The church in America has become a stranger to the ways of God. We glory in the power and wisdom of man and God seems to have no place in the church. The bible tells us not to put confidence in the flesh, let us glory in the cross.
Here's Sunday's sermon, "The Glory of the Cross."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Rock of Ages
From Paul Tripp's recent book, A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble, will give answers to your questions about the meaning of life.
Based on Psalm 27:5–”He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock”–he writes:
We all look for it. We all refuse to live without it. We all think we’ve found it, but it can only really be found in one place. What is it that I’m talking about? Well, here it is: all human beings are on a search somehow someway to find that solid rock on which to stand. That one thing that they can bank on. That one thing that will keep them upright when the storms of life are raging. That one thing that will remain firm for the duration. That one thing that will give them security when nothing else does.
No human being enjoys feeling that he is living in the sinking sand of unpredictability, disappointment, and danger with no rock to reach for and stand on…We long for our lives to make sense. We long to have meaning and purpose, and we long to have lasting stability.
The problem is that the longer we live, the more we know that there is little around us in this fallen world that’s truly stable. I have a wonderful marriage to a lady who in many ways is my hero, but our marriage is still marred by our sin, and this reality still introduces pain and unpredictability into a relationship we have been working on for thirty-seven years! You may think your job is a source of stability, but a bit of a turn in the global economy could have you out on the street in a relatively short period of time. It may seem that your material possessions are permanent, but every physical thing that exists is in a state of decay, and even in its greatest longevity it doesn’t have the ability to quiet your heart.
So here is the dilemma of your humanity: you are clearly not in control of the details or destiny of your life, yet as a rational, purposeful, emotional being, you cry for a deep and abiding sense of well-being. In your quest, what you are actually discovering is that you were hardwired to be connected to Another. You weren’t hardwired to walk the pathway of life all by yourself. You weren’t hardwired to be independently okay. You weren’t hardwired to produce in yourself a system of experiences, relationships, and conclusions that would give you rest. You were designed to find your “solid rock” only in a dependent, loving, worshipful relationship with Another. In this way, every human being is on a quest for God; the problem is we don’t know that, and in our quest for stability, we attempt to stand on an endless catalog of God-replacements that end up sinking with us.
In fact, our inability to find security for ourselves is so profound that we’d never find on our own the One who is to be our rock; no, he must find us. The language of Psalm 27 is quite precise here: “He will lift me high upon a rock.” It doesn’t say, “I will find the rock and I will climb up on it.”
Here is the hope for every weary traveler whose feet are tired of the slippery instability of mud of a fallen world. Your weariness is a signpost. It’s meant to cause you to cry out for help. It’s meant to cause you to quit looking for your stability horizontally and begin to cry out for it vertically. It’s meant to put an end to your belief that situations, people, locations, possessions, positions, or answers will satisfy the longing of your heart. Your weariness is meant to drive you to God. He is the Rock for which you are longing. He is the one who alone is able to give to you the sense that all is well. And as you abandon your hope in the mirage rocks of this fallen world and begin to hunger for the true Rock, he will reach out and place you on solid ground.
There is a Rock to be found. There is an inner rest to be experienced that’s deeper than conceptual understanding, human love, personal success, and the accumulation of possessions. There is a rock that will give you rest even when all of those things have been taken away. That rock is Christ, and you were hardwired to find what you are seeking in him. In his grace, he won’t play hide-and-seek with you. In your weakness and weariness, cry out to him. He will find you, and he will be your Rock.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
Based on Psalm 27:5–”He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock”–he writes:
We all look for it. We all refuse to live without it. We all think we’ve found it, but it can only really be found in one place. What is it that I’m talking about? Well, here it is: all human beings are on a search somehow someway to find that solid rock on which to stand. That one thing that they can bank on. That one thing that will keep them upright when the storms of life are raging. That one thing that will remain firm for the duration. That one thing that will give them security when nothing else does.
No human being enjoys feeling that he is living in the sinking sand of unpredictability, disappointment, and danger with no rock to reach for and stand on…We long for our lives to make sense. We long to have meaning and purpose, and we long to have lasting stability.
The problem is that the longer we live, the more we know that there is little around us in this fallen world that’s truly stable. I have a wonderful marriage to a lady who in many ways is my hero, but our marriage is still marred by our sin, and this reality still introduces pain and unpredictability into a relationship we have been working on for thirty-seven years! You may think your job is a source of stability, but a bit of a turn in the global economy could have you out on the street in a relatively short period of time. It may seem that your material possessions are permanent, but every physical thing that exists is in a state of decay, and even in its greatest longevity it doesn’t have the ability to quiet your heart.
So here is the dilemma of your humanity: you are clearly not in control of the details or destiny of your life, yet as a rational, purposeful, emotional being, you cry for a deep and abiding sense of well-being. In your quest, what you are actually discovering is that you were hardwired to be connected to Another. You weren’t hardwired to walk the pathway of life all by yourself. You weren’t hardwired to be independently okay. You weren’t hardwired to produce in yourself a system of experiences, relationships, and conclusions that would give you rest. You were designed to find your “solid rock” only in a dependent, loving, worshipful relationship with Another. In this way, every human being is on a quest for God; the problem is we don’t know that, and in our quest for stability, we attempt to stand on an endless catalog of God-replacements that end up sinking with us.
In fact, our inability to find security for ourselves is so profound that we’d never find on our own the One who is to be our rock; no, he must find us. The language of Psalm 27 is quite precise here: “He will lift me high upon a rock.” It doesn’t say, “I will find the rock and I will climb up on it.”
Here is the hope for every weary traveler whose feet are tired of the slippery instability of mud of a fallen world. Your weariness is a signpost. It’s meant to cause you to cry out for help. It’s meant to cause you to quit looking for your stability horizontally and begin to cry out for it vertically. It’s meant to put an end to your belief that situations, people, locations, possessions, positions, or answers will satisfy the longing of your heart. Your weariness is meant to drive you to God. He is the Rock for which you are longing. He is the one who alone is able to give to you the sense that all is well. And as you abandon your hope in the mirage rocks of this fallen world and begin to hunger for the true Rock, he will reach out and place you on solid ground.
There is a Rock to be found. There is an inner rest to be experienced that’s deeper than conceptual understanding, human love, personal success, and the accumulation of possessions. There is a rock that will give you rest even when all of those things have been taken away. That rock is Christ, and you were hardwired to find what you are seeking in him. In his grace, he won’t play hide-and-seek with you. In your weakness and weariness, cry out to him. He will find you, and he will be your Rock.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Bring Back the King
In II Samuel 19, David’s army had just killed Absalom and returned to the house of the king. David’s army was waiting at the gate to see him, yet all of Israel had fled to their own tents.
This was a great opportunity for David to go in and take back Jerusalem. But, David didn’t lift a finger. He didn’t come in triumph or crush his enemies. His return to sovereignty would be decided by the voluntary submission of his kinsmen and by their loving obedience to his will.
David shows this in II Samuel 19:11 - 12 "You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?"
David refused to come back as king until His people desired Him to come back. He wanted the elders of Judah to appoint him to his rightful place.
The tribe of Judah was where the kingship was. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people (Gen. 49:10). The word "Shiloh" refers to the Messiah, the peace-maker.
The whole world is in turmoil, the nations of the world are in disputes and are confused. The desperate need of the world is peace, healing, rest, freedom, deliverance and justice, but none of these will come through a man, an earthly king or leader. The world is crying out for such a leader, but God Himself is the only one that can attend the cries of the world.
God is waiting for the church, His people, to bring back the King into their midst. And we have added to the pain and confusion of the world by letting the King live outside of the city. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (Jn. 1:11) We have watched as Jesus has been kicked out of our schools, our government, the public square and now in many of our churches, He is also hard to find.
In many ways, the Church has driven Christ the King out. We've replaced Him with marvelous programs, with ungodly dissension, false worship, the teachings of man and narcissism.
The church must stop what a friend of mine called "narcissistic worship." We must set their gaze back on the King. We must desire once again to see the King and bring Him back into our midst.
2 Samuel 19:14-15 "So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: 'Return, you and all your servants!' Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan."
As King Jesus looks down today, I don't want Him to say, “why are you the last to bring back the King?
Help me bring the King back into our midst in the church. I do not want to be the last to bring back the King!
This was a great opportunity for David to go in and take back Jerusalem. But, David didn’t lift a finger. He didn’t come in triumph or crush his enemies. His return to sovereignty would be decided by the voluntary submission of his kinsmen and by their loving obedience to his will.
David shows this in II Samuel 19:11 - 12 "You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?"
David refused to come back as king until His people desired Him to come back. He wanted the elders of Judah to appoint him to his rightful place.
The tribe of Judah was where the kingship was. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people (Gen. 49:10). The word "Shiloh" refers to the Messiah, the peace-maker.
The whole world is in turmoil, the nations of the world are in disputes and are confused. The desperate need of the world is peace, healing, rest, freedom, deliverance and justice, but none of these will come through a man, an earthly king or leader. The world is crying out for such a leader, but God Himself is the only one that can attend the cries of the world.
God is waiting for the church, His people, to bring back the King into their midst. And we have added to the pain and confusion of the world by letting the King live outside of the city. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (Jn. 1:11) We have watched as Jesus has been kicked out of our schools, our government, the public square and now in many of our churches, He is also hard to find.
In many ways, the Church has driven Christ the King out. We've replaced Him with marvelous programs, with ungodly dissension, false worship, the teachings of man and narcissism.
The church must stop what a friend of mine called "narcissistic worship." We must set their gaze back on the King. We must desire once again to see the King and bring Him back into our midst.
2 Samuel 19:14-15 "So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: 'Return, you and all your servants!' Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan."
As King Jesus looks down today, I don't want Him to say, “why are you the last to bring back the King?
Help me bring the King back into our midst in the church. I do not want to be the last to bring back the King!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Why is God a Jealous God?
The word "jealous" in Websters dictionary is defined as "intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness;...vigilant in guarding a possession."
If you love someone and that person doesn't return your love, you would feel pain because you would have lost something, that is, you would have lost the love that you wish was returned to you. Yet, God loves us and when we reject Him, He is pained because He knows we have lost something. God has lost nothing. When one rejects God, he has lost everything.
God is perfect and finds love and meaning within Himself. We are not perfect, and we have to find love and meaning outside of ourselves. The ultimate love that man longs for is God. God is the one that brings meaning.
G.K. Chesterton said, "God is like the sun. You can't look at it, but without it you can't look at anything else."
Our God is a jealous God; He wills the best for us, and in His perfect wisdom He knows that He alone is best for us. He knows the life you will live on earth and the hell that awaits the unrepentent sinner. God knows we need Him. He offers Himself to us.
When it comes to our heavenly Father, Father does know best.
If you love someone and that person doesn't return your love, you would feel pain because you would have lost something, that is, you would have lost the love that you wish was returned to you. Yet, God loves us and when we reject Him, He is pained because He knows we have lost something. God has lost nothing. When one rejects God, he has lost everything.
God is perfect and finds love and meaning within Himself. We are not perfect, and we have to find love and meaning outside of ourselves. The ultimate love that man longs for is God. God is the one that brings meaning.
G.K. Chesterton said, "God is like the sun. You can't look at it, but without it you can't look at anything else."
Our God is a jealous God; He wills the best for us, and in His perfect wisdom He knows that He alone is best for us. He knows the life you will live on earth and the hell that awaits the unrepentent sinner. God knows we need Him. He offers Himself to us.
When it comes to our heavenly Father, Father does know best.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friends of God Part 2
I was at a church years ago named Victory Outreach pastored by Sonny Arguinzoni. It was a sunny Sunday morning under a tent with over five thousand people. There was something different about this service than many others I had been a part of. Most everyone I looked at was crying as they sang with hands lifted to heaven. Not just a few, but almost everyone had tears rolling down their cheeks. I found out later why. Most of these folks remembered what it was like to live without Christ. They had one prayer, "Lord let me live one day feeling normal. No withdrawals, no cramps, no shakes, and no fear. Give me one day of real life and let me feel the sun on my body and enjoy it in peace.
This prayer is unfamiliar to many folks in our churches today. These redeemed souls I witnessed that sunny morning in California were desperate for God. That's it, friends of God are desperate people.
There's a sense of desperation in the friends of God. Desperate people pray desperate prayers. Desperate people have no back-ups, no aces in the hole. They find themselves alone and their only hope is God. Desperation will keep you on your knees crying out to God until you know you have the victory. It is a life and death prayer. Desperate people wrestle with God like Jacob and say, "I won't let You go until You bless me."
In this desperation they find that God is near, that God is real, and that He is willing to reveal Himself to those who diligently seek Him. God is not all that you need until He is all that you have.
Oh the blessedness of possessing nothing but Christ.
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
I want to be desperate for God and I pray for grace to trust Him more. That kind of intimacy with God comes to the desperate and dependent.
This prayer is unfamiliar to many folks in our churches today. These redeemed souls I witnessed that sunny morning in California were desperate for God. That's it, friends of God are desperate people.
There's a sense of desperation in the friends of God. Desperate people pray desperate prayers. Desperate people have no back-ups, no aces in the hole. They find themselves alone and their only hope is God. Desperation will keep you on your knees crying out to God until you know you have the victory. It is a life and death prayer. Desperate people wrestle with God like Jacob and say, "I won't let You go until You bless me."
In this desperation they find that God is near, that God is real, and that He is willing to reveal Himself to those who diligently seek Him. God is not all that you need until He is all that you have.
Oh the blessedness of possessing nothing but Christ.
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
I want to be desperate for God and I pray for grace to trust Him more. That kind of intimacy with God comes to the desperate and dependent.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Friends of God Part 1
God has been dealing with me concerning prayer. People who develop a life of prayer are people who long for God. They long for God's presence. Moses in Exodus 33:15 said to the Lord, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here."
"The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11).
Moses spent many lonely nights in the wilderness tending sheep. The scriptures mentions Abraham and Moses as friends of God and David as a man after God's own heart. All three of these men lived a wilderness kind of life.
Men that are friends of God are lonely people because average Christians don't understand someone that is consumed with God. These believers who live with holy fire in their belly are a nuisance. They live closer to heaven than they do earth. They are not the first chosen by men, the most popular, best looking, or polished.
These heavenly minded saints have gone through the dark night of the soul and returned from the mountain with the glory of God. The light of God in them exposes the darkness in those around them. So like Moses they have to pitch their tent outside the camp. Others watch them from afar as they enter in with the glory cloud above their dwelling.
These hungry souls are willing to die to see the face of God. Prayer kills the flesh so we can mount up on the wings of the Spirit and be carried to the Rock of Ages, there to be hidden so we can see the glory of God pass by.
Those who are willing to die to selfish ambition and the things of this world and live a life of prayer will soon become a friend of God.
"The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11).
Moses spent many lonely nights in the wilderness tending sheep. The scriptures mentions Abraham and Moses as friends of God and David as a man after God's own heart. All three of these men lived a wilderness kind of life.
Men that are friends of God are lonely people because average Christians don't understand someone that is consumed with God. These believers who live with holy fire in their belly are a nuisance. They live closer to heaven than they do earth. They are not the first chosen by men, the most popular, best looking, or polished.
These heavenly minded saints have gone through the dark night of the soul and returned from the mountain with the glory of God. The light of God in them exposes the darkness in those around them. So like Moses they have to pitch their tent outside the camp. Others watch them from afar as they enter in with the glory cloud above their dwelling.
These hungry souls are willing to die to see the face of God. Prayer kills the flesh so we can mount up on the wings of the Spirit and be carried to the Rock of Ages, there to be hidden so we can see the glory of God pass by.
Those who are willing to die to selfish ambition and the things of this world and live a life of prayer will soon become a friend of God.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Deep Calleth to Deep
Steve Bell is a friend of mine whom I met on a ministry trip to the Philippines. Steve sang, and I preached. He is an accomplished musician, songwriter, and singer. Steve brings through music what many in the church have lost: the ability to think. His video below inspired this blog.
For many believers in the west, life is so comfortable that we don't recognize we are void of the need for Jesus. And so, we don't recognize the desperate need others have for Him, needs both spiritual and physical. I'm sure you've heard it said that we are His hands. The Apostle Paul wrote in Acts, "...in Him we live, and move and have our being."
It is an injustice not to feed and clothe the poor, especially when we have so much to give. Yet, I believe it is a greater injustice to feed and clothe the poor without serving them Jesus. Jesus is the One who placed value on human life and its preservation.
True Christianity causes a person to walk daily with our Lord, love our neighbors as ourselves, and demonstrate the love and care of Jesus.
We need to step back a bit and ask ourselves a question. Do we really need "all" the brick and mortar at the expense of missions, orphans and widows? God doesn't place value in a building; Jesus didn't die on a cross for a building. Jesus died because He valued mankind. He came to seek and save the lost and as He did this, He fed them when He found them hungry. But, His objective was redemption and the saving of men's souls.
Enjoy the video "Deep Calleth to Deep."
For many believers in the west, life is so comfortable that we don't recognize we are void of the need for Jesus. And so, we don't recognize the desperate need others have for Him, needs both spiritual and physical. I'm sure you've heard it said that we are His hands. The Apostle Paul wrote in Acts, "...in Him we live, and move and have our being."
It is an injustice not to feed and clothe the poor, especially when we have so much to give. Yet, I believe it is a greater injustice to feed and clothe the poor without serving them Jesus. Jesus is the One who placed value on human life and its preservation.
True Christianity causes a person to walk daily with our Lord, love our neighbors as ourselves, and demonstrate the love and care of Jesus.
We need to step back a bit and ask ourselves a question. Do we really need "all" the brick and mortar at the expense of missions, orphans and widows? God doesn't place value in a building; Jesus didn't die on a cross for a building. Jesus died because He valued mankind. He came to seek and save the lost and as He did this, He fed them when He found them hungry. But, His objective was redemption and the saving of men's souls.
Enjoy the video "Deep Calleth to Deep."
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