The Power of Praise and Worship – Part #2

How do we praise and worship?

What is worship? If we’re going to praise and worship the Lord, then we need to know what it is and how to do it. To answer that question, let’s turn to the Word of God.

1.         We Worship From the Heart: 

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).

I love the context of this statement that Jesus made. Sometimes we think of worship as just something we do in the holy sanctuary Sunday mornings at church. Some people think that worship doesn’t relate to their 24-7 eating and drinking, working and playing lives. Jesus is talking here to a woman who had serious issues in her life. This woman had been divorced five times, and was currently living with a man she wasn’t married to. Jesus spoke to the very real and painful issues in her life. Worship is not just some mystical thing that we do at church, but it is something that makes a difference in the strain and the struggle of our day to day lives.

The first thing we learn about worship is that we must worship the Father in spirit. True worship must come from our hearts, our innermost beings. As we go through this list of how to worship God, it’s not just about lifting our hands or bowing before the Lord. True worship must come from the heart, because you can do all of the external things, but if it’s not coming from the heart, it won’t make a difference in your life.

2.         We Worship According to the Bible: 

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).

The second thing Jesus taught about worship here is that we are to worship in truth. That means our worship must be based on the Word of God. There are many churches that have different styles of worship, but if we are going to worship God in truth, then we must follow the guidelines that He has laid out in His holy Word. We don’t get to pick and choose how we worship. If God says jump, we say, “How high?” on the way up.

3.         We Worship in Song:

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.” (Psalm 149:1).

There are about a hundred times in the Bible where it talks about praising Him through song. This is one of the reasons why singing is always a part of our praise services at our church. “I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:6). Throughout all of history, whenever the people of God have gathered together in corporate worship, it has included singing – from the children ofIsraelin the Old Testament, to the church in the New Testament. The Apostle John also tells us that when we get to Heaven, we will continue worshiping the Lord with singing: “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.” (Revelation 15:3-4). What a day of rejoicing that will be!

4.         We Worship by Clapping our Hands:

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!” (Psalm 47:1a).

When you go to see a show at the theatre, or attend a dance or other dramatic presentation, you will often applaud the creative endeavors of the artists on the stage. If you will clap your hands for another human being, then why won’t you clap your hands for the God who saved you? There’s nothing wrong with clapping for people and recognizing them for their achievements, but if you’re going to clap for men, who are made in the image of God, then let’s clap our hands for the Creator of the Universe. Let’s clap our hands in celebration of all the good things the Lord has done!

5.         We Worship with Shouting:

“Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” (Psalm 47:1b).

I know lots of men who will scream their lungs out at a sporting event like a football game, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re going to shout because your favorite athlete carried a pigskin across a painted line on the ground, why can’t you shout God’s praises? “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1). “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” (Psalm 100:1). When we’re so excited about what God is doing in our lives, why are we so afraid of what people think of us when we come to church? Why are we so bound by the fear of man? That same fear isn’t there when we’re in the stands cheering on our favorite sports team, because everyone in the stadium is shouting. But someone had to be the first one to be brave enough to cheer out loud for their team. Why don’t you be the first one in your church to get a little excited about your salvation? Zeal is infectious.

6.         We Worship by Bowing Down:

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6).

There’s something that takes place in our hearts where we recognize that He is God, and we get down on our knees and worship Him. We acknowledge who He is as the Sovereign Lord over all creation, and we are His humble servants. When we come into His presence, and begin to sense His awesome holiness, our immediate response is to want to fall down prostrate before Him in humble adoration. Why don’t we see more people bowing down before the Lord in worship in the church? I think the main reason is pride – we are so concerned about what other people will think of us. It’s time to stop being so concerned about what other people think, and remember that our worship is for an audience of One.

7.         We Worship by Lifting our Hands:

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.” (Psalm 134:2).

Why do we lift up our hands in worship? It is one way of blessing the Lord. King David said, “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” (Psalm 63:3-4). Reformer John Calvin offers a great explanation for the reasons why believers lift their hands in worship: “The inward attitude certainly holds first place in prayer, but outward signs, kneeling (and) lifting up the hands, have a twofold use. The first is that we may employ all our members for the glory and worship of God; secondly, that we are, so to speak, jolted out of our laziness by this help. There is also a third use in solemn and public prayer, because in this way the sons of God profess their piety, and they inflame each other with reverence of God. But just as the lifting up of the hands is a symbol of confidence and longing, so in order to show our humility, we fall down on our knees.”[i]

8.         We Worship with Thanksgiving:     

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4).

We need to take the time in worship to thank God for who He is, and for all of the wonderful things that He has done in our lives. This is a good reminder that worship isn’t just about externals; it is an attitude of the heart. It is good to give thanks to the Lord!

Even though you may be going through a difficult time in your life, there is always something to thank God for. He’s my God, He adopted me into His family, and I’m one of His children! He has blessed me with four amazing children, one wonderful wife, and a great church family to pastor. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

9.         We Worship Joyfully:

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness.” (Psalm 100:2).

It’s alright to get a little happy and excited in church! Some people have the idea that a church worship service is supposed to be dull, monotonous and quiet. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although there are times to be still and silent before the Lord, there must always be times of loud and joyful celebration of the goodness of the Lord. We see an example of this in Second Chronicles 30:21: “So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments.” God never intended worship to be quiet or boring.

10.       We Worship with Musical Instruments:

“Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!” (Psalm 150:3-5).

In our church, we have a full worship team that includes guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, pianos, drums, percussion and violins. Worship in the Bible was often accompanied by musical instruments. Here are a couple of examples of this:

“Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.” (1 Samuel 18:6).

“Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.” (1 Chronicles 15:16).

11.       We Worship in the Dance:        

“Let them praise His name with the dance.” (Psalm 149:3).

“Praise Him with the dance!” (Psalm 150:4).

Dance is another way that we can praise the Lord. Some people might wonder what it means to praise the Lord in the dance. Is this referring to jazz, tap, hip-hop or ballet dance? Of course not. It’s not about a style of dance; it’s about loving the Lord with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength. It’s about blessing the Lord with all that is within us. It doesn’t matter what it looks like – it’s not a dance competition. Remember, when you dance before the Lord, you are doing it for an audience of One.

Some men in the church think it’s not manly to dance before the Lord. They know the Old Testament story that tells us that “Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” (Exodus 15:20). But I want to challenge men with the example of King David, the mighty warrior who killed the giant Goliath. The Lord Himself said of David, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22). David was a man after God’s own heart. Look at the example that this mighty champion gives for us:

“Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.” (2 Samuel 6:14-16).

Notice that when David was dancing, leaping and twirling before the Lord with all of his might, he got mocked for it. His own wife made fun of him. So if you are radical and passionate in your worship of the Lord you may be persecuted for it.

To those who would mock or poke fun at a passionate worshiper of Jesus, let the story of David’s wife Michal serve as a reminder to you of the consequences of such actions. Verse 23 of this chapter tells us that, because of her mocking, she had no children to the day of her death.

When David was attacked, his response was, “It was before the Lord… And I will be even more undignified than this.” (verses 21-22). What was he saying? “It was for an audience of One – for the Lord – and I will be even more passionate in my expressions of worship for Him.” Praising the Lord in the dance says, “God, I’m so excited about what You have done in my life that I must express it with my whole being!”

You might be thinking of First Corinthians 14:40 which says, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Some will protest, “Pastor Chris, praising the Lord in the dance doesn’t sound very orderly. We don’t want to do disobey God and do things in a disorderly manner.” Well, wait a minute here. What does that word orderly mean? It is defined as doing something according to an established order or rule.[ii] So what does it mean to have an orderly worship service? It means we worship according to the rules established in the Bible – in spirit and truth, with singing and dancing, clapping and shouting, bowing down and lifting our hands, with musical instruments, and with thanksgiving. That’s an orderly worship service!

12.       We Worship Sacrificially:      

“Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.” (Hebrews 13:15).

David said, “I will not offer an offering that has cost me nothing!” (1 Chronicles 21:24).

Some people come into a worship service and say, “I don’t feel like praising God today.” Praise and worship isn’t about a feeling, it’s about a choice of the will. It’s about being obedient to the call of God to worship Him. I tell my congregation all the time that there are two times to praise the Lord: when you feel like it, and when you don’t. Part of worship involves sacrifice. Perhaps the best definition of sacrifice is this one: Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.[iii] When we choose to worship God, even when we don’t feel like it, there is a reward and a blessing.

CS Lewis describes this reality so eloquently in The Weight of Glory:

“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”[iv]

John Piper, commenting on Lewis’ passage, writes, “The enemy of worship is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong but too weak! We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, and perhaps a new personal computer. We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled. And so our worship has shriveled. Many can scarcely imagine what is meant by “a holiday at the sea” – worshiping the living God!”[v]

When we choose to draw near to God in worship, we enter into His courts with praise, and in His presence there is fullness of joy.

Concluded tomorrow…

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] John Calvin, Commentary on Acts 20:36.

[ii] orderly. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. (accessed: April 11, 2010).

[iii] sacrifice. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. (accessed: April 11, 2010).

[iv] C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory. (Harperone, April 2001).

[v] John Piper, Desiring God. (Multnomah Books, 2003).

The Power of Praise and Worship – Part #1

The Power of Praise and Worship

THE BIG IDEA: Our highest calling is to worship God with all of our hearts. When we do this, there is a power in praise that can bring us victory over the troubles and problems in our lives!

“The weakness of our hunger for God is not because He is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with ‘other things’… When God is the supreme hunger of our hearts, He will be supreme in everything.” (John Piper, Hunger for God).[i] 

Our Highest Calling:

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:35-38).

What is our highest calling? When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the Bible was, He said: “Love God.” This sentiment is reflected in the first question of the Westminster Confession of Faith’s Larger Catechism:

• Q:        What is the chief and highest end of man?
• A:        Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and to fully enjoy Him forever.

There are many Scriptures that bear out this truth:

• “For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.” (Romans 11:36, nlt).
• “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your bodyand in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
• “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
• “All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.” (Psalm 86:9).

The Power of Praise:

Paul and Silas were continuing on their missionary journeys, telling people the Good News about Jesus. When they arrived in the city ofPhilippi, they preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and cast out devils. However, one of the demon possessed people they set free was a slave girl who had been possessed by a spirit of divination. She earned a lot of money for her masters by fortune-telling. “But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.” (Acts 16:19). A mob was quickly formed against them, and they demanded that they be stripped and beaten with wooden rods.

“And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”” (Acts 16:23-31).

My editor, Wendy Neudorf, wrote a great paraphrase of this story that I want to share with you:

“One by one, they stopped to listen. The two new ones were singing. Hymns, someone said. The others were unaccustomed to melody of any kind, especially here in this cramped and putrid cell where the common activities were fighting and cursing. Now, however, the odd man found himself humming along, even nodding in silent agreement as the two prayed. But the quiet would be short-lived.

Eyes flew open as the dirt floor shuddered. What was this? Rocks, large and small, dropped as the walls threatened to crumble.

“Earthquake!” one shouted.

Men covered themselves with their arms and cried out, certain the end had come.

Fear turned to astonishment when the great doors of the prison flew open. Shackles fell to the ground. The earth ceased its violent convulsion and all was silent.

“Stop!” the man called Paul ordered, pointing to the prison guard standing just outside the doorway.

The guard, sword in hand, froze in shock. His expression bore evidence that he’d assumed he was alone.

“We’re all here.” Paul’s voice was calm.

“But –” the guard began. He looked into the cell, not believing what he saw. “The door is open – your chains are loosed. I thought – I thought –” He could not finish.

“You thought we’d escaped.”

The guard nodded. “I would be blamed. And I would rather kill myself than face the magistrates.”

“There is no need.” Paul said.

The guard entered the cell and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. “Please, come out of this place.”

He led the two men out of the prison, watchful for the authorities that would surely come to assess the damage. And to accuse. When he had brought them safely to his own home, he turned to them, “What must I do to be saved?”

Silas smiled and put his hand on the guard’s shoulder. “That’s easy, my friend. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your family.”

Paul and Silas watched as the young man closed his eyes and sighed. “I believe,” he said. “I believe.”

The guard and his entire family were saved that day.”[ii]

What an unbelievable story! These two men of God were serving the Lord, and they were being beaten up and thrown in prison. And this was no modern jail cell with pillows and blankets and television sets. They were in the dungeon – a maximum security cell. Their feet were in stocks, their backs were bleeding. They were not in a happy place.

But in the midnight hour… It’s no accident that Luke emphasizes the fact that this took place at midnight. This story gives us hope and encouragement when we find ourselves in the darkest midnight hours of our lives. Things couldn’t have gotten any worse for Paul and Silas – they were in a smelly, damp, dark and dismal place. But what were they doing? Were they having a little pity party, all sad, depressed and miserable? “Woe is me, we’re in prison, we were trying to serve God, but now He’s left us alone in this awful place!” No. Paul and Silas were praying and praising the Lord. And this wasn’t a quiet little meditative prayer either. They were praising God so loudly that the other prisoners heard them. Then all of a sudden… something happened! They weren’t just singing songs to a god who was way out there in outer space somewhere, “Oh God, I don’t know if you’re listening or not.” No. As they began to praise the Lord, something started to happen. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, and everyone’s chains fell off.

This is the power of praise. There’s something that happens when you boldly declare, “I’m not going to let my circumstances get me down. I’m going to lift my hands and praise God anyway.” The power of praise can set you free! I believe in the power of praise and worship. When we lift our voices with a shout triumph and victory, circumstances change. Do you have troubles, problems, and difficult things that you’re facing in your life? Get your eyes off of your problems and onto the Lord. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2).

How do we praise and worship?

What is worship? If we’re going to praise and worship the Lord, then we need to know what it is and how to do it. To answer that question, let’s turn to the Word of God.

1.         We Worship From the Heart:

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).

I love the context of this statement that Jesus made. Sometimes we think of worship as just something we do in the holy sanctuary Sunday mornings at church. Some people think that worship doesn’t relate to their 24-7 eating and drinking, working and playing lives. Jesus is talking here to a woman who had serious issues in her life. This woman had been divorced five times, and was currently living with a man she wasn’t married to. Jesus spoke to the very real and painful issues in her life. Worship is not just some mystical thing that we do at church, but it is something that makes a difference in the strain and the struggle of our day to day lives.

The first thing we learn about worship is that we must worship the Father in spirit. True worship must come from our hearts, our innermost beings. As we go through this list of how to worship God, it’s not just about lifting our hands or bowing before the Lord. True worship must come from the heart, because you can do all of the external things, but if it’s not coming from the heart, it won’t make a difference in your life.

Continued tomorrow…

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

 

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[i] John Piper, Hunger for God. (InterVarsity Press, November 1997).

[ii] Wendy Neudorf, Prison Break, January 2010.

[iii] John Calvin, Commentary on Acts 20:36.

Search the Scriptures – Part #2

Seven Reasons Why Bible Study Will Change Your Life:

We have looked at the story of the Bereans in Acts, and Josiah from the Old Testament. But more than just inspiring you with their stories, I hope to stir you up with a passion to get into God’s Word for yourself. Here are just a few of the many reasons why studying the Bible will change your life today. All of the main Scriptures for these points are taken from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, a chapter that is all about the benefits of walking in obedience to God’s Word.

1.         You will be blessed. 

“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord.” (Psalm 119:1, amp).

Do you want to be blessed, and experience the abundant life that Jesus offers? If you read God’s Word, get it into your heart, and work it out in your life, God will bless you. The Lord’s promise to Joshua applies to us today: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8). If you want to prosper and be successful in your life, obey God’s Word.

As the famous British pastor J. C. Ryle put it, “The Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit is the grand instrument by which souls are first converted to God. That mighty change is generally begun by some text or doctrine of the Word, brought home to a man’s conscience. In this way the Bible has worked moral miracles by the thousands. It has made drunkards become sober—immoral people become pure—thieves become honest and violent-tempered people become meek. It has wholly altered the course of men’s lives. It has caused their old things to pass away, and made all their ways new.”[i] God’s Word will transform your life today.

2.         God’s Word will make you pure. 

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:9,11).

Do you have a hard time saying no to sin? Do you struggle with temptations? Do you find yourself doing things you don’t want to do? The Apostle Paul understood this struggle well. He wrote, “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:15-19, nlt). God’s Word gives us the antidote to our struggle with sin. In fact, God’s Word is the antidote to our struggle with sin! When we hide God’s Word in our hearts, it helps us to keep from sinning against God. The Word of God is powerful, and it can give us the ability to resist temptation. Not only does the Bible teach us what is right and wrong, but the living Word in our hearts empowers us to live victoriously over sin.

When Jesus walked the earth, He was tempted by the devil. How did the Son of God resist the devil? “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:3-4). Jesus used the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God – to overcome Satan’s temptations. God’s Word can make you pure.

3.         God’s Word will show you miraculous things. 

“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” (Psalm 119:18).

The Bible is full of miracles – stories of men and women who met Jesus and were transformed. That’s exciting! These are stories of real people whose lives were eternally changed by the living God. But what stirs up my heart the most is the truth ofHebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Jesus is alive and well, He’s deeply interested in people’s lives, and He’s still performing miracles today. When we read through the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, forgiving sins, and accepting people. The Good News about the Gospel is that Jesus is still doing those things today. Being a Christian isn’t just about hearing the stories about what Jesus did two thousand years ago. If we are walking with Jesus, then we can expect to see those things today.

4.         God’s Word will revive you. 

“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:25).

Do you ever feel discouraged and want to give up? That’s what the Psalmist was talking about. Look at how other translators have rendered this passage:

•  “I lie defeated in the dust.” (gnt).
• “I’m feeling terrible – I couldn’t feel worse!” (msg).
• “I am about to die.” (ncv).

The Psalmist is feeling miserable. So what did he do? He cried out for the Lord to revive him. And how does that revival happen? Through the Word. If we want to see revival, we need to get into the Word of God, and get the Word into our hearts. That’s exactly what happened to King Josiah. He got into the Word; the Word revived him, and brought revival to his entire nation. Do you want a personal revival? Then fill your heart and mind with the Word of God! My heart longs to see revival sweep across my nation ofCanada, and I know the foundation must be a returning to the living and powerful Word of God. Two other times in Psalm 119, the Psalmist prays that the Lord would use the Word to revive Him:

•  “I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.” (verse 107).
• “Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.” (verse 154).

If we want to see the church become more glorious and powerful, we need to get in the Word.

5.         God’s Word reveals His love to us. 

“The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy and lovingkindness; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:64).

One of the reasons God gave us the Bible is so we would know how much He loves us. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Consider the words to this old familiar Sunday school song: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.” The Bible reveals to us how much God loves us. Jesus said, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9). “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

It is so important for us to read the Bible because sometimes we doubt and question the love of God. “Does God really love me? How could God love someone like me, when I’ve messed up so much?” The next time you start to doubt the love of God, read your Bible. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. Meditate on the Cross, where Jesus shed His blood so your sins could be forgiven. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). God loves you – yes, even you!

6.         God’s Word gives wisdom and direction. 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105).

How do we make the right choices in life? How do we know where to go or what to do? The Bible is our roadmap, revealing God’s will for our lives. The Bible gives us light – direction – for our paths. As we’re navigating the pitfalls of living life in a sin-cursed earth, God’s Word is a blueprint for living the blessed life. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22,25).

7.         God’s Word will give you great peace. 

“Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” (Psalm 119:165).

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165,kjv).

How would you like to come to a place in your life where you walk in such peace that you’re never offended, and you never stumble? Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you willhave tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). When we get into the Word, and love the Bible, we can come to a place in our lives where the peace of God guards our heart from offense, and our feet from stumbling.

These are just some of the many benefits that Bible study will bring into your life. Psalm 119 also tells us that the Bible will strengthen us (verse 25), enlarges our hearts (verse 32), enable us to walk in liberty (verse 45), comfort us (verse 50), give us understanding (verse 104), and more. The bottom line is that studying God’s Word, and putting it into practice, will change your life.

How to Study the Bible:

The Bible isn’t just one book; it is actually a library of sixty-six different books. Therefore, you don’t have to read the Bible straight through from beginning to end. Many Christians have set out to read through the whole Bible from cover to cover and never make it past the third book of the Bible, Leviticus. They read through Genesis, the story of God’s creation of the universe, and choosing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the nation ofIsrael. They read through Exodus, the story of God raising up Moses to deliver His people from bondage in the nation of Egypt. And then they get to Leviticus, a book that describes different sacrifices and offerings, the ceremonial and civil laws of Israel, the ordination of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, regulations about unclean and clean foods, laws, rules, punishments, and more, and that’s where they usually get hung up.

Start your reading in the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament. Mark will tell you the story of the life, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of all four Gospels, this one is best suited to the fast-paced lives of the 21st century. Then read the Book of Acts, as we have been studying in this book – the history and blueprint of the church. Once you’ve finished reading Acts, go back to the Old Testament to the Psalms (a prayer book), or the book of Proverbs (wisdom for daily living). Read through Paul’s New Testament letters that teach us how to live our lives as followers of Jesus. Eventually you will read through the entire Bible. If you start reading one book of the Bible that is challenging or hard for you to understand, just move onto another one.

Finally, here are some practical tips to help you make your Bible study time more profitable. One of the reasons why people don’t get more out of their Bible reading is because they’re not specifically looking for anything. They open up their Bibles and read and just hope to find something that will bless their lives. I want to encourage you to look for the answers to these four specific questions every time you open up your Bible. Keep a notebook beside you, and take notes on what you are reading. Then your reading will be profitable.

The Four Bible Study Questions:

1.         What does this Scripture teach me about Who God is?

“Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:3-5).

The Bible is designed to help us to get to know God better. Therefore, we should ask ourselves the question: What does this Scripture teach me about the nature of God? The Bible tells us that, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8). Everything we believe about the nature of God must come from the Bible. Why do we believe that God is good, loving, holy, just, powerful and majestic? Because that’s how the Bible describes His nature to us. The Bible is full of titles, names and descriptions of God, that help us to get to know Him better.

2.         What does this Scripture teach me about Who I Am?

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14).

When reading the Bible, we should ask ourselves what this Scripture teaches us about our nature as children of God. We need to allow the Bible to change the way that we think about ourselves, so that we can be transformed into the image of Jesus. Many people struggle with low self esteem because they don’t know what the Bible says about what God thinks of them. The Bible tells us that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, He predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, and He made us accepted in the Beloved. God is for us, not against us; we’re more than conquerors through Him who loved us, we’re overcomers by the blood of the Lamb, and nothing can separate us from the love of God! This is what the Bible says about who we are in Christ. In fact, the New Testament has over 100 Scriptures that talk about who we are in Him. When you read through your Bible, take note of everything the Bible says about who you are as a child of God, and allow those truths to transform the way you see yourself.

3.         What does this Scripture teach me about God’s Promises?

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:2-4).

Is there a promise to claim? The Bible is full of promises that God has made to us. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5). If we don’t know what God’s promises are, we won’t experience them in our lives. This is why Paul prayed for the church inEphesus: “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.” (Ephesians 1:18, nlt).

4.         What does this Scripture teach me about God’s Commands?

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15).

Not only does the Bible contain God’s promises – the things that the Lord has promised to do for us – it also contains His commandments, those things He wants us to do for Him. When we are reading the Scriptures, we should ask ourselves the question: Is there a commandment to obey? The Bible teaches us how God wants us to live so that we can experience the blessed life. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). What an important revelation this is: that God’s commandments are for our own good. They come from a loving Father who wants to protect His children from danger and death. When God says, “Thou shalt not,” it is because He knows that if we do that thing He tells us not to (if we sin), we will hurt ourselves or others.

Read the Word!

If you haven’t done so yet, I want to challenge you today to make a commitment to read your Bible on a regular basis in your life. I have a Bible reading schedule on our church website (www.beausejourchurch.ca) called “The Five Minute Challenge.” This schedule will take you through the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs by the end of the year. There are many other Bible reading schedules online that you can avail yourselves of as well. Whatever plan you use, get into the Word, and get the Word into your heart and life, and be transformed!

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] J. C. Ryle, Practical Religion. (Banner of Truth, 1998).

Search the Scriptures

Search the Scriptures!

THE BIG IDEA: God’s desire is that we would be like the Bereans: a people who would prepare our hearts, receive the Word, and search the Scriptures.

“I could plead with you to study the Bible for personal edification; I could try the art of persuasion to stimulate your quest for happiness. I could say that the study of the Bible would probably be the most rewarding educational experience of your life… But ultimately the main reason why we should study the Bible is because it is our duty.” (R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture).[i]

I love the Bible! It is my absolute favorite book in the world. When I first became a Christian, I read through the whole Bible from cover to cover in three months. Since then, I have endeavored to read through the New Testament once a year, and the Old Testament once every two years. I decided that if God is real, and He is who the Bible says He is – a compassionate God who sent His son Jesus to die on the Cross for my sins – then I want to know Him. If He has written a book that reveals His heart, nature, wisdom, plans and purposes for my life, then I want to read that book. It is so important for us to get God’s Word into our hearts so that we can be transformed into the image of Jesus.

Someone described the Bible in terms of this acronym: B.I.B.L.E. = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. What a great description. The Bible helps us live life on planet Earth. Here’s a humorous look at a sample of some actual product warning labels:

• “Warning: This product can burn eyes.” – On a curling iron.
• “Do not use while sleeping.” – On a hair dryer.
• “Caution: Hot beverages are hot!” – On a coffee cup.
• “Please keep out of children.” – On a butcher knife.
• “Do not use for drying pets.” – In the manual for a microwave oven.
• “Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage.” – On a portable stroller.
• “Do not drive car or operate machinery.” – On a bottle of children’s cough medicine.
• “Warning: May contain nuts.” – On a package of peanuts.

Meet The Bereans:

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night toBerea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.” (Acts 17:10-12).

1.         Prepare Your Heart:

In Acts chapter 17, we are introduced to a model group of believers – the Bereans. The first thing that Luke tells us about them is that they were nobler than the people in Thessalonica. That word noble means distinguished, of exalted moral or mental character or excellence.[ii] The Thessalonians had rejected the Word, and stirred up trouble against the preachers. The Bereans on the other hand received God’s Word with all readiness. These believers remind me of one of my favorite Old Testament Bible heroes, a scribe named Ezra:

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances inIsrael.” (Ezra 7:10).

After I graduated fromPacificLifeBibleCollegein 1999, I had the privilege of teaching two courses there – Bible Research and Hermeneutics (Bible Interpretation) – for the next eight years. It was a joy for me to be able to share my passion for God’s Word with future pastors, preachers and missionaries. In my Hermeneutics class, I always held up Ezra as an example of what it means to be a student of God’s Word. He did three things: He prepared his heart to seek God’s Word, he obeyed God’s Word, and then he taught other people the things that he was learning. What does it mean to prepare your heart to seek God’s Word?

First of all, when you read the Bible, always choose a time when your mind is alert and ready to glean nuggets of wisdom from God’s Word. Don’t read when you’re tired or about to fall asleep! Another way you can prepare your heart is to make sure that you get a good night’s sleep on Saturday night, so that you are awake and ready to receive the truth of God’s Word at church on Sunday morning. There is nothing more discouraging to me as a pastor than to hear stories of people who are out late partying on Saturday night, and then because of that, they choose to sleep in on Sunday morning and miss church. That tells me that they don’t respect the Word of God! The Prince of Preachers warns:

“If God has spoken, listen! If God has recorded his words in a Book, search its pages with a believing heart. If you do not accept it as God’s inspired word, I cannot invite you to pay any particular attention to it; but if you regard it as the Book of God, I charge you, as I shall meet you at the judgment seat of Christ, study the Bible daily. Treat not the Eternal God with disrespect, but delight in His Word.”[iii]

Finally, it is of the utmost importance – if you want to get the most out of your Bible reading – to take the time to pray before you read. One of the prayers I usually pray before reading my Bible is one Paul prayed for the church inEphesus: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understandingbeing enlightened.” (Ephesians 1:17-18).

2.         Receive the Word:

The next thing Luke tells us about the Bereans is that they received the Word with all readiness, or great eagerness (nasb). That word means with zeal, inclination, readiness of mind.[iv] They had an open heart attitude to receive God’s Word from the preacher. “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When we sit under the preaching of God’s Word, we should have our hearts open and ready to hear from Heaven. Pastors and teachers are gifts from Jesus to the church, to equip us to do the work of the ministry, and to help us to come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.

Practically speaking, one of the first things you can do is to bring your Bible to church. That way, you can follow along in your own Bible with what the pastor is teaching. If you find that you never have to open your Bible in your service because your pastor never reads from it, it might be time to find a new church. Second, bring a notebook. If you believe that God still speaks through His Word today, then you should have a heart that is ready to listen and obey. When you take notes on the message, it will help your mind to stay focused on what is being taught, and it will give you a great resource to look back on and remind yourself of the things that God is teaching you.

3.         Search the Scriptures:

Finally, Luke tells us that the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to make sure the things the preachers were saying were actually in the Bible. To search means to investigate or examine. Although it is important to have a heart attitude to receive the word with all readiness, we also have a responsibility to go back to the Bible and make sure what we are being taught actually lines up with the Bible. You must “Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15).

There is no preacher, pastor or teacher of God’s Word who has a perfect understanding of the Scriptures. Because of this, God gives all believers the responsibility to make sure that what they’re learning lines up with the written Word of God. Many Christians blindly accept everything they hear from the pulpit or read in a book, and because of that, they can potentially be led astray. As you’re reading through this book, I encourage you: don’t take my word for what I’m teaching. Go back to the Bible for yourself and look up every Scripture I have quoted, and make sure that what I’m teaching you is true. You should do this with every book you read and every sermon you hear.

There is another benefit to reading the Scripture that goes beyond just guarding yourself from deception. Reading the Bible feeds and nourishes your spirit. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). I hope I do not weary you by sharing all of these quotes with you from Spurgeon, but there is such timeless wisdom here:

“As for you, my brothers and sisters, the best food for you is the Word of God itself. Sermons and books are well enough, but streams that run for a long distance above ground gradually gather for themselves somewhat of the soil through which they flow, and they lose the cool freshness with which they started from the spring head. Truth is sweetest where it breaks from the smitten Rock, for at its first gush it has lost none of its heavenliness and vitality. It is always best to drink at the well and not from the tank. You shall find that reading the Word of God for yourselves, reading it rather than notes upon it, is the surest way of growing m grace. Drink of the unadulterated milk of the Word of God, and not of the skim milk, or the milk and water of man’s word.”[v]

The Power of the Word of God:

A favorite story about the transformational power of the Word of God is one that Pastor Barry Buzza shared in his book The Red Thread. (As an aside, The Red Thread is a three-part series of books that was written to help average-type people digest and apply the life changing principles of the Bible to their every day lives. See www.barrybuzza.com for more info about ordering these books).

“Several years ago, a missionary inAfricawas handing out free New Testaments as a large outdoor evangelistic meeting, when he came across a young, rebellious looking, African transient… When the missionary greeted the young man, he asked him if he would like a New Testament to read.

“No,” he responded, “I really have no interest in reading your Bible.”

“This book has the answers to life’s biggest questions – it could give you a new start on life.”

“Sir, if you give me this book,” he was now thumbing through the thin white paper, “I’ll just end up ripping out these pages and using them to make cigarettes.”

“I’ll tell you what,” the missionary countered, “You go ahead and use the Bible for cigarette wrappers. That’s OK, as long as you do one thing for me.”

“What’s that?”

“You must read each page before you smoke it.”

“You have a deal. I’ll do it.”

Years later, the now aging missionary was back in the same area. He was to be the honored guest at a large Christian rally, where a forty-something black evangelist was preaching. After the service, the speaker approached the older man and asked, “Do you remember me?”

“No, I can’t say that I do.”

“About twenty years ago, you were the preacher at a meeting near here, and you saw me hanging around outside begging. When you offered me a free Bible, I said I’d take it, if you let me use its page as cigarette paper.”

“I do remember you. I asked you to read each page before you smoked it. I can hardly believe you’re the same person – what happened?”

“Well, I did what you said, reading each page of the New Testament before I rolled it into a cigarette. I smoked my way all through Matthew. I smoked all of Mark. I smoked the entire book of Luke. Then, I was smoking through John’s Gospel, and I got to John 3:16and read, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him would have everlasting life. I began to cry when I realized how much God loves me, and I knelt down right where I was and asked God to forgive me and come into my life. Like you promised, everything began to change from that point on!”[vi]

My desire is to stir up your hunger for more of God’s Word in your life, and to inspire you to expect great things to happen when you read the Bible. What God did for that man inAfrica, He can do for you. The Word of God is living and powerful, and it can change your life today.

The Boy King Josiah:

As we are considering the life-transforming power of the Word of God, let’s look at the story of another of my favorite Bible heroes. His story may not be as well known as the story of David and Goliath, but it is no less impacting. Josiah was a young man whose life was changed by the Word of God.

Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh was a wicked king that reigned in the nation of Judah. The Bible tells us that Manasseh “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the pagan nations whom the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites… Manasseh even sacrificed his own son in the fire.He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.” (2 Kings 21:2,6, nlt). Josiah’s father Amon became king when Josiah was six years old, and “He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. He followed the example of his father, worshiping the same idols that his father had worshiped.” (2 Kings 21:20-21). He was so bad that his own servants plotted against him and assassinated him in his palace two years into his reign.

This was the dysfunctional family that Josiah was born into. This was his ungodly heritage. I like this story because even though his family was messed up, Josiah didn’t adopt a victim mentality that said, “I can’t help being the way that I am because of my dad. This is the family that I grew up in, and that’s why my life is a mess today. I can’t help myself.” This young boy was eight years old when he became king, but he refused to allow his past to affect his future. Josiah didn’t say, “This is the way my grandpa and dad were, so I’m just going to follow in their footsteps.” Apart from the power of God’s Word in his life, that is the natural course his life would have taken. But the Word made all the difference for him.

I saw this to be true in my own life. I was raised in a dysfunctional family; the son of an alcoholic father who abandoned his family; my mother, my two sisters and I, before I was five years old. He was a philanderer, and as a result of his sexual relations with women all over western Canada, I also have two half-sisters and three half-brothers. When I was in high school, I started down the same road my father had taken. I dated many girls, and went to parties and bars to get drunk. Had it not been for the Lord Jesus Christ who saved me at the age of eighteen, I know I would have become just like my father. But because of the power of God’s Word changing my life, I can testify today that I have been happily married for over fifteen years; the Lord has blessed us with four wonderful children; and I have never once been unfaithful to my wife. I don’t say that to boast in myself, but rather to give glory to God for the blessing and benefit He provides to those who trust in Him and follow His ways. What God did for me, He will do for you, too.

Let’s take a look at the story of the boy king Josiah, and see how God’s Word changed His life:

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying: “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house.” (2 Kings 22:1-5).

In this passage we are told that Josiah walked in all the ways of his father David. We know that Josiah’s father was Amon, and his grandfather was Manasseh. David was actually Josiah’s great, great, great, great grandfather. But when Josiah chose a role-model for his life, he didn’t choose his biological dad. He reached back a few generations to find David – a man after God’s own heart – and chose to follow that righteous example. We have the power, with God’s grace, to choose who we want to become.

When Josiah became king, he noticed that the house of the Lord was in ruins. Both his father and his grandfather had neglected the temple, and instead chose to engage in gross sin and immorality. As Josiah was established in his kingdom, he determined to make some changes inJerusalem. He gave money to one of his scribes to take to the builders to repair all the damage that had been done to the house of the Lord. In the process of restoring God’s house, they discovered in the rubble a treasure that was so amazing, wonderful and powerful that it would change absolutely everything:

“Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.” Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.” (2 Kings 22:8-10).

This book they found wasn’t just another book. There was something very special about it. It was the Word of God. When Josiah read the Bible, his life was forever changed. And not only his life; the Word of God brought about a revival and a reformation that transformed the face of that entire nation. That’s the power of the Word. As Josiah read the Bible, he discovered that God had laid out principles for life change. He realized that God’s people weren’t walking in obedience to what the Lord had called them to do, so Josiah purposed in his heart to make some changes.

“Now the king sent them to gather all the elders ofJudahandJerusalemto him. The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men ofJudah, and with him all the inhabitants ofJerusalem–the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.” (2 Kings 23:1-3).

After drawing the line in the sand, Josiah pulled down all the altars that had been used in false religious practices and burned them all. He destroyed the temples of the pagan religions, including altars his grandfather had erected. He called the people of God to return to a true and passionate worship of the Living God. Second Kings 23:25 is a fitting epitaph to this mighty man of God: “Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.”

Continued tomorrow…

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture. (InterVarsity Press, October 2006).

[ii] noble. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. (accessed: April 11, 2010).

[iii] Charles Spurgeon, The Bible Tried and Proven.

[iv] The New Testament Greek Lexicon.

[v] Charles Spurgeon, How to Read the Bible.

[vi] Barry Buzza, The Red Thread. (Life Pathways, 2004).

God’s Amazing Grace – Part #2

Mephibosheth – an Example of Grace:

There are many stories in the Bible that illustrate the grace of God, but perhaps the most striking is the story of a young man named Mephibosheth. In this story, King David is a picture of our Heavenly Father, and Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth is a picture of you and me:

“Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “At your service!” Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.” (2 Samuel 9:1-5).

Have you ever had a reputation or a nick-name that you just couldn’t shake? That was Mephibosheth. He was “the cripple, the one who is lame in his feet.” This young man was lost, forgotten, helpless and abandoned in Lo Debar, until one day he heard the call, “The King wants to see you.” If you are familiar with the history behind this Old Testament story, you know that Mephibosheth was the grandson of Saul, David’s predecessor. Typically, when a new king would come into power, he would kill off all of the descendants of the previous king to make sure that there was no contesting of the throne. Mephibosheth heard, “The King is looking for you.” Can you imagine what he must have felt? He had no idea what to expect from this king. He couldn’t run anywhere – he was crippled – so he reluctantly decided to appear before the king. When he did, he got an unexpected, gracious reception:

“Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” (2 Samuel 9:6-8).

Mephibosheth couldn’t get over seeing himself as the cripple. The dead dog. The unworthy servant. Nothing. Nobody. But the king said, “As for Mephibosheth, he shall eat at my tablelike one of the king’s sons.” (2 Samuel 9:11b). Invited to eat at the table of the king? He couldn’t grasp that kind of grace. Let’s consider the story of Mephibosheth, and may God grant us the ability to understand a little more about His amazing grace and unconditional love.

Before Grace: Who was Mephibosheth? 

“Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When news of the battle reached the capital, the child’s nurse grabbed him and fled. But she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became crippled as a result.” (2 Samuel 4:4).

When the news came that King Saul was dead, Mephibosheth’s nurse knew immediately what that meant. “David is king, Mephibosheth’s life is in jeopardy, I need to get him out of here!” In her haste to escape with the young child, she dropped him, and broke both of his feet.

Here was a young boy born of royal blood. He was a prince, the son of a prince, the grandson of the king. I wonder if as a young boy he grew up thinking about what it would be like to one day sit on the throne. Dreams of royalty. What is it in the hearts of children that desires to role play princes and princesses? They have a sense of their eternal destiny in their hearts that knows they were born for something greater than this. Even as Mephibosheth grew up an orphan – a hopeless, helpless victim who had to beg for a living – I wonder if he didn’t dream of that life he lost. “I wasn’t born for this. I wasn’t created to go through life being broken, forgotten and alone!”

Commenting on the story of Mephibosheth, author Max Lucado writes: “If his story is beginning to sound familiar, it should. You and he have a lot in common. Weren’t you also born of royalty? And don’t you carry the wounds of a fall? And hasn’t each of us lived in fear of a king we have never seen?”[i]

There are three important principles about God’s grace that we learn from the story of this crippled orphan named Mephibosheth: Grace seeks us first, grace has the power to change us, and grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

1.         Grace seeks us first:

Many people think that the journey of faith begins with us seeking after God, but the reality is, the chase of grace begins with God. “Though the Scriptures insist on God’s initiative in the work of salvation – that by grace we are saved, that the Tremendous Lover has taken to the chase – our spirituality often starts with self, not God.”[ii] (Brennan Manning).

God came seeking us before we ever began seeking Him. Before we ever had a single thought in our hearts that there was something missing in our lives, God was looking for us. We see this in the example of King David searching for Mephibosheth: “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness?” (verse 1). Grace began in God’s throne room, when the Father said, “Is there anyone left of the race of Adam to whom I can show kindness?” Mephibosheth was forgotten, forsaken and abandoned. His family didn’t care about him, and he ended up in Lo Debar, a name that means no pasture, a barren, desolate place. What a perfect picture of what life is like without Christ.

At the age of eighteen, I knew what it was like to live in Lo Debar. I had just graduated from high school, and this was before I had surrendered my life to the Lord. I was at an all-nighter drive-in and I sat down with one of my friends and said, “There’s something missing. There’s got to be more to life than girls, drinking and partying.” Even though I was living the so-called good life, there was still barrenness in my soul. That’s Lo Debar. But the king comes looking for us, even in our brokenness.

Jesus laid out one of the most radical concepts of grace when He said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16a). Growing up on the playground, I was one of the kids who usually got picked last. When recess time would roll around, and it was time to pick the teams, the two biggest and strongest kids were picked to be the captains. Then would begin the painful process of choosing the teams, where those of us who were the weakest and scrawniest hoped that we wouldn’t be the last one picked this time around. “I don’t want Chris, you take him.” “No, I don’t want Chris, you can have him. I don’t want him.” If you know what it’s like to be unwanted or forgotten, then the story of Mephibosheth will encourage you.

“Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:4-5, nlt).

What amazing grace! God loved us and chose us – not reluctantly, because no one else wanted us. No arm twisting. No cajoling, begging or pleading. No, God’s adopting us into His family brought Him great pleasure. God demonstrated His own love towards us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Grace tells us that even before we were seeking God, while we were lost in the stench of our sin and rebellion against God, that’s when the Father sent His son to die for our sins to be forgiven!

Why would the king look for Mephibosheth? He was a cripple, and there was absolutely nothing within this young man’s life that he could contribute to the king. When King David asked Ziba if there was anyone he could show kindness to, Ziba said, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” (verse 3). I wonder if he wasn’t trying to discourage the king from going after Mephibosheth. “There’s one person, but he’s a cripple, you don’t want to waste your time on him.” But King David would not be dissuaded. He said, “Where is he?” (verse 4).

Those words remind me of God’s first gracious words that he spoke when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden: “Where are you?” After Adam and Eve had disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they ran away from God and hid. But grace seeks us… first. God came looking for them. God comes looking for us in our brokenness and pain. This is Good News.

2.         Grace has the power to change us:

When the king gave the call, Mephibosheth could have stayed in Lo-Debar in that barren place of brokenness. He could have said, “I don’t know what this king is going to do with my life. I don’t know this king. He could kill me for all I know.” But Mephibosheth didn’t stay where he was. He took a step of faith and responded to the king’s call. “I don’t know what will happen if I go to the king, but it can’t be much worse than this brokenness I have lived in my whole life.”

God the King has extended to us the offer of grace. He has done the hard part and paid the price for our salvation, but we have to respond to that grace.

When Mephibosheth first came to the king, he said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” (verse 8). He identified himself as a dead dog, broken and crippled. That was his identity, how he saw himself. This is a parallel picture to life before Christ:

“Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” (Ephesians 2:1-5a, nlt).

When we realize how much God loves us, it will revolutionize our lives. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When Jesus Christ becomes your Lord and Savior, it doesn’t matter what kind of pain, brokenness, sin, rebellion or darkness was in your life, it is all washed away. Everything becomes new. Everything changes. When I first heard the Gospel, it was good news to me. I didn’t need someone to tell me what was wrong with me – I knew that I was a sinner – I needed to know what could be right with me. That’s grace!

There is a big difference between law and grace. The law condemns us. The law tells us that we’re not good enough. The law tells us that we’ve missed the mark. But grace tells us that God loves us, accepts us, and chooses us anyway. Mephibosheth was invited to eat at the table of the king not as a servant, but as a son.

3.         Grace is God’s  Riches At Christ’s Expense:

“So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake.” (verse 7b).

All of the heavenly blessings that we have been blessed with are ours only because of what Jesus did for us. Are your sins forgiven? Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Are you accepted in the beloved? Are you adopted into God’s family? Is God for you and not against you? Can nothing separate you from the love of God? If those things are true of you – and they are, if you’re a Christian – then it is all because of what Jesus did for us by dying on the Cross. We experience all of God’s riches – at Christ’s expense. Because Jesus came into this world, lived a perfect life, and died as our substitute on the Cross, we can be set free.

Do you know what happens when you become a Christian? God takes all of your sins (past, present and future), and puts them on Jesus on the Cross, and then He takes the righteousness of Jesus (He lived a perfect life and never sinned), and credits it to your account. “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are righteous, not because we have never sinned, but because of Jesus. God’s riches at Christ’s expense.

The King didn’t choose Mephibosheth because of any good qualities in him. He chose Mephibosheth because it was in His nature to be good and gracious. Sometimes we feel unworthy to receive God’s love, but we must remember it’s not about our goodness; it’s about God’s goodness. That’s what Thomas Merton meant when he said, “A saint is not someone who is good, but someone God has been good to.” What does it mean to be a Christian – a child of God? We don’t earn our salvation by good works; it is the free gift of His grace.

Does this mean then that we don’t have to live right? Paul answers that question for us: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, nlt). Charles Spurgeon told a story once that best illustrates how we should respond to God’s grace:

“There is the story of half-a-dozen boys who had severe fathers, accustomed to beat them within an inch of their lives. Another boy was with them who was well beloved by his parents, and known to do so. These young boys met together to hold a council of war about robbing an orchard. They were all anxious to get about it except the favored youth, who did not enjoy the proposal. One of them cried out, “You need not be afraid: if our fathers catch us at this work, we shall be half-killed, but your father won’t lay a hand upon you.” The little boy answered, “And do you think because my father is kind to me, that therefore I will do wrong and grieve him? I will do nothing of the sort to my dear father. He is so good to me that I cannot vex him.”[iii]

Because God is good, let us therefore walk in holiness, not to try to get Him to love us, but because He already does love us. What should be our response to God’s grace? “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1, nlt).

Do You Know Jesus?

Dear reader, do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If you haven’t yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, I want to invite you to do so now. The Bible tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In other words, every human being in the world has broken God’s commandments, including you and me. The Bible also tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). That means that the penalty for our breaking God’s law is death, or eternal separation from God in a place called hell. That’s the bad news. However, the Good News is that you don’t have to be punished for your sins, because Jesus has taken your place.John 3:16says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That tells us that God loves us and wants to save us from our sins! How can we meet Jesus as our Lord and Savior? “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). If you would like to make your peace with God, and give your life to Jesus, pray this prayer out loud right now:

Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner. I have broken your commandments, and I deserve to be punished for my sins. However, I believe that you loved me so much that you sent Jesus to die for my sins. I believe that He is the Son of God, that He died on the Cross, and three days later He came back to life. I confess my sins to you, and ask you to forgive me of all of the wrong things that I have done, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Please come into my life and make me a new person. I make the decision today to follow You all the days of my life. Thank you for adopting me into Your family. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed that prayer from a believing heart, the Bible says that you have been born again, adopted into God’s family! I want to encourage you now to find a good local church that preaches the Bible, and tell someone about the decision that you have just made. Start reading the Bible. Talk to God in prayer every day. And get baptized in water as soon as possible.

And, if you would be so kind, would you please send me an e-mail and tell me about the decision that you have made? I would love to be able to rejoice with you, and personally welcome you into the family of God. Take the time today to thank God for His indescribable gift.

The Old Rugged Cross:

(Written by George Bennard)

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace. (Thomas Nelson Publishers, March 1999).

[ii] Brennan Manning, ibid.

[iii] Charles Spurgeon, The Doctrines of Grace do not Lead to Sin.

God’s Amazing Grace

God’s Amazing Grace

THE BIG IDEA: The greatest miracle in the Kingdom of God is when someone encounters Jesus as their Savior. We are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done.

“Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazin’ grace.” (Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel).[i]

One of the most popular, well-loved hymns of all time is Amazing Grace, written in 1779 by an English pastor named John Newton. The first verse says, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Almost everyone in the world knows the lyrics to this song, but have they personally experienced that amazing grace in their own lives?

Perhaps one of the most impacting stories I have ever heard about grace came from Philip Yancey’s book What’s so Amazing About Grace?

“I heard (this story) from a friend who works with the down-and-out in Chicago: A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her two-year-old daughter. Through sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter – two years old… She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. She had to do it, she said, to support her own drug habit. I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story… I had no idea what to say to this woman.

At last I asked if she had ever thought of going to a church for help. I will never forget the look of pure, naïve shock that crossed her face. “Church!” she cried, “Why would I ever go there?  I was already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse.”

What struck me about my friend’s story is that women much like the prostitute fled toward Jesus, not away from him. The worse a person felt about herself, the more likely she saw Jesus as a refuge. Has the church lost that gift? Evidently the down-and-out, who flocked to Jesus when he lived on earth, no longer feel welcome among his followers.”[ii]

I am reminded of a true story, something that happened to my mom back in the seventies. She had been attending a church in Regina for several years and one day, the pastor and one of the deacons came by for a visit. They started asking my mother about her relationship with my dad. Although they were still married at this time, they had been separated for a while. Mom told them about how my father was an alcoholic, how he had often cheated on her, how he did not support our family, and drank all of his money away. He was never home, and wasn’t a good husband or father. To make a long story short, the pastor and deacon told my mother that marriage under God was eternal, and she wouldn’t be able to get into Heaven without her husband. That meant she was going to go to hell. Mom was so hurt, angry and betrayed by this pastor. As a single mother, she had gone to them for support and received nothing. Needless to say, she never darkened the door of a church for twenty years.

I’m so happy to report that shortly after I got saved, my mom started attending church again. She was a prodigal daughter who found her way back to the Father’s House. One of the highlights and greatest privileges of my ministry was water baptizing my mother at Bible Fellowship. Praise the Lord!

Both of those stories still grip my heart and cause me to cry: There’s something wrong in the church today. I attended a church once that did not understand the grace of God. One Sunday morning, the worship team had decided to resurrect that old song, Amazing Grace. I was shocked to see how they had changed the words to this classic hymn. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved someone like me.” Unbelievable! They wouldn’t even acknowledge the truth of Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” There was one time that pastor was preaching, and he literally said from the pulpit, “If you ever catch me in the foyer before church, and I ask you how you’re doing, I don’t want to hear all of your problems and troubles in your life. If I ask you how you’re doing, I only want to hear you say, ‘Praise God, I’m on top and I’m rising’!” Something is wrong in the church today!

I thank God for a good friend of mine who introduced me to two books that radically revolutionized my understanding of God’s grace and Christianity. The first one is called All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon. He wrote: “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is a very surprising thing – a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know it is to me, even to this day, the greatest wonder that I have ever heard – that God should ever justify me… Our Lord Jesus did not die for imaginary sins. His heart’s blood was spilled to wash out deep crimson stains which nothing else can remove.”[iii]

It’s a terrible thing that contemporary preachers shy away from speaking about sin and thereby rob people of the most amazing joy and peace that can be found in Jesus when they confess their sins to Him and find forgiveness. People need to realize that they are lost sinners before they will ever be compelled to call on the name of Jesus to be saved from their sins. In the words of a fiery old preacher: “It is time for preachers to start telling sinners there is still a King who saves, a cross that bleeds, a hell to shun, and a heaven to gain!”

The second book that impacted me was called The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Its subtitle is “Embracing the unconditional love of God.” The revelation of God’s grace in this book was a breath of fresh air to me. I have read this book more times than any other book I own (other than the Bible, of course). I want to share with you a quote from his introduction:

“The Ragamuffin Gospel was written with a specific reading audience in mind. This book is not for the super-spiritual… It is not for legalists who would rather surrender control of their souls to rules rather than run the risk of living in union with Jesus…

The Ragamuffin Gospel was written for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out… It is for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don’t have it altogether and are too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace… It is for poor, weak, sinful men and women with hereditary faults and limited talents… It is for the bent and the bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God… It is for anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the way.”[iv]

The one quote from this book that most revolutionized my understanding of Christianity was this one: “Morton Kelsey wrote: The Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.” When you go to church, you don’t have to dress up to try to impress God or anybody else. Church isn’t a museum for saints. It’s not a place where you have to put on your best suits and dresses and a plastic smile. No. The church is a hospital for sinners. But it was neither Brennan Manning nor Morton Kelsey who originated this concept – it was Jesus Himself.

Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Matthew 9:12-13, nlt).

Do you feel like your life is a grave disappointment to God? Do you feel burned out, beat up, discouraged? Do you feel like giving up? Do you have doubts and questions about whether or not God could love someone like you? If so, then the truths in this chapter will encourage you. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve messed up or how badly you’ve sinned, Jesus died for you. He didn’t come for those who think they’re good enough already, Jesus came for those who are hurting and broken. He came to save us, help us, and change our lives. Therefore, the grace of God is the most important topic in the Bible.

So few people understand God’s grace. If we really understood His grace – that God’s love and acceptance of us is totally unconditional – it would change everything. We shouldn’t be too surprised by the fact that people don’t understand God’s grace today, because they had this problem in the early church as well.

Beware the Spirit of the Pharisee:

“While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judeaarrived and began to teach the Christians: “Unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question… When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses. So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God, who knows people’s hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. Why are you now questioning God’s way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:1-11).

If you’re familiar with the life of Jesus, you know that the Pharisees attacked and criticized Jesus and His disciples all the time. I’d love to be able to tell you that after Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead that the church never had problems with the Pharisees again. However, not too many years later, we see the spirit of the Pharisee is still alive and well. Jesus told us to “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” (Luke 12:1b). The leaven of the Pharisees is their false teaching that says salvation is something that must be earned by good works.

Who were the Pharisees? They were “a sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to Old Testament books, the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward observance of external rites and by outward forms of piety, and such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, and alms giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works.”[v]

When the Pharisees tried to add good works to God’s grace in the means of salvation, how did the church respond? They said, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” What is grace? Our English word grace comes from a Greek word, charis, which means the good will, lovingkindness and undeserved favor of God.[vi] There’s absolutely nothing that we can do to earn God’s grace, favor or love.

This thought might ruffle some of your religious feathers, especially if your belief system has been tainted by the spirit of the Pharisee: There is nothing that you can ever do to make God love you more, and there is nothing that you can ever do to make God love you less. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners! God didn’t wait for us to get our lives cleaned up before loving us. This is why the Gospel is called Good News!

For the two thousand years of the history of the church, there has been this group called the Pharisees who have been fighting against God’s grace. In the church today, the Pharisees don’t have the long flowing robes or the big beards that they did in the first century, but they are no less deadly. The spirit of the Pharisee is still alive and well. We need to watch out for and guard against that spirit.

A Look at the Spirit of the Pharisee in Matthew’s Gospel:

• 9:11     – they criticized Jesus for hanging around with sinners.
• 12:2     – they judged Jesus and His disciples for ‘working’ on the Sabbath.
• 12:14   – they plotted and schemed how they might destroy Jesus.
• 15:6     – they made God’s Word ineffective because of their traditions.
• 15:7     – Jesus called them hypocrites, or pretenders.
• 15:8     – they worshiped on the outside but their hearts were far from God.
• 15:12   – they were offended by Jesus’ teaching (Pharisees are easily offended).
• 23:4     – they bind heavy burdens on other people, but won’t help them to carry them.
• 23:13   – they don’t enter the Kingdomof God, and hinder others from entering, too.
• 23:14   – they act very spiritual and try to get other people to follow them.
• 23:23   – they follow the rules of the law legalistically, but they don’t care about people.
• 23:34   – they kill and persecute men of God (they attack pastors and preachers).

We need to beware the spirit of the Pharisee, because they will try to hinder us from experiencing God’s grace. They will pile rule after rule on us to try to make us acceptable to God. It’s time for the church of Jesus Christ to say no to the spirit of the Pharisee.

Another book that really impacted my life was a textbook for our Concepts of the Church class in Bible College. The book Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness was written by a fellow Foursquare pastor named Jerry Cook. He said, “Jesus hung around with sinners, and if we’re too holy to allow people to blow smoke in our faces, then we’re holier than Jesus was.”[vii]

We have people who attend our church who have a cigarette before church on Sunday mornings. I first heard about it because someone complained to me, “Pastor Chris, there are people who smoke right outside of the church!” I wondered why this person had an issue with the cigarette smokers. Was it because they were afraid of smelling smoke, or because they were afraid of the image of our church? “What kind of a church has people smoking outside of the church?” A grace church. A church that says, “You don’t have to be perfected in holiness before coming here. You don’t have to have every bad, negative or sinful habit removed from your life before we will accept you.” I have adopted Jerry Cook’s motto and philosophy of ministry to our church: “If you come around here, we’re going to love you – unconditionally, always, and under every circumstance.”

When I attended Bible College, there were a lot of extra-biblical rules that the students had to abide by, including a dress code. The men were required to wear ties and the women wore skirts or dresses for chapel times. During regular classes, blue jeans were not allowed. In an effort to obey the letter of the law (if not the spirit), many of the guys would go out and buy green jeans or red jeans or black jeans. Hair length and style were also regulated, especially for men. On one occasion, a bunch of the guys were hanging out in the dorms and decided to get out the hair clippers to give each other a mushroom cut. (If you don’t remember that hairstyle, the sides and back of the head were shaved, and the hair was left longer on top). Obviously this was a violation of the school rules, so a meeting was quickly called by the President of the Bible College, a very intimidating ex-police officer. He said, “What’s going on here? These haircuts are not ourBibleCollege’s standard!” One of the guys looked around at everyone – who all had the same haircut – and said, “Apparently it is.” We were bad.

I don’t hold this up as a positive example to follow – we were wrong in not submitting to the rules of our Bible College. My point is that when you become legalistic about keeping the law, one of three things is going to happen. First of all, you’re going to get discouraged because you can’t keep all of those man-made rules. You’re going to fail. “I want to do right, but I can’t – it’s too hard.” The second possibility is you’re going to become a pretender, following the rules externally when others are watching. Or the third danger is that legalism can lead to rebellion, and that’s what we were doing. The more man-made rules you add to the commandments in the Bible, the more opportunities you are going to give people to fail. It’s time to return to grace.

A Look at God’s Amazing Grace:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

“God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, nlt).

Grace is defined as: God’s undeserved favor, spiritual blessing, mercy, and lovingkindness. It is God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Spurgeon said, “Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified and saved. It is not because of anything in them or that ever can be in them that they are saved.”[viii] Too many churches are ignorant of the concept of grace, and teach a salvation by penance or good works. They don’t realize that Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and our sins have already been forgiven. Salvation is all of grace. When Jesus died on the Cross, He said, “It is finished.”

Some people reading Ephesians 2:8 might come to the part that says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” and conclude that faith is a good work that we must do to be saved. However, read the whole verse in context: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” If you believe in Jesus, that faith itself is also a gift from God. First Corinthians 12:3 says, “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” If you have called on the name of Jesus and trusted Him to be your Lord and Savior, it is only because God gave you the gift of faith. It is all of grace; you can’t take credit for it.

What sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world is the concept of grace. Every other religion tells you that you must do something in order to earn salvation. Only Christianity boldly declares that the love of God is totally and completely unconditional.

Pastor Charles Stanley, the founder of In Touch Ministries, once told a story about a test he took in school. When he sat down at his desk, the teacher said, “Before you begin writing the exam, read all of the instructions first.” Many students ignored that suggestion and jumped right into the exam. The students sighed and groaned as the test went on, because it was very difficult. Stanley said that when he got to the end of the test, it read, “Now that you’ve read through the entire test, you have a choice. You can go back and complete the entire exam, or simply sign your name on the paper, hand it in, and you’ll get an A.” You can imagine how the students felt who had been working so hard on completing that test. This story is an amazing picture of grace! The people who read the fine print realized that it was all a gift; it wasn’t something that you had to work for. Too many people are working so hard to try to get God to love and accept them, when the fine print says, “The price is paid. It is finished. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, receive His free gift, and you will be saved.”

Continued tomorrow…

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel. (Multnomah Books, 2005).

[ii] Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Zondervan Books, February 2002).

[iii] Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace. (Moody Publishing, March 2009).

[iv] Brennan Manning, ibid.

[v] The New Testament Greek Lexicon.

[vi] The New Testament Greek Lexicon.

[vii] Jerry Cook, ibid.

[viii] Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace. (Moody Publishing, March 2009).

Keys to Healthy Relationships – Part #2

Paul’s Keys to Healthy Relationships:

Yesterday, we looked at the first three keys the Apostle Paul gives us to having healthy relationships:

1. Be Patient:
2. Don’t be Controlled by Anger:
3. Watch Your Words:

Today, we are going to wrap up our series on healthy relationships…

4.         Choose to Forgive:

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

God gives us the antidote here to anger: choose to be kind and forgive. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. To forgive someone doesn’t mean you’re not hurt, and it doesn’t mean that what they did was right. What they did was wrong, and it hurt you, but by forgiving them, you are choosing to let it go and not hold it against them any longer. We are called to “Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13, nlt). The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of forgiveness:

• “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15, nlt).
• “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too” (Mark 11:25, nlt).
• “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37, nlt).

As you can see, forgiveness is not a side issue in theKingdomofGod. It is an absolutely essential ingredient to healthy relationships.

“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). As human beings, we’re all going to make mistakes and do stupid things. But love can cover over all of those mistakes. Extend grace to people, and treat them the way you would want to be treated.

Remember the Duck:

This story illustrates the destructive power of unforgiveness in a person’s life:

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked.

Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.[i]

Unforgiveness makes a slave of you, and it is a harsh, bitter taskmaster. So choose to forgive.

Keys from Proverbs to Healthy Relationships:

• There is a lot of practical relationship wisdom in the Old Testament book of Proverbs.
• “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.” (Proverbs 16:28, nlt).
• “A gossip tells secrets, so don’t hang around with someone who talks too much.” (Proverbs 20:19, nlt).
• “Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.” (Proverbs 26:20, nlt).

People who gossip are troublemakers who destroy friendships. God gives us the command: Do not hang around with people who gossip. Do you have a ‘friend’ who gossips to you about other people all the time? Beware. If someone will gossip to you, they will surely gossip about you. Guard your heart against gossips. Make a commitment to never say something negative about someone. If you stop gossip, quarrels will disappear.

Unity is so important to the health and success of any family, church, or group of people. Indeed, this is true for all our relationships:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing–Life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3).

When we learn how to walk in unity, love and forgiveness towards one another, and become free from bitterness and unforgiveness, we will experience God’s blessing, His manifested presence (the anointing oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit), and a revived and refreshed life. We will receive the ability to do all that the Lord has called us to do. This is why we must contend for unity.

Jesus prayed a powerful prayer that emphasized the importance of unity: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21). Think of it. Jesus said if the church could become one in love, peace and unity with one another, the whole world would believe in Him!

Keys to Deal with Offenses:

We have clearly seen how important unity and forgiveness are to healthy relationships. Jesus said offenses are going to come, so how do we respond when someone does something that hurts us or makes us angry?

1.         Talk to God about it in prayer.

In one of his Psalms, King David talked about the hurt that he felt because of a friend who had betrayed him. “It is not an enemy who taunts me – I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me – I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you – my equal, my companion and close friend.” (Psalm 55:12-13, nlt). How did David deal with this hurtful offense? “But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me.” (Psalm 55:16, nlt). He took it to the Lord in prayer. If you are hurt, pray for the Lord to heal your brokenness. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, nlt).

2.         Talk to the Person Following Jesus’ guidelines.

Please don’t continue on to this step until you feel in your heart that the Lord has released you to do so. The best thing you can do is to give your offense to the Lord and say, “Father God, this person has hurt me, but I leave this with you, so you can deal with it.” If after praying about it, you still feel that you need to say something to that person, Jesus tells us how to do that.

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” (Matthew 18:15).

Don’t gossip to your neighbor about it – that’s sin. Jesus doesn’t give you permission to talk to anyone about this situation, other than to the person who offended you. What if they don’t listen to you? “But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If that person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If the church decides you are right, but the other person won’t accept it, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector” (Matthew 18:16-17, nlt).

If you’re upset and offended with someone, and they don’t know that they have done anything wrong, it might be better if you don’t say anything to them. Don’t tell them about your offense and say, “Oh brother so-and-so, last week I hated your stinking guts because you did this terrible thing to me, but now that I told you about it I feel much better!” The goal, if you’re going to share the offense with them, is gaining back your brother or sister. Unity. Reconciliation. Healed relationship. In the context of this teaching on reconciliation in relationships, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). What a beautiful promise to those who walk in peace and unity!

In perhaps one of the best teachings I have ever read on the topic of relationships and dealing with offenses, John Bevere writes, “The whole reason Jesus instructed us to go to one another… is not for condemnation but for reconciliation. He does not want us to tell our brother how rotten he has been to us. We are to go to remove the breach preventing the restoration of our relationship.” (The Bait of Satan).[ii]

3.         Do not talk to another person about the offense.

If you are hurt by someone and you share that offense with a third person, they may become angry at the person who originally offended you, even though you may have already prayed and forgiven the person. They’ve picked up your offense, and they’re still hanging on to it. This is the root of bitterness in operation, springing up and defiling many people.

I found a great acronym for the word “T.H.I.N.K.” that reminds us to think before we speak:

• T          Is it True? Obviously we should never share anything about someone that isn’t true.
• H         Is it Helpful? Will sharing this truth help or benefit the situation?
• I           Is it Inspiring? Is this truth positive, encouraging, and will it impart God’s grace?
• N         Is it Necessary? Do you need to share this? If not, then don’t!
• K         Is it Kind? If it’s not kind then don’t say anything at all.

Back to the Story of Paul and John Mark: 

I want to go back to the contention between Paul, Barnabas and John Mark, to let you know that their story had a happy ending. When Paul and Barnabas parted ways, Paul had said, “I don’t want to have anything to do with John Mark the deserter.” As Paul got older, he came to a place where he wrote:

“Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him)… These are my only fellow workers for thekingdomofGod… they have proved to be a comfort to me.” (Colossians 4:10-11).

This letter was written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, around 61 AD. “John Mark… my fellow worker… has proved to be a comfort to me.” I’m glad that Paul and John Mark were able to work out their differences. Paul later wrote: “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11). This letter was written when Paul was in prison, near his death, about 66 AD, and his heart towards Mark had changed. Who did he want to have come and visit him in prison? John Mark.

Isn’t that story encouraging? Maybe you have tensions, hurts or offenses in a relationship with someone, and you might feel like there is no hope. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (Ephesians 2:13-14). Jesus didn’t die on the Cross just so we could have peace with God, He also came so we could have peace in our relationships with one another.

I want to challenge you to think about any relationship in your life that is strained right now. Maybe it’s a friend or a family member who you’re not even talking to. Maybe you’ve written them off and said, “No second chances for them.” I want to challenge your stance in that. “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:20). God has called us to peace. Pray that the Lord would flood your heart with His love and forgiveness, so that you can have His heart for people. Those hurts and offenses may go back many years, but Jesus wants you to be whole and healthy. Restoration only comes when we have peace in our relationships with other people. Would you allow me to pray a prayer for you?

Lord Jesus, I am so thankful for the Cross. Your death made it possible for us to have peace in our relationships with people. We know that because love is such an important part of the Kingdom of God that the enemy will do whatever he can to keep us from loving others. Therefore, help us to guard our hearts against offense, and be able to see people the way you do. Help us to look at their hearts, and see them with eyes of love, grace, forgiveness and compassion. As we become healthy and whole people, we know that we will become the church you have called us to be, what Jerry Cook calls, “a center of love, designed for the healing of broken people, and a force for God.”  

• Heal their broken hearts.
• Set them free from their captivity.
• Comfort them in their mourning.
• Give them beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning.
• Give them the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 

In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

Pastor Chris Jordan

www.beausejourchurch.ca

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[i] Richard Hoefler, Will Daylight Come?

[ii] John Bevere, The Bait of Satan. (Charisma House, 1994).