Entries Tagged 'Sermons (Joleen)' ↓

Luke 2.8-20

Glory (Doxa)
Notice the word glory or glorify in this passage. The angels have the glory of the Lord around them. They say, “Glory to God in the highest.” The shepherds response after they go and see Jesus is to glorify and praise God.

In looking at the definition of the word, glory may be visible, as it was with the angels. There was a glow, a radiance about them. Many times when we see pictures of angels or of Jesus in the manger there will be a circle of light portrayed around their heads. With angels we many refer to it as a halo. Glory, however, is not always visible, but is the characteristic of splendor, majesty, honor or even power. And with the angels, notice that their glory is not their own, it is the glory of the Lord that shone about them. The Lord, Jesus, is the one who is majestic.

And when the angels and the shepherds glorify God, they are acknowledging his glory. You will hear the phrase, “give God the glory.” No one can make God glorious. Praises don’t give God his glory. But when the shepherds glorified God it showed that they recognized his glory. They recognized the magnitude of what was happening that night so long ago.

And what was happening?
What leads the shepherds glorify God?
1. They witness the glory of God at the appearance of the angels. They actually see  the halo of light, which is the Glory of God.

2. They witness the baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. They went to see what the angels told them about and everything was just as the angels described it, “just as they had been told.” … therefore …

3. They believe that this child is the Messiah, the Christ. Now, no where is the word “believe” used, but a sign of their belief is that after they had seen the Christ Child, they spread the word. They went about telling others what they had seen what they were told about this child. And, again, they were told that he is the Messiah. They believed this child is, as the angels said, “Savior” and “Lord.”

Savior
The Gospel of Matthew says that when the angel appeared to Joseph he was told to name the child Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. [Jesus is the Greek for Joshua, which means “the Lord saves.”]

The shepherds were excited and glorified God, because their Savior had come. The one would save them, rescue them, deliver and protect them. The one who would restore the relationship between humankind and God.

Shall we not glorify God too?
The shepherds were there and they got to see these things firsthand.  They got to be witnesses of Christ’s coming. But, shall we not rejoice that we get to be here today.
~We, too, are invited to witness the glory of God.
~We, too, are invited to experience that every Word of God is truth.
~We, too, get to experience the birth of Christ (in our lives). We get to retell and relive the story. We get to remember what this day is all about: that Jesus came to save us! That God, the very author of life, the creator of all that is living, became flesh and lived among people just like you and me, so that today, we can know him, we can be saved from things that tear us apart from him, the things that tear us apart inside. Because of today, we can once again be in relationship with God. We have the privilege of calling him Savior and Lord.

The King of Glory
The Lord is so glorious that the psalmist calls him the King of glory. Listen to the words of Psalm 24 that declare his glory. They are also an invitation to you to see and experience his glory.

Psalm 24.7ff

You may be asking today, “Who is this King of glory?” What is it about Christmas that I’ve never known? Experience the glory of Christ. Acknowledge who he is in all of his glory.
~Lift up your head and acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord.
~Lift up the gates, the things in the recesses of your heart that block your relationship with God (and others).
~Lift up the doors of your heart, and allow the King of glory, the Lord almighty to come in and reign.

Let us join in singing glory to God, as we sing Angels We Have Heard on High. The chorus of this familiar carol are the angels’ words of praise in Luke 2: Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest)!

My Birthday: a letter from Jesus

Dear loved ones,

As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me.

As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration.

Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don’t know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn’t invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn’t remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face … and I wanted to be with them and share their table.

In truth, that didn’t surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I wasn’t invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner.

They were eating and drinking, telling jokes and laughing. They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat man, all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling "Ho-Ho-Ho!" He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" … as if the party were in his honor!

At 12 Midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and … do you know … no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. How would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted and quietly left.

Every year it gets worse. People only remember the food, the gifts, and the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.

I want to share something with you. As many didn’t invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I’m still making the final arrangements.

Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don’t answer the invitation will be left outside. Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great party.

See you soon.
I Love you!
Jesus

Matthew 22.1-14 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Jesus once told a story to the chief priests and Pharisees saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He invited some, saying, “Come” but they refused the invitation. As the food was prepared and ready to eat, he sent out the second invitation to them, “Come.” But they again paid no attention and went about their daily business.

So the king sent out a third invitation, this invitation to a different group of people. This invitation was to no special group, but to those in the streets. He gathered all he could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with those wearing wedding clothes.

Today Jesus Christ not only sends out an invitation to celebrate Christmas, the true meaning of Christmas, his coming to earth in human form. But he sends out an invitation for us to join him at his Second Coming. You see when Jesus left this earth he said that he was going to prepare a place for us and that he would come and get us so that we could be with him and live with him. (John 14).

Revelation 22, the very last book of the Bible, talks about that coming.

Anticipating His Coming
This passage proclaims the Second Coming of Christ and that his coming is soon or quick. It even ends with a call for Jesus to come. His coming is anticipated, even longed for.

How many of you are anticipating Christmas? How many are you hoping Christmas comes soon?
Most people I know look at the countdown of days until Christmas and moan. I was in a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago and they had up on their board, x number of days until Christmas. I was in Walmart, standing in line and there on a gift card display, x days ‘til Christmas. We moan because we think of all the unfinished chores. The stores proclaim the number of days so you sense the urgency and grab one of those gift cards. (and by the way, you have 7 more days until Christmas.)

But ask a child how many days until Christmas … and their eyes light up with excitement. They can’t wait for Christmas morning! With all those packages under the tree! They expect new toys and they expect to play all day! They expect to do the things they love to do!

You know, that sounds just a little bit like heaven to me. Revelation 22 says that when Christ comes, his reward is with him, he will give to everyone according to what they have done. If we have kept the words of this book, we will be ready. If our robes have been washed, if we have accepted what Jesus Christ has done for us: that he was born into this world so that he might die on a cross and be resurrected from the dead, bringing us new life, a life that will endure. A life that will one day bring us into the very presence of God, that will call us to dwell with Christ.
 
And Revelation 22 puts out an invitation, “Come!” “Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

Why should we be excited about this place? Why should we long for the time of his second coming?
Revelation 22 opens by saying that the river of the water of life flows and on each side of the river stands the tree of life. And that the curse is broken. Everything that happened in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit will be reversed. Satan will no longer be present, nor the sin and temptation that he brings. There will be no more death or dying. There will be no more sickness; no more pain; no more sorrow. We can finally say good-bye to the ills of this world, the ills of this life.

God’s people will be rewarded with eternal life. Our bodies will be glorified. We will be like Christ. In these days we long to be like Christ. Every day is a journey toward transformation, being more and more made into the image of Christ. On that day, when Christ comes again, we will like him.

1 John 3.2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Conclusion
Let us look with joyful expectation to the coming of Christ. Let us remember this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Christ, that as God was faithful to fulfill that promise, he will be faithful to fulfill all his promises. As people longed for the birth of Messiah, as they waited and watched, let us long for the Second Coming of Christ. Let us be all the more faithful to believe that as God’s word promises, his word will be fulfilled. We do not know the time, nor the hour, but let us wait with eager expectation.

Let us responsivively read the sure words of scripture in Canticle of Hope UMH #734

2 Peter 1.12-21

The Book of Promises
The Bible is sometimes called the Book of Promises. And at Advent we look to a promise fulfilled: the promise of the Messiah, a Savior, whose birth we anticipate throughout Advent and celebrate on Christmas.

The Promise of Messiah
The Old Testament scriptures promised a Messiah. Some of the prophecies or promises included that the Messiah would be …

• heir to throne of David Isaiah 9.2-7 and so Matthew begins his Gospel, and the NT begins, with the geneology of Jesus, “the son of David, the son of Abraham …”
• offspring of a woman Genesis 3.15
• offspring of Abraham Genesis 18.18
• descend from the tribe of Judah Genesis 49.10
• born of a virgin, Isaiah 7.14, and so Matthew and Luke both tell of the virgin birth of Jesus
• born in Bethlehem Micah 5.2
• born at a particular time Daniel 9.25
• escape into Egypt Hosea 11.1

For 100s of years the people of Israel looked for a Messiah, they awaited a Savior, and prophecy after prophecy given throughout the Old Testament, promise after promise, was fulfilled in the birth, and even more in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Lee Strobel tells of one Jewish man’s (Lapides) discovery of the Old Testament prophecies. He was given a Bible by a Christian, so it contained both the Old and New Testaments. He responded that he would read the Old, but he had much mistrust for the New (he actually thought it contained anti-Semitic material.) He found scripture after scripture pointing to Jesus as Christ. When he read Isaiah 53, about the suffering of Christ, he was convinced that this was Jesus of Nazareth. But hew  he went on to say that he believed the Gentiles had altered the scriptures, so he requested a Jewish Bible from his step-mom, and it said the same thing! (from "The Case for Christmas")

Promise
A promise is an important thing. The word promise is a weighty word. I don’t use that word much anymore, but when we were kids we used it. When a promise was made it was to assure that one would keep their word, or one would follow through on an action.

Have you ever had a promise broken? Have you ever had someone you thought you could rely on, someone you thought you could trust, let you down or maybe say something that hurt. A promise broken can pierce the heart.

In pre-marital counseling we talk about not saying things to one another in anger: not accusing, never saying, “I don’t love you” or “I hate you.” Those words sting, they penetrate to the core. And once they are said you can’t take them back. It takes a lot to heal and recover from those words.

Why? Because they were said by someone who promised their love to you. They promised to love you unconditionally, forever, no matter what. You opened your heart up to this person. This is the person you are the most vulnerable to. And they have broken their promise.

God’s Promises Can Be Trusted
Probably every human being will let you down sometime. But there is One who will never let you down … God.

1 Kings 8.56 … Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
Luke 21.33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
See also Ezekiel 12.25; Matthew 5.18; Romans 4.16

God promised a Messiah. He gave a Messiah. He gave signs what to look for so that we would recognize the Messiah, so that there was no doubt, so that we couldn’t miss his arrival. He left enough signs that we couldn’t write him off as coincidence. Or so that someone else could claim to be him.

There are some 48 prophecies about the Messiah. I gave you just 8 about his birth. For just 8 to be fulfilled is one in one hundred million billion. That’s millions more than the total number people that have ever lived. If you covered Texas with that many silver dollars, marking just one, and blindfolded someone to wander the state, what do you think the chances are that she’d choose the one marked? “The same odds that anybody in history could have fulfilled just 8 of the prophecies.” And we have Jesus Christ fulfilling 48. (from "The Case for Christmas")

God made a promise and he made sure we didn’t miss the fulfillment of that promise.

Many are God’s Promises
God has given us many promises in his word.
Salvation:  Romans 1.16
Answer to prayer: Psalm 91.15; John 15.7
Comfort of God’s presence: Isaiah 43.2
Care for sick: Psalm 41.3
Deliverance: Psalm 34.19
Protection: Psalm125.2; Luke 21.18
Temptation: 1 Corinthians 10.13
Strength: Isaiah 41.10
Wisdom: Luke 21.15; James 1.5
Power for service: John 14.12
Eternal life: 1 John 2.25

The Climactic Promise
These promises are all promises for this life, that God will be with us, that he will help us through this life. But there is a promise that is yet unfilled. A promise that goes beyond this life. This place is not our home, but we await a heavenly home.

We are promised an eternal home. John 14.1-4, 28

Advent is the season of celebrating the coming of Christ. Not only is a time to celebrate the promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, God come in human flesh, but is a time to remember that Jesus will come again. And just as sure as the promise of his first coming was fulfilled, we can be assured that the promise of his second coming will be fulfilled.

Let us rejoice in the faithfulness of God’s word. Psalm 89.1-8

Matthew 25.31-46
Luke 2.1-7

One of the first summers after college graduation, my college roomie, Trish and I went to a friend’s wedding. Following we decided on an impromptu trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. It was around fourth of July weekend, but we thought, oh well, we are going to another country, Canada, so what does that matter. Well, turns out it mattered a lot. July 1 is a federal holiday in Canada, called Canada Day. Originally Dominion Day, Canada Day celebrates the creation of the dominion of Canada through the British North America Act on 1 July 1867, uniting three British territories — the Province of Canada (southern Ontario and southern Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick — into a federation. So it was a major holiday in Canada, too.

We should have known it was a bad sign when we get in the wrong line at border customs. (I wasn’t driving!) We are in the tractor-trailer line, so the booth is way up high, so the customs officer is asking what our business in Canada is and Trish is yelling way up to him.

We arrive in Niagara Falls in late evening. The traffic is horrible. We have no real destination, except finding a hotel. But every hotel, says no room, "No Vacancy." We drive around and around, but it is useless, there is no room anywhere to be found.

We do see the Falls by night, but we are exhausted, so it’s really no big highlight to the trip. We pull in a parking lot at some park and wonder, “Can we just sleep in the car right here for awhile.” But soon some police officer taps on our window and asks, “Drinking tonight ladies?” And we giggle and tell our story and it is so insane I think the officer really believes us. But he also says we can’t stay in the park all night. Trish and I decide, if drinking is that big of a problem, we don’t want to stay in the park all night.

So we decide to cross the border back into the US and maybe we can find a room there. So we go across the border through customs again. We are asked, "Did you buy anything?" "No." "How long were you there?" Oh, maybe a few hours," we answer. We can’t help but laugh through the entire interview.

So we begin driving south. Still, no rooms available. We drive further and further south. No room. Pretty soon we decide we are not even going back north again. Driving and driving. Finally, across the border into PA we come again and we are able to find a room in Erie, PA. The next day we get to see Lake Erie instead of Niagara Falls.

It is not a good feeling to be exhausted and to be in a strange place and have no place to stay, no place to rest.

It makes you wonder what Mary and Joseph felt like that night they entered Bethlehem. They had to journey a distance, not for a vacation, not for fun, but because the government ordered them to do so. Caesar Augustus wanted to take a census and everyone had to return to the hometown of their ancestors. So Joseph and Mary, now very much with child, set off from Galilee to Bethlehem. It is about a 70 mile trip, as the bird’s fly, and would have taken 3-4 days or as much as a week’s traveling time. (http://www.btinternet.com/~prgreetham/Wisemen/ana2.html)

I’m sure Mary (and Joseph) were quite more exhausted than Trish and I were in Niagara. And they can find no room in which to stay.

You know how the story goes. They must be in Bethlehem. They can’t turn around and find another place. They don’t have the quickness of travel that we have, so that they can turn around and eventually find a room. You can’t very well sleep on a donkey or whatever mode of transportation they had. And don’t forget: Mary is very pregnant. Perhaps she is saying to Joseph, “I think it’s time, Joseph. We have to find some place.” Or “My water just broke.” Where do they go? What do they do?

Since Joseph is returning to the home of his ancestors, many believe that he (and other relatives) would have returned to an ancestral home. This may have been like a big family reunion. But still there was no room. But, Joseph is given a little shelter. A stable, some say a barn, early tradition says a cave. A place to get in out of the weather and a place for Mary to give birth, to give birth to her firstborn, a son. And they had so little that she took pieces of cloth and wrapped around the baby who was named Jesus, for this one whom the angel said “will save his people from their sins”. She laid  him in a manger, an animal’s feeding trough filled with animal food, hay, to soften it.

Such is the story of our Savior’s birth. But unfortunately Jesus still hears us say today, “There is no room.”

The scriptures say, “Behold I stand at the door and knock” (Rev. 3.20). He knocks on our heart’s door, asking to come in, but too many times, our response is, “No room.” There’s no room in my day today. I have my schedule made out already: I’m going here and there and have this and this to do. Not right now God. There just is no room.

So we respond when he calls us to pray, when he calls us away for some special time of conversation.

So we respond we when we see someone in need. No room today!

Our hearts are too full. Our schedules are too full. Our budgets are too full. We are already committed to too many other things. Our priorities have already been established. “No room,” we say.

Will we make room, this Advent Season? Will we make room in our hearts? You know our hearts our still considered the seat of our passions, the center of that which is most important to us. Will we make room for Christ? Maybe you want to invite him into your life for the first time? Maybe you want to recommit your life to him? Maybe Christ is calling you to find 10 minutes where you can slip away and be in his presence, just 10 minutes to make room for him in this Advent Season? Maybe it is to commit 10 minutes to your children pointing them to the true meaning of this Advent Season?

As these four weeks progress, you will have to make some choices. One of those choices is what is our Christmas Day schedule going to look like this year? Christmas Day is on Sunday. Will we make room for Christ on Christmas Day? Will our family make room for worship on this special holy day?

And as you go about your Christmas shopping, will you make room for the less fortunate? Actually you may recall that the figure of Santa Clause was first found in that of Saint Nicholas who in the 4th Century was a Saint in the Church and in what is now Turkey, he went around secretly giving gifts to those who were in need, most often these gifts were to children.

We are presenting an opportunity for you to give a gift to children in need. This Christmas Eve and Christmas Day you are invited to “Give a gift to Jesus” by giving a gift to our local pregnancy center. As the Matthew 25 passage says, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.’ You are invited to bring a gift for some child whose mother was brave enough to choose life for her child and you can help them as they begin life together. My favorite gift listed is that of the receiving blanket. I think of Christ wrapped in rags, and to be able to give him that nice, soft blanket.

What will your choice be this Advent Season? Will you say, "No room" or will you make room?

Malachi 3.6-12 NLT

Ann Landers had an interesting letter in her column. It was from a girl who was writing about her uncle & aunt. She said, "My uncle was the tightest man I’ve ever known. All his life, every time he got paid he took $20 out of his paycheck & put it under his mattress.” Then he got sick & was about to die. As he was dying, he said to his wife, "I want you to promise me one thing." "Promise what?" she asked. "I want you to promise me that when I’m dead you’ll take my money from under the mattress & put it in my casket so that I can take it all with me." The girl’s letter went on with the story. "He died, & his wife kept her promise. She went in & got all that money the day he died & went to the bank & deposited it, & wrote out a check & put it in his casket."

The Bible and Money
Money is an important party of life. We can’t live without money. We need money for food, clothing, housing, and car. God knows our need and he also knows the temptation to make money and possessions more important than they really are.

Facts about Money:
+ There are 38 parables recorded in the Bible; 16 of them deal with money management.
+ More is said in the NT about money than heaven and hell combined.
+ There is five times more is said about money than prayer.
+ And while there are 500+ verses on both prayer and faith, there are over 2000 verses dealing with money and possessions.

Tithe
Our passage today in Malachi 3 introduces us to the concept of tithing.

The word tithe simply means a tenth, 10 percent. The idea behind the practice was that God’s people would take 10 percent of whatever increase they experienced and they’d bring it to their worship place as a symbol of their gratefulness to God for his giving them material blessings. Then, as a secondary purpose, that tithe was a means of supporting the ministry of their place of worship.

The concept of the tithe first appears in Genesis 14.20. After Abram rescues nephew Lot from being captured by another army/nation; Abram gives a tenth of all he has recovered to Melchizidek.

The last time tithing is mentioned is in Hebrews 7, where this tithe is recounted. Jesus priesthood is like that of Melchizedek to whom Abraham tithed.

Malachi
The book of Malachi comes from a time after many people of Judah had returned from Babylonia, but just before Ezra and Nehemiah returned. The temple had been rebuilt, and the priests were again offering the people’s sacrifices to the Lord.

In Malachi 3, we have God saying, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” Return in the OT means repent. God has just said that they have turned away from his decrees and have not kept them; they are being disobedient. Be who God has made you to be. He urges them to return, so that his presence may again be with them. James 4.8 comes to mind, “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.”

The Israelites reply is interesting,
“How can we return when we have never gone away?” There is a sense that they do not know what they have done. They are ignorant of their sin. They do not know how they have disobeyed God.

God’s reply is startling, “Should people rob God? Yet you have robbed me!”

One of the ten commandments is “Thou shalt not steal.” God’s people were commanded not to steal from other people and yet here they are stealing from God.

And God goes on to explain how they are robbing/stealing from God.

“You have robbed me of the tithes and offering that belong to me.”

Statistics indicating that today we are neglectful of tithing (generousgiving.org)
+Overall, only 3 to 5 percent of Americans who donate money to a church tithe (give a tenth of) their incomes though many more claim to do so.
+Among church members of 11 primary Protestant denominations (or their historical antecedents) in the United States and Canada, per-member giving as a percentage of income was lower in 2000 than in either 1921 or 1933. In 1921, per-member giving as a percentage of income was 2.9 percent. In 1933, at the depth of the Great Depression, per-member giving grew to 3.3 percent. By 2000, after a half-century of unprecedented prosperity, giving had fallen to 2.6 percent.

God goes on to say that the whole is under a curse because of they have been robbing God. And goes on to say, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.” Then there will be blessing instead of curse.

All: not just some, but all
Storehouse: an actual room in the Temple to store the food that was brought.
Enough: God is concerned for the ministry. Without the tithe, ministry cannot happen, worship cannot happen, the work of the temple/church cannot take place. Who is the church? We are the church. Our ministry cannot happen.

Motive
If you do,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you! 11Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12“Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD Almighty.

Caution 1
Verse 10 – Test me
Humankind testing God is rare in the Bible, so I caution you. Don’t ever test God uninvited. But in this case, God extends the invitation. “Test me and see if I don’t bless you abundantly.” “See if I don’t take care of you.” “I will open the windows of heaven.” – it will be like rain pouring down.

Caution 2
Do not give with the motive of being blessed. It is a question of the heart.

Heart check
*Who/what rules your heart?
Matthew 6.24
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

*Who/what do you pursue?
Matthew 6.33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

*How do you give?
2 Corinthians 9.7(8)
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

*Do you have a heart for mercy and justice?
Amos 4.4-5 – people loved to tithe
Amos 5.21-24
I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them … But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Matthew 23.23 (Jesus’ teaching)
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth … But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Statistics to motivate our heart of mercy (generousgiving.org)
*About 1.6 billion people have never heard the life-saving good news in this sentence: “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” (John 3:16).

*More than 1 billion people live in absolute poverty. This includes 700 million people living in slums, 500 million people on the verge of starvation, 93 million beggars, and 200 million children exploited for labor.

Gut Check
Does my giving follow my heart?
Take a realistic look at your giving. What percent are you giving? What would God have you to give? Take a step up (give a percentage more in the coming year). Be intentional. Be intentionally generous.

Statistics indicating the special responsibility of the church in the US (generousgiving.org)
+Total Christian [including nominal] income in the United States is $5.2 trillion annually, nearly half of the world’s total Christian income.

Faith Check
Remember God’s generosity in the giving of his Son. Remember Christ’s generosity on the cross.

Remember the promise of God’s faithfulness in Malachi.

Colossians 3.18 – 4.18

• Household Rules (3.18-4.1)

Humorous Household Rules
by Ian Frazier in the article Laws concerning food and drink; household principles; lamentations of the father. © The Atlantic Monthly, Feb 1997 v279 n2 p89(2)

Have you heard the old saying? “Don’t be too heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.”

We are to set our minds on things above, but a life ruled from above effects our lives in marriage, parenthood and everyday work.

The whole of our lives are to be submitted to the Lord. Every aspect of our lives is effected by our Christianity.

Perhaps the false teachers were indifferent to the domestic. The Colossians are called to remember the simple duties of family life.

Paul begins with the closest relationship working to the most distant. There are twin admonitions: instructions given for both parties. Can’t look at one apart from the other.

Wives and Husbands
Wives, submit
Submit, balanced with husbandly love.
Submit: voluntary. Never a breaking of the will. Same is expected of church members: submit to one another/ mutual submission.

Ephesians 5 “as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit…”

Husbands, love
Love is not just an affectionate feeling or sexual attraction, but the husband is to have an unceasing care and loving service for the wife’s entire well-being.

Eph 5: sacrificial aspect of Christ’s love for the church

Do not be embittered – the negative. Do not become angry …

Children and Parents
Children, obey
Children, at the age of growing up,  obey in all things.
Obey is a stronger word than submit. (Used for slaves, as well.) Absolute obedience.

Fathers, don’t provoke
Parents, but fathers especially, do not irritate or provoke unless children become discouraged or think it useless trying to please parents within the home. Give firm guidance; not servitude (Eph 6.4)

In Roman society, fathers were given unlimited power over their children. Hellenistic Judaism, sever punishment could be given disobedient children.

Here, power is not held up, but the responsibilities or duties to their children. They are not irritate by nagging at or deriding the child’s efforts, so that children become discouraged or think it useless to try to please.

Be an encouraging example: 2 Cor 9.2

Slaves and Masters
Slaves, obey
Obey in everything. Don’t just work to please your master. Service is not to be superficial or performed to attract attention, but conscientiously, with pure motives, wholehearted work so every action is serving the heavenly Lord. Lift tasks above compulsive necessity to that of joyful service.

Keep transcendent view. Earthly master distinguished from heavenly. The Master in heaven will graciously reward with an eternal inheritance of life in the age to come.

Masters, be just and fair
Stoic codes seldom addressed masters. Not commanded to release but treat justly and with fairness. (Fairness could refer to fair wage.)

Both master and slave have a Master in heaven, whom they must obey. Their relationship with one another must reflect their relationship with God.

• Pray! (4.2-6)

Short statement regarding prayer. But this is an ever-present part of Paul’s teaching, emphasizing it’s importance.

Be devoted:
The whole congregation is instructed to persist in prayer. Make it a regular part of who you are. Be constant, persistent, adhere to. Something you are always busily engaged in. “Pray unceasing.” Don’t ever give up or grow weary. Always pray. (petitionary prayer).

And to give thanks – an outward expression of gratitude to God for his gracious decisive action through his Son on their behalf.

Mutual prayer
Paul prays for the Colossians. He asks for their prayers, for “us” and for “me”. Especially for the work of the Gospel.

“Open door” refers to the opportunity for effective evangelism.
“Proclaim mystery” is God’s plan of salvation in Christ (esp. for Gentiles).

Reaching others with Christ
“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.” Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.”

Wisdom: knowledge of God’s will; walking worthily of Lord. Be godly, give none cause to find fault or criticize. Live so that God’s name is honored. Do not hinder anyone from being saved.

Make the most of your time: snap up every opportunity. Not a specific point in time, but amount of time at one’s disposal. As we have opportunity; as we have time, because it is severely limited.
(A retired local pastor shared how even though he is now in retirement, he is experiencing an increasingly greater evangelistic call. He has a burning desire to use every moment he is given for God’s glory.)

Speech:
Be tactful, yet bold in your Christian witness. God’s grace evident in speech. Choose the right words in response to each pre-Christian. Not only what you say but how you say it is important. Speech seasoned with salt: adds flavor, appeal; interesting speech.

• Greetings (4.7ff)

Paul’s greetings reveal a diverse team:
Slave and free, Jew and Gentile, men and a woman are named. Other communities are named(Laodicea & Hieropolis) and Paul’s letter is shared between them.

Colossians 3.1-17

Key verse: Keep seeking the things above … Keep thinking about things above

Know who you are in Christ
The transformation: put to death, put off, put on
Vv 1-4 are theological foundation for the following practical verses.

Focus on things above because:
-you died to the old order
-you are already raised with Christ so that you may participate in his resurrection life.

The lives of Christians are to be different: interest, minds, aims, ambitions, outlook.

This doesn’t come automatically – it must be sought diligently: keep seeking … keep thinking …

"your life is hidden with Christ in God"
Presently, I don’t see who you really are - you don’t even see who your really are – you are hidden; I am hidden. These things are done, they are already accomplished, but they have yet to be fully revealed.

"When Christ appears", at the Second Coming, when we see Christ and he is revealed and we see clearly all that he is, we will see who we are,
"you too will be revealed in glory with him."

But until that time, keep looking up, keep focused on things above, don’t get distracted by things below. And as you focus on things above, v.10 says that you are "being renewed in knowledge according of the image of" Christ. You will see Christ more and more clearly, you will know Christ more  and more and therefore, you will be renewed, you will be more and more like Him.

Not a list to achieve but a description of the Christian life. List is not exhaustive (things the Colossian Church needed to hear)

One body (v.15): “one another”
Do not lie to one another
Bearing with one another
Forgiving one another
Teaching and exhorting one another

Particular to believers and their relationship within the Christian community, but in now way suggest that Christians could be less when interacting with those outside the Church.

v.14 love, perfect bond
v.15 called as one body to this peace

The descriptions to follow are more than just individual character traits, it is about how we live together in the world. It is about being a living organism, bound together in Christ and how that effects the way we live together.

Put to death … (v.5)
Put to death: transformation of will, new attitude of mind, shift of center of personality from self to Christ:

Fornication: any unlawful sexual intercourse; extramarital sexual relationships
Impurity: moral uncleanness
Shameful passion: passion leading to sexual excesses
Evil desire: longing, sin that controls
Greed: (more general term) covetousness, desire to have more, usually material things; closer relationship with idolatry

Put off … (v.8)

Anger, Rage: wrath, outburst of temper (destructive of relationships)
Malice: slander, abusive language
Slander: defamation, blasphemy, lies, gossip
Abusive language: (more general term) foul talk, obscene language

You used to be this way, but no longer. God has transformed you. He has transformed you inwardly, let that be revealed in your outward actions.

Sin is not a popular topic. But sin is sin. Sin, as biblically defined, will be sin. God has expectations for his people. And God says sin will be punished and this passage talks about the wrath of God coming to the sons (7 daughters) of disobedience: those who disobey his word. In the OT, we read of Israel, who is God’s people, they were his chosen people, but God in his holiness, could not allow his people to live unholy lives. And that is the same today. God’s ultimate wrath is being withheld until the day of His coming. A righteous God cannot stand idly by and watch people act unrighteously. We would call that a double standard. But this same God is the God who acquits, who has made a way for forgiveness.

Put on … (v.12)
clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ Rom 13.14
Put to death, put off, put on – decisive act leading to a settled attitude. Make your mind up. “Just do it”

Fruit of Spirit: kindness, gentleness, patience

Mercy: compassion. This is demonstrated in God and his saving action toward us.
Kindness: goodness, generosity. Concrete actions. God’s gracious attitude toward the sinner, to save, to lead to repentance.
Humility: lowliness, concern for welfare of others. Esteem others
Gentleness: humility, meekness, considerate of others. Willingness to waive one’s rights
Patience: longsuffering, endure wrongs of others. Put up with the exasperating behavior of others rather than flying into rage or desiring vengeance.

Also …
bear with one another; forgive one another (mutual; reciprocal). Unceasing, unwearying (70×7 in Mt 18). May have legitimate cause for complaint, but must forgive.
love; peace
thankfulness
teaching and exhorting one another; worship in singing

For Further Prayer and Reflection
Philippians 2.5; Romans 12.2; Matthew 18.22; Galatians 5.16-25; Ephesians 4.17-5.20

Colossians 2.6 - 2.23

Intro: Warning Labels
I get in my car and there are three warnings posted on my visor: high rollover risk; airbag; and seatbelt.

Other places we see warning labels:
prescription drugs
Surgeon General’s Warning: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.
On coffee: Caution: Hot!

Many warning labels today are to prevent people from suing. This makes way for some interesting warning labels. These were found at http://rinkworks.com/said/warnings.shtml

~"Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." — On a bottle of shampoo for dogs.
~"Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking." — On a toilet at a public sports facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
~"Do not drive with sunshield in place." — On a cardboard sunshield that keeps the sun off the dashboard.
~"Do not use for drying pets." — In the manual for a microwave oven.
~"Do not use as ear plugs." — On a package of silly putty.
~"Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage." — On a portable stroller.
~"Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." — On a child sized Superman costume.

Scripture as Warning
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"

Paul’s letters contain encouragement and they contain warning. They contain some correction of course for the specific body of believers.
Remember Epaphras went to Paul because he knew that correction was needed.

Ps 23 “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me”
The rod, was like a club, which he used to fend off wild beasts or predators (instrument of authority). The staff or crook, which we more often see in our pictures of Christ, is used to guide and control the sheep (instrument of comfort).

The shepherd is entrusted with great responsibility for the flock. In Ezekiel 34, the shepherds have failed and God says, “I … will hold them accountable for my flock.”

Epaphras has a responsibility to correct the course of the Colossians and Paul writes with authority to assist and to uplift Epaphras teaching.

The Correction
Key verse of this passage and maybe the whole book of Colossians:
"continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught"

They were taught the truth. Continue in it, Paul exhorts, using 3 metaphors:
Rooted, from horticulture
Built up, from architecture
Firm, from law

The Warning
8Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

The Philosophy
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days—17these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

18 … the worship of angels …

21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings.

Paul goes on to say (v.9f) that the fullness of God lives in Christ, and that the Colossians are in Christ, so that fullness dwells in them. They are complete. The false teachers were saying they were not complete. That there was something lacking. That they needed to do something else to be complete. But Paul says through Christ salvation is a done deal.

12Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

Even though you were dead in your sins, he made you alive with him. Your sins are forgiven.

14He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

An IOU was nailed to the cross. A debt that we could never repay, was paid through the work of Christ on the cross.

15Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

There is nothing that has power over you, because you are in Christ. Christ is the victor; he has disarmed the powers of Satan, the powers of hell. They still exist, they have not been removed from this world, so they may be hostile toward humankind.
Romans 8.38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

But you who are in Christ, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught,

Stay in the Word
Wesley’s theology was influenced by Scripture, Reason, Tradition, and Experience, known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.
~Scripture is always primary

~Reason: thinking can be faulty
Romans 12.2 be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Colossians 3.2 Keep thinking about things above …

~Tradition - Is tradition based on Scripture? Not “we’ve always done it that way” – why do we do it that way? Not because of mere human tradition: v.8 deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions

~Experience - Does experience line up with Scripture?
John 8.44 Satan, a liar
44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Rev 12.9 Satan, a deceiver
9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

2 Cor 11.14 Satan, an angel of light

Stay Connected to the Body
2 Peter 1.20
20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

19He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Remember from 1.1 that the letter is from Paul and Timothy and in 1:3 “Each time we pray for you …”

• Stay Connected to Christ: stay free in Christ

• Stay in the Word

• Stay connected to the body

Colossians 1.24–29
Colossians 2.1-5

EQUIP
EQUIP is a ministry of John Maxwell which is designed to equip leaders abroad to do the work of Christ.

Bill Bright predicted that 1 billion people would come to know Christ in the first decade of the 21st Century (by 2010). This is creating a need in the church:
4,000 pastors needed each month
2 million churches needed
EQUIP needs 200 trainers in the next few months

Where there are stories of persecution, there are stories of people coming to know Christ.

In Iran, a University shows Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” with 25 students giving their lives to Christ each night. It is overwhelming the Church. There are not enough leaders to sustain such growth.

Suffering of the Body of Christ
~When the Body of Christ suffers, Christ suffers. In Acts 9.4-5, when Saul is persecuting Christians, Jesus speaks that he is persecuting him:
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
    5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
   "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.

~Suffering is a recurring theme in the books of the Bible following the Gospels.

~It is not in our nature to suffer
1 Peter 4.13 says, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ.”
Matthew 10.24 says, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." If Christ suffered, we will endure suffering.

~Can’t have the glory without the suffering.
Romans 8.17 "… if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

~When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer.
1 Corinthians 12.26 says, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

Persecution in our World Today
Open Doors International is a ministry founded by Brother Andrews (author of God’s Smuggler.) Read the Testimony of a Chinese Believer.

The Mystery of Faith
~God gives each of us gifts, not for our own good, but the good of the body, the church.
25I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God—given to me for you … 26that is, the mystery …

~The mystery is for all, Jew and Gentile alike
27God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Galatians 3.28-29

~The mystery of God in Christ
2 … they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

For Further Prayer and Reflection
Romans 8.18-39
Romans 5.1-11

Colossians 1. 1.15-23

What moves you?
Do you have a passion for something? A hobby, sport, …
Do you have something that moves you emotionally: that gets you excited, pumped up, (or triggers disappointment, anger?)

On our way home from a youth event, we stopped at a McDonald’s for dinner. The last 5 minutes of the Penn State game were on. While I walk by the tv making a beeline for the restroom, someone says the Penn State game is on and I do glance and see the score, saying “Umh, we haven’t seen a score like that in a long time. Others of the youth group cannot pull themselves away from the tv – the are entranced.

What moves you? What gives you both the height and depth of emotion? What captures your attention like nothing else?

In this passage … it is Jesus.

The Firsts
Jesus is first, he is the center, the focus, the meaning, the purpose. Jesus is at the center of the Gospel. He is God. He is the firstborn, the head, the first in all things. The only thing he is not is "created", for through him all things were created.

Jesus is the “image of invisible God,” pre-existent one. For everything else there was a time before it existed. With God, he has always been. And Christ being the image of God, God made visible, Christ always was. It is through Christ that God chose to reveal his very nature and character – this so that we could know God better, we could know him more intimately.

Jesus is “firstborn over all creation” - all things were created by him, through him, for him. He is before them and “all things are held together in him.” Their continued existence depends on him.

This discredits any religion that would uplift the worship of nature. As Christians we stand in awe of nature, but nature points us to worship the One who created nature, Christ who is the Creator. (OT – idols are made from wood and then nailed it down so it doesn’t fall over. They are not living; they are made.)

“He is the head of the body, the church” As he holds all things together, he holds the church together. He created the Church, he sustains the Church.

He is “the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead” He is the first to be raised from the dead and to live forevermore. Enoch: never died, but God took him. Elijah: never died, but went in a chariot to be with God forever. King Hezekiah’s life was spared, he was healed but 15 years later he died. Christ’s strength and power was displayed in raising Lazarus from the dead, but he died again. None live in this fleshly form forever. But all who have died shall be raised again. And Jesus Christ is the first. Just the same as he was raised, all shall be raised. Just the same as he lives; all who know Him, believe in him and are in relationship with him, shall live forevermore.

“first in all things”
Christ is never second.

Why is Christ first? “God’s fullness dwells in him” He is God.

All creation suffered separation from God: reconciliation, “making peace, through the blood of his cross”. All things are reconciled. The separation is bridged through the work of Christ on the cross.

Personalizing the Message
Colossians, all Christians, were strangers and enemies.

Look at your pre-Christian past. Even if you grew up in the church, there was a time or must be a time when you give your life to Christ. A time when you recognized your sin, you recognized your need, your humanness, when you realized your reliance upon Christ, his blood, his cross.

Remember from where Christ has brought you. Remember what he has done. Remember the work of the cross. Remember his sacrifice.

See the gravity of what Christ has done for you.

The Test of Faith
Remain. John 15
Remain in the faith
Established and firm
Without shifting from the hope

What moves you?
This is the Gospel that moves Paul. This is the message of Christ that moves Paul and he appeals to the Colossians to once again be moved. It has moved Paul to thanksgiving, praise, humbleness, unworthiness yet acceptance. Paul owes his life and his life he gives as he calls himself a servant of this Gospel.

At the altar offer your prayers of thanksgiving and praise. Prayers of dedication. Repentance. Laying our all. Make Christ first – he is never second.

• What does Jesus mean to you?

• What has Jesus done for you? From where has he brought you?

• Be moved to thanksgiving, praise, humbleness, steadfastness, and to service.