As you read this story, a few things stick out right away. We are trusted with what the master has given us, we will be judged for what He has given us, and we never know when He will judge us for what we have been entrusted with.
Life is about opportunities that are placed in front of us and we have to decide if we are going to take a risk or not. AMP energy drink has a commercial that talks about the “Moment before the Moment” it is that crucial time when you are either going to go for it or back out.
I had one of those moments in the Bahamas. I was on a mission trip with a group of college students and at the end of our day we were taken to a cliff so we could jump off of it. We climbed our way up and we looked down into the beautiful water below. They said it was about thirty five feet high but from up top it seemed so much higher. Several of the students went, some after a little hesitation. I was in the middle of the pack and was waiting my turn. I will never forget that Mindy went in front of me and when she landed on the water it made the most unforgettable noise. It was a noise that made me think I was taking her to the hospital. She was fine but it did hurt her when she hit that water. At that moment I talked myself out of jumping. I walked back down that cliff to never return again. I missed an opportunity because I let fear rule instead of the exhilaration I could have experienced that day.
Sadly many people miss out on more opportunities than that. The Master trusts them to carry out a task but instead, they let the fear of failure or the fact they are lazy rule them.
In verse sixteen and seventeen we see that it says “immediately” or “at once” the first two servants worked hard to earn what their master entrusted them with. The way this is written does not mean they struck a good deal and doubled their money immediately. The way it is written shows that they had to continually do things in order to double their Master’s money. They leveraged all their Master gave them for their Master’s gain and not their own.
In verse eighteen we see a whole different mentality. This servant did not get started right away and he just buried the money for safe keeping. Burying the money was a common practice but in the ground it would not benefit anyone until it was dug up and used or invested. Maybe he thought he had time, maybe he was fearful of losing the money and decided to play it safe.
2 Peter 3:3-4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
Unfortunately, many people have the mentality of the third servant. They think that they will give their life to the Master later, they will serve Him when they are done doing all the things they want to do first. When I am older, when I am out of college, when I am (fill in the blank), the excuse does not matter, it is all a cover up for wanting to live your own life and not the one the Master has designed for us.
Read Matthew 25:19-23
“SEE”
The first two servants were not upset that their Master returned unannounced, they have a sense of excitement. They wanted Him to come and see what they were doing because, like a little child who brings home art work, they could not wait to show what they had done. Have you ever done something for someone you loved and you could not wait until they saw it? This is the same joy the first two servants had.
“JOY”
“Come and share in your Master’s Happiness” or “Joy” Joy is a better way for this verse to be translated because happiness can be based on circumstances where as Joy is based on God. This is why when Peter addresses a church that is being persecuted he can say, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,” (1 Peter 1:8).
Joy is based on God being God and always sovereign not in what is happening to us and around us. With that being said, too much of our teaching in churches has turned into what Jesus can do for me instead of us serving faithfully in hope that our Master will return at any moment. Christianity has turned into a self help program where if you follow these seven steps you can have your best life now. Yes, we are promised an abundant life, (John 10:10) and yes, following God’s commands will lead to a better life now, but our focus should not be on what this life can offer. Having the best life now is about doing the will of the Master no matter the circumstances. Jesus told us that in this life we will have troubles (John 16:33) and we cannot determine our service to our Master based on what is happening on any given day. The first two servants did not focus on this life, they focused on serving the one they loved, and the joy they had serving Him was based on their relationship with their Master, which brought them fulfillment.
Read Matthew 25: 24-25
“AFRAID”
Have you ever been caught doing something and you had to make up an excuse right away? You say something before you can even think and what comes out of your mouth is the dumbest excuse ever? Although you are caught and although your excuse is the dumbest one ever, you stick by your excuse and even make it worse because you know you are busted. That is what happened to the third servant. He was not expecting his Master to come back and so instead of confessing that he lived selfishly the whole time he was gone he blamed the Master. People blame God all the time instead of looking at themselves and admitting that they were wrong. Again this slave must have thought he had more time or that because the master was gone for awhile that he might not ever come back. The main difference I see is that this servant had the wrong view of his Master. The other two servants did not mention being afraid, they seemed excited about their Master’s return.
Once again, like the Disciples found in John 6, Jesus is telling us a parable about a person that is around the Master but has no relationship with Him. It is so easy for those who are around Christianity to think they are Christians but in the end they miss what it really means. This is why so many will say to Him, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:22-23) They miss out on the relationship with the Master because they have the wrong view of who He really is.
What is astonishing is the man did not lose any of the Master’s money. The Master was not satisfied with breaking even because the Master knew that any effort would have produced at least a minimum of gain. When you have a relationship with the Master you realize you are serving Him with the resources He has given you. With this in mind there is really no risk in doing what He is calling you to do. You can rest assured that when you set out with the Master’s resources, to do the Master’s work, that you are not responsible for the growth that takes place.
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Our job is to do the work that God has assigned us to do and not worry about results because God is the reason for any growth. We will be judged on our faithfulness to the task more than what was produced.
Read Matthew 25:26-30
The third servant had the wrong view of God and just because the Master repeats the servant’s wrong view does not make it true. The Master was simply saying that the servant’s excuses were invalid because if he really believed the Master was a hard man then he should have worked harder. This servant thought he could just do what he wanted, break even and not suffer any consequences. This is the mentality of people who think that if they just break even then God will accept them. Unfortunately, this man was thrown into Hell and will miss out on the relationship with the Master for eternity. None of us can break even with the Master and that is why Jesus had to come and save us. (John 3:16) If you do not have a relationship with the Master then it starts with surrendering to Jesus Christ. After that you will be willing to take risk for the Master because you know you serve a loving Master and not a Master who is "hard man" or one that you are "afraid of". When you have that relationship the service for Him is a joy.
Why are you serving the Master?
Do you have a relationship with Him or are you serving Him grudgingly?
What is your view of the Master?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Taking Risk Part 1
Galatians 6:7-9 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
How do you feel when you find out you have been lied to?
What emotions do you experience when a manipulator convinces you that a lie is the truth and a truth is a lie?
When it says “do not be deceived” in the verse above, that is exactly what it is talking about. You buy into lies that are being told by others and you no longer see them as wrong. These are not blatant lies that you notice right away as lies but deceiving lies that lead you astray one step at a time, and eventually, you buy into the world’s mentality and the world’s way of thinking.
The verse goes on to say that “God cannot be mocked.” The word “mocked” literally means “to turn up the nose”. God is mocked when we look at what He is saying and we ignore it or throw it back in His face, as if we know better than He does. God is mocked when we no longer call sin what He calls sin, when we substitute truth for a lie, and then call it “truth”. God is mocked when we twist His word (the Bible) to make it fit our lifestyle and not make our lifestyle fit the Bible.
“A man reaps what he sows”, should be one of the most comforting and challenging parts of scripture we read. It should be comforting because you know that one day the lies and the lifestyle people are living, will eventually be exposed for what they really are. The challenge is that we know that everyday counts in what we will produce later. (Numbers 32:23)
So what does this verse have to do with taking a risk? The risk you take is trusting God that what He says will come true. This is called “faith”. Faith is trusting in God and who He is and for what He did on the cross for us. Faith that says God will do what you want, when you want it, for your benefit is not real faith. Proper faith trusts God that no matter what this world does or says to you because you are in a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This is a faith in which God will eventually be glorified and will reward you for your faithfulness no matter what your circumstances. Sometimes, however, the rewards do not come when we expect them (see 1 Peter 1:4).
Hebrews 11:32-39 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[a]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
The people referred to in the verses above took a risk following Christ and not all of them experienced a reward this side of Heaven. They stayed faithful, even though it cost them everything. They had the focus of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who, when faced with death, stood strong.
Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Are you able to face difficult circumstances, make a choice and then say “But if not…”? Are you able to take a risk and trust that even when bad things happen, God has a plan? If you stand for truth, you will have people mad at you and they may even try to destroy you. Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the liars will be found out for who they really are and they will be the ones who are destroyed in the end.
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
A day is coming when God will reward us for our faith in Him. First of all, we are already rewarded by faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. If we believe in Him, then we are in a right standing with God and can spend eternity with Him. Secondly, as we walk through this life, we can have faith that everything we walk through God uses for His plan and purpose (see Romans 8:28).
One of the stories in the Bible we might look at when taking a risk is the incident when Jesus and Peter walked on water. In Matthew 14:22-31, we see that Peter asked Jesus to call him out of the boat. It was risky, but he did it. Yes, some people focus on him falling, but he actually did walk on water. Did he doubt? Yes. Will you doubt as you step out in faith? Possibly. Will Jesus be there to make sure you do not drown? He didn’t let Peter drown.
Taking a risk is not staying in the boat where it is safe. It is about stepping out, sometimes away from everyone else, toward Jesus. Taking a risk is about faith in God, not about faith in yourself, your plans or your dreams.
Galatians 6:9 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Some observations and questions:
Name a time that you took a risk and it paid off for you.
Name a time it did not pay off for you.
Is there a time you did not make any decision and you missed out on an opportunity?
What is a bigger fear, the fear of failure or the fear of regret?
Do you think your decisions today will affect your tomorrow?
What if God does not come through like you thought He should, will you still trust Him?
What risk is Jesus calling you out from the others to do?
How do you feel when you find out you have been lied to?
What emotions do you experience when a manipulator convinces you that a lie is the truth and a truth is a lie?
When it says “do not be deceived” in the verse above, that is exactly what it is talking about. You buy into lies that are being told by others and you no longer see them as wrong. These are not blatant lies that you notice right away as lies but deceiving lies that lead you astray one step at a time, and eventually, you buy into the world’s mentality and the world’s way of thinking.
The verse goes on to say that “God cannot be mocked.” The word “mocked” literally means “to turn up the nose”. God is mocked when we look at what He is saying and we ignore it or throw it back in His face, as if we know better than He does. God is mocked when we no longer call sin what He calls sin, when we substitute truth for a lie, and then call it “truth”. God is mocked when we twist His word (the Bible) to make it fit our lifestyle and not make our lifestyle fit the Bible.
“A man reaps what he sows”, should be one of the most comforting and challenging parts of scripture we read. It should be comforting because you know that one day the lies and the lifestyle people are living, will eventually be exposed for what they really are. The challenge is that we know that everyday counts in what we will produce later. (Numbers 32:23)
So what does this verse have to do with taking a risk? The risk you take is trusting God that what He says will come true. This is called “faith”. Faith is trusting in God and who He is and for what He did on the cross for us. Faith that says God will do what you want, when you want it, for your benefit is not real faith. Proper faith trusts God that no matter what this world does or says to you because you are in a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This is a faith in which God will eventually be glorified and will reward you for your faithfulness no matter what your circumstances. Sometimes, however, the rewards do not come when we expect them (see 1 Peter 1:4).
Hebrews 11:32-39 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[a]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
The people referred to in the verses above took a risk following Christ and not all of them experienced a reward this side of Heaven. They stayed faithful, even though it cost them everything. They had the focus of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who, when faced with death, stood strong.
Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Are you able to face difficult circumstances, make a choice and then say “But if not…”? Are you able to take a risk and trust that even when bad things happen, God has a plan? If you stand for truth, you will have people mad at you and they may even try to destroy you. Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the liars will be found out for who they really are and they will be the ones who are destroyed in the end.
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
A day is coming when God will reward us for our faith in Him. First of all, we are already rewarded by faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. If we believe in Him, then we are in a right standing with God and can spend eternity with Him. Secondly, as we walk through this life, we can have faith that everything we walk through God uses for His plan and purpose (see Romans 8:28).
One of the stories in the Bible we might look at when taking a risk is the incident when Jesus and Peter walked on water. In Matthew 14:22-31, we see that Peter asked Jesus to call him out of the boat. It was risky, but he did it. Yes, some people focus on him falling, but he actually did walk on water. Did he doubt? Yes. Will you doubt as you step out in faith? Possibly. Will Jesus be there to make sure you do not drown? He didn’t let Peter drown.
Taking a risk is not staying in the boat where it is safe. It is about stepping out, sometimes away from everyone else, toward Jesus. Taking a risk is about faith in God, not about faith in yourself, your plans or your dreams.
Galatians 6:9 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Some observations and questions:
Name a time that you took a risk and it paid off for you.
Name a time it did not pay off for you.
Is there a time you did not make any decision and you missed out on an opportunity?
What is a bigger fear, the fear of failure or the fear of regret?
Do you think your decisions today will affect your tomorrow?
What if God does not come through like you thought He should, will you still trust Him?
What risk is Jesus calling you out from the others to do?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Guaranteed Uncertainty
What if following God did not turn out like what you thought it would?
What if when you started following Christ it turned out different and you wanted to quit?
Many people have the wrong concept of what it means to follow Christ and because of that they get disappointed, discouraged or even angry with God. They get this way when He does not do what they THINK He should do. Some would say that by faith you get God to do what you want Him to do. This is what Mark Batterson calls “Puppet God”. If you pray to this “Puppet God” about things you want, then God is obligated to do what you are praying about. In fact, some would even go as far to say that God is in a holding pattern and is powerless to move until you release Him to act by faith. When you believe that you can speak your future into existence or if you “name it you can claim it”, you will find yourself disappointed with God.
Jesus had a lot of followers and many were following Him for the wrong reasons. When Jesus started referring to Himself as being not only from God but God Himself, many people started to leave Him.
John 6:60-66 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[a] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
These people saw Jesus do amazing things with miracles and great teaching. They were excited to be called his disciples as long as He was doing all the things that made Him popular. As soon as His teaching became difficult they no longer wanted to follow Him or be associated with Him. Being a disciple meant you attached yourself to a teacher. When His disciples turned away from Him, they were no longer called His disciples. Many in the church these days do the same thing. They wanted to follow God as long as He did things that fit what they were doing but if they were asked to do anything difficult, or if a teaching was contrary to their beliefs, then they quickly turn away.
So what does it mean to be a true disciple or follower of Christ?
Luke 9:23-25 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
If you want to be a follower of Christ then you have to die to self. This means that it is not about what you want, your will, your desires or even your goals. What this means is that you are willing to kill all the desires, dreams and goals you have to follow Christ. It means that He has the right to lead you in any way He has planned.
In an Old Testament passage of Scripture we find 3 Hebrew men who are faced with a dilemma. They can either bow to the golden image or be killed in a furnace. Read their response for yourself.
Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
“But even if He does not…” are not words we often hear in our churches. What if God decides not to heal your cancer? Is it because you did not have enough faith? No, having faith in God is trusting Him no matter what, even when it does not make sense, even when He does not come through like we thought He should. I have heard people tell me they do not go to church because God did not answer their prayer. WOW! Did we just ask the God of the Universe for something and then get mad at Him for not answering it? We forget that God is bigger than our little world and that He is working things out for His glory, “even if He does not” make sense at the time or this side of Heaven.
Luke 22:41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus, the night before His crucifixion, is praying that if there is any other way to redeem mankind from their sins to let it happen so He did not have to face one of the cruelest ways to die. Did Jesus lack the faith to cause God to move on His behalf? Of course, the answer is NO. Jesus demonstrated the very words we should use as Christ followers, which are “not my will but yours”. If we are going to be Christ followers, then we have to trust the one we are following, even when we are uncertain about where He wants us to walk.
The Apostle Paul summed up what it means to be a Christ follower when he said in Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul was saying that compared to knowing Christ and having a relationship with Him, everything else is rubbish. Rubbish is not garbage but it is dung. Did Paul say that everything compared to Christ was poop? Yes, poop. Because he experienced a relationship with Christ, He then went on to say that he wanted to share in the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings. This does not sound like the “health and wealth gospel” which has been taught in many churches today. If you read the last part of Hebrews chapter 11 you will also find many who suffered and died for the sake of Christ. If you want to walk through trials like Paul, then you have to realize the love relationship Jesus wants to have with you. That is why the Apostle Paul was able endure all the things he went through. He realized he knew Jesus and everything else was worthless in comparison. Paul knew that there was a peace that was more than living a life of ease and with no pain
John 14:27 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The peace we so often think Jesus is referring to here is a state of tranquility. In the movies, peace is pictured as someone who has his or her legs crossed, eyes closed and not worrying about what is going on. The peace that God leaves us is a peace that comes from knowing that we are no longer enemies of God. Jesus said that it is not a false peace like the world gives but a real peace knowing that God can accept us because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. So peace means so much more than not worrying or being calm in the midst of chaos. Jesus’ peace did not flee conflict, pain, or death. In fact, the more intense the difficulties, the more apparent Jesus’ peace became. Jesus derived his peace from his relationship with the Father, as should we.
If you think about the followers of Christ, you see all the disciples except John dying violent deaths. You see people that are mentioned in Hebrews 11 as not getting rescued from their situations. Did they now have peace? Yes, they had peace but it was a peace that was different than the world offered, it meant they knew where they were going when they died because they could stand before a Holy God, not based on what they have or have not done, but on the fact that Christ died for them on the cross.
Blueletterbible.com puts it this way: “Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.”
There is a peace that Christ gives that, no matter what the circumstances, we can have assurance that He is in control and He loves us more than we love ourselves. We can have a peace that, even when we are dying, we can know where our soul will be. The world cannot promise you that kind of peace. It can only give you a false peace that makes you feel better about your situation or yourself.
We need the peace that Christ gives because, when we follow Christ, there are no guarantees. One day a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Matthew 8:20-21 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Jesus was saying if you follow me then there is no certainty in where you will even sleep at night. He was saying that following Him could cost you all your planning and comfortable lifestyle. This is contrary to much of the teachings today that want you to add Jesus to your lifestyle instead of following Him no matter what you have to give up. Following Christ is an adventure that takes trust because you have to believe in Him and then you have to trust that He is in control of all your circumstances. The scribe Jesus was talking to was genuine in saying he would follow him but Jesus was clear that it is not a life of comfort. The only guarantee we have is where we go when we die and as the Apostle Paul said the rest is rubbish.
Are you a true follower of Christ?
Do you have a God you follow or a God you expect to do your bidding?
If you have a relationship with Him, you will see that God is so much better than anything this world has to offer in either good times or in bad. You can follow Him no matter what happens and have a peace that this world cannot explain or experience.
What if when you started following Christ it turned out different and you wanted to quit?
Many people have the wrong concept of what it means to follow Christ and because of that they get disappointed, discouraged or even angry with God. They get this way when He does not do what they THINK He should do. Some would say that by faith you get God to do what you want Him to do. This is what Mark Batterson calls “Puppet God”. If you pray to this “Puppet God” about things you want, then God is obligated to do what you are praying about. In fact, some would even go as far to say that God is in a holding pattern and is powerless to move until you release Him to act by faith. When you believe that you can speak your future into existence or if you “name it you can claim it”, you will find yourself disappointed with God.
Jesus had a lot of followers and many were following Him for the wrong reasons. When Jesus started referring to Himself as being not only from God but God Himself, many people started to leave Him.
John 6:60-66 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[a] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
These people saw Jesus do amazing things with miracles and great teaching. They were excited to be called his disciples as long as He was doing all the things that made Him popular. As soon as His teaching became difficult they no longer wanted to follow Him or be associated with Him. Being a disciple meant you attached yourself to a teacher. When His disciples turned away from Him, they were no longer called His disciples. Many in the church these days do the same thing. They wanted to follow God as long as He did things that fit what they were doing but if they were asked to do anything difficult, or if a teaching was contrary to their beliefs, then they quickly turn away.
So what does it mean to be a true disciple or follower of Christ?
Luke 9:23-25 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
If you want to be a follower of Christ then you have to die to self. This means that it is not about what you want, your will, your desires or even your goals. What this means is that you are willing to kill all the desires, dreams and goals you have to follow Christ. It means that He has the right to lead you in any way He has planned.
In an Old Testament passage of Scripture we find 3 Hebrew men who are faced with a dilemma. They can either bow to the golden image or be killed in a furnace. Read their response for yourself.
Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
“But even if He does not…” are not words we often hear in our churches. What if God decides not to heal your cancer? Is it because you did not have enough faith? No, having faith in God is trusting Him no matter what, even when it does not make sense, even when He does not come through like we thought He should. I have heard people tell me they do not go to church because God did not answer their prayer. WOW! Did we just ask the God of the Universe for something and then get mad at Him for not answering it? We forget that God is bigger than our little world and that He is working things out for His glory, “even if He does not” make sense at the time or this side of Heaven.
Luke 22:41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus, the night before His crucifixion, is praying that if there is any other way to redeem mankind from their sins to let it happen so He did not have to face one of the cruelest ways to die. Did Jesus lack the faith to cause God to move on His behalf? Of course, the answer is NO. Jesus demonstrated the very words we should use as Christ followers, which are “not my will but yours”. If we are going to be Christ followers, then we have to trust the one we are following, even when we are uncertain about where He wants us to walk.
The Apostle Paul summed up what it means to be a Christ follower when he said in Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul was saying that compared to knowing Christ and having a relationship with Him, everything else is rubbish. Rubbish is not garbage but it is dung. Did Paul say that everything compared to Christ was poop? Yes, poop. Because he experienced a relationship with Christ, He then went on to say that he wanted to share in the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings. This does not sound like the “health and wealth gospel” which has been taught in many churches today. If you read the last part of Hebrews chapter 11 you will also find many who suffered and died for the sake of Christ. If you want to walk through trials like Paul, then you have to realize the love relationship Jesus wants to have with you. That is why the Apostle Paul was able endure all the things he went through. He realized he knew Jesus and everything else was worthless in comparison. Paul knew that there was a peace that was more than living a life of ease and with no pain
John 14:27 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The peace we so often think Jesus is referring to here is a state of tranquility. In the movies, peace is pictured as someone who has his or her legs crossed, eyes closed and not worrying about what is going on. The peace that God leaves us is a peace that comes from knowing that we are no longer enemies of God. Jesus said that it is not a false peace like the world gives but a real peace knowing that God can accept us because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. So peace means so much more than not worrying or being calm in the midst of chaos. Jesus’ peace did not flee conflict, pain, or death. In fact, the more intense the difficulties, the more apparent Jesus’ peace became. Jesus derived his peace from his relationship with the Father, as should we.
If you think about the followers of Christ, you see all the disciples except John dying violent deaths. You see people that are mentioned in Hebrews 11 as not getting rescued from their situations. Did they now have peace? Yes, they had peace but it was a peace that was different than the world offered, it meant they knew where they were going when they died because they could stand before a Holy God, not based on what they have or have not done, but on the fact that Christ died for them on the cross.
Blueletterbible.com puts it this way: “Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.”
There is a peace that Christ gives that, no matter what the circumstances, we can have assurance that He is in control and He loves us more than we love ourselves. We can have a peace that, even when we are dying, we can know where our soul will be. The world cannot promise you that kind of peace. It can only give you a false peace that makes you feel better about your situation or yourself.
We need the peace that Christ gives because, when we follow Christ, there are no guarantees. One day a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Matthew 8:20-21 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Jesus was saying if you follow me then there is no certainty in where you will even sleep at night. He was saying that following Him could cost you all your planning and comfortable lifestyle. This is contrary to much of the teachings today that want you to add Jesus to your lifestyle instead of following Him no matter what you have to give up. Following Christ is an adventure that takes trust because you have to believe in Him and then you have to trust that He is in control of all your circumstances. The scribe Jesus was talking to was genuine in saying he would follow him but Jesus was clear that it is not a life of comfort. The only guarantee we have is where we go when we die and as the Apostle Paul said the rest is rubbish.
Are you a true follower of Christ?
Do you have a God you follow or a God you expect to do your bidding?
If you have a relationship with Him, you will see that God is so much better than anything this world has to offer in either good times or in bad. You can follow Him no matter what happens and have a peace that this world cannot explain or experience.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Relooking at your Problems
We all have problems in our lives. It can be a difficult person or a difficult situation but we all have them. We do not get excited about the problems we face and we even try to avoid problems at all cost.
So how can we change our perspective on problems? We need to have the mindset that all of our problems are a part of His plan even though it does not make sense to us. Part of His plan is to make us more like Jesus Christ and He will allow things into our lives to bring us to the point that we are changed to be more like Christ. If you play an instrument or a sport you know that there are hours and hours of practice preparing you for the one moment you might play. If you are not a starter you prepare just as much as everyone else because if someone gets hurt you may have to go into the game.
In our life we know that "No Pain equals No Gain" If we want to lose weight, get stronger or faster we have to push ourselves and our muscles to a breaking point. But when it comes to our Christian life why do we run away from anything that is difficult? Why do we not allow God, who loves us more than we love ourselves, push us in some areas so we can grow spiritually?
One of the lies we face in our culture is this power of positive thinking.Positive thinking is a very simple concept that everyone can understand. Is the adoption of mental attitudes that makes anyone focus on certain thoughts and images that will help you achieve success, happiness and health. Yes as Christians we should have a new mindset (Romans 12:2) but that does not mean we focus on our goals, our health our dreams. Ephesians 6:6 calls us slaves of Christ. As Christians our focus should be on Christ and what His goals, His dreams and His desires are for our lives and not our own. Although there are some truths in the Power of Positive thinking we need to be careful that we do not take the focus off of God and onto ourselves. We also have to make sure we do not think it is by our own power that we live this life.
Luke 22:42-43 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
That is a very encouraging passage because it goes against this mindset that everything should be great all the time in your life if you are following Christ. Everything is not great all the time and there are some real challenges in life that we have to walk through. That we need to think our negative circumstances away is just not Biblical. We have to rebuke lies about God in our difficult circumstances but not the circumstances themselves.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The negative thoughts we demolish are the ones that come against the truth about God when we are walking through such a difficult time. The thoughts that He does not love us, or He does not care or that He is not in control. Those are the negative thoughts that have to be demolished. Losing a loved one in a car crash, or being diagnosed with a disease are still negative things we have to walk through. The issue I have is that in the church we want to explain away the pain of people instead of walking into their lives and walking through their pain with them. We cover it up by saying you just need to pray more or trust God more.
We will never face anything like Jesus faced but we can know that God allows things like pain in our lives so that we can grow and others can be ministered to. Just like a coach who pushes you harder so you will be ready for the game, God allows things to get us ready for His will.
1) God uses pain for our gain
1 Samuel 17:33-35 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
Would David have been ready for Goliath if he never fought the Lion or the Bear?
If I were a Shepherd I would have let that lion have that sheep and been happy it did not come after me. Not David, he went after the lion, popped him on the head and took the sheep. If the lion turned on him he grabbed it by the hair. Did you miss that? HE GRABBED IT BY THE HAIR. You have to be pretty bold, stupid, or just not care anymore to do that. No wonder he was not scared of Goliath. I would not have been scared either if I was taking on Lions and Bears.
All of Davids things he did behind the scenes when no one was watching paid off in the light. He was faithful when no one was cheering his name, when no one was seeing him work hard and in the end he was ready for the biggest challenge he had to date.
How about you? Are you serving faithfully even when no one sees or it seems like no one is looking? If you have been on a team you always see those couple of team mates that only jog fast when the coach is looking, but as soon as the coach stops looking they slack off again. David did not slack off when no one is looking. He took the difficult circumstances as being from God.
Psalm 71:19-21Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
Did you see verse 20? Read it again. David saw difficult things that even caused bitterness as being from God. Do you believe God loves you? If so can you look at your circumstances as Him getting you ready for something bigger than you can imagine?
Acts 16:22-25 22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
They were beaten and thrown in prison yet they were still praising God? What would you have done if you were beaten and thrown in prison? Would you be asking God why? I would have been. But they did not allow circumstances to change their view of God but focused on truth and what they knew about God and not how they felt at the time. We do not have God's view of how everything is coming together. (Isaiah 55:8) Worship is praising God even when life is not going the way we think it should be.
“We need to stop asking God to get us out of our circumstances and start asking Him what He wants us to learn in our circumstances” Mark Batterson
2) God uses pain for someone else’s gain.
Have you ever been in a difficult situation and has someone who had no clue trying to give you advice? Makes you want to smack them around a little. (In the name of Jesus of course) If you are walking through a difficult time in your life you want to talk to those who have traveled a similar path. You want to know what they did, how they go through each day and how they found comfort. God will allow you to walk through things because He is going to use you to help others through the pain of what they are experiencing. He will allow the pain you have to help lead them to Him. This is what the Cross of Christ demonstrated. God allowed Jesus to walk through pain so that we could gain. We gained a right relationship with God through Christ because of what Jesus did. God will also allow others to experience victory as He uses you in their life because of what you walked through.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Philippians 1:27-30 27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
If you are walking through trials and problems in your life think about what God is getting you ready to do, not how hard your situation is. We will have problems in this life but we know the one who has already overcome all of them. This is not about you trying harder but about putting your trust in the one that has overcome. I am not promising you that everything will come out better for you because the people in Hebrews 11 did not receive what they hoped for but I am saying that God has a plan and you can trust Him.
Hebrews 11:36-40 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 John 4: 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Notice this is not about you having the power in and of yourself to do anything. This is about the power of God living inside of you, the one who has already overcome the world. We will look forward to the day when we will be with God for eternity but until that time we must look at the situations we are in as God allowing things in our lives for the benefit of us, the benefit of others, and most importantly, for His Glory.
So how can we change our perspective on problems? We need to have the mindset that all of our problems are a part of His plan even though it does not make sense to us. Part of His plan is to make us more like Jesus Christ and He will allow things into our lives to bring us to the point that we are changed to be more like Christ. If you play an instrument or a sport you know that there are hours and hours of practice preparing you for the one moment you might play. If you are not a starter you prepare just as much as everyone else because if someone gets hurt you may have to go into the game.
In our life we know that "No Pain equals No Gain" If we want to lose weight, get stronger or faster we have to push ourselves and our muscles to a breaking point. But when it comes to our Christian life why do we run away from anything that is difficult? Why do we not allow God, who loves us more than we love ourselves, push us in some areas so we can grow spiritually?
One of the lies we face in our culture is this power of positive thinking.Positive thinking is a very simple concept that everyone can understand. Is the adoption of mental attitudes that makes anyone focus on certain thoughts and images that will help you achieve success, happiness and health. Yes as Christians we should have a new mindset (Romans 12:2) but that does not mean we focus on our goals, our health our dreams. Ephesians 6:6 calls us slaves of Christ. As Christians our focus should be on Christ and what His goals, His dreams and His desires are for our lives and not our own. Although there are some truths in the Power of Positive thinking we need to be careful that we do not take the focus off of God and onto ourselves. We also have to make sure we do not think it is by our own power that we live this life.
Luke 22:42-43 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
That is a very encouraging passage because it goes against this mindset that everything should be great all the time in your life if you are following Christ. Everything is not great all the time and there are some real challenges in life that we have to walk through. That we need to think our negative circumstances away is just not Biblical. We have to rebuke lies about God in our difficult circumstances but not the circumstances themselves.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The negative thoughts we demolish are the ones that come against the truth about God when we are walking through such a difficult time. The thoughts that He does not love us, or He does not care or that He is not in control. Those are the negative thoughts that have to be demolished. Losing a loved one in a car crash, or being diagnosed with a disease are still negative things we have to walk through. The issue I have is that in the church we want to explain away the pain of people instead of walking into their lives and walking through their pain with them. We cover it up by saying you just need to pray more or trust God more.
We will never face anything like Jesus faced but we can know that God allows things like pain in our lives so that we can grow and others can be ministered to. Just like a coach who pushes you harder so you will be ready for the game, God allows things to get us ready for His will.
1) God uses pain for our gain
1 Samuel 17:33-35 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
Would David have been ready for Goliath if he never fought the Lion or the Bear?
If I were a Shepherd I would have let that lion have that sheep and been happy it did not come after me. Not David, he went after the lion, popped him on the head and took the sheep. If the lion turned on him he grabbed it by the hair. Did you miss that? HE GRABBED IT BY THE HAIR. You have to be pretty bold, stupid, or just not care anymore to do that. No wonder he was not scared of Goliath. I would not have been scared either if I was taking on Lions and Bears.
All of Davids things he did behind the scenes when no one was watching paid off in the light. He was faithful when no one was cheering his name, when no one was seeing him work hard and in the end he was ready for the biggest challenge he had to date.
How about you? Are you serving faithfully even when no one sees or it seems like no one is looking? If you have been on a team you always see those couple of team mates that only jog fast when the coach is looking, but as soon as the coach stops looking they slack off again. David did not slack off when no one is looking. He took the difficult circumstances as being from God.
Psalm 71:19-21Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
Did you see verse 20? Read it again. David saw difficult things that even caused bitterness as being from God. Do you believe God loves you? If so can you look at your circumstances as Him getting you ready for something bigger than you can imagine?
Acts 16:22-25 22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
They were beaten and thrown in prison yet they were still praising God? What would you have done if you were beaten and thrown in prison? Would you be asking God why? I would have been. But they did not allow circumstances to change their view of God but focused on truth and what they knew about God and not how they felt at the time. We do not have God's view of how everything is coming together. (Isaiah 55:8) Worship is praising God even when life is not going the way we think it should be.
“We need to stop asking God to get us out of our circumstances and start asking Him what He wants us to learn in our circumstances” Mark Batterson
2) God uses pain for someone else’s gain.
Have you ever been in a difficult situation and has someone who had no clue trying to give you advice? Makes you want to smack them around a little. (In the name of Jesus of course) If you are walking through a difficult time in your life you want to talk to those who have traveled a similar path. You want to know what they did, how they go through each day and how they found comfort. God will allow you to walk through things because He is going to use you to help others through the pain of what they are experiencing. He will allow the pain you have to help lead them to Him. This is what the Cross of Christ demonstrated. God allowed Jesus to walk through pain so that we could gain. We gained a right relationship with God through Christ because of what Jesus did. God will also allow others to experience victory as He uses you in their life because of what you walked through.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Philippians 1:27-30 27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
If you are walking through trials and problems in your life think about what God is getting you ready to do, not how hard your situation is. We will have problems in this life but we know the one who has already overcome all of them. This is not about you trying harder but about putting your trust in the one that has overcome. I am not promising you that everything will come out better for you because the people in Hebrews 11 did not receive what they hoped for but I am saying that God has a plan and you can trust Him.
Hebrews 11:36-40 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 John 4: 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Notice this is not about you having the power in and of yourself to do anything. This is about the power of God living inside of you, the one who has already overcome the world. We will look forward to the day when we will be with God for eternity but until that time we must look at the situations we are in as God allowing things in our lives for the benefit of us, the benefit of others, and most importantly, for His Glory.
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