Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

Awakening 2: Psalm 19

Friday, May 10th, 2013

Psalm 19

The sky screams out the handiwork of God.

The Sun proceeds across the sky because God wants it to.

The day and night sing of the beauty and majesty of God.

Yet there is no sound from them, so how do we know any of it?

We know it because God has given us a way to know it.

Through the Bible we can know about God and learn about God.

It’s like this, my son is into legos right now. He loves legos. It started last year on vacation in Florida we all went to Legoland and now Samuel loves his legos. But legos these days aren’t like legos when I was a kid. These things take some serious time and have huge amounts of directions with them. I mean look at this, and these weird pieces now. Back in my day we had 4 bricks and you put them together and it was an airplane, a car, or a boat. That was it. Now they have ambulances and transformers and X-men legos and these are so complicated to put together.

I mean they have Lego sets of “Fallingwater” Who needs to build this? Frank Lloyd Wright already did so why do it again? I don’t get it. They even have legos that connect to a computer and can be fully animated. Seriously? Back in my day if I wanted my Lego car to drive I had to push it. I don’t get it.

Here’s the thing about Lego’s though, you can build anything you want. You can do anything yo want with legos. but if you want to build what is on the picture you need the directions. and those directions are like 80+ pages and not always written in a language I can read. but if we want the legos to look like the picture we need the directions.

And that is the key for us today. If you want your life to look like the picture God has designed we need to read the directions, the Bible.

Look at our scripture about it.

Vs. 7 God has given us a perfect instruction that revives our very being.

- For example: James 3:5 Even though the tongue is a small part of the body it boasts wildly.

- In other words we need to watch what we speak. It can do more damage then we realize.

- This instruction given by God will help our very being.

Vs. 8 The Lord’s regulations gladden the heart

- For example: Proverbs 27:14 “Greeting a neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning will be viewed as a curse.”

- Some people are morning people. When they show up all bubbly and excited early in the morning it makes those of us who are not morning people very angry and occasionally ends in cursing them.

- When we follow the regulations of God it makes our heart happy and makes us well-respected with our neighbors.

Vs. 9 Honoring the Lord is correct and lasts forever.

- Example: In Matthew 25 Jesus says that what we do for the least of these is what we do for Jesus and that our eternity will be judged based on how we helped the least of these.

- If we say we follow God then we also have to live that out and when we live out our belief we find that we have gained eternity.

The author in verse 10 says that the word of God is more desirable than gold. Even tons of pure gold! They are even sweeter than pure honey off the honeycomb!

The author goes on in verse 11 and says that there is a great reward in keeping the law of God.

Then there is a stark shift from 11 to 12 where the author begins to doubt himself. That it is quite possible that He has broken a law without knowing it, that somehow he has messed up and doesn’t know it.

I think if we go back to our lego example and we say that the Lego pieces are our lives then we have to acknowledge that we have these extra pieces and the directions don’t say what to do with them.

there are these lego pieces that aren’t in the picture and aren’t in the directions so what do we do with them?

I think that is an important feature of this Psalm. Sometimes there are extra things in our lives that we have to deal with and the reality is that the Bible doesn’t cover every topic and maybe there is something that we thought was okay and the Bible doesn’t mention and it turns out it was wrong. I mean the Bible doesn’t mention anything about downloading music from the internet, or the appropriate side of the road to walk on, or even what kind of translation of Bible to use, or big topics like stem cell research and how to raise kids after a divorce. Or even the terms to put in a DNR order for the doctor.

I mean these things are important and if the Bible is silent on them what happens if I get them wrong? What happens if I put the pieces in the wrong spot?

The question in verse 12 is a question of monumental importance. “What do I do with the pieces of my life that don’t fit neatly within the boundaries of scripture?”

And I think that is the question before us today. What do we do with those extra pieces in life?

I think if we are honest we deal with this topic a lot. When people go wrong, when life doesn’t turn out the way we want or we get a raw deal in a relationship or any number of things we don’t think should be part of our life. So what do we do with them?

The key to what we do is found right in Verses 13 and 14. We figure it out as best as we can with other scriptures and we pray for forgiveness from the unknown and the known sins.

We don’t willingly go out and sin, we don’t want to sin and we should not be saying to ourselves “I am going to go do whatever I want because God will still forgive me.” That is shady theology at best and down right wrong at worst. but there are times we sin and we don’t know it. and so yet there is forgiveness for those events.

But the question still exists, how do I figure out what to do? How do I know where the best place to put that piece of my life that doesn’t make sense.

Well, it’s like this. There are really 4 things to look at. As Methodists we call this the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, but really it is just a method for making decisions.

First, scripture. That is our primary example and our primary way to make decisions. but we already looked at ways in which sometimes scripture doesn’t have an answer so now what?

Second, tradition. What have we done in the past? Did it work? Did it fail? How can we use our history to tell us what our future should be?

Third, reason. What can we figure out using logic? God gave us a brain, maybe we should use it? So what can we figure out?

Last, what has our own experience been? What have we been a part of and how has that worked out?

After all of that we can usually figure out a pretty good decision that we then give the consequences up to God and try to go from there.

and that prayer is verse 14. that essentially is saying “God, I hope I am not messing this up may what I am doing be pleasing to you.”

And that’s what we need to do with the extra pieces, we struggle with them, pray over them, and offer them up to God and pray we are making the right decision.

Sometimes we will make the wrong decision, and God will show us that and so we ask forgiveness and try again.

So then, scripture is our primary way of relating to God and figuring out how to live our life and without the Bible and a working knowledge of the Bible you miss out on the most important lessons of life.  But when there are topics scripture misses we can still figure out what God wants from us and what to do with our lives and we offer them up to God and ask that God be pleased with what we are doing.

I guess the question left is where do I start? How do I start the process of making decisions that are pleasing to God? The first thing to do is to start reading the Bible.

If I have never read the Bible what do I do? Well, first, get a Bible. We have some in the back go get one. Find one that you like and start reading. You can read it cover to cover but that is very hard to do because there are some boring parts.  I would suggest getting a Bible reading plan, we have those in the back and in the plan there are readings for every day. Start with today and read it every day. That is a good place to start getting in to the word of God.

but let’s say you are a gadget nerd and why carry around one more book and paper? Why not save some trees? You can get an app for your smart phone that has the Bible and reading plans tailored for specific topics right on your phone for free. It’s called “YouVersion” and it has Bible plans for students, parents, doctors, retirees, and all kinds of plans.

For me, I don’t really use the bible plans, what I do is everyday I read whatever scripture I am preaching on the following Sunday. So for me, as of today I have read this scripture seven times.

Other people they read straight through books of the Bible and others will read a few chapters a day.  What matters is not how you read it but that we are reading the Bible on a regular basis.

After that, start praying before you make decisions, think of the scripture you read and ask God to help you with your decisions.

You may not get an audible voice, although that happens. What happens more often is one decision is a little bit more clear or desirable or easier than the other.

It’s not always easy to make decisions. Some things are really hard to do. What job to take, what school to go to, there are some immensely painful decisions. but knowing what the Bible says will make those decisions at least a little easier.

So then, may you grow closer to God through scripture. May you use scripture to put the pieces of your life together the way God pictures it. and when you struggle with the unknown pieces may you ask God to forgive you and help you figure out what to do with them.

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Complaining about Colors

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Recently I went to a conference to learn about church leadership. It was wonderful and amazing and I learned so much. While at this conference there was a bookstore set up.  I was in heaven! I don’t know about you but I love books. Real books. Not those electronic books. I need a real book that I can write in and highlight and carry with me all the time. So between workshops at the conference I was poking around the bookstore.  I found a new Bible at 65% off. It was one with notes that I didn’t already have and it was a nice leather cover, full color maps, and a concordance. It was perfect. The price was right, the tools were right, the texture was right, everything about it was perfect.  Almost…I didn’t like the color. So I looked for the same Bible but with different colors and I couldn’t find any. So I asked, but it was on clearance and that was all they had.

So I was left with the perfect Bible to add to my collection but in a color that I didn’t like. I was dejected and I complained to the manager. They apologized and explained that because it was only a three-day conference they did not have a large selection of books.

I ended up buying the Bible and then thinking how silly it was to complain about the color of a Bible. The inside is what matters most.

I wonder how often we end up doing the same thing in other aspects of life? How often is everything perfect and so we find one small part that we almost don’t like and turn it into something huge and throw a fit because we don’t like it?

I think there are times to complain and make a fuss but I think there are other times where we pick our battles and decide which ones just aren’t worth dealing with? Sometimes things aren’t worth worrying about, just take a deep breath and move on.

As I read my Bible, with colors I don’t like on the cover, I see in Matthew 26 and 27 that Jesus knew when to open his mouth and when to keep it shut. He was about to die and still knew enough not to speak up about the little things.  Maybe that is an art we need to I must practice more?

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What does the Bible say about: The Holy Spirit?

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

Here we continued to study our series on “What does the Bible say about…” and we are covering the holy spirit. Enjoy the notes and feel free to listen on iTunes.

The Holy Spirit is desperately needed in a church if the church is going to be “the Church” that God has called it to be. If we are not filled with the Holy Spirit then we are fooling ourselves if we think we will ever be able to follow God.

But what/who/how is the Holy Spirit?

Understand this, we can never fully understand the Holy Spirit and we can never fully comprehend God but there are a few things from Scripture that we can understand.

Genesis 1:1-3

- Always existed.

- Created out of a dark void

- Present and active in all of creation

Acts 5:3-4

- The Holy Spirit is God

- The triune-God of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

- You can use these titles interchangeably in prayer and still be correct

- eternal

If that is Who the holy spirit is, then what does the Holy Spirit do?

John 14:16-17

- The Holy Spirit is the companion of a Christian

- The Holy Spirit lives with you

- Ecclesiastes 4 in marriage.

Romans 8:15-16

- The Holy Spirit is what makes us adopted in to the family of Christ.

-  If the holy spirit is not in you then you are not a part of the family of god.

John 15:7-11

- The Holy Spirit shows us where we have done wrong. Or at least not the best we can

- chick fil a was not the best option. Jesus wasn’t there. Jesus was with the couple that just got laid off. The new widow and the newlyweds.

Romans 8:27

- The holy spirit prays for us

1 Corinthians 12:7

- Holy Spirit gives us gifts for the building of the kingdom.

Acts 2:1-4

- Holy Spirit fills Christians

- Being filled with the Holy Spirit is what makes a Christian different from a non-Christian.

- Not being good

- Not being nice

- But being filled with the Holy Spirit.

- Lot’s of atheists are good people who never get a divorce, never steal, lie, cheat, they always donate blood. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer that makes a believer different from a non-believer.

If then the Holy Spirit is God and is what fills us, what does it look like if we are filled with the Holy Spirit?

If the Holy Spirit in you is the mark of being a Christian then there are certain aspects that the Spirit does for you.

- Helps you speak about God Mark 13:11/Luke 12:12

- If you have never spoken about God, do you have the Holy Spirit?

- teaches Psalm 143:10

- comforts John 14:16

- advises Acts 13:2

- encourages Acts 9:31

- Gives us the power to share the gospel Acts 1:8

- If you have never shared the gospel with people, do you have the Holy Spirit?

- Fills us with hope Romans 15:13

- Give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control Galatians 5:22-23

When was the last time we saw the Holy Spirit at work?

A test to see if the Holy Spirit is working is who gets the glory? God or people?

Do we need the Holy Spirit?

- I would suggest that we do. Think about it this way.  If the whole church were as committed as you are? Prayed as much as you? gave/lived/served as much as you? Would the church be great or a disaster? I would suggest we need the Holy Spirit in all of us to make this church an amazing spirit filled, life-giving church that Jesus has called it to be.

Do we even want the holy spirit?

- I would suggest that most of us do not want the holy spirit.

- Having the holy spirit means you have to talk about your faith and it might mean we have to talk to our gay neighbors or our crazy cousin or that annoying co-worker.

- Having the holy spirit means we would have to stop doing the things that don’t bring glory to God.

- And so maybe we don’t want the Holy Spirit because it might mean we have to change.

The Holy Spirit is the great comforter and so do even want a comforter if we are already comfortable?

So do we even want the Holy Spirit?

That is between you and God.

Can you be a Christian without the Holy Spirit? It appears to me that having the Holy Spirit in your life is a basic premise to being a Christian. It also appears to me that the things the Holy Spirit does through you and in you are some of the basic requirements to being a Christian.  So I don’t think so. but maybe? but if your life isn’t changed by God, if the only difference between you and your atheist neighbor is you get up early on Sunday then I am not sure that makes us a Christian.

How do you get the Holy Spirit?

but let’s say, for the sake of this sermon, that you want the Holy Spirit. That you need God himself to live in you to comfort, advise, strengthen, encourage, teach, and move in and through you then what do you need to do?

1. Ask for the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit to empower you and use you as the Spirit sees fit.

2. Look for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is already active and moving in this world. We just need to open our eyes to where it is happening.

3. Submit to the Holy Spirit. No one like the word submit, it makes us weak and it means we are not in control but with the creator of the universe we were never in control in the first place so now we willingly submit to the Holy Spirit and go where we are being led.

St. Augustine writes that “what the soul is in our Body so the Holy Spirit is to the Church, the Body of Christ.”  So what would it mean if the Holy Spirit were in our church?

Francis Chan writes, something that is especially meaningful to me in the midst of us planning our contemporary service “If we combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming.”

Sometimes I leave church and wonder if we were more like the prophets of Baal than Elijah. We say the right things do the right things and yet there is no fire, no huge earth-shaking movement from God and I stand around wondering if I should do more or if God was just busy using the bathroom. I mean how often do we leave church talking about people and events instead of talking about the power of God.

I would suggest that if the Holy Spirit does not fill us then it does not fill the church either.

So let’s fix that.  Let’s go as a church and ask the spirit to fill us and lets start looking for where the spirit is already active in our church? And as a church let us submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and put aside our own selfish ambition and run to where the Spirit has called us. Maybe that is some idea I have, maybe it is an idea you have, but whatever it is we know it is from the Holy Spirit if it glorifies Jesus and not ourselves.

Sermon Audio

 
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Put My Foot Down

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Recently I found myself in a discussion with another pastor about the meaning of Christmas.  This pastor told me that it didn’t matter if the Christmas story was true.  That what mattered was the meaning behind the story.  He went on to say that the virgin birth didn’t matter because it is impossible to have happened and what was important was the reason why Matthew and Luke would write about it.

Now, I am all about questioning authority, questioning tradition, and debating on whether or not it is important.

But at some point we have to be willing to put our foot down, stake our claim, and say this actually happened.

(more…)

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Common English Bible Blog Tour

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

After I got home from vacation I was approached by the amazing people at the Common English Bible (CEB) if I would write blog posts using the Common English Bible.  To me this was a no-brainer because I already use the CEB for my personal Bible Study and my sermons.

Please feel free to support them on:

What this means is that during my normal blogging you will see quotes from the CEB just like you normally would but now I will provide more links to the CEB website and other bloggers doing the same thing.

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Bend it like Satan

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Today’s sermon was about the truth of Scripture.  However, I ended up leaving out about 10 minutes worth of material.  You will see it in the notes but you won’t hear it in the audio.

You can hear the audio at the bottom or on iTunes.

Psalm 91:11-12 Because he will order his messengers to help you, to protect you wherever you go. They will carry you with their own hands so you don’t bruise your foot on a stone.

 

Matthew 4:5-6 “After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.

 

Luke 4:10-11 “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.  (more…)

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Sweat, Tears, Pain and a Holy Outcome

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.”

Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:35-38 (CEB)

The fine folks working on the Common English Bible asked me to write a blog devotional using this verse as part of their advent blog tour.  They asked me a few weeks ago and I have been thinking about this verse since then and a few things occurred to me.

(more…)

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The Church is a Covenantal Community

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Good morning, I hope you enjoy the end of our “The church is….” series.  We examined the church as a community of Covenant.  You can listen to it at the end of the post or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. I am going to start posting my sermons on Monday from now on and move my other updates to Wednesdays and Fridays.  This will give me more time to post my sermons and make all my updates a little more evenly spaced.  My sermon notes are below and please enjoy!

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