The Path That Jesus Walked

When was the last time you were naked in public?  For most of us this is what a bad dream is made of.  But this week’s sermon noted that Jesus’ coming to earth was God’s becoming naked before us. Jesus the second person of the trinity became naked, or vulnerable, so that sinful humanity might have a relationship with God the Father.  John notes this in John 1:14 in stating that “The word became flesh and dwelt, or had an open house, amongst us so that we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten son of God.“

God’s actions are also an example for us to follow in that we are to become naked, vulnerable in our relationship with others so that others may get a glimpse of God in us and enter into a relationship with God. John highlights this for us in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

        Pray that the Lord will show you how you might become vulnerable so that others might see Jesus in you and enter into a relationship with God the Father. Some possibilities might be to volunteer your time to serve at the Raleigh Rescue Mission, to rake the leaves of a neighbor, to assist someone in need financially, or to share where the Lord you brought you from with someone at a similar place in life.  I pray that you will be blessed as you enter into the path that Jesus walked, who became naked, vulnerable for us.

Keep The Faith

Have you ever wanted to give up on a person you have been praying for, witnessing to, or inviting to join you at church?  The temptation after a while is to say, “They will never come to Jesus!”

        But the story of Nicodemus encourages us to never give up.  Nicodemus did not give his life to Jesus right away even though Jesus personally invited Nicodemus to trust in Him.  It was not until the end of Jesus’ life that Nicodemus finally took a public stand declaring his total commitment to Jesus as John 19:39—40 tells us:

Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

        Nicodemus was not alone in this “later conversion” pattern for we note in Scripture that even Jesus’ half brothers committed their lives to Him after Jesus’ crucifixion.  So, here are a few steps that can assist us to keep the faith:

1. In our prayers let us spend time focusing on the greatness of the God who can change lives, not on the greatness of the change in lives that needs to occur.
2. Be patient. As a fruit of the Holy Spirit patience reveals that we are depending on God to do the work, in His time.
3. Play our part. Keep praying and inviting these individuals to trust in Jesus or to attend church for we never know when a person may choose to take a stand for Jesus. 

Power Of Prayer

    In Luke 18:8 Jesus gave the parable of a weak old woman who was able to move a powerful, self-centered judge to act on her behalf. At the end of that teaching session Jesus asks if he will find faith, that is manifested through persistent prayer based on an unshakable trust in God’s love for His children, on earth when he returns. Jim Cymbala in his great book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire challenges us to have this outlook on prayer.

    “What is it really that stops us from becoming mighty warriors in the Lord? God has not changed. He is still superior to anything the enemy can throw against us.
    No personal or church situation is too hopeless for the all-sufficient power of the Holy Spirit. God will be no more eager to act tomorrow than he is right now. He is waiting for us to take his promises seriously and go boldly to the throne of grace. He wants us to meet the enemy at the very point of attack, standing against him in the name of Christ. When we do so, God will back us up with all the resources of heaven.”                           

    I know that many of us are presently in need of these heavenly resources. I know that our church is in need of these heavenly resources. Won’t you take the time today to begin communicating with our heavenly Father in order to access heaven’s provisions for our needs?
 
Here are 3 quick steps that can be taken to enhance our prayer lives:

1. Select a consistent time at which you will pray each day.
2. Begin your prayers acknowledging the greatness of God and request that His desires will rule on earth.
3. Communicate your prayer requests to God and trust that your heavenly Father will hear you and do what is best.

Kneeling in order to stand,
Pastor Norm

Important Assignment

Can I give you an assignment that may seem a little morbid but will be so beneficial to you in the beginning of this new year if you honestly complete it.  Write out your obituary.  Yes, imagine that you are composing a description of your own life after you have died 30 to 40 years from now.

Then take the step of evaluating your obituary.  What actions do you want to have mentioned?  What are the important priorities, memories you would like to leave behind?  What are the insignificant items that are now a key part of your life that you don’t want to be remembered for?  In other words, what are you now doing that will stand the test of time, or be God-pleasing?
             
        Now take the final step of making life-changing decisions.  What changes will you now make in light of your evaluation? 

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
Psalm 103:15—16

Sacrificial Gift

          Another gift suggestion for this season that we know Jesus is going to love is peace between His children. He made this request personally:

Little children, I am with you a little while longer You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:33—35

So, if you have any unresolved issues with a brother or sister that is keeping you apart this would be a great time to bring a smile to the Savior’s face through your sacrificial gift. Go on, make a call or send a note of reconciliation.

Give God the gift of a rested you

Remember to give a gift to God that we don’t normally think of in that way. Give God the gift of a rested you. Yes, taking time to pull back from your busy schedule, to take a Sabbath. In our society a person’s worth is measured by his or her driven pace. We have gotten to the point that we crave activity as a badge of our worth. Gordon MacDonald insightfully comments on this characteristic of driven people,

“They operate on the precept that a reputation for busyness is a sign of success and personal importance. Thus they attempt to impress people with the fullness of their schedules. They may even express a high level of self-pity, bemoaning the ‘trap’ of responsibility they claim to be in, wishing aloud that there was some possible release form all that they have to live with. But just try to suggest a way out!

The truth is that the very worst thing that could happen to them would be if someone provided them with a way out. They really wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if there were suddenly less to do. Busyness for the driven person becomes a habit, a way of life and thought. They find it enjoyable to complain and gather pity, and they would probably not want it any different. But tell a driven person that, and you’ll make him angry”

          I pray that the Lord will bless us as we get out of the fast lane this season in order to please Him.

Help us give our Lord a wonderful gift that I know He will love during this season:

INVEST (time, prayers, resources, etc.) in someone, then INVITE that person to church

The greatest gift is Jesus

During this time of the year you might hear that “The greatest gift is Jesus.”  But have you spent some time considering how great a gift He really is? Imagine that Jesus consented to come to earth as a totally dependent and helpless little baby. He who kept everything functioning by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) came to earth so helpless that He could not even speak a word! 

Paul was so amazed by this fact that he wrote, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5—11) 

          Take some time today to consider the great sacrifice of Jesus for us.  Afterwards spend some time thanking God for what He has done for you.  May the Lord bless you as you ENGAGE in and complete this task.

Our Vision/Destination:
A Church Family where the Triangle will see, hear, & touch the diversity of God’s grace.

The Center Of Christmas

A final gift suggestion is for us to desire, and to pray, for Jesus’ return. Our longing for Jesus’ return keeps our hearts longing for Him. In the same vein, to not look for Jesus’ return reveals that we are preoccupied elsewhere.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:7—8

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  Titus 2:11—14

So, let’s put Christ back in the center of Christmas by making Him our greatest holiday gift wish.  “Please come back soon Lord Jesus.”

Our Vision/Destination:
A Church Family where the Triangle will see, hear, & touch the diversity of God’s grace.

The Best Birthday Gift

          Have you selected a birthday, or “thank you,” gift for Jesus yet?  Might I make a suggestion? How about your life?  Seeing that He died for it I think this would be a great selection. Paul in Romans 12:1—2 makes this important point in stating,

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

          If you have already given your life to Jesus as a birthday gift let me make another suggestion.  How about giving Him another person’s life? Seeing that He died for that life as well this seems like a perfect gift. Remember, that is why He was born.

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due tim,”  1 Timothy 2:5—6

So help us give our Lord a wonderful gift that I know that He will love during this season:

INVEST (time, prayers, resources, etc.) in someone, then INVITE that person to church.

Thanks-Giving Heart

        Whose family resemblance are you taking on, the one of your former life or of your new life in Christ? A key indicator of the answer to this question is whether we continually have a thankful heart towards God. For when we become use to daily blessings we can take them for granted and lose the realization that God is the source of each and every one of these blessings.

        You see, thanksgiving keeps our heart and focus on God. Without a ‘thanks-giving heart’ we can overlook God’s blessings in the midst of the common or usual. We can fail to thank God for another morning, a choice parking spot, that job we have had for a while, our being single, our health, our free country, our kids, etc. Without thanksgiving we can overlook God’s blessing in difficult times as well. We can then let our challenges wrongly seem to outnumber the larger amount of blessings we receive. It is important to remember that all that we are and have is from the Lord, for over time we come to think all that we are and have is from our own hands.

        So take a look anew at the command that will allow you to see God more often in your day:  “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”  (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Make a focused effort to give thanks throughout this day for it will keep your heart focused on God in everything you do.

Who Needs A Savior?

Please remember that “good people” need Jesus too?  Without this reminder we can get so focused on those who have sin, or its evident effect in their lives that we can sometimes forget that all people have a need for a Savior.  That is exactly what the story of Nicodemus tells us.  Nicodemus was one of the elite religious leaders in the Jewish nation as well as a prominent political leader.  He was clearly a successful person who had a lot going for him.  Yet, his need was just as great as a person who was obviously down and out.

        Even the Old Testament notes this universal need as Solomon noted that “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins”  (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

        So, don’t overlook the “successful” person God has brought into your contact and friendship network.  Remember that their need of a Savior is already established.

The battles of life are won or lost on the battlefield of the mind.

In light of this great struggle we are called to prepare our minds so that we might make the right choices at the right times as we go through life. The Bible presents this strong encouragement to us in Romans 12:1—2 as we are told to ‘renew our mind’ or to ‘retrain our brain.’ Here are just a few ways to help this process progress in us:

Take seriously the need for change. You are not the same—Colossians 3:5—10.
Memorize & meditate on Scripture daily—Psalms 119:11
        Pray that the Lord will give you a new heart & outlook—Psalm 51:10

Father, bless us as we prepare our hearts and minds as a suitable sacrifice of thankfulness to you.

How Do We “Honor” Marriage?

The writer of the book of Hebrews makes this strong statement—“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge”  Hebrews 13:4-6.

        How do we “honor” marriage? Here are a few suggestions:

• Be critical of scenes that present sexual relationships outside of marriage. Don’t accept them as normal. This may include your not watching programs that repeatedly glorify these encounters.
• Reserve sexual fantasies and pleasures for one’s spouse. If you are not married, commit to reserve the same till God’s desire is made known. 
• Recognize biblical marriage & resist political pressure to legalize/acknowledge other living arrangements and sexual preferences.
• Teach children the meaning of marriage. Pray early for their eventual families & spouses.
• If you are married, reflect God’s love for us by committing to keep your marriage happy & strong. An unattractive marriage does not honor the institution of marriage.
• Pray for your spouse. Take delight in him/her.
• Attend marriage enrichment offerings of our church. Often there are groups and studies unattended as couples continue to say they desire to better their marriages.

Meaning Of Repentance

And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.  Acts 19:19

This verse gives us a clear description of what it means to repent. Repentance is not saying “I’m sorry” in order to remove the guilt feelings and it is not being open to picking back up what we were doing before we repented. Rather it is the intense desire to please God to the point that we sacrifice, even the sacrifice of the most expensive items that keep us from pleasing God, in order to please Him.

That is the reason the Ephesians sacrificed those things that cost them a combined total of a few million dollars so that they would get right with God. They even went as far as burning the bridge to the option of going back to these practices at a later date by publicly confessing their spells (v. 18-It was the belief that when a spell was disclosed its powers were totally removed).

Are there obsessions, hobbies, superstitions, habits, relationships in your life that hinder you from totally giving your life to Jesus? Take a lesson from the Ephesians and repent. This might even entail letting a trusted individual know so that he/she would keep you accountable. Regardless of the cost, the heightened fellowship with Christ is worth it.

Deep Rooted Trust

Soul Joy is a concept we presented in last week’s Word From The Pastor. Soul Joy is not based on our circumstances or possessions but on a deep rooted trust and satisfaction in God.  Today I would like to present an example of this concept.

    The example is Jesus who had every reason to not be joyous, or contented with God the Father.  Having been sent behind enemy lines to be abused and eventually be murdered for undeserving sinners, Jesus had every reason to not be joyous.  Yet, in Hebrews 12:1—2 it is said that He had joy in the face of these tremendous challenges.  I love the way The Message: The Bible In Contemporary Language states it:

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

    Please note from this account that Soul Joy does not mean that I must be weak and wimpy?  This is the farthest from the truth as the hope of an “exhilarating finish in and with God” empowered Jesus through incredible challenges.  Instead, a soul that has its joy in God is empowered to live boldly and powerfully for God in the midst of life’s storms. 

  So, how are you doing today?  Are you being energized in your walk with God?  I pray that you will follow the example of Jesus and not lose sight of the goal that is set before you.