Renewal (Oct 26)

When a fire has died down, it needs to be rekindled. When life grows stale, it needs revival. When we've lost sight of the spirit in our hearts and minds, we need renewal.

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

I'm not going to write out many thoughts about this today. I would like to you read through these passages that I am sharing with you and consider them. Paul instructs us to walk worthy of our calling. Examine your life and see if you are walking worthy of the calling that God has given you. You may need a time of renewal to come before God and rekindle that love and joy that used to be so abundant in your heart. You may need to renew your commitment to God. You may need to ask God to breathe fresh life into your spiritual lungs that you may once again live excitedly on fire for Him. Here are some considerations on our need for spiritual renewal and some description of the worthy walk.

Ephesians 4:17-32

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 5:1-2

1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

Friends of the King (Oct 19)

What does it mean to be a friend of the king? Well, first of all, what is a friend? According to Webster, a friend is “one attached to another by affection or esteem; an acquaintance; one that is not hostile; one that is of the same nation, party, or group; or a favored companion.” I'm sure you've all known a few people that fit that description. Some stick with it and some don't. So we know how to be a friend to another person, but today I'd like to talk about being friends of the king. You'd think it would probably be somewhat difficult to become friends with someone so powerful or so “important” and the king probably has a lot of fake friends: people that just try to get close to him so that they can ask for favors or whatever. So who is a true friend of the king?

Proverbs 22:11 NKJV

He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend.

Many times in the Bible, the Lord is referred to or alluded to as a king. I believe that the verse in Proverbs can have two meanings. First of all, people that love purity of heart and have grace on their lips make good citizens, so that would be what the king (or any other leader nowadays, such as a mayor, governor, or president, etc.) would want. These people are model citizens and friends of the king. But I think these words also give a pretty good description of the person that is the friend of God, our heavenly king. I think that God wants you to be His friend. I know that it's more than that: God is to be your Lord, and you His obedient servant; He is to be the Savior, and you the thankful worshiper; He is to be the Leader, and you the follower. But He also wants you to be His favored companion, one attached to Him by affection, and one that is of the same heart. He wants you to be His friend.

Genesis 1:26, 3:8-9

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

After God had created the earth and all that is in it, plants and animals, he created a man in his own image, or resemblance, to take care of creation. We then read that God came and was walking in the garden and calling out to Adam, as if He would often come and walk with Adam in the garden in the cool of the day. The earth was God's garden and Adam his gardener, made after God's own likeness: two friends of the same heart communing in the garden together. Adam was attached to God by pure love. Adam was God's friend. A friend of the king loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips. Adam and Eve had pure hearts, but that purity and grace went out the window when they rebelled and sinned against God. Then when God came to walk in the garden, they hid from Him.

Imagine being a friend of God. Imagine walking in the garden and communing with Him. God offers His friendship to all people. The ones that love purity of heart and have grace on their lips will be friends.

Exodus 33:11

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Moses is another example of a friend of God. He knew God so well and was so close that the Lord spoke to him face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. You can have a place where you walk and talk with God as a friend. God doesn't have to be just some mysterious thing we talk about in church and you never approach Him personally. God desires to have a personal relationship with you as a friend. He wants you to come and walk and talk with Him and get to know Him—even today!

James 2:23

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Abraham believed God. He had faith and that faith was worked out in his life and his works. He obeyed God and he trusted God as he followed wherever God led. He was righteous and he was a friend of God.

So, where do you stand with God? Are you close to Him? Do you walk and talk with Him? Do you have faith and also live it out in your life? Do you heed His call and follow His direction? Are you His friend?

Do you love purity of heart and have grace on your lips? Are you a friend of the King?

Rear-View Mirrors (Oct 12)

Anybody who drives a car knows the importance of rear-view mirrors. They help you see behind you, of course. If you're driving down the road, you can see if someone is coming up behind you. It's good to check these things to be aware of what's around you, especially if you're going to be changing lanes or something. Also, if you're backing up or turning around, your mirrors can help you see where you're going. You can navigate through tighter spaces if you use your mirrors, especially your side mirrors. My mom and dad have little electric scooters and they even have a little rear-view mirror that sticks up from the handle bars. Some people have similar mirrors on their bicycles. These help them be aware of other bikers coming up from behind (perhaps faster them) so that they can be sure to move over to allow them to pass. Also, if they were to ride along the side of the road, they would be able to see when a car was passing, to give extra room. Yesterday, I took advantage of the beautiful weather to go on a fall bike ride. There were a lot of other people taking the same opportunity, so I passed many bikers and walkers in both directions. One guy had these little square rimless glasses. There was a little rear-view mirror sticking out from the one side leg. I thought it looked funny and I had never seen one before. But I'm sure it let him know when others were coming up behind him, which can be important while biking, I suppose. I usually just turn my head around, but you all know that can sometimes affect your ability to continue in a straight line. :)

Today, I would like to talk about things that sneak up from behind and sometimes catch us unaware. Sin seems to approach us this way often, doesn't it? Can you imagine, as you're traveling down the road of Christian life, you come upon this huge, neon-lit, blinking sign with a huge arrow that says, “SIN!!! Served Fresh Daily!” Well, I suppose we come across signs like that, but those are pretty obvious and we usually avoid them and keep on going. But how about the sins and temptations that sneak up from behind and before you know it, it's right there beside you and you fall? If only you had a rear-view mirror so that you could be aware of your surroundings and properly discern the good and bad that comes face-to-face, but also the good and bad that comes from behind! With a rear-view mirror, you see the things coming from behind just as easily as the things coming head-on.

1 Peter 5:8-10

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Satan and false teachers are not always blatantly obvious. The scriptures say that Satan makes himself look like an angel of light and that false teachers make themselves look like righteous teachers. People can be fooled by this...they might not realize it until after they've been deceived by their words. It's like they sneaked up from behind. We are told that we should be sober and vigilant because our adversary is going around looking for someone to devour. Temptations and sin seem to lie around every turn and they are often disguised as something good. Once again, it's like they sneak up from behind and we don't realize it until they're right there. We must be vigilant and resist these things. Look in that rear-view mirror and see the temptations that are sneaking up to devour you. Don't just stare blankly ahead, oblivious to the things that are approaching.

Acts 28:27 NKJV

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.

I must point out that it is God that saves. It is God that keeps you from falling. It is God that makes you perfect and establishes, strengthens, and settles you. Looking in the rear-view mirror is like having discernment and being aware of the things that are around you and influencing you. But, you can't have discernment in these things on your own. You need God's spirit to see these things.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NKJV

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

I want to point out one more thing about the rear-view mirrors. What is printed on the side mirrors on cars? “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” It says that because sometimes things look little and far away, but you should be warned that it's closer than you think, so be careful about changing lanes. Well, I want to warn you about looking in the mirror and seeing some sin or temptation sneaking up on you and taking the approach, “Oh, no bother, that temptation is still far from me. I don't need to worry about resisting it right now.” Don't play with fire! That temptation or sin is closer than you think!

Jude 24-25

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Undo (Oct 5)

Let's begin by reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15:11-32

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

How many times have you ever done something and wished that you could “undo” it? Or, perhaps, you look back on something that you did or a decision that you made many years ago and wished that you could “undo” that and do something differently or make a different decision. When the younger of the sons decided to “cash out” early and ran off to enjoy his inheritance while he was still young, it probably seemed like a great idea. Even while the parties were still going on, I'm sure if someone had said to him that he had made a bad decision, he would have had a heard time listening to them. When he was sitting in the pig pen wishing he could eat the pigs' food, he probably thought that he had done some really dumb things and wished he could “undo” it all and try again. Sometimes in life, we get second chances. Sometimes we have the opportunity to fix things. Other times, though, we don't have such luck. For example, once you say something, you can't take it back. You can apologize all over the place and people may forgive you, but those words have still been spoken. Some things can be undone, but other things just seem like too big a mess. Things can seem to be beyond hope. If you do your homework in pencil and make a mistake, you can erase it and do it over. If you do it in permanent ink, there's no undoing it.

I recently heard someone say that God is the only one that can undo all of the mess that you've made of your life. You've made some of life's decisions on your own and even though it seemed like what you wanted at the time, down the road you realized that you really messed things up. You did some things for your own benefit and then look around and see that you hurt someone else. You made some other impulse decision that seemed the best at the time without considering all of the ramifications and consequences and now you realize that it was not best. You sit in my class week after week and you sit through church week after week and you get a good idea of what kind of life God has designed for the Christian. Then you look at your life and there are some things that don't line up. There are some things that just aren't right. Maybe you have tried to fix them. You've tried to make things better or different and they just got more messed up. You wish some things in life had a big “undo” button on them and you could just make everything right. You could make everything righteous, pure, and holy...

Wait! That's something that God will do if you'll just quit trying on your own or going your own way and come home. Finally that son realized that he needed to go home to his father. I guess he didn't really think that his father would forgive him completely, but he figured that he was at least merciful enough to let him be a worker and even that was better than the mess that he had made of his life. He underestimated his father. The man saw him coming from afar and ran to meet him and bring him back into the home as his son—right where he belonged. He restored all that was lost and gave him the fullness of what it meant to be a son in that house.

Folks, if you'll just look around you and see the slop that you're in and realize that you just can't please God when you're continuing to live with that bit of rebellion against God in your heart—or that desire to do your own thing—or that person or thing that is more important to you than God—or that evil spot in your heart against another person, and get up and decide to come home, God will be there to meet you with His loving arms stretched out to receive you as His child. He will heal those things that are not right and He will give you a new heart. He will rejoice, because one of His children that was lost is now found.