Human beings are created in God’s image.
God created humanity in God’s image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. Genesis 1:27 (CEB)
Sin corrupted the image.
God desires to recreate the image.
We know this because God knew them in advance, and He decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of His Son. That way His Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29 (CEB)
God sent Jesus, His Son, to provide salvation. That means we are being transformed into the image of Jesus.
So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (CEV)
Being transformed into image of Jesus means we are to live differently than the people around us.
Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. Colossians 1:10 (NLT)
So the life that Jesus wants us to live is His life. Jesus’ life was an authentic life.
We are to live with authentic knowledge.
Accept My words as being more valuable than your prized possession, authentic knowledge more valuable than pure gold. Proverbs 8:10 (The Voice)
We are to live producing authentic fruit.
Don’t just talk of turning to God; you’d better bear the authentic fruit of a changed life. Don’t take pride in your religious heritage, saying, “We have Abraham for our father!” Listen - God could turn these rocks into children of Abraham! Luke 3:8 (The Voice)
We are to live showing authentic love.
Love others well, and don’t hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it. Romans 12:9 (The Voice)
We are to live in authentic faith.
I’m reminded of the authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that faith is also inside you. 2 Timothy 1:5 (CEB)
What will that life look like in real everyday living? I believe it will look like the life of Joseph.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because they were jealous of his relationship with their father. And because Joseph didn’t know enough not to share his dreams with them, which indicated that Joseph felt he was superior to them. Joseph’s dreams were just the reality of what was to come, but the brothers were not spiritually focused enough to understand that and Joseph might have been a little cocky in sharing them.
Joseph was bought by Potiphar. Genesis 39:2-5 tells us that Joseph was very committed to do his work and that Potiphar put him in charge of all his household. God blessed Potiphar and his household because of Joseph.
Joseph shared the blessing with Potiphar.
What God blesses us with is meant to be shared.
Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CEV)
Potiphar’s wife took a liking to Joseph. Oh, ok, let’s call what it was: she lusted after Joseph. Joseph in Genesis 39:6-12 says no. In fact in said no many, many times.
Joseph overcame great temptation.
We are going to be tempted. Temptation is not wrong. Temptation is not sin. Temptation is a pain.
God gives us a great promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
There isn’t any temptation that you have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who is faithful keeps His promises, will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to resist. But when you are tempted, He will also give you the ability to endure the temptation as your way of escape.
God will supernaturally give us the ability to endure and not give in to the temptation.
Potiphar’s wife was hurt and embarrassed so she accused Joseph of raping her. Potiphar believed her and in Genesis 39:20-23 Joseph is thrown into prison.
Joseph endured a great injustice. And he didn’t whine about it.
We are going to face injustices and persecution.
In Acts chapter four Peter and John get arrested for sharing the gospel. They are released but threatened and told not to teach about Jesus to anyone. Peter and John go back to the church and share with them all that they were told. In verse 29 the church prays this prayer: “And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, Your servants, to speak Your message with all boldness.”
They didn’t whine, file a lawsuit or petition the government for help. They prayed to God for boldness, not protection or safety.
Joseph didn’t sulk or get bitter in prison. He showed such spiritual power that the warden put him in charge of everything.
Joseph is eventually brought to the attention of Pharaoh because God helped him interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servants who were in prison.
Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and Pharaoh tells Joseph that he understands that Joseph can interpret dreams.
I love Joseph’s answer in Genesis 41:16. He says, “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
Joseph admits that he cannot interpret dreams, but God can.
Notice Joseph doesn’t say God might or he hopes God will give Pharaoh the answer. He says God WILL give Pharaoh the answer.
Joseph expected God to work.
We must trust God and believe that He will fulfill His Word.
James 1:6 reminds us of the essential need to really believe when we pray. It says, “But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind.”
After Joseph had been put in charge of all of Egypt he had two sons. What Joseph names his sons shows another truth about living a life that is authentic. He names the first son, Manasseh which means forget. Joseph says it was because God had made him forget all his troubles. He names the second son Ephraim which means fruitful. It was because God had made him fruitful in the land of his suffering.
Joseph forgave and forgot.
He forgave his brothers for what they did to do him. That is verified in Genesis 50 when after their father had dies Joseph tells them he had forgiven them.
Joseph also forgets. He doesn’t forget his family or his God. He forgets the hurts, the injustices, the persecution that he endured.
We are commanded to forgive. We are commanded to forgive as God forgave us through Jesus.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
We are to forget what is behind us.
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
Sidewalk Prophets have a song called Live Like That. The chorus says:
I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
We are to live as people who have been changed by God, transformed by His Spirit. We are to live like Jesus.
Jesus lives authentically.
Authentic living is:
Admitting when we are fearful and have doubts.
When we sin, suffering, admitting it, and learning from it.
When we pray, pray as desperate broken people and believe that God will answer.
Philippians 4:8 tells us what our mind such be focused on.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentically, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst, the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (The Message)
Jesus is authentic and we can focus on what is authentic and thus become authentic ourselves when we surrender our lives (good and bad) to Him.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about living like Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about living authentic.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about letting God remove all barriers to Him and all barriers to showing Him to the world.
Surrendering yourself to Jesus allows Him to make you like Him.
Authentically Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
I Need a Wrecking Ball
Matthew 7:4-5
How can you say to your brother or sister, “Let me take the splinter out of your eye,” when there is a log in your eye? You deceive yourself! First take the log out of your eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye.
Our God is a transforming God.
He transformed:
Jacob into Israel
Abram into Abraham
Simon into Peter
Saul into Paul
Sidewalk Prophets have a song called Wrecking Ball. No, it is not the same Wrecking Ball song that Mylie Cyrus sings.
The first verse says:
Father, Father
I need to rip out this old tree
Father, Father
The roots of lust and greed
Have grown so deep into this ground
I’ve tried so hard to pull them out
On my own, they take the best of me
Then the chorus says:
I need a wrecking ball
Slamming into my heart
Breaking me all apart
Tearing the old away
Killing the fear in me
Until I can finally breathe
Even if it hurts so bad that I can’t even stand
Take it all, let me fall into your hands
Hebrews 12:14-17
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
Esau was the oldest son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. He was an outdoorsman and the favorite of his father. He and his brother Jacob were rivals. Esau as the oldest son should have received the family birthright and his fathers’ blessing. He got neither.
Esau had bitter roots in his life. He didn’t let God remove them and they hindered him from knowing and following God.
Genesis draws a detailed picture of a troubled man who didn’t turn to God.
Genesis 25:34
Then Jacob gave Esau a meal of bread and lentils. He ate and drank, and then he got up and left. This is how Esau showed his contempt for his rights as firstborn.
Genesis 27:37-38
Isaac answered, “I gave Jacob the power to be master over you, and all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept him strong with grain and new wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son.” But Esau continued, “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” Then Esau began to cry out loud.
Genesis 27:41
From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme, “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.
Genesis 28:6-9
Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
Esau’s Bitter Roots:
Spiritual Apathy
Job 21:14
The wicked tell God to leave them alone; they don’t want to know His will for their lives.
Spiritual apathy is when there is no desire to obey God or no desire to conform to God’s will for you. Many people serve God out of a desire to be blessed not out of a passionate love for God.
Bitterness and Anger
Ephesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Anger not dealt with by God leads to bitterness and bitterness becomes a character trait.
Sexual Immorality
1 Thessalonians 4:3
God’s will is that your lives are dedicated to Him. This means that you stay away from sexual immorality.
Having any form of sexual activity outside marriage is not God’s will. When you insist it is your choice because it is your life and it is your body, you are in rebellion against God. You’re also WRONG! Because it is God’s life and your body belongs to God.
Focus on Material Things
Luke 12:15
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Things don’t make you holy.
Things don’t make you whole.
Things don’t make you happy.
Short-Sighted Living
James 4:14
What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.
We don’t know about tomorrow. God is an all-knowing God. We can live according to His knowledge or live according to our knowledge. Short-sighted people live based on their own knowledge.
Jesus wants your life full (no bitter root). Satan wants your life to be disordered, discouraged, and eventually destroyed.
John 10:10
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
That does not happen automatically, magically, or by accident. It happens through surrender and obedience.
Isaiah 30:21
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or to the left.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls means allowing God to remove the bitter root in any way He wants to, even if it hurts.
The second verse and bridge to Wrecking Ball says:
Father, Father
You have brought me to my knees
Father, Father
You long for me to see
When I get lost along the path
You will fight to bring me back
Only You, can make the best of me
Hands where mercy lives where grace begins
With Your hands knock down all these walls I’m praying
This week pray God will Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls by breaking you so He can fix you, emptying you so He can fill you, and making you lonely so He can be your friend.
By a Wrecking Ball Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
How can you say to your brother or sister, “Let me take the splinter out of your eye,” when there is a log in your eye? You deceive yourself! First take the log out of your eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye.
Our God is a transforming God.
He transformed:
Jacob into Israel
Abram into Abraham
Simon into Peter
Saul into Paul
Sidewalk Prophets have a song called Wrecking Ball. No, it is not the same Wrecking Ball song that Mylie Cyrus sings.
The first verse says:
Father, Father
I need to rip out this old tree
Father, Father
The roots of lust and greed
Have grown so deep into this ground
I’ve tried so hard to pull them out
On my own, they take the best of me
Then the chorus says:
I need a wrecking ball
Slamming into my heart
Breaking me all apart
Tearing the old away
Killing the fear in me
Until I can finally breathe
Even if it hurts so bad that I can’t even stand
Take it all, let me fall into your hands
Hebrews 12:14-17
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
Esau was the oldest son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. He was an outdoorsman and the favorite of his father. He and his brother Jacob were rivals. Esau as the oldest son should have received the family birthright and his fathers’ blessing. He got neither.
Esau had bitter roots in his life. He didn’t let God remove them and they hindered him from knowing and following God.
Genesis draws a detailed picture of a troubled man who didn’t turn to God.
Genesis 25:34
Then Jacob gave Esau a meal of bread and lentils. He ate and drank, and then he got up and left. This is how Esau showed his contempt for his rights as firstborn.
Genesis 27:37-38
Isaac answered, “I gave Jacob the power to be master over you, and all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept him strong with grain and new wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son.” But Esau continued, “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” Then Esau began to cry out loud.
Genesis 27:41
From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme, “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.
Genesis 28:6-9
Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
Esau’s Bitter Roots:
Spiritual Apathy
Job 21:14
The wicked tell God to leave them alone; they don’t want to know His will for their lives.
Spiritual apathy is when there is no desire to obey God or no desire to conform to God’s will for you. Many people serve God out of a desire to be blessed not out of a passionate love for God.
Bitterness and Anger
Ephesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Anger not dealt with by God leads to bitterness and bitterness becomes a character trait.
Sexual Immorality
1 Thessalonians 4:3
God’s will is that your lives are dedicated to Him. This means that you stay away from sexual immorality.
Having any form of sexual activity outside marriage is not God’s will. When you insist it is your choice because it is your life and it is your body, you are in rebellion against God. You’re also WRONG! Because it is God’s life and your body belongs to God.
Focus on Material Things
Luke 12:15
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Things don’t make you holy.
Things don’t make you whole.
Things don’t make you happy.
Short-Sighted Living
James 4:14
What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.
We don’t know about tomorrow. God is an all-knowing God. We can live according to His knowledge or live according to our knowledge. Short-sighted people live based on their own knowledge.
Jesus wants your life full (no bitter root). Satan wants your life to be disordered, discouraged, and eventually destroyed.
John 10:10
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
That does not happen automatically, magically, or by accident. It happens through surrender and obedience.
Isaiah 30:21
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or to the left.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls means allowing God to remove the bitter root in any way He wants to, even if it hurts.
The second verse and bridge to Wrecking Ball says:
Father, Father
You have brought me to my knees
Father, Father
You long for me to see
When I get lost along the path
You will fight to bring me back
Only You, can make the best of me
Hands where mercy lives where grace begins
With Your hands knock down all these walls I’m praying
This week pray God will Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls by breaking you so He can fix you, emptying you so He can fill you, and making you lonely so He can be your friend.
By a Wrecking Ball Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Are You Worn Out?
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus first asks a question. He asks, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?” Jesus then tells us how to overcome those feelings. He says, “Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Then Jesus ends by giving us a promise. He says, “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus first asks a question. He asks, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?” Jesus then tells us how to overcome those feelings. He says, “Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Then Jesus ends by giving us a promise. He says, “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
So I will ask you: Are you
Tired?
Worn Out?
Burned Out on Religion?
What can you do? - COME TO JESUS!
Tenth Avenue North has a song called Worn. The first verse and the bridge go:
I’m tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left.
I don’t know about you but I have been in this place. I have been tired, worn out, burned out on religion. I have even been burned out on the church.
When we feel this way there is absolutely only one person to go to: Jesus. There is only one place to go into His arms.
I know that followers of Jesus are not supposed to get depressed or even discouraged.
I know that especially pastors are to never face (at least not admit facing) depression or discouragement.
BUT, the one writing this has and does.
So what do you do?
I am overwhelmingly thankful that God understands our depression and discouragement. And that in His Word He shows us through the prophet Elijah how to allow Him to overcome it in our lives.
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the false prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest on Mount Carmel. Elijah by God awesome power wins a great victory.
Then we come to 1 Kings 19 and Elijah enters a period of great discouragement and depression. But as we follow Elijah through this time we see the elements that God uses to overcome these feelings in Elijah’s life.
1 Kings 19:1-3a
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
First, we have to realize when and how the enemy attacks.
Elijah had just experienced the greatest victory in his life and ministry. God has used him to demonstrate to the whole nation that there was only one God. And it wasn’t Baal!
Many times we experience discouragement and even depression after God has accomplished something great in our lives.
I can remember many times when God had used my preaching in a powerful way and drawn people to Himself. And many times my thoughts right after that has been, “What if next time I preach nothing happens?”
Watch for the enemy to attack right after a great spiritual victory.
We also need to be aware of our weaknesses.
Elijah had stood up to a powerful king (Ahab) and 850 false prophets. All of those people would have liked nothing better than to have killed Elijah. So why now does a note from Queen Jezebel cause him to panic? Ready for my great spiritual insight? I don’t know. I do know that we all have areas of weakness and fear and they don’t have to make sense to anyone else, but they are certainly real to us. Elijah had a fear of this woman and Satan used it.
1 Kings 19:5-8a
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank.
Second, we need rest and nourishment.
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.
We need physical, emotional, and spiritual rest. If we don’t get it, the enemy can slip in and cause great discouragement in our lives.
We need both physical and spiritual nourishment. Again if we are not getting both, we will become unhealthy and the enemy will gain a foothold.
1 Kings 19:8b-9
Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Third, we have to seek God.
Elijah goes to the mountain of God and God speaks to him.
When we face discouragement and depression we have to run to God. Most people run from God.
There have been many times when I have missed people from worship or Bible study and when I have expressed concern over missing them their response has been that they were dealing with an issue and needed to be alone. When we are depressed we don’t need to be alone. We need to be with Jesus and His people.
So let me encourage you to practice running to God, not from God.
1 Kings 19:10 & 14 (both say the very same thing)
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.
Next, we need to be honest with God.
Elijah was afraid that the people led by Jezebel would kill him.
We have to admit
The Fear
The Doubt
The Confusion
The Sin.
When we admit whatever it is that is moving us toward the discouragement then God can overcome it in our lives. Things kept secret kill. Things exposed can be healed.
1 Kings 19:11-13
The Lord said, “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Next, we have to get in God’s presence and listen.
God does not always speak to us in the big extraordinary things of life, like the wind or earthquake or fire. Most of the time God speaks to us in the mundane everyday things of life.
In the New Revised Standard Version 1 Kings 19:12 reads, “after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
Psalms says a lot about getting still and listening to God.
Psalm 37:7-8
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm.
Let go of all the negative feelings that are lies leading you to feel depressed.
Psalm 46:10
God says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.”
So get with God, listen, let go, and praise Him.
Next, we have to obey and follow God.
1 Kings 19:15-17
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
God now gives Elijah some assignments. It was time for Elijah to stop just being focused on his issues and begin to look at the bigger picture.
Navel-gazing leads to discouragement. When we have been hurt or are facing problems, there comes a time when we have to get off our pity party behind and get out and minister to others in God’s name. God will comfort us and nurture us, but we can’t just hang our head and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to get over ourselves and let God lead us on.
1 Kings 19:18
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.
Last, we have to get in touch with reality.
God says to Elijah, “You are not alone!”
God says to you, “You are not alone!”
You are not alone in the journey of life.
You are not alone in the battle.
You are not alone in feeling discouraged.
You are not alone in dealing with depression.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about community.
God is about community. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God calls us into Himself and into a community - the church.
We don’t follow Jesus alone.
We don’t serve Jesus alone.
So if you are tired, worn out, burned out on religion, come to Jesus and let Him:
Strengthen You
Feed You
Give You Purpose
Make You Vulnerable
Give You a Reality Check
Most of all let God love you.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord has appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
And love God.
Mark 12:30
You must love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The chorus to Worn says:
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That You can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can raise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn
Get past all the religious baloney and come to the One who died for you - Jesus - let Him give you rest.
Worn But Not Discouraged Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
So I will ask you: Are you
Tired?
Worn Out?
Burned Out on Religion?
What can you do? - COME TO JESUS!
Tenth Avenue North has a song called Worn. The first verse and the bridge go:
I’m tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left.
I don’t know about you but I have been in this place. I have been tired, worn out, burned out on religion. I have even been burned out on the church.
When we feel this way there is absolutely only one person to go to: Jesus. There is only one place to go into His arms.
I know that followers of Jesus are not supposed to get depressed or even discouraged.
I know that especially pastors are to never face (at least not admit facing) depression or discouragement.
BUT, the one writing this has and does.
So what do you do?
I am overwhelmingly thankful that God understands our depression and discouragement. And that in His Word He shows us through the prophet Elijah how to allow Him to overcome it in our lives.
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the false prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest on Mount Carmel. Elijah by God awesome power wins a great victory.
Then we come to 1 Kings 19 and Elijah enters a period of great discouragement and depression. But as we follow Elijah through this time we see the elements that God uses to overcome these feelings in Elijah’s life.
1 Kings 19:1-3a
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
First, we have to realize when and how the enemy attacks.
Elijah had just experienced the greatest victory in his life and ministry. God has used him to demonstrate to the whole nation that there was only one God. And it wasn’t Baal!
Many times we experience discouragement and even depression after God has accomplished something great in our lives.
I can remember many times when God had used my preaching in a powerful way and drawn people to Himself. And many times my thoughts right after that has been, “What if next time I preach nothing happens?”
Watch for the enemy to attack right after a great spiritual victory.
We also need to be aware of our weaknesses.
Elijah had stood up to a powerful king (Ahab) and 850 false prophets. All of those people would have liked nothing better than to have killed Elijah. So why now does a note from Queen Jezebel cause him to panic? Ready for my great spiritual insight? I don’t know. I do know that we all have areas of weakness and fear and they don’t have to make sense to anyone else, but they are certainly real to us. Elijah had a fear of this woman and Satan used it.
1 Kings 19:5-8a
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank.
Second, we need rest and nourishment.
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.
We need physical, emotional, and spiritual rest. If we don’t get it, the enemy can slip in and cause great discouragement in our lives.
We need both physical and spiritual nourishment. Again if we are not getting both, we will become unhealthy and the enemy will gain a foothold.
1 Kings 19:8b-9
Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Third, we have to seek God.
Elijah goes to the mountain of God and God speaks to him.
When we face discouragement and depression we have to run to God. Most people run from God.
There have been many times when I have missed people from worship or Bible study and when I have expressed concern over missing them their response has been that they were dealing with an issue and needed to be alone. When we are depressed we don’t need to be alone. We need to be with Jesus and His people.
So let me encourage you to practice running to God, not from God.
1 Kings 19:10 & 14 (both say the very same thing)
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.
Next, we need to be honest with God.
Elijah was afraid that the people led by Jezebel would kill him.
We have to admit
The Fear
The Doubt
The Confusion
The Sin.
When we admit whatever it is that is moving us toward the discouragement then God can overcome it in our lives. Things kept secret kill. Things exposed can be healed.
1 Kings 19:11-13
The Lord said, “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Next, we have to get in God’s presence and listen.
God does not always speak to us in the big extraordinary things of life, like the wind or earthquake or fire. Most of the time God speaks to us in the mundane everyday things of life.
In the New Revised Standard Version 1 Kings 19:12 reads, “after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
Psalms says a lot about getting still and listening to God.
Psalm 37:7-8
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm.
Let go of all the negative feelings that are lies leading you to feel depressed.
Psalm 46:10
God says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.”
So get with God, listen, let go, and praise Him.
Next, we have to obey and follow God.
1 Kings 19:15-17
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
God now gives Elijah some assignments. It was time for Elijah to stop just being focused on his issues and begin to look at the bigger picture.
Navel-gazing leads to discouragement. When we have been hurt or are facing problems, there comes a time when we have to get off our pity party behind and get out and minister to others in God’s name. God will comfort us and nurture us, but we can’t just hang our head and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to get over ourselves and let God lead us on.
1 Kings 19:18
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.
Last, we have to get in touch with reality.
God says to Elijah, “You are not alone!”
God says to you, “You are not alone!”
You are not alone in the journey of life.
You are not alone in the battle.
You are not alone in feeling discouraged.
You are not alone in dealing with depression.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about community.
God is about community. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God calls us into Himself and into a community - the church.
We don’t follow Jesus alone.
We don’t serve Jesus alone.
So if you are tired, worn out, burned out on religion, come to Jesus and let Him:
Strengthen You
Feed You
Give You Purpose
Make You Vulnerable
Give You a Reality Check
Most of all let God love you.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord has appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
And love God.
Mark 12:30
You must love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The chorus to Worn says:
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That You can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can raise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn
Get past all the religious baloney and come to the One who died for you - Jesus - let Him give you rest.
Worn But Not Discouraged Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus first asks a question. He asks, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?” Jesus then tells us how to overcome those feelings. He says, “Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Then Jesus ends by giving us a promise. He says, “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
So I will ask you: Are you
Tired?
Worn Out?
Burned Out on Religion?
What can you do? - COME TO JESUS!
Tenth Avenue North has a song called Worn. The first verse and the bridge go:
I’m tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left.
I don’t know about you but I have been in this place. I have been tired, worn out, burned out on religion. I have even been burned out on the church.
When we feel this way there is absolutely only one person to go to: Jesus. There is only one place to go into His arms.
I know that followers of Jesus are not supposed to get depressed or even discouraged.
I know that especially pastors are to never face (at least not admit facing) depression or discouragement.
BUT, the one writing this has and does.
So what do you do?
I am overwhelmingly thankful that God understands our depression and discouragement. And that in His Word He shows us through the prophet Elijah how to allow Him to overcome it in our lives.
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the false prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest on Mount Carmel. Elijah by God awesome power wins a great victory.
Then we come to 1 Kings 19 and Elijah enters a period of great discouragement and depression. But as we follow Elijah through this time we see the elements that God uses to overcome these feelings in Elijah’s life.
1 Kings 19:1-3a
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
First, we have to realize when and how the enemy attacks.
Elijah had just experienced the greatest victory in his life and ministry. God has used him to demonstrate to the whole nation that there was only one God. And it wasn’t Baal!
Many times we experience discouragement and even depression after God has accomplished something great in our lives.
I can remember many times when God had used my preaching in a powerful way and drawn people to Himself. And many times my thoughts right after that has been, “What if next time I preach nothing happens?”
Watch for the enemy to attack right after a great spiritual victory.
We also need to be aware of our weaknesses.
Elijah had stood up to a powerful king (Ahab) and 850 false prophets. All of those people would have liked nothing better than to have killed Elijah. So why now does a note from Queen Jezebel cause him to panic? Ready for my great spiritual insight? I don’t know. I do know that we all have areas of weakness and fear and they don’t have to make sense to anyone else, but they are certainly real to us. Elijah had a fear of this woman and Satan used it.
1 Kings 19:5-8a
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank.
Second, we need rest and nourishment.
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.
We need physical, emotional, and spiritual rest. If we don’t get it, the enemy can slip in and cause great discouragement in our lives.
We need both physical and spiritual nourishment. Again if we are not getting both, we will become unhealthy and the enemy will gain a foothold.
1 Kings 19:8b-9
Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Third, we have to seek God.
Elijah goes to the mountain of God and God speaks to him.
When we face discouragement and depression we have to run to God. Most people run from God.
There have been many times when I have missed people from worship or Bible study and when I have expressed concern over missing them their response has been that they were dealing with an issue and needed to be alone. When we are depressed we don’t need to be alone. We need to be with Jesus and His people.
So let me encourage you to practice running to God, not from God.
1 Kings 19:10 & 14 (both say the very same thing)
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.
Next, we need to be honest with God.
Elijah was afraid that the people led by Jezebel would kill him.
We have to admit
The Fear
The Doubt
The Confusion
The Sin.
When we admit whatever it is that is moving us toward the discouragement then God can overcome it in our lives. Things kept secret kill. Things exposed can be healed.
1 Kings 19:11-13
The Lord said, “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Next, we have to get in God’s presence and listen.
God does not always speak to us in the big extraordinary things of life, like the wind or earthquake or fire. Most of the time God speaks to us in the mundane everyday things of life.
In the New Revised Standard Version 1 Kings 19:12 reads, “after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
Psalms says a lot about getting still and listening to God.
Psalm 37:7-8
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm.
Let go of all the negative feelings that are lies leading you to feel depressed.
Psalm 46:10
God says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.”
So get with God, listen, let go, and praise Him.
Next, we have to obey and follow God.
1 Kings 19:15-17
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
God now gives Elijah some assignments. It was time for Elijah to stop just being focused on his issues and begin to look at the bigger picture.
Navel-gazing leads to discouragement. When we have been hurt or are facing problems, there comes a time when we have to get off our pity party behind and get out and minister to others in God’s name. God will comfort us and nurture us, but we can’t just hang our head and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to get over ourselves and let God lead us on.
1 Kings 19:18
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.
Last, we have to get in touch with reality.
God says to Elijah, “You are not alone!”
God says to you, “You are not alone!”
You are not alone in the journey of life.
You are not alone in the battle.
You are not alone in feeling discouraged.
You are not alone in dealing with depression.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about community.
God is about community. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God calls us into Himself and into a community - the church.
We don’t follow Jesus alone.
We don’t serve Jesus alone.
So if you are tired, worn out, burned out on religion, come to Jesus and let Him:
Strengthen You
Feed You
Give You Purpose
Make You Vulnerable
Give You a Reality Check
Most of all let God love you.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord has appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
And love God.
Mark 12:30
You must love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The chorus to Worn says:
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That You can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can raise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn
Get past all the religious baloney and come to the One who died for you - Jesus - let Him give you rest.
Worn But Not Discouraged Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
So I will ask you: Are you
Tired?
Worn Out?
Burned Out on Religion?
What can you do? - COME TO JESUS!
Tenth Avenue North has a song called Worn. The first verse and the bridge go:
I’m tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left.
I don’t know about you but I have been in this place. I have been tired, worn out, burned out on religion. I have even been burned out on the church.
When we feel this way there is absolutely only one person to go to: Jesus. There is only one place to go into His arms.
I know that followers of Jesus are not supposed to get depressed or even discouraged.
I know that especially pastors are to never face (at least not admit facing) depression or discouragement.
BUT, the one writing this has and does.
So what do you do?
I am overwhelmingly thankful that God understands our depression and discouragement. And that in His Word He shows us through the prophet Elijah how to allow Him to overcome it in our lives.
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the false prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest on Mount Carmel. Elijah by God awesome power wins a great victory.
Then we come to 1 Kings 19 and Elijah enters a period of great discouragement and depression. But as we follow Elijah through this time we see the elements that God uses to overcome these feelings in Elijah’s life.
1 Kings 19:1-3a
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
First, we have to realize when and how the enemy attacks.
Elijah had just experienced the greatest victory in his life and ministry. God has used him to demonstrate to the whole nation that there was only one God. And it wasn’t Baal!
Many times we experience discouragement and even depression after God has accomplished something great in our lives.
I can remember many times when God had used my preaching in a powerful way and drawn people to Himself. And many times my thoughts right after that has been, “What if next time I preach nothing happens?”
Watch for the enemy to attack right after a great spiritual victory.
We also need to be aware of our weaknesses.
Elijah had stood up to a powerful king (Ahab) and 850 false prophets. All of those people would have liked nothing better than to have killed Elijah. So why now does a note from Queen Jezebel cause him to panic? Ready for my great spiritual insight? I don’t know. I do know that we all have areas of weakness and fear and they don’t have to make sense to anyone else, but they are certainly real to us. Elijah had a fear of this woman and Satan used it.
1 Kings 19:5-8a
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank.
Second, we need rest and nourishment.
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.
We need physical, emotional, and spiritual rest. If we don’t get it, the enemy can slip in and cause great discouragement in our lives.
We need both physical and spiritual nourishment. Again if we are not getting both, we will become unhealthy and the enemy will gain a foothold.
1 Kings 19:8b-9
Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Third, we have to seek God.
Elijah goes to the mountain of God and God speaks to him.
When we face discouragement and depression we have to run to God. Most people run from God.
There have been many times when I have missed people from worship or Bible study and when I have expressed concern over missing them their response has been that they were dealing with an issue and needed to be alone. When we are depressed we don’t need to be alone. We need to be with Jesus and His people.
So let me encourage you to practice running to God, not from God.
1 Kings 19:10 & 14 (both say the very same thing)
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.
Next, we need to be honest with God.
Elijah was afraid that the people led by Jezebel would kill him.
We have to admit
The Fear
The Doubt
The Confusion
The Sin.
When we admit whatever it is that is moving us toward the discouragement then God can overcome it in our lives. Things kept secret kill. Things exposed can be healed.
1 Kings 19:11-13
The Lord said, “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Next, we have to get in God’s presence and listen.
God does not always speak to us in the big extraordinary things of life, like the wind or earthquake or fire. Most of the time God speaks to us in the mundane everyday things of life.
In the New Revised Standard Version 1 Kings 19:12 reads, “after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
Psalms says a lot about getting still and listening to God.
Psalm 37:7-8
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm.
Let go of all the negative feelings that are lies leading you to feel depressed.
Psalm 46:10
God says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.”
So get with God, listen, let go, and praise Him.
Next, we have to obey and follow God.
1 Kings 19:15-17
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
God now gives Elijah some assignments. It was time for Elijah to stop just being focused on his issues and begin to look at the bigger picture.
Navel-gazing leads to discouragement. When we have been hurt or are facing problems, there comes a time when we have to get off our pity party behind and get out and minister to others in God’s name. God will comfort us and nurture us, but we can’t just hang our head and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to get over ourselves and let God lead us on.
1 Kings 19:18
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.
Last, we have to get in touch with reality.
God says to Elijah, “You are not alone!”
God says to you, “You are not alone!”
You are not alone in the journey of life.
You are not alone in the battle.
You are not alone in feeling discouraged.
You are not alone in dealing with depression.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about community.
God is about community. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God calls us into Himself and into a community - the church.
We don’t follow Jesus alone.
We don’t serve Jesus alone.
So if you are tired, worn out, burned out on religion, come to Jesus and let Him:
Strengthen You
Feed You
Give You Purpose
Make You Vulnerable
Give You a Reality Check
Most of all let God love you.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord has appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
And love God.
Mark 12:30
You must love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The chorus to Worn says:
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That You can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can raise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn
Get past all the religious baloney and come to the One who died for you - Jesus - let Him give you rest.
Worn But Not Discouraged Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, July 6, 2014
You Are More Than The World Says You Are
The definition of a human being according to Webster Online Dictionary is a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech and upright stance.
I also read some quotes about what other said about what human beings were.
An intelligence served by organs
A reasoning animal
A tool making and tool using animal
An ingenious assembly of portable plumbing.
If you looked up the worth of the chemicals in the normal human’s body, it would be worth about $160.
But you and I are more than all of these definitions, quotes, and chemical values.
Tenth Avenue North has a song called You Are More. The chorus says:
You are more than the choices that you’ve made.
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes.
You are more than the problems that you create.
You have been remade.
In the song’s third verse it says:
‘Cause this is not about what you done,
But what has been done for you.
This is not about where you’ve been,
But where your brokenness brings you to.
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.
We have a very basic choice about how to define ourselves as human beings. Are we going to believe what the world says about us or what God says about us?
The world says we are accidents.
God says we are His creation.
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created him, male and female He created them.
Psalm 139:13-16
Oh, yes, You shaped me first inside, then out, You formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank You, High God - You’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.
The world says we are nothing unless we achieve and earn it.
God says we are His treasure and His beloved.
Exodus 19:5
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples for all the earth is mine.
Romans 8:37-39
But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.
The world says we are controlled by our emotions and desires.
God says we can be controlled by Him if we choose to be.
Romans 6:16
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Romans 12:1
Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to Him as living sacrifices, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God.
The world says we as humans have no hope.
God says we have hope in Him. (and Him alone)
Psalm 33:18-22
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord even as we put our hope in You.
Romans 15:13
May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in Him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The world says life ends in death which leads to nothing.
God says life ends in death which leads to victory.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Where, death is your victory? Where, death is your power to hurt? Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 John 5:4
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
We can let the world define us. AND IT WILL!
It will define us by:
Race
Nationality
Economic Status
Social Status
Political Preference
Many Other Human Measurements
OR
We can let God define us.
He defines us as His children.
John 1:12
But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.
He defines us as His people, His royal priests, His holy nation, His possession, His people who glorify Him, His people who He has called out of darkness into His light.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
He defines us as His new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether): the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
We can allow the world to tell us who we are and live defeated.
We can allow God to tell us who we are and live victorious.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about letting God define us. He is our Creator and so He knows us and is all-powerful. He is our Savior so He loves us and provides what we need. He is our Friend so He is always with us. He is our Master so He will guide us. He is our Teacher so He will instruct us.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so we could be made right with God through Christ.”
Now that is pure love. Jesus the sinless one became your sin so you could become His righteousness.
So my choice is to let the culture tell me who I am or to let the sinless, all-power, all-knowing, ever present, all-loving Creator of the universe tell me who I am.
That to me is an absolute no-brainer. - GOD!
The world tells me and you that we are of no value. God says you and I are of infinite worth.
You Are More!
Being More Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
I also read some quotes about what other said about what human beings were.
An intelligence served by organs
A reasoning animal
A tool making and tool using animal
An ingenious assembly of portable plumbing.
If you looked up the worth of the chemicals in the normal human’s body, it would be worth about $160.
But you and I are more than all of these definitions, quotes, and chemical values.
Tenth Avenue North has a song called You Are More. The chorus says:
You are more than the choices that you’ve made.
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes.
You are more than the problems that you create.
You have been remade.
In the song’s third verse it says:
‘Cause this is not about what you done,
But what has been done for you.
This is not about where you’ve been,
But where your brokenness brings you to.
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.
We have a very basic choice about how to define ourselves as human beings. Are we going to believe what the world says about us or what God says about us?
The world says we are accidents.
God says we are His creation.
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created him, male and female He created them.
Psalm 139:13-16
Oh, yes, You shaped me first inside, then out, You formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank You, High God - You’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.
The world says we are nothing unless we achieve and earn it.
God says we are His treasure and His beloved.
Exodus 19:5
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples for all the earth is mine.
Romans 8:37-39
But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.
The world says we are controlled by our emotions and desires.
God says we can be controlled by Him if we choose to be.
Romans 6:16
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Romans 12:1
Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to Him as living sacrifices, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God.
The world says we as humans have no hope.
God says we have hope in Him. (and Him alone)
Psalm 33:18-22
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord even as we put our hope in You.
Romans 15:13
May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in Him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The world says life ends in death which leads to nothing.
God says life ends in death which leads to victory.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Where, death is your victory? Where, death is your power to hurt? Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 John 5:4
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
We can let the world define us. AND IT WILL!
It will define us by:
Race
Nationality
Economic Status
Social Status
Political Preference
Many Other Human Measurements
OR
We can let God define us.
He defines us as His children.
John 1:12
But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.
He defines us as His people, His royal priests, His holy nation, His possession, His people who glorify Him, His people who He has called out of darkness into His light.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
He defines us as His new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether): the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
We can allow the world to tell us who we are and live defeated.
We can allow God to tell us who we are and live victorious.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about letting God define us. He is our Creator and so He knows us and is all-powerful. He is our Savior so He loves us and provides what we need. He is our Friend so He is always with us. He is our Master so He will guide us. He is our Teacher so He will instruct us.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so we could be made right with God through Christ.”
Now that is pure love. Jesus the sinless one became your sin so you could become His righteousness.
So my choice is to let the culture tell me who I am or to let the sinless, all-power, all-knowing, ever present, all-loving Creator of the universe tell me who I am.
That to me is an absolute no-brainer. - GOD!
The world tells me and you that we are of no value. God says you and I are of infinite worth.
You Are More!
Being More Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
God is Strong Enough to Save You
Have you ever felt like you were talking, even sharing important stuff, but no one was listening?
In Psalm 17:6 David prays, “I have called on You because You answer me, O God. Turn Your ear toward me. Hear what I have to say.”
David called out to God because, for one thing, he knew God would listen.
David calls out or cries out to God for help. David isn’t the only person in the Bible who cried out to God.
Solomon did.
Isaiah did.
Jeremiah did.
Peter did.
Paul did.
But perhaps the greatest example of crying out to God was Jesus.
Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Jesus cries out to the Father in pain.
Jesus cries out to the Father in trust and for comfort.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about being willing to cry out to God.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about knowing God will answer when we cry out to Him.
In the Tenth Avenue North song Strong Enough to Save the chorus says,
And He’ll break
Open the skies to save
Those who cry out His name
The One the wind and waves obey
Is strong enough to save you
God will listen when those who call are:
Righteous and Broken
Psalm 34:17-18
When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those whose spirits are crushed.
Needy and Hurting
Psalm 72:12
He rescues the poor who call on Him and those who are needy and neglected.
Desperate
Psalm 84:2
I want more than anything to be in the courts of the Lord's Temple My whole being wants to be with the living God.
So what are the results of crying out to God? What happens when righteous, broken, needy, hurting, desperate people cry out to God?
They are made holy and glorify God.
1 Chronicles 16:35
Cry out, Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we might give thanks to Your holy name, and glory in Your praise.
They receive salvation.
2 Chronicles 20:9
If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You - for Your name is in this house - and cry out to You in affliction, and You will hear and save.
We will be empowered to fulfill God’s purposes.
Psalm 57:2
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.
We will receive nourishment.
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.
We will receive a Savior.
Isaiah 19:20
And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send a Savior, even a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.
There are times when God will not listen and will not answer when we cry out.
Job 35:12
And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride.
God will not listen to us when our lives our full of pride.
God hates pride and will not listen to us when we cry out if our lives are characterized by pride.
James 4:6
But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Jesus is our only hope.
Matthew 12:18-21
Here is My chosen servant! I love Him, and He pleases Me. I will give Him My Spirit, and He will bring justice to the nations. He won’t shout or yell or call out in the streets. He won’t break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame, but He will make sure that justice is done. All nations will place their hope in Him.
Jesus is the answer.
Romans 7:24-25
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we cry out to God it has to be with sincere hearts
When we cry out to God we have to trust Him.
Hebrews 10:21-22
And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to God as our only hope.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to Jesus as the answer for everything we face in life.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to God with sincere hearts.
When we cry out to God in this manner - He will answer!
Crying Out to God to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls
Joe
In Psalm 17:6 David prays, “I have called on You because You answer me, O God. Turn Your ear toward me. Hear what I have to say.”
David called out to God because, for one thing, he knew God would listen.
David calls out or cries out to God for help. David isn’t the only person in the Bible who cried out to God.
Solomon did.
Isaiah did.
Jeremiah did.
Peter did.
Paul did.
But perhaps the greatest example of crying out to God was Jesus.
Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Jesus cries out to the Father in pain.
Jesus cries out to the Father in trust and for comfort.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about being willing to cry out to God.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about knowing God will answer when we cry out to Him.
In the Tenth Avenue North song Strong Enough to Save the chorus says,
And He’ll break
Open the skies to save
Those who cry out His name
The One the wind and waves obey
Is strong enough to save you
God will listen when those who call are:
Righteous and Broken
Psalm 34:17-18
When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those whose spirits are crushed.
Needy and Hurting
Psalm 72:12
He rescues the poor who call on Him and those who are needy and neglected.
Desperate
Psalm 84:2
I want more than anything to be in the courts of the Lord's Temple My whole being wants to be with the living God.
So what are the results of crying out to God? What happens when righteous, broken, needy, hurting, desperate people cry out to God?
They are made holy and glorify God.
1 Chronicles 16:35
Cry out, Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we might give thanks to Your holy name, and glory in Your praise.
They receive salvation.
2 Chronicles 20:9
If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You - for Your name is in this house - and cry out to You in affliction, and You will hear and save.
We will be empowered to fulfill God’s purposes.
Psalm 57:2
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.
We will receive nourishment.
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.
We will receive a Savior.
Isaiah 19:20
And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send a Savior, even a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.
There are times when God will not listen and will not answer when we cry out.
Job 35:12
And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride.
God will not listen to us when our lives our full of pride.
God hates pride and will not listen to us when we cry out if our lives are characterized by pride.
James 4:6
But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Jesus is our only hope.
Matthew 12:18-21
Here is My chosen servant! I love Him, and He pleases Me. I will give Him My Spirit, and He will bring justice to the nations. He won’t shout or yell or call out in the streets. He won’t break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame, but He will make sure that justice is done. All nations will place their hope in Him.
Jesus is the answer.
Romans 7:24-25
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we cry out to God it has to be with sincere hearts
When we cry out to God we have to trust Him.
Hebrews 10:21-22
And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to God as our only hope.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to Jesus as the answer for everything we face in life.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about crying out to God with sincere hearts.
When we cry out to God in this manner - He will answer!
Crying Out to God to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls
Joe
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