Will you have a Christmas "break-through?"

Most believers do not need convinced that Christ himself should dominate all of our Christmas gatherings and Christmas plans. Yet even believers can become easily preoccupied. After all getting together with family, exchanging gifts, eating a great meal, and laughing, sharing, recalling memories of former Christmas gatherings, and just that wonderful sense of being together is part of what makes Christmas for us. Let me just raise some simple questions that may help us keep on track this year:
Do we have presence or just presents?
Christ is consciously present among us when we are made aware of him through prayer & time in the Word of God. When during your family gathering do you intentionally make time to pray together & share the word together? Your children will long remember those "set aside" moments during all the family gatherings when Christ was brought to the center. We can have "presents" w/out the consciousness of His presence.
Do we sing or just sting?
How many times do you hear of families that avoid one another during the holidays or do not speak or communicate. Even if they are together, sooner or later an argument or harsh words erupt. As believers we must find a reason to sing, instead of looking for ways to sting one another. If Christ is "the reason for the season" then we must find ways to model his presence in our lives. In every crowd that Jesus joined in the New Testament, even with the hostile, he made a difference for good in that setting. Our preoccupation with Christ's presence in us humbles us and removes the arrogance in our hearts as to who is right or wrong in the strained relationships. After all Jesus came as the healer of human hearts! And if we can communicate that with grace the sting will be replaced with a song. But remember, the change begins first in my own heart.
Do we have inward or just outward joy?
What is it that brings the real smile to your face? Is it what you received or gave? Is it whether all treated you well, or that you were able to share with others? Does the joy come from the reality that Christ came and set you free to live as God intended for you to live? Or does the joy come only when all the pieces are put together to your liking? Can you enjoy the things that do not go as planned, realizing God may have another, better plan than the one you tried to put into place? The angels told the shepherds in Luke 2 that the message they brought to them was a message of great joy...is it that to you? Or do you need another stimulus to create inward joy? Outward joy without inward joy is a short-lived sham. Gratitude coupled with grace...ie knowing that all we have been given in Christ has come as a result of grace...nothing we deserved but all given freely by this incredible God in Christ ignites inward joy that spills over into the real thing outwardly.
SO...will you have a Christmas "break-through?" Think it through.

Can you sin without suffering?

J. Sidlow Baxter, a godly pastor from another generation said: "We cannot sin without suffering." Yet we live in a culture that takes issue with that statement. If I fail financially, I have the right to be bailed out. If I fail morally, I have the right to a fresh start...no strings. If I lose my job through carelessness or dishonesty, I have the right to another job of equal qualilty and benefits. But the Bible paints an entirely different scenerio. Over and over again in Scripture we are confronted with the reality of sin followed by suffering. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, can testify to the truth of the sin/suffering syndrome. He lied to Naaman regarding the reason for taking money from him, falsely representing Elisha the prophet. He lied to Elisha about his journey to ask for money from Naaman. He ended up with Naaman's leprosy [ II Kings 5]. Suffering follows sin.
In every city in America there are signs of sin followed by suffering. We have hospitals, clinics, de-tox centers, and funeral homes. There are crimes of violence, murder, as well as stealing, cheating, & embezzeling...all leading to the suffering of victims and their families.
When God planned redemption for sinners, the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was a necessity. Christ took our place, suffering for our sins for He had none of his own. The only way that the suffering for sin can be mitigated is through Christ Himself. Christ must save me from my sins. He alone gives grace for the consequences of sins committed. He alone atones for and removes the guillt and condemnation that my sin rightly deserves. Thank God for the cross! Can you sin without suffering??? Think it through!

Can you sin without suffering?

It was a godly pastor of another generation who said: "We cannot sin without suffering" [J. Sidlow Baxter]. Yet this present culture seems to take issue with that idea. There is a pervasive notion that you can sin and avoid all or most of the consequences. In fact if I make a financial mistake, I have a right to expect someone to bail me out. If I make a moral mistake, I have a right to a fresh start...letting bygones be bygones.

Where is it all headed?

Election time raises hopes and creates frustrations. To believe that one man at the helm can turn the ship of state all by himself is not realistic. To ignore the power of one man's ideas is also foolish. With the dire economic crisis continuing to dog our steps, and the uncertainty of the election's outcome along with the "grasping at straws" to return the stock market to a healthy status so we can all breath a sigh of relief...you get the idea that no one really knows what to do and that this whole direction is rather out of our hands. I am amazed to find even believers who are on the edge of panic about their retirement, investment portfolios, and even their future job security. Yes, businesses are taking a hit. The future may look different than anything we have seen in our lifetimes. We may have to get by on less [although that is a relative term when we look at 2/3's of the rest of the world]. Credit may become harder to get [not a bad thing judging by the mess this mind-set of borrowing has brought to us]. I am not making light of the struggles and pain many are in right now. BUT...isn't this just exactly the way things are going to go if the prophecies of scripture are to come to pass? We are desperate for answers...God says a man of sin will arise with answers and gain a following that will usher in a time of great trial and tribulation on this earth. God is setting the stage. He is moving history like clockwork right down the path He has predicted and planned. So...is it a time to panic, to bewail? OR...is it a time to rejoice. This is our hour. We need to be sharing the Gospel as the hope for mankind. The reversal of the stock market will not hold a man when he enters the waters of eternity. My anchor must be in Christ alone and His unchanging word! We must choose to either live in panic or praise!! [ Read Revelation 18-19 & I Thessalonians 5:1-11] Where is it all headed? Think it through.

Is it smart to dictate what you want?

C. S. Lewis used to write: "Be careful what you think you want." This comes from his famous book on miracles. His point is that every time in history there are miracles evidenced, there is also present a lot of misery & trouble. So if you ask for a miracle, you may also be laying yourself open for a context of misery in which God will grant the miracle. My question is then: Is it smart to dictate what you want? Israel in the wilderness begged for meat...oh, they really wanted that. But when God gave it to them, they didn't want it anymore. They got sick. The Psalmist said in 106: 13-15 "But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; He gave them what they asked, BUT SENT A WASTING DISEASE AMONG THEM." When you forget what God has done for you and neglect to consult him on what HE wants for your life, you may end up dictating a "wanton craving" and put God to the test. I am not smart enough to dictate to God what He should give me. Maybe we should do more "fill in the blank" praying. Lord, you fill in my blank and I know that will be best for me. Think it through!

Are you believable?

Believability is a powerful instrument. Ask any political candidate running for office. Most of us take with a grain the wild promises most candidates make. They'll say anything to get elected it seems. But when it comes to representing Christ in our fallen world, believability is critical to our witness. I would like to suggest four factors that determine our believability. History is one of them. How many skeletons are in our closets? Is our salvation experience a sufficient contrast to our past offenses? Does the life-style we practice demonstrate a real life change in our thinking, attitudes, and actions? Are we known as people who admit it when we are wrong & take steps to make restitution and confession to those we have wronged? Another factor is that of Veracity. Do we consistently tell the truth? Is what we say reliable? Do others believe we are keeping our marriage vows [including your spouse]? Can we be trusted to speak and live out truth? I think still another factor that sustains believability is Duty. Do we follow through on our commitments? If we commit ourselves to a task do we finish it? Are we known as honorable workers? Lastly, and this one may surprise you, is Charity. Are the words we use about loving others backed up by actual practices? Will people see what we do as consistent with what we say about loving others? Do we serve others or ourselves? Remember what Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven" [Matthew 5:16]. That sounds like believability to me. Jesus also said when people outside the family of God observe how we love one another, they will know we are his followers [John 13:34-35]. That too sounds like believability. So...are we believable? Think about it!

Is there a cover-up?

Shoveling snow in March...and not just a little. Services cancelled...and instead of preaching, I am shoveling. When taking a breather, I thought of all that the white snow had covered up. There were the dormant bushes waiting to pop out green again when spring finally comes. Then there is my less than perfect grass hiding under the blanket of white [with all the dormant weeds waiting to attack us again]. Snow is deceptive...because it gives the impression all is serene with the landscape...but underneath is the bare ugliness of winter's work. Sometimes that is like our hearts. Outside we throw a drape across the landscape of our lives, and pretend all is serene. But the Creator God looks at our hearts and sees the winter ugliness that sin has etched there. After all the Bible says: Man looks on the outward appearance, but GOD looks on the heart [I Sam. 16:7]. Yet there is a cure. Remember what the prophet Isaiah said in chapter 1 of his writing? He quotes God as saying to sinful people like Israel: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God can make the inside clean, so there need be no more pretense on the outside. It is when a person repents of sin & surrenders to Christ that real heart cleansing occurs. Snow is pretty white...especially when the sun [son] shines on it. Think about it

Why has the reality of hell & heaven dropped off the radar screen?

Most people would rather not talk about hell...and for good reason. Who wants to think of a literal place of eternal suffering for those who do not surrender to Christ? Many do not want to think about heaven either. They have it too good here. They just bought that new car or have dreams of that new house.
The thought of heaven and hell seems too disruptive to our lives. Thinking about either one tends to make us uncomfortable and we are all about comfort, right?
Aren't there many things that are true realities that we do not like to think of? I have a few...April 15th [income tax day] March [my 6 month dental check -up], the necessity of fixing the leaky toilet [& many of you know how much I LOVE plumbing], paying utility bills [it is so much more fun to buy a piece of furniture or a new book], the annual physical [I keep thinking of reasons to postpone the appointment]. Those are all realities. More stark realities include having to make funeral arrangements and making out wills...things we would rather not think of...but nevertheless just as real. God also speaks of realities such as heaven and hell. But we are reluctant to think of these. Some do not believe these places even exist. They take comfort in the fact that if..."I don't believe it, it does not exist." Others refuse to think or believe in these realities because if they are real...then life-changes will be required. They do not know if there is an after life and they are hoping if there is, they will go to the "up" place not the "down" place. There is even a reluctance to use the words "heaven" or "hell." But perhaps the real reasons we are not hearing much about heaven or hell these days may lie in the following:
[1] We are not ready to die ourselves, therefore we will not think about it and hope all will work out well in the end. [2] We have not been faithful in telling others of Christ and so we do not want to think of anyone we know ending up in hell. [3] We do not want to offend people's sensitivities. It makes us sound barbaric, uneducated, not loving. [4] We are too wrapped up in the here & now to think about the glory and joy of heaven or the tragedy and eternal suffering of hell. [5] To us it may seem to negate the "God is love" message, and we don't want to give a picture of God as a judge.
YET...the Bible speaks of both places as very real. Read Luke 16 & Rev. 21-22 and you will see how incredibly real heaven and hell are. Not symbolic icons, but real locations. And the Bible speaks of God as holy as well as love. According to the Bible man is sinful and God means business. That is the reason for the cross. Have you thought lately... about the reality of both places? ...about the reason for the cross? I think we need to speak more of these realities! Think it through!