Grace For The Journey

  Today is the second of a three-part blog on Treasure Hunters.  Jesus cautioned His disciples in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In this brief but penetrating passage, Jesus sets forth four powerful truths that relate to treasure hunting.  Yesterday I talked about the first truth – that everyone is a treasure hunter. Jesus assumes treasure hunting as a mark of all humanity; we are all seeking value.

Today we will confine our focus to the second truth . . .

TRUTH #2: We Pursue Two Different Types Of Treasure

These two different types of treasures are:

• Earthly and heavenly
• Carnal and spiritual
• Important and unimportant
• Little and big
• Temporal and eternal.

We always have two choices in treasure hunting.

We can hunt for the stuff we want

Or

The stuff God wants for us.

It’s important to note that we could, in fact, be pursuing the treasure God wants us to pursue, but for the wrong reasons, like personal power or self-centered glorification.  A church pastor, for example, who enjoys the prestige of authority rather than the fulfillment of serving is pursuing godly treasure, but with the entirely wrong motive!   Another wrong (but not uncommon) motive for pursuing godly treasure is found in the Christian who is seeking the applause and praise of man for his charitable deeds.  The ultimate goal here is status, not service – shrinking your life down to the size of your life and nothing more.

As treasure hunters we not only need to be pursuing the right stuff,

We must be pursuing it for the right reasons.

At this level of living, we are being shaped by the Savior in all we desire, decide, and do.  We have been created to seek treasure that truly matters, treasure which is rooted in a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  We simply cannot deny the powerful pull of both classes of treasures, earthly and heavenly.  The one that rules your heart will ultimately shape your life.

Jesus concludes the whole matter by saying that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (verse 21).  Whatever we see as the passion and priority for our lives (earthly riches or spiritual riches) will cause our heart to be are drawn toward that “treasure.”  It will cause us to make pursuing that treasure more than God, His Word, or His will.  It will cause us to fret about that treasure and measure other things (and other people) by those treasures.  Our whole lives will drift relentlessly toward the spot             where our treasures are stored because our hearts will take us there.  An honest examination of our deepest desires will quickly reveal what our treasures are.

The result will be that our lives will end up far from the real treasure.  The Bible says in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above; where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on thing on the earth.”

If you continued reading this sixth chapter of Matthew you would hear Jesus this in verses 22-23.  In these verses Jesus teaches about the need to have correct vision rather than corrupted vision.

The correct vision is seen in verse 22.  The word “lamp” or “light” when used in the Bible generally speaks of that which is good, that which is godly and righteous.  In the sense in which it is used here, it speaks of our conduct in regards to “treasure.”  The word “good” is used to mean “singleness of purpose, focused, clear.”  The correct vision, according to the teaching of our Lord, is that which is clearly focused on eternal things.  If our vision is focused on one single purpose, that being the pursuit of heavenly things, our whole body will be full of light. That is, our conduct will be good, godly, and righteous.

The corrupted vision is seen in verse 23.  The word “evil” or “bad” eye is one that is not “clearly focused on one single purpose.”  Jesus is speaking here of what we might call “double vision.” A person who possesses double vision is not very stable. Spiritual double vision would be having one eye fixed on heaven and another fixed on earth

That person who thinks they can pursue the things of this world and those of heaven with an equal amount of passion is only fooling themselves.  The conclusion of the whole matter is in verse 24 “No man can serve two masters.”

We will look at this in tomorrow’s blog.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  Today is the first of a 3-part blog on Treasure Hunters.  The adventure film National Treasure has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in 2004.  It is loosely based on the myth of a secret code inscribed on the back of the Declaration of Independence by its signers.  The deciphering of this secret code would lead the treasure hunters, led by Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage), to the discovery of a fantastic collection of treasure that had been protected and passed down by the Knights Templar and Freemasons for centuries.

I am convinced that films like National Treasure and the hugely successful “Indiana Jones” series are so popular because they connect the viewer with the “treasure hunter” inside of all of us.  If, indeed, we are all treasure hunters, the question that must be asked and answered is:

“What kind of treasure are we spending our lives to discover?”

Jesus cautioned His disciples, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

It is important to understand the context in which these words were spoken.  In the first eighteen verses of Matthew 6 it’s as if we have been in the sanctuary of the Lord communing with Him who “sees in secret.” Beginning in verse 19, we leave the safety and security of communion with the Lord, and immediately find ourselves combating the temptations and trials of the world.

It is no mistake that the Lord Jesus teaches first about communion and then combat. The amount of time we are willing to spend personally and privately seeking the Lord, surrendering to Him, and satisfying our hearts with Him will determine the amount of victory we enjoy over the world, the flesh, and the devil.

We are living today in what is perhaps the most materialistic society that has ever existed.  It seems that when we are materially prosperous we are most in danger of spiritual poverty.  Today more than ever, Christians need to heed these words of Matthew 6.

In this brief but penetrating passage, Jesus sets forth four powerful truths that relate to treasure hunting.

Today we will confine our focus to the first truth . . .

TRUTH #1: Everyone Is A Treasure Hunter.

Jesus does not leave room for any other option.  He assumes treasure hunting as a mark of all humanity.  Anything of value is a treasure, and we are all seeking value.

• It may be the value of a certain amount of income.
• Perhaps it is a style of living, or ownership of certain possessions that indicates you have “made it.”
• Maybe it is a position of power and prestige in your company, community, or church.

Generally speaking, when we speak of “treasure” we tend to limit the term to money. But the Lord’s use of the word “treasure” is intended to mean “anything that is of value to man and that is perishable or can be lost in one way or the other” (houses, lands, fame, position, power, clothes, cars, etc.)

When the Lord speaks of laying up treasures for ourselves on earth, He is addressing the sin of excessively pursuing worldly wealth and material possessions.  Many today are possessed with an insatiable appetite for “treasures” that drives them to many types of excessive behavior.

While we need to understand clearly what is condemned in this verse, we also need to know what is not condemned. I n the words of verse 19 . . .

• The Lord is not condemning hard work which results in man’s provision for both himself and his family.
• The Lord is not condemning is the possession of goods and riches, provided they are acquired honestly and used rightly.
• The Lord is not condemning saving for the future.

Instead of making the things of this earth a priority and excessively pursuing those things, we would do well to pursue things that are of eternal value.  The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:18 – “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 

Instead of trusting confidently in the material things we possess, our trust and confidence is to be in the living God.  The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

The sad thing about all of the excessive, covetous, selfish behavior is that it comes as the result of pursuing things that will never completely satisfy in the first place.  All of our earthly possessions are things that possess a certain element of decay.  They will all eventually perish.  The only things that will last will be the spiritual possession we gain through pursuing God and His eternal life..

In his book, A Quest For More, Paul Tripp writes, “If I watched the video of your last year, what treasure would I conclude you’re after?”

What is your answer to this penetrating question?

What is the testimony of your treasure hunting life?

Take some time to prayerfully consider both your personal and professional life regarding what you are seeking and pursuing.  Check back tomorrow for our second truth . . .

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

 Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  When news of Billy Graham’s death began to circulate last Wednesday my first thought was that Dr. Graham was anything but dead.  He is more alive now than ever before, and he is living a life that will never end.

That was the message of Billy Graham’s life.  It didn’t matter if he was talking to Presidents, Popes, Prime Ministers, or ordinary people he stuck to the very simple Gospel message that we are all sinners and Jesus Christ is our only hope to be rescued from our sins.

He was criticized and sometimes mocked by the social elites and academia’s for such a simple message, but while the critics came and went, Billy Graham never turned to the right or left, but kept his eye and his message on the Cross.

His personal life was one of financial and personal integrity.  Constantly under assault by those who tried to catch him in either a financial or moral failure, he lived a circumspect life and went beyond reason to stay pure in his life so that his message was never compromised.

Many have hailed him as the greatest man of our time. Certainly, his influence was bigger than any of the people who temporarily held an office or had money or status to influence public policy.  His power was never his, but that of Christ, and his fortune was massive, but not on earth, but stored in the incorruptible vaults of Heaven.

Some have said that there may never be another evangelist him and for that we should be saddened.  But for that same reason, we should be grateful to God to have lived during the time of the most influential human being in our lifetime and the most potent force of Christianity since the Apostle Paul.

To his family, we extend our profound condolences, but to God we extend our profound thanks for sending this man to earth and working through him in such an unmatched manner.

Billy Graham’s greatest concern was that people come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord so they may spend eternity with God in Heaven.

People today do not often think of Heaven.  They are too busy living for this life to be concerned about the next.  Yet, I have been asked more than once where exactly Heaven is located . . .

Is it in our universe?

Is it up, beyond the sky?

Are there boundaries to Heaven?  

Is it more of a mystical realm or a physically existing place?

From a biblical perspective I respond by explaining that Heaven does not exist in our universe because, if God’s eternal abode was Heaven, then He and His angels were there before the universe existed.  The Bible talks a “third heaven” and “Paradise” when speaking of where heaven is (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

I can say this for certain . . .

I don’t know the direction of Heaven

But I do know its Delight.

The Bible says in Revelation 21:1-8, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

I am drawn to think of heaven more and more because, the older I get, the more Heaven become populated with people I knew while they were with me here.  My mom and dad are there.  Our daughters, Cathy and Ashley are there.  So many whom I have pastored are rejoicing in that beautiful realm right now.  Billy Graham is another one of God’s servant who has entered the glories of heaven and has received the fullness of his inheritance.

When a child of God dies, a new era begins for them – unspeakable, immeasurable wholeness and happiness has become their everlasting reality:

• Each leaves time and enters into eternity
• Each leaves a world of toil and enters a world of rest
• Each vacates a body of weakness and receives a body of glory
• Each departs from dimness and arrives in light
• Each exchanges a walk of faith for a reward of sight
• Each was taken from those they loved on earth and reunited with those they love in Heaven
• Each of their groans of sadness and pain has been replaced with shouts of ecstasy and delight
• Each of their tears from life’s difficulties are now supplanted by joy and praise
• For them, all of life’s mysteries have given way to all of Eternity’s answers
• They have all seen the face of Jesus
• They have beheld those mysterious creatures called angels and have heard their songs
• Each has beheld the throne of God
• Each has received the fullness of his unfathomable inheritance in Christ
• Their lifelong thirsts have been satisfied forever
• They are today perfected and are for complete and whole eternity.
• They are exactly as they were ever meant to be
• They will be there to welcome us when we arrive

This is just a small glimpse of what heaven will be like!  No, I do not know the where Heaven is . . .

Heaven is not desirable because of its direction or location.

The Christian wants Heaven because of its King.

Heaven is all about Jesus and that is why the Christian wants to go there some day. Jesus has made that possible for you and me.  Heaven’s King hung on the cross with His arms spread open in a posture of eternal embrace.  Come to Jesus today.  Run to Him today.  Accept Him as Savior and acknowledge Him as Lord.  When you do, you will be able to stand on the solid-rock promise that you will be with Him forever, and you will never regret that you said “Yes” to Him.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

 

  This week we have been looking at the truths in 1 Peter 5:6-10 that help us deal triumphantly with our battles.  If you have been a Christian for very long, you have realized something that is an absolute certainty. . .

Every believer fights battles.

The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The Battle Is The Lord’s

It is essential that we deal effectively with our battles.  Monday we learned the first

principle that will help us do just that – We are to be humble.  Tuesday we will look at the second principle that will help us deal effectively with our battles. – Be dependent.  Wednesday we dealt with the third principle – Be Alert.  Yesterday we looked at the fourth principle and fifth principles that helps us deal effectively with our battles is that we: Be tenacious and Be prepared.

Today we will conclude our study by looking at the final principle found in the last of verse 10, which is:

 1. Be assured

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:10b, “(May the God of all grace) … perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

Here we have the promise that as God accomplishes His purpose in us there are four things He will do.  Notice the adjective Peter uses to describe God. He is “the God of all grace,” the God who shows unmerited favor toward us.  God’s grace is the power and provision from God which allows us to turn to Christ, trust what He did on the cross and through the empty tomb, and allow Him to work out that salvation through our lives.

God loves us. His purpose in allowing persecution and suffering is motivated by nothing other than perfect love for us.  He is the God of all grace.  He will have mercy on us.  As we stand firm and resisting the devil, God will . . .

1. Perfect us – This word suggest the idea of “bringing us to wholeness, where we lack nothing, and are complete in every way.”
2. Confirm us – the word literally means “to make firm.” Rather than being uncertain and weak, we will be resolute and determined in our faith.
3. Strengthen us – He will use the difficulties to make us stronger. The word carries the idea of “enabling one us to face anything” He allows to come our way.
4. Establish us – the picture the Greek paints for us here is of a foundation that is not shaky but has settled and is firmly founded.

What are you going through this morning? Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you planned. Perhaps the cares and burdens of life seem more than you can bear. Don’t fight it. Let God use these things to humble you and cause you to depend upon Him.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

 Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  This week we are looking at the truths in this passage that will help us deal triumphantly with our battles found in 1 Peter 5:6-10.  If you have been a Christian for very long, you have realized something that is an absolute certainty. . .

Every believer fights battles.

The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The Battle Is The Lord’s

It is essential that we deal effectively with our battles.  Monday we learned the first

principle that will help us do just that – We are to be humble.  Tuesday we will look at the second principle that will help us deal effectively with our battles. – Be dependent.  Wednesday we dealt with the third principle – Be Alert.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:9, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith …”  Let’s look at the fourth principle and fifth principles that helps us deal effectively with our battles is that we:

1. Be tenacious

When we have humbled ourselves and found our strength in God, when we have learned the secret of dependence, and when we remain on our guard against the devil, we stand our ground.

There is a direct relationship between a strong faith and the ability to live an overcoming life.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 to “take up the shield of faith, and having put on the whole armor of God we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”  James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.”   And here in 1 Peter 5 we are told to “resist the devil steadfastly in our faith.”

When our faith is strong, when our confidence in God is unshaken, it is then, and then alone that we have turned the battle over to the Lord.  As David stood before Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17:47 he said, “The battle is the Lord’s.”  In Exodus 14:14 as Moses and his people stood between the Red sea and the armies of Pharaoh, Moses told the Israelites, “The Lord will fight for; you shall hold your peace.”

Throughout Scripture, whenever God’s people stood firm in their faith, God came through.  Whether it was Daniel in the lion’s den, or Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, when people put their trust in God, He came through.  Resist the devil and stand firm in your faith. God will come through for you.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give in to discouragement.  Do not give the devil a foothold.  Stand firm in your faith.

Look at the last part of verse 9 and on into the first part of verse 10.  Here we see the fifth principle that helps us deal effectively with out battles: “… knowing that the same suffering are experienced by your brothers in the world.  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while . . .”

1. Be prepared

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “All those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  As Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote these words to the early church, persecution of Christianity was spreading.

In July of the year 64, Nero set a fire in Rome that devastated the city.  Needing a scapegoat, he placed the blame on Christians.  The result was that Christians were beaten, tortured, and many were killed.  Some were thrown into the arena, where they were torn apart by wild beasts.  Others were boiled in oil, or encased in wax and burned at the stake like candles.  For the better part of three centuries Christians would be persecuted.  Until in 313 the Roman emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan, declaring religious freedom for all faiths, including Christians.

Perhaps there is no more pertinent message the church needs to hear today than this one:

It will get worse before it gets better.

Some pastors we visiting over lunch and were talking about culture, faith, and the state of Christianity in general.  One of the pastors said, “I think the best we can hope to do is to retard the spread of evil in our culture. We will not change this culture.”

Our hope is in the triumphant return of Jesus to this earth. Our hope is in the eternal life He promises. This world is not our home.  We are pilgrims, strangers and sojourners. We will suffer here for a while.  That cannot be avoided.

But after we have suffered for a little while . . . We will look at the last part of verse 10 tomorrow to see what will happen.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

This week we are looking at the truths in this passage that will help us deal triumphantly with our battles found in 1 Peter 5:6-10.  If you have been a Christian for very long, you have realized something that is an absolute certainty. . .

Every believer fights battles.

The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The Battle Is The Lord’s

It is essential that we deal effectively with our battles.  Monday we learned the first

principle that will help us do just that – We are to be humble.  Yesterday we will look at the second principle that will help us deal effectively with our battles. – Be dependent.

In the midst of these difficulties, in the course of dealing with the trials and tribulations, we saw yesterday that as we depend upon the Lord we must also be alert … “sober and vigilant” as the Bible says.  Today we will look at verse 8 and see.

III. Be alert

The verbs translated “sober,” and “vigilant,” literally mean “to be mentally calm and alert, both at the same time.”  Instead of being anxious, because we are depending upon the Lord we can be mentally calm and yet, because we know we have an enemy, we must be alert to the reality that our enemy wants to use every circumstance of our lives to destroy us.

The imagery of Satan here is that of a hungry lion on the prowl, looking for someone to devour.  The literal meaning of this word translated “devour,” means “to consume, or to swallow up.”

Satan is the enemy of all believers.  He is the eternal enemy of our souls.  From the very beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, Satan has sought to destroy all that God created to be good.  Today he seeks to destroy you and me as we seek to live the Christian life.

How does he do this?

1. Through Temptation

He entices us to act contrary to God’s plan to cause us to disobey God and displease Him.

Satan cannot have your soul so he wants your witness.

If he cannot have you for eternity,

He wants to render you ineffective in the present.

Because he knows human nature better than we do, he is an expert at appealing to our fallen nature, our carnal desires.

The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world, or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride in life, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.”

Satan will use the strong desires we possess to tempt us and draw us from God.  That is why we must be sober and vigilant.

1. Through Deception

He causes us to believe things about God and ourselves that are not true.  Since we always act out of what we believe, we must believe what is true.  The Bible says that the devil is the father of all lies (John 8:44) and a deceiver (Genesis 3:13).  He will appear as an angel of light 92 Corinthians 11:14).  He will get us to do his bidding, making us think we are somehow serving God.  That is why God has given us His Word so that we might be led us down the right path.

1. Discouragement

The devil has a way of causing us to question whether or not living for Christ is worth it. The Psalmist expresses this: “But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3).

There are times in life when troubles come our way, and we look at the godless and their lives seem to be trouble free.  It is in these moments that we are tempted to question our faith, to question the life we live and whether or not living for Christ is worth what we must endure.  The devil loves discouragement.  He loves to get us on self-pity kicks, to take our focus off of Christ and to put our focus on ourselves.

When we are totally surrendered to the control of Jesus, we will not focus on ourselves, but rather on what it is God wants to do through whatever He has allowed to come into our lives.  As someone has said, this is “the difference is between an ego-centric life and a Christo-centric life.”

The devil wants to devour us, like a roaring lion.  But instead of giving into his tricks, his temptations, deceptions and discouragement, we are told to resist, steadfast in our faith.

Tomorrow, we will look at verse 9 and talk about a fourth principle for dealing effectively with our battles.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

Yesterday we learned that the Christian is in a battle.  The Bible teaches that we battle every moment against sin, the world, and the devil.  The Bible talks not only about the reality of the battles but how the Christian is to face and deal with them.  The primary portion of scripture where God presents truths for dealing with this battle in in 1 Peter 5:6-10.

This week we are looking at the truths in this passage that will help us deal triumphantly with our battles.  If you have been a Christian for very long, you have realized something that is an absolute certainty:

Every believer fights battles.

The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The Battle Is The Lord’s

It is essential that we deal effectively with our battles.  Yesterday we learned the first

principle that will help us do just that – We are to be humble.

Today, we will look at the second principle that will help us deal effectively with our battles.

1. Be dependent

This power truth is laid out in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.”

Whereas pride makes one self-reliant, humility positions us to recognize and accept our dependence upon God.

The Greek word translated “care,” or “anxiety,” here is used to express the burden that comes with anxious care and apprehension.  Instead of fighting this, we are to turn it back over to the Lord, because God is sovereign.  If we are His, the only things that come into our lives are things He allows.

In fact, listen to what the Bible says in Psalm 55:22 says: “Cast your burden on the Lord and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

The interesting thing about that verse in Psalm 55 is that the Hebrew word translated “burden” means, “What He has given you.” A literal translation might read, “Throw upon the Lord whatever burden He has assigned to you, and He will sustain you as you bear it. He will not allow you to totter.”

Whereas humility causes us to see our own weakness,

Dependence causes us to recognize and rely upon His strength.

And within the context of the verses we are looking at in 1 Peter 5:6-10, God is revealing to us that He often allows the difficulties to come our way to teach us both our own weakness and His supernatural strength.

One of the problems with much of modern Christianity

Is that it is nothing more than a secular self-help philosophy

Draped in religious garb.

Instead of preaching that we are to see ourselves as nothing and find all we are in Christ, many pulpits today preach a message that basically says, “God helps those who help themselves.”  Nothing could be further from the truth of Scripture.

Douglas Baker, in an article entitled, “Putting Purpose in Its Place,” points to this trend towards self-help in religious circles.  Baker says:

“Jesus never structured the purposes of God around themes of self-importance or self-esteem.  Rather, he spoke of taking up a cross, laying one’s life down for others, and following in the footsteps of one described as a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Daily life for Jesus could seldom be described in terms of a purpose that brought no personal problems or freed him from daily spiritual battle.  Purpose for Jesus meant facing opposition at every turn, enduring persecution from those closest to him, and finally submitting to the full fury of His Father’s wrath as he hung publicly before a rude and crude world.  Would such a “purpose” find a place in the bookstores of America?”

Peter says this to beleaguered and persecuted Christians:

Dependence upon the Lord means that

Instead of struggling with our cares, nursing our anxieties,

And complaining about all God has allowed to come into our lives,

We are to turn them back over to Him,

Accepting the truth that He will sustain us because He cares for us.

In the midst of these difficulties, in the course of dealing with the trials and tribulations, we must be alert – “sober and vigilant” as the Bible says.  While the Lord wants to use them to develop us, the enemy would use them to devour us.

How do we do that?  Tomorrow, we will look at verse 8 and talk about a third principle for dealing effectively with our battles.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

 

Grace For The Journey

The Christian is in a battle.  The Bible teaches that we battle every moment against sin, the world, and the devil.  The Bible talks not only about the reality of the battles but how the Christian is to face and deal with them.  The primary portion of scripture where God presents truths for dealing with this battle in in 1 Peter 5:6-10.

This week we will look at the truth in this passage that will help us deal triumphantly with our battles.

What battles have you been fighting in lately?  What battles are just ahead, around the corner, and over the horizon that you will be fighting?  One thing is certain: every believer fights battles.  The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The Battle Is The Lord’s

To deal effectively with our battles God teaches us that we are to:

I. Be humble

The Greek verb for “humble” here is in the passive voice, which could be translated, “be humbled.”  In this case, it is the hand of God that is humbling us. We are being instructed to allow God to humble us.

To the readers Peter was writing to it was persecution that God used to humble them. To you and me it could be the frustrations and failures of everyday life.  Rather than complaining about them, we need to surrender to the lordship of Christ.  Only when we humble ourselves under God’s hand will He exalt us.

God uses a variety of things to humble us.  Sometimes He uses other “extra grace required” people.  Sometimes He uses tragedy and loss.  Even though God may not have sent that calamity your way, He is able to use it for our good.  Thus, as Romans 8:28 says, “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.”

Our problem is that we often won’t accept the sovereignty of God in our lives.  Living under the delusion of self-rule, we complain, struggle, and squirm.  Allowing God to humble us means that we remember that God is in control and we yield to Him.  Nothing will happen that He has not allowed.  When He allows it He has a purpose for it, and that purpose is always for our good.  It means accepting all that happens to us without resentment or rebellion against God.

Humility means accepting God’s rule instead of ours.

It means accepting His rule when we don’t understand.

It means accepting His rule when He doesn’t give us an explanation.

The word “humility,” in the Greek language, means “to make low, to abase, to make small, or to weaken.”  It is contrary to our human nature to be made low.  It goes against the grain of our pride and our sense of self-worth to allow anyone or anything to weaken us or make us small.

But in the kingdom of God things are different than in the world of men.

The verse immediately before this says that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.  The rest of verse 6 says that at the proper time, God will exalt those who have been humbled.

The reason that “proper time” never seems to be in consonance with our schedule is because as long as we are thinking we should be exalted, we are still nursing our pride. It is not until our pride is dead that He will exalt us.  Humility means we lose our pride, but we gain God’s favor.

When we are humbled, when we are made low, abased, and come to a sense of our own weakness, we will be forced to depend upon Him.

And that, dear Christian is the beginning of dealing effectively and triumphantly with whatever battle you have faced, are facing, or ever will face,

Tomorrow we will look at the next principles that will put us in position and give us the power to deal correctly with our battles.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  I am sure you have heard the phrase “Coming to Christ.”  Rightly understood, we realize that it is the enabling grace of God that calls us to come to Christ.  “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” Jesus said. “And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).  By nature, we will always choose our own way of salvation and not the way of salvation through Christ.  Our minds are too fickle, our hearts are too depraved, and our wills too stubborn.  It is only by a supernatural work of God’s grace that anyone comes to Christ and receives the gift of eternal life.

Salvation is all of grace, from beginning to end.

I am also sure you have heard the phrase “Going for Christ.”  Rightly understood, we must realize that this too is the enabling grace of God.  Without the same enabling grace that raised us from death to life, we would always choose to go our own way.  We would go where we want to go, when we want to go, and get there in the way we think best.  Without grace, we would be going only for ourselves and for the advancement of our agenda and kingdom.  Without God’s work of grace we consider ourselves to be the sovereign ruler, lawgiver, judge, and jury.  So whether we are coming or going for the glory of Christ, it is because of God’s grace that is at work within us.

The Bible confirms this in the following verses:

COMING:   “To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).

GOING: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

As Christians,

We should be every bit as comforted

As we are challenged

To grow into the person God is calling us to be,

Knowing that it is all of grace.

Yes, we strive, but we strive in His strength.  Yes, we work, but we work in His wisdom.  Yes, we participate, but we participate in His power.  In His strength, His wisdom, and His power we are able to engage in the advancement of His kingdom with all the joy and confidence.

If God began this work in our coming to Christ, and it is all of grace even after we are saved, we can rest assured that God will complete His work in our lives, providing all the grace we need in our “going” for Christ wherever He sends us.  Paul wrote that we can be sure of this, “that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

It is important to understand that “going” for Christ is not synonymous with foreign missionary work – as important as that work is in advancing the cause of Christ.  The Bible teaches that the Christian is to be on mission right where you are:  mission in at home; mission in your neighborhood, mission at work or school, mission in the marketplace; mission in the mundane; mission in every ministry you have been called to serve in – right where you are!  We are to be going for Christ so that others have the wonderful opportunity to come to Christ!

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

Francis Schaeffer, the American Evangelical Christian theologian and philosopher once referred to the grace of God as “the present value of the blood of Christ.”  In essence, he was saying that there is a continual need to never grow past our need of the grace of the Gospel.

We are totally dependent on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ every day!

That precious blood that cleansed us from all unrighteousness when we were saved (1 Peter 1:19 – “know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from our aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ …”) is the same precious blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness as we are being sanctified (conformed into the image of Christ) along our journey to heaven (1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”).

The Gospel is for sinners, you see,

And

We are still sinners after we have been saved.

God does not save us by grace and then expect us to live our lives by the spiritual sweat of our brow.

We are not only saved by the truths of the Gospel,

We are to grow by those truths as well.

Moment by moment, we are dependent on the grace of the Gospel to wash our every thought, word, deed, and desire in the fountain of His purifying blood.  Every imperfect performance and impure motive must be cleansed by His precious blood.  Schaeffer was absolutely right in referring to God’s grace as “the present value of the blood of Christ,” because we are totally dependent upon it – both as the door into the Christian life and the floor upon which we build our Christian life.

So . . . have you been building your life on the Gospel or on your perceived good works?  Do you believe God is blessing you because of your merit . . . or His mercy?  Are you attempting to finish what God started in you?  Or are you trusting in the finished work of Christ?

It is only through Him and in Him alone that we make our way into our eternal rest, and every step of the way we are reminded of these words from the beautiful old hymn:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh precious is the flow that makes mw white as snow;

No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”