally spend more time with lost people rather than just showing up at church every time the doors are open.

In decision-making or making our plans, what can we do?

Let’s use common sense, prayer, evaluation of the situation, and proper guidance when making our plans for the future. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.”

God gave us a mind to think, but don’t depend solely on your own reasoning. As we seek God’s direction, we must pray, study Scripture, and consult with believing friends; and then step out in faith.

It may come as a shock, but not ALL of the decisions we make are in the will of God. Sometimes we make promises that we simply cannot keep.

Does this mean that we become liars when we cannot fulfill our intended plans? The Corinthians thought Paul was not trustworthy, or was deceptive since he was not able to fulfill his promise about coming to visit them. (read 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:13 for his whole explanation).

The bottom line: If an apostle like Paul had to change his plans, it is guaranteed that our plans may often change as well.

Here are two extremes to avoid in seeking God’s Will:

  1. One is to be so afraid of making a mistake that we make no decisions at all. This is an indecisive person, we all know someone like this.
  2. The other extreme is to be so impulsive and just rush on ahead without taking the time to consult the Lord at all. We all know people like this as well.

How about if we do this: After we have done all that we can in seeking the Lord’s leadership, let’s make the decision, and then act upon that decision. Leave the rest up to God.

The point is, we must sincerely WANT to do the Lord’s will, to be an example of Jesus Christ, to allow Jesus to live through us, and not just follow or obey God grudgingly or justify doing our OWN will.

Wow, that was all about WHEN he would leave Ephesus. Let’s now take a look at…

2. Why Paul will stay in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:9) Paul intended to take advantage of opportunities to preach the gospel.

Just as we saw in Troas, Paul had an open door of opportunity for ministry in Ephesus, and THAT was most important to him. He wanted to win lost people to Jesus, more than pamper or spoil the saved people in Corinth.

Paul saw both the opportunities and the obstacles. So, God opened a wide door in Ephesus and Paul wanted to seize the day, and win people to Christ.

It is in today’s Scripture passage that we see the motivation in Paul’s actions.

So, consider your own situation… Would you ever consider changing your established and well-thought out plans because God was leading to toward an open door of opportunity to do something for God or for someone else?

  • What if God called you to go on a mission trip?
  • To lead a Sunday School class?
  • To change your major to something that would better impact the kingdom?
  • To change your vocation, even if later in life?
  • To witness to a neighbor?
  • To do something kind for a co-worker, hoping to seize the opening for one day putting in a good word for Jesus?

Rather than complain about the obstacles in your life, look for the God-given opportunities for making a difference in someone’s life.

So, what is your take away for this morning? Look at your outline…

  1. How can you make better, more godly, decisions?
  2. In what ways are you connected to other believers?
  3. If Paul were writing a letter to our church, what would he affirm and what would he challenge?
  4. In what area of ministry is your passion, where is your heart?
  5. How can you help grow the ministry at King’s Grant Baptist Church?
  6. We all make plans, have influence over people, and hope to be prosperous or successful in life; how has this passage challenged your motivation for servanthood, and being on mission with God, on being an influence for the kingdom?
  7. Will you download the Bible App Initiative questions for this week and chew on this chapter a bit more during this next week?

My challenge is that we discover our spiritual passion. If you don’t have that, or have no clue what I’m talking about, or have no idea how to share your faith with someone else… I would welcome the opportunity help you become a disciple that makes a difference in the world around you.

If you are ready to join this church, what are you waiting for? Every team has its roster, every company has its payroll, and every school has students enrolled… it’s time to officially join the family.

For all of us: let’s discover how to make godly decisions, be open to following through on those commitments, and make a few commitments that will impact eternity.

And for heaven’s sake, if God should open a door of opportunity to do something totally outrageous, something that would use you to impact the kingdom, are you willing to follow Christ in the midst of uncertainty or ambiguity?

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How Do You Respond to Jesus?

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The message comes from all of John chapter seven, but on Sunday we read only John 7:40-52.

The Feast of Tabernacles looked back to Israel’s journey through the wilderness, and looked forward to the promised kingdom of the Messiah. The Jews lived in these booths (or tabernacles, or shelters) made of branches to remind them of God’s providential care of the nation for nearly 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (Leviticus 23 33-44).

Following the Feast of Trumpets and the solemn Day of Atonement, Tabernacles was a festive time for the people. The temple area was illuminated by large candlesticks that reminded the people of the guiding pillar of fire, and each day the priest would carry water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out from the golden pitcher, reminding the Jews of God’s miraculous provision of water from the rock.

The feast may have been an exciting time for the people, but it was a difficult time for Jesus because it marked the beginning of open and militant opposition toward him and his ministry. Ever since he had healed that paralytic on the Sabbath day (John 5:1-15), Jesus had been targeted by the Jewish leaders who wanted to kill him, so he remained in Galilee, where he would be safer, but he could not stay in Galilee and observe the feast.

1. Before the feast there was DISBELIEF (John 7:1-10)

The first 10 verses in chapter 7 reveal a little bit about the family life of Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had other children with Joseph, so Jesus would have been their half-brother. It seems incredible that his brothers could have lived with him all those years and not realized the uniqueness of Jesus. Certainly they knew about his miracles because everybody else did. They had the closest contact with him and had the best opportunity to watch him and test him, yet they remained unbelievers.

These men were going up to a religious feast, at the same time rejecting their own promised Messiah. But before we judge them too quickly, think about how easy is it to follow religious tradition and miss an eternal truth? In John 7, the common people were rejoicing at the message of Jesus, but his own half-brothers were making fun of him (see John 7:3-5).

These men certainly have the world’s point of view, if you want to get a following; you take opportunities to do something spectacular. Jerusalem would be crowded with religious pilgrims, and this would give Jesus the ideal platform to present himself to the public and win disciples. No doubt the brothers knew about all those disciples who had deserted Jesus back in John 6:66, so going to Jerusalem was his opportunity to recoup his losses.

Jesus was exercising caution because he knew that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him (John 7:1). Although they were religious leaders, they were a part of the establishment that hated Jesus because he exposed their evil deeds. By his character and by his ministry, he revealed just how shallow and empty the existing religious system was. But Jesus did not go up with his brothers, his time had not yet come (John 7:6, 8) so he stays in Galilee (John 7:9).

Interestingly enough, Jesus immediately goes up to the feast anyway, but in secret, he did not go publicly as the brothers recommended (John 7:10).

2. In the midst of the feast there is DEBATE (John 7:11-29)

While in Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus gets involved in various debates with three different groups of people.

1) First, there were the “Jewish leaders” who lived in Jerusalem and were involved in the temple ministry. This would include the Pharisees and the chief priests as well as the scribes. While these men differed theologically, they agreed on one thing, they opposed Jesus and were determined to get rid of him. The only known exceptions were Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

2) The second group of people would be the “festival crowd” who traveled to Jerusalem to worship. Many of these would NOT be influenced by the attitude of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. In John 7:20, the people were amazed that anybody would want to kill Jesus. They were not up-to-date on all the gossip in the city and had to learn on the streets that Jesus was considered a law breaker by the religious officials.

3) The third group of people was composed of Jews who actually lived in Jerusalem. They would have likely sided with the religious leaders.

The debate begins even before Jesus arrives in the city, and it is centered on his character (John 7:11-13). The religious leaders kept seeking Jesus, but the crowd kept arguing 1) whether he was a GOOD MAN or 2) a DECEIVER who was leading the multitudes astray (John 7:12). In their minds he would have to be one or the other, because a truly good man would not deceive anybody. Jesus is either who he claims to be, or he is a liar.

When Jesus began to teach openly in the temple, the debate shifted to his doctrine (John 7:14-19). It is interesting how character and doctrine go together. It would be foolish to trust the teachings of a liar. The Jews were amazed at what Jesus taught, because he didn’t have any credentials from their approved rabbinical schools (John 7:15). Since he lacked this proper accreditation, his enemies must have said that his teachings were nothing but private opinions and not worth much of anything (but Jesus responds in John 7:18, Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies).

It is interesting to note that it was often said that “Jesus taught with authority,” while all the scribes and Pharisees “taught from authorities,” quoting all the famous Rabbis.

The first debate was with the Jews, but then the visitors to the city entered into the discussion (John 7:20). Jesus boldly announced that the leaders wanted to kill him because he had violated the Sabbath (back in John 5:1-9) and then he claimed to be God (John 5:10-18). But look what Jesus says in John 7:23, the Jews would break the Sabbath laws when they had their sons circumcised on the Sabbath Day, so why could Jesus not heal a man on the Sabbath? So, “Why do YOU lawbreakers want to kill ME?” (John 7:19)

But the visitors to the city did not know that the religious leaders were out to kill Jesus, so they challenged Jesus in his statement. Their response contained a serious third accusation, 3) that Jesus had a DEMON. This goes way beyond debating whether he was a good man or a deceiver. But it was not a new accusation, because the leaders had said it before (Matthew 9:34, 11:18, John 8:48-49). I’m not sure if they actually believed Jesus had a demon, or if the people were simply saying, “You must be crazy to think that anybody wants to kill you.”

The residents of Jerusalem entered into the conversation in John 7:25, Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?

They knew that the rulers wanted to kill Jesus, and they were amazed that he was teaching openly and getting away with it. Maybe they thought, “Perhaps the religious leaders are now convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, sent from God, but then WHY were they not worshiping Him and leading others to worship Him?”

3. The end of the feast brought DIVISION (John 7:40-52)

So, here, at the point of debate, is the main point, exactly WHO is Jesus and how will YOU respond to him? Jesus mentions that he is the living water that springs up from our innermost being (John 7:38). He give them an opportunity to respond to his claims, but what was the result of his declaration and invitation? The people were divided. Some defended him and some wanted to arrest him. Let’s review a few possibilities, and then add a few more.

  1. Is he a good man? (John 7:11-12a, 43-46)
  2. Is he a deceiver? (John 7:12b-13, 47-48, 52)
  3. Is he demon-possessed? (John 7:20)
  4. Is he an ordinary man? (John 7:25-27, 41b-42)
  5. Is he a promised prophet? (John 7:40, Matthew 16:13-14)
  6. Is he the Christ, the Messiah? (John 7:31, 41a)

If only they had honestly examined the evidence, they would have discovered that indeed, he was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The leaders refused to face these facts honestly, but passed judgment on the basis of their personal prejudices and their superficial examination of the facts.

Is that not human nature? It is much easier to label people than listen to the facts they present. It’s like the Pharisees were saying, “Have you been led astray? Some other people have believed in Jesus, but these common people know nothing about the law anyway! Have any important people like US believed in him?” (John 7:47-49)

Then Nicodemus spoke up. This man is found three times in John’s gospel, and each time he is identified as “the one who came to Jesus by night.” No doubt Nicodemus had been doing a great deal of thinking and studying since that first interview with Jesus in John 3, and he was not afraid to take a stand for truth.

Nicodemus was sure that the council was not giving Jesus an honest hearing. The rulers had already passed judgment and they were trying to condemn him before they even gave him a fair and lawful trial.

WHAT did Nicodemus want them to consider about Jesus? Examine his words and his works. It was Jesus 1) the teacher and 2) Jesus the miracle worker who has attracted people in the first place. In fact, Jesus previously pointed to his WORKS as proof of his DEITY. He also repeatedly urged people to pay attention to his WORDS. John 5:36 says, But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.
The two go together, because the miracles point to the messages, and the messages interpret the spiritual meaning of the miracles. The miracles were signs; they were events that pointed to something greater than the miracle itself.

In John 7:52, you can almost hear the sarcasm in the reply of the Pharisees, “Are you a lonely and despised Galilean, too?” They refused to admit that Nicodemus was right in asking for a fair trial, but the only way they could answer him was by means of ridicule. This is an ancient debating trick that is present today (especially during an election year), when you cannot answer the argument because of the facts, you attack the speaker.

You cannot help but feel sorry for the people described in this chapter, people who responded to Jesus in the wrong ways. His half-brothers responded with disbelief, various people in Jerusalem responded with debate, and the result was division.

Had they willingly received the truth and had they acted with sincere obedience, they would have ended up at the feet of Jesus, confessing him as Messiah and the Son of God.

As you can see, people today commit the same mistake and permit their personal prejudices and superficial evaluations to blind them to the truth. Don’t let this happen to you.

So, what about YOU? Who is Jesus to YOU? Will you examine the evidence and come to the same conclusion as believers throughout the centuries; just like Peter in Matthew 16:13-16…

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Is Jesus Christ a Legend, Lunatic, Liar, or Lord?

You see, there really is only one choice when we think about this logically. It may be a surprise to many people but you actually DON’T put your brain in neutral when you come to faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity knows NOTHING about BLIND FAITH, and let me tell you why…

Jesus claims to be God, this is an unmistakable fact in the gospels, the local people and religious leaders understood his words and wanted to kill him for blasphemy, making himself equal with God. There was no confusion about Jesus claiming to be God.

So, there are only two options, his claim was either TRUE or it was FALSE. Let’s assume for a moment that the claim was false. There are also only two options, he either KNEW the claim was false or he did NOT KNOW the claim was false.

If Jesus KNEW his claim to be God was false, that would make him a LIAR. Remember the character issue that a good man would not deceive anyone, so this does not match the Jesus of the gospels.

If he knew the claim was false, that would also make him a HYPOCRITE since he taught people to be honest, and even worse, this would make him a DEMON because he was telling people to trust their eternal destinies to him. So practically, it makes him a FOOL for dying for a claim that he knew was not true.

Let’s assume he claims to be God and he DOESN’T KNOW that his claim is false. This would make Jesus a LUNATIC, on the level of a crazy man on the street saying that HE is Jesus.

If Jesus’ claim of divinity was false, there is absolutely NO REASON for us to pay any attention to him, he would NOT be a 1) good man, or 2) a great moral teacher, or 3) the founder of a new religious movement. He should be dismissed.

Since the claim of divinity being false is absurd, let’s agree that his claim to be God is TRUE. Then there are really only two choices, we either ACCEPT that fact, which makes Jesus our LORD, or we REJECT that fact, which makes us LOST.

For you visual learners, it looks like this:

Liar Lunatic LordIn his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.”

As we are reading through the Bible, this is the chapter that God has placed in front of us for this weekend; it is unavoidable that we will be confronted with the claims of Christ, whether we do it in THIS life or in the NEXT life. If we wait until the next life, it is too late; there is no second chance because Hebrews 9:27 tells us that, each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,

  • Are you ready to meet God? Don’t put it off, any decision to wait or put it off is a decision to reject his invitation.
  • Where do you stand with Christ?
  • Who do you say that he is?
  • Maybe you have received him as your Savior, but you are asking yourself why you live as though he doesn’t exist.

Today is the day to make things right, to set things in order, to lay a foundation upon which you can build your life, build your family. You are here for a reason today. What commitments are you going to make now that we have opened up John 7 this morning?

The end of your outline has several questions to consider, and I hope that you get with a couple of friends to talk about these. They are designed to help you chew on what we learned in the Bible today. Those questions are to help you grow in your faith and have spiritual conversations this week.

As we sing this last song, what decisions are you going to make? Maybe you have never officially come to faith in Christ, today is the day to get this nailed down. Let me talk with you after the service, come find me!

Perhaps you have been attending for a while, so there is a reason you keep attending King’s Grant, why not officially join the church? You can do that today. Let’s talk about it.

Maybe you are going to take this information you learned today and have decided to live boldly for the cause of Christ. We can help with your relationship with God, knowledge the Bible, and how to make an impact on those around you. Jesus uses the terms of being SALT and LIGHT in the community, the idea is to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Father, you know our hearts, you know our thoughts, you know whether we are serious about our faith and our relationship with you, or if we are playing church games. Give us wisdom to take an honest assessment of where we are in Christ and the courage to make necessary changes, in Jesus name, Amen.

[print_link] [email_link] [Thanks to Warren Wiersbe for his insight]

The Secret Things of God

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Today I’m going to talk about Deuteronomy 29:29 – the “secret things” of God.

ILLUSTRATION: Are you a fan of the old Twilight Zone show? It’s a lot different from the Twilight series we have today! Do you remember this episode?

THE DOWNSIDE OF DIVINATION
When Don and Pat Carter’s automobile breaks down in Ridgeview, Ohio, they decide to have lunch at the Busy Bee Cafe while they wait. The booth they sit in has a fortune telling machine on the table that answers yes or no questions for a penny each. Don asks the “mystic seer” if he is going to get a promotion at work. The card says that it has been decided in his favor. When Don calls the office, he discovers that the seer was right. Because of this initial success, Don asks the seer more and more questions.

Pat begins to recognize that Don is taking the seer too seriously. Based on the seer’s predictions, Don believes it is unsafe to leave the diner until after 3 p.m. Pat convinces him to leave a few minutes before 3, but the couple is almost struck by a car while crossing the street. A nearby clock shows it is 3 p.m. After they calm down, Don wants to go back to the cafe for more answers.

The breaking point comes when Don wants the seer to tell him where they’re going to live and asks the seer every conceivable yes/no question to arrive at that information. Pat tries to break the spell the seer has over Don. After a persuasive speech from Pat, Don apologizes and then announces directly to the mystic seer that they’re leaving to go do what they please.

INTRODUCTION: This is a great example of our desire to know “secret things,” those things that have not been revealed to us.

God seems to be so mysterious. There are a lot of things that we just don’t know about or understand about God; we have questions of which we don’t have answers that satisfy the human mind or heart.

  1. Why is there suffering in the world?
  2. What is God’s will for my life?
  3. When is Jesus coming back again?

THE MISUSE OF MYSTERY
Some things are just a mystery. We finished a January Bible Study a couple of weeks ago in the book of Colossians, and the concept of “mystery” was a big part of it.

I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. –Colossians 1:25-27

At the time, there was a philosophy called Gnosticism, which claimed that only certain people had some special knowledge of God, and it was a secret to most people. It was a heresy that was condemned by Paul as well as early church councils. In Colossians, Paul’s reference to the “mystery” was not some secret knowledge, but the mystery of how God is able to bring Jews and Gentiles together into one family, breaking down the dividing wall of separation.

THE CONTEXT IS COVENANT
Moses writes about some secret things of God, but we must seek to understand this verse in context. Let me read it again, in the NASB…

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. –Deuteronomy 29:29

The first thing to understand about this passage is that it is in the context of the “covenant.” This chapter is describing the conditions of the covenant and the results of disobedience. The phrases in this verse pair together: “the secret things” with “the things revealed.” Since the Jews were the chosen people of God who possess these unconditional promises of God, there is a question that poses a problem, “How could Israel, the recipient of everlasting promises, be destroyed and deported?”

THE EXPECTATION OF EXILE
God’s word says it best in Deuteronomy 29:24-28…

24 And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’ 25 “And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 Instead, they turned away to serve and worship gods they had not known before, gods that were not from the Lord. 27 That is why the Lord’s anger has burned against this land, bringing down on it every curse recorded in this book. 28 In great anger and fury the Lord uprooted his people from their land and banished them to another land, where they still live today!’

This is the problem, the continuation of Israel and its apparent termination seem to be mutually exclusive. They saw no hope of recovery. But God’s people should know better, because God had revealed the end from the beginning.

THE REGATHERING OF THE REMNANT
In the very next chapter, we read – then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. -Deuteronomy 30:3

This is generally referred to as the remnant returning from exile. Not everyone came back, since after 70 years many families established new roots, building businesses and growing their families. But there were three returning stages under Zerubbabal (525 BC), Ezra (458 BC), and Nehemiah (444 BC), which is the fulfillment of what we read in Deuteronomy 30:5 – The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Actually, the first ten verses of Deuteronomy 30 is a prediction of this regathering of Israel from all nations to which she was scattered. It did not look very likely, but perhaps you remember that Ezekiel had a vision where he saw the “dry bones” of Israel in exile coming back together, infused with divine breath that would resuscitate the nation to its proper role as 1) servant of the Lord and 2) mediator of God’s divine grace (Ezekiel 37:1-28).

THE CLOSENESS OF THE COMMANDMENT
In order to make clear the possibility of knowing and doing the will of God, Moses spoke of the accessibility of the Lord’s commands and requirements in Deuteronomy 30:11-14. As I read this, the word “commandment,” which occurs regularly in Deuteronomy, refers to the ENTIRE Law of God, not a single command they are to keep.

11 For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. –Deuteronomy 30:11-14

The point here is NOT the ease or even the possibility of keeping God’s Law, but the fact that we can even KNOW God’s Law at all. Contrary to the pagan nations around them, the Lord’s promises and purposes for Israel are crystal clear; they are NOT too difficult, or too wonderful, or beyond comprehension. Human beings CAN understand God and his Law despite their human limitations.

Notice what you DON’T need to do to find, hear, or listen to God’s Word: you don’t seek it in the highest heaven, or cross the deepest sea, because then we can blame it on someone else who has not gone to these places to retrieve the Commands of God. “Ignorance is bliss,” we say. Moses assures us that his Word is “very near you” in your mouth and in your heart. This tells me that Bible study is not all that difficult since we have the Holy Spirit guiding us, illuminating us, and inspiring us. This passage is very reminiscent of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:6-7),

6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your HEART. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall TALK of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Everything God wants his people to know is revealed in his Word, which is unveiled to the human heart and mind, and is to be communicated by one’s mouth.

Perhaps you recognize that Paul picks up this theme in Romans 10:6-8…

6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

There is no need to go to heaven to get the message, or cross the sea to get it; the incarnation and the resurrection have already occurred and don’t need to be repeated. Instead, there is a life-changing message of the gospel, the word of faith that is to 1) be believed in the HEART and 2) confessed with the MOUTH. Just as the gospel message represents the very presence and purpose of Jesus Christ, Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 30, that the word of this covenant is close and authoritative, just as the Lord is close and authoritative.

So, back to Deuteronomy 29:29, it was this knowledge and hope that should have inspired obedience to “all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29) Let’s read it again:

The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. -NLT

THE PASSAGES ABOUT OUR PURPOSE – WHAT IS GOD’S WILL?
Now it is time to get practical:

Is God keeping secrets from us? Well, since we don’t (and can’t) know everything, he obviously has kept some things from us. Even Jesus said that only the Father knows the timing of his second coming (Mark 13:32). Remember, anything that we know about God, is known ONLY because he has revealed it to us.

What is the one thing that most people seek to know from God? What does the future hold for me? Or what is God’s will for my life? Or why do bad things happen to good people or innocent people? Or why do the innocent suffer?

So, let’s talk about the future. What IS God’s will for my life? Well, we’ve talked about this before; but we usually ask the wrong question. We should be asking, “What is God’s will?” We should not search for that one, elusive, divine plan, and, at the risk of choosing poorly, forever being out of God’s will. We must discover God’s will, God’s purposes, and then align our lives to that revealed purpose. When we discover that which God is doing, we seek to deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow him to join him in that work (Luke 9:23).

Here are some passages that tell us about God’s will:

  • Mark 3:35 – For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother. (Believing and serving the Lord is God’s will)
  • Romans 8:27 – and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Intercession or prayer is God’s Will)
  • Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (The renewal of our mind is his will).
  • 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:1, 2 Timothy 1:1 – Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, (Paul was called to be sent out, which was God’s will)
  • 2 Corinthians 7:9 – I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. (Godly sorrow for and repentance of sin is God’s will)
  • 2 Corinthians 8:5 – and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. (giving yourself to the Lord and to others is God’s will)
  • Colossians 4:12 – Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. (A holy life and assurance of salvation is God’s will)
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; (your sanctification [becoming like Jesus] and personal purity, is God’s will)
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (Being a thankful person is God’s will)
  • 1 Peter 2:15 – For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. (Living rightly as a testimony of the gospel is God’s will)
  • 1 Peter 4:2 – so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (Avoiding the lusts of men is God’s will)
  • 1 Peter 4:6 – For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. (Living in the spirit is God’s will)
  • 1 Peter 4:19 – Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. (Suffering for the cause of Christ is God’s will)
  • 1 Peter 5:2 – shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; (Eagerness in serving and shepherding others is God’s will)

But for human beings, even believers, we want to know the future, rather than seek God’s will. Have you noticed, in the One Year Bible reading, that divination is condemned; the Bible tells us to avoid soothsayers, seers, fortunetellers, astrologers, psychics, mediums. Why? Because God knows there is a problem in wanting to know the future.

THE CHOICES TO CONSIDER
I believe that THIS is the reason why. If we know the future, we no longer LIVE and WALK by faith. How often have we read about the admonition to walk by faith and not by sight? (2 Corinthians 5:7, Colossians 2:6). Eventually we will begin to place our trust in some other person or discipline rather than trusting in the living God. We are in essence telling God that all of the information you have revealed to us is NOT sufficient. Peter tells us…

He has granted to us EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who calls us by his own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).

When we look to the stars by reading our horoscope, or call Miss Cleo’s 800 number during late night TV, we slap God in the face and tell him that he is NOT sufficient. He is NOT all that we need. The sacrifice of Christ was NOT enough, I need more answers.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Our responsibility as God’s people is NOT to pry open the doors to the future, but to obey God’s will here and now. It is not necessary that we know God’s secrets, but it is essential to obey that which he has revealed to us.”

Ask yourself these penetrating questions at the bottom of your outline.

As we finish here, what has God said to you this morning?

  1. Maybe you recognize that your have not been trusting God with your future. Today is the day to repent and make things right with God. Tell him today that he IS sufficient and repent of your seeking answers in some place other than in Christ. This morning is a time to pray, trust, repent, and start fresh in your relationship with Christ. Recommit yourself to God right now.
  2. Maybe you have been attending here for a long time, and it’s time to officially join this congregation. You’ve held out for months if not years. You’ve been waiting for some special revelation from God when his will has been very clear for so long. You continue to worship here for a reason, it’s time to be obedient and join the family. A Christian without a church family is an orphan. Every team has a roster, every class has a roll, it’s time to join the family.
  3. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior and Lord, don’t let this opportunity to get away from you. Today is the day of salvation. You’ve been seeking answers all this time and God has made it painfully clear that he is very near. You sense his presence. You long to understand and experience forgiveness and purpose he has for your life. Remember, you don’t need to know all the secret things of God; only believe the things he has already revealed.

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What’s New?

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What’s New, According to the Bible?

We like new stuff… new cars, new homes, new gadgets like computers, cell phones and iPads, new shoes, new large screen HD TVs, make new friends, need new ideas, have a new attitude, new wave, newfangled, new day, new dawn, the New Deal, turning over a new leaf, the new kid on the block, new baby in the family, ring out the old and bring in the new, Happy New Year, brand spanking new, something old something new something borrowed something blue, a brave new world, new and improved, looking for that new workout, that new diet, a new recipe, a new direction, and we even have the emperor’s new clothes.

It was Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, who said that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

He refers to his observation of the effects of repetitious, persistent activity in God’s creation over many generations compared to the brief, comparatively profitless activity of one person which fails to produce lasting satisfaction, so he concludes that all of life is wearisome. He sees life as offering nothing new, and over time nothing will be remembered… so life is futile, it is like chasing after the wind.

But when you read through the Bible, you find A LOT of information on the topic of newness…

New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:2

New Heaven and Earth –

  • Isaiah 65:17 (Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore)
  • Isaiah 66:22 (As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear)
  • 2 Peter 3:13 (But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.)
  • Revelation 21:1 (Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.)

New Creation –

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 (if any person is in Christ, they are a new creation…)
  • Galatians 6:15 (It is not about religious ritual. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation)

New Song – Ps 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1, Isaiah 42:10, Revelation 5:9, 14:3

New Branch – Isaiah 11:1 (Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.)

New Strength – Isaiah 40:31 (But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.)

New Path – Isaiah 64:16 (I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.)

New Name –

  • Isaiah 62:2 (The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth.)
  • Isaiah 62:4 (Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or “The Desolate Land.” Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride.)
  • Revelation 2:17 (To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.)

New Heart and New Spirit –

  • Ezekiel 18:31 (Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.)
  • Ezekiel 36:26 (And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.)

New Patch and New Wine – Matthew 9:16-17 (no one puts new wine into old wineskins)

New World – Matthew 19:28 (Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Mansits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.)

New Tomb – Matthew 27:60 (Jesus was placed in a new tomb)

New Covenant – Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 8:13, 12:24 (there’s way to much theology to even comment right now, but the rest of the message will unpack this new covenant)

New Commandment – John 13:34 (love one another)

New Life – Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 3:21, Colossians 3:1, 11, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:23, 3:7 (this is the essence of the entire New Testament)

New Person – Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15-16

New Bodies – 1 Corinthians 15:38, 2 Corinthians 5:4

New Way – 2 Corinthians 3:7-12 (the glory of the new covenant)

New Nature – Colossians 3:10 (Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.)

New Birth – Titus 3:5 (he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.)

New Everything – Revelation 21:5 (And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”)

Wow, so much newness. So on this last Sunday of 2013, and as we launch into a new year, let’s take another look at the passage from Jeremiah 31:31-34…

31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.

33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

This passage is actually the longest Old Testament passage quoted in the New Testament, and it is applied to the church (2 Corinthians 3:5-18, Hebrews 8:8-12, 10:16-17).

The word “new” is described as “different from one of the same which existed before; made fresh.” There is a larger concept of newness where Scripture expresses God’s concern for people and the creation in four broad categories.

1. God’s New Act: Scripture often calls for us to remember his past activities, such as creation and the exodus, which reveal God’s care for God’s world and God’s people. Although faith is rooted in God’s acts in history, biblical faith does not leave God in the distant past. Time and again writers of Scripture called for God’s people to anticipate God’s new intervention in their lives.

In Isaiah 43:14-21 God promised Babylonian exiles that he was now “doing a new thing” which paralleled God’s acts of saving Israel from Egyptian slavery. It would be THAT big.

By the time we get to the New Testament, God again acted in a new way in Jesus Christ, who offered a new teaching with amazing authority (Mark 1:27). His ministry would be compared to new wine bursting old expectations of God’s involvement in human salvation (Mark 2:22).

There would not only be God acting in a new way, there would be the building of new relationships.

2. New Relationships: The Bible records how God acted in the past to establish relationships, primarily with the descendants of Abraham and the people of Israel at Sinai. Jeremiah anticipated God’s establishing a new covenant with God’s habitually faithless people. This new covenant would make knowledge of the law a matter of the heart, something internal rather than external (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-13).

Take a look at Luke 22:20, After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Luke points to the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross as the basis for this new covenant. In Jesus Christ the believer experiences newness of life (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17) and this renewed life is characterized by new relationships with God and with other people (Ephesians 2:15-16; Colossians 3:10-11). So, we have God’s new acts, bringing new relationships, which leads to new birth.

3. New Birth: Out of the concept of new relationships comes the term, new birth, which refers to God’s gift of spiritual life to undeserving sinners. It is synonymous with regeneration and finds its origin in John 3:1-10, where Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus indicated that the idea of the new birth is rooted in the OT when he scolded Nicodemus for not remembering his seminary Old Testament classes: “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” (John 3:10; cp. Ezekiel 36:26-27).

The new birth is caused by the gracious and sovereign act of God apart from human cooperation or effort (John 1:13; Ephesians 2:4-5). We cannot earn our salvation. God brings this new birth through the preaching of the word of God (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18).

So, today, you must ask yourself these questions, “Have I experienced this new birth? Am I in a new relationship with God through Jesus Christ?” If you are not sure, or know that you have never taken that step of faith, today is the day that you can nail down your destiny.

The result of the new birth is a changed life; a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17) which includes saving faith, repentance (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 11:18; 16:14) and obedience to God’s law (1 John 3:9). With God’s new acts, and new relationships, and new birth, this all leads us to this new covenant.

4. New Covenant: This New Covenant is all about the unity of five divine covenants we find in the Old Testament: Despite their differences, these covenants reveal a structural and thematic unity of grace that is found throughout all the Scripture. It is NOT simply a matter of Law versus Grace, so let’s take a quick look at these previous covenants.

The Noahic covenant preserves the human race from destruction so that the Messiah might be born. It demonstrates the grace of God in that he promises to patiently put up with the human race until the coming of Christ (cp. Acts 17:30).

The Abrahamic covenant follows the covenant of grace as well, creating a historical lineage or family through which the promised Messiah would come.

The Mosaic covenant, too, is part of the covenant of grace and is an extension of the Abrahamic covenant. The Scriptures specifically says that the Mosaic covenant is established because God “remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 2:24). By delivering Israel from Egypt and forming them into a nation by giving them the Law, God established an arrangement in which all of mankind might see that they cannot live up to the covenant of works, and then they will realize their need for a Savior.

Within the context of the nation of Israel, God founded the Davidic covenant that provided the divine monarchy through which God would govern his redeemed people for all eternity. God also kept this covenant unconditionally, preserving the rebellious Hebrew nation and bringing them back from exile “for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 20:4-6 NASB).

This New Covenant brings the covenant of grace to fulfillment with the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ who is the promised Messiah of the covenant of grace. So, in the progressive revelation of these covenants, we can see one unified, unfolding story of God’s plan.

Let’s get back to the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31, which lists four provisions, or “I Will” statements, which indicate what God is going to do:

  1. I will make a new covenant; here God is taking the initiative in making this covenant, this is renewal (v.31)
  2. I will put my instructions deep within them, writing it on their hearts; this is regeneration. (v.33)
  3. I will be their God and they will be my people; this is restoration of relationship. (v.33)
  4. I will forgive their sins and remember them no more; this is removal, complete justification, wiping the board totally clean. (v.34)

This is a profound Word of Hope is for a hopeless people who are alienated from God by their own sin. They have a broken relationship and they are a disobedient people, yet God has not abandoned them. Like the parent of a prodigal child, God longs to gather his people back into his arms again. We know that Jeremiah’s mention of this New Covenant is fulfilled completely in Jesus Christ.

The New Covenant is established by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. That blood, which guarantees to Israel the New Covenant, also provides for the forgiveness of sins for the believers who are the church. Jesus’ payment for sins is more than adequate to pay for the sins of the whole world.

So, as we make New Year’s resolutions, all these promises that we intend to keep yet faithfully forsake by the end of January, remember this: any plan for the betterment of humanity or society that ignores the sin problem is destined for failure.

It is not enough to change your environment; we need to change our heart problem. God wants to change the hearts of his people so they will WANT to love him and follow him. God initiates a new covenant to replace the old one. Ever since the time of Moses, this old covenant would direct their conduct but did precious little to change their character.

Have you ever wondered why you fail in the Christian life so often? You have been working on your conduct, to adhere to some external list of rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts. What you need is a new heart whereby God will begin to change your character.

Hear the words of the prophet Ezekiel, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Where are you in this new covenant? Have you recognized your alienation from God? Do you understand that Jesus Christ is the only solution to the sin problem and gaining access to the Father? (John 14:6).

God’s new covenant is offered to all those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us, that there is nothing new under the sun, today we see that there is plenty of newness in the Bible and in a relationship with God.

What is holding you back from being ALL IN? You have tried to change your behavior, failing year after year. Now it is time for a new heart, a heart transplant. God’s Word can be written to your heart where he can effectively change your character that will eventually change your conduct.

Perhaps without knowing it, maybe this is what you have been seeking all these years, to see God acting in human history, to experience a new relationship with God and with other people, to understand and accept this new birth (receiving forgiveness and power to live a life pleasing to God), and to embrace the new covenant of which Jesus speaks during the last supper, this new covenant in his blood.

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Minding Your Mind and Emotions

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The counseling process has been around a long time, and there are a lot of different methods, theories and procedures that are as different as night and day. Many begin with how the therapist views the nature of mankind, others focus on:

  1. The psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, understanding the Id, Ego and Super-ego and the role of the subconscious in our mental functioning, and using dream analysis to discover both manifest and latent content (hidden symbolic disguised messages);
  2. The transactional-analysis of Eric Berne tells us that life and relationships are full of scripts that run through our minds and these transactions are sent and received by the scripts of the parent, adult, or the child inside of us;
  3. Or the use of behavior modification techniques to increase or decrease the likelihood of a certain behavior;

There are so many directions one can take:

  1. The Rational-Emotive Therapy of Albert Ellis which focuses on how beliefs influence our behavior;
  2. The Client Centered Therapy of Carl Rogers which focuses on the belief that all people possess a strong drive toward personal growth, health, and adjustment (which he calls self-actualization);
  3. The Reality Therapy of William Glasser which focuses on the three Rs of facing reality, doing right, and being responsible;
  4. The Logotherapy of Viktor Frankl which focuses on mankind’s search for meaning in life.

Dr. Page Huff would be able to tell story after story of people suffering through life and the need for help in coping with stresses, hurts, pain, self-image, neuroses, psychoses, relationships, decisions…

The passage in Romans 12:2 challenges us to have a renewed mind. We are human and live in a fallen world so when Paul tells us that anyone in Christ is a new creation, the old is passed away and all things become new, we wonder why we continue with the same struggles, experience the same pains, and give in to the same vices as we did before we were saved. We are desperately seeking for a renewed mind, but how can we do it?

That which was available in the first century is still available to us today. With all of the science, technology, and counseling theories to help explain our thoughts and behaviors, sometimes getting back to the basics of Scripture can help a huge percentage of what ails us. Psychology has a definite place in our society, and is a great tool for helping people gain insight and awareness into the reasons for their behavior and thinking, but if we can get back to the time of the Bible to see how the spiritual side of mankind can help us cope with developing a renewed mind.

Why is it so important to renew your mind? Because of Proverbs 23:7 – “As a man thinks within himself, so is he.” NASB

Skip has mentioned this before, but today I want to expand on the idea that emotions respond to a signal sent to them by the mind.

Here is a wife and mother:  “Why do I feel so much resentment toward Harold every time he comes into the house?”  Her life and marriage were being destroyed because of the powerful emotion of resentment.  Her emotions were being produced by the thoughts within her mind.

Or how about you driving down highway when suddenly a glance into the rear-view mirror reveals that a highway patrol car is closing on you with its blue lights flashing.  Your heart leaps into your throat.  You feel nervous, uncertain, and the palms of your hands begin to sweat (perspire).  You begin to pull over, all the time wondering what you did, and contemplating receiving a ticket.  As you begin to pull over, the patrol car pulls on around you and keeps going.  Then you realize that he is not after you and your emotions return to normal.  What has just happened?

  • You thought you were going to be stopped and issued a ticket.
  • Your emotions responded to that thought.

You placed a wrong interpretation on one fact, the patrol car coming up behind you with its blue lights on. You did NOT think of other reasons why it was happening.  (Maybe the car ahead of you was his target . . . maybe he had received a call and was being dispatched to an accident scene . . . Maybe the Krispy Kreme doughnut sign was flashing hot and ready . . .)

  • Your distorted view and interpretation of that one fact produced your emotion.
  • Your emotions responded to the signal that your mind sent them.

Listen Carefully:  It is not the actual event but your perception of the event that results in changes in your moods . . . your emotions.

  • You determine your emotions by the choice of thoughts you hold and believe. Something happens and then you THINK before your FEEL.
  • Emotions are not external entities which enter our bodies arbitrarily like a germ. They are a part of our makeup form the very beginning and rise up within us because of what we THINK.
  • So, your emotions, regardless of their nature, are the product of your thoughts.
    • You re in the driver’s seat . . . You select your emotions when you select your thoughts.
    • You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are presently thinking.
    • The bottom line: change your thinking and your will change your emotions.

The Five Senses:  (Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) These are the doors to the mind . . . especially the eyes and the ears.

This is why we must be very careful as to what we allow to enter our minds through our eyes and ears. There is an old computer phrase that is very applicable to human beings… “GIGO” which stands for Garbage In Garbage Out.

The band Casting Crowns took that little children’s song and challenged the dads in our generation to stay pure by guarding ourselves from the negative things that enter our lives through the senses, “be careful little eyes what you see…” Garbage in, garbage out.

Let’s look at some biblical support for this concept:

  • Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
  • Galatians 6:7 – “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap.”

We must be diligent to lean toward purity, righteousness, and thinking, because sowing negative thoughts produce negative emotions, and negative behaviors and consequences.

Think Right to Feel Right:

Look at Proverbs 23:7 again – “As a man thinks within himself, so is he.” NASB

“How do you feel?”  The answer to this question depends on what you are thinking at the moment.

  • If you are thinking positive thoughts your response may be, “I feel great!” or “I have a positive outlook.”
  • On the other hand, if your frame of mind is negative you may say:
    • “I don’t feel so hot.” “I feel lousy.” Or “I’ve felt better.”
    • Like the old song, “Everybody hates me, nobody likes me, I think I’ll go eat worms…”

If you think negative thoughts, you WILL reap a crop of negative emotions.  If you think positive thoughts you will reap a crop of positive emotions. So, WHY do we dwell on the negative when there is an alternative?

Feelings Aren’t Facts!

In the police illustration at the beginning, the blue lights were NOT intended for you.  You felt at the moment that they were, but the true fact was that they were NOT for you.  Feeling they WERE for you did not make them be FOR you. Feeling are not facts.

Bill Bright, with Campus Crusade for Christ, developed a graphic called FACT, FAITH, FEELINGS Train. The fact is the engine, your faith is the coal car and the caboose is your feelings. Many times we reverse the order; we put our faith in our feelings. We say things like, “I just don’t feel saved” and we live in ambiguity and fear rather than conviction and assurance. The challenge is to change your thinking. Put your faith in the facts that we find in the Bible, and the fact that you have committed yourself to Christ. So when you don’t FEEL saved, it’s because of your improper thinking. Dwell on the FACTS so that you KNOW you are saved whether you feel like it or not.

Emotions respond to feelings whether the feeling is factual or not. Our minds will respond to the FACTS whether they feel like it or not.

Twisted Thinking:

Twisted thinking produces emotions that are also twisted. I worked with a fellow, a professional counselor, years ago and he told me about his philosophy of counseling. He mentioned that people with emotional problems will often listen to negative self-talk, which is rarely based on facts. They will play this tape over and over about how bad they are, how worthless they are, how trapped they are, how pointless life is for them. His goal was to help them to understand the truth (the facts) no matter how they feel. He needed them to get rid of their twisted thinking.

Twisted thinking is your mind processing thoughts, not actual facts or events, and producing emotional responses such as fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, and a host of others ailments.

Twisted thinking can create problems for people. We move out on what we FEEL is true rather than letting the facts guide us.

Ever heard the phrase, “Just follow your heart?” I sense that following your heart is the single worst piece of advice that someone can give to another person. Now that I have you thinking differently, and you have the emotional response to support it, let me explain. Check out Jeremiah 17:9, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” So, when you follow your heart, you will end up with heartache.

Failure and negative thoughts, which produce twisted thinking, need to be ejected from our mind. Let me give you a biblical example. Saul, before his conversion, is a great example of twisted thinking.

In his defense before King Agrippa, he acknowledged the results of his twisted thinking.  Acts 26:9-10 – “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.”

The prime motivation behind Paul’s actions against the church, Christ and his followers, AND his emotions, according to his OWN confession, was his thinking.  “I thought to myself that I had to do. . .”

He was the product of what he permitted to enter his mind, the negative and false teachings about Christ and Christianity.

  • He thought both were wrong and needed to be eliminated.
  • Later, through proper instruction which he accepted, he was able to straighten his twisted thinking.

Apply this principle to people in a denomination and you will better understand that their feelings and emotions are based on what they THINK is right, even if it isn’t according to biblical instruction.  Churches may adopt unbiblical stances on hot topics and politically correct issues, but deep down that position cannot be condoned or supported through proper exegetical Bible investigation.

When people’s thinking is changed, their feelings and emotions will also be changed.

People’s thinking is NOT changed by dealing with feelings, but dealing honestly with their thinking.  You are not going to change their feelings until you change their thinking . . . perceived facts. This is why it is so important to have a renewed mind (Romans 12:2).

My friend’s counseling goal was helping them to hear positive, rather than negative self-talk. Stop playing the tapes of the lies we tell ourselves about us, the world and other people, and the world around us. So, the discipline of counseling helps correct their stinkin’ thinkin’.

Sometimes we need help to understand why we have this negative self-talk, or what triggers the negative thinking, but you know, all of us can search for the truth to know exactly what the Bible says about us, our behavior and the world around us.  This is why the matter of biblical authority is so profoundly important.

  • John 8:32 – “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
  • John 17:17 – “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

What About the Truth?

  • Romans 1:28 – The truth can be suppressed.
  • Romans 1:25 – The truth can be exchanged for a lie.
  • Romans 2:8 – Truth that is not obeyed leads to unrighteousness.
  • Romans 9:1 – Truth can be told and taught to others with the authority of the Holy Spirit.
  • 1 Corinthians 13:6 – Truth can be rejoiced in.
  • Galatians 2:5 – The truth continues, remains or preserves.
  • Galatians 3:1 – Truth will not be obeyed by foolish people.
  • Colossians 1:5 – The truth is the gospel of Christ.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:12 – Condemnation comes where the truth is not believed.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:13 – The truth is involved in salvation.
  • James 3:14 – People lie against or cover up the truth.
  • 1 John 2:21 – The truth can be discerned from lies.
  • 3 John 3 – The truth can be confirmed to others and people can live by the truth.
  • 3 John 4 – The truth can be walked in . . . and lived.

It has been proven over and over again that the emotions do not know the difference between an established fact and an erroneous fact.

Illustration: Man received a phone call and thought the caller said his father was dying with a heart attack.  He got into his car and drove as fast as he could to his father’s house, only to be greeted by his father at the door.  The son almost had a heart attack himself.  His emotions were responding to thoughts the mind were holding as true, but were not actually true.  In his mind he believed his father was dying, thus his body acted accordingly.  Later he learned the caller had said “John,” instead of “Don.”  John was a friend of the family.

The Keys to Winning Over Stinkin’ Thinkin’ or the meat of the message, to Find God in Psychology.

We need to recognize that our thought patterns and habits can be changed for the better and we can experience release from twisted thinking, reactions and responses that eventually will defeat us.

1. Recognize that YOU are in control of your thoughts.  God created you with this wonderful ability to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

2. Don’t try to suppress your thoughts. Burying thoughts only reinforces the negative response demonstrated by your emotions. We must be alert to these thoughts as they come into our minds and say “NO” to them, and saying “YES” to a positive replacement.

3. When you are challenged by a twisted thought, ask yourself, “Why am I thinking this way?  What has triggered this negative thought?”  Determining the stimulus or root of the thought is a key to victory.

4. At the very suggestion of a defeating thought, eject it from your mind with a positive Bible verse. I don’t suggest this lightly, or because I’m a pastor. The New Living Translation of Philippians 4:8 reads:  “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Isn’t that a wonderful piece of advice  . . . It came from God through the Holy Spirit as penned by the apostle Paul. As a matter of fact, I plan to preach this passage on Sunday October 13, How to Fortify Your Mind.

5. Changing your thinking is an act of the will.

  • Colossians 3:2 – “Set your mind on things above.” Now are you beginning to see why the Bible teaches this? This imperative statement involves an act of the will . . . Who sets your mind . . .  YOU set your mind.
  • Colossians 3:5 – “Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.”
  • Colossians 3:8 – “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language…“
  • Colossians 3:12 – “Put on or clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

6. You cannot control what others say about you or think about you, but you can control how you react to it. If I’m having a bad day it is because I choose to allow the circumstance of that day to bring me down.

  • Proverbs 25:28 – “A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.” Question:  What can happen to a city whose wall is broken down? It will be overrun by the enemy.

Our desire is not to rid ourselves of our emotions, but rather, learn how to control them with God’s help.

7. Pray to God for wisdom and strength.

We need to face life in the spirit of a man who lost his eyesight.  He rushed to the doctor.  The treatment by the physician made it possible for him to see again, but the return of his sight caused him to lose his memory.  He returned to the doctor.  This time he was treated for a loss of memory.  The man regained his memory but lost his eyesight again.  “Well,” said the physician, “we can’t cure both of them together, so you’ll have to choose between sight and memory.  Which will it be?”  The man answered, “Eyesight!  I’d rather see where I’m going than to know where I’ve been.”

It doesn’t matter that you have been plagued in the past with twisted thinking or warped emotions; the next step you take to handle it is what counts.

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Living Life on Purpose

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The subtitle of this message is How to Avoid Being a Fool, which will become obvious as you read much further:

Proverbs 13:4 is my key passage, which helps us seek a remedy to foolishness.

Sometimes things just happen. They are called accidents when they are negative, like a car wreck or spilling Mountain Dew all over your computer keyboard. But when things happen that are positive, we might just call them a coincidence or a blessing, something happened that we did not expect but we’re happy it turned out that way.

A powerful theme throughout the book of Proverbs is, “How in the world can we be successful in life?” How do we stay on the right path? How can we avoid being foolish? Let’s look again at the verse for the morning…

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat. (NASB) New American Standard Bible

Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper. (NLT) New Living Translation

The lazy will not get what they want,
but those who work hard will. (NCV) New Century Version

The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied. (Amplified)

No matter how much you want, laziness won’t help a bit, but hard work will reward you with more than enough. (CEV) Contemporary English Version

I believe THAT is what we all want out of life, to get what we want, to have more than enough, to have abundant supply, to have prosperity, and for our “soul to be made fat” (NASB)… (but not the rest of us to be made fat).

The point of this message is to wrap up the current series called, Wisdom From Above. Skip has guided us through the book of Proverbs with topics like: running a wise household, a priceless pursuit, speaking words wisely, the discipline dilemma, avoiding self-centeredness, being a wise guy, dealing with friends and enemies, anger, dishonesty, stewardship and how to guard your heart. The proverbs have so many words of wisdom, because “the wisdom found in Proverbs” is from above.

One thing that sticks out to me in the Proverbs is the obvious contrast between right and left, black and white, right and wrong, wisdom and foolishness, prosperity and ruin, laziness and productivity. There is also a fact to remember, that no one ever becomes wise by accident. We don’t wake up one morning only to discover that we have become wise, or righteous, or full of integrity, or that we are sinning less than we did last week. If we are not constantly and intentionally making progress in our spiritual growth, then we are on the road to becoming foolish. Just read the news and see what people are doing out in the real world, and for most people we meet on the street, there is only one word to describe the human race… foolish.

I am also sad to say, that we find a lot of foolishness INSIDE the church. Much of what we might find deals with the masks that we wear. We hide our true selves, our struggles, our hurts and our habits. We hope that others will believe that we “have it all together,” that we are “holier than what we really are,” because we don’t want to be judged and probably more accurately, we don’t want to change. We think the life we are living will bring us happiness and wholeness, but at the end of a foolishly lived life is heartache, brokenness and death.

Proverbs 14:12 tells us that, there is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. This is such an important fact that Solomon repeats the phrase, word for word in Proverbs 16:25. We are blind to our own self-destructive tendencies. We are blind to the fact that we are fools professing to be wise.

While none of us is perfect, or has the right to judge others, it IS the responsibility of Christ followers to confront a professing believer who is wandering down the wide path of destruction. It is one thing to mistakenly start down the wrong path, but it is totally another thing to know the difference Christ makes, and willfully choose to walk in rebellion and self-deception. People in this category KNOW their true spiritual condition and sincerely believe that they are doing only what God requires of them… church attendance, a twenty in the plate every now and then, and a fish symbol on the back of my car.

The truth is that we ALL have a long way to go. I firmly believe that one reason we don’t progress toward spiritual maturity is because we believe it happens through osmosis, believing something like, “I’ll just come to worship, play the game, put on my mask, knowing the whole time my life stinks, is falling apart, and I don’t care who I hurt.”
Those who choose NOT to live with purpose, and are NOT diligent about living a life of honor to God, are frankly… foolish. Although Proverbs mentions a lot about foolishness, I thought I would expand our topic of foolishness to include much more of the Bible.

I hope that each of us today will ask ourselves a very disturbing question. Are we fools? If we don’t live a life of diligence, on purpose, we must admit to living life as a fool.

1. The Bible says that atheists are fools (Psalm 14:1, Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God”). While most people are smart enough to NOT call themselves atheists, but they can easily be called practical atheists because while they admit that God MAY exist, they live life as if there was no God. Hey, there are even Christian Atheists, those who are confident of God’s existence yet choose to live as if he doesn’t exist. (Romans 14:10-12, these people are sadly mistaken. Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’” Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.)

2. When we are filled with pride we are called fools (Romans 1:21-25, Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools… So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired… They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!)

A sure sign of a reprobate mind is that they call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). This point is such an indictment on our modern society, just read a newspaper or watch the news on TV; many things that the Bible calls sin, is now acceptable, encouraged and politically correct.

3. When we walk in consistent disobedience we are called foolish (Matthew 7:21-27, Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”)

The rain and wind WILL come into your life, and into your family; and we must be ready to hear and obey God and his Word. It is foolish self-deception to hear God’s Word and not do it. (James 1:22, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.)

4. When we trust in the world’s riches we are called fools (Luke 12:15-20, Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’)

5. When we have a quick quarrelsome spirit we are called fools (Proverbs 20:3, It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. And then in Romans 14:19, Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.)

6. When we walk through life carelessly we are fools (Ephesians 5:15-17, Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.)

7. When we despise parental discipline, we are fools (Proverbs 15:5, A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.)

Not only is this an awesome responsibility for children to respect their parents and the godly discipline they provide, but it is an indictment on parents who fail to raise their children in the knowledge and ways of God. The Christian faith is caught more than it is taught. Parents need to live out what they profess to believe. I sense that nothing will bring on disrespect in a teenager more than seeing someone living a life of hypocrisy. But for the majority of us here, children will often rebel against their parents for nothing more than selfishness, independence issues and their not wanting anyone to have authority over them. For THAT, the Bible calls you a fool.

8. When we mock God we are fools (Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”)
Pharaoh was in obvious mocking mode. He thumbed his nose at the creator of the universe and had open disrespect for God and his authority.

If we profess to know God yet don’t live for God, or live a life that is NOT pleasing or honoring to God, we mock him, and we are no better than Pharaoh.

At some point in our lives we will have regret over living a life of mocking God; and the sad truth is that we will not arrive at the end of life unharmed… (Galatians 6:7-8, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.)

9. When we are unprepared to meet God, we are foolish (2 Peter 3:10, 14, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare… So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.)

We CANNOT go through this life unprepared to meet God at the end. This life IS preparation for the next.

It was this truth that brought me into a relationship with God back in high school. I was saved not only because I had friends that encouraged me to get involved in church, but because I was haunted by the question regarding the purpose of life. “What was the point to live some 70-80 years on this planet only to die and decay in the ground?” Why are we here? What difference does it make? I realized that the point of this life is to prepare us for the NEXT life.

If we fail to get prepared to meet God (and bring as many people with us), there is only one place where God will not be present, in hell, which is total and eternal separation from God, and all he represents… which is love, hope, peace, pleasure, comfort, safety, security and Joy. A place without these qualities is by definition, hell. Don’t let this earthly life and our common enemy (the devil) distract you from your purpose in life.

So, if we want to be on the positive side of the Proverbs “wise/foolish” equation, we MUST be diligent. It’s hard work to follow after God and do the right thing. Prosperity, wisdom, doing what’s right does NOT happen by accident. The word diligence means to work hard, attentiveness, thoroughness, carefulness, and persistence. Can you use ANY of these words to describe your spiritual pursuit of God and his will? Or do you use words like, casual, comfortable, convenient, or inconsistent?

So how can we be diligent in our sanctification? Sanctification is a fancy church word for becoming more like Jesus Christ, to become holy, set apart for a purpose. When we first come to Christ and we receive him as Savior and Lord, he forgives us from all that we have done in the past, all the mistakes, all the sin. We are declared righteous before God the Father. This is what we call justification. Think of it this way, when we come to Christ, he sees us just-as-if-I’d never sinned.

Coming to Christ is the easy part, now comes the harder part, sanctification. This is the life-long process of conforming to the image of Christ. Hopefully, we strive to live according to the principles we read in the Bible, but it takes diligence to allow God to transform our lives from our path of self-destruction to his pathway of life, meaning and purpose.
So, I thought it would be good to literally spell it out for us this morning, you see “diligence” spelled out as an acrostic in your outline:

D – Discipleship over Drifting: the point is that we enter into this new relationship with Christ, and we learn from him what it means to be a follower or disciple of Jesus, and THEN we apply his teaching to our lives. To be a disciple is to be a learner, so we must learn from Christ, through his Word given to us, the Bible. The alternative is to drift through life just hoping for the best. When we have no focus, we WILL drift in any direction, tossed by the waves of society, pop psychology or wind of doctrine.

I – Intentionality over Ambiguity: When we are focused, we will also become intentional in our transformation. I suggest you look for someone around you who exhibits the moral character and spiritual qualities and disciplines that you want to develop in your own life.

L – Love in Word and Deed: Let’s be diligent in love. Love is not simply an emotion, but it is an act of the will. It shows itself through not only the words we say but the deeds we accomplish for other people. Love is NOT love unless it is demonstrated to the object of our love.

I – Integrity with Self and Others: The Christian life is to be lived honorably, in truth, in authenticity, without the mask we so often put on when we come to church. The mask must be removed if we are to walk with integrity. We don’t impress anyone with the fake-face of pretending to have it all together. People are drawn to Christ when they see honesty and integrity as they watch believers live out what they say they believe.

G – Godliness as a Goal: This is nothing more than living according to the life principles given by God. The Bible not only teaches us what to believe, but it teaches us how we are to live for God in the real world. The Bible is not learned until it is applied. Application of spiritual truth is a sign of a disciplined life. I am convinced that we in the American church are educated far beyond our obedience.

E – Eternity in Mind: We know that this life is NOT all that there is. We live in the light of eternity. As Maximus, in the Gladiator once said, “What we do here echoes in eternity.” What we do here is preparation for the next life. Life is to be lived for the glory and honor of God. We are to please him in everything we say and do because we ALL of us will one day give an account for what we do in this life.

N – Newness of Life: Paul writes to the Corinthians, that anyone who is in Christ has become a new creation, a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! We are able to be set free from the sin, hurts, abuses, addictions, habits and hang-ups of our past. Perhaps THIS is what you are seeking this morning, and today is the day that you say you have had enough of living life on your own, and will surrender your life to Christ. In a moment, I will ask you to pray about the decision you need to make.

C – Character Development: God doesn’t want to just change our behavior; he wants to change our character. Character is what we are when no one is looking. When your character is under the lordship of Jesus Christ, your behavior will follow. The real you needs to be under the control of the Holy Spirit, not that “fake you” wearing a mask. Your transformation begins when you admit that you have a need, a problem, a sin, and then begin to follow the one who can literally change your life.

E – Enemies into Friends: This phrase comes from the message Skip gave the other week on friends and enemies. Jesus said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. But this is NOT something we can do in our own strength. This point regarding diligence is that THIS element is the foundational teaching of Jesus; that we were once enemies of God but those who are in Christ are brought near to God as friends (John 15:14), those who were once dead are brought back to life (Ephesians 2:1-5). If you desire to live a life of prosperity, virtue, success, health, peace, meaning and purpose, you CANNOT leave out this part of the equation. Be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is time to AVOID living as a fool.

Conclusion: the time to decide on how you will live is now. Are you up for the challenge to live your life on purpose, in all diligence? Is it time to get serious about your relationship to Christ? Is it time to join this church in membership or through baptism?

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When Your Faith Falls Short

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Today we are going to continue in the series for the month, called Encounters with Jesus. This message begins with the transfiguration, one of the more spectacular events in the life of Jesus, and involves three of his closest men. Then, what follows the transfiguration story is of particular interest because hopefully we will identify with this man who had a son with an unclean spirit. So turn to Mark chapter 9 where we can find a little background to our encounter with Jesus.

The Preliminaries– Mark 9:14-16

  1. The Disciples – Mark 9:14-15 – The disciples were not allowed to stay on the mountain, holding on to that experience. In the valley below was hurting and suffering mankind. A world of need lay at their feet. When Jesus and the three disciples reached the base of the mountain, an animated discussion was going on among the scribes, the crowd, and the other nine disciples.
  2. The Discussion – Mark 9:16 – Perhaps they were debating the reason WHY this boy had a demon.  Maybe the scribes were taunting the disciples about their failure, calling into question the authenticity of their conversion, or their commitment to Jesus. As always, Jesus is the one who steps in to solve a problem. As soon as Jesus appeared, the conversation broke up and the crowd rushed to HIM. Jesus then inquires, “What are you discussing with My disciples?” Then the crowd starts telling him what has been going on.

The Particulars– Mark 9:17-29

  1. The Victim– Mark 9:17-22
    1. The Helpless Father – Mark 9:17a – A distraught father excitedly told Jesus about his son, who is possessed with an unclean spirit.
    2. The Hopeless Son– Mark 9:17b-18a, 20-22
      1. The Source of his Problem – Mark 9:17b – he is demon-possessed, which makes him mute.
      2. The Symptoms of his Problem – Mark 9:18a, 20 – the evil spirit cause fits and convulsions, seizing him, throwing him to the ground, foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth and he stiffens out. This must have been a pretty horrible sight.
      3. The Span of his Problem – Mark 9:21-22 – he has been possessed since childhood. This was a father searching for relief, for his son and for himself. He says, “IF YOU can do anything, take pity on US and help US.” We find TWO people in need in this story..
      4. The summary of his problem – The disciples had failed and this man was NOT SURE that Jesus could do anything for them. I like the honesty of this father, admitting that he had doubts and unbelief. How often have you allowed doubts keep you from totally trusting Jesus, for your salvation, but also for your future? We often are not convinced that Jesus actually has our best interest at heart. We believe that WE know better and don’t have the confidence that following God will lead to fulfillment, joy, peace, healing, restoration or contentment.
    3. The Hapless Disciples – Mark 9:18b-19 – the disciples are miserable and unfortunate, they are unable to help this father and his son, and Jesus appears to be frustrated with them, “How long shall I put up with you?” It’s like, “My time is short and you’re not catching on. I’m not going to be with you for much longer.” Jesus had given the disciples the authority to cast out demons (Mark 6:7, 13) so no wonder Jesus was grieved with them. So what about YOU? How often do we grieve God by not using the spiritual resources that he has already given to us? We try to do things in our way and in our own timing, with self-effort rather than Spirit-led power. No wonder we epic fail in our walk with God, because we don’t really have the power of God working for us. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us today. We are not second class followers of Jesus; he is not holding back on us… but we often hold back from HIM.
  2. The Victor– Mark 9:23-29
    1. Jesus Reassures the Father– Mark 9:23-24
      1. The Strength of Faith – Mark 9:23 – “If you CAN!? All things are possible to him who believes.”
      2. The Struggle for Faith – Mark 9:24 – the father declares, “I DO believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”  He is basically telling Jesus to help him when his faith falls short. We all want to believe, yet we find ourselves filled with doubt. We hate this inward, unreasonable contradiction, yet seem to fight it in vain. How often is the statement of the father what we cry out to God? The positive part is that when we cry out to God, he does not scold, but reassures the father.
    2. Jesus Rebukes the Spirit – Mark 9:25-26 – As the crowd was gathering, he wanted to take care of this quickly and commanded the spirit to come out of him and not return. In dramatic fashion, the demon causes a scene and then the boy was still as a corpse, and the people thought he is dead.
    3. Jesus Restores the Son – Mark 9:27 – Jesus takes the boy’s hand AND RAISED HIM.
    4. Jesus Reveals the Secret – Mark 9:28-29 – Later when Jesus was alone with His disciples in the house, they asked Him privately why they hadn’t been able to help the father and his son. Jesus said that certain miracles require prayer and fasting.

The main lesson for this miracle is the power of faith to overcome the enemy (Mark 9:19, 23-24, Matthew 17:20). Why had the nine disciples failed? Perhaps they had been careless in their personal spiritual walk and neglected prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29)? The authority that Jesus had given them was ONLY effective if exercised by faith, and cultivated through spiritual discipline and devotion.

It could be that the absence of Jesus, who had gone up the mountain with Peter, James and John, and the fact that they were left behind, had dampened their spiritual passion and had diminished their faith. THAT too is a danger for us today. When we neglect gathering for worship and small group interaction, our spiritual passion WILL diminish, and we will lack faith to make a difference in the lives around us. The sad fact is that these disciples had no clue why they were so powerless. When people slip away from the church and from God’s presence during worship, they wonder why their lives lack power and passion for God’s kingdom.

Not only had this failure embarrassed the disciples, it robbed Jesus of the glory he deserved and gave the enemy an opportunity to criticize God, (his ability and his willingness), and the people of God (who are Ambassadors for Christ). Remember that it is our faith in him that glorifies God (Romans 4:20).

Which of us is not faced at times in our Christian service with a sense of defeat and frustration? We have labored tirelessly and conscientiously, yet there has been no evidence of the Spirit of God working in power.

Perhaps these disciples had been arguing about ministry styles or the proper way to help this boy and his father, all the while helpless to do anything that brought relief. Maybe this is a challenge for each of us to focus on strengthening our faith. Is it your desire to ask that God help you when your faith falls short?

I believe that our faith will be strong in the valley ONLY after we have experienced God’s glory on the mountaintop. Oswald Chambers says that,

We are not built for the mountains; those are for moments of inspiration. We are built for the valley, for ordinary life. When you think about it, it is spiritual selfishness that wants repeated moments on the mountaintop. God calls to us to make a difference in the lives of people, down in the valley. It is in the valley where we grow and learn. The mountaintop is not meant to TEACH us anything, it is meant to MAKE us something (like becoming holy, grateful, and dependent). We LEARN only in the valley.

As we participate in the life of the church, we hope to SEE God’s glory, here on the mountaintop, but we are never supposed to LIVE for His glory there. We are to make a difference in the valley.

As we close for today, now is the time to make decisions that will affect the rest of your life, don’t put it off another week.

Let’s pray: This is the time that we confess to you that our faith often falls short, but right now, today, we declare and submit to you our request for you to help our unbelief, help us when our faith falls short. I pray that no one will leave this place with unfinished business with God. All things are possible with God, and we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. As people are making decision to make a difference in the valley, Father, we ask for your power to experience a life well lived for your glory and kingdom. AMEN

NEXT STEPS: You’ll notice two questions at the bottom of your outline, which are designed to make this lesson practical. How are you going to respond?

  1. How will you evaluate the connection between your mountaintop experiences and life down in the valley?
  2. How will you exercise and increase spiritual disciplines in your life?
    1. Prayer
    2. Fasting
    3. Bible reading
    4. Solitude
    5. Scripture memory


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The Transfiguration

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Today we are going to continue in the series for the month, called Encounters with Jesus. This message begins with one of the more spectacular events in the life of Jesus, and involves three of his closest men. Then, what follows the transfiguration story is of particular interest because hopefully we will identify with this man who had a son with an unclean spirit. So turn to Mark chapter 9 where we can find a little background to our encounter with Jesus.

ASCENDING the Mountain – Mark 9:1-2a

  1. The Prophecy – Mark 9:1 – Some would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God, after it has come with power. This would be a reference to the next event which was the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. It was sort of a mini-kingdom vision of Jesus in his glorified state.
  2. The People – Mark 9:2a – Six days later, Jesus selects his three closest men, Peter, James and John to accompany him up to a high mountain. This was likely NOT Mt. Hermon, which has a snowy peak that rises 9,232 feet, and is the highest point in the Promised Land. Perhaps it was one of the foothills surrounding Caesarea Philippi, where Peter made his great confession of Jesus’ identity, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” This transfiguration event evidently made a huge impact on Peter and John, since they refer to the transfiguration in their writings (John 1:14, 2 Peter 1:16-18)

ON the Mountain – Mark 9:2b-8 – he was transfigured before them; so what did they see?

  1. The Apparel of the Savior – Mark 9:2b-3 – When Jesus was born on this earth, his glory was veiled or hidden. At that time he came in humiliation, he was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief. But He will one day return in glory and no one will mistake Him then. He will be visibly the King of kings and Lord of lords. THIS transfiguration event was a foretaste of things to come.
  2. The Appearance by Elijah and Moses  – Mark 9:4
    1. Elijah is mentioned in Malachi 4:5-6 in connection with the future coming of Christ. I believe THIS is why people in the gospels asked John the Baptist if he were Elijah (John 1:21).
    2. Moses was the lawgiver and liberator of the Hebrew people, while Elijah was the first of the great prophets. The presence of these two men, representing the Law and the Prophets, confirmed the reality that Jesus is the Messiah of Peter’s confession.  We read about Peter’s confession in Mathew 16:16 (You are the Christ, the Son of the living God) which is then followed but the Transfiguration story in Matthew 17.
  3. The Assumption by Peter– Mark 9:5-6
    1. The Title – Mark 9:5 – We often have the same story in different gospels, but there are slight variations in what we read. The synoptic Gospels use three different words for Peter’s addressing of Jesus. Rabbi (Mark 9:5), Master (Luke 9:33), and Lord (Matthew 17:4) are separate Greek translations of whatever Hebrew or Aramaic word Peter used to address Jesus on the mount. Mark’s emphasis is on Jesus’ respected position among the disciples as their leader, so he used the term Rabbi.
    2. The Tents – Mark 9:5 – Three tabernacles (or booths) suggests that he wanted to STAY on the mountain and continue to enjoy this mountaintop experience. But this experience was not to be savored, but to prepare him to carry his cross and live out his faith in the day-to-day world, down in the valleys of life.
    3. The Terror – Mark 9:6 – As you know, Peter often blurted out words without thinking them through. Here, he likely was putting Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah when Christ is clearly in a class by himself. “Let’s make three tents” likely all the tents would be the same kind. THAT is something that should bother us as well. How often do we say that Jesus is our “buddy” or use some other term of familiar endearment to describe him? We must always remember that Jesus is the Creator of this universe, and the Sacrifice that was made in order to bring our salvation. He is much more than a causal relationship; Peter might have forgotten the awe and wonder of who Jesus really was.
    4. The Truth – what can we learn from this event? How about this… How many times do we have some wonderful spiritual experience and our desire is to stay here and never leave? Perhaps the worship was great, the music was wonderful, the retreat was insightful, the conference was uplifting. When we leave the event to go back down the mountain, we can’t wait for the time when we will have another powerful experience to keep us sustained in life. How about THIS for a lesson? Don’t desire to remain on the mountain in memory of a past vision. While we encounter God through our worship experiences here, Jesus needs us to be active in THIS world, OUTSIDE the church walls. Jesus does not intend for us to stay on the mountain, so don’t seek to build a tabernacle or tent so you can stay there. Mountaintop experiences are great, but we belong elsewhere, and I’ll get to THAT in a moment.
  4. The Approval by the Father– Mark 9:7-8
    1. Peter speaks, at an inappropriate time, and a cloud forms. The cloud may have been the shekinah (or glory) cloud which stayed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and temple in OT times. It was the visible expression of God’s presence. The text indicates the very same thing, the Father shows up; his presence is right there on the mountain.
    2. The Father speaks, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!” It was as if God was telling Peter to “shut up and stop speaking, THIS is my beloved Son, listen to HIM.” He is NOT just one of the boys along with Moses and Elijah, he is MY SON. So for us, when we come into the presence of God, we should NOT be the ones with all the words. Don’t just blurt out something in an awkward moment of silence, but listen.
    3. Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that the voice of God the Father was heard audibly three times during the life of Christ? The other two occasions were at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:11) and during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (John 12:28).

DESCENDING the Mountain – Mark 9:9-10

  1. The Command – Mark 9:9 – On the way down the mountain, Jesus gives the three disciples specific instructions to NOT tell anyone about what they have seen until after his resurrection from the dead.
  2. The Confusion – Mark 9:10 – I love this next verse, that they seized upon the statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead might mean!

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Radical Transformation

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Here in America, we value transformation, remember that TV show called Extreme Makeover Home Edition? It came on ABC on Sunday nights. They take this deserving family, someone really making a difference in the community, or someone with special needs or a health condition, and they have this really run-down and unhealthy house. Then within one week they rally the whole community and totally transform the property into something very usable. It’s extraordinarily entertaining, and sometimes it’s pretty emotional. These people are so grateful and overwhelmed by the generosity of these sponsoring companies and the community’s volunteerism, encouragement and support. It really makes you feel good about people again.

Perhaps you remember the original Extreme Makeover show, the one where they took average looking girls who get the “ultimate package;” a transformation of clothing, hairstyle, veneer teeth, new makeup and perhaps even a nose job, face lift or “some other sort of lift” or augmentation. Then there are the “before and after” pictures of women who got the makeover. Not to be judgmental, but some of these girls were pretty “homely” until they got a new hair style, makeup and an outfit. Now they look like a supermodel.

These days, in order to keep up with the culture of America, there’s now a show called Extreme Makeover, Weight-Loss Edition. Well, season 2 is here. Recently we saw that Tony wants to lose weight before his wedding, and he’s nearly 400 pounds. We learned about his food addiction and unstable family life since he was a kid. At age 14 he worked at shoveling snow and at a fast food restaurant, where he would overeat because he did not know where his next meal was coming from. At 21, he and his first wife had a severely handicapped child where stress pushed him toward food for comfort. After a 30-year career in food service management, he decided to quit because his weight had gotten out of control. Now we all can pull for this jobless and divorced 49-year-old as he struggles and works to lose weight before his 50th birthday and his upcoming wedding.

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I think Americans like a good transformation story, but when you think about it, these examples of physical transformation are only temporary. These homes can burn down, get destroyed in a storm, or have termites cause tremendous damage. These new bodies that people get, through artificial means or through a year of extremely hard work… they can get ill from diseases or die from anything from cancer or homicide or an accident.

As believers in Christ, we are more interested in spiritual transformation, which is permanent. That’s what I want to talk about today.

Ezekiel the Prophet: Only two verses in the Old Testament identify Ezekiel by name (Ezekiel 1:3; 24:24). The prophet Ezekiel was raised in a priestly family in Jerusalem and educated to become a priest himself, but this was not to be. He was taken into exile with other high-ranking Jews at the first siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. While there, in his thirtieth year (593 BC), he received a powerful vision from the Lord and his call to be a prophet. Between this first exile and the final fall of Jerusalem (in 586/587 BC) many Israelites hoped to throw off the yoke of Babylon, often looking to Egypt for help (rather than God). Ezekiel’s prophecies against Jerusalem and some other nations take place in this context.

Ezekiel was given tremendous visions of God; and he also was called to act out God’s messages to the Jewish captives. He does some of the weirdest things you’ll read in the Bible!

Chariot-Throne of God: One of the most striking and memorable visions of the book is the throne of God, which is placed above a kind of moving revolving chariot (Ezekiel 1:4-28; 10:3-22). This is where we get that old folk song, Ezekiel Saw the Wheel. How to understand this vision has long been debated, some have even connected it with a UFO!

The Valley of Dry Bones: This odd scene has God asking Ezekiel what he sees, a valley full of very dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). “Can these bones live?” God asks, and he eventually is told to prophesy to these bones. They begin to come together to form skeletons and soon flesh is again on them. We have sung about this too, Dem Bone, Dem Bone, Dem Dry Bones…

Extreme One-Man Dramas: As part of his prophetic vocation, Ezekiel engaged in a large number of extreme activities; he was to dramatize and symbolize his message of doom from the Lord. These activities strike us as odd, eccentric, or even weird. They include:

  1. Building a model of the city of Jerusalem and laying siege to it, part of which meant being tied up with ropes and lying on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for forty days (Ezekiel 4:1-15). He was to live on a daily ration of eight ounces of food and a pint of water. It represented the starvation diet they would experience in captivity.
  2. Shaving his head bald, dividing up his hair and striking part of it with a sword all around the city model (Ezekiel 5:1-4). Each third represented the fate of Jerusalem’s inhabitants when the city fell.
  3. Packing up his belongings every night in a mock exile, busting a hole in the wall rather than going through the door (Ezekiel 12:3-7).
  4. Trembling and shaking when he ate his food and drank water (Ezekiel 12:17-20).

Ezekiel’s wife died suddenly (Ezekiel 24:15-27): The prophet was called to do more than act out the fate of others. He was also called to experience the pain of judgment. Ezekiel was warned that his wife, “the desire of your eyes,” & “your dearest treasure” would die. God told His prophet, “You shall NOT show any sorrow at her death, don’t weep or even shed a tear. Sigh in silence, NO wailing at the grave; don’t uncover your head, or remove sandals from your feet; do NOT perform any mourning rituals, and do NOT accept food from your mourning friends” (Ezekiel 24:16-17).

While seemingly very strange, they may have been very effective, memorable ways, like using an object lesson for children. All this introduction, let’s take a look at Ezekiel 47.

After seeing the kitchens in the temple (Ezekiel 46:19-24) the prophet noticed a trickle of water running out of the holy of holies, past the altar on the south side. Ezekiel’s guide leads him out of the north gate (since the eastern gate was closed) and around the temple to the eastern gate where he saw the water running from under the south side of the gate. The guide measures the depth of the water four times and the river becomes so deep that he couldn’t swim across it.

Ezekiel learns that the river flows to the Dead Sea where it brought life to that forsaken area. The water from the temple would heal the Dead Sea as well as all the rivers. The water creatures would multiply wherever the waters went. Trees on the riverbank would bear fruit every month, and their leaves would be used for healing. What we see here is that life comes from the Temple of God, not from a king’s palace or from the government.

Jerusalem does not have a river in it, like we have the James River. These verses speak of this river as a literal body of water that accomplishes the life-giving work of God. Ezekiel is describing a literal river, yet it also has spiritual significance for us today. Think about the headwaters of the James River, which are not all that impressive, but the river gets much bigger by the time it gets to Hampton Roads. Ezekiel’s river gets water out of the temple into the Kidron Valley and to the Mount of Olives, and represents the transforming power of the gospel; life is growing wherever it goes.

Jesus saw the river as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory).

The apostle John saw a similar scene in the heavenly city (Revelation 22:1-2)
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

This river is an important part of the story of God, which begins in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14)
A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

It appears that this river starts in the Garden of Eden and flows into the heavenly city of God. Let’s get back to Ezekiel 47. I see a couple of significant truths in this passage:

1. Radical Transformation Advances and Does Not Remain Stationary: The water is measured in four different places, getting deeper in each spot. At the beginning, he is in ankle deep water. I believe this represents a time when someone first comes to Christ. It’s sort of like young children swimming in the kiddie pool. Just as the river moves along and gets deeper as it goes, it makes no sense for an adult believer to swim in the kiddie pool. After several months of being a follower of Jesus, we need to be growing and learning. Hebrews 6:1, tells us to press on toward maturity. This is done in two ways:

  1. Obedience: This is simply doing what Jesus says we are to do. If you love me, you’ll keep my commands (John 14:15). “One step forward in obedience is better than a year of study about it.” -Oswald Chambers
  2. Discipleship: after walking in obedience, we must be intentional in our growth. We need a plan, perhaps even mentoring, in order to become all that God desires for us to become.

I love Ezekiel 47:6, this guide says, “Do you see this?” Can you imagine the scene? THIS water? The Bible says Ezekiel was led through the water, so “Yeah, I’m standing in it; I’m really wet here, Michael Phelps couldn’t swim across this river, so yep, I’ve seen it.” Are you sure? So Ezekiel is led back to the riverbank for a closer look.

Notice the waters run toward the Dead Sea. Did you know that the water in the Dead Sea is 30% salty? The ocean is 3.5% salty. The Great Salt Lake is about 18%. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. Once any water gets to the Dead Sea, there is nowhere for the dead water to go. But notice the dead waters are made fresh, which really means HEALED. This river brings healing to the people and the nations.

2. Radical Transformation Takes You to Unattractive Places: If we are to grow spiritually, we must go to some pretty unattractive places.

Perhaps it will be on a mission trip to Haiti, working with orphans in a hot, dirty, diseased place, working among people who smell bad, flies are everywhere and you don’t understand the language.

Perhaps you are called to feed homeless people at the Union Mission, or Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, or some other place that is uncomfortable, hot, at times full of rough or intimidating people.

American cities have a low percentage of Christians. Look at NYC. NYC is only 4% Christian. People visit there every day to see Wall Street, Broadway, Museums, Statute of Liberty, Freedom Tower, but how many people head for the Bowery area of NYC. There are believers who go there in spite of the smells, burdens, drug addicts, thieves, the homeless, and the hungry, to pray for and ease suffering of forgotten people. Downtown missions attempt to transform lives.

God values the afflicted. My very first sermon was when I was 19 years old. Since I sensed God calling me into the ministry, my church asked me to go to the Jimmy Hale Mission, in downtown Birmingham. They fed homeless people all week and since they were a captive audience, they had to stay for the preaching if they wanted to eat!

I love the words of Psalm 9:18, But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

Here in Norfolk, how many of us would rather drive through rather than stop at a traffic light? We LOVE worship here, and our gathering HERE, but radical transformation often takes you to unattractive places, dirty places, even dangerous places.

Ezekiel 47:10 tells us about fisherman standing at the Dead Sea. No one would do this; to catch what? But there will be such a variety and amount of fish, from the western side (Engedi) all around to the east. Why? Because this river makes all the salty water fresh. Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures in it. Where the river flows, everything will live (Ezekiel 47:9)

Notice the marshes will remain salty, so practically, as a domestic product, people still need salt. But spiritually speaking, some people will refuse to be transformed by this life-giving river. Some people desire to remain stuck in the mire of their own sinfulness and choose NOT to be healed.

The life is transferred from the water to the riverbank; fruit bearing trees will produce every month, on both sides of the river. This life comes from the sanctuary (from Almighty God himself). This is just like John 15:5, to abide in Jesus and allowing his words to abide in you, for apart from ME you can do nothing.

3. Radical Transformation is a Catalyst for Real Change: Everywhere the river went, it made a difference. How about YOU? Like in your neighborhood, is it different in the neighborhood because you live there? What about adopting a missionary and his UPG? A catalyst for change means praying and going. UPGs are in the Dead Sea, spiritually. They need an advocate praying for them, and people going as they are able. Missions is about church planting, starting with Bible storying groups in their homes. Many people around the world are coming to Christ, and they are the FIRST EVER believers in their tribe or region. God is saving people all around the world. He is bring life and light to dark places. How can we be a part of that?

4. Radical Transformation Comes When We Allow God to Transform Us: Place your faith in Christ, NOW. No more waiting. Paul said it like this,

But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16)

Removing the veil and understanding happens only when you come to Christ. At the bottom of your outline, look at that statement. What are we to do? Step out of the kiddie pool, be a disciple and disciple others. It is always inappropriate for adults to pretend to be spiritually mature while hanging out in the kiddie pool. The Bible says to “grow up” (Ephesians 4:14-15).

Let me tell you about Rosie Ruez: She appeared to be the female winner of the 84th Boston Marathon on April 21 1980. Her time of 2:31:56 would have been the fastest female time in Boston Marathon history as well as the third-fastest female time ever recorded in any marathon. Only eight days later, the title is taken away. She actually jumped into the race in the last mile to cross the finish line. They went back to look at tapes and found what had happened. This was not even the first time. During a NYC marathon, she took a subway and jumped out toward the end of the race.

On the other hand, Bill Rodgers won his 3rd straight Boston Marathon that day. He paid the price and trained long and hard to achieve his record-setting victories. But all his work and effort was overshadowed by the pretender.

What can this church be like when we impact our community and the world for Christ? Do the hard work, no more posers, pretending to be in the game.

We must be a people who desire Radical Transformation. No business as usual, because we want to make an impact on the world around us.

  1. We will NOT remain stationary, but advance the cause of the kingdom.
  2. We will go to the unattractive places in this city and world for the cause of the kingdom.
  3. We will be the catalyst for real change in our society and circle of influence.

God help us to make a difference.

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Radical Commitment

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Do me a favor. Take out your copy of God’s Word, and hold it in your hand. If you’ve done what I just asked, you are now holding in your hands something extraordinary. You are holding a book that’s more than 3000 years old.

You are holding a book that is illegal in several countries of the world. Just to possess this book can land you in jail in some parts of the world. It was not too long ago, the government of Malaysia confiscated 10,000 Bibles that were on their way into the country.

Possessing a copy of this book just a few centuries ago in Europe could have gotten you killed. Even today, you could be subject to arrest and beatings, at the very least, in some parts of the world. This book is feared in many places. Yet people still take risks in order to have a copy or to even read it.

It is by far the best-selling book worldwide. In all its versions it is estimated between 2.5 and 6 billion copies have been sold. At least parts of this book are available in 2,400 languages.

You are also holding a miracle. Perhaps the second most extraordinary miracle since creation, second only to the incarnation of God’s Son. You are holding words from the Creator of the Universe. You can open it anytime, anywhere, and hear God’s voice.

You are holding something extraordinary.

Why the Bible is special and unique:
Have you ever thought about WHY the Bible is unique? The Bible is actually sixty-six different books. They include books of law, history, poetry, prophecy, biographies and epistles (formal letters) written to churches and people.

The Authors: About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and a doctor. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes that are woven throughout the Bible.

The Bible’s unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself. The Bible is “God-breathed” (according to 2 Timothy 3:16). The human authors wrote what God wanted them to write, and the result was this book we call the Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21).

The Divisions: The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a Nation, and the New Testament is the story of a Man. The Nation was God’s way of bringing the Man—Jesus Christ—into the world.

The Old Testament describes the founding and preserving of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3), and once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family within that nation through whom that blessing would come: it was the family of David (Psalm 89:3-4). From the line of David was promised the one Man who would bring the promised blessing (Isaiah 11:1-10) and salvation to the world.

The New Testament tells us the coming of that promised Man, Jesus the Messiah, and He fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament as He lived a perfect life, he died to be the perfect sacrifice for sin, and rose from the dead to set us free.

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The Central Character: Obviously, Jesus is the central character in the Bible—the whole book is really about Him. The Old Testament predicts His coming and sets the stage for His entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world.

Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh, and His coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God Himself became a man in order to give us a clear, understandable picture of who God is.

As Baptists, it may be good to understand what we believe about the Bible. According to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of Gods revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

Baptists are “people of the Book.” The Bible is our only source for faith and practice. It is a remarkable book that gives us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and will stand forever (1 Peter 1:24).

The Bible Rediscovered:
Perhaps you have heard about the massive religious reformation that t took place across Europe in the 16th century. Perhaps you’ve heard names of Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, John Calvin, John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli, William Tyndale and John Wycliffe. The key great driving force behind the reformation can be seen as the rediscovery of the Bible:

  1. The translation of the Bible into everyday language: no longer would people gather at church with no clue as to what was being read from the book, they could have it in their own language.
  2. The wider availability of the Bible due to the newly invented printing press.
  3. A commitment to expository preaching, (explaining what the text means); and
  4. The taking of the Bible out of the hands of a corrupt ecclesiastical elite and putting it into the hands of ordinary people.

This huge upheaval fundamentally changed the social, political, religious, intellectual, and even scientific landscape of Europe, and profoundly influenced the development of America. Rediscovering the Bible literally changed the world.

For the text of this message, I actually want to go back much further, to a much earlier rediscovery of the Bible and a time of reformation. I want to have a look at the passage that was read earlier, from 2 Kings 23:1-3.

These events took place during the reign of King Josiah in Jerusalem in 622 BC. He was 26 years old and had been king since he was eight. Now, Josiah was one of the most godly kings Israel ever had because, He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. (2 Chronicles 34:2)

Josiah’s Background:
Unfortunately, Josiah’s reign followed close behind that of his grandfather Manasseh who was the most evil king that Judah ever had. Manasseh ruled for 55 years, and under him the whole nation turned away from God. He defiled the temple in Jerusalem, and built shrines and altars to idols all over the place. Somewhere during his reign, the Book of the Law, which was the extent of the Bible at that time, was lost. Toward the end of Manasseh’s life, he repented and humbled himself before the Lord (2 Chronicles 33:13, 23).

Josiah’s father, Amon, was also an evil king. I suppose that a lifetime of rebellion against God gets passed down from father to son. Amon was so bad that he lasted as king for only two years, and his own officials assassinated him (2 Chronicles 33:24). The Bible is clear that as bad as Manasseh was, Amon sinned even more (2 Chronicles 33:23).

So, on this Father’s Day, and since no father is perfect, perhaps you are here in spite of the poor legacy that your father passed on to you. Maybe you had a lousy father, maybe he was abusive, or never instilled any spiritual direction in your life. How in the world did Josiah become the godliest king ever in Judah, with a father and grandfather that he had? I believe the answer lies in the fact that when he was 16, during the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David (2 Chronicles 34:3). His heart was tender toward God and knew that he had a much longer heritage than his immediate family. He was determined to end the cycle of dysfunction in his family’s life.

By age 20 Josiah is cleansing Judah and Jerusalem of all the pagan influences in the land (2 Chronicles 34:3-7). Then at age 26, he decides to restore the temple, and in the course of this renovation project, the Book of the Law is rediscovered.

Then in 2 Kings 22:10-11 we read, Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king. When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

Cut to the heart by what he hears, Josiah decides he must rededicate himself and the people to God. And that’s what happens in 2 Kings 23:1-3.

Take a look at these verses. One thing you can see is that the word “all” occurs a few times.

All the people:
First, a radical commitment to the Bible involves all the people.

In 2 Kings 23:1-2, Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets — all the people from the least to the greatest.

All the elders and all the people. The writer wants to make sure we know that all the people, from the least to the greatest were present at the reading of the Book.

This has always been a foundational Baptist teaching: the Bible is for all people. Biblical understanding and interpretation is never limited to an elite or privileged class of Christian. Every single believer has both the privilege and the responsibility of seeking out God’s Word for him or herself.

Of course, some are better equipped than others to do this. Some are theologically trained; some are gifted and called to be teachers. But no one has a monopoly on Bible truth and interpretation, and every single believer has access to the truth for themselves, from the least to the greatest.

A half-hearted commitment to the Bible hands over all the work of Bible study and explanation to others; a radical commitment to the Bible recognizes that every one of us has a stake in understanding the Bible, and hearing God through it.

And people have died to make this possible again for us. Perhaps you know the story of William Tyndale. He was burned at the stake in 1536, although they did him the kindness of strangling him first.

Tyndale’s life’s work was to translate the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek into common English that everyone could understand. He had a passion for placing the Word of God into the hands of ordinary people so that, ‘The Church could no longer effectively dictate its interpretation.’

This was a real issue at the time. Soon after Tyndale’s death, Henry the Eighth restricted, by law, Bible reading to only men and women of noble birth. He complained to Parliament that “the Word of God, is disputed, rhymed, sung and jangled in every ale-house and tavern.” Well, I say, wouldn’t it be wonderful if this were true today!

In the end, Tyndale’s work was not in vain, because his translation makes up about 80% of the 1611 King James Version, published more than 70 years after his death, and which became widely distributed. His vision was fulfilled.

A radical commitment to the Bible involves all the people.

There are many Christian believers around the world today who have very limited or no access to the Bible at all — up to 50 million in China alone. If we are radically committed to the Bible this should bother us.

Perhaps you support the Bible Society or Gideons, both charities who work to get God’s Word into the hands of people worldwide. But I wonder: is it sometimes easier to support getting the word to people “out there” than it is to be completely committed to the Bible “back here?”

A radical commitment to the Bible involves all the people. That means you, doesn’t it?

Over the centuries, God led dozens of his greatest saints through terrible persecution and agonizing deaths so that you and I might have the privilege of hearing and understanding His voice. How dare we neglect his word!

What are you doing to get more of God’s Word into your life and out to the world?

All the words:
Second, a radical commitment to the Bible is to all its words.

Look halfway through 2 Kings 23:2, He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.

The Bible that Josiah had found was quite a bit shorter than the Bibles we have today. It may have been the first five books of the Old Testament, or it may have been only the book of Deuteronomy. But the writer is intentional for us to know that Josiah read to the people all the words in it.

Now, not only is the book of Deuteronomy a bit heavy going at times, but there’s also a whole bunch of curses and other unpleasant verses in there. Frankly, wouldn’t it have been better for Josiah just to give them some edited highlights, a quick executive summary, or some bullet points on a PowerPoint slide?

But Josiah knows that a radical commitment to the Bible is a commitment to all its words, because they are all God’s words. Our Bible reading is deficient if we are content with memorizing a few well-known Bible verses and stories and never strive to explore the whole book.

A radical commitment to the Bible is to all its words.

John Piper once said. “If all you want is a pile of leaves, then you just need to scrape the surface. But if you want to find gold, you need to dig down deep.”

We don’t skip parts of the Bible because they seem dull, or difficult, or irrelevant to our lives today, or they teach doctrines that we don’t like. We need to wrestle with all the words to hear what God has to say to us.

It’s all God’s word to us: not just John 3:16, Romans 8:28 and Psalm 23. He has so much more to say to us! Let’s be more radical in our Bible reading. If it doesn’t make sense, why not get into a small group to discuss the meaning of the Bible, and help you grow in your faith?

All the heart and all the soul:
Third, a radical commitment to the Bible is with all the heart and all the soul.

Look at 2 Kings 23:3, The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord — to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul.

This is about application; it’s about how far we let God’s Word into our lives. A radical commitment to the Bible means that we seek ways to apply what it says in all our lives. Not just letting God’s living Word into our head, but into all our heart and all our soul. A radical commitment to the Bible is life-changing.

Perhaps Josiah only had the book of Deuteronomy, which is widely regarded, along with Leviticus, as being one of the least exciting parts of the Bible. Yet as he read it, it caused him to tear his clothes and weep in anguish. It turned his life upside down.

How much more should the complete Bible that we have today speaks to our hearts and souls? We have in our hands the whole story of God’s plan to save us: not just a glimpse, but the whole thing, culminating in Jesus, his own son who died for us.

If our Bible reading is not causing us to weep and rejoice, to break out in gratitude and anguish, in joy and sorrow, then, frankly, we’re not doing it right. If our Bible reading is not life-changing, then we’re not doing it right. We’re not engaging our hearts and souls.

A radical commitment to the Bible engages all our heart, all our soul. No part of our life is out of scope for God’s word.

The same goes for our life together as a church. The Bible informs and guides every aspect of our lives together. Therefore, if we are radically committed to the Bible as a church, those who are connected here should be people who commit themselves to hearing, understanding and obeying the Bible with all their hearts and all their souls.

This should be one of the key factors that guide us in ministry and relationships: is this person someone who paddles in the shallow end of God’s word, or someone who has jumped into the deep end? Has this person been gripped by God’s Word?

A radical commitment to the Bible is with all our heart and all our soul.

Conclusion:
On this Father’s Day, has this message penetrated your soul? Are we attempting to raise the next generation with a strong foundation; a foundation that is built upon the Word of God? Are we attempting to make a difference in the world, and in particular, in our families? How can we do anything without a radical commitment to the Word of God?

Do we want to be a church that truly hears God’s words and does his work in this world — a radical church — then let’s be like Josiah and like the reformers.

  1. Let’s commit ourselves, every one of us, to hearing God’s word: all of the people.
  2. Let’s commit ourselves to exploring the whole of what he has to say to us: all of the words.
  3. And let’s commit ourselves to applying and obeying what he tells us in our lives: all our heart and all our soul.

This is a radical commitment to the Bible.

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