Have you ever really, really hoped for or looked forward to something only to have those hopes disappointed? For example, suppose you were really looking forward to being promoted at work. You worked really hard, you went through the continuing education to qualify yourself for the position. You went above and beyond to demonstrate your loyalty to the company. And then, just when the promotion seemed to be within your grasp, there was a consolidation and downsizing and your position was eliminated altogether. Not only didn’t you receive the promotion, the job you had is gone.

As another example, suppose that you’ve really been looking forward to having a house of your own. You’re tired of renting and want a place that you can arrange the way you want it. You’ve scrimped and saved. You’ve denied yourself a lot of things that you would have liked to have for the goal of buying your dream house. But houses just keep getting more expensive. Inflation keeps reducing the value of your savings. It seems like the house is forever just beyond your reach.

When we go through things like that it can be pretty discouraging. You’ve done all the right things, but it seems like you just can’t get ahead. For you, the American dream is just that – a dream that never comes true.

We can experience the same kind of disappointment in spiritual things too. We repent and turn away from our old lifestyle. We surrender our hearts to Christ. We make a sincere effort to live a holy life. But then, it seems like the harder we try to do what’s right, the more trouble comes our way. People make fun of our moral choices. They even go so far as to accuse us of hating others because we won’t endorse their sinful behavior. We lose friends.

When things like this happen it can be very discouraging. We came to Christ hoping He’d solve our problems, and it looks like our problems are getting worse. (Of course, they’re different problems than we had before, but they are problems all the same.) The opposition we face can become so painful and stressful that we can be tempted to leave the Lord.

When those feelings come, we need to remind ourselves that God’s promises are still true, even though they might not be fulfilled as soon as we’d like. The book of Hebrews was written to people who were suffering for their faith in Christ. Some of them were asking whether it was worth it. They were tempted to go back to the Jewish faith to avoid the problems and troubles that came to them while they were trying to live for Jesus. In chapter 10, verses 32 through 39 it says, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” (Hebrews 10:32-39 NIV)

The writer says that the reason we should hold onto our faith and not lose our confidence, in spite of trouble, is that Jesus is going to return. We know from other Scriptures that when Jesus returns, He is going to make things right. He is going to reward those who follow Him with a new heaven and earth – the home of righteousness. In other words, all the troubles and hassles we face now, will be done away

One of the reasons we come together each week is to remember that promise. Jesus is coming back! We remember by partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The bread and juice remind us of Jesus’ suffering. But though He suffered, the suffering led to His being exalted. In the same way, we might have to be disappointed here, or even have to suffer. But after the suffering, comes our reward.

So, as we eat this bread and drink the juice, let’s renew our confidence. Jesus said to do this until He comes. That’s a promise that He is coming. And, His coming puts all of our troubles into perspective. As the Apostle Paul said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV)

One of the things which is ingrained into our culture is the idea of rugged individualism. We get it from the pioneers who came over the Oregon Trail or migrated west during the Great Depression. You either did it yourself, or it didn’t get done. Those who tried to sponge off others didn’t survive. The attitude still manifests itself is in the “do it yourself” ideal we have. For example, we don’t think it strange at all if a corporate executive works on his own cars. People like to show off the furniture they’ve made or the sweater they’ve knitted. Most of us tackle minor repairs around the house ourselves. We only call in the professionals if it’s something major or we don’t have the time, or we don’t want to bother with it.

In many other places in the world, stores like Lowes or Home Depot or the car-parts places would go broke because people just don’t do things for themselves. They don’t have the tools or the knowledge to handle repairs on their own. If something goes wrong, they call in the professionals. Some of it’s due to the idea that you should stay within the boundaries of your class. House repair is something office workers don’t do. And some of it is because of the prejudice against doing manual labor. It’s beneath a person’s dignity to get his hands dirty.

For example, shortly after we moved to Pakistan back in 1960, my father needed a few boards for something. He went down to the bazaar and had the boards sawed (precut dimensional lumber wasn’t available). When the boards were ready, thinking nothing of it, Dad put them on his shoulder and walked home. Everyone in the bazaar started laughing at him. Carrying your own lumber was something that just wasn’t done – it was totally inappropriate for a sahib to pretend he was a coolie.

As another example, several years ago I was in a bank to cash a check. While I was standing at the teller’s window I could see into the back office. A computer monitor had gone bad and was being swapped out. To my way of thinking this was a minor chore which anybody could do. Much to my surprise, it took a technician to unhook the old monitor and attach the new one. A peon was required to haul the old one away and carry in the new one. And a supervisor stood there the whole time barking orders at the other two. Three men to accomplish a two-minute job the technician could have handled by himself without any trouble!

Now, we can shake our heads at people’s prejudices which cause them to think that some forms of work are beneath them. We can look down our noses at people who define rigid work boundaries that impede efficiency. But there’s also a danger to our “do it yourself” philosophy. You see, we can easily get the idea that we can do anything if we decide to do it. We don’t need any help, thank you very much. And, we can easily transfer that attitude to God. We can take care of our own problems. We don’t need the Spirit to change us. We can make our own way into heaven.

The truth is that once we’ve sinned, we are incapable of restoring our relationship with God. There’s nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. This is one project that can’t be done DIY. This is one time we really do need that specialist to do the work we are incapable of doing ourself. Fortunately, God has provided for us what we can’t provide on our own. We need to be humble enough to admit that we can’t earn salvation on our own terms. If we want it, we have to accept salvation as a gift.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:1-9 NIV)

Each week we come together to remember that we can’t make it on our own. We come to give thanks that Jesus did what we were incapable of doing. We come to thank God for His mercy and grace.

The bread we eat reminds us of Jesus’ body which He sacrificed on our behalf. The juice reminds us that it is only through His blood that we are cleansed and made whole.

When God created the universe, He declared it very good (Genesis 1:31). Unfortunately, mankind managed to mess it up. We introduced sin into the world. Sin has not only affected us, the Apostle Paul tells us that the whole of nature has been subjected to futility or frustration because of it (Romans 8:20).

When God pronounced judgment on Adam and Eve because of their sin, He also gave them the first promise of a Savior. Someday one of Eve’s offspring would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15). I’m sure that Adam and Eve must have wondered when this would happen. If they asked the question, the answer was, “The time hasn’t come.”

Hundreds of years passed. Sin increased. The spiritual condition of mankind continued to worsen. Many must have wondered when the promised Savior would come. It must have been discouraging to wait year after year without the promise being fulfilled. From time to time God would send another reassurance. Every so often another prophet would renew the promise and give a little more detail about the coming Savior. But still, the Savior didn’t come. Peter writes, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven…” (1 Peter 1:10-12 NIV) Without the reminder of the promises, it would have been extremely discouraging to watch mankind’s slide into darkness. “The time hadn’t come.”

Finally, “…when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5 NIV)

During this Christmas season, people all around the world are preparing to celebrate the coming of Jesus, the Savior of the world. We recognize the importance of Jesus’ birth. We recognize the hope we have because He came. Yet, at the time, hardly anyone knew of His birth. Even fewer understood the importance of it. From their point of view, life went on as normal. Spiritual darkness continued to spread. For those who still clung to the prophecies, they still appeared a long time coming.

Even after the Savior came to this world, it still took time for God’s plan to be accomplished. There’s a phrase which shows up repeatedly in John’s Gospel, “his time had not yet come.” Even the Apostles didn’t understand what Jesus had come to do. In the words of the Christmas Carol, Ring the Bells, Jesus was, “Born to die that man might live, Came to earth new life to give, …God the Father gave His own Beloved One To this wicked, sinful earth, To bring mankind His love – new birth!” But the disciples didn’t understand that Jesus had to die in order to bring salvation.

It wasn’t until Jesus met in the upper room with His disciples the night before His crucifixion that John records that His time had come. Jesus died. He was buried. He rose again.

In one sense, the redemption and salvation God promised for so many thousand years, was completed and accomplished. Yet in another sense, it is not. We’re still waiting. We still wonder when the time will come.

In some ways, our situation is the same as the prophets of old. They were waiting for the coming of the Savior. We are waiting for His return. Just like them, we have the promise, but we don’t know when. As we look around us and see sin and degradation it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s easy to get discouraged when we look at ourselves and see how far we still fall short of God’s standards even though we’ve been Christians for many years. Without the promise that Christ is coming again and that some day we will be like Him, it would be easy to lose hope and give up.

One of the reasons we gather each week is to remember the promise. At the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples before His death, Jesus gave them bread and wine as a memorial, “do this in remembrance of me.” Connected with the memorial is a promise, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV)

It’s the reminder of that promise which keeps us from discouragement. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (NIV)

Today, as we eat the bread which reminds us of Christ’s body, and as we drink the cup which reminds us of His blood which He gave for us, let us also be encouraged by the reminder that just as He came to save us, He’s coming again to take us to live with Him.

(Prepared for a Sermon on Matthew 26:1-16)

Not too long ago our state had to pass a law which made it illegal to text while driving. Why? Because drivers were being distracted from their driving and causing accidents. The truth is that our minds are designed to focus on only one thing at at time. If we allow our minds to wander from the task we’re supposed to be working on, chances are we’ll make a mistake. We’ve all experienced this, not only with driving, but with the other routines of life. Many a cook has salted the soup twice or left the baking soda out of the cornbread because she was thinking about something else. How many times have we made a silly mistake at work because we weren’t devoting our entire attention to it?

The same thing can easily happen to us in spiritual things. Our hearts are designed to be devoted to only one thing. Unless we are fully devoted to Christ, we won’t be successful in living the righteous and holy lives God requires of us. Jesus told a parable which illustrates this. It’s the parable of the sower. When a farmer sowed seed in his field, some of it fell among thorns. Jesus explained, “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22 NIV) To put it another way, such a person has divided attention. Since he allows the worries and pleasures of the world to distract him from his relationship to Christ, he won’t see much change in himself. This is the type of person who says, “Yeah, I gave Christianity a try, but it just didn’t do anything for me.”

Jesus stated the problem even more bluntly in the “Sermon on the Mount,” “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.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV) We can’t have it both ways. If we want the benefits of following Jesus, we must be fully devoted to Him.

Do you think that is unreasonable? Well, look at it from the other side for a moment. Where would we be if Jesus hadn’t been fully devoted to God’s plan to provide salvation for us? If He hadn’t been devoted to it, He would never have gone to the cross. And if He hadn’t gone to the cross, our sins could not be forgiven. Thank God that Jesus was devoted. Though He knew that it meant going to a gruesome death, the Gospel of Luke records, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51 NIV) Later on in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “…My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42 NIV) I, for one am very grateful that Jesus devoted Himself to doing the Father’s will and went through the torture of the cross.

Each week we gather to remember that sacrifice through which we have been given salvation. The bread we eat reminds us of Jesus’ body. The juice we drink reminds us of His blood. Today as we eat and drink let’s thank God for Jesus’ devotion, and let’s re-commit ourselves to be totally devoted to Him.

(For a sermon on Matthew 21:18-32)

We have a saying that “The burned hand learns best.” What we mean by it is that sometimes, we have to actually experience pain or problems before we are willing to listen. We’ve all been through this as children. Our parents tried to explain certain dangers to us. They wanted to protect us from harm. They wanted to spare us pain. However, for whatever reason, we didn’t believe what they said or we thought that we were immune from what they tried to warn us about. As a result we ignored what they said; we disobeyed and found out the hard way that what they tried to tell us was true.

I’m sure that most of us have also experienced the frustration of having our own children do the same to us. Not long ago our daughter confessed to us that our telling her as a child not to touch the stove because it would burn her, only made her want to touch it. Knowing that our children have that tendency, sometimes we as parents deliberately keep quiet because we know that our kids have to learn something on their own. We don’t want our kids to be hurt; we don’t want them to suffer, but we know in this particular circumstance, to say anything will only make them want to disobey. They have to learn obedience the hard way.

Unfortunately, even when our children are compliant and want to obey, there are times when we have to let them experience pain and suffering in order to spare them from worse difficulties later. For example, I’m sure we all remember being the “meanies” who wouldn’t let our kids do something they really wanted to do until they finished their homework. No, we didn’t enjoy watching them suffer, but we knew that the pain was necessary in order to reap the reward of good grades.

No when we think of Jesus, we normally don’t think of Him having to learn anything. After all, He is God in the flesh. For example, Scripture says that, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV)

Because of this we consider it almost sacrilegious to suggest that Jesus was once less than perfect. The fact is that Jesus did have to learn something, and he was not able to perfectly fulfill the role of Savior until he had learned it. In Hebrews 5:7-9 it says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…” (NIV)

Yes, Jesus had to learn obedience. The difference between Him and us is that He never disobeyed. Unlike us in relation to our parents, He was always submissive to the will of the Heavenly Father. Yet, obedience did not come easy. There were times when His Father required Him to do what was hard and painful, in order to make a later reward possible.

Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. It’s easy to be obedient when things are going the way we want them. But the real test comes when we are told to do something we don’t want to do. Jesus prayed that he would not have to die. The text says that he was heard. Ultimately Jesus was saved from death. He rose on the third day. But his prayer to be spared from having to die was answered with a “No!” It’s in those times when we are told, “no” that we learn to obey. It was his obedience which made Jesus perfect for the work of saving us.

The unleavened bread which symbolizes Christ’s broken body and the juice which symbolizes Christ’s blood, remind us each week of His obedience. More than that, the emblems are a personal reminder that we, too, are called to be obedient. Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” (John 15:9-10 NIV)

As we look back over the last week, I’m sure we are all aware that our obedience hasn’t been perfect. We often fall short of what we should be. Learning the lesson of obedience is not easy. But let’s not be discouraged. These emblems not only remind us of the need for obedience, but of Jesus’ love. We have another chance. We can confess our failures and move on. Let’s use this opportunity to rededicate ourselves to learning the lesson of obedience and remaining in Christ’s love.

(Written to go along with a sermon on Matthew 20:1-16)

When we think about positive character traits, one of the ones we value most is generosity. We might appreciate that someone is intelligent or witty, but still not like him very much. However, we are drawn to or attracted by someone who is generous. Think about it. If you walk through the cemetery and see the words, “He was intelligent” on a tombstone, you’ll probably conclude that the person who wrote them didn’t like the deceased very much. On the other hand, if you see the words, “He was generous” you’ll get the impression that the deceased was missed and mourned. In fact, there are only a few character traits, like love and kindness, which we value more than generosity. On the flip side, we are repelled and disgusted by selfishness. There is something within us which doesn’t even like ourselves when we are being selfish.

What is generosity, anyway? There are at least two forms of it. The first is the giving beyond what is necessary. We even have special words to express the concept like “lagniappe” and “baker’s dozen.” Who doesn’t appreciate it when the store owner slips a 13^th doughnut or cupcake into the carton when you only ordered twelve? The Bible expresses this kind of generosity in these words: “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.” (Proverbs 11:24-26 NIV)

A second form of generosity is treating someone better than they deserve. I’m sure many of us can think of times in our childhood when we disobeyed or didn’t listen to our parents’ instructions. We deserved punishment. There was no question we had it coming, but though our parents didn’t overlook what we did, they chose to lessen the consequences. They showed us generosity. Some kids learn the wrong lesson from not receiving the full penalty. It emboldens them to do further wrong. But for most of us, our parents’ display of generosity made us love them more and helped us to want to be more obedient. God is like that generous parent who treats us far better than we deserve. King David put it this way in Psalm 103, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:8-14 NIV)

In spite of what David wrote, we sometimes find it hard to remember how generous God is. Let’s face it. Life isn’t fair. Sometimes things happen to us that are hard. People can be cruel. Sometimes people take advantage of us. They break promises. The innocent are hurt. It often seems like those who do wrong get away with it.

I think this is one of the reasons Jesus instituted the ritual we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Each week the bread and the juice remind us of God’s generosity. He gives us far more than He needs to. And, He is far more lenient to us than we deserve. Whenever we begin to feel ill-used, or like God doesn’t care, the Communion helps us regain the right perspective. The Apostle Paul writes, “…If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:31-34 NIV)

Just as Paul said, if God loves us so much that He gave us His own Son, how can we ever think that He isn’t going to supply the rest of what we need, and far more than we deserve? Today, as we eat the bread which reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, and as we drink the juice which reminds us of Christ’s blood which spares us from receiving the penalty for our sin, let’s thank God for His generous gifts.

(Prepared for a sermon on Matthew 17:14-25)

Most of the time when we hear the word “faith” we associate it with religion. So and so belongs to that religion and he really believes. However, when you stop and think about it, what distinguishes a religious person from someone who is not, is not their faith but what they believe in. The truth is that everyone believes in something. I’ll even go further and say that all of us – even atheists – live most of our lives on faith.

How can I possibly say that? Isn’t saying that an atheist lives his life by faith a contradiction in terms? Doesn’t it also contradict Scripture which over and over declares that most people don’t have faith? It is true that many people do not believe in God. It is true that most people have not put their faith in Christ. It is true that most people are outside what the New Testament calls “The Faith.” Having acknowledged that, it is also true that everyone has a core set of assumptions and beliefs by which they live their lives. It’s not that they don’t believe, but rather that they believe in the wrong things.

What is faith, anyway? The Bible defines it this way: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) Everyone is sure of a lot of things they can’t prove so, by that definition, they have faith. For example, we can’t see gravity or electricity, but we sure believe in them because we can see how they affect us. We believe but very few people can give a rational explanation of them. Even those who can give reasonable explanations often disagree with one another about what gravity and electricity really are. We do not know, but we are certain. We accept the testimony of experience, the few aspects of these phenomena we can measure and the word of those who have studied more than we. Further, we do not consider it strange for people to believe and to act on their belief in electricity and gravity even though they can’t actually see or describe these things.

Why then, do people look down on us because we believe that Christ is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead? These days it’s fashionable to sneer at Christians by saying, “I believe in science!” (As though Christianity and science are incompatible.) Most of the people making that claim are more ignorant of science than we are of the nature of God. They blindly accept what they’ve been taught while dismissing the Scriptures which are based on eye-witness testimony. The Apostle John wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1 NIV)

But even though our faith in Christ is a reasonable faith, which we have learned from those who actually saw Jesus in the flesh, it is very easy to forget. It’s easy to allow the teaching and the philosophies of the world distort or contradict the spiritual truths we know. It’s easy to lose heart when we hear the mockery of those who follow a different god. The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Christians at Colosse, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:6-14 NIV)

In this passage Paul gives us several keys to remaining strong in our faith. Among them are:
Applying what Jesus taught to daily life.
Being thankful.
Evaluating worldly philosophy for what it really is.
Remembering that we were dead and Christ gave us new life.
And, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice which made our new life possible.

That’s one of the reasons we gather each Sunday – to remember what Jesus did. The Communion anchors us. It reminds us of reality. It shows us the emptiness of what the world has to offer. We renew our faith when we eat the bread and drink the cup.

Let’s pray.

(Prepared to go along with a sermon on Matthew 14:13-36)

Have you ever felt that you needed something and you had no idea how you were going to get it or how it would be supplied? I can remember a time, early in our marriage, when I wondered how I was going to provide for my wife and pay off the debt I had entangled myself in. No matter how I ran the numbers, I couldn’t see a way out.

How do we wind up in situations where we feel that our needs aren’t being met? In my case it was a result of some very unwise decisions and I was reaping the consequences of my own choices.

In other cases, we haven’t learned the difference between needs and wants. We think that happiness comes from things, or we become jealous of what someone else has. We think we need what they have instead of learning to be content with what God has already given us. The Apostle Paul expressed it this way, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12 NIV)

There is also another reason we might feel need. Whenever we begin to think that we lack what we need, we should regard the situation like a warning light on the dashboard of our car. The lights are there to make us aware of a particular condition in the car that we should investigate. In the same way, when we feel that we lack something we need, it’s an indication that something in our spiritual life needs looking into.

What is it that we should investigate when we feel that we need something we don’t have? The Apostle Peter writes, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:2-4 NIV)

If I understand this passage correctly, it is through our knowledge of Him and of Christ that God provides us with everything we need for life and godliness. Therefore, if we are lacking something, it means that we don’t know Christ as we ought. We need know Him better. And, as our knowledge of Christ increases, we will find that God will supply our needs.

I saw this work in the situation I mentioned above. Even though God was under no obligation to rescue me from the results of my own stupidity, He did it. I vividly remember how, one night after I’d spent hours going over the situation without finding any solutions, I re-dedicated myself to serving God. Even though I still couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, I went to bed with a peace of mind I hadn’t known for a long time. Then, the miracles started. God pulled things off I couldn’t imagine. As a result of putting Him and the Kingdom first; by striving to know Christ better, God provided everything I needed for life. It almost became a game. Whenever an unexpected bill would come in, I would say, “I wonder how God is going to take care of this one?” As long as I kept trying to keep close to Him and to know Christ better, He always did. It was a living demonstration of God’s promise, “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

Even after all these years it still surprises me sometimes how God supplies needs. I guess it indicates that I still lack the kind of faith I ought to have or that I still need to know Christ better. But when I stop and think about it, why should it surprise me that someone who gave His life for me has my best interests in mind? The Apostle Paul expresses it this way, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

I think this one reason Jesus asked us to remember Him by partaking of the Communion. The bread we eat and the juice we drink remind us of His wonderful love. They remind us that now matter how bleak our situation looks, if we honestly seek to know Him better, He will provide what we need.

Let’s pray.

(Prepared for a sermon on Matthew 12:43-45)

We have a saying that, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” What we mean by it is that empty spaces usually don’t stay empty very long. We’ve all seen it happen in social settings. A group of friends gets together. They decide to go somewhere or do something. Although the gathering doesn’t have a formal leader, someone will start organizing the outing or the project. Nobody planned to take charge – it just happens.

The same thing happens in the physical world. Let’s say you dig a hole in back yard. Unless you take special precautions to prevent it from happening, it won’t be long before the hole fills with water or dirt that falls back in. People who dig ditches often have to shore up the sides so they don’t collapse. A lot of people have been killed in cave-ins because they didn’t protect themselves from natures tendency to fill voids.

Here’s another example of the principle that all of us can relate to. Empty surfaces collect stuff. We have to work at it to keep our dining-room tables de-cluttered. The same thing when it comes to kitchen counters and coffee tables. The less said about my desk, the better.

The same principle holds true in spiritual things. There is something within us which longs to be filled. As Solomon wrote, “I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 NIV) To put it another way, there is something within us which recognizes that there is more to this life. There is more than the material universe we see, and we long for it. Because we long for eternity and in our own wisdom cannot fathom what God has done, we try to fill our yearning for eternity with all kinds of things.

Solomon tried it all. He writes, “I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly – my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well – the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:3-11 NIV)

Unfortunately, instead of learning from Solomon, people still pursue the same things he did while trying to fill the emptiness within. Like him they find that career, the arts, riches and possessions, sex and physical pleasure don’t fill the void. There may be some temporary satisfaction from achievements; there may be momentary pleasure, but things and self-indulgence can never meet our spiritual longings. Solomon had far more opportunity to experiment than we do, but his conclusion was that it was all meaningless.

If that is the case, then where can we find meaning? How can we fill that emptiness within us? It follows that a spiritual emptiness can only be filled by spiritual means rather than the physical solutions we try. The Apostle Paul writes, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:15-18 NIV)

Be filled with the Spirit. How is that even possible? It is Jesus Christ who made it possible for us to be filled. The Apostle Peter says this, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:14-21)

Yes, it is because of Christ’s sacrifice that we can escape the emptiness of the life the world tries to tempt us with. Whenever we’re tempted to try to fill our eternal longings with things or with pleasure, it’s good to remind ourselves that Christ died so that we can find real meaning. It’s because of Christ’s sacrifice that we can be filled with the Spirit. Today as we eat the bread in memory of Christ’s body, and as we drink the juice in memory of His blood, let’s give thanks that in Him we have purpose. In Him our longings are fulfilled.

Let’s pray.

(Prepared for a sermon on Matthew 11:28-30)

One of the themes found throughout the Scriptures is that of rest. It’s the concept that after we’ve finished a task, we get to relax. One of the interesting things about rest is that the quality of rest depends to a large extent on how well we did the job. The better our work, the more we put of ourselves into it, the more we enjoy the relaxation afterward. There is great satisfaction in being able to look back on a job well done. On the other hand, if we goofed off or didn’t really put much effort into the work, our rest isn’t very sweet. I suppose our conscience keeps nagging us and tells us that we don’t deserve to rest.

The first example we have in the Bible of someone resting is God, Himself. God spent six days creating the universe and all that is in it. Then in Genesis chapter 1, starting in verse 31 we read, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 1:31-2:3 NIV)

The Scriptures use God’s rest on the seventh day as an ideal for us. His rest is the goal we should be striving toward. For example, it’s the idea behind keeping the Sabbath Day, which is one of the “Ten Commandments” in the Law of Moses. No work was supposed to be done on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a metaphor for God’s rest. God gave the Israelites the land of Canaan as another metaphor of entering His rest. It was a rest from the slavery they experienced in Egypt.

If you will allow me to read something into all this which the Scriptures do not say, is it possible that the reason God’s rest is so perfect, is that the work He did in creating the universe was “very good”?!

In any case, God invites us to enter His rest. But the hitch is that, as we all know, our work – unlike God’s is not “very good.” In fact, it’s not good at all. Scripture compares our good or righteousness to filthy rags. That being the case, we don’t deserve to enter God’s rest. Why should we get to relax and enjoy ourselves when we’ve goofed off and botched the job God wanted us to do?

Fortunately, God gives us an out. He sent Jesus to complete the job we couldn’t or wouldn’t do. People’s testimony about Jesus was, “He has done everything well.” (Mark 7:37 NIV) Not only was Jesus’ work “done well,” from the cross He could proclaim, “It is finished.” (John 19:30 NIV) God allows us to appropriate or share in Jesus’ completed work. The writer of Hebrews talks about the failure of the Israelites to accept God’s invitation to participate in His rest. Then, in chapter 4, starting in verse 1 he writes, “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrew 4:1-11 NIV)

Notice from this passage that there are two things which will prevent us from entering God’s rest. The first is unbelief or a lack of faith. The second is disobedience. To put it the other way around, we must believe what God has promised us and we must obey what He’s told us to do.

Unfortunately, we’re not very good at either of those things. We need to be reminded. And that is one of the reasons Christ has asked us to go through a little ritual to jog our memories. He asked us to eat some bread which reminds us of His sacrifice on our behalf. In other words, the bread is a reminder that Jesus completed our work.

He also asked us to drink some juice to remind us of His blood – the blood which allows us to enter into a covenant relationship with God. Included in that covenant is the promise of entering God’s rest.

Today as we eat and drink, let’s renew our faith in God’s promises to us and let’s renew our commitment to obey what He’s asked us to do.

Let’s pray.