Wednesday Night Recap - Broken Hearted

In the third part in our series entitled, “Heart Check,” we looked at what it means to have a broken heart and how broken hearts can mend. Do you have any physical scars? Amazingly, just about everyone has some type of physical scars. Some we get as kids when we fall off a bunk bed. Others we get when we fall off out bikes. However we get them, scars are a reality of life. Emotional and spiritual scars are also very real in life. Even if we get the heart transplant (discussed a few weeks ago) and then make that whole-hearted commitment to Christ (discussed two weeks ago), if we don’t address the scars, or our broken hearts, our commitment to and effectiveness for Christ can be greatly diminished. Pain is very real. Everyone experiences pain on some level. The only way to avoid pain is to lock ourselves in a room for our entire lives. Not a viable option! Pain also comes in different forms and sizes. Some pain is short-lived and not deep, like a paper cut. Other pain cuts very deep and can stay with us for a while. Pain can essentially come from two different sources, self-inflicted or inflicted upon us. Self-inflicted pain occurs because of the stupid things we do. From the poor decisions we make. Pain inflicted upon us occurs when we aren’t looking for trouble, but trouble is thrust upon us. This could include dealing with your parents’ divorce, sexual abuse, etc. Whatever your pain, we know that God doesn’t want us to live with broken hearts and that he alone can provide healing for our broken hearts. In John 5:1-9, we find the story of a man that has been paralyzed for 38 years. For this time, he has attempted to find healing by waiting on the edge of the pool of Bethesda. The belief was that when the waters of the pool were stirred, the first one in the pool would be healed. This man, because of his paralysis, could get in the pool quick enough. Then Jesus comes along. Jesus began by asking a really strange question, “Do you want to get well?” In my sarcasm, I picture some of us looking at Jesus and saying, “No, that’s ok. I like coming here every day and NOT finding healing!” Jesus’ question though gives us insight into true healing. Healing cannot occur unless we WANT to be healed. This may seem like a stupid point. But in our society, victims are touted and even encouraged to continue to be victims. If we want to be victims, we cannot be healed. We have to desire healing first and foremost. The second point about healing is that we must look for healing in the right places. This man was doing what he thought was necessary to be healed. Every day, he was at the pool of Bethesda to be healed. It just wasn’t happening for him there. How many times do we look for healing in the wrong places? We try to “self-medicate” our broken hearts away. We pour ourselves into our activities to try to make ourselves feel better. Alcohol, drugs, sex, friends, party lifestyle, academics, sports. All things we try to fill our lives with to ease the pain of our broken heart. Just as the paralyzed man was never going to find healing at the pool, we will never find healing until we look to Christ. Jesus brought physical healing to the paralyzed man. How? He told him to get up and walk. This must have been a crazy idea to the paralyzed man. After all, he had been in this condition 38 years! But as the adage goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Healing occurred when the man stood up. Healing for our brokenness occurs when we take the step toward Christ. Broken hearts, if left untreated, will greatly impact our lives every day. What has broken your heart? For what do you need to seek out Christ today for healing and peace? Jesus says, “Come…and I will give you rest.” Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. –Matthew 11:28

Those Were the Days

Do you enjoy reminiscing about yesterday? To sit around with friends and recall the days when things were simpler, easier, better. I think to an extent we all do. In fact, this coming weekend, our church will have a Homecoming Weekend to celebrate 30+ years of ministry at Ashworth Road Baptist Church. But is it possible that celebrating the past can be negative? I believe that looking back can be positive. First it gives a foundation to our current setting. It is good to see the beginning, the foundation, to understand the purpose for which we exist today. Second, I believe in the old saying, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana) Looking back can help prevent us from making the same mistakes over and over, as we are sometimes prone to do. Lastly, I think remembering is Biblical. When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land, a memorial was constructed so that future generations would know, “that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.” (Joshua 4:7 NLT) It was and still is important that future generations understand the rich history and heritage of our Christian faith. But we must use caution in our remembering. In Ecclesiastes 7:10, Solomon instructs, “Don’t long for the ‘gold old days.’ This is not wise.” Why not? I thought we just made the case that remembering is a good thing. The danger occurs when we set the context of the present in the past. We compare everything we presently do to “the good old days.” Rarely can we live up to the memories of yesteryear. The pining away for days gone by can become an inescapable burden to those in the here and now. Our present should not be limited by the past. We need to view the present in the context of the future, with all the potential that our present can become. The past is history; the future is unlimited in potential. May our longings not be an anchor that drags us backward, but may they propel us forward to the limitless blessings that are ahead. "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." –Jeremiah 29:11

Proper Consultation

Have you ever been in a situation where the choice before you made sense? It looked like the right thing to do, so you did it only to find out later what a big, whopping mistake it was? Because the decision seemed so clear, you didn’t seek God’s wisdom or direction. Or if you did seek God, it was through a brief, “God stop me if this isn’t your will” prayer. I wish I could say that I was above this type of action. But alas, in my humanity I have found myself in this situation many times in the past. I remember a time in my life when Kerri and I had just moved to a new town. We became active in a church there, helping out however we could. I volunteered in the children’s ministry to help out with the children’s church on Sunday mornings. After several months there, the pastor approached me about becoming the main worship leader for the Sunday worship time. It seemed to make sense. After all, I was already there. What a mistake that was! The six months I led worship there were the most agonizing and painful church experience of my life. I eventually resigned. It took me some time to recover from this experience. Joshua found himself in a similar situation. After leading the Israelites into the Promised Land and defeating several nations, Joshua was approached by ambassadors “from a distant land” who wished to make a peace treaty with Israel. In reality, the Gibeonites, who were not more than 15 miles from the Israelites camp at Gilgal, were afraid of Israel because of what the Israelites had done to the other surrounding nations. They wanted to deceive Israel into making a peace treaty. To pull off the deception, the Gibeonites brought with them weathered saddlebags, patched wineskins, worn out and ragged clothes, and moldy bread. These items all gave the appearance of a long journey. That coupled with the testimony of the men, “worn out from our very long journey,” obviously made sense to Joshua and the Israelites. Joshua 9:14-15 says, “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.” Wow. How could they be so stupid? Wait…how can WE be so stupid! Joshua was willing to trust his own judgment instead of seeking the Lord for the truth in this situation. How often are we guilty of the same thing? When faced with a decision, we look to our own understanding and insight and make a decision without consulting the Lord. Our impatience gets the best of us and we move before God desires. We settle for the mediocre when God wants to give us the best. May this passage in Joshua be a reminder and an encouragement to consult the Lord. He has the wisdom, omniscience and love to guide us into abundant living. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:5

Back in the Blogger Again...

After a busy week of Bible School and spending time with the youth group, I am back in the routine this week. I will be back to semi-regular postings to my blog.

VBS Week

This week is Vacation Bible School week at ARBC. My posts this week my be fewer and farer between because of this. I have the oppotunity to teach the kids the music (and motions) to some really great songs. Music at VBS is fun and exciting (and quite the aerobic workout for me!). I'll try to post this week as I can.

Is This Good Enough?

In your life, do you find that you give your best to your career, your finances, your stuff, your recreation, only to give God what's left? How did we get the equation so backwards by addressing our spiritual life with what remains? Everything else seems much more important than our spiritual walk. We aren't the first people to struggle with giving God the best. In Malachi 1, the Lord says that the priests despised His name. How? By allowing the people to offer sacrifices to God that were less than their best. Blind animals. Sure, bring them on. Lame animals. Those were fine too. Whatever you had was okay by them. How often do we try to get away with the same and hope God doesn't notice? We give our jobs 110%. We give our recreation 110%. We give our stuff 110%. But when it comes to God, any lesser amount is viewed as acceptable. And our the offering of ourselves is usually done in that order. Job first. Recreation, stuff and family next. God last. Interestingly, this isn't the only place in scripture when the Lord tells them that he will refuse their blemished sacrifices. Over and over the Israelites would try to get away with offering God sub-par sacrifices. And each time, God had the same response, "I will not accept an offering from your hand." (Malachi 1:10b ESV) God isn't looking for just anything. He wants our first and best. Nothing less! Why not turn the formula around the next 7 days by offering yourself to God first, then to the other commitments in your life. I think we would be amazed at what our God can and will do on our behalf when we do. "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 3:7 ESV)

Wednesday Night Recap - Half-Hearted Commitment

Last week we started a new series of talks called, “Heart Check.” The first week we discussed our need for a heart transplant. We need the Lord to completely remove our broken, sinful heart and replace it with a brand new heart. Tonight we continue the heart check. Ever heard of a kamikaze? Most people have. A kamikaze is a pilot that has one job, fly your plane into whatever your target is to cause the greatest amount of destruction. When I think of kamikaze, my mind immediately thinks of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I read a story this week about a kamikaze pilot that was interviewed after he returned from his 50th mission. He told the interviewer, “I was involved but not very committed.” He was not a very good kamikaze! But how many of us does this describe? How many of us are “involved” with Jesus Christ but not “committed.” What is the commitment level to Jesus Christ and your faith? Let’s examine what it means to be “Half-Hearted.” In the Old Testament, there is a story about King Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25). Amaziah was 25 when he took the throne after his father’s assassination. He reigned for 29 years. 2 Chronicles 25:2 says, “Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly.” In the beginning Amaziah did some things right. He did not kill the children of his father’s assassins. He obeyed the Lord when instructed to fight the Edomite troops from Sier with only his troops and not the hired troops he had planned on using. But then things get ugly. After the battle, Amaziah brings back the Edomite idols and, “set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them!” (v14) He also refused to listen to the prophet of God any longer. How sad. The king started out on the right track but his half-hearted commitment turned out to be no commitment at all. Ultimately, King Amaziah suffered a great defeat in battle and was killed by assassins. What about you? Are you willing to make a full and complete commitment to Christ or are you content with a half-hearted approach to faith? What does a half-hearted commitment look like? A half-hearted commitment says: 1) I will follow Christ is there is no better offer, but let’s wait to be sure there isn’t a better offer. 2) I will live a holy life when it is convenient for me. The moment it isn’t convenient is the moment I start living however I want. 3) I will attend church if there is nothing better to do. 4) I am committed to Christ as long as those I am hanging around are committed. If they’re not, then I’m not either. Matthew 16:24 tells us what the full-hearted, 110%, sold-out commitment to Christ looks like: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” There are 3 things to look for in gauging your commitment level to Christ. 1) Turn from your selfish ways. This turning is repentance. A complete 180 turn away from what you want. 2) Take up your cross – Devote yourself totally and complete to Christ, crucifying your desires and selfish motivation. 3) Follow Christ – Even if it costs you everything, follow! If it costs you money, time, friends, plans, dreams, whatever. Be willing to follow at any cost. God, give us a sold-out commitment to you. Help us to see the danger in a half-hearted commitment and understand that it is really no commitment at all. Give us the strength and courage to always live for you. Amen.

You Want Me to Do What?

You Want Me to Do What? Have you ever said those words to God? You’re cruising along your life journey and God says, “I want you to do _________.” We don’t understand the why of the request. The request doesn’t fit in with our goals and long-range plans. The task assigned seems beneath us. Often obedience to God can be difficult. In my Bible reading yesterday, I was amused by a story I had overlooked before. Joshua 5:2-3 says: At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise this second generation of Israelites.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the entire male population of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. After I read this passage I sent my pastor a note that said, “And you think YOUR job stinks!” We both had a good laugh about this passage, probably because all men are still 12 year olds at heart! But after thinking more on the passage, I realized this passage has more significance. I’m sure that even in Joshua’s time, the prospect of circumcising hundreds of thousands of guys was NOT high on his “Things I want to do as the leader” list! Just how many guys were there? Honestly, I don’t know, but it was ever male born during the forty year wondering of the Israelites. The number had to be HUGE! Interestingly, we don’t find Joshua trying to get out of this responsibility. He doesn’t delegate it to others. He made the flint-knives and circumcised every male. He obeyed. God said do it and Joshua did it. What a concept. I can’t help but wonder how many of us would have had the same response. How many times has God called us to do MUCH LESS than this and we’ve balked at obeying? Leaders, how many of you have been asked to do a less-than-glorious task and you find ways to get out of it? Obedience to God is quickly becoming a lost art. Many times obedience to God comes with a price. Stepping outside our comfort zone. Performing tasks that don’t seem significant. Surrendering our plans and dreams for His desires. What about you? What is God asking you to do that you are in the midst of debating God over? What is it that you need to say “Yes” to in your life? What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

What's Your Point of View?

It seems as though the days of health, wealth and prosperity are behind us (at least for now). It is so easy for Christ followers to slip into the same mindset and mentality that those without faith have. We can get negative and pessimistic. Bad things happen to us or those close to us and we become perpetuators of the doom and gloom mentality. When Christ was sharing with the disciples of the terrible suffering and death forthcoming, Peter reacted as I am sure many of us would have. The NLT says that Peter “reprimanded” him. Can you imagine? What boldness! Peter had been there when Jesus healed multitudes of people. Peter had witnessed the power of Jesus over nature. Peter had even seen Jesus demonstrate his power over the spiritual realm. And yet, he felt it necessary to tell Jesus, “I don’t think so!” Christ’s response to Peter is a great reminder for us today. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:23b) When we see or hear of negative things happening around us, what point of view are we looking at the situation from? We need to pray and ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to see things from his perspective. For without the terrible suffering and death, there would have been no resurrection! “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 Click here for a great sermon on the topic “When God Doesn’t Make Sense,” by Dr. Tim Deatrick, Lead Pastor at Ashworth Road.

Spiritual Loopholes

In reading Matthew 15 this morning, I couldn't help but wonder, "Did the Pharisees think they had discovered a spiritual loophole in fulfilling law of honoring their parents?” I’m sure they did. The law commanded the Israelites to honor their parents which included caring for their parents as they aged. The way around this, according to the Pharisees, was to pledge all they had to God. When this occurred, immediate loophole! They were no longer required to care for their parents! (Or at least that is what they thought!) The interesting thing here is that it was the written Word of God, delivered to Moses, that said, “Honor your father and mother.” The “loophole” that negated this was oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. This “oral law” began to usurp the written Word of God. The Pharisees held their traditions in higher esteem than they did God’s actual written Word. They created their own loopholes! I can’t help but wonder how many times we try to create our own “spiritual loopholes.” We know what Scripture says, but honestly, it cramps our style. The Word of God encroaches on our freedom. So we begin looking for the way around it. We justify our unholy behavior in the name of “freedom.” We excuse our indiscretions because we think we know better than God (even though we would never say it that way). Isn’t it time to stop living in the loopholes and surrender our lives to Christ? Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Why do we think living in the loopholes will give us anything greater than what Jesus promised? Stop looking for the loopholes and living there when you THINK you’ve found one. Nothing in this world is greater than abundant life Jesus gives when we are dedicated to him.

Wednesday Night Recap - Heart Check

He is a brief recap of the Ashworth Road Student Ministry (ARSM) teaching from last night: As we approach the end of school, we get to put away our book, studies, papers, research, etc. and replace them with lots more hanging out with friends, video games, and movies. The books will hit the shelves for a few months. But what about God? What will you do with God this summer? Will you put Him on the shelf also? As we head into summer, let's start it off with a little heart check. Proverbs 21:2 tells us, “People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.” The heart, the seat of our emotions, our moral decision making, the very core of our being, is very important to God. Over and over in scripture we are encouraged to know the condition of our heart. Do you know your current heart condition? Mark 7:15 says, “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” Even with all the bad food we can consume, God is more concerned with what is coming back up. (That’s kind of a gross word picture, huh!) What is in our hearts will come out. No matter how often we put on a good face, no matter how well we act when we are around certain people, what’s inside our hearts will always make an appearance. But consider when we sin. When we do wrong, we are not simply wrong because we did an immoral act. When we sin, it reveals we have a heart problem. When we cheat, it reveals we have a heart problem. When we lie, disobey or compromise our values, it shows us (and usually those around us), that we have a heart problem. Our lives are a direct reflection of what is in our hearts! Need more proof? Check out Matthew 12:33-35: “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” So how do we fix a heart problem? Some of us need a heart transplant. Have you ever seen a heart transplant? If not, check out the internet. I’m sure there is bound to be one on YouTube! I am no surgeon and do not play one on TV, but I do know that when surgeons perform a heart transplant, they remove the entire defective heart. They don’t simply cut out the part that isn’t working properly. They remove the entire heart and replace it with a new one. When God performs a heart transplant on us, the same thing happens. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” We get a brand-spanking new heart that is completely 100% defect free! So how does this heart transplant take place? How do I bet on that list? We find that answer in Romans 10. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 We must have more than an intellectual understanding of the historical Jesus. Our knowledge of Jesus Christ must move 18” from our heads to our hearts. When we believing in our hearts that Jesus Christ is who he said he is and we make that confession, we get our heart transplant. I close by asking the question I opened with, what is the condition of your heart? Have you been the recipient of a heart transplant? If not, what is stopping you? Surrender your heart (and in doing so, your entire life) to the lordship of Christ today.

A Famine of the Word

"The time is surely coming," says the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine on the land -not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord..." Amos 8:11 This message was spoken to the nation of Israel as God was about to pour out his judgment on them for their continued disobedience and idolatry. I was stuck by this passage as I read it this morning. Two thoughts entered my mind as I read it. 1) Could there be anything worse than being cut off from the voice of the Lord? 2) The Lord is speaking to his children today through the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but how many believers have cut themselves off from the word of the Lord by refusing to listen? There is no question in my heart or mind that God still speaks today. He speaks through many ways. Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God outlines five ways God speaks today: 1) The Holy Spirit, 2) the Bible, 3) Prayer, 4) Circumstances, & 5) the Church. The question has never been is God speaking but are we listening? What a tragedy when the children on the Almighty willingly choose to cut themselves off from the "words of the Lord." Are you listening? What is God saying?