Going to Hell 9/3/2013

"Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it." Isa 5:14 (KJV)

On the tiny western Caribbean island of Grand Cayman exists Hell. To be sure it is a real place. More specifically it is a town named Hell. Interestingly enough, it is quite an attraction for cruise ship passengers and other tourists. In fact, it is a mandatory stop on most tours about which the guides enthusiastically remark, "Today I'm going to take you to Hell and back."

When you visit there, you find that there is a post office, a gift shop and a rock formation that gives the place its name. There is also a "Satan" who runs the store which sells all manner of t-shirts, hats and other tourist baubles.  He runs around in horns, a tail and a tuxedo jacket and happily interacts with all of the visitors.  Of course there are numerous sayings and jokes that turn on the word hell such as, "What in Hell do you want?" or "I guess its time to get the hell out of here." You can even send friends and family post cards from Hell and receive a passport stamp saying that you have been there. No thanks.

Beloved, I guess the place is all in good fun, but I could not bring myself to join in because I know something of the real hell. This area is named such because of some pretty creepy rock formations that definitely put one in mind of the place, but the formation is easily explained, not threatening to anyone, not hot, and you can come and go as you please. The bible is replete with warnings about hell and advisements to do all that can be done to avoid it. Sheol, Tataurus and Gehenna are some of the biblical words used to variously describe it but you might more readily recognize it as "the lake of fire," "the pit," "the second death," "outer darkness," and a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth." Trust that it is the last place you ever want to be and nothing about which to trifle.

The one thing Hell in Grand Cayman has in common with the real hell is that there is an acknowledgement of the saving power of Jesus . I'm sure that everyone who will ultimately find their eternal home there will have no doubt, albeit too late. To quote Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," Joshua 24:15.

Committed,
Lee

Living Your Giving 9/27/2013

“A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.   Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;  for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’”   Mark 12:42-44

While many expositors of the Word have used this passage to prompt their congregations to give and that generously, the thought I would like to share this morning has not as much to do with financial contributions as giving our all to and for the one who gave his all for us.

When you consider the poor widow, what do you think?   The fact that she is a widow tells us that she is in a perpetual state of loss.  She is described as basically being down to her last cent.  This tells us that she either had no children or the children she had were not willing to support her.  Perhaps she had a way of making money or survived on the kindness of others, nevertheless, it was everything she had.  Lastly, she was willing to give it to the Lord.  We know that she appeared at the temple to pay her temple taxes as was the custom for the Israelites, but to her, it seems the ultimate demonstration of faith, obedience and love.

Beloved, when we think of our Lord, what is his worth to you?  It is well known that he, as an absolute expression of love, left heaven and gave his life for us, but what are we willing to give to express our love for him?  To be sure, we are unable to earn the great gift that he gave, but we are by no means prevented from demonstrating love and faith toward him and expressing ourselves by giving ourselves.  You see we were bought by his blood, but must still voluntarily give ourselves to him.  This can certainly be expressed in our financial contributions, but is exponentially better shown in our manner of living.  Our attitude and actions should be consistent with this:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom 12:1-2

What is the biblical meaning of sacrifice but the giving of life?  It is what he did for us.  Let us be willing to give our living for him.

Committed, 

Lee

Beeseeching God 9/25/2013

"Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 1 Kings 3:8-9

After the death of his father, King David, Solomon was enthroned as king in his place. It is said of Solomon that he loved the Lord and walked according to his statues and commandment just as his father before him had done. As a result, God appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to ask for whatever he wanted. As king, there were many things that it would be expected that someone in his position would request. Among these were riches, wives, the disposition of enemies, the enlargement of territory and more. Instead, Solomon famously asked for understanding.

Beloved, when you pray, what do you ask of God? So many of us treat God as some sort of genie in a bottle. We feel that if we pray earnestly enough, our wishes would come true. How many people do you suppose pray that God would grant them the Powerball Lottery winning ticket?. How many pray for the outcome of sporting events? With what other relative frivolities do we approach God? Solomon prayed for the ability to do the will of God. Should that not be our guide? Of course God lends his ear to the lamentations of heart and has instructed us to bring our supplications to Him with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), however, note how He responded to Solomon’s prayer:

• Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days. 1 Kings 3:11-14.

Let us carefully consider our God, our prayer life and our supplications.

Committed,

Lee

Confidence in the Face of Challenges 2/23/2013

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

It was after the passing of Moses that leadership of the people of Israel was charged to Joshua. Imagine how daunting a task it was to cross over into a land promised to them over 400 years before. The land was filled with people who were pretty attached to it and the Hebrews had been directed by God to remove them. Speaking of the Hebrews, Joshua also had the responsibility of leading them knowing that they had proved themselves to be unfaithful stiff-necked grumblers who, at times, seemed as though they would do anything but what God commanded.

Nevertheless, God both encouraged Joshua and promised to be with him when he said, “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go," Josh 1:7-8

Beloved, the same God that was with Joshua is with each of us today. We all face daunting tasks, trials, tribulations, discomforts and challenges. These things are as certain, as it has ben said, as death and taxes. Knowing that God is with us should give us all of the encouragement we need to persevere on our journey to the land He has promised us. Let us be sure to adhere to His word, not turning to the left or right from it, and look forward to success.

Committed,

Lee

Something Greater is on the Way 9/20/2013

"And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23

I do not know about you but I am the type of person that always tries to have something to which to look forward. I remember how excited I would get as a kid when Christmas was around the corner or the time for the cross-country family vacation to Disney was near. I am sure I drove my parents to distraction talking about it. Interestingly enough, whenever something tough would happen, I would always think to myself that it did not matter because something big and good was coming. I am not the least bit ashamed to say that I still plan big things and still use the thought of them to get me through the tough times. Though trips and holidays are still a part of that thinking, over the years I have discovered something much greater.

Beloved, though we as Christians may not regularly think of it this way, there are unimaginably great things in store for us in the Lord. It is of first importance to know that through the agency of Jesus, we have been made members of the family of God. Evidence of this is that we have been given the Spirit as earnest in anticipation of receiving the full reward promised by God (Ephesians 1:13-14). As members of the family, we, through the grace of God, become entitled to big things including the ultimate excursion of all time! We need to know that our accommodations are even now being prepared and that at the proper time, we will be collected by our Savior (John 14:2-4). We can take heart that free transportation has already been arranged (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Lastly, what awaits can scarcely be described but we have surely been told about some of what we can expect (Revelation 21:1-7; 10-27; 22:1-5).

My encouragement to you today and all days is to keep an eye toward heaven and always keep your hand firmly clasped to His. Though the trials and tribulations of life come and go, let us all take heart that whatever circumstances in which we may find ourselves today do not represent the end. Something greater is on the way.

Committed,


Lee

Compassionate Word Choices 9/19/2013

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

There are times in all of our lives that we need someone with whom to talk. Whether we are in the depth of sorrows or the height of celebration, we have a basic human need to interact with others. The question we must ask ourselves concerns whether we do the right thing when we receive the call.

The book of Job, among other things, is a great study about dos and don'ts when coming to the aid of another. Upon hearing of his great tragedies, Job's three friends came to his side. It is recorded that, "Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great" Job 2:13. This was a very large "do" at the time. It was exactly what Job needed. Many times people who are suffering just need to know that someone cares, but they also need time to mentally and emotionally process the things that are happening to them. A lot of talk can be distracting and do more harm than good.

Of course the other side of the story (and an Olympic level "don't" in Job's situation) is that when his friends did begin to speak, they said the wrong thing. In fact, they actually got in trouble with God: "It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has,'" Job 42:7.

Beloved, caring for one another in a time of need can be a delicate and challenging thing. We do not always know what to do or what to say. It would be easy to proceed as we think we might like for someone to do if we were in that situation, but one never knows what is needed until those conditions actually arise. Even then, everyone is different. The bottom line is that we must use care with the things we say. If someone finds themselves in trouble, the last thing they need is an indictment. There will be a time for loving and gentle admonishment, but in an acute situation, love, comfort, companionship, reassurance and tender words are needed. Better said, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person," Colossians 4:6.

Committed,

Lee

Keep Your Feet (Don't Stumble) 9/17/2013

"But Peter said to Him, 'Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.' Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'” Matthew 26:33-34

Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to be experiencing his last night before being hung on a cruel cross and dying. Spending time with his inner circle, he had just partaken of what we know as the Last Supper and informed them that one of them would betray him. Subsequent to this, however, he told them that they would all fall away (or stumble). He quoted Zachariah 13:7 which states, "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." We all know that it was Judas that betrayed the Lord but what of those who stumbled? What does it even mean to stumble? And why was Peter pointed out in particular?

The simple truth is that most of us avoid trouble at all costs. Jesus was considered to be and treated as a criminal and the apostles were his closest associates. On that same night, while in the company of some of them, he was arrested, beaten and taken to trial. That is most certainly trouble. As it was predicted, the apostles, with the exception of John, all scattered. Peter in particular followed Jesus to the trials at some distance but did in fact deny him three times when people recognized that he had been one who walked with Jesus. It is also known that the apostles did not busy themselves carrying out the training and mission they had received but instead hid, returning to their prior vocation as fishermen. This is stumbling.

Beloved, we must ask ourselves if we ever stumble in our faith and purpose. Though Jesus is no longer physically being dragged through the streets and falsely accused, his cause is still under indictment by some. When atheists attempt to legislate the Lord out of our lives, do we make our voices heard? When we are attacked for our stance on God ordained relationships do we hide and cower? When Satan tempts us personally do we give in or tell him to go away? The potential to stumble most surely continues to exist among the followers of the Lord. Even the most ardent, such as Peter, can find themselves out of position. We therefore must guard against the impulse to flee the one who left heaven to seek and save us. Let us not stumble but let us keep our feet.

Committed,

Lee