Sermons

Some times it is the small things that have a great impact…the first time a baby laughs or says Dadda or Momma.

A quick word or action of kindness by a stranger when needed

A hug at just the right time

It doesn’t have to be large to be significant today’s word is like that

John 19:28,29

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

“I thirst” what a seemingly insignificant phrase from the cross but it’s meaning is so much deeper than it seems

In fact, it may have sent Matthew to think about another significant moment where a drink was needed

Matthew 10:42

“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Why was that important? Here is Matthew to share his take on it

Matthew – Roy

How is something simple like a glass of water an act of love?

Before we get to Jesus, those of you that have had children and those who were once children (This should then include everyone)

Remember a nightly ritual that happens in many homes

The story is read, teeth are brushed, prayers are said all tucked in then “I need a drink, or can I have a drink?

A little insignificant cup of water is the evening’s final act of parental kindness, bringing peace to the child…it would seem to be an insignificant act but as the child grows it is a small act of kindness that brought great comfort and a sense of love to the child.

Notice the way this verse reads from John 19:28

John 19:28,29

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

The Gospel of Mark tells us that this was about the 6^thhour of the day. Jesus had been hanging on the cross from 9am and now it is 3Pm.

For the first 6 hours 

– He talked to his Father about us

– He talked to a terrorist about heaven

– He talked to his clos friend about caring for His mother

– He felt the agony of abandonment for us in its fullness

After he had taken care of all the needs of others he now look to have his need met.

As Jesus was going to be nailed to the cross he was offered wine mixed with Myrrh which was a concoction to help to numb the pain Mark 15:23 but he refused

This act of Jesus thirst has great significance

Jesus placed all the needs of others above his own…think how our families, schools, government, this church would be if we all chose to follow His example always…even just taking time to be aware of the needs of others would make a dramatic change in our environment

Paul wrote this to the Philippian church and it is a great example of what Jesus did on the cross

Philippians 2;3-5

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Jesus could have played the “God – card”he could have chosen not to feel the pain, agony, hunger or thirst but instead he felt it all not escaping one moment of the suffering so he could relate to even the most horrid situations we go through

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

There isn’t any pain, rejection, suffering you can go through that he can’t empathize with you, he understands while he was totally God, he was at the same time totally man feeling all the pain that we could possibly imagine and he did it for you and I so we would know that he understands…he felt the intensity of the pain and rejection on the cross as we continue on in Philippians we see that to be true

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Thirst came a result of the blood loss and dehydration making his mouth and throat parched and nearly impossible to speak…Jesus didn’t escape this suffering but felt it completely so we might know that He understands but he is also desiring to end our thirst.

John 7:37-39

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

He cried out in Thirst knowing that His suffering was soon to be over but earlier in His ministry knowing this point would come wanted us to know that we need not ever thirst because of what He would do on the cross. Because of his death, resurrection, and ascension he would be able to release the Holy Spirit to fill all men and women so they would be thirsty never again….in a few weeks we will be talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

To further prove He was the messiah, the anointed one, the God man in the flesh he had to thirst…

Two messianic propheciesthat stand out that show us who Jesus is, words spoken centuries earlier

Psalm 22:15

“My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.” NLT

Psalm 69:21

But instead, they give me poison for food;

they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

These two little words, “I thirst” once gain helped fulfill two of the hundreds of prophecies Jesus was showing to the Israelites so they might recognize him as the Messiah for the world (God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3)

Remember the cup of water we talked about in the beginning, the one given to nearly every little kid in history before bedtime? This little bit of drink that Jesus was given enabled Him to prepare to speak the last few words he would to finish the task he came to accomplish on earth.

It was just a little thing, something seemingly insignificant but powerful enough to change the world.

If all you have is faith that you seem to think is little or insignificant, think again…everything given to the Lord has significance…two simple words impacted the world, fulfilled prophecy, and prepared for something greater

You applying your little faith to your life and the lives of other can do the very same thing

As you are daily being faithful to the call of God on your life

As you are daily being faithful to God’s leading and guiding

As you are daily being faithful to pray for your kids, your parents, church family

As you are daily being faithful in the reading of the word

As you are daily being faithful to believe that God will come through for you

None of these things are little or insignificant but they may seem like it from the world’s perspective but they are the things that truly change the world

Today we are going to talk about one of the hardest phrases to understand from the cross….

“My God my God why have you forsaken me?”

Someone who felt forsaken by Jesus was Martha, one of Jesus’ closest friends

Martha – Marie

Martha felt the sting of being forsaken, when Lazarus died she felt forsaken, she knew if Jesus had come that he could heal her brother. She had called for him early enough…Lazarus was still alive, but when Jesus delayed she felt forsaken…

John 11:17-22

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²Buteven now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Can you hear the disappointment in Martha? “If only you had been here”  How often have you been disappointed in God, thinking that he let you down, only to discover that he just had a different plan, and if you trust Him, it will always be a better one…

On a first reading of hearing Jesus say, “My god my god why have you forsaken me” it can sound disappointing or perhaps it was simply Jesus crying from his heart

Matthew 12:34b

“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

It would be easy to believe that this moment, above all the torture, rejection, and ridicule was the moment Jesus was dreading the most in the Garden…feeling the full weight of the sin of mankind, sense of the Father abandoning Him (even though he didn’t Jesus felt the neglect of utter abandonment) This is the moment Jesus was dreading in the garden

Matthew 26:39

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus in His facetime with the father is saying, if there is any other way for me to rescue the world from sin, death, Satan, and hell, let’s go to plan B

Matthew 26:42

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 

Jesus simply agrees with the Father and says, if there is no other way for me to get eternal facetime with humanity other than to overflow my soul this way, then Let’s do it!

Jesus on the cross in this last moments of life, was not only feeling the physical results of the torture but was now feeling the full weight of your sin and my sin, the pressure of the enemy demanding that justice be served.

But even in this he presents us with hope…Let’s look at this scene

Matthew 27:35-49

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. ³⁶Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. ³⁷A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” ³⁸Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 

³⁹The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. ⁴⁰“Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and comedown from the cross!” 

⁴¹The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. ⁴²“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! ⁴³He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. 

⁴⁵At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁶At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned (forsaken) me?” 

⁴⁷Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ⁴⁸One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. ⁴⁹But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” 

Let’s take a look at these fourth words from the cross

⁴⁶At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God,why have you abandoned (forsaken) me?” 

One of the important lessons for us to learn here is that Jesus was being honest, he was telling us really how he felt

How many times have we come to church and someone asks us how we are doing and we say “fine” but inside we know we are not fine.

Jesus was showing us that in our anguish, rejection pain, it is OK to be honest. Allow people to love you to bring healing…Jesus wasn’t afraid to get real, to get honest and say it like he felt it

My God, My God why have you forsaken me

Believe it or not, this is not as negative a comment as it may seem.

Young Jewish boys, much like our children in children’s church today, were given the task of memorizing portions of scripture…from Genesis to Malachi these young children were given the task to memorize and then recite large portions…fortunately many of them were songs

When Jesus was on the cross dying a song came to his heart that he had memorized, it was sown into his heart like a seed to sprout at just the right time Psalm 22:1

“My God, my God why have you forsaken me”

This song was a song of lament, a song that people would sing when they were suffering. Everyone would have recognized it as Jesus spoke.

This song like many we know, as it is sung all the words flood through your mind…think of it, if you sing the first few words of Happy Birthday, row row row your boat, or “this is the song that never ends”

The whole song is in your head as you sing the first line…this is a tough song of lament but prophetic of Jesus condition

Psalm 22:7,8

All those who see Me ridicule Me;

      They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 

⁸      “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;

      Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Then verses 16-18

For dogs have surrounded Me;

      The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

      They pierced My hands and My feet; 

¹⁷      I can count all My bones.

      They look and stare at Me. 

¹⁸      They divide My garments among them,

      And for My clothing they cast lots.

All of this was happening to Jesus so as he thought of the song, he was watching it be fulfilled in front of him

BUT THEN and we don’t know this for sure, but it is safe to assume, these verses came to heart

Psalm 22:27-31

All the ends of the world, Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

      And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom isthe Lord’s

      And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth

      Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust

      Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. A 

posterity shall serve Him.It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 

³¹      They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,That He has done this.

This chapter ends with the promise of the cross…all the earth will turn to the Lord…HE HAS DONE THIS!!!

This song that He memorized as a child, sown into his heart tells the story, the suffering and then the victory.

As he said this words and proclaimed them from the cross, the lament was there but also because of the seed sown, the promise was there also..

In Jesus’ greatest time of suffering, a seed sprouted that gave Him hope…His Father was reminding Him that the anguish was worth it and that even this would turn for good.

While Jesus may have felt forsaken, like you and I do sometimes, like Jesus, we are never really forsaken…Paul wrote in Romans 8:31Jesus is always interceding for us, Psalm 139tells us that the Father is always thinking about us, and the Holy Spirit lives in us…Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)

We can’t trust our feelings, we always have to believe God’s word

But there is another subtle truth I want us to grasp here. Just as Jesus had seeds sown into him that brought truth and life so can we into those around us

Husbands and wives what are you sowing into each other

Father’s and mother’s what are you sowing into your children that will bring a harvest later

What types of seeds are you sowing at work, school, with your friends?

Every seed brings a harvest…start sowing good seeds today, something that will last a lifetime and bring a great harvest

Today if you are going through something and your feel forsaken, allow someone to pray for you so you can see that you never are nor will you be….if you don’t have a relationship with jesus you are right now and the Lord wants you to know that you don’t ever have to feel that way again

Allow the Lord to fill you up with hope, joy, and the blessings of a lifetime

First words were to his Father (for us and especially those responsible for His death)

Second to a terrorist

Third caring for family

Jesus, in agony, dying, is teaching us it is always first about others

John 19:23-27

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did. 25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

What was going through John’s mind? It could have been thisJ

Can you imagine what it must have ben like to watch your best friend die? Or even worse your son die?

Everyone at the foot of the cross, took a risk at being there, they too could have ended up on a cross of their own but their love overcome their pain and their fear.

So did Jesus’ love, as his body has been torn apart, His back ripped, shredded by a cat of nine-tails, rubbing up and down against splinter filled wood, every breath caused him to push up on the nails in his hands and feet, the thorns from the crown digging ever deeper into his scalp yet with love he looked through time to see you and me to say, “forgive them”, with love he looked at a broken, hopeless individual who looked Jesus in his broken condition but had seen enough of his reaction on the cross, heard the stories of this man and despite being in the same condition he knew Jesus to be God and Jesus welcomed him into paradise with Him

Through all of this pain, he cared about His mother and the disciple that he loved, John. He could have asked one of his brothers to care for her but he knew it would be good for John as well as Mary.

What incredible love to put the needs of family before your own? Have we lost that in our culture? When we put our families needs before our own we are reflecting Jesus

Dads when you are tired and weary after a long day and the kids want your time to play or read to them and you do, you are being Jesus. Mom’s when you get up early and pack the kids lunches or spend those precious few moments talking with them preparing them for school…you are being Jesus to them…when both of you have done all of these things for your children and you continue to do them for them even as adults but have still not heard “thank you”….you are being Jesus to them

But there are times where we can’t be there to fix it, to help…things happen to our children and as a parent you would gladly do anything for them, even take their place if you could  protect and defend your children, we can’t stand to watch our children hurt..can you imagine what Mary felt that day

Mary was not alone she was with the other two Marys and John. When we go through difficult places we need people who will be WITH us. We need people in our lives that will as John states here  regarding Marys and John, they will “stand by” and “stand with” us…Let’s look at something for a moment…Peter made this statement in 1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

The idea of a priest is a person who will stand by us and stand with us.God has placed His Holy Spirit in us, He is meant to lead, guide and bring all things to our remembrance but He is also to help us pour into the lives of others that is part of the reason for the gifts and fruit…a priest is WITH others so you can take what God has given you to pour into the broken and hurting.

Even in Jesus’ pain, he was loving, caring, being our savior and friend. Even in His pain he was working to pour out what he had in him to others so they might be cared for and become who God had called them to be…he was reflecting the Father as he was WITH them….There is a rather odd, almost out of place scripture verse I want us to look at

John 5:17

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

This is what Jesus was doing from the cross,  he was being WITH his mother caring for her from the cross and WITH his best friend he was being present in their lives even in His moments of pain…he was giving us an example of how we must be always WITH all of those he places in our lives….

Too often we look for a plan or a program to impact the lives of others, even for our church to do it…and they do but they are most effective when you have spent the time to be WITH those in your family, at work, in your neighborhood and school. It is the caring, loving being Jesus to the world before that makes everything else work so much better to help people find their true calling and purpose in Jesus

Leonard Sweet in his book “Nudge” says sometimes it is less about our witness than our “with-ness”

Being present with people allowing them to come along side of us, seeing our lives and what Jesus has done and is doing for us so they can understand what he can and will do for them is being “WITH” them in a way that Jesus was with John and his mother even at the cross

Rather than needing to preach at people they need us to be with them, then they will understand our hearts…

It is why Jesus went to the cross so that we might understand that because Jesus went, God is now with us always as the Holy Spirit fills us to overflowing everyday if we allow Him to do so…He wants you then to take that understanding of His being WITH you to being WITH others so they might get to know the Jesus you know…because they see HIM in you as you are WITH him

Remember the scripture I read earlier about us being royal priest? In order to be a priest you must be with people being one who stands between them and God being with them.

I know it is often difficult to be there for people, to be “with them” but once again let’s look at Jesus example from the cross

John 19:26,27

When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

I know often it is not convenient to be with people, to care for them, to love on them, sometimes it robs us of our comfort to comfort others, it robs us of our time to be there for other, the phone calls, the texts, the times of encouragement face to face…if we look again at what Jesus said we see even in pain seeing the pain in others and loving them more even though they were separated by the cross…he was WITH them

Mothers have you ever had a time when you saw you child in overwhelming pain it breaks your heart, I’m sure every person in this room has felt the heart break for someone they love going through pain…it is in these times that the church is there to be WITH you…we are a family and when you are not going through your pain…you are to be there to be WITH others…that is Jesus example on the cross

But it goes beyond our getting our needs met we see Jesus in his personal agony not biting the heads off of others, not is he lashing out even though he is under great stress and duress instead we see him patiently still loving

Our hurts, pains, stresses, wounds do not absolve us from still acting loving and kind toward others….no matter the hurt and pain you are in look at Jesus example…we no longer have a pass to say “I’m just having a bad day” we have to be loving and “In the moment” because he is always WITH us…we need to learn to live in his presence and be WITH others even in our pain.

What we see in this moment on the cross is that before Jesus said “it is finished” he loved and cared for those most vulnerable

Despite the brokenness of his body and circumstances He was WITH those in need

So where are you today?

If you are broken and hurting the church is here for you…you are loved and we will be WITH you

BUT at the same time

In your pain, you need to challenge yourself to reflect Jesus to be loving even in your pain

For those who are not hurting the challenge is look to be WITH the people around you…don’t just go through the day to day with people all around you that need what you have inside…find ways to be WITH them….be a good WITHNESS to everyone around so they can come to the freedom you have come to know.  It is not convenient, nor is it comfortable but we have been saved so we might have relationship with Jesus and so we might also share that relationship with others..

As a priest you are called to “stand beside” people to be the one who stands in the gap until they come to know the love you have come to know

T

I had started this series before I left for Russia with Jesus first last words “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” Jesus speaks first to his Father let’s see who he talks with next

Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise

Many people were in Jerusalem as it was the Passover most Jews felt the desire to be in Jerusalem celebrating the Passover. Jesus had talked about entering the Kingdom of God with a rich young ruler earlier, what if that same man was there at the cross and heard this conversation Jesus had with this thief, this terrorist? Let me remind you of the conversation He had with this young man

Mark 10:17-23 “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

What if he was there on this day what would his reaction be?

RICH YOUNG RULER Jamon

Can you imagine the frustration the rich young ruler might have been feeling had he heard those words…he had struggled trying to be the best doing the best trying to be good enough to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God and here is this thief who has wasted his life squandered it and he gets it at the last moments of his life.

Let’s look at this phrase Jesus used 

Luke 23:43

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise

Since the beginning of time God has desired to have men and women with Him always..when he created mankind he used to meet with them in the cool of the evening…you see God has always longed for relationship with us…

We have all been created to have relationship with Him and each other…and that means everyone, no matter how we may judge them it means everyone

The first words Jesus spoke from the cross were directed at the father and here we see the second words are not to the disciples but instead to a terrorist on the cross

You might be asking why do you call him terrorist? The word-translated thief means “an evil working person, a violent person, one working for destruction and evil”

What is the make-up of a terrorist? It is someone who murders innocent people who lives a life that is an uprising against a nation of different ideals and many today believe that by doing so they are on the fast tract to paradise

That pretty much describes the two guys on the cross next to Jesus

Jesus was having this discourse with the thief because he was right there.

Jesus was constantly showing us that His reach was meant to be greater than what we are normally comfortable with, the Samaritan woman, blind beggar, the prostitute and now a terrorist…Jesus came to reach the whole world and gave us the commandment to do the same…in this case in particular those who should have been closest to him for the most part were not near him

Jesus was humiliated, naked, tortured, and unrecognizable, Jesus was alone but he still had the heart for the world so even in this state, he talked with those closest to him, in proximity, the terrorist.

The night before, each of the disciples had said “we will stand by you,” we will not leave you” but that was in the quiet stillness of a comfortable place…

Some times we are great about professing Jesus in our church, around other Christians but what about in the world, our neighborhoods, our communities, our schools, our businesses,

Surrounding Jesus is this howling mob of Romans, scoffers, mockers no one left for Jesus even in his pain, ridicule and rejection wanted one more to make it to heaven

Remember this verse Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Church breaks out where two or more are gathered in Jesus name…church broke out that moment at the cross between Jesus and the terrorist…it can break out with anyone anywhere when you are being Jesus to the world

We all have sinned and fallen short of the Lord’s glory. Every one of us has blown it, it could have been us on the cross next to Jesus when Jesus said

Luke 23:43

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me…

When Jesus said this he meant it for you and me as well. Here is what I mean

When we are in our bad way, when we are in our dark night, when we feel we are in immeasurable pain…we need to remember Jesus is with us…

When you are in pain and agony over a potential foreclosure…Jesus is with you

When you are in pain and agony over a relationship struggle…Jesus is with you

When you are in pain and agony because your kids are in their terrible twos and you are beyond what any human can handle…Jesus is with you!

When your teenager hit puberty their voice changes, their hormones kick into high gear they won’t talk to you but they want you to finance their life…Jesus is with you

Kids when your parent or parents hit a mid-life crisis and they leave you feeling abandoned and alone pursuing their own life and leaving you behind…Jesus is with you

Seniors when you are made to wonder do your kids or grandchildren even care…Jesus is with you

If Jesus could be there saying he would be with the terrorist how much more will he be willing to be with you?

You are never alone, when we repent of our sin when we feel His presence again…His arms are always opened wide to us…he never stops loving us even when we abandon Him.

God is always fighting for us to know he longs to be with us.

Think about it again if Jesus could speak to, forgive, and love on a Terrorist who had squandered and wasted his life but recognized at the very end that he was in need of a savior how much more will he be with you each step of your way…

Jesus loved both the rich young ruler and the terrorists hanging next to him. He loved them all equally

1. Rich Young Ruler left because he felt justified in his good works and expected to be accepted because of all of them
2.  One thief rejected Jesus because he allowed his selfishness to overwhelm him
3. The other thief accepted him because he knew he had no place to go and could sense in Jesus a purity and love even though he was so badly beaten that he was unrecognizable

The enemy is always looking for ways to bring division between us and the Lord…he will use whatever tools are at his disposal

You hear me quote these scriptures a lot

Jeremiah 31:3

Long ago the Lord said,

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.

With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.   

Hebrews 13:5b

“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Romans 8:38,39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We battle worry, fear, troubles at home, troubles at work, battles with the government, battles on facebook, concerns about our future, our finances, our jobs, our kids.

If in his pain, in his tortured and horrific condition he can say to one who just repented I am with you and you will be with me…how can we ever think the Lord would abandon us.

I know our own religious, or self serving attitudes can demand that we have to be good enough to earn God’s care, love and forgiveness but that would make you like the rich young ruler when Jesus loves you and all you have to do is forgive yourself, receive his grace and mercy and you have his heart and his presence.

Or maybe you are angry at what others get away with or you can justify your sin because of all the pain others have inflicted on you…Jesus went to the cross for everyone’s sin and forgiveness is available for everyone including you if you will but receive it.

Maybe today is the first time you heard about the genuine love of the Lord where he is with you always or maybe you’ve heard it one hundred times and today it just makes sense…I would invite you to come to the altar and invite the Lord to take over your life and show you the way to paradise….we are promised his kingdom here on earth and the one to come…here on earth it is living in the love joy, peace righteousness and all the things that really are him

There may be other ways you feel distant from the Lord, you don’t need to be, he is right here right now and will be with you always! It is not about feelings but instead about knowing 

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Monologue -Paralytic Man – Christopher 

Imagine what it was like for that man to see the crowd, think there was no way he was going to get to see this miracle worker because of the crowd but his friends undaunted and full of faith…tear apart a roof, they were willing to do whatever it took for their friend…

Sometimes we need to have that kind of faith for our friends we might need to push them to get into a position to trust the Lord, his friends had more faith than he did, at first,an he knew he was a sinner and why would such a holy man want to have anything to do with him?

They rip through the roof and lower him down, I believe the minute he saw Jesus he knew he was going to be healed but he received more than a healing he received freedom that day from every weight…he was forgiven…lets look at the story

Matthew 9: 1-8 (ESV)

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

The man was changed that day…how could he ever forget those words that brought him healing from the inside out “Your sins are forgiven”

Fast forward to the final scene in Jesus’ life before his death on the cross. It is the Friday of Passover the Jewish festival that all the people were expected to attend even the ones who had been paralytics…a man once paralyzed could now walk to and through the streets of Jerusalem….imagine if he had walked by as this scene was taking place from the cross.

Luke 23:32-38

Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Jesus whole life was about love and life and that relationship could be restored to mankind through forgiveness. The paralytic had received this for himself and imagine his thoughts if he were to hear this from the cross…”I know what Jesus forgiveness did for me, is he now, in this place, in this condition forgiving the whole world?” what freedom it brought me!!! What freedom it will bring to the world!

These words are the first of seven phrases the Gospel writers record from the cross…last words are normally significant…last words can be the literal last words from someone or they could be the last things said before someone leaves you

Such as:

I love you

Call me

Be safe

See you soon

It is interesting to see that Jesus’ first, last words were directed to the Father….the Son and the Father are having an intimate conversation from the cross…John 1:1tells us 

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

That phrase the “word was with God” it is like a word picture of God and Jesus being face to face communicating….in our understanding they were doing Facetime.  In that moment when Jesus was saying forgive them it was as if Jesus was face to face with the Father and t

they were having clear communication.

The Father was right there as Jesus was suffering, seeing everything that was going on a receiving the request from the Son

It should help us to remember that in those times when we feel whipped, bruised, rejected, wounded we know we too can cry out “Abba,” “Daddy,” “Father”

It should also remind us that even when we don’t know what we are doing against the Lord, when we are ignorant of what we are doing or ignorant enough to purposely do something against the Lord that he will still stand to cry out “Forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”

It should bring us some relief from our regrets and failures

When we think I don’t know what I’m doing as a parent

I don’t know what I’m doing in this position at work or school

I don’t know how I got here with how often I have blown it

There are times all of us struggle with what we are doing as a parent, spouse, employee, employer, friend leader neighbor, son, or daughter

Sometimes our cry is “I don’t know what I’m doing except making a mess!”

None of us was given a clear instruction manual on how to handle every exact situation and relationship in life but we know we can be at peace knowing those words

Father forgive them!

We get forgiveness for who we are, what we do even when we seem to have done it on purpose, when we cry out to him and He forgives.

Part of the nature and character of God is that he is full of forgiveness…he is a God of reconciliation always working to reconcile us to him.

Through the cross, God did a pre-emptive strike for us….a pre-emptive strike is when someone makes the first move before you have a chance to do anything. On the cross, before we even had the chance to sin or even knew what sin was Christ dealt with our sin…we didn’t have the chance to acknowledge our sin or even repent from it Christ took it to the cross saying

“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”

It is interesting because many of us have been conditioned to think primarily about forgiveness coming in response to our confession and ownership of knowing what we did wrong 

We run to this scripture

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

This verse is obviously true and the heart of God but before this was ever written or understood our sin was already forgiven at the cross.

Do you realize that with nearly every person Jesus was the initiator of forgivenessby telling people something they weren’t even asking for…”your sins are forgiven”

No one was standing at the foot of the cross, saying “Jesus please forgive me”in fact they were doing just the opposite, cursing, mocking, no one stood at the foot of the cross and prayed the sinners prayer instead Jesus did a preemptive strike and forgive us first

How could we ever have a face to face with an almighty, pure Holy God if he hadn’t forgiven us first….with what Jesus did on the cross it is as if the Father was saying “Hey, you are forgiven can we talk?”

We see the same thing in the story of the Prodigal son in Luke 15 the young man had sinned against his father and family yet before be can say a thing the Father runs to him and welcomes him with open arms, loves him and then this love compels him to confess not the other way around.

The Father is always running to us…In 1 John 1:9 where it says if we confess our sins”…the word confess means “to say the same thing as”

See what John is saying is when we confess we are saying the same thing that Jesus is saying about our lives…

This is what I mean it is Jesus on the cross saying to you and I “I’m here because you don’t know what you are doing”

I say: Jesus you are right my life is a mess, I am saying the same thing as you, you, I really don’t know what I’m doing most of the time I try to do right bur I keep doing what is wrong

Jesus: I know you don’t know and you don’t want to do all of that but you know what you are forgiven.

Confession is saying the same thing about our lives as Jesus has already said we are in need of forgiveness and we should accept the preemptive strike Jesus did for our sin..he has already canceled the power of sin in our lives we just need to choose to accept it…When He said “Father forgive them, he meant it”

We think we know what we are doing with 

Our lives

Our relationships

Our attitudes

Our finances

But we don’t! How often do they leave us empty without the intimacy a real relationship offers, they leave us broken, wounded, hopeless and we try to fill it with other things

Some of you are saying well I’m a Christian already I don’t need to hear this …but you too are carrying around a load of guilt, regret, bitterness, rejection all the poisons that are still poisoning our culture robbing you of real intimacy with Christ and power 

165 times Paul says we are “in Christ”….we are to be one with him always but you don’t feel that believe it because you haven’t applied Christ forgiveness to you so Christ is there and you are here trying to follow and serve him instead of being “in Him” being one with Him

Jesus wants us to be free of sin, be free of regret, bitterness, anger, rejection; the parts of our lives that are a mess because before you even committed the sin…Christ said, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what you were doing”you may have known you were sinning but you didn’t understand the full cost of the sin is the separation you have from His peace, love, joy, understanding hope and so much more because you have not applied His forgiveness to your life.

Will you do that today? Will you take a moment to evaluate your life? Do you have a real relationship with Jesus and intimacy where you know you are completely free and forgiven you can’t earn it, be good enough, or suffer enough to earn it…he already looked down from the cross and said….I have a plan and a purpose for them and as long as there is a wall of unforgiveness between me and them they will never fulfill that purpose they will always be striving, always frustrated 

Many a Christian has gone to the grave feeling unfulfilled because of this problem and many non Christians have never know freedom because they haven’t known this don’t be one of them…start fresh today!

Steps to maturity – learn God’s will- the challenge Part 3

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Two weeks ago we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….

Last week….God will present situations for you. All you need to do is do them

Both Abraham and David kind of fell into God’s will from a human point of view but from God’s everything was designed and they accepted the design, they could have chosen to not save Lot or to not fight Goliath but instead they chose to follow God’s chosen path for them and use their skills, passions, and understanding to follow the Lord.

Finding God’s will doesn’t stop there. We will always go through a cycle of growth to keep changing the world around us and to make us more like Jesus.

God brought both Abraham and David to a point after their great victories to reveal their hearts…this is what I call training to follow God’s will part two

Let’s take a look – stretching so we might be more fulfilled

God’s revealed will to us is rarely the end the immediate open door is our learning to walk by faith. Then the Lord often places us in positions to mold and shape us into understanding who we are so we can completely fulfill our purpose

The Lord (either Christ or God the Father) appeared with two angels to Abraham. This is the fourth or fifth time the Lord had appeared to Abraham (depending on your belief as to whom Melchizedek is)

Genesis 18:22-25

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Abraham was a warrior, a leader, a shepherd, a businessman, a traveler but the Lord wanted to make sure he was not selfish, God wanted to help him see he had to have a heart of intercession for the people.

God starts out, “50 righteous” and Abraham convinces him if only 10, righteous are in the city, will he save it…he had a heart for the people. God’s will for Abraham was that he become the Father of nations which required him to have a heart for nations…Sodom and Gomorrah were separate nations for Abraham so God wanted Abraham to see that he was ready to be the real Father of nations God had called him too

Abraham knew he was a leader because people followed him but he didn’t understand that God had chosen him beyond his natural ability to be an intercessor so he might always know the Father’s heart

An intercessor is a person who stands in the gap for others through prayer. In the process an intercessor learns the Father’s heart better than any other. A true intercessor is so in tune with God that they can have a tendency to be prophetic God may give them just a word or a vision as God did with Anna and Simeon regarding the birth of Jesus 

Abraham would need this heart to stand against all the enemies and understand how to build a nation based on faith in God

God will challenge you but the challenge is to help you understand who  you really are pushing you to get everything else out of the way so you can see the real you…. made to do and fulfill your calling

– When we first begin to move in the things of God and we are discovering our way of understanding His plan and purpose for us we need to remember that is just the beginning….as we trust God he begins to show us things about ourselves that are important to who we are called to be but may not know until placed in a position to have them revealed to us

Last week we saw David presented with an opportunity that he naturally grasped, the taking out of Goliath. The people sang his praises, praising him above Saul, his King. God had lifted the anointing to be King, off of Saul and gave it to David but as long as Saul was alive (even after his death) David honored that anointing…why? He was simply God’s man…BUT

For this honoring, David seemed to receive punishment rather than being in the Palace Saul tried to kill him so David had to run from Saul.

1 Samuel 22: 1,2

David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

David had learned to lead men into battle but leading the broken, the hurting, the grumblers, whiners, and complainers, giving people hope even when you feel hopeless is part of the gift of a good leader. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were all great leaders who like David in the midst of utter hopelessness and their own dark night of the soul brought hope to others and all were able to change a nation because of it

When you begin to understand part of God’s will for your life, he will open doors, present challenges and opportunities for you to embrace all of His will for you…he does it to open our eyes to all the possibilities. He is interested in you fulfilling your full potential and that only happens when he presents you with challengesafter you feel secure in where you are and you choose to live up to those seeing them not as challenges but as opportunities.

John Maxwell in his book “the 15 laws of Growth” states

“God’s gift to us is our potential, our gift to God is developing it.”

Embrace the challenge accept it as God calling us to a higher calling that will only bless us.

Sad part is most people reach this place and choose against pressing on we make comfort and relaxation our God rather than believing God has designed us for something greater

It is always our free will to reject it but as we see with Abraham and David as they embraced it they had great success in everything they did

How do we find God’s will and fulfill it?

1. Be faithful

God is always looking for people who will be faithful. What are you doing right now? Be faithful to it, do your best no matter how mundane, God places things in our lives to see if He can trust us so He might open doors for us

“Be faithful in little and he will give you much!” based on Luke 16:10

2) Look for the opportunities– God has called you to fulfill His will, He created you to fulfill His will so he will provide opportunites to reveal his will through you as you answer the call like David versus Goliath or Abraham saving Lot! It is simply a time of training….

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” Zechariah 4:10

3) The Lord will challenge you further to grow, once you feel comfortable where you are. There are gifts and callings inside of most of us that go unrealized until we are challenged. If we choose to rise to the challenge we see and feel God’s will revealed then it fits like it was made for us…sadly some today will come to this place and fear losing the comfort, control, relaxation they have found and will accept 2^ndbest and will wonder, why they are not truly joy-filled, at peace, seeing the victory, overcoming as they should and as God has planned…

-You were designed to fulfill your destiny, God’s plan, 

– God will provide opportunities that you can just fall into so you may fulfill your destiny and His plan and 

– You can grow into changing the world and fulfilling your destiny, if you are willing to accept the challenge the Lord places before you

Steps to maturity – learn God’s willPart 2 – mundane to action

Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Last week we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….

Abraham was faithful simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him and was faithful with the task of caring for the sheep 

It was in their faithfulness that God called them

Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep

Genesis 12:1-5

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. 

David

1 Samuel 16:11,12

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

What were these men doing when they received the call of God?

– being obedient to the serving of others

– being faithful with the mundane

– caring for what was in their hands today – seeing it as important and not worrying about tomorrow

– they both had complete faith and trust that they were doing exactly what they needed to be doing

– they were learning to be faithful, God saw it and then called them to change their world

In the midst of their faithfulness is when God revealed His will for them

Are you being faithful then expect God’s will to begin being revealed to you

Whatever it is that you are being faithful in, God is using it to train you for your future

Abraham was learning to travel and learn the vision for his future from Terah (Terah had initiated heading toward Canaan)

David in learning to protect the sheep was learning both how to be a leader and to slay Goliath

We might not always understand what lessons we are learning from the mundane, being faithful in the daily and little

How many of you remember the movie the Karate kid…there is a scene where Daniel has been doing all kinds of chores for Mr. Miyagi sanding the floor, waxing his cars, painting his fence, painting his house 

Daniel hadn’t realized that he was actually learning and preparing for his future in the mundaneness of his task

When we are following the Lord and our lives are in His hands he is always preparing us for what’s next

To truly learn God’s will we have to accept the time of training…as I mentioned earlier Abraham and David both embraced the time as simply trusting God

The next step to understanding God’s will…once again realizing that he has designed you for it, has been preparing your for it, and you enjoy doing it so you will naturally gravitate to it is to begin doing it?

So how do you know what the “it” is?…God will present situations for you and all you need to do is do them

Abraham and his nephew Lot had divided their people Lot went to the fertile valley of Sodom and Abraham stayed in the plain…a war took place and here is what happened

Genesis 14:10-16

As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. 12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.

Likewise David was at home watching the sheep while his brothers were off at war. Jesse, David’s father sent him with bread and cheese to take to the troops as he dropped them off…

1 Samuel 17: 22-26

David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

In both cases because they had been faithful in the little things God taught them all they needed to know to prepare them for their future, their call, His will and then as we have just read…he presented them with an opportunity to use all they had been taught.

Are you in the mundaneness being faithful with the small right now? If so, just keep being faithful, learn everything you need to learn, accept the correction, growth, wisdom, insight, humility, changes that the Lord is doing in you! At the right time, when you are prepared…

God will present an opportunity for you to use what you have learned and start to understand His will….are you in the midst of a battle, a struggle, some war going on? Chances are that means God wants you to apply all that you have learned in your time of small beginnings

Don’t be frustrated in the battle be confident, apply what you have learned so you can prove to yourself and the Lord that you have learned it well

You have heard me share in times past we need three types of people in our live Paul, Barnabas, and a Timothy – the timothy teaches us that we have learned the lesson and are now able to teach it to someone else

The time of small beginnings has prepared us to accomplish the will of God then God gives us an opportunity to “test” our understanding of what He has taughtand then there are two more steps to totally grasping the will of God which we will wrap up next week 

Steps to maturity – learn God’s will-faithfulness

Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Knowing God’s will and living God’s will blesses you, others and the world at large and as a side benefit will keep you from trouble

Sound crazy? Speaking of crazy…

Dr. Karl Menninger, a world-famous psychiatrist, was answering questions after giving a lecture on mental health when one person asked, “What would you advise someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.” This psychiatrist knows that those who serve others have less mental and psychological problems. The best way to bring on a heart attack or a mental, emotional breakdown is to think about yourself all the time.

So how do we find God’s will…its easy

We start by being faithful to what is in our hands right now

Genesis 11:31,32

One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. 32 Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

Another story you may know is about David, he was faithful daily with caring for the family sheep

It may seems mundane, it may seem unexciting but God looks for faithfulness and that is one of the keys, from Able – Paul, God found faithfulness in them before he began to use them

What are you doing daily in your place of business, home, organizations you belong to, your school, and our church are you being faithful?

There are generally three types of people in any company, corporation, organization including the church

Leaders

Followers

Complainers

We saw this two weeks ago in moving forward not backward

You can be a follower and a leader at the same time, you lead a team, a group, some part of the organization but you still have a leader over you….you can be a leader and a follower in fact every leader should be a follower in order to grow to be a better leader…you will find the best CEO’s of companies have mentors or they are always reading from other great leaders…both of these the key is, faithfulness

Complainers on the other hand are neither leaders or followers….they generally think they are leaders or through their complaining are trying to lead but to be a leader or follower you must be faithful to the company, organization, church or corporation you are working in

This is really almost an Olympic event with Americans complaining is almost what we do best, just listen to the news or any talk show for any length of time… but not so with us…we are Christ-followers and he never complained!

165 times in scripture Paul mentions his description of a Christian life is that we are “in Christ” why because when Jesus confronted Saul he said why are you persecuting me…Saul didn’t even known Jesus but he was persecuting Christians who are in Christ so when we complain against a brother or sister in Christ we are doing it to Jesus (Matthew 25 “done it unto me”)

Look at the task you are called to right now being and employee, employer, Mom, Dad, attender of this church

Are you faithful to all of the tasks no matter how unexciting they may be

Being faithful is about trusting God that he has placed you in your business, organization, or church and that he has you there for a purpose….complainers miss out on God purpose and plan for them and the organization they are part of…so God generally will test people through the mundaneness of daily task and then will bless them as they pass.

As God did with Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep 

Complainers may get promoted, may end up in accidentally in leadership positions but they are never happy they still complain because it is not the organization, company or church that is the problem it is them, their brokenness, they heartache, their guilt, shame, feelings of inadequacy that God wants to heal and set them free but as long as they are complainers and not leaders or followers they will continue to suffer outside of the blessings of God because all leadership comes from God for us to learn

When we are faithful there isn’t anything we can’t do…we know and are the Father’s heart when we are faithful, we don’t fear anything knowing that God will be faithful to us and we know his heart and his will….God puts it this way

2 Chronicles 16:9a

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal (faithful) to Him…”

Help others to be faithful not faithless

When you hear someone gossiping, complaining, or whining call them on it, gently, find out what their brokenness is, the guilt they are carrying you may find yourself being able to lead them to Christ or if they are a Christian challenging them to maturity

Paul instructed Timothy 2 Timothy 2:2

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

You see God’s very character is faithfulness and when we are faithful to Him we truly reflect Him.

It is only the faithful that God can trust his word, deeds, and anointing too.

Faithfulness is not a one time event, not a couple of time event, it is the consistent revealing of the fruit of the Spirit in your words, actions and deeds

You see faithful has at it’s root faith…if you are not faithful it is because you do not have faith

Yes the Lord works with and is always calling the unfaithful back to himself but you are not pushing on to fulfilling God’s will until God can find you faithful

You might be saying to yourself I’m not sure if I’m faithful or not

It is good to ask myself what it means to be faithful in practice. The way to a faithful life can start with very small things…

– keeping a promise

– paying a debt on time, 

– giving an honest answer to a painful question. 

Psalm 15:4b “who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;” (NIV)

It can mean… 

– watching my words 

– Do you exaggerate when telling a story? 

– Are you a revealer or a concealer of secrets?

What about my motives? Is there an underlying selfish motive in the good I do for others?

Proverbs 11:13

A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy (faithful spirit NKJ) can keep a confidence.

In order to fulfill God’s will we must understand being faithful because it is most likely at the root of why we have not followed it until now. Once again we truly reflect Him when we are faithful

God is faithful in every possible meaning of the word. He is described as…James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  

God is utterly..

– faithful to His Word, 

– Faithful to His promises 

– faithful to mankind, the chief joy of His creation.

He loves each person unconditionally with an eternal and unchanging love. He never changes there is no shifting in who he is or what He stands for…how about you?

Does everything you say and do reflect the Lord? Is the way you talk about your boss, people you work with, your family, brothers and sisters in Christ reflect His character? Does the way you treat others reflect the fruit of the Spirit?

Thinking of the world as a whole, if every person lived faithfully by his or her God-given conscience, that whisper in our hearts that tells us the difference between good and evil and prods us to choose rightly, how different the world would be! To follow our conscience is a fantastic beginning! But as Christians, God wants to lead us even further. He has promised us the Holy Spirit, the Helper who will guide us into all truth. 

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;

Can you imagine allowing the Holy Spirit to guard you tongue and actions to cause you to always walk in the truth, to set you free to know every minute of every day what the Lord wants? This is how much God loves us

This is just a start. To be honest I didn’t think I would go this deeply into the “faithfulness” part but as I prayed I felt as if the Lord was telling me, 

“So many miss out on my will because they are looking for the big things and they want the more responsibility and position and prestige but are not willing to be faithful with the small things so they miss out on my will and the joy I have for them”

Finding God’s will is first about knowing that God designed you and desires for you to do his will BUT

If we aren’t faithful with the little things even though he has a plan and purpose for us he won’t be able to trust us with the big BUT

If we are faithful with the little things we are making the first steps to doing His will

The little things can be a challenge

– keeping your word, pay debt on time, giving honest answers

– are you watching your words, do you exaggerate, what are your motive for sharing things with others

Luke 16:10,11

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

Yes, Jesus’ words are warning but I want you thinking today not about the warning but instead the possibilities…when we are faithful with the mundane things of life…God opens up his plans and purposes for us…God wants you to know His will He designed you to fulfill his will don’t allow your own flesh to get in the way and limit the amazing plan God has designed for you…be faithful and he will unfold his will to you because it is so easy and readily available 

We will talk about the ways God’s will is revealed next week but these are the steps to maturity but they are also the steps to being everything you are called to be and to fulfill your amazing journey

Life is full of distractions.

Phones, but as awesome of a tool as these are, they will remove hours from your life, if we let them

Distractions are everywhere.  Life is full of them

How about a weather report!!!!!!

The things we own, they require our time, our energy, our money, and our attention.
Every new possession adds new stress in our lives.
And yet, we continue, to pursue and accumulate, more and more and more.

Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

More stuff is not the answer.
More stuff has become the distraction,

Mark 10:17-23 (NLT) The Rich Man
17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

He had every good thing, that he could possibly work for or earn,
but he didn’t have the peace of God.

Obviously, by his reaction, his many positions we’re more important to him then his relationship with God.

His things were in charge of him, they owned him.

We have to learn, The best things in life are not things.

When we chase riches, we give away our greatest possible potential.
We trade it for the highest dollar figure we can get.

When our contribution to society is motivated by a selfish desire to accumulate riches, it has become self-focused.

And we have lost our opportunity to live the best life that God has planned for us.

Paul puts it like this;

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT)
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Money is not evil. It is simply a tool. The problem is when we begin to love the money.

We count on money to bring us peace, joy, and happiness.

That should come from our relationship with the Lord.

Here is how James looks at us when we allow ourselves to be distracted from the Lord by money;

James 5:1-3 (NLT)
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.

If we are counting on these things to supply, and ignoring God, we are in trouble.

Enough about money, Let’s talk about fears for a minute.

In the 14th chapter of Matthew, it tells us about Jesus feeding the 5000 and then sending the disciples back across the lake on the boat while he went to pray. If you know the story, wind starts to blow, storm kicks up, wave start to roll and the disciples are terrified. Now it’s 3 AM. They see something coming across the top of water. It was Jesus walking…

Matthew 14:28-30 (NLT)
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
        
Peter got distracted by the storm.

Let me give you another example of people distracted.

In the 13th chapter of the book of Numbers.
God tells Moses to send out 12 man to explore the land of Canaan, “ the land I am giving to the Israelites”.
So Moses sent them in with the instructions to check out the land.
Find out what it will take to take possession of the land the Lord is giving us.

After spending 40 days, the 12 men returned to camp and gave that report of how wonderful the land was and the fruit it produced.

Numbers 13:27 (NLT) 27
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces.
They brought out a single cluster of grapes so large it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them.

(NLT) 28
But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.

This second part of the report distracted almost everyone.

Fear distracted them from God’s blessing and cost them 40 years until they all died in the wilderness.

What has the Lord called you to that you are afraid of?    

Google says there are upward of 365 times in the Bible that tell us to fear not or do not be afraid.

The Promise of Tomorrow and The Regret of Yesterday

We spend an incredible amount of resources not living in the moment.

We waste so many days waiting for the weekend.

So many nights wanting morning.

Our desire for future comfort might be the biggest thief of life.

We should look toward the future and plan accordingly.

But, when we simply endure today, only for the sake of tomorrow,
the weekend,
the vacation,
the retirement,
the perfect guy,
the perfect girl,
we miss out on the full beauty and potential of the present.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NLT) 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Regrets,

We are going to have regrets—nobody escapes life without messing up.
But no amount of regret can ever change the past.

Call your mistakes what they are,
Confess them to the Lord and to whoever else has been hurt,
repent, and then move on.
Don’t allow regret from the past to distract you from today’s opportunity.

Psalms 103:12 (NLT)
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
You’re forgiven. Forgive yourself and move on.

Learn from your past. good or bad, learn from it, but don’t live in it!

Isaiah 43:16-18
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.    “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

1 Kings Chapter 13 gives us another account of a distracted man of God

1 Kings 13:1-24 (NLT) 1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.
6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”
8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. 9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’” 10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.
11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.
14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”
18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.
20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”
23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

We need to identify the distractions.
We have two come to grips with the the fact that the best things in this life can be our greatest distractions from the Lord.

and sometimes the hardest times in this life are when we focus our attention on the Lord.

What does the Lord compete with for your attention?

Joshua 1:7-8 (NLT) 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

What did Jesus do to remove the distractions?

Luke 5:16 (NLT)
16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Matthew 14:23 (NLT)
23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

Mark 1:35 (NLT)
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

Luke 6:12 (NLT)
12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.

Luke 9:28 (NLT)
28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.

He had a pretty good plan. Be diligent.

When we invest this time with the Lord, we will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

We are in a war for our hearts and minds .
We have to do battle for our attention.