Sermons

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The Art Of Re-GIFTing — Part 3: Faith

“I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming.  When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  John 4:25

This is part three of a four-part series of posts based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  I began with part one, Grace, and then last wrote about part two, Inventory. 

As we continue with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, part 3 takes an interesting turn.  It is here, in “foreign” territory, that the seeds of faith have taken root and are expressed. 

There are many who look at John 4:19 as the beginning of a distraction — a change of subject by the Samaritan woman designed to avoid further conversation about her personal life.  I’m not convinced that is really what is happening.  I believe that the revelation of Jesus’ knowledge of her personal life ignites a sprouting of the seeds of faith that were within her.  She quickly recognizes that this is no ordinary man.  This “prophet” can see into her life, perhaps he also has a real answer to satisfy her deep longing for a relationship with the living God.  This is exactly what Jesus has already told her to ask Him for — living water so that she might never thirst again.

And so she asks the taboo question with all of the current worship arguments, who is right?  What!  Did she really ask that!  I thought that was a modern question!  But no, look, there it is — “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  It doesn’t even sound like a question.  Yet the question is there.  Does it sound familiar?  What we claim as genuine worship is different from what you do — who is right? 

The answer that Jesus gives isn’t completely satisfying to her.  He doesn’t seem to pick either side.  He indicates that a new way of doing things is on its way — as a matter of fact, it has already arrived.  Place is no longer even a part of the argument, it is all about the heart of the worshipper.  Real worship isn’t focused on place, style, form, or anything else.  Real worship is worship that is focused on the Father.  Real worship identifies with God being spirit and truth by being worship that is done in spirit and in truth.

But wait.  That doesn’t sound right.  I’ve been around for a long time and no one is talking like that.  We can’t all be wrong, can we?  It’s all so confusing.  Who do I believe?  And then it comes.  This great profession of faith in the one who can give a definitive answer.  “I know that Messiah is coming.  When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  Wow!  My translation of this dialogue?  Sir, you aren’t making any sense.  But that is okay.  God has promised to send the Christ and he will explain everything perfectly when he shows up.  What faith!  This Samaritan woman was convinced that God would keep his promise of a coming Messiah.  Not only would He keep His promise, but the Messiah would come with an explanation not only for the Jews, but for her as a Samaritan as well.

I wish I had been there just to watch.  Can you imagine her reaction when the response of Jesus to her expression of faith is, “I who speak to you am he.”!  Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  Could it be?  That sure would make the previous parts of our conversation make a lot more sense.  I can just imagine the shadows of doubt and disbelief being driven away by the rays of joy and hope that were beginning to flood her life.  Her faith was transforming her very existence as she stood toe to toe with the very one whom she believed could reveal God’s will to her.

How about you and I?  How often do we find ourselves caught up in some meaningless arguments about worship, or anything else?  Do we have the faith that God has promised to reveal Himself to us in a way that is meaningful and relevant?  Is God’s answer to our dilemmas good enough for us? 

I pray that our faith would be a growing and maturing faith that understands our need to worship God in spirit and in truth.  May you and I grow in our trust of God to provide the answers that we need — even when the answer is not the way we expect it to be.

Coming next — Part 4:  Tell!

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The Art Of Re-GIFTing — Part 2: Inventory

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
 
While grace is a foundational element necessary for “re-gifting” Jesus style, this next component is just as critical.  This is part two of a four-part series taken from a sermon I preached entitled, “The Art of Re-Gifting”.   In my previous post, I wrote about the grace that Jesus displayed as He overcame His tiredness and the cultural expectations in order to share the gift of Himself.  The context of this series of writings is the story of Jesus and His encounter with a Samaritan woman, recorded for us in John 4:4-42.  In this encounter, we see the importance of doing Inventory. 

The story begins with a simple request by Jesus for a drink.  While the response that Jesus gets does not appear to be enthusiastic, or even welcoming, He quickly leads the conversation in a direction that reveals that He has already done an inventory of His situation.  When the Samaritan woman questions the entire basis for this conversation, Jesus begins to reveal to her just what it is that He has to offer.  Jesus was confident in who He was and in what His purpose was.  His personal inventory revealed that He had water to offer this woman that would fully satisfy her thirst.  He could supply living water that would provide a relief of her thirst in such a way that she would never thirst again.

As we encounter people that God has called upon us to “re-gift” His indescribable gift to, it is imperative that we have done the inventory and know what it is that we have to offer.  Many times we encounter people and interact with them in a variety of ways, never once recognizing that we had something to offer them.  We must take inventory daily of just what it is that we have in Christ that He has called us to offer to others.  This repetitive inventory serves as a constant reminder of what God has given us.  The more that we keep that in mind, the more likely we are to remember our obligation to share it with others.

There is a second inventory that Jesus initiates in this story.  He gently forces the Samaritan woman to take inventory of her own life.  He does this with a simple, and on the surface, non-threatening request:  “Go and get  your husband”.  It can be easy to miss, but this required an inventory of life to be taken.  A decision was made to tell the truth.  She could have simply said, “Okay”, and gone and gotten the man she was living with.  Instead, she takes a serious inventory and discovers that her need is great.  In the next article, I will look at the response that her inventory brings out of her. 

In our interactions with people, we need to learn how to help them take inventory and discover their great need.  We must find non-threatening, yet direct, ways to challenge people to look deeper into their lives than they ever have before.  We may be confident in our own inventory of what we have to offer, but until the person across from us realizes that they need what we have, we will rarely get very far in our attempt to share with them the indescribable gift of God. 

How are you doing in taking inventory?  How confident are you of what you have in Christ Jesus?  Are you confident enough to know that you have something of great value to share?  How well do you do in helping others take inventory in their life?  Do people recognize that you are trying to help them receive something of great value?  Are you able to ask challenging questions without coming across as condemning? 

I pray that you excel in these two aspects of inventory so that you will be effective in “The Art of Re-Gifting”!

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The Art Of Re-GIFTing — Part 1: Grace

This post is the first of a series I had written on another blog of mine a couple of years ago.  I will periodically be posting those writings here on this blog.

I had the opportunity to preach at the Deer Run Church of Christ on the last Sunday morning of 2008.  My message was entitled, “The Art of Re-Gifting” and looked at the example of Jesus found in John 4:4-42.  In most of my preaching I like to wrap my sermon points around a word that gives people a “handle” to carry the sermon home and remember what God is calling them to do.  In this sermon, I looked at four points from the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.  These points hung on the word GIFT.  It was all about the gift of Jesus that causes Paul to exclaim, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  Jesus gives us an example of how we can take the gift He has given us and “re-gift” it to others.  This article will look at the first point: re-gifting Jesus style requires grace!

John’s telling of this encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman opens with a comment on the nature of Jesus that is often overlooked and not considered — Jesus was tired!  I can picture Jesus finally arriving here at Jacob’s well, relieved that He can finally be left alone to get some rest.  John lets us know that the disciples had gone into town to buy food and Jesus chose to be alone, or was left alone, to unwind from the journey He had taken.  I can picture it because I have been there — tired from travel, tired from the pressures of the day, tired of people, just wanting to be left alone to rest, relax, and think.  Are you there with me yet?  Are you comfortable?  Are you in that “relaxing zone”?  If so, then perhaps you can imagine the arrival of a stranger to your place of isolation and rest.

What is your reaction?  What is my reaction?  Perhaps, “Go away!”; or “Leave me alone!”; or, “Can’t you see I’m tired?”; or perhaps our initial response would be the same as Jesus, “Will you give me a drink?”  In His tiredness, Jesus initiates a conversation.  Maybe this was simply a reaction to meet His own need for a drink.  We would be okay with that.  Simply fulfilling a need doesn’t have to interrupt the rest we so desperately want — it may even improve it!  But Jesus doesn’t leave it at meeting His needs.  As a matter of fact, it soon becomes quite apparent that this was never really about the needs of Jesus.  Instead, Jesus extends grace by stepping out of His tiredness to interact with an individual that needed to know Him.

But the grace of re-gifting goes even deeper.  This wasn’t just anyone that Jesus was interrupting His rest for.  This was a Samaritan and a woman.  This offering of grace even catches the woman by surprise that this Jewish man would be talking to her.  The idea of a Jewish man to be talking to a woman in public was unthinkable.  And to talk to a Samaritan, asking her to help you, was simply unheard of.  Yet here is Jesus, about to embark on a conversation designed to reveal to this woman the priceless gift that stands before her.

I know, you are thinking, “So what?  Doesn’t apply to me!  I don’t mind talking to women and I have nothing against Samaritans.”  But it does apply, doesn’t it?  You and I know people that we do our best to avoid.  People of different cultures, nationalities, lifestyles, or whatever it may be — we choose not to associate with them.  We excuse it.  We rationalize it.  We even attempt to justify it.  But in the end, we must come face to face with the grace shown by Jesus and ask ourselves, “How are we doing at extending grace — undeserved favor — to all those we encounter?”  You see, that is the first step in re-gifting Jesus style.  We must recognize that the gift we have received from God is so undeserved that we are willing to extend grace to all people we encounter.

I pray that the encounters that you and I have with people will be filled with grace.  May we learn from Jesus how to re-gift what God has given us.

Up next:  The Art Of Re-GIFTing — Part 2:  Inventory

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Give Me A BREAK!

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”  (Mark 6:30-32)

Ahhh . . . Vacation!  I have the privilege of being on vacation this week.  Technically, to use popular terminology, it is a “staycation” as I stayed home and rested, venturing out from time to time for food or shopping! 🙂  I think we all have times when our mind, body, and spirit cry out, “Give me a break!” 

It is refreshing to know that God understands, and agrees, with the need for times of rest in our life!  The concept of a sabbath rest was God’s idea, not man’s.  In the text above, Jesus recognizes the demands of life and ministry being placed on Himself and His disciples.  He insists they separate themselves from the crowds and get some much-needed rest.   While their rest was short-lived (the crowds followed them to the “solitary place” and needed fed 🙂 ), the teaching and practice of Jesus calls for times of rest.  The following are some elements of what God has been teaching me as I take this BREAK.  To me, it is a little rough because it is a work in process that God is teaching me — and my computer ate the original writing I did on this post. 😦

  • Breathe:  This is something you are already doing.  Breathing is something God designed us to do naturally — without really thinking about it.  The point here is to actually focus on the very breath you take, recognizing that it is God who sustains you in every detail of  your life!  As you breathe, realize that the God who knows the correct mixture of elements to make breathable air also knows the BREAK you need and the rest that is necessary.  As you rest, breathe in the freshness of the Spirit of the Living God through His Word!
     
  • Relax: When you reach the point that you cry out, “Give me a BREAK!”, relaxing does not usually come easily or naturally.  It is at this point you must “cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”   Discover or identify the things that help you relax and begin to practice them.  Slow down and pay attention to the hand of God working in, and through, and around you.  As you rest, relax in the arms and care of your creator God that loves you very much.
     
  • Enjoy:  The old adage tells us to “stop and smell the roses”.  That is good advice as you take a needed BREAK.  Take time to enjoy the surroundings God has placed you in.  Use your break time to allow God to refresh you and to restore joy into your life.  We are able to enjoy the beauty and scent of roses in spite of the thorns that exist.  We must also learn to enjoy the life we have in Christ in spite of the “thorns” that tend to poke and distract us.  As you rest, enjoy the presence of God and notice the “roses” He has supplied you with.
         
  • Acknowledge:  Accept that there is a God and it is not you!  There are times that we carry burdens and responsibilities that are not ours to carry alone.  In order to take a break and rest, you must acknowledge that you need one!  Jesus says, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  For you and I to benefit from this promise we must admit that we are weary and/or burdened.  As we go to Jesus and learn from Him, He promises we will find rest for our soul.  As you rest, acknowledge your need for Jesus to give you what you cannot gain on your own.
     
  • Know:  Having a useful break requires that we know God can, and will, give us the rest that we need.  Our BREAK calls us to “walk by faith, not by sight”.  It is by faith that we know God “exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  God calls us to both know Him and be known by Him.  We are able to rest even in difficult times because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  We can take a needed BREAK because we know God is in control and the weight of the world doesn’t really rest on our shoulders.  As you rest, know that God knows the plans He has for you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So, Give Me A BREAK!  God calls us to set aside time to rest . . . to be still and know that He is God.

I pray that throughout your life you are able to experience a real  BREAK, allowing God to refresh your mind, body, and spirit as you rest securely in your relationship with Him.

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Be STILL . . . And Know That I Am God

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to share a message at Deer Run, Be STILL, based out of Psalm 46.  The chapter begins with a reminder that whatever happens in this world, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  This is a very contemporary Psalm as we can look around us, and even within us, and see “the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”  We open the paper or turn on the news and we see “nations are in an uproar; kingdoms fall”.  But it is not just the earth, the nations, the kingdoms — the turmoil often hits on a personal level and much closer to home.  It is in these times of national and world turmoil — and yes, in personal turmoil — that God calls us to be STILL and know Him!

So, what does that mean?  How can you and I “Be STILL” and know God?  Let me spell it out for us.  🙂  Being STILL begins with us being Silent.  I know, uh-oh, can’t I start with something easier?  Many times we have an extreme dislike, even fear, of silence.  How often have I prayed for God to speak clearly to me but I’m not silent long enough to listen to that still, small voice?  The silence that I am talking about is more than just a lack of sound, it is a silence that has deliberately set aside all the distractions both internally and externally.  It is often in these times of planned silence that we begin to prepare ourselves to be Still and know God.

Secondly, being STILL involves our desire to be Teachable.  As we remove all distractions and become silent, we must open our heart and mind to God’s instruction.  Being Teachable is an attitude and a decision.  It requires a recognition that someone else knows more than I do and there are things they can teach me.  It also involves a willingness on my part to make changes based on what I am taught.  To be Teachable requires that we have an open and submissive spirit to both the content that is being taught and to the one doing the teaching.

As we move down the word STILL, we come to the letter “I”.  To be STILL and know God will require us to be Inspected.  Ouch!  In David’s desire to know God, he calls out for God to search him and know his heart — to see if there is any offensive way in him.  To be STILL requires us to come before God and allow Him to Inspect any and every part of us to reveal if there is anything that would interfere with our knowing God.  This Inspection isn’t really for God’s benefit, He is our creator and knows us more intimately than we know ourself.  It is for the good of our relationship that we pay attention as God points out to us the results of our Inspection. 

As we move along in our desire to Be STILL, we must also be Learners.  I think when I first preached this text I used the word Listeners.  Either way the point is the same — we must be intentional in our Silence, in our Teachable times, and in our Inspection in order to understand what God would have us to know about ourself and about Him.  This isn’t about collecting information, it is about having a personal relationship with the living God.  As Learners, we begin to connect the dots and make the application of what God reveals to us as we are STILL before Him.

And finally, we tie it all together with a willingess to be Led.  This amplifies our submission to God that has been growing in the previous aspects of being STILL.  It is at this point we must surrender everything to God so that wherever He leads us, we will follow.  Being led assumes that the direction, speed, and purpose of where we are going are not our own but that of the One leading us. 

While it is easy to spell out — Silent, Teachable, Inspected, Learner, Led — I recognize it is much more difficult to live out.  It is through God’s strength in the practice of these elements of being STILL that we can look at the chaos in and around us and state with king Jehoshaphat, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”!

I pray that you and I would grow in our practice of God’s command; “Be still, and know that I am God.”

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A God That Is MORE: Part 4 — Eternal

This article is the final post of a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul highlights throughout his presentation that the God who is unknown to them is Eternal.  As you read through Paul’s proclamation of who God is in verses 24 through 31 of Acts 17, you see God’s presence before time as the originator/creator of everything, God’s presence throughout time as the sustainer of all, and God’s presence after time as the one who will judge the world.

It is God’s eternal nature at work in the other characteristics we looked at that gives us great hope!  Because God is eternal, He is not only the maker of everything in the past, not only maker of everything in the present, but also maker of everything yet to come.  God’s handiwork in creation, and in your life and mine, gives us a glimpse into the work He continues to do in us and in preparing a home for us in heaven.

We observe God by gazing intently into His Word, by seeing His Spirit living in the lives of His followers, by looking in faith to the future God has in store for those He has given the right to be called children of God, for that is what we are.  God’s revealing of Himself through the prophets, through scripture, through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, and through His children gives us confidence that He will be revealed to all at His promised coming.

Because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we can have confidence in the power of the resurrection!  It is that power Abraham believed in when he offered Issac as a sacrifice to God reasoning that God could bring him back from the dead.  It is the power that gave Jesus victory over the grave.  It is the same power that gives us life today when otherwise we would be dead in sin.  God’s eternal nature gives us assurance of His promise of everlasting life to all those who believe and are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 

I pray that you and I live in great hope and confidence because we have a God that is MORE!  May the people who observe us day in and day out recognize a God that is MORE living in and through us as we follow our eternal God to our everlasting home!

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A God That Is MORE: Part 3 — Resurrected

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article is part three of a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul continues his explanation with the fact that God is Resurrected: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.  When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.'”  Acts 17:31-32

Paul continues his explanation of the God who is unknown to them with the fact that this God has resurrected Jesus from the dead.  He offers this as proof that God has the authority to judge and to administer justice.  Paul understood just how important the resurrection of Jesus is.  He wrote to the Philippians that he wanted “to know Christ and the power of His resurrection”. 

While it is often said there are two things you can’t avoid — death and taxes, we normally put a lot of energy into doing our best to sidestep each of them.  While taxes are a whole other issue ;), the power of death has been defeated through the resurrection of Jesus!  Paul continued his words to the Philippians with a desire to share in the sufferings of Jesus that in becoming like Him in His death Paul might somehow obtain a like resurrection. 

What about you and I?  Do we live a resurrected life now?  The Bible teaches that when we are immersed into Christ we die to sin and are resurrected to live a new life in Jesus.  We have a God that is more because He is resurrected and has the power to resurrect us from the dead life we are in.  Do your neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends see the power of the resurrection at work in your life? 

I pray that you will examine all of the things that call for your worship and realize that you have a God that is MORE because He is resurrected from the dead and holds the power of the resurrection!

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A God That Is MORE: Part 2 — Observable

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article is part two of a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul continues his explanation with the fact that God is Observable:  “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’  As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’  Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill.”  Acts 17:27-29

Paul writes to the Romans that since the time of creation God’s invisible qualities have been seen through that which He made.  Paul says that God is not observable as an image or as an object made by man, rather by marks of His workmanship. 

I enjoy watching the Antiques Roadshow once in a while and I find it fascinating that the experts can look at an item and state with great certainty who made it.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a painting, a piece of furniture, glassware, china, pottery, or whatever, there always seems to be some distinguishing characteristic that helps them identify the maker — sometimes it is put there deliberately and other times it is just the way something is made.

What about you and I?  The Bible tells us that we are God’s workmanship — His handiwork.  We have been “knit together” by God in our mother’s womb and then as Christians, God has made us a “new creation”.  Since God is observable through that which He has made, how visible is He in you?  God says that we are to live our life in such a way that our light shines and people would see our good works — not for our benefit or credit but so they would glorify our Father in heaven.

God is more than all other objects of potential worship because His divine power and invisible nature are observable through that which He has made.  I pray that you and I live in such a way that He is clearly seen in the work He has done in us.