Luke 15

Verses 11-12:  The father gives his son half of his property.  This allows the son the freedom to do what he wants to do.  We also, have freedom to do what we choose.

Verse 13:  The son chooses to leave his father and wastes away his life and his money.  So too, many people leave God, and waste their lives.

Verse 14:  The son faces the consequences of his poor choices.  We also, must face the consequences of poor choices that we make in our lives.  It is important to ask God to help us to make the right choices.

Verses 15-16:  The son attempts to work his way out of his problems.  So we also try to “help ourselves” but it has only limited success.

Verses 17-19: The son came to his senses and returned home.  If we come to our senses, we can return to our Father God as well.

Verse 20:  The father is waiting for his son to return and is overjoyed to see him again.  Our Father God is waiting for us, and all heaven rejoices when we come back to God.

Verse 21:  The son confesses his sin.  We too, must confess our sin to God.

Verses 22-24:  The son is restored, not punished.  There is celebration.  God is looking to forgive us.  He desires reconciliation.

Verses 25-32:  The older brother is not so happy.  We must be careful to welcome new converts into our midst.  God rejoices in the salvation of the lost, and so should we rejoice as well.

Everyone in the class is younger than me, including the instructor. There are fifteen students in the class.  Only one of them is female.  I don’t think that any of them have seen their thirtieth birthday, most of them are younger than twenty-five.  Not that age matters, but, it does affect the dynamics.

It appears that the class will be primarily discussion oriented.  We will read, and discuss, the works of Descartes.  Yes, there are exams and some papers to write, but primarily, read and discuss.

I think that I am going to enjoy this class.

John 3:16

I heard about all the fuss over the commercial that was aired by Focus on the Family during Saturday night’s playoff game.  When I watched it, I thought it was wonderful.

Not everybody thinks so.

There has been a lot of negative comments floating around about how offensive the commercial was to some people.  Some people are really upset, even outraged.

Why?

There is a simple explanation.  II Corinthians 2:15&16 says ” For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

So, for those who believe, this commercial is a sweet reminder of our salvation.  To those who have rejected the message, it pricks their spirit, and they are indeed, offended.

I.  Luke 3:7-14  John’s Message

I wonder how well it would work for any modern preacher or evangelist to start off by calling their audience a bunch of snakes?  I can’t imagine that it would go over well.

Bear fruit worthy of repentance.  OK, this makes sense.  The basic message of the early church was to repent and believe the gospel.  So an introductory message of repentance makes sense.

To the people, John tells those who have enough to share with those who do not have anything.  Again, this message makes sense, especially when we remember that at that time the government did not help those in need.  Starvation was a very real possibility and helping others is clearly an act of compassion.

There are still people starving today, especially if we look beyond our borders, and across the sea.  Contributing to organizations, Convoy of Hope, that feed those in desperate need is a good idea.

The tax collectors were told to do what was right.  They were not told to find another line of work, but simply not to collect more than they were assigned.  They were not to be greedy.

The soldiers also were not told to find another career.  They were simply told not to take things from people by force, and to be content with their wages.

I think the key word here is “content”  It reminds me of another verse.

II.  I Timothy 6:5-12  Godliness with Contentment

I know that I have started right in the middle of one of Paul’s rambling, run-on sentences.  I get a kick out of verse 5 because is makes me think of philosophy.  You do know that I am a philosophy instructor, right?  The philosophy of man will never lead anyone to Christ, but Christ can work through a person who speaks the language of philosophy.

In these verses we are warned against the love of money.  We are told that godliness with contentment is great gain.

III.  The Point of John the Baptist’s  Message

John was sent to prepare the way.  People tend to be caught up the things of this world.  John was calling the people to repent, to change.  The call was not just to turn away from sin, but to refocus on what was more important.  Yes, we need to take care of the necessities of life, but our focus should be on our relationship with God.

This message is still important today.  We are to place a higher value on the things of God, to “lay up treasure in heaven’, to “seek first the kingdom of God” rather than to rejoice in the newest, brightest or best that this world has to offer.  Don’t be distracted by the world, keep your eyes on Jesus.

I like to budget.

This spring is going to be something new.

I don’t have a plan.  I not sure how it is going to work, but,  if all goes well.  I will be signing up for my first graduate philosophy class tomorrow.  I have no idea how I am going to find the time to attend class, and do the work, while still fulfilling my duties as pastor and college instructor.

Still, I believe it is time.  I have wanted to pursue a doctorate in philosophy for a long time.  I am not getting any younger, and there does not appear to be a better time coming on the horizon, and most important, I just have this feeling inside of me, that it is time to start.  This first class, I will be considered a non-degree graduate student, since I have not yet actually been accepted into the program.   That works for me.  I will test the waters before making a larger commitment.  I am trusting that the Holy Spirit is guiding me, and that God will help me complete the tasks before me.

I’m just not sure how it will work.

Then in the New Testament, another dimension is added.  The Holy Spirit comes within the believer as well.  (See John 3) So now, we have the flesh, our spirit, and the Holy Spirit.

What role does each of these components play in our lives?  How does the maintenance, or abuse, of my flesh; affect my spirit?  What role does my will play in what I do?  How does the Holy Spirit guide our decisions?  How doe we distinguish between our own thoughts, the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and if I dare add yet another dimension, the voice of demonic spirits?

I am sorry, but today I have more questions than answers.

I do believe that God is with us always.  That the Holy Spirit will guide us.  That in the end God will prevail in those who seek to serve Him.  However, in the day-to-day living of our lives there is some confusion, at least in my own thoughts.

It’s a good thing that I place my trust in God, not in my own ability to understand.

Introduction:  We had a lot of answered prayers in 2011.  It is good to know that we can bring our requests to God.  (Philippians 4:6)  We also enjoyed spending time in the presence of God this morning in worship.  We have come a long way as the people of God.

I.  Exodus 19:16-20 & Exodus 20:18-21  The Fear of the Lord

This is an account of when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai.  There was thunder, lightening, fire, smoke and the sound of a trumpet.  It was very frightening.  The people’s response was to tell Moses to speak to God for them.  For a long time, priests went to God on behalf of the people.

II.  Hebrews 10:19-22  We Can Enter the Presence of God with Confidence

Because of Jesus we can come into the presence of God.  It is no longer necessary to go through a priest.  This dramatically changes the relationship that we have with God.

III.  Extremes

There are two extremes in our relationship with God.  On one hand, we could be afraid of God to the point that we are not willing, or able to come before Him with our requests.   This is not desirable.  God wants us to come into His presence.

The other extreme is to treat God as if He was an equal, a good friend.  It is possible to become too casual in our approach to God, to forget who He is, and what is our place.  I have even heard it said, that we are to “tell God what to do”.   This attitude of casual contempt is very wrong.

American Christianity, in general, leans to the  casual side  in its’ approach to God.  We should, as individuals, evaluate our own attitude, and maintain a healthy respect for the power, and majesty, the glory, and the honor of our Lord.

I wonder how many people enter into marriage thinking that the hard part  of marriage is planning, and executing the wedding ceremony?

Marriage is an ongoing process that requires effort by both parties to make it successful.  When the ceremony is over, the real work of marriage begins.  “Some assembly required.” would be an understatement.  Rather something like “Regular, ongoing maintenance required.”  would be closer to the truth.

A longtime marriage is a wonderful thing, but it does not happen by accident.  Both parties should commit to working on their marriage to help it reach its’ full potential.

God speaks to Moses.  Exodus 3: 2, 10

God spoke to Moses from the midst of a burning bush.  Most of us do not have an experience quite like that, but God does speak to us through His Word and through His Spirit.

Moses argues with God.  Exodus 3:11, 4:1,10

I think that most of us can relate to the idea of arguing with God.  We are not always immediately happy or excited about the direction that God is leading us.  It is comforting to know that even great men of God like Moses, occasionally argued with God.  However, God always wins those arguments.

Moses obeyed God.  Exodus 5:1-4 

After initial hesitation, Moses does what God told him to do.  We too, should be obedient to what God is telling us.

Things got worse.  Exodus 5:6-9 

When we are obedient. it is not always the case that things immediately get better.  The tests and trials of this life can intensify even if we are doing what is right.

Moses questions God.  Exodus 5:22-6:1

Again, it is nice to know that even Moses needed reassurance.  So to, we can question God  to confirm that we are on the right track.

Moses trusts and persists.  Exodus 7:1-6 

Once Moses was reassured, he faithfully fulfilled the course that God had laid out for him.  He trusted God to do what He had said that he would do.  We too should trust God and be persistent.

Moses succeeds.  Exodus 12:40-42

It took a while, there was a cost, but Moses succeeds in the end.  We also, will be victorious if we continue to faithfully serve the Lord.  Although we should be aware that true victory is not measured by the things of this world, but to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Hear God.  Obey God.  Trust God.

The first thing that I notice is the lights.  They shine brightly and can be seen easily, not only by the people in the house, but by people outside, if the shades are open.

Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.  He is at the heart of the Christmas message.  There are many lights on a Christmas tree because the light of Jesus shines through the lives of Christian people.  We need to open the shades of our lives, and let the light of Christ shine.

The tinsel that is draped all over the tree hangs in vertical lines.  These lines remind me of the prayers of the people of God as they lift their concerns to Him.  They also remind me of the answers that God gives to His people.    The tinsel ascends and descends, like the angels on Jacob’s ladder.

The garland is draped around the tree and is meant to give an appearance of continuity.  I am reminded of the passage of the faith through the ages.  Generation after generation sharing the message and the love of Jesus.

Ornaments of all kinds hang upon the tree.  These ornaments remind me that all good gifts come from God.  Our lives are filled with many people, objects, and events that add beauty and color to our existence.

As I sit on my couch and look at the tree I notice that not all is light and color.  There are patches of darkness that persist even with all the decorations.  This darkness reminds me that life does indeed have it times of testing, trial and tribulation.  There are times of sorrow and times of heaviness of heart.  We do not deny that these times exist, but we trust that God is with us always, even in the days of darkness.

As we look more closely we see not just the decorations, but the tree itself.  It is an evergreen, symbolic of eternal life.  Even as the leaves of an evergreen do not die, even so there is a part of human life that does not die, but is eternal.

Looking to the heart of the tree, we see the trunk, and are reminded that even though we are celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas, we must never forget the purpose for which He came.  He came to earth to die upon the cross for the sins of the world.  The trunk reminds us of the wood of the cross upon which Christ died.

Christmas colors are red and green.  This reminds me that the blood of Christ provides eternal life for those who believe in Him.

So, before you take the tree down, take one last look, and remember the message in the Christmas tree.