Sermons & Other Stuff

2009-07-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Batting 1,000

Rev. Robert D. Shofner,Jr.

http://www.stjohnsboonville.com/

“Grading on the curve” is a familiar term to any student. The teacher takes all the scores from the test and lists them from the highest to the lowest. Then he or she plots a curve that results with some students falling into the “A” category, others in “B”, most in the “C” range, and the lowest rounding out the “D’s” and F’s.”
So, our question for today is: “Does God ever grade on the curve?”
A lot of people act like they believe so. They say things like … “Well, I’m not half so bad as what’s his name over there!” “I live a pretty good life … I never cheat or steal … I don’t even kick my dog.” They sincerely believe, “Surely God, in His benevolence and kindness, will give a passing grade and heavenly diploma to people who ‘do their best.’” Right?
Paul writes:
“But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.” (Romans 1:18-23)
Skipping down to verse 28:
“Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care — worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!” (Romans 1:28-32)
Whoa! What a degrading view of humanity. What a description of all those reprobates who have deliberately chosen to push away God’s truth! But we all know this world has its share of atheists and agnostics, and there are just as many pagans wearing business suits as loin clothes. But Paul doesn’t leave any of these bad guys with an excuse. Paul plainly states that people can know their Creator. Humankind can see all around them in creation the handiwork of God. But instead of acknowledging God, worshipping Him and thanking Him, they turn from God to themselves. They think up silly ideas of what God is like to suit themselves. They turn from the light and embrace the dark shadows.
Verses 24 through 31 gives us a list of their sins. Sounds pretty much like today, doesn’t it? It’s a pretty accurate description. People have rebelled against God and this is the result. Their sin corrupts everything they touch. They see no need to turn to God. What right does God have to their lives anyway? They will do what they please … be their own boss!
And God says in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” In the more accurate translations, it says, “And God gave them up.” At first glance, that may sound like God is mad … and just turns His back on them. But the original Greek conveys a sense of extreme sadness on God’s part. He does give them up, but it breaks His heart to do so.
And notice the progression of their sin. “Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)
Even though they know of God’s death penalty for all these crimes, they go right ahead and do them anyway … and even get others to join in on the fun. They have run so far from God they no longer see or understand the consequences of their actions. They are thus proving the truth of that old Fortune Cookie saying, “Commit a sin more than once and it seems no longer a sin.”
“Well … Thank God I’m not like that! Those kind of people definitely need the Gospel, but I fail to see what all this has to do with me!”
Paul would warn us against that kind of self-righteous thought.
“Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done.
“You didn't think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he's such a nice God, he'd let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. You're not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it's going to blaze hot and high, God's fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what's coming to you — Real Life for those who work on God's side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!
“If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you're from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won't give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.
“If you sin without knowing what you're doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely. Merely hearing God's law is a waste of your time if you don't do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.
“When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.” (Romans 2:1-16)
Do we think Paul is being fair? How can he say we do the same things as those obvious sinners when we really try to live right? But the point is … though we may see a sin in someone else, we often fail to see the same sin in ourselves. We quickly point to someone’s hatred, but ignore, or downplay, our own envy. We get bored hearing the guy at the shop bragging all the time, but we don’t recognize the selfish pride within ourselves.
Paul turned his attention to the good, moral people who won’t accept the meaning behind the Gospel. He tells us that moral people keep on depending on their own goodness and fail to really look into their own hearts. They firmly believe that God does grade on a curve. They think only of how “nice” they are, and don’t really believe God’s clear Word of warning. They keep judging other people and remain blind to their own faults.
Reading between the lines, we can imagine Paul thinking about himself. Remember that before he had his life-changing experience with Christ, Paul was a highly ethical and religious person who looked down his nose at all the bad people in the world. But when he met Christ, Paul began to see himself as he really was … he realized he was no longer blameless … he realized, fully, that he was a sinner in need of grace.
That realization can only truly happen when we confront the living God. And that’s tough to take. Actually … it’s frightening. To stand before a totally perfect and powerful God … and realize that we are nothing but sinful filth in His righteous eyes. When Isaiah beheld his vision of God, all he could cry was “Woe is me! I am doomed!” And I can guarantee we’d cry the same.
Listen, as long as we insist on comparing ourselves to other people, we think we’re pretty good. I mean, I’m better than that guy over there … and if God grades on a curve, if he makes it, I’m good as gold! But when we actually come into the presence of God’s perfection … woe is me! Because that’s a whole new ballgame!
Our secret lives are laid open before God. Every deed, every word, every thought. Everything! We don’t want anyone to know those dirty little secrets. We try to keep up our front. But no matter how smug we may get in thinking we’re fooling everyone else, we’re not fooling God. God knows everything. Nothing is hidden from His sight.
Paul points out: “But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely.” That means when we do something wrong and we know it’s wrong, but we do it anyway, we will suffer the consequences … because God doesn’t grade on the curve!
So these words of judgment and punishment are written to convict everyone of his or her need for Christ, because all of us sin … all of us fall far short of God’s perfect standard. We all need Jesus … the pagan bad guy and the moral good guy. Even religious guys. In fact, Paul blasts the most religious people of all, the Jews. And he should know … he was once a super religious Jew himself, and here is what he says about them.
“If you're brought up Jewish (or Protestant, or Roman Catholic, or whatever), don't assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you're an insider to God's revelation, a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God's revealed Word inside and out, feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God. While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I'm quite serious. While preaching "Don't steal!" are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law. The line from Scripture, "It's because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God," shows it's an old problem that isn't going to go away.
“Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God's law. But if you don't, it's worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God's ways are as good as the circumcised — in fact, better. Better to keep God's law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don't you see: It's not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew (or baptism and Confirmation or church membership that makes you a Christian). You become a Jew by who you are. It's the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.” (Romans 2:17-29 The Message)
Obviously, Paul is speaking to the Jews of his time (except for the little comments that I added). They were religious; they read their scriptures every day; they prayed, fasted, tithed and faithfully worshipped. They were the good, solid religious people who never questioned their standing with God. It never occurred to them that they, too, might be under God’s condemnation. But they were.
Why? Pride. By the way, pride was the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven. Pride leads to hypocrisy. The Jews were proud of knowing God’s laws, but they were hypocrites in the fact that even knowing God’s laws, they kept breaking them. Paul condemns them by quoting scripture, "It's because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God,"
Obviously, we do the same today. In too many churches, religion comes before personal commitment to Christ. Religion makes us proud and self-righteous. But, really, we fail to be kind, honest, humble and loving. Why do so many stay away from church? Because they see through our game of religion and call it for what it is … phoney! It’s not merely a case of sinners who don’t want to see the light. True, Satan is blinding them. But not as much as the religious hypocrisy that is so prevalent in our fellowships.
So Paul is exposing the failure of religion in this passage. He clearly states that no one is free from sin. Even religious people need a change of heart and mind and action. The only thing that really matters is the mark of God on our hearts.
It should be painfully clear by now that God doesn’t grade on any kind of curve! In fact, each and every one of us fails to get a passing grade. Paul sums up God’s case against us with this final indictment.
“So where does that put us? Do we Jews (or Christians) get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

“‘There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mud slides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin. Don't know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day.’
“This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.
“But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this.” (Romans 3:9-22 The Message)
There it is. This isn’t the way we would want to evaluate people, but this is how God evaluates us.
Let’s use a baseball metaphor. There are all kinds of players in the major leagues. There is the guy who has a 180 batting average. There is the guy who hits 275. And then there’s that batting champ who knocks out an amazing 374. But who bats 1000? Nobody. Nobody bats 1000!
God tells us, “Be perfect as I am perfect.” That’s batting 1000! That’s His rule. And since He made up the Game, He makes the rules. If we can’t make it, we’re out of the game. So God sees us stepping up to the plate, grounding out and striking out time after time, even though once in a great while we might manage to get a double off the back wall. Even for the best of us, it’s a pretty poor performance. Nobody bats 1000.
So, the Good News is not only for the bad guys who don’t measure up. It’s for us good guys who think we do measure up, and for the religious guys who keep trying to measure up.
How does this Good News thing work? What makes the Gospel God’s power unto salvation?
We’ll look at that next time.

Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father … the bad news for this morning is that You really don’t grade on a curve … that You demand that we be perfect as You are perfect … and because of our sin nature, there’s no way we can do that. Not only that, our sin nature actually blinds us to that truth … leading us to believe, act and think we really are better than what’s his name over there … that since we’re such super good Christians it really okay for us to “call a spade a spade” and be critical, harsh, judgmental. After all, if we don’t point out someone’s fault, then who will? You will, on that final Judgment Day, when all of us, super good Christians and super bad guys and everyone in between, will stand before You and give an account for everything little thing we’ve done, thought, or said. God, that’s really bad news!
Thank You for the Good News … that You have sent Your Son Jesus to take the penalty for our sin upon Himself. And that when we give up our pride and humbly embrace and truly believe in Him and what He has done, then You see us as sinless, and lovingly welcome us in Your eternal Kingdom. Thank You, praise You, bless You!
And the people said, “Amen.”

2009-06-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

How to Finish Strong

Pastor Ron Blake

http://wesleyshorse.blogspot.com

I have noticed what I thought would happen has happened. The gym where I go is always packed throughout January and most of Feb. Sometimes it has been hard to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time. Now things have gone back to normal, machines are open, the locker room at times deserted. What happened? All those New Year’s resolutions have become faint memories of commitments well intentioned and needed, that have been replaced with are normal habits and practices. This large flock of folks has retreated from their commitment. Most started well, they pushed through and decided I must change. But they have fallen back into the old familiar habits and routines.It is not enough to start strong, one must finish well. Here at First Church we started with a spiritual workout at the beginning of the year. Do you remember God’s gym? I thought so! I was talking with a friend the other day and somehow our conversation turned to the subject: ‘finishing strong’. We recounted people we have gone to school with, who are no longer in the ministry, we even know a few that have experienced other setbacks. What happened? One thing is for certain, if you want to finish strong, finish well, you have to be intentional. What must happen in order for us to finish well?To Finish Strong:1 We need Spiritual Stamina. We need to make spiritual workouts a part of our regular routine, not just periodically, but regular and often. One of the reasons we exercise our physical bodies to give us stamina, if we do nothing, we lose strength and our energy dissipates. The same is true in the spiritual realm as well.2 We need Spiritual Resilience. Life has its hard places. We all face tough times of testing. Disappointment will make house calls and often. Whatever you are facing today turn it over to the Lord!! Get into His Word, and give Him everything including your heartbreak and disappointment. Allow Him to use these things to make you stronger, better not bitter!3 We need Focused Faith. What you focus on is what you will become! If you focus on your hurts, you will become a miserable and bitter person. Focus on God, His love for you, His grace at work in your life. We need to hear what Paul says regarding this subject:Phil 3:13-14Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.Keep running and keep moving aheadWhat do you think? I would love to hear from you.blessings,Ron

2009-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

I Am the Lord That Healeth Thee

Smith Wigglesworth

1859-1947
"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (James 5 :14, 15) .
We have in this precious word a real basis for the truth of healing. In this scripture God gives very definite instructions to the sick. If you are sick, your part is to call for the elders of the church; it is their part to anoint and pray for you in faith, and then the whole situation rests with the Lord. When you have been anointed and prayed for, you can rest assured that the Lord will raise you up. It is the word of God.
I believe that we all can see that the church cannot play with this business. If any turn away from these clear instructions they are in a place of tremendous danger. Those who refuse to obey, do so to their unspeakable loss.
James tells us in connection with this, "if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death." Many turn away from the Lord, as did King Asa, who sought the physicians in his sickness and consequently died; and I take it that this passage means that if one induces another to turn back to the Lord, he will save such from death and God will forgive a multitude of sins that they have committed. This scripture can also have a large application on the line of salvation. If you turn away from any part of God's truth, the enemy will certainly get an advantage over you.
Does the Lord meet those who look to Him for healing and obey the instructions set forth in James? Most assuredly. Let me tell you a story to show how He will undertake for the most extreme case.
One day I had been visiting the sick, and was with a friend of mine, an architect, when I saw a young man f from his office coming down the road in a car, and holding in his hand a telegram. It contained a very urgent request that we go immediately to pray for a man who was dying. We went off in an auto as fast as possible and in about an hour and a half reached a large house in the country where the man who was dying resided. There were two staircases in that house, and it was extremely convenient, for the doctors could go up and down one, and my friend and I could go up and down the other, and so we had no occasion to meet.
I found on arrival that it was a case of this sort. The man's body had been broken, he was ruptured, and his bowels had been punctured in two places. The discharge from the bowels had formed abscesses, and blood poisoning had set in. The man's face had turned green. Two doctors were in attendance, but they saw that the case was beyond their power. They had telegraphed to London for a great specialist, and, when we arrived, they were at the railway station awaiting bis arrival.
The man was very near death and could not speak. I said to his wife, "If you desire, we will anoint and pray for him." She said, "That is why I sent for you." I anointed him in the name of the Lord and asked the Lord to raise him up. Apparently there was no change. (God often hides what He does. From day to day we find that God is doing wonderful things, and we receive reports of healings that have taken place that we heard nothing about at the time of our meetings. Only last night a woman came into the meeting suffering terribly. Her whole arm was filled with poison, and her blood was so poisoned that it was certain to bring her to her death. We rebuked the thing, and she was here this morning and told us that she was without pain and had slept all night, a thing she had not done for two months. To God be all the praise. You will find He will do this kind of thing all along.)

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As soon as we anointed and prayed for this brother we went down the back staircase and the three doctors came up the front staircase. As we arrived downstairs, I said to my friend who had come with me, "Friend let me have hold of your hands." We held each other's hands, and I said to him, "Look into my face and let us agree together, according to Matthew 1$:19, that this man shall be brought out of this death." We laid the whole matter before God, and said, "Father, we believe."
Then the conflict began. The wife came down to us and said, "The doctors have got all their instruments out and they are about to operate." I cried, "What? Look here, he's your husband, and I tell you this, if those men operate on him, he will die. Go back and tell them you cannot allow it." She went back to the doctors and said, "Give me ten minutes." They said, "We can't afford to, the man is dying and it is your husband's only chance." She said, "I want ten minutes, and you don't touch his body until I have had them."
They went downstairs by one staircase and we went up by the other. I said to the woman, "This man is your husband, and he cannot speak for himself. It is now the time for you to put your whole trust in God and prove Him wholly true. You can save him from a thousand doctors. You must stand with God and for God in this critical hour." After that, we came down and the doctors went up. The wife faced those three doctors and said, "You shan't touch this man's body. He is my husband. I am sure that if you operate on him he will die, but he will live if you don't touch him."
Suddenly the man in the bed spoke. "God has done it," he said. They rolled back the bed clothes and the doctors examined him, and the abscesses were cut clear away. The nurse cleaned the place where they had been. The doctors could see the bowels still open and they said to the wife, "We know that you have great faith, and we can see that a miracle has taken place. But you must let us unite these broken parts and put in silver tubes, and we know that your husband will be all right after that, and it need not interfere with your faith at all." She said to them, "God has done the first thing and He can do the rest. No man shall touch him now." And God healed the whole thing. And that man is well and strong today. I can give his name and address to any who want it.
Do you ask by what power this was done? I would answer in the words of Peter, "His name, through faith in His name, made this man strong." The anointing was done i7. the name of the Lord. And it is written, "The LORD shall raise him up." And He provides the double cure; even if sin has been the cause of the sickness, His Word declares, "If he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven,"
You ask, "What is faith?" Faith is the principle of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Word, is called the Spirit of Truth, and, as we receive with meekness the engrafted Word, faith springs in our heart-faith in the sacrifice of Calvary: faith in the shed blood of Jesus; faith in the fact that He took our weakness upon Himself, has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains, and that He is our life today.
God has chosen us to help one another. We dare not be independent. He brings us to a place where we submit ourselves to one another. If we refuse to do this, we get away from the Word of God and out of the place of faith. I have been in this place once and I trust I shall never be there again. I went one time to a meeting. I was very, very sick, and I got worse and worse. I knew the perfect will of God was for me to humble myself and ask the elders to pray for me. I put it off and the meeting finished. I went home without being anointed and prayed with, and everyone in the house caught the thing I was suffering with.
My boys did not know anything else but to trust the Lord as the family Physician, and my youngest boy, George, cried out from the attic, "Dadda, come." I cried, "I cannot come. The whole thing is from me. I shall have to repent and ask the Lord to forgive me." I made up my mind to humble myself before the whole church. Then I rushed to the attic and laid my hands on my boy in the name of Jesus. I placed my hands on his head and the pain left and went lower down; he cried again, "Put your hands still lower." At last the pain went right down to the feet and as I placed my hand on the feet be was completely delivered. Some evil power had evidently gotten hold and as I laid my hands on the different parts of the body it left. (We have to see the difference between anointing the sick and casting out demons.) God will always be gracious when we humble ourselves before Him and come to a place of brokenness of spirit.
I was at a place one time ministering to a sick woman, and she said, "I'm very sick. I become all right for an hour, and then I have another attack." I saw that it was an evil power that was attacking her, and I learned something in that hour that I had never learned before. As I moved my hand down her body in the name of the Lord that evil power seemed to move just ahead of my hands and as I moved them down further and further the evil power went right out of her body and never returned.
I was in Havre in France and the power of God was being mightily manifested. A Greek named Felix attended the meeting and became very zealous for God. He was very anxious to get all the Catholics he could to the meeting in order that they should see that God was graciously visiting France. He found a certain bed-ridden woman who was fixed in a certain position and could not move, and he told her about the Lord healing at the meetings and that he would get me to come if she wished. She said, "My husband is a Catholic and he would never allow anyone who was not a Catholic to see me."
She asked her husband to allow me to come and told him what Felix had told her about the power of God working in our midst. He said, "I will have no Protestant enter my house." She said, "You know the doctors cannot help me, and the priests cannot help, won't you let this man of God pray for me?" He finally consented and I went to the house. The simplicity of this woman and her child-like faith were beautiful to see.
I showed her my oil bottle and said to her, "Here is oil. It is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. When that comes upon you, the Holy Ghost will begin to work, and the Lord will raise you up." And God did something the moment the oil fell upon her. I looked toward the window and I saw Jesus. (I have seen Him often. There is no painting that is a bit like Him
no artist can ever depict the beauty of my lovely Lord.) The woman felt the power of God in her body and cried, "I'm free, my hands are free, my shoulders are free, and oh, I see Jesus! I'm free! I'm free!"
The vision vanished and the woman sat up in bed. Her legs were still bound, and I said to her, "I'll put my hands over your legs and you will be free entirely." And as I put my hands on those legs covered with bed clothes, I looked and saw the Lord again. She saw Him too and cried, "He's there again. I'm free! I'm free!" She rose from her bed and walked round the room praising God, and we were all in tears as we saw His wonderful works. The Lord shall raise them up when conditions are met.
When I was a young man I always loved the fellowship of old men, and was always careful to hear what they had to say. I had a friend, an old Baptist minister who was a wonderful preacher. I spent much of my time with him. One day he came to me and said, "My wife is dying." I said, "Brother Clark, why don't you believe God? God can raise her up if you will only believe Him." He asked me to come to his house, and I looked for some one to go with me.
I went to a certain rich man who was very zealous for God, and spent much money in opening up rescue. missions, and I asked him to go with me. He said, "Never you mind me. You go yourself, but I don't take to this kind of business." Then I thought of a man who could pray by the hour. When he was on his knees he could go round the world three times and come out at the same place. I asked him to go with me and said to him, "You'll have a real chance this time. Keep at it, and quit when you're through." (Some go on after they are through.)
Brother Nichols, for that was his name, went with me and started praying. He asked the Lord to comfort the husband in his great bereavement and prayed for the orphans and a lot more on this line. I cried, "O my God, stop this man." But there was no stopping him and he went on praying and there was not a particle of faith in anything he uttered. He did stop at last, and I said, "Brother Clark, it's now your turn to pray. He started, "Lord, answer the prayer of my brother and comfort me in this great bereavement and sorrow. Prepare me to face this great trial." I cried out, "My God, stop this man." The whole atmosphere was being charged with unbelief.
I had a glass bottle full of oil and I went up tea the woman and poured the whole lot on her in the name of Jesus. Suddenly Jesus appeared, standing at the foot of the bed. He smiled and vanished. The woman stood up, perfectly healed, and she is a strong woman today.
We have a big God. We have a wonderful Jesus. We have a glorious Comforter. God's canopy is over you and will cover you at all times, preserving you from evil. Under His wings shalt thou trust. The Word of God is living and powerful and in its treasures you will find eternal life. If you dare trust this wonderful Lord, this Lord of life, you will find in Him everything you need.
So many are tampering with drugs, quacks, pills and plasters. Clear them all out and believe God. It is sufficient to believe God. You will find that if you dare trust Him, He will never fail. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the LORD shall raise him up." Do you trust Him? He is worthy to be trusted.
I was one time asked to go to Weston-super-mare, a seaside resort in the West of England. I learned from a telegram that a man had lost his reason and had become a raving maniac, and they wanted me to go to pray for him. I arrived at the place, and the wife said to me, "Will you sleep with my husband?" I agreed, and in the middle of the night an evil power laid hold of him. It was awful. I put my hand on his head and his hair was like a lot of sticks. God gave deliverance-a temporary deliverance. At 6 o'clock the next morning, I felt that it was necessary that I should get out of the house for a short time.
The man saw me going and cried out, "If you leave me, there is no hope." But I felt that I had to go. As I went out I saw a woman with a Salvation Army bonnet on and I knew that she was going to their 7 o'clock prayer meeting. I said to the Captain who was in charge of the meeting, when I saw he was about to give out a hymn, "Captain, don't sing. Let's get to prayer." He agreed, and I prayed my heart out, and then I grabbed my hat and rushed out of the hall. They all thought they had a madman in their prayer meeting that morning.
I saw the man I had spent the night with, rushing down toward the sea, without a particle of clothing on, about to drown himself. I cried, "In the name of Jesus, come out of him!" The man fell full length on the ground and that evil power went out of him never to return. His wife came rushing after him, and the husband was restored to her in a perfect mental condition.
There are evil powers, but Jesus is greater than all evil powers. There are tremendous diseases, but Jesus is healer. There is no case too hard for Him. The Lion of Judah shall break every chain. He came to relieve the oppressed and to set the captive free. He came to bring redemption, to make us as perfect as man was before the fall.
People want to know how to be kept by the power of God. Every position of grace into which you are led-forgiveness, healing, deliverance of any kindwill be contested by Satan. He will contend for your body. When you are saved, Satan will come round and say, "See, you are not saved." The devil is a liar. If he says you are not saved, it is a sure sign that you are.
You will remember the story of the man who was swept and garnished. The evil power had been swept out of him. But the man remained in a stationary position. If the Lord heals you, you dare not remain in a stationary position. The evil spirit came back to that man and found the house swept, and took seven others worse than himself, and the last state of that man was worse than the first. Be sure to get filled with God. Get the Occupier. Be filled with the Spirit.
God has a million ways of undertaking for those who go to Him for help. He has deliverance for every captive. He loves you so much that He even says, "Before they call, I will answer." Don't turn Him away.
"I slipped and fell on Broadway, San Diego, in February, 1921, and as was afterwards discovered, fractured the coccyx (the base of the spine), and so severely wrenched the hips and pelvic bones that I became a great sufferer. As the broken bone was not discovered and set until about two months after the accident, the constant pain and irritation caused a general inflammation of the nervous system, and the long delay in getting the bone set, made it impossible to heal, so that, my condition steadily grew worse, and I was taken to the hospital and the bone was removed about a month after it had been set. Though the wound healed rapidly, the nervous inflammation remained, and so for many months longer I was in constant pain and unable to get around without assistance. I was taken to the first service held by Mr. Wigglesworth on the 2nd of October, 1922. At the close of the service all those who were sick and in pain and had come for healing were requested to rise if possible. My husband assisted me to my feet, and as those were prayed for by the speaker I was instantly healed. How
I do not know. I only know the Great Physician touched my body and I was made whole, and freed from pain.
"After I got home I showed how I could sit down and rise with my hands above my head; when before it had taken both hands to push up my feeble body, and I had to have straps on my bed to pull up by. No more use for them now! I lay down and turned over for the first time without pain. I shall never cease to praise God for the healing of my body through the precious blood of Jesus and in His name. I walked to the street car alone the next day and attended the next service and have been "on the go" ever since. Can give names of friends who can substantiate all I have written. To Jesus be all the, praise and glory." -Mrs. Sanders, 4051 Bay View Court, San Diego, Calif.

Smith Wigglesworth mentored Rev. Lester Sumral, Lester Sumrall mentored Rev. Rod Parsley.There are several documented cases where Smith Wigglesworth witnessed people being raised from the dead.One of our dearly departed saints of the church used to lead in the song about letting the fire fall. He said if it did fall while we were singing it would scare us half to death.The Bible tells us Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What do you think?

2009-06-28T21:49:00.001-07:00

Fire Insurance – 4
Being saved – justified by faith in Christ – assures us of eternal life. But is that all? A criticism of Christianity is that it just offers “pie in the sky by and by.” That may be true in the minds of some believers. For instance …
Once a visiting evangelist was preaching at the little country church, and he noticed that every time he mentioned Satan one little lady would bow her head, almost in deference to the name. Afterwards, at the door, he asked her just what she was doing. She answered, “Well preacher, every time you mentioned the old devil’s name, I just showed a little respect. After all, one never knows. And it doesn’t hurt to be polite!”
Some Christians are accused, perhaps with good reason, that they get saved in order to take out a “fire insurance policy” against going to hell. But their lives don’t show any results, any difference from non-believers. Is it really all “pie in the sky”? Does being a Christian provide benefits and results in this life, now and today?
Listen what Paul has to say to his friends in Rome. Chapter 5, beginning with the first verse.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-11 NIV)
What do most people want out of life? Confidence, peace, love, hope, happiness, security, a sense of accomplishment. We may express it in different words and ways, but the desires are pretty much universal. In the passage we just read, Paul claims that the Christian has all these things.
Being justified … made right in God’s sight … by faith gives us real peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. And, additionally, our faith brings three wonderfully practical results … new potential, new power, and a new Friend!
First … new potential. Our faith has brought us into a place of highest privilege. We can confidently look forward to actually becoming all that God has in mind for us to be.
How’s that work?
The answer is written all over the Book of Romans. Simply put … have faith, trust God, and obey. God is in charge, let Him do the directing.
Listen, every good athlete lets the coach direct the training, right? Bill Glass, a former football player and witness for Christ both on and off the field said that the worse thing that can happen to a player is not to be willing to pay attention to what the coach tells him or her. Glass said, “A player must be able to take coaching and listen to instruction. And when the going gets tough, he must be even more careful about taking the signals of the coach.”
God is the Coach. Listen to what He tells us. It’s for our own good.
Second … the power. Paul said, “There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us,” (Romans 5:3 THE MESSAGE)

Sure, right. Who’s he kidding? Who wants problems? Nobody. Who has problems? Everybody. But problems do have a purpose. What purpose? Paul tells us.
“Our problems bring us patient perseverance, which gives us character. And our God-created character gives us hope. And our hope never disappoints us. Why? Because it is God who pours out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” (Romans 5:4-5) Paul never saw a problem as something that brought him low. Problems are always something we can use to learn to trust God more and more until our faith is really strong.
“Cool. Where do I get this patience and strength? I have a short fuse … I get pretty discouraged. I start out by trusting God. I even pray about it – passing that exam, getting the job done on time, winning the basketball game, saving bucks in my 401K. But what happens when I don’t pass, when I fail to get the job done on time, when I lose the game, when my stock portfolio tanks out. What happens when there is just me and my problems?”
For the Christian, it is never “just me and my problems.” God is there, too. No matter what happens we can know that all is well, that God loves us. Why? Paul says, “Because it is God who pours out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
Actually, this is the first time Paul talks about the Holy Spirit in the book of Romans. It won’t be the last. The Holy Spirit is the vital key to being a Christian without being religious. For the Christian, every trial, every problem can be used to build one’s faith, one’s confidence, one’s hope and happiness … if we face it by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.
How do we rely on the Holy Spirit? Wait. Do nothing on our own power!
Richard Halverson writes: “There are times when doing something only compounds the problem, deepens the difficulty, adds to the confusion. Doing nothing is a strategy … a conscious, positive, constructive strategy. Leave a glass of muddy water alone – the dirt and debris settles to the bottom. This is a way of purifying water … and it’s a way of allowing a confused situation to clarify. Waiting brings facts into focus – helps you see them in perspective.”
Of course, waiting doesn’t mean we never take action on a problem. But to wait and do nothing in our own strength is a way to rely on the Holy Spirit.
Waiting, thinking, praying can give God’s love, which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, a chance to calm the troubled waters that are boiling inside. Try it … and see how it works.
Third … the Friend. The one thing at the top of everyone’s “what I want out of life” list is love. We all want to know that we matter to someone. That can make all the difference between despair and meaning in our lives.
The Christian knows that someone cares. She knows that God loves her. How do we know? “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)
At times we may feel alone with our problems, our trials, even our convictions. We may feel small and insignificant, but we have God’s Word for it that He cares. Paul reassures us, “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11 New Living Translation) We are friends of God! What better friend could we ever ask for?
So, is your faith more than just fire insurance? It should be. It better be. If it isn’t, then you are in danger of only going through the motions … trying to be a Christian by being religious.
In the rest of chapter five, Paul seems to digress. But he is actually expanding on this incredible truth of how “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He writes profoundly on the nature of our sin and the nature of God’s mercy.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
“Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin.
“For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
“Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
“God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:12-21 New Living Translation)
Question: How can Jesus save us all? How can just one Man die for so many?
It’s simple, actually.
One man, Adam, brought all this death on humankind. The one Man, the new Adam, the eternal Son of God, has the power to bring life to all who believe in Him.
Just believe it. Have faith. Trust God.
That’s the Good News for this morning.

Let’s pray.
God, thank You for this Good News. Because we are all children of the old Adam, we are born with this terrible sin nature. We don’t even know we are lost until Your Spirit comes upon us, convincing us of our sin and our desperate need of a Savior. Thank You that You have given us a new Adam, a life giving Spirit, that in Him and through Him we may have peace with You, forgiven of our sin, and everlasting life with You in Paradise. Grant us faith, that we may trust only in You. Amen.

2009-06-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

Facebook-A Witnessing Tool?

"On February 4th, 2004 Mark Zuckerberg launched The Facebook, a social network that was at the time exclusively for Harvard students. It was a huge hit: in 2 weeks, half of the schools in the Boston area began demanding a Facebook network. Zuckerberg immediately recruited his friends Dustin Moskowitz and Chris Hughes to help build Facebook, and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks.
The original idea for the term Facebook came from Zuckerberg’s high school (Phillips Exeter Academy). The Exeter Face Book was passed around to every student as a way for students to get to know their classmates for the following year. It was a physical paper book until Zuckerberg brought it to the internet.
Over 1 million new users signed up every week, 200,000 daily, totaling over 50 million active users. Facebook received 40 billion page views a month. Long gone were the days of Facebook as a social network for college students. 11% of users are over the age of 35, and the fastest growing demographic is users over 30. Facebook has also seen huge growth internationally; 15% of the user base is in Canada. Facebook users’ passion, or addiction, to the site is unparalleled: more than half use the product every single day and users spend an average of 19 minutes a day on Facebook. Facebook is 6th most trafficked site in the US and top photo sharing site with 4.1 billion photos uploaded. "
This Brings me back to the question at the beginning. Have you thought of Facebook as a witnessing tool? Many people have. Its easy to set up an account. Its free. People can only have access to your page and info if you approve them. You control what information is available to others. We hear many horror stories about this or that. Truth is, if someone wanted to "stalk" you, they can usually find you in the phone book.I've been able to connect with old friends I haven't seen in years and meet new ones with similar church and networking interests. Some of my friends are Christians and/or pastors. Some are not. What a great way for unchurched friends to be exposed to those who are, as many churches are in an individuals profile or favorites page.Most people I know with a Facebook page also post church events and Bible verses from time to time. Jesus told us to be the salt and light in this world. I believe that he would want us to use any and all means at our disposal while we have the opportunity. With all the recent attacks on free speech, we don't know how long these opportunities will be available. That's something to think about.

2009-05-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Outspoken Christian Wins American Idol As "Underdog"
Submitted by Trevor:The 2009 season of FOX broadcasting's "American Idol" had it's share of open and honest Christians who shared their faith as much as possible. Not known to many viewers is the fact that two contestants held joint-bible studies and even converted people to Christ.Kris Allen and Danny Gokey both have strong connection to their faith but it was Kris who overcame the odds set by media-hype that fellow contestant Adam Lambert would be the winner. However the millions of Christians who prayed and organized online prayer groups asking for God to intervene would have the final say."It wasn't about asking God to make sure he won" says a Kris Allen fan. "It's about showing America conservative principals are still very much alive"Even with the increasing liberal tide the country seams to be taking through the media has not taken over "American Idol". Over the past eight seasons 7 out of the 8 winners have in some form openly shared their faith and held bible study.Kris Allen shows that someone in their 20's can be traditional and conservative in today's every increasing liberal world. At the age of 23 he has been married for a few years and is active with his church community.This year turned out to be one of the closest years where even Simon Cowell considered the "head-judge" couldn't predict the turn out. Kris Allen's debut single hits radio airwaves tomorrow (May 21) titled "No Boundaries" which has also been arranged to be pick up by many contemporary Christian radio stations.Here is the video:
Posted by CyberPastor Ed Boston at 1:46 AM

2009-04-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Free" Bar-B-Q Grills for Tough Times
As every Southerner knows, come spring it will be time to get ready for that all-important cooking technique of the south --- outdoor grilling!I have just found out there are many stores (not just in the South) where you can get a FREE Bar-B-Q grill! In these tough times free useful items are very welcome, and you don't even have to wait for the Guv-ment (that's us)to bail you out! You can get a "free" BBQ grill from any of the following stores: A&P Albertsons CostcoDan'sFood LionFry'sHome DepotBig LotsBrookshire'sLowesPublixSafewaySam's Club TescoTargetVonsTrader Joe's Wal-Mart Winn-Dixie

2009-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

I preach this coming Sunday, then will be off for 3 weeks. My apologies to my friends in Corona. You will be hearing this one "live" on May 3rd. See ya'll soon!

Pleasure Does Not Equal Happiness

We’re in a teaching series on how to live a better life … a look at when the “good” life isn’t good enough … that’s there’s something a whole lot better out there. And today we’re going to discuss “pleasure.” Pleasure.

I hope we’ve learned by now that it’s quite possible to fill our lives with pleasure, but still have a life that’s devoid of happiness. Now, when you think that I’m going to start bashing pleasure … I want to proclaim to you …. I’m all for pleasure. As a matter of fact, I like pleasure. Pleasure is one of God’s good gifts. He intends for us to enjoy pleasure when it’s in the proper place. But pleasure, like all of God’s good gifts, can be abused and misused and destructive.

As we go through life the things that bring pleasure to our lives change. Have we noticed that? What brings pleasure to a baby is different from what brings pleasure to an adult.

At the baby stage in life, we would expect to find pleasure in a clean diaper and a warm bottle.

At the child stage … maybe a new skate board, or new Superman costume. For me, it was a Roy Rogers gun belt with a pair of matching six-shooters.

As a teenager it might be having a pimple-free day, a date for the Prom, or a cool pair of black Converse high-tops.

As an old man it might be the pleasure of wearing dress black socks and wingtips with madras shorts and a green polyester leisure style sport coat.

There are a lot of simple pleasures in life … a cup of hot coffee or tea; being retired and not having to wake up to an alarm clock; bowling a perfect game on the Wii; falling asleep in front in the TV. “Whiskers on kittens and raindrops on roses; brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my favorite things.” Simple things; good things. Pleasurable things.

We can experience pleasure all through life. The problem is when we live only for pleasure we find our lives ultimately unsatisfied. Unfortunately, the voices of those around us communicate the message that we are to pursue pleasure at any price. Pleasure at any cost. That’s the voice of the world. But what does the Bible have to say to us about pleasure? That’s what we want to look at this morning. We’ll find that there’s a stark contrast between pleasure and what the Bible calls “true happiness.”

First, we want to break the connection between temporary pleasure and lasting happiness. Between temporary pleasure and lasting happiness. We often think those two things are tied together; when we want happiness, we have to have pleasure. But the Bible tells us that thinking is faulty. Hebrews 11:24-25 tells us; “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin …”

Let’s notice some key words. First, notice “by faith.” What does that mean? The Bible says we’re saved by faith. The Bible says we’re supposed to live by faith. The Bible says when we have faith, it pleases God. But what is faith? Simply put, faith is hanging our whole life and our whole future on Jesus Christ. Faith is believing so much that Jesus is the Son of God that we are willing to follow Him with our life, giving meaning and purpose to our existence. Faith is believing so much that Jesus is who He says He is, our Lord and Savior, that we are betting our eternity that He will deliver on His promise to give us a home in heaven. The Bible says that Moses lived by faith, giving his whole life trying to do whatever God asked him to do. And the Bible tells us that God was greatly pleased by that.

Now, let’s look at the word “enjoy.” We’ll hardly ever hear the word “joy” connected to the word “sin.” When we think about “sin” or “sinners” we usually think of people who are miserable all the time. The Bible teaches clearly that it’s possible to enjoy sinning. In fact, if sin wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t do it! But, know what? Pleasure ends. Pleasure will come to an end. Living for sheer pleasure, pleasure at any price, is like jumping off a tall building. The first 95% is sheer thrill … but that last 5% … that’s gonna get ya! Like the famous last words of a redneck. “Watch this, Bubba!”

How many here this morning can say, “You’re right. It became my dual aim in life to avoid pain and find pleasure at almost any cost. And just like you said, the ending was abrupt, and the pain was very real.” There are many examples of this in the Bible. The Prodigal Son comes to mind. Then there’s the guy who’s personal motto was “Eat, drink and be merry.” The very next day, that guy died. And God called him a fool, because he gave no thought to his eternal state.

Think about it like this. Sin is fun on credit. Ever charge your whole vacation on your credit card? It was great, wasn’t it? No pain. Just shove over that little plastic card and off we go! Doesn’t feel like it cost anything. Then, 30 days later, the bill comes. But we say, “Well, it still was the best vacation ever!” And we pay a little bit on the bill, and think, “It was still worth it.” But 30 days later, it comes again. So we pay a little bit more, and still convince ourselves it was worth it. But 30 days later, it comes again. And 30 days later, it comes again! And finally we realize, “Hey, that vacation was fun, but the pleasure was only temporary, and the cost goes on forever!”

That’s why we want to pay attention to that phrase in our passage: “the passing pleasure of sin.” Here’s the truth: even positive pleasure is temporary. Think about this. What’s the best meal we ever had? How long was it before we were hungry again? What’s the best night’s sleep we ever had? How long was it before we were tired again? How long will the pleasure of that next purchase last, that next gadget, that next suit of clothes, that next plunge into debt, that next pull from the bottle, that next high from the needle, that next moment of pleasure? Pleasure does not last. That’s why making pleasure the focus of our lives is stupid. It leaves us empty. We’re always wanting more and more. And we all know this. 1 Timothy 5:6 says; “[The one] who lives for pleasure is dead even while [he] lives.”

Number 2 – break the connection between what you do and who you are. Between what we do and who we are. Pleasure is found in what we do. Happiness is found in who we are.

Solomon, King David’s son, and the wisest king of all time in his own right; wrote a book called Ecclesiastes. It was our scripture reading for this morning. In that passage he listed all the things he did in search of pleasure. He built and he planted. He made, he bought, he amassed. His pleasure came from “doing.” And we get caught up in the same trap. We think if we can just do more, we’ll have more pleasure. And we will find pleasure … but we will not find deep happiness and satisfaction. Why can’t we experience what the old timers called “the simple pleasures of life”? Why can’t we just relax, and enjoy an afternoon of respite? Because we’re always doing. We’re always building and planting and buying and making and amassing. Just like Solomon. But we’ll find, just like Solomon, that while we’re doing all this “stuff” on our outside world, we’re doing very little work on our internal world. And look at the result. Ecclesiastes 2:11 ; “Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke; smoke and spitting into the wind. (And you thought “Spittin’ in the Wind” was a Jimmy Buffet song!) There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.”

Three – break the connection between your circumstances and your character. Between our circumstances and our character. Pleasure can be sustained as long as the circumstances are right. Happiness is sustained when our character is right.

Ever play the “if only” game? If only if this set of circumstances occurred, I’d be happy. If only I won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes, I’d be happy. By the way, and this is confidential just between me and you; I got a little notice in the mail that in the next 60 days I’m going to win 3 ½ million dollars in the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. I’m only supposed to tell my closest friends, so I’m telling you. And I’m going to be unhappy if I don’t win it for two reasons. One, Ed McMahon has lied to me in the past. And two, I’d be unhappy, because that’s just the kind of people we are. We really do believe that happiness can come to us in the mail. We really do believe that happiness will come from a changed set of circumstances. We really do believe we can find happiness in people or places or things. We are so externally focused on what matters … it’s all about what’s on the outside. Favorable circumstances … looking good … feeling good … enjoying the world’s pleasures. We take far little time ensuring that we have the right substance … the right stuff on the inside.

There was a woman who faced a life or death surgery. She was forgivably worried she’d even survive, but during the surgery, she heard a voice say to her, “You still have 42 more years to live.” When she woke up, she called in the surgeon and told him, “I’m going to live for many more years, so, while I’m here, I want a little extra work.” So she had a liposuction, a tummy tuck, a face lift, some implants … a friend came by and colored her hair. A few days later, she was discharged from the hospital, and as she was walking down the sidewalk, she’s hit by a taxi cab, and killed. She finds herself standing before God, and she says, “I thought you said I’d live another 42 years! How come you let that cab hit me?” And God said, “I didn’t recognize you.”

I know that’s bad theology, but it is a good joke. And there’s a spiritual point to the story. Here’s the point. God is more interested in how we look in our hearts and in our attitudes and in our inner person than how we look on the outside.

The Bible is full of men and women who were able to rejoice even though the circumstances of their lives were hard. They had internal joy in spite of external circumstances. Jesus said in Luke 6:22; “Happy are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man …” Peter wrote in his first book, “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed” (1st Peter 3:14). “Blessed” is the same Greek word for “internal happiness.” When circumstances are bad, we can still be happy. Know why? Because happiness is an inside job. Happiness is an inside job.

Over and over the Bible tells us we can be happy regardless of what’s going on around us. We can be happy because of what’s going on within us. Got it? It doesn’t matter if we have a little or we have a lot. What we need to be truly happy is found in Jesus Christ and having Him in our lives. One of the great lies of our culture is that we can have it all. We can’t. We may think we can, but we can’t. What’s even more stupid, we think we deserve to have it all. We don’t. It’s only by God’s gracious gift … nothing we deserve at all … His gracious gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, that we can have all that really, truly matters.

So, how do we find this lasting, internal joy?

One – we must receive God’s forgiveness. We have to get things right between us and God. We know we can never have internal peace and love and joy, in spite of outward circumstances, when we are separated from the God who made and loves us. How could it be otherwise? In the place we want happiness, we have shame, guilt and fear.

The liar is always worried about remembering his lies so he doesn’t get tripped up. The thief is always worrying about getting arrested at midnight or being caught with the goods. Corrupt politicians are always afraid that their ethics violations will be uncovered. Unfaithful marriage partners are always fearful that their adultery will be exposed. Why do people continue down those roads and have all these negative feelings and emotions when God wants to replace those with internal peace of mind and happiness? Because even in the midst of guilt and fear, there are still enough temporary moments of pleasure to keep those people like drugged out junkies … to keep them moving in those destructive patterns.

The liar gets by with it because he lie wasn’t detected, so he wears a smug smile on his face. The thief enjoys a small financial windfall because he successfully snagged some stuff. The politician enjoys the adulation of her constituents as she’s cruising upward through the power circles. The adulterer thrills from those stolen moments of illicit sexual pleasure. But it’s all temporary. And it’s all circumstantial. And between the small tastes of pleasure, there’s always the bitter aftertaste of guilt and shame and fear.

When we’re paying attention at all to the signals in our soul we know intuitively that one day we’re going to stand before God and talk about the life we’ve lived. And the thought of that drains those feelings of pleasure from our souls as it drains the color from our face. It doesn’t have to be that way. God has provided a way through His son, Jesus Christ. David sings of God’s grace in Psalm 32 – this is a paraphrase.

“Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be – you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself lucky – God holds nothing against you and you’re holding back nothing from Him. When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became day long groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, ‘I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.’ Suddenly the pressure was gone – my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.”

That’s true happiness. Receive God’s forgiveness.

Number two – submit to God’s discipline, His way of life. Submit to God’s discipline, His way of life.

Here’s a truth that most parents know but most kids doubt. Disciple is an expression of love. We know that … when we discipline a child we do it in love … helping them become more mature and responsible. Discipline is an expression of correction and direction. It’s discipline that says, “Don’t touch that hot stove. Don’t run out into the street without looking both ways.” It’s discipline that corrects that potty mouth or sharp tongue. It’s discipline that teaches that all behavior will have consequences. It’s discipline that tells us, “Why don’t you take a momentary pass on pleasure so that you can have lasting happiness later?”

We know God loves us because He disciplines us. He has established boundaries and then has said to us, “Don’t step out of bounds!” Did God do that to limit us? No, He did that to correct and direct us because He loves us. Job 5:17 says; “Happy is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” So much unhappiness in our lives could be avoided if we just lived within God’s boundaries. But this post-modern world says, “There’s no absolute right or wrong! There are no boundaries that everyone should observe. You can just do what you want!” So there is moral confusion. How can we know we’re going in the right direction if there is no compass, no magnetic north by which we can make our settings? How do we know if we’re doing right or wrong? By watching Oprah? Jesus pointed out the spiritual and moral magnetic north. He said; “Happy are those who hear the Word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28 ). Proverbs 8:34 says, “Happy is the person who listens to God.” David prays in Psalm 119:35; “[God] Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.”

The Bible is full of stories about pleasure gone bad, and how Jesus can give a new life and a fresh start with God for all those who will turn to Him. Stories like the rich young ruler (Luke 18). Zaccheus (Luke 19). The woman who had five husbands, and was now living with a man to whom she was not married (John 4). Then, one of the most familiar of all the stories; we find it in John, chapter 8.

Jesus is confronted by an angry mob of men who throw this woman down at His feet. She’d been caught in the act of adultery. The law clearly stated she should be condemned and pummeled with rocks until she died. But Jesus said to that angry crowd; “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). One by one the men dropped their rocks and walked away. This is a story of pleasure gone bad, and how this woman discovered true happiness.

Just image what this woman’s life might have been like. Maybe at one point she had been a young bride, with sweet dreams of married life with a loving, devoted husband. But somehow, things didn’t quite work out that way. She was disappointed in her marriage. Eventually, she met another man; and he noticed her; and that was pleasurable. Maybe it had been a long time since she felt noticed. That’s a powerful thing for an aching heart. At first, it was all quite innocent, but then one day she crossed a line. It was so pleasurable. But, maybe at the beginning, she would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, afraid she would be caught; but those feelings would always pass. Then comes this night. There must have been men outside the house, watching and waiting. They come in and seize her. Maybe she begged for mercy. She would anything to go back to where she crossed that first line of pleasure, but she can’t go back. They wrap her in bed sheets and drag her through town in front of everybody; and throw her at the feet of Jesus. Suddenly she realizes, with terrible clarity, why she is here. She chose to be here. She cast her vote for pleasure at any price. And here she is.

Does this sound familiar – pursuing pleasure at any cost? Greed and materialism fall into this category. Addictions. Substance abuse. Compulsions. Laziness. They all fit into this category of pleasure gone bad. How far is it going to go? Jesus looks at this woman, and she looks at Him. She heard what the mob had demanded. She heard Jesus say something about casting stones. She sensed the mob walk away. She’s not sure what will happen next. Then she hears Jesus say, “Woman, I don’t condemn you either.” It may be more than she can handle. Maybe her reaction starts as a groan then gives way to sobbing. The fear of being stoned to death falls off her back like a load of rocks. She pulls the bed sheets around her shoulders and stands to leave. And welling in her heart is a feeling she had long forgotten, or maybe never even experienced before. Happiness. Like a seed giving life, pushing up through the dirt. Happiness in being forgiven, and getting a fresh start in life. A fresh start with God. True happiness flooded her spirit. She felt reborn. And Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.”

Jesus was not advocating a perfect life. He knows we can’t live a perfect life. But He was advocating for this woman, and all women, and all men, to live the life we’ve been created to live. First, to receive forgiveness from Christ, to hear Him say, “You are not condemned by Me.” And then, to go from this place, living life His way, not consumed by pleasure, but inwardly at peace with God.

Peace with God. Friends. That is true, lasting and ultimately fulfilling happiness. That’s the life that Jesus Christ offers.

Pastor Bob's Easter Sermon

2009-04-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Last Sunday was Confirmation - so no sermon. I will be on vacation for the 3 weeks following Easter - so you get a break! I pray that all have a blessed Easter celebration.

Come Alive This Easter
The night before Jesus Christ was crucified, He made a very strange statement that nobody who heard it understood. He said, “In a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you’re going to see Me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive!” (John 14:19)
What did He mean? They’re thinking, “We’re already alive! What does He mean, ‘You’re about to come alive’?”
Easter is about coming alive. Jesus Christ proved who He said He was by dying on the cross and then being raised from the grave by the mighty power of God. You know all about that part of the story. But there’s a second part to it … and that involves us.
Our next verse; “He (meaning Christ) included everyone in His death so everyone could be included in His life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
What is this “better life?” In America , we know about the “good life.” Even on our worst days, compared to the rest of the world, we’ve got it good! But what if there was something more? What if beyond this good life there is a better life? Friends, God intended for us to have a better life, not just a good life. Want to know about it? Of course we do.
We often settle for less because we don’t there’s anything better. When I was a baby, my parents fed me Gerber’s strained spinach. It was yummy, because I didn’t know any better. If you tried to feed that to me today, it would probably taste like turtle spit.
When I got to grade school, I discovered Spaghetti-o’s. A definite step up from strained spinach. When I became a teenager, I discovered home-made lasagna. Now we’re talking! There is definitely something better in life. And I would never go back to strained spinach, because I have tasted something better.
God says to us this morning, “There’s something better. There’s something way, way better than just the good life!” What is this “better life” that Christ offers us?
It’s a life filled with meaning. A life filled with meaning. The greatest tragedy in life is not death … no, it’s going through our entire life without purpose, without meaning, without knowing why on earth we are here. Yet most people go through life without ever knowing their purpose.
This is a fact, and if we haven’t discovered it yet, we will someday. Having the good life isn’t enough. Having the goods, looking good, feeling good … it’s not enough to make us happy. If the good life was good enough, WalMart would be the happiest place in the world. But it’s not, is it? It takes meaning for our lives to have true significance. Our lives need fullness. Most of us equate our busy and stressed life style with a full life. Having as full schedule is not the same as having a full life. We need meaning.
Trouble is, we search for meaning in all the wrong places. Possessions. But there’s always more to get. Accomplishment. But there’s always more to accomplish. We search for meaning through all sorts of things … and many of them are good things … but even good things don’t last. We want something that gives us eternal meaning. Where do we get that? From the God who created us.
The Apostle Peter tells us; “Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now!” (1 Peter 1:3-4) Let’s look at a few things from that verse.
First, we want to notice that this “better life” is connected with what Jesus Christ did at Easter. Somehow, His coming back to life enables us to live a better life. Second, we notice that the better life is not just something we tack on to our good life … it’s a whole new deal. God wants to give us a brand new life. Not “new and improved” but brand new! A chance to begin again. That’s the starting point to a better life … a brand new one.

Now, I don’t get to play much golf … don’t have the time. But when I do get to play, I invoke an incredible concept. It’s called a “mulligan.” I love this! If you don’t know much about golf, a mulligan means you take your first shot, and it’s such a stinking shot … hit the tree and bounced off your partner’s head … you get a second shot; only this one is “free” and you don’t count the first one against you. Cool, huh?
Let me say this; Jesus Christ wants to give us a “mulligan” for our life. He says, “You know all those dumb shots you’ve made … stupid things you’ve done that you regret and wish you never did? Let’s just erase those and start over. Take a mulligan. You can just begin again.”
That’s a great deal! But how do we get it? Well, we don’t earn it. We can’t work for it. The verse says, “we’ve been given a brand new life.” It’s a gift.
And, better yet, this free gift of a new life is a life freed by grace. Freed by grace. What does that mean? The Bible tells us; “We’re free to live a new life in the freedom of God.” (Romans 7:6) And it all comes by grace.
What is grace? Grace is when God gives us what we need, not what we deserve. Everything we have in our lives is because of God’s grace. The next breath that we take; that’s a gracious gift from God. In fact, we would have nothing at all if God didn’t decide to make us.
So grace is saying, “I love you. I forgive you, even though you can’t earn My forgiveness. I’m not mad at you, and I’m not holding a grudge. Because My Son, Jesus Christ, has taken your sin and the rightful punishment for it on Himself, on the cross.” Grace is God saying, “I’m giving you a mulligan … a new start … a new life.” Grace is God saying, “I’m setting you free.”
Okay … freedom from what? From guilt. From the fear of death. From the hurts others have caused … from the bitterness we can’t let go of. From the expectations of others. God set us free to be ourselves, to learn and grow and to become all that He meant for us to be. He has set us free from meaninglessness, from boredom, from fear. And most importantly, Jesus sets us free from trying to earn God’s approval.
Do you ever wonder, does God like us? We might not be sure of that when we don’t truly understand grace.
Were we raised in a strict, religious home? “I don’t drink, smoke or chew … or go out with girls that do.” Every religion can be summed up in two words: “do” or “done.” All the religions of the world basically say, “Here’s what you’ve got to do to get God to like you.” Then they come up with their own list. If we do all the things on the list, then God thinks we’re cool.
Jesus came to earth and said, “Know what? That’s all wrong. I don’t want your religion, I want you, a relationship with you. And I’ve set it all up for you. You don’t have to “do” … you just want to gladly accept what I’ve already done.” That’s grace.
We have two choices. One is to keep trying to earn God’s approval by our effort … doing, or not doing, certain things. The other is to enjoy God’s approval by accepting what Jesus Christ has already done for us.
Guess what? The Bible says that first way doesn’t work. God tells us in Hebrews 7:18-19; “The old system … was cancelled because it didn’t work. It was weak and useless for saving people. It never made anyone really right with God. But now we have a far better hope, for Christ makes us acceptable to God …”
When a TV show doesn’t work, what do they do with it? They cancel it. When a product doesn’t work, what do they do? They take it off the shelf.
God cancelled the old way of trying to earn our way to heaven because it doesn’t work. Why not? Because heaven’s perfect … and we’re not. God used the old way … the whole sacrificial system … to point us to Christ … to open our hearts and eyes to the fact that there is no way we can work our way to heaven. God gave us a far better hope … a far better life. And that is to simply accept His free gift of grace, love and salvation, through what Jesus has done for us on the cross.
It’s a free gift … but it’s not cheap. In fact, it’s very expensive. And somebody had to pay for it. Jesus Christ. He paid for our freedom. The Bible says; “He (Jesus) gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.” (1st Timothy 2:6) On the cross, He paid to buy our freedom. We are no longer a slave to sin, to guilt, to worry, to fear. He paid to set us free.
There’s a word for that. “Redemption.” To be redeemed means to have our freedom paid for. We don’t hear that word very much any more … especially since they quit giving out those little green stamps! The word came out of the slave trading years. During that heinous time, compassionate people, called “redeemers,” would buy slaves in order to set them free. The slave was redeemed.
Jesus Christ came to redeem us, to set us free from our old life of slavery to sin, and has given us a new life of freedom. And more than that, He has adopted us into His family, so that we are no longer strangers to God, but joint heirs, actually brothers and sisters, of Christ Himself.
There was a woman, a Korean woman, who got pregnant by an American soldier. He left her behind after the conflict, and she never saw him again. She gave birth to a little girl. But the little girl was different than the other little girls. She had freckles and light, curly hair. She stood out. In that culture, the mother and the little girl would be severely rejected.
In fact, some mothers had actually killed their babies if they looked too different from all the others. They couldn't stand the heartache of the way they were treated.
This mother kept her baby, and for seven years, tried to raise her to the best of her ability. But the rejection and the humiliation became too much to handle. So she abandoned her little girl to the streets. There were packs of children living in the streets. They would sleep in abandoned buildings, under bridges, in caves in the hills; they would eat whatever they could scrape out of garbage cans.
This little girl was called the ugliest word of the Korean language, "Tookie." It means "alien devil." Years later, she wrote, "When you hear what you are, when you are a little child, day after day after day, you begin to believe that about yourself. I believed that anyone could do whatever they wanted to me physically, because I wasn't a person. I was inhuman, dirty, unclean. I had no name. I had no identity, no family, no future, and I hated myself."
She lived on the streets for two years until a new orphanage was opened. It was a primitive place, but at least she was safe. Soon a rumor spread that an American couple was coming to the orphanage, intending to adopt a little baby boy. This was great news! Some little boy, from among their numbers, was going to get a fresh start; a future.
So the little girl, who at nine years was the oldest one there, began to help by bathing the little boys, getting them all ready to present to the American couple.
The next week, the American couple came. This is what the little girl recalls. "It was like Goliath had come back to life. I saw that man, with his huge hands, lift up each baby, and I knew he loved every one of them as if they were his own. I saw tears running down his face; and I knew that if they could, they would have taken the whole lot home.
"Then," she said, "he saw me out of the corner of his eye." Listen to how she describes herself. "I was nine years old, but I didn't even weigh thirty pounds. I was a scrawny thing. I had worms in my body. I had lice in my hair. I had boils all over me, and I was full of scars. I wasn't a pretty sight. But the man came over to me, and he rattled off something in English, and I looked up at him. Then he took his huge hand, and laid it on my face."
What was he saying? He was saying, "I want this child. This is the child I want!"
But then an amazing thing happened. She said later in life, "The hand on my face felt so good, and inside I was saying, 'Oh, don't let go.' But no one had ever shown to me that kind of affection before. And I didn't know how to respond. I yanked his hand off my face, and I looked up at him, and I spit at him. And then I ran away."

The next day, the couple came back to the orphanage. And because they understood what was behind that little girl's hurt, and they understood what she had suffered, and in spite of her initial rejection of them; they went back to that little girl and said, "We still want this child." They adopted her; they cleaned her up; and they brought her to America .
You and I are that little girl … that “Tookie” … that little alien devil deformed by our sin and guilt and grief. We are so far lost in our sin we spit into the face of the God who loves us. Yet God says, “I want that little girl … that little boy. I want that one.” And He adopts us as His own. He gives us a brand new life. A better life, the life God intended for us.
My friends, when we celebrate communion this morning, I pray that we all understand the great price God paid for us. I pray that we see the broken and mangled body, the shed blood, of the perfect Lamb of God. God gave His Son up for us so that we may have life … the better life, the life we were meant to live that we may love and serve our God and neighbor. God gave up His Son so that we might be redeemed, adopted, into His very own family … that we might be called the sons and daughters of God.
That’s what Easter is all about.

Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us despite our faults, the ugliness of our sin. Thank You that You sent Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to live as us, only a perfect life, a life without the sin that mars our own. Thank You that He choose, freely, to give up His own life to pay the penalty for our sin, and in doing so, redeemed us, setting us free to become adopted into Your family. We praise You for raising Him from the power of death that we all might have life, the better life, a life free from sin and death.
May we fully appreciate, understand, and accept this great gift offered to us.
In Your powerful name we pray.
And the people said, “Amen.”

Don't Raise a Wimp! -Galations 4:17

2009-03-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Don't Raise a Wimp!
By Paul Coughlin
CBN.com – Popular author and speaker Paul Coughlin has tackled the topics of passive men and passive marriages. Now he’s adding another: passive children.
The author feels that today's children are more worried and fearful than children of previous generations, and that parents are raising some of the culture’s wimpiest kids. Yet this father of three presents parents with good news: Raising assertive and confident children is still possible in today’s world.
Through his book he hopes to expel the myth that raising meek and mild children is the Christian way to do things. Instead, he proposes giving children the whole truth of who Jesus was—the ruggedly righteous man—and encouraging them to live as he did.
By showing parents how to shape confident and virtuous children, he is equipping parents to raise a “new class” of children, instilling in them the glorifying virtues of toughness, wisdom, and courage. Because parenting is more than just raising “nice” kids—it’s passing along the tools to help them live a happy and more abundant life, no matter how old they get.
What caused you to write a book that encourages parents, especially Christian parents, to raise more assertive and bold children?
It started with my work with Christian men who think it’s wrong to be assertive and proactive in life. I noticed that they obtained this dangerous view of life as children, often from well-intentioned Christian parents who told them that a true Christian is nice, but not necessarily good. So I set out to write a book to help parents avoid raising such kids, who often grow up very frustrated, depressed, angry, and eventually divorced.
Aren’t Christian children supposed to be nice?
It depends on what you mean by nice. If you mean kind, considerate, and compassionate, then yes. But many Christian parents unintentionally raise children who become doormats for other kids. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you become a doormat.
You have an entire chapter devoted to the “Dangers of a Nice Christian Upbringing.” This is a provocative idea: what’s wrong with such an upbringing?
It can unintentionally create children who are greatly conflicted inside, kids who think they possess no innate value and worth, and that they possess no special gifts that must be grown instead of denied. We give this view to our children when we give them what’s called “Worm Theology” that mistakes low self-worth for humility.
You write that kids are more timid and fearful these days. Why?
One of the main reasons is overprotection, which is prevalent in many church settings. It robs children of self-assurance, making them timid and fearful as young adults.
Tell us about the difference between healthy boundaries and unhealthy boundaries and why it’s important to child rearing.
Kids who have a hard time creating healthy boundaries against others sometimes have parents who have a hard time doing the same. The goal is to become assertive. This is where you put up appropriate boundaries toward others, but allow access to your life by the right people: those who do not abuse you. Assertive people don’t manipulate others, nor do they allow themselves to be manipulated.
You write, quoting Jesus, that we’re training our kids to strain gnats and swallow entire camels. Can you give us an example?
Swearing versus bullying is a great example. We tell our kids that it’s wrong to swear, which it is. But we are not telling them that it’s wrong to turn a blind eye to bullying, which has a far greater influence upon the world around them. We will jump all over a kid who says a bad word, yet we won’t even point out when a kid gives in to cowardice.
What are some of the myths about school-based bullying?
The largest is that kids who get bullied wear glasses or are overweight. In reality, the largest predictors of being bullied are being timid and cowardly. They lack self-confidence. They don’t take good-natured teasing, and they don’t play well with other kids. They don’t reach out to other kids, which is often mistaken for being stuck up or arrogant. They are submissive to others even before they get picked on.
You say that our churches don’t encourage courage in our children, the kind needed to stand up to bullies and to stand up for others. How do you support this claim?
Look at Sunday school curriculum or youth group curriculum. They rarely mention courage, which most thinking people agree is the virtue that underpins all other virtues. You cannot love well and deeply without courage, yet we rarely study it. Why? Because courage often leads to some form of conflict. We don’t like conflict.
You have started an organization called The Protectors (theprotectors.org) to create a faith-based response to school-based bullying. Why?
Because people of faith are missing in action. We can’t expect schools alone to tackle this problem. Our communities need people of faith to help stem this form of violence. The Protectors provides curriculum for Sunday schools and related organizations that helps kids understand that they have a biblical responsibility to help others in need.
What are some of the things you teach in The Protectors?
The power of clarity (being clear about the psychological and spiritual harm of bullying), the affirmation of basic rights, clarity through body language, the power of command (words of conviction spoken with boldness), and the power of two.
How does a parent teach a child courage?
Courage is more caught than taught. They need to see it in action, and then for a parent to say, “That’s what courage looks like.” Courage sacrifices for the good of others, a concept that has been dumbed down today to mean any form of risk. We often take risks for our own good, not for the good of others.
We also have to dispel myths about courage. The big one for kids is that courage is created without feeling fear. Fear is always present when we have the choice to do something courageous or not. We also have to clean up our understanding of honor. For some Christians, they think honor is the same as pride. It’s not. Honor is concerned with dignity, justice, loyalty, and fidelity. It is concerned with the well-being of others. We honor the value of others as made in the image of God.
Purchase your copy of No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World.
For more stories like this one, sign up to receive Family News from CBN.com in your email every Friday.
Interview courtesy of Bethany House Publishers.

Don't Let Your Guard Down!

2009-03-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Late one night, the new church member heard a knock at his door. When he answered it, he found a six foot roach on his doorstep. The roach grabbed him, threw him against the wall and left. The next night, the roach came back. This time it punched the surprised new Christian in the stomach. Then the roach came back again a third night. This time, it roughed him up so bad that he had to go to the hospital. Then the new Christian told the doctor what had happened and asked what he should do. "Nothing,"said the doctor. "There's a really nasty bug going around!"

Romans 7:11 tells us,"For sin taking occasion by the commandment,deceived me, and by it killed me","Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 nkjv

Understanding Proverbs-Part Two...Pastor Bob's Sermon

2009-03-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Understanding Proverbs – Part 2
Okay. How many of us picked a proverb to memorize this past week? How many of us picked a proverb that helped us in our “most stupid” area of life? Did it do us any good?
Today we’re going to look at six proverbs. The first one has to do with the human mouth. This is one that the person sitting next to you really needs to hear about! So … let’s read Proverbs 10:19 together out loud.
When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)

Look at that first phrase again: “When words are many, sin is not absent.” Does this strike us as profoundly true? One of the things that means is, what’s the simplest way to cut down on sin? Stop talking so much!
A loose association … just forgive me for ten seconds. Remember that old TV show, Mr. Ed? In the theme song, it says, “Mr. Ed will never speak … unless he’s got something to say!” That’s why I tell the kids I don’t need no stinkin’ Ipod … it’s all up here!
The point is … how many of us have nothing of substance to say, but that doesn’t stop us at all. We just keep on talking. And the writer of Proverbs says, “When words are many, sin is not absent.”
There’s a book out on the Proverbs called Making Life Work. The author makes the point that it’s as if the writer of the Proverbs believes we can make a graph of the relationship of words to sin. It’s almost mathematically predictable.
So, imagine in your mind, a little graph that we will call the “Sin Predictor Index.” On one axis we have “words.” On the other we have “sin.” Let’s just estimate that the average person says ten thousand words a day. Now, how many verbal sins would that involve? William Back, a Christian psychologist, wrote a book called Telling Ourselves the Truth. He cites research that indicates the average American citizen lies 200 times a day. 200 lies a day. Add to that gossip, slander, anger, bragging, insults, flattery, un-kept promises, intimidation, judgementalism. For the sake of argument, let’s say there’s a ten-to-one ratio of words per sin. Okay? So, if you use ten thousand words a day, that means you’d be committing a thousand sins. If you cut it down to five thousand words, how many sins would you be committing? Five hundred. If you get it all the way down to, let’s say, ten words in a day, how many sins? One! You’ve made a huge gain … and all you’ve done is just shut up! Nine words or less, and you’re a saint! Just think, if this is really true, we all know Dave Forbey is going to hell!
Now, we laugh at this, but it’s serious business. Henri Nouwen writes about this in his book called The Way of the Heart. He tells about the early Christian wisdom figures, the early Church Fathers, who strongly recommended the spiritual discipline of silence; to cut ourselves off from noise, but also to speak as little as possible for specific stretches of time. The number one reason they advocated this is because they believed it is so hard to talk without sinning. Silence as a spiritual discipline.
And when we observe this proverb, an amazing thing happens. We begin to discover that we can live without getting in the last word. We find out that we survived … it’s not easy at first, but we do. We find out we can live without trying to make sure we control how everybody else thinks about us. We find out we can live without winning every argument. We can live without “powering up” over every decision. We can live without always drawing attention to ourselves.
One last observation. If this is your proverb, use wisdom about where you will apply it. If, for instance, you are a husband and you come home from work and your wife wants to connect, soul to soul, and asks you how your day went, you might not want to say, “’When words are many, sin is not absent.’ Proverbs 10:19.” Because if you do, and your wife is wise, she may reply, “Proverbs 25:11; ‘A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.’ Which means, start talking, honey, or I’m going to buy jewelry.”
Next one. Proverbs 19:24. Let’s read this together. “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!”
Have we ever wrestled with procrastination? Do we have any area where we know that God is calling us to diligence and initiative, and we’re just blowing it off?
This is a very colorful proverb. It’s a picture of a person who is so lazy that he puts his hand in the nacho bowl, and decides it’s not worth the energy it will take to transport the food to his mouth. He’s thinking, “Whoa, this is work. I’ll just leave my hand right there. Maybe the wind will blow one of those nachos my way.”
The point is … no one is ever nurtured by laziness. No life ever gets nurtured by laziness. Lack of action, lack of initiative, always leads to loss of life. And, for some of us here this morning, if our area is lack of wisdom, lack of initiative, passivity, procrastination, avoidance, then Proverbs 19:24 may be for us. Just don’t take forever getting ‘round to it! Remember, God wants us to use our energy, our strength, and our abilities for His glory.
Proverbs 10:25. Let’s read it together. “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”
Jesus was immersed in this book of Wisdom. Which one of Jesus’ parables does this verse remind us of? The house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-27) The house built on the sand … the storm comes … it gets swept away. The house built on the rock, on Jesus’ words, on Wisdom … the storm comes … it stands firm. His parable was actually a commentary on this proverb.
We read this one aloud because some of us here are in the storm right now. You’ve been abandoned or betrayed. You’ve been wiped out by a financial disaster. Somebody you love has died, and there’s a sadness in you you’ve never known. You’re in a depression that just won’t go away. You stay up late at night worrying about a child. You just lost a job. You wonder some days if you can even make it. This is your proverb.
Listen, it doesn’t give us an easy answer, nor does it guarantee that everything will be hunky-dory by tomorrow morning. What it does give is hope that when the storm passes, and it will, those who cling to God will still be standing. And as you meditate on this proverb, you will be encouraged to say, “I’m not going to let go. I don’t care how bad the storm is. It will be over. It will be over in this life, and, if not, it will be in the next. And I will still be standing.” “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”
Next one. Proverbs 12:1; “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”
This means … we all need to hear the unvarnished truth from people who love us. A fool ignores, even resists, loving correction. One sure sign we are growing in spiritual maturity is that we humbly receive criticism. Now, that doesn’t mean every criticism is right or that we have to agree with it. But a listening ear and a receptive heart honors God.

When we want to become the people God wants us to be, we want to be humble enough to accept and even invite constructive criticism. When we only surround ourselves with people who agree with us and affirm everything we do, we will never grow. Proverbs gives us this powerful word of wisdom: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs 27:6)
Who can we learn from? Anyone who speaks the truth lovingly. Look at Numbers, chapter 22. It’s the story of Balaam and his talking donkey. That’s a lesson for all of us. If Balaam could learn from a donkey, then God can certainly teach us through all kinds of people. If we are humble and listen, God can instruct us through the most surprising of people … even an … well, that other word for “donkey.”
Okay … moving along. Next proverb.
Proverbs 30:15a; “The leech has two daughters. `Give! Give!' they cry.”
Ever see a leech? Nasty little bloodsuckers! They attach onto a host body with both ends of their soft, slimy little bodies. That’s where that image of “two daughters” comes from. These two daughters constantly cry, “Give, give!” The leech is a taker, and it never gives anything back to its host. A leech never latches on to you and says, “I have a gift I’d like to give you.” Leeches only make withdrawals, never deposits. This proverb is pointing, in a very graphic way, to people who take and take and never learn to give. They are not walking in the way of wisdom.
Know anybody like that? Of course we do. It’s all too easy for the human spirit to become leech-like in its selfishness. So much in our culture pushes us towards that. Television commercials and magazine ads encourage us to live self-centered lives. Saw an ad for an expensive car … it read, “Go ahead. You can have it all.” A lot of really bright and well paid people stay up at night figuring out ways to promote leech-like living. Jesus gave us many warnings about the power of things and the human propensity for always wanting more. So did Howard Hughes. When he was asked how much does it take to make a man happy, he answered, “Just a little bit more.”
If this proverb speaks to us, it may be time to start identifying behaviors in our life that have a “feed-me, give-me” feeling to them. As God begins to show us areas of life where we are always wanting and demanding more, we want to give those up to Him and pray for a contented and generous spirit.
Which leads us to our next and last parable. God always gives us an antidote to our foolishness. And the antidote to taming the leech in us is Proverbs 19:17. Let’s read it together.
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
Remember Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of these … my brothers, my sisters … you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25)
It’s a remarkable statement: “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD.” When we are giving to the poor, in some sense, we are giving to God.
Now, maybe, our heart, our actions, on behalf of the poor have cooled off. After all, the economy is in turmoil, our stock values and home equity are shot … we can only afford to go out for dinner once a week. But this proverb says to us, “When you give to them, you give to God.” How can we say “No” to God? Maybe this is the proverb we want to take home with us, and pray that God will help us develop a generous spirit.

Last time, I asked us to pick a proverb for the week … memorize it … live it … and watch how it changes our life. Did we do it? If not, then pick Proverbs 19:24 to start. I challenge you to do it. Remember, Paul says in Roman 12:2; “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This is how our minds get renewed … this is our part to play in the renewing of our minds.

Let’s pray.
Again, Father, we have studied Your proverbs … pearls of wisdom given to us that we may avoid folly and the empty end to which it leads us. May Your Spirit be with us and inspire us to renew our minds, that we may resist fitting into the pattern of this world … and fit into the plan Your have for each and every one of us.
Thank You for Your grace and love and wisdom.
And the people said, “Amen.

Sermon "Song of Songs, Part One" Pastor Bob

2009-03-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here is Part One of Pastor Bob's current sermon series. Just type sermon in blog search box at top too see all that are posted. Enjoy...

Song of Songs – Part 1

Today we’re going to start our study of the book, the Song of Songs. For those who bring their Bibles, you’ll find it in the middle of the Bible – in the Old Testament. We’ll start with chapter one, verse one. Buckle your seatbelts – because this is going to get “racy.”

Let’s start with a word about the cast of characters. The central characters are a woman, who is called “the beloved” and a man, who is called “the lover.” Then there are friends of the woman. They are kind of a chorus. You might notice as you go through some versions of the Bible that there are captions letting you know who’s speaking. Those captions are not in the Hebrew text; they’re supplied by the interpreters to help us understand who is speaking at each point in the story.

Remember, this is a poetic book. And with all the poetic imaging thrown in, it’s sometimes hard to follow what’s going on. But, basically, there are three “movements” which help us follow the plotline of the story.

The first movement can be called anticipation. This runs from chapter 1, verse 1 through chapter 3, verse 5. As we read this section, we find a couple who are crazy in love with each other. They can’t wait to get together. They long for each other. But they’re not married yet, so they dream, fantasize, wait, and prepare for the big day!

The second movement, chapter 3, verse 6 and following, is a poetic, highly stylized description of a wedding. It’s a beautiful picture of commitment and covenant.

The third movement, chapter 5, verse 2, through the rest of the book, is a celebration of their love, romance, and the joy of covenantal sexual intimacy. It’s a great reminder that true romantic fulfillment begins on the wedding day, but certainly doesn’t end there!

Before we go on, let’s just say a few words about how to listen to this message.

Some of you here this morning are in marriages that are just terrific. Some may be in marriages that are quite painful. Some are here, but your spouse wouldn’t come to church with you. I’d like to request that if you’re married, you just ask this question as we walk through the text, “God, what do You have to say to me, as a spouse?” We all want to refrain from the temptation to think, “I wish that my spouse were here to hear these words.” Keep focused on what God has to say to you only.

And, again if you’re married, try to remember when your heart was most tender towards your spouse. Maybe it was at your wedding when you got married. Maybe it was at some other point in your relationship. But you remember what it was like to have a heart that’s tender.

Some here this morning are single, and it could be that marriage is a possibility for you. You want to ask God, “What do You have to teach me about the kind of marriage that would honor You and bring joy?” Maybe another question to ask is, “How can I support a married couple that I care about?”

Some here this morning have lost a spouse. You were married and your spouse died. Maybe part of what God wants to do with you is to share some moments of remembering, of saying “thank you”; and engaging in a combination of both grief over your loss, and being comforted by God.

For those who have walked through the pain of divorce, it may be that God wants to remind you of the tenderness and love that can exist between a man and a woman. God made this relationship to be “good” and wants us to remember the beauty of His perfect plan, even if our own experiences have not mirrored what God has in mind.

That’s just a word on how to listen as we go through this Scripture.

Let’s look at Solomon’s Song of Songs, verse 2. Just for the fun of it, let’s read the first phrase together. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth …” (SS 1:2). This is a bold, introductory sentence. It’s a verse that I encourage Debbie to read quite often. This is not Leviticus. We’re in a whole different section of the Old Testament today.

Who’s talking here; the man or the woman? It’s not a trick question! “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth …” Who’s talking? The woman! Here’s why I point this out. We often think of the women of the Middle East , especially the ancient Middle East , as being quite prudish … with their veils and long robes. As we go through this poem, we’ll find that the woman has a level of desire and passion every bit as powerful as the man’s. And God is so pleased with this that He includes it in His holy Scripture.

In my childhood days, growing up in a Baptist church, I always heard the preacher say that this book was a kind of allegory of God’s love for the Church. Generally, people who say that have not read this book very closely. There is no indication for that view in the text at all.

Actually, it’s amazing to me that this book made “the cut” and was included in the Scripture; not because it’s not a great book … it is … but because it’s not like anything else in the Bible. It starts right out with kissing in the very first section and then really gets going! This is a raw, unabashed, uninhibited celebration of romance and sexual attraction and passion between a man and a woman. If we look at the text for what it is, there is no indication that this is an allegory about the Church, but an honest expression of love between two people.

Now, throughout Scripture we find many warnings, cautions and safeguards concerning the potential dangers of human sexuality when it is expressed outside a covenant relationship between a man and a woman. The Bible has many examples of what happens when people mishandle sexuality. Those are all important, and they bring a much needed balance to our understanding. But we won’t find any of that in this book. This book is a joyous celebration of the goodness of covenantal romance.

This book talks about a passion that is to be lived out in marriage and expressed in a way that honors God. But it is expressed with a directness and intensity that, frankly, is a little embarrassing. So, if, as we study this, I get a little sheepish and blush once or twice … be gentle with me. Okay? Back to the text.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth--

for your love is more delightful than wine.

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;

your name is like perfume poured out.

No wonder the maidens love you!

Take me away with you--let us hurry!

Let the king bring me into his chambers. (SS 1:2-4a)

Let’s stop there for a moment.

She says, “Your name is like perfume.” She’s captivated by his name. This happens with deep attraction. An honest moment here. Little confession. Women … how many of you ever liked a guy and tried writing your first name with his last name? Ever do that? One couple I did premarital counseling with … the guy confessed that he tried that a couple of times with the girls he liked. So, we’re kind of fascinated with the names of somebody we love.

But here, there’s more to it than just a fascination with a name, a label you get called. Throughout Scripture, a name, as many of you may know, generally refers to someone’s identity, reputation or character. So part of what this woman is saying, “His name is like a pleasing fragrance” … in other words, she is deeply drawn to the character of this man. He is a man of deep integrity and honesty and loyalty, and he can be trusted. We will find throughout the whole book this combination of tremendously powerful physical attraction and tremendously powerful attraction to the person’s character.

A little life application moment. There is a word here for every young person and every single person – whatever age. Be careful about whom you give your heart to. Be sure to examine their character closely and thoroughly. Be sure their name has a fragrance like perfume … and not manure. Some of the saddest stories you’ll ever hear involve people who develop a passionate attachment to someone with an untrustworthy character. Get to know their name … their character, their reputation … before you make any lasting commitments. And if you are married to someone with good name … celebrate! Tell them how grateful you are. Let them know how much it means to you. Okay?

We find out a little bit more about the identity of the man … again, this is the woman speaking.

Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock

and where you rest your sheep at midday .

Why should I be like a veiled woman

beside the flocks of your friends? (SS 1:7)

She tells us that he is a shepherd of some kind. Probably not real wealthy, but as we saw in verse 4, he is a like a king to her, and she wants to be with him.

The “lover” answers his “beloved.”

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,

follow the tracks of the sheep

and graze your young goats

by the tents of the shepherds.

Then he goes on to say …

I liken you, my darling, to a mare

harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh. (SS 1:8,9)

Okay. Let’s fast forward to today. Say you’re getting married, and your fiancé talks you into going with her to pick out the wedding dress. Of course, if you agreed to that, that’s mistake number one. But you go along.

She gathers up a couple of dresses, goes into the changing room, and comes out twenty minutes later with the dress of her dreams on. She asks that loaded question, “Honey, how do I look?” You pause, reflect, and carefully answer, “You look like a horse!” Mistake number two!

Let’s face it, in our day calling your beloved a horse is not a compliment! Even if you clarified by adding that she looked like she was harnessed to Pharaoh’s chariot. But in those days, Pharaoh’s horses were prized above all others. They were beautiful, powerful, magnificent animals. The woman would have taken these words as a flattering compliment. All through this book we want to realize that the images that seem strange to us were understood, then, in a positive light.

Just a word of caution, guys. If you’re going to lift compliments out of this book, make sure you translate them into today’s images. Don’t refer to your lover as a horse … say she looks like a tricked-out Harley … or somethin’.

Moving on. We want to notice a striking feature. It’s what we might call “the delight factor” in their conversation; the delight factor in the conversation of a man and a woman who love each other. Behind their words is a deep desire to build each other up. They get quite creative in how they do this and the words they use. But these are the words of a generous heart. Each has a deep longing to build up the other and celebrate who they are and their love for each other.

And I want to ask, if you’re married, do you have a generous heart towards your spouse?

Back to the text. The beloved is speaking.

I am a rose of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys. (SS 2:1)

Now, at first blush, that sounds a little conceited, doesn’t it. “I’m a rose – I’m a lily – look at me!” But Old Testament scholars tell us that in those days a rose was not like what we think of in our day. It wasn’t something you’d pay big bucks for at the florist’s. Actually, it was a common flower, a type of crocus, not considered beautiful or expensive. And the lily? The lily was a plain, everyday blossom … the kind of flower that any shepherd could pick up, smell, then toss aside. So, in her day, the words she used were quite modest. She is saying in effect, “I’m not that attractive. I’m just kind of average.”

But notice … there’s a kind of playful aspect to the banter that’s going on here. It’s a game. She’s saying “Oh, honey … I’m just ordinary and plain … not beautiful at all.” But all along she’s giving him an opportunity to say that he sees her in a much different light! Ever play that game? Ladies … ever put on a dress or a pair of slacks, walk out to your husband, and ask, “Do you think this makes me look fat?” Nah … you would never do that! Now, when that game is overdone, it can be manipulative … like fishing for compliments. But when it’s honest, it can open the door for mutual expressions of blessing and affirmation.

Think about it this way. Men, imagine that you are on date with a really attractive woman. Go ahead, say her name. “I’m on a date with …..” Now, if you’re a husband, by this time you should have leaned over to your wife and said, “You are the most beautiful woman in the world … and I would never want to go on a date with anyone but you, Snookims.”

Okay … imagine you are with a really attractive woman who says to you, “I’m really quite plain … not very attractive … don’t you think?” It’s really a playful way of saying, “I’m open to your expressions of love. I really am. I’ll receive them. I’m interested.”

And the lover responds by saying, “Like a lily among thorns” – because every other woman is a thorn compared to you, and it causes me pain even to look at them – “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.” (SS 2:2).

Another aspect of the relationship. “My darling” he calls her. It’s a pet name, among several, that he uses nine times in this book. She has a few pets name that she uses for him, as well. One contemporary psychologist notes that strong marriage relationships actually create what he calls a “culture of two.” A culture of two.

It’s expressed by things like special nicknames. He noted that the nicknames couples have for each other tend to come from one of three categories. Know what they are? Food, animals and body parts. Things like “sugar,” “honey,” “teddy bear.”

Or we’ll combine them with some real creative options like “sugar lips,” “honey bear,” “muffin ears,” … you get the idea.

Now, you’ll think I’m making this up. But C.S. Lewis writes about this in his book The Four Loves. Ever notice that some couples create a private love language that sounds like baby talk? Lewis notes that a scientist discovered that certain animals, including specific species of birds, do the same thing. They make infantile sounds normally made by young birds of their species when courting another bird. Lewis says the reason for this is because it’s the most tender language that we know. It expresses a tender heart. Some people use baby talk with their dogs. C.S. Lewis says this is really stupid! No, he didn’t say that. I said that!

Here’s a question for those who are married. Do you relate to your spouse with a generous heart or a stingy heart? Do you give sincere, authentic praise? Do you speak words that value and honor your spouse? Do you treasure secrets together – things that only the two of you hold and share? Do you build rituals into your lives? Do you create memories? Do you guard your culture of two? And if you’re single, and think marriage might be an option in your future, what would you like the culture of two to look like?

Okay … last section for the morning.

There is a classic phrase from the Song of Songs in chapter 2, verse 16. The woman says, “My lover is mine and I am his.” (SS 2:16) This is such an important declaration that it gets repeated almost verbatim in 6:3 and again in 7:10 . “My lover is mine and I am his.” To this day it is often used by Jewish brides at weddings. It’s a statement of possession. We belong to each other. This is not an unhealthy, controlling or jealous sense of belonging. This is an expression of the deep meaning of covenant.

Throughout the Old Testament we learned that God is deeply concerned about covenants. His covenant is, “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” In a similar way, the marriage covenant is, “My lover is mine and I am his.” When these words are pronounced between two human beings in marriage, they are saying, “There’s not much you can count on in this world. Your health may go south, your pension fund may collapse, your career may never look like what you hoped it would look like, and your appearance may change over the years, but you can count on one thing. As long as this heart is beating, it’s yours. I will not give my heart and body to anybody else in the way I give it to you.”

“For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.”

Sometimes when a relationship is going through hard times, and they all will, the best you can say is, “I’m not going anywhere.” “I’m not going anywhere.” In a world where everything seems dispensable, we need to commit that our covenants mean something. When times are hard and we feel like giving up, we want to remember that promise we made to our spouse, before God and family and friends, and we say again, “No matter how hard things get, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not giving up on you. We are in this marriage covenant together. And with God’s help, we can make it. Yes, we can!”

Let’s pray.

God, I just want to thank and praise You for the wonder and delight of Your Word. In it we find life, we find eternal life, and we find the delights of love. Help us to speak to each other with tender hearts. Let us delight in each other. And give us the commitment and strength of character to live out the promises made in our covenants with each other.

And the people said, “Amen.”

Pastor Bob's Sermon-"Song of Songs Part Two",

2009-03-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

We will be posting Pastor Bob's sermon each week. As we build up an archive, just type in "sermon"in the search blog box at the top of this blog. In the future we hope to have an audio link.

Song of Songs – Part 2

Our last time together we started looking at the Song of Songs. You may remember that we divided up the book into three sections. The first is “anticipation.” The two lovers just can’t wait for their wedding day. Well, today’s the day! Chapter 3, verse 6 and following. The beloved is speaking here.

Who is this coming up from the desert

like a column of smoke,

perfumed with myrrh and incense

made from all the spices of the merchant?

Look! It is Solomon's carriage,

escorted by sixty warriors,

the noblest of Israel ,

Then it goes on with a description of the scene … down to verse 11.

Come out, you daughters of Zion ,

and look at King Solomon wearing the crown,

the crown with which his mother crowned him

on the day of his wedding,

the day his heart rejoiced. (SS 3:11)

This marks the transition to a kind of a wedding scene. There are disagreements among scholars as to how we understand this. Some people think that Solomon is the literal bridegroom being described. I believe that’s unlikely, for a couple of reasons.

We know from chapter 1, verse 7, that the groom was a shepherd; and of course, Solomon was not. Another reason is that the major theme of this book is the exclusiveness of the love between the man and the woman. “My lover is mine, and I am his.” Anybody remember how many wives Solomon had? 700. Smartest guy in the world. And 300 concubines. And the text never says, “My lover is mine … and hers … and hers … and 997 other girls.”

I believe it’s much more likely that Solomon is kind of a code name for the groom. Poetry often works that way. And the pageantry and the court imagery used here expresses something very important. He may be just a shepherd, but in the eyes of the one who loves him, he’s a king.

This is not just an illusion … smoke and mirrors. In God’s eyes, the world is not divided up into important people like Solomon and CEOs, and then unimportant people like shepherds. In God’s eyes, everybody bears His image. In God’s eyes, everybody was made to reign with Him. And true love enables us to see just a little bit of what God sees when He looks at us through the eyes of Christ. When we love somebody, we see the ragged shepherd … but we can also see the king or queen.

So many people in our world are good at seeing faults. When we’re married … seeing somebody up close … we can see their faults all day long if we want to. What do we look for? The shepherd … or the king?

Chapter 4, verse 1 and following. This is the lover speaking to his beloved.

How beautiful you are, my darling!

Oh, how beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are doves.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

descending from Mount Gilead .

Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,

coming up from the washing.

Each has its twin;

not one of them is alone.

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;

your mouth is lovely.

Your temples behind your veil

are like the halves of a pomegranate.

Your neck is like the tower of David ,

built with elegance;

on it hang a thousand shields,

all of them shields of warriors.

Your two breasts are like two fawns, (SS 4:1-5a)

Everything real clear so far? Let’s just stop for a moment here, because this is the kind of imagery that tends to just bog folks down. So let’s take a crack at explaining these images … it will help open the book up to us.

He says, “Your eyes behind your veil are (like) doves.” Doves in that culture were prized, especially for their color. In the sun, they were kind of a translucent gray.

And when you look into somebody’s eyes, it’s a very intimate thing. It’s a soul gaze. Their eyes will tell you if they’re happy, if they’re sad, or if they’re beaten down by life.

When you are deeply attached to somebody … it could be a spouse, a child or a friend … you know the color of their eyes. You want to know what’s going on in their soul, so you look into their eyes.

This man has looked real deep into those eyes. Maybe there is a pair of eyes we haven’t looked at deeply for a long time. We need to do that. Take the time to do that.

He goes on: “Your hair is like a flock of goats.” Again, in our day, “goat head” is not a compliment. But in that culture, it made sense. When a large herd of goats came down a hill, they would wind around it in a way that looked quite striking and attractive from a distance. This was the lover’s way of saying, “You hair is thick and wavy. I love how it curls. It looks wonderful!”

Then he says, “Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin.”

What’s with the twin deal? Does she have too many teeth? Let’s think about their culture for a minute. How many of us have or had children? How many of us have helped the orthodontists put his own children through college? Think about life in those days. There were no dentists, no orthodontists, no toothpaste or toothbrushes, no braces, no flossing. That was a bad millennium for teeth. Everybody was missing teeth.

But her teeth were lovely. They were white. They looked like sheep that had just been shorn and washed. And there was a lower tooth for every upper tooth. Isn’t that more attractive when you have lowers that match your uppers? That’s where that twin “thing” comes in. That’s the whole idea … there’s a full set of teeth.

He compliments her head. “Your temples are like the halves of a pomegranate.” The idea here is that she has a symmetrical head, just like we talk about somebody having a good bone structure.

Then he talks about her neck. The neck was a symbol of strength. Even in our day we say something like, “Her head will not be easily turned by someone who comes along.” It’ a symbol of elegant strength.

Then he says, “Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies.”

This is just weird. I think he got to this point and just lost it. You can go ahead and look up this one on your own. There’s definite meaning with all the gentleness and the things involved with fawns, but I’m not going to go there.

Now, here’s what’s going on. This guy is not just taking inventory here. This is an ecstatic celebration of the worth of the one he loves. And he is using images that would be deeply compelling to the Middle Eastern heart. He’s going on record saying, “This is how much I want you. This is how firmly I devote myself to you.”

Moving on … verse 8 and following. The Lover is still speaking.

Come with me from Lebanon , my bride,

come with me from Lebanon .

Descend from the crest of Amana,

from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,

from the lions' dens

and the mountain haunts of the leopards.

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have stolen my heart

with one glance of your eyes,

with one jewel of your necklace.

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! (SS 4:8-10a)

Now, we’ll notice that in this section, it’s the first time he uses the word “bride.” He repeats the phrase, “my sister, my bride.” That’s strange to us, but in that culture family ties were the most binding ties of all. Blood was definitely thicker than water. So he is saying, “My tie to you will be the most binding of all. All of the loyalties that would go into any relationship with a member of my own birth family, I now give to you.” This is where he’s making his wedding vow.

So, let me ask. How’s your vow going? When was the last time you really looked at your spouse? When was the last time you named things in which you delight? “I love your smile.” “I love your heart.” “I love the way your eyes light up.” “I love the way you make me laugh.” He does all this for her.

Now, this is taking place during the wedding … and then it moves right into the honeymoon. Look at verse 16. This is the response of the Beloved. Again, I wouldn’t read this, except it’s in the Bible. She says:

Awake, north wind,

and come, south wind!

Blow on my garden,

that its fragrance may spread abroad.

Let my lover come into his garden

and taste its choice fruits. (SS 4:16)

You do understand that when she’s talking about a garden, she’s not talking about a literal garden with sunflowers and rutabagas. This is a metaphorical way of saying, “Whew whee!”

They are rejoicing in the intimacy God has given them within the marriage covenant. The fact that this is recorded in Scripture teaches us that God rejoices in this also. After all, it’s His gift to us.

Let’s keep moving. Chapter 5. At the end of the first verse, after the Lover has responded to his bride, the friends give a toast to the bride and groom, cheering their intimacy and closeness.

Eat, O friends, and drink;

Drink your fill, O lovers. (SS 5:1a)

About the role of the friends. Marriages don’t occur in vacuums. When we think about friends who are married, we want to ask ourselves, “Is their marriage stronger and better because I’m their friend?”

Praying for them is good start. God invites us to cheer and affirm when a marriage is strong and heading in the right direction. We can encourage our married friends, listen to them, and respond in ways that builds hope. If a marriage is in trouble, we can encourage our friends to seek out a good Christian counselor. When a marriage is doing well, we can rejoice with our friends. Every marriage needs a cheering section.

Chapter 5, verse 2. In the flow of the story, at this point the wedding is over. We don’t know how much time has past. Look at verse 2.

I slept, but my heart was awake.

Listen! My lover is knocking: (SS 5:2a)

She probably slept uneasily, because she was missing her man. Then she hears him knocking on the door. The text goes on:

"Open to me, my sister, my darling,

my dove, my flawless one.

My head is drenched with dew,

my hair with the dampness of the night." (SS 5:2b)

What’s going here? He’s a shepherd. He’s spent the whole night out with his flock. He comes to the door and says, “I had to work late, dear. My head is covered with dew, but I’m home now.” Notice all the pet names he uses, “my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one.” Can we guess what’s on his mind?

And here’s her response in verse 3.

I have taken off my robe--

must I put it on again?

I have washed my feet--

must I soil them again? (SS 5:3)

In other words, “Do I have to get up and let you in?” This is an ancient Middle Eastern way of saying, “Not tonight, I’ve got a headache.”

Even in this Song, the marriage deal is not always easy. But, she changes her mind, opens the door, and now he’s gone. She can’t find him, so she goes looking for him. She tells her friends:

daughters of Jerusalem , I charge you--

if you find my lover,

what will you tell him?

Tell him I am faint with love. (SS 5:8)

And then her friends respond:

How is your beloved better than others,

most beautiful of women?

How is your beloved better than others,

that you charge us so? (SS 5:9)

In other words, “What makes your man so hot, girlfriend?”

And she gives them another one of those long, metaphorical descriptions of why she loves him so much, and reaffirms once more, “I’m his and he’s mine.”

A little personal aside here. She says, “My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.” (SS 5:10) Know what “ruddy” means? It means he had a red face. Know who else had a red face in the Bible? King David! It says in 1 Samuel 16:12; “So he sent and had (David) brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” So, for guys like Matt and me, we’d be considered handsome in the ancient Middle East because of our red faces.

Anyway …

Finally, he comes home, and there’s more passion and more joy. And it all leads to a passage in the final chapter that I think are the most beautiful words about romantic love ever written. We’ll read them in a few moments. But to wrap this up.

The message of the Song at this point is this. The wedding day is not the end … it’s the beginning. Too many couples focus on the wedding day and the honeymoon and spend all their time getting ready for that one short, stressful, blissful moment. But a marriage lasts a lifetime. And even in the strongest, most passionate marriages there will be tough times.

Every couple needs to be ready for that. If we get married expecting perfect harmony, endless romance, and no conflict, we will be sadly disappointed. The issue isn’t will we face difficult times … because we will. The issue is how will we respond when those tough times come?

Those are the days when we need to receive God’s power and grace when ours is in short supply. Those are the times when we need our chorus of friends to support and encourage us. Those are the moments that we might seek out the help of a good Christian counselor to help us get perspective and the tools that will help us move forward and build a marriage that honors God and brings blessing to our hearts.

The Song of Songs knows all this. And after their tough time … the Beloved says:

Place me like a seal over your heart,

like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death,

its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire,

like a mighty flame.

And her Lover answers:

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

If one were to give

all the wealth of his house for love,

it would be utterly scorned. (SS 8:6-7)

This is a closing declaration that their love will be unquenchable. In a world where intimacy, romance, and relationships seem to get snuffed out by busyness, apathy, unresolved conflict, financial stresses, poor communication, and selfishness … we need to hear these words.

Love seems to get quenched each day. But it doesn’t have to. God wants us to be happy in our relationships. But it takes work, commitment, effort. It’s well worth it. So do it!

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonder, the variety, the frankness of Your Word. We want to rejoice that You created us man and woman, and Your gift to us is intimacy and joy in the marriage covenant. Grant us the wisdom of Your Spirit, the power of Your love, and the joy of fellowship and communion that is Yours in the Trinity, that our lives and relationships honor what You have intended, bringing joy into our hearts, and giving honor to You.

And the people said, “Amen.”