Lost and Found

Luke 19:1-10 (New American Standard Bible)

He entered Jericho and was passing through.2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."


I was listening to a new Robin Mark worship CD my son bought me for Christmas and one song particularly moved me deeply. It is called Lost and Found. You can hear it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ZtP6db8AI 

It struck me once again how important it is that I never forget the fact that I was horribly lost before I met Jesus. And that I often still get horribly lost. 

Grace is only appreciated by those who know that they have a desperate need of it. 

I believe the greatest spiritual battle we ever fight is to know or to remember we are lost without Him. None of the ones who stood around Jesus when he looked up into the tree to find a little man needed his grace less than Zaccheus. They all had been or were presently just as lost. The difference is that they did not know it. Or if they had ever had known it they had forgotten it. 

It is so easy to forget.....

I am convinced that when we crash and burn if we retrace our steps we will find that somehow.... in the smallest movement of our soul.... we somehow let the thought that we were not as lost as that other person..... and let a creeping tiny judgement that somehow we, like they thought of Zacheus, are not quite as in need of grace as he was.... and soon we become delusional that we are better than others..... like these tax collectors and publicans. Then it is only a matter of time when like a plane that has lost the power of its flight we return to our falling place.   

But then in our tragic fall there is a hope given from heaven that somehow if we will understand once again that we are never out of the need of the full grace that was given on the cross we will find it again. 

Like Robin Mark once again reminded me we must take as a primary identity of our lives that we are forever "but a lost and found"

I have heard it said and have often said it myself that the ground at the foot of the cross is level. I am no less or more in need of grace than anyone else in my life. When I grumble because Jesus seems to be blessing those who have harmed me I can remember that he gave me grace after I had and still harm others. I can remember the day that Jesus walked into my lostness and took me by that hand once scared with nails to find me. I can once again humble myself and cast away my arrogant pride that makes me believe I have come to a place where I don't really need the grace of that day now as I did then. 

No, I am but a lost and found. I will always be. And how grateful I am that it is so.

Knowing that I was lost and am easily lost again keeps me remembering the sweetness of Jesus's life and love, not just for me but for Zacheus as well. In the remembrance of my own lostness I find great compassion and desire to point others to the one who found and is still finding me.

Dreamkillers Part One

"If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. . . . 17 Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" 20 I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."

Have you ever noticed that when your heart is filled with a dream people come out of the woodwork to try and kill it?

As long as you fit in the day to day common life of passivity no one feels you are a problem. But let a passion grip your heart and all of a sudden you have mighty forces coming against you using all kinds of arguments to get you back to "normality."

That was Nehemiah's experience.

His heart was taken over by a dream from God. He loved what God loved. He was passionate about what God was passionate about. He wanted Jerusalem restored to those who were given it in the beginning. It was the place where God said He would put His Name. It was the place where every Jew was to come and worship. Nehemiah wanted to restore it.

But as soon as he began to believe it was possible he was met by giant dreamkillers seeking to turn him aside from his destiny.

Perhaps the most significant dreamkiller for him and all of us is the one that lives inside us. The one that says constantly, "you are insignificant,", "who do you think you are?" "God uses great and gifted people not people like you!" or the ever popular religious ones, "you are full of pride to think that God would use you!" and "you are in the flesh, when God wants to do something He will do it without your help!"

Our internal voice is sometimes just a repeat of what we have been told by dreamkillers throughout our lives. Sometimes it is our own self-hatred. Sometimes it is the voice of hell.

Many feel afraid to even give expression to their heart's passions for God due to theiir internal voice. Often when they do share it they are met with the same voice in the mouths of others.

But let me say that no one has ever accomplished anything for God without slaying their dreamkillers. David's primary dream killer was not Goliath, it was his own family.

1 Samuel 17:28 When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

What if David had taken to heart what his brother told him? What if he had accepted the words that were meant to kill his dream? Most of the Psalms would have never been written. The greatest King to have ever lived would have never arisen to the throne. And the line of Jesus would have never been established.

How powerful dreamkillers are. They want to change the course of history for the worse. They seek to tear away the destiny God seeks to build. But we have a mandate to slay them completely. And be sure we must face them. We cannot avoid it. It is one of the first steps in learning spiritual warfare.

Our Father - Sunday August first's sermon at Yarmouth Centre United Church

Our Father - Our Relationship with God in Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 "Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 'Your kingdom come Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer begins with an invitation to relationship.

Prayer creates a relationship.

Prayer builds a relationship.

Prayer sustains a relationship.

The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray starts with two relationships.

OUR

Our age of independence is directly confronted with this word. God relates to me and can be called "mine." But not exclusively "mine."

God is "ours"

Because God is ours we belong to each other.

This beginning word of the Lord’s Prayer means that God not only hears my prayer and hears your prayer but most importantly hears OUR prayer. God delights in us understanding that we not only are in need of Him but also in need of each other.

This has at least three things to tell us.

1. Prayer is a shared experience.
2. Prayer is to be done with others in mind.
3. Prayer builds unity in the body of Christ.

1. Prayer is a shared experience
The most precious times of fellowship with others in my life have been when we prayed together.

2. Prayer is to be done with others in mind:

I find that when I pray with others either with me or consciously in my thoughts my prayers are less self centered and God more often answers them.

3. Prayer builds unity in the body of Christ. I have found it very hard to live in hardness of heart towards others when I pray with or for them.

One of the first questions I ask of couples when they come to Carie and I for help in their marriages is "Do you pray with and for each other." Sadly in most cases the answer is no. This is one of the most important reasons their hearts are no longer soft towards each other. It is also one of the most important ways they can rebuild kindness in their hearts toward each other.

Prayer can be the most intimate shared act between human beings. We can even share physical intimacy with each other and still have a closed, selfish heart. But it is almost impossible to sincerely pray with and for each other and remain alienated.

The "Our" in the Lord’s prayer is the invitation and the power to create, build and sustain not only a relationship with God but a relationship with each other.

The second word is one which, though for almost two thousand years was not considered controversial, for some today is.

Father

Some find naming God Father is sexist, authoritarian and demeaning to women. Because God created humans in His image as male and female we know that God in essence is not exclusively male or female. Both men and women fully express God’s image.

Women do not express only the feminine aspects of God.

Men do not express only the masculine aspects of God.

Each person when they are in full relationship with God express Him fully no matter what their sex is.

Yet God is called Father by Jesus. Jesus tells us to call Him Father.

As I have asked God to help me understand why Jesus and the other writers of the Bible have predominately called Him Father I have found some answers which I believe are very helpful.

First of all if a child has a problem with a parent it is most likely with their father. There are mothers who abandon their children but in comparison to fathers their number is very small. God wants for children to have a healthy relationship with both parents. Except in rare cases the most likely relationship to be unhealthy is the father - child relationship.

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

The last words of the Old Testament are concerning the relationship of Fathers with their Children They give us some idea of the importance of a father in a child’s life.

I believe one reason God identifies Himself as Father is to give us fathers a clear image that we can follow to become the kind of fathers that will bless our spouses and our children.

As a teacher I see the result of fatherlessness on a daily basis. It is why I am so glad to be working with young children to hopefully give them a positive image of masculinity - like God did when He identified himself as Father to me. I was fatherless when it was beyond rare to be so. That God revealed Himself to me as Father did not demean women in my sight. It gave me hope that I could overcome my fatherlessness and one day be a father who would bless my own children in a way I had not known.

I could give many other reasons I have found in my search for understanding of God’s revelation as Father but this one alone is enough to understand it as not being sexist, authoritarian or demeaning women.

When I come in prayer to God as Father I understand that He has in His heart at least three elements that are meant to be the gifts I as a father are to give to my children.

THE GIFTS OF A FATHER

PROVISION

PROTECTION

PRESENCE

PROVISION

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Proverbs 19:14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,

Protection

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Presence

Hebrews 13:5 "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

You might say that mothers as well as fathers are to give these gifts. That is absolutely correct. Imagine if every child on earth had a mother and father who consistently gave provision, protection and their kind, loving presence to their children. The world would be a so much healthier, safer and kinder place for children to live in.

When we come to God in prayer as Father we find all three given fully in Him.

When I first prayed this prayer I too had to deal with a memory of abandonment from a father. Today the prayer is so powerful because I know God meets me as the most kind, concerned and caring being in the universe.

Not just to me... But to everyone who will call upon Him in prayer.

That is why I love to pray the first two words of Jesus prayer.

OUR FATHER

Our Father

Yahweh Nissi - The Lord our Banner

JEHOVAH NISSI

Exodus 17:8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up one on one side, one on the other so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from Genesis ration to Genesis ration."

YAHWEH OUR BANNER

Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner (Jehovah nissi). 16 He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD.

A BANNER IS THE MILITARY SYMBOL OF A TROOP

Isaiah 18:3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.

Isaiah 31:9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at sight of the battle standard (Battle Banner) their commanders will panic," declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 4:21 How long must I see the battle standard (Battle Banner) and hear the sound of the trumpet?

Numbers 10:25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out, under their standard (banner). Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command.

A BANNER IS THE SYMBOL OF A FAMILY

Numbers 2:2 "The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard (banner) with the banners of his family."

A BANNER SHOWS WHO WILL PROTECT YOU

Psalm 60:4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah

A BANNER IS LIFTED TO PROCLAIM A MESSAGE

Jeremiah 50:2 "Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, `Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame . .

A BANNER IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT

Jeremiah 51:12 Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. 13 You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be cut off. 14 The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with men, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.

A BANNER IS A SYMBOL TO GATHER PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR WAR

Jeremiah 51:27 "Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts.

Isaiah 13:2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded my holy ones; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath those who rejoice in my triumph.

Isaiah 5:26 He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!

A BANNER IS A SYMBOL TO GATHER PEOPLE TO HELP

Isaiah 49:22 . . . "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. . . I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.

A BANNER IS A SYMBOL OF CELEBRATION

Psalm 20:5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.

Song of Songs 2:4 He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.

A BANNER IS AN ADORNMENT OF BEAUTY

Song of Songs 6:4 You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners.

Ezekiel 27:7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah.

THE BANNER OF GOD IS JESUS

Isaiah 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.

Isaiah 62:10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. 11 The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your Savior (Hebrew is literally Jesus) comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'" 12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.

THE BANNER MUST BE LIFTED UP

John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

John 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

A Force More Powerful Than Death - My thoughts after a tragic plance crash involvoing four members of my wife's extended family

A Force More Powerful Than Death


A FORCE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH


What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 36 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39

Somewhere today the world has seen great tragedy.

Some terrible thing has come into lives and touched them in a way that will change them forever.

Four members of my wife's extended family has recently gone through such an event. In an instant something so tragic happened it's effect will continue for years.

Just after taking off, their small plane it crashed. One of their children died. The second one was unbelievably burned. The father who was piloting the plane has had to have major reconstructive surgery to his face. He too was horribly burned. The mother had third degree burns to over half her body and as a result has had both her legs amputated. A young woman who was a passenger in the plane also was injured terribly.

In a moment the life of a child was over and those who survived will suffer every day for the rest of their lives.

In the days following such events we ask hard questions«..

Many said prayers for the little one who died and for the ones who live on with unimaginable memories. Families and friends of the victims also know so much pain. I am sure they and everyone who has heard of it ask "Why?´

Today I feel such a desire to comfort all their hearts and to try and touch others who walk through tragedy with the grace that has helped me in those same times.

I desire to answer a few important questions.

I desire to help us know how to respond.

I desire to help us to find God's heart for all who suffer.

WHY?

If God is all powerful and loving how can people go through things like this?

The question has led many to not believe in God at all.

We know from the Bible that God is all powerful.

And especially from the life of Jesus that He is loving.

But we also know another very important truth that we often miss.

He gave human beings the chance to choose for or against Him in a real way that affects even the innocent.

Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:9

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Genesis 2:16-17

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.' "  4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:1-12 

The result of that first rejection of God was all human pain and suffering. We all suffer as a result our forebear's choice to not follow God's plan. Not just those who themselves reject Him suffer. Everyone whose life they touch or grows out of them, though completely innocent suffer as well.

One look at the life of Jesus tells us it is so. His pain and suffering was completely as a result of the wrong doing of others.

Another example is in cases of violence victims often suffer even more than the one hurting them.

To try and understand this it is extremely important to remember that God gave human beings authority over all the works of His hands.


Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Genesis 1:26

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
Psalm 8:4-6

God gave the rule over the earth to human beings.

He cannot lie.

. . . in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
Titus 1:2

. . . so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
Hebrews 6:18

With these two understandings of God and people we can begin to answer to the why of pain and suffering.

They are a direct consequence of living in a world no longer under God's will which resulted in the loss of His power and protection.

All pain and suffering is a result of sin. Sin is rejecting God's plan for our lives.

Evil exists because God desired and continues to desire for human beings to freely choose and love Him.

Evil is the act and the fruit of rejecting God in the human heart.

Pain and suffering for even innocent people are the consequences of doing so.

The second aspect of the question is answered that God does not cause these kinds of things to happen.

He cannot stop them except through the ones he gave the authority of the world to.

Us.

God did not decide last month that a child would die and four others would suffer so extremely in a plane crash.

God did everything possible to stop it. and still be faithful to His Word.

The event came as a result of the chaos that fills our world since humans first stepped outside of God's plan for them.

It might have been a true accident not the direct result of anyone's wrongdoing.

The crash did not have God as its place of origin.

Had Adam and Eve followed God no tragedy would have ever happened.

Pain and suffering's real source began before humans were ever created in the heart of Satan.

"You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.
Ezekiel 28:14

And that evil moved from Satan into the hearts of humans beings.

Every tragedy since the dawn of time began as a result of satan's pride and the choices people have made to follow him.

All pain and suffering was born from a heart that choose its own wisdom above God's.

What is God's answer in the face of tragedy?

The only answer I have found is surrendering it to Jesus.

In the face of the most terrible things life can bring he will comfort us.

In some cases he does miracles to remove the pain.

It has been my observation in most cases he helps us bear it.

In all cases he wants us to give our pain to Him by helping others who have walked down a similar road.

If we let our hearts be filled with God's love for us we can face the worst.

This is the message of Jesus.

This is the hope that we celebrate as we consider his death on the cross.

He was so filled with faith in God his Father that he choose to follow His plan through unimaginable pain on the cross.

He was so filled with hope of a life beyond the grave that he choose to suffer death for everyone that has ever lived.

He was so filled with the love of God that he forgave those who were killing him.

We may not find all the answers to why tragedies happen in our lives.

But we are sure of one thing.

Knowing that Jesus cares about our situation will help us walk through them.

The greatest hope and comfort is that no tragedy is the end of the story.

Pain and suffering will not have the last word.

Death can only harm temporarily.

Because Jesus overcame death the consequences of tragic events will not go on forever.

A power greater than pain and suffering belongs to Jesus.

A power greater than death belongs to Jesus.

Love has a mighty advocate that will be victorious in the end.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54

In Memory of Myles Cavner

A Gift in Secret

A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
Proverbs 21:14 

This morning as I was praying I was reminded once again of how practical God's ways and Word are as I remembered a principle I learned many years ago that has brought great freedom in my life since.

I have often been hurt by people and have been strongly tempted or have given in to the temptation of responding in anger or aloofness. I have found that usually our strong temptations have a lot to do with God's giftedness in our lives.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The way we are created has abilities, or what we or others might consider disabilities, that God put in us from the moment we were conceived. But these abilities only find their true purpose when Jesus is Lord of our lives.

Further each of our gifts in creation - spiritual, soul based and physical have inherent weakness in them as well. We are created dependent on God and others.

These abilities and weaknesses are places of need and can be places where we find greater temptations.

1 Corinthians 12:14-18
For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

The eye is a powerful precision instrument that is so vital to the body. But if the eye had no eyelid it would shrivel up and become useless. If it had no tear duct it would do the same.

The hand can work with dirt and sand for a long time before suffering any damage. Most damage it suffers, after it heals, actually makes it stronger. But one speck of sand in our eye can bring such a disturbance that it affects the whole body.

I have learned through this not to be so quick to judge perceived weaknesses in others. Their struggle may not be mine but I have struggles too.

All of that to say that one that I have had is a temptation to feelings of self pity around perceived rejection or being mistreated. 

One day I was seeking to be free from a temptation to bitterness that had lodged in my soul towards someone who had wronged me. I had forgiven them but still the thoughts came like birds in the air seeking to build their nest on my head.

I wanted not only to forgive, I wanted to forget.

Most of the feelings I had were self loathing. Often my anger has been directed towards myself and not those who wronged me. Self hatred is a powerful force of evil. It is often the root cause of the most viscous acts.

I was crying out to God for freedom when I read the short passage I began with.

Proverbs 21:14
A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

I suddenly thought the first part did not make sense if the angry person was the one you to whom you were giving the gift. If it was a secret gift they would not know about it. It slowly came to me that the one whose anger was pacified was the one giving the gift. The second part deals with the other person.

As I continued in prayer I felt the Lord said through this scripture to give the person who wronged me a secret gift.

I was so desirous to be free of my feelings that I took up the challenge.

It was amazing. I planned it to make sure no one knew about the gift. I made sure it was a gift they would love. As I was doing the planning I found my heart delighting to do this because I knew the one who was watching and knew all about it was God.

Matthew 6:3-4 "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

I was not only giving to the person who had wronged me, I was giving a thanksgiving offering to God. My thanksgiving was that He had suffered far more wrong than I had ever experienced at the hands of even his best friends and He did it, in part, for me.

By the time the gift was given my heart was fully free of any hostility, bitterness, aloofness or anger. It was filled with joy and a deep love for the other person. The self-pity vanished and I was free.

I have used this wonderful principle since and it has always been the same.

We so often make our following God's Word a slavish thing of "obedience." In reality it is one of the greatest joys in our lives to watch God use us doing the simple things He asks and watching Him do things we could never do - Our Part - God's Part....

To watch Him make the darkness flee from my heart as I do the simple things He tells me in His Word is far from a burden. It is joy inexpressible and full of glory.

1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory....

Living in the Name of God

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17

The Name of God is Holy.

Leviticus 22:32 (Amplified Bible)
Neither shall you profane My holy name [applying it to an idol, or treating it with irreverence or contempt or as a byword]; but I will be hallowed among the Israelites. I am the Lord, Who consecrates and makes you holy,

This in itself makes it something that is not to be used vainly. Holiness means that something is set apart. It is pure, undefiled by outside contaminations. If one will not take the name of the Lord in vain they must not use it in any way that will detract from its holiness.

In a very practical way we can determine if we are using the name of the Lord wrongly in the way that we join it to other things. This will take the form of personal evaluation of at least three areas:

1. Purpose of use

2. Effect of use

3. Integrity of use.

PURPOSE IN THE USE OF GOD'S NAME

Purpose of use is an internal thing. It has to do with what the person who is using the name intends to do with it. It is not always able to be discerned through externals. However many times it can be.

Exodus 20:7
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.


Any use of the name which is not obviously in the purposes God outlines in His word is not in the proper purpose.

For example when a person uses the name of God or Jesus as a swear word the purpose is meant to defile the name. It is a profane use and therefore a vain use. Vain here means in a blasphemous and slanderous manner.

Leviticus 24:11
The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses.

Invoking the name of God for Him to act in a way not in line with His character is also a wrong purpose. Asking God to damn someone to hell for instance is a vain use of His name. It is not God's desire to place anyone in eternal perdition. It is wrong therefore to invoke any curse in God's name.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

THE EFFECT OF THE NAME OF GOD

When we are speaking of using God's name in vain as far as effect we mean that though we use it in a proper manner it has no effect. A biblical example of this is found in the seven sons of Sceva who sought to cast out devils using the name of Jesus.

Acts 19:13-16
But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." 14Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Their purpose was proper and their form of using the name was correct as well.

God desires for devils to be cast out in the name of Jesus. He wants the power of darkness to be overcome.

In this way the Jewish men were had the right desire for the possessed man and were acting in accordance with God's revealed will.

What was the problem? It is twofold.

First and foremost if we are using the name of the Lord for any proper purpose, we must have first established a relationship with him by faith.

Second of all if we expect for things to happen when we use the name of God we must have specific faith for that moment.

James 1:5-7
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James says that when we ask of God any specific request we must do so in faith with NOTHING doubting. The one who is doubts is double minded and will not receive anything from the Lord.

It is here that the seven men, regardless of their intentions for good, failed.

First of all without a proper relationship of faith with the Lord in the first place there is no way to have faith for specific things.

In this way their use of the name of the Lord was vain. They sought to use it like a magic formula.

They like many today think that it is a "principle" that will work no matter how far from the Lord they are. These men were not believers. They thought they could take what they wanted from the Christian faith while keeping their allegiance to Judaism. They were unconverted.

They used the name of Jesus but without personal faith. it is here that we have a little lesson in faith. Far too often people think that faith is believing that God can do something. If this were the case we certainly would have faith here. These men thought something would happen. They thought that the name was all that was needed but they had faith that it could do the work.

Faith is when we have committed our way to God.

It is not an intellectual consent to believe that He can do something.

It is faith in Him.

This requires a commitment of life. These Jewish believers had no faith in this way. Therefore when they took the name of Jesus they did so vainly. Vain here means to no effect.

Another vain use of the name of God is described by Jesus as being "Meaningless Repetition"

Matthew 6:6-8
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

This is perhaps as contemporary as we can get. With the advent of transcendental meditation the chanting of the names of various gods is now avant-garde.

This concept is not unfamiliar to many religions. It is the idea that by chanting the name of a deity it will respond by blessing you.

What a revelation it was when all of the people who had been told that T.M. was a non religious form of meditation when they found out that they were chanting the names of hindu gods.

Jesus said this kind of repetition in prayer was a sign of paganism. He told us that our prayers were not to be in the form of repetition. They are to be as we would talk to a kind father. We don't need to call him an hundred times to get his attention.

THE INTEGRITY OF GOD'S NAME

The Concept of the Name:

In the west the concept of the name has been all but lost. It is an ancient idea with very little of today's pragmatic emphasis. The name was considered to be of upmost importance. What you named a child reflected things about his birth situation (i.e. Benjamin who was named Benommi son of my sorrows by his mother: Moses from the water because he was taken from the river), his character (i.e. Jacob which means, one who takes away what is rightfully another’s, which he did most of his life, Joshua savior who was a savior and leader to his people), or even his destiny (i.e. Abraham father of a multitude which was to be his destiny).

A name represented the integrity of a man. Though it is greatly weakened we carry some of that concept into our culture. A man or a woman has a good name or a bad name depending on his family and his own character.

Proverbs 22:1
A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

For the Hebrew a "good" name (i.e. an honorable name) was worth more than money. If a son was evil and his father righteous it would mar his "good" name. The son would even be stripped of his inheritance and disowned if they marred the name of a good man by acting in an evil way.

This is our third consideration in dealing with the concept of taking the Lord's name in vain. We take the Lord's name in vain when our association with it brings dishonor to it.

We retain some sense of this use of the Name when we sign our names on a contract to make it binding. When we use a name this way we reflect the ancient thought that anything our name is put on bears our reputation.

The name represents us.

It is in this light that we understand the deeper meaning of not taking the Lord's name in vain.

His name is his integrity.

Things done in His name are a reflection on it. That which he puts his name on should bear that same integrity.

As God’s people He has placed upon us His name.

2 Chronicles 7:14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

That we bear God’s name with honor and bring honor to it is our responsibility.

Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

It is in this light that Colossians tells us that whatever we do we are to do it in the "Name" of Jesus.

It is here that perhaps many Christian people take the name of the Lord in vain.

They may not curse or swear with it and yet they may live lifestyles that are inconsistent with Jesus’ lifestyle. This goes even beyond the externals. If we are to not bear it in vain then we are to judge every action, every thought and every motivation by placing His name on it and see whether it fits.

What a revelation this was for me as a young person. I had been seeking to find how we were to be guided in some ethical areas that for most were gray. I was searching for a principle of discernment by which I could determine my behavior.

I found it in this passage which said to me every act and thought of my life was to be worthy to place the name of Jesus on.

I suddenly found convictions about things that I had always taken for granted were not wrong They might in fact not be wrong in the sense that most take that term. They were gray or perhaps amoral to many, yet suddenly I found that they were not worthy of the name of Jesus. They may not have been sin but they were not God's highest.

I believe that we often fail in the Lord's work because of not taking seriously this commandment to do all in the name of Jesus. If we take it seriously, it is no longer, “what is the minimum requirement of righteousness,” but rather all of my life falls under the test of "can I place the name of Jesus on this and still feel that I am honoring Him?"

I found immediately that many things I did could not pass that test.

If I am to not take the name of the Lord in vain it is not just a static keeping of the words out of our mouth.

It must be that when God puts his name on us as our Father and us as his adopted children we honor it by our lives.

Hopefully this awesome thought will not bring us to condemnation but rather inspire us.

The desire to honor the good name of earthly fathers and mothers has inspired some men and women to want to keep their good name into the next generation. So should our hearts be filed with the desire to bring glory to our perfect Heavenly Father - to honor His name in our generation as well as the next.

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Thank you,

Leonard

ADONAI - LORD

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:1

THE GREAT KING

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.7 He touched my mouth {with it} and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."
Isaiah 6:1-7

ABRAHAM CALLED HIM LORD

Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." 4 Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." 5 And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:2-6

JESUS IS LORD AND CHRIST

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 2:36

KING OF KINGS - LORD OF LORDS

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:11

WHO IS HE TO US?

OUR SHIELD

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward.
Genesis 15:1

THE ONE WHO GIVES US MERCY

Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Psalm 123:2

THE ONE WHO SUSTAINS US

The LORD upholds all that fall, and raises up all those that be bowed down.
Psalm 145:14

THE ONE WHO PROVIDES FOR US

The eyes of all wait upon thee; and you give them their meat in due season.

Psalm 145:15

THE ONE WHO GIVES US THE DESIRE OF OUR HEARTS

Thou open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Psalm 145:16

THE ONE WHO HEARS OUR CRY FOR HELP

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
Psalm 145:19

THE ONE WHO IS NEAR

The LORD is near to all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Psalm 145:18

THE ONE WHO PRESERVES US

The LORD preserves all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Psalm 145:20

THE ONE WHO WILL BE WITH US

And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.
Judges 6:16

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

PLEASE HIM

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
2 Timothy 2:3

TO CONFESS HIM AS LORD

. . . if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9

TO BEAR HIS REPROACH

Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; 51 Wherewith your enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed.
Psalm 89:50

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Matthew 10:24

TO OBEY HIS WORD

And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings, and does them . . . is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 6:45

You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
John 15:14

TO BE FAITHFUL

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Revelation 17:14

TO LOVE THE ONES HE LOVES

For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regards not persons, nor takes reward: 18 He executes the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love therefore the stranger: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:17

These things I command you, that you love one another.
John 15:17

TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE

So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
John 13:12

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:1

TO THANK AND PRAISE HIM

My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Psalm 145:21

CAN WE BE SAVED APART FROM HIS LORDSHIP?

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Luke 13:24

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:22