Everybody is looking for something to worship. Satan will help us to find things to worship. He will direct us to false gods. He presents thousands and thousands of false things for us to worship.
Part of the spiritual battle we face daily is a war of the gods for our affection and worship.
Satan tries to get us to worship him by worship other things.
There are two events in Scripture that show the truth of Satan attempts to get us to worship anything put the One True God.
One is Eve’s temptation in the garden.
Genesis 3:5
God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree, you will learn about good and evil and you will be like God.
Eve is being enticed to make herself her god. Eve would become own god.
The other is Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
Matthew 4:10
Jesus said to him, “Go away Satan! Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”
Jesus was tempted to worship and serve something other than the Father.
The greatest temptation we have is idolatry.
Idolatry isn’t just one sin of many sins; it’s the one sin that all others come from.
Satan knows it is impossible for a human being to serve two masters.
Jesus says that in Matthew 6:24. He says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Here Jesus makes reference to serving God and money, but you could substitute anything in the place of money - success, sex, position, power, drugs, family or religion.
Paul also expresses concern about even followers of Jesus being drawn away from following Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 11:3 he says, “I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ - in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies.”
We have to believe and live based on the truth that God is the only God. This is true based on Who God Is.
First, He is the only real God.
Exodus 3:14-15
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you.”
God is I AM. He is not I was, I will be, or I might be. He is I AM!
Other gods are not evil gods or lesser gods. Other gods are no gods. They are fake. They don’t exist. When a person worships and serves any other god but Jesus, he is worshiping and serving nothing.
Second, God is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14
Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Jealous means one and only, not having any rivals. God wants to be the only one you worship. God wants to be the only one you serve. God will not share your affection with any other god. God is jealous for you.
Third, God is a consuming fire.
Deuteronomy 4:24
For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consuming fire.
God is described as a consuming fire eight times in the Bible.
What is that telling us about God?
Consuming fire signifies that God is passionate about us, He places a high value on us.
We were created to love God and He wants us to love Him like He loves us - passionately.
Jesus tells the church in Laodicea that they have a big problem when it comes to how they are relating to Him.
In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus says, “I know what you do, that you are not hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm - neither hot, nor cold - I am ready to spit you out of my mouth.”
God wants us to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. Any thing less is unacceptable.
Because of who God is - Real, Jealous, and a Consuming Fire - He demands some things from us.
God demands to be our priority.
Exodus 20:2-3
I am the Lord your God, the One who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. Do not have any god except Me.
There is no hierarchy - God is to be first and only.
God is not at the top the organization - He is the organization.
God is not the president of the board - He is the board.
Jesus tells the church at Ephesus that He knows they are a right believing, hard working, persevering church. But in Revelation 2:4 Jesus says, “But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].
Jesus, not being morally upright, being religious, being theologically correct, being devoted to the church, has to be our only priority.
God demands to be exclusive.
Exodus 20:4-5
You shall not make yourselves any idols: any images resembling animals, birds, or fish. You must never bow to an image or worship it in any way, for I, the Lord your God am very possessive. I will not share your affections with any other god!
God will not allow us to share our worship or our affections with any other “god”.
God owns all creation. That includes you.
God created you and He died for you so you could be recreated.
Also God is the only one who can:
Help you
Direct you
Satisfy you
Save you.
Which makes God the only one worthy of your worship and devotion.
God demands to be glorified by His creation.
Isaiah 42:8
I am the Lord; that is My name. I will not give My glory to anyone else or the praise I deserve to idols.
God created you to glorify Him.
Your mind was created to glorify God.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
Your heart was created to glorify God.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
You were created to glorify God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
All creation was created to glorify God. Humans are the only part of creation that does not glorify God naturally. We were given a choice. So, when we glorify God it makes Him smile with joy.
In Psalm 106:19-20 we are told that Israel traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass eating bull.
We in the twenty-first century have also traded our glorious God for equally stupid things.
We have traded God for:
A house we constantly upgrade
A promotion that comes with a raise
Acceptance by the popular group
A body that is trim & fit
A perfect adoring family
Religious traditions that makes us feel comfortable & superior
Anything can become an idol.
We need to remember the truth that Paul shares in Romans 5:6-8 that most of us would not even think about dying for a good person (I know my list of who I would die fir is very short). But Jesus came and died while we were still sinners.
We need to get rid of our idols and come to the One True God - Jesus, who loves you and proved it by dying for you.
What are you going to do in response to who God is, what He has done, and what He demands?
With Jesus as My Exclusive Priority Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Miraculous Marriage
What is the toughest job you have ever had?
Mine has been and is being a husband.
Marriage is hard work so if you don’t want to work don’t get married!
It takes a miracle for a marriage to really work.
Now, let’s define a miracle. It is an extraordinary event that shows God is intervening.
You and your spouse CAN NOT make your marriage work and make it what it is meant to be.
It takes you, your spouse and - JESUS.
In Matthew 19:3-10 some Pharisees come and ask Jesus if it is “lawful” for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus tells them it was the Father’s will from the beginning that marriage be a life long relationship. That it is to be a relationship where the two people become one. God then has joined them together and no person has authority to separate them. The Pharisees ask Jesus why Moses then established divorce and Jesus tells them it was because of , people’s hard hearts. Jesus says, “That anyone who divorces his wife except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The disciples say, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
In other words the disciples were saying, “Marriage is too hard. It’s better to stay single.”
It takes a miracle!
What are the biblical characteristics of marriage?
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Characteristic #1: Honor
We are to honor marriage. The marriage relationship was established by God and we are to honor it.
We are each to honor our spouse. We are to see them and treat them as the most valuable human blessing we have. We are to treat them as precious.
We are to honor the God who created marriage. We do that by fulfilling the commitments we made to our spouse in God’s presence.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Characteristic #2: Intimacy
We are to have social intimacy with our spouse by sharing ideas and opinions.
We are to have emotional intimacy with our spouse by sharing dreams and goals.
We are to have physical intimacy with our spouse by sharing our bodies. We need to hold hands, hug, and have sex.
I am very afraid that the church has convinced many people over the years that sex is wrong and dirty. Well, when God told Adam and Eve to fill the earth, He meant have sex. It is the only way to produce children.
Please, remember God created sex and everything God created, when used in the way God told us to use it, is good.
Sex is awesome!
Also remember that if you are not building social and emotional intimacy, you will not have great physical intimacy.
Genesis 2:25
Both the man and the woman were naked, yet felt no shame.
Characteristic #3: Wonder
No, I don’t mean wonder like, “I wonder why they did that.” I mean wonder like WOW! I mean wonder like seeing your spouse in awe.
Your spouse needs to be your best friend. With them you share you deepest dreams, your deepest desires, your deepest secrets, your deepest joys, and your deepest fears.
You need to be constantly studying your spouse and learning about them. You need to work toward a PHD in knowing your spouse.
Each day should be a day when you thank God for the gift of your spouse. Yes, even those days when you don’t like their behavior or attitude.
Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church - He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, as also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Characteristic #4: Respect
We normally read “wives submit to your husbands” and stop. When we do that, we miss the real truth of this passage.
Wives are to submit as we, the church submits to Jesus as our Savior. I don’t submit to Jesus out of fear, abuse or domination. I submit because I love Jesus so much for dying on the cross for my sins I want Him who loves me like that to have control of my life.
Wives are to respect their husbands out of a desire to show them how much they love them. A husband needs the respect of his wife. That is the number one emotional need of a man: to feel respected. When a wife respects her husband, it fills him up and makes him feel valuable.
This respect is unconditional. It is not a respect that has to be earned. Respect in the work place, in friendships, or in leadership is earned, but in a marriage relationship the wife should respect her husband out of faith in God and a desire to please Him.
Ephesians 5:25-28
As for the husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. He did this to present Himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. That’s how husbands ought to love their wives - in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself.
Characteristic #5: Love
Husbands are to love their wives. They are to love them, not any old way they want, but as Jesus loves His church.
This is unconditional love. Love that gives themselves to the other person. Love that put the needs of the other before their own. Love that sacrifices for the other person.
James 1:19
Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Characteristic #6: Communicate
Lead with your ears.
Follow up in love with your mouth.
Let anger straggle along way in the rear.
James is saying: communicate, communicate, communicate. Communicate is listening first and then speaking. You can never communicate too much.
The most frequently used illustration for the relationship that God wants with us as His people is the marriage relationship.
Your marriage Does Not belong to you: it belongs to Jesus.
The marriage problem we face in our culture is not one of:
Faithfulness
Compatibility
Love
Communication
The marriage problem we have in culture is one of surrendering to God’s will and obeying Him.
I personally know the awesome gift that marriage is. My wife is married to one of the most stubborn, work-focused, at times thoughtless men who exists. She has been my wife, when for 41 years; that‘s devotion. I know what is to neglect a precious gift of God and almost lose it. I know the joy of God healing, restoring and redeeming that gift and making it better than it has ever been. I know what it feels like to be genuinely unconditionally loved and respected beyond anything I deserve. I also know what it is like to love another person more than I love myself and to joyfully give myself to that person. All of this is not from Jan and Joe. All of this is from Jesus.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is Jesus make your marriage:
one that honors Him and each other
one that is intimate
one in which unconditional respect is shared
one in which unconditional love is shared
one where wonder and awe fill your days
one where conflict leads to communication
one where forgiveness is not withheld
one where snuggling on the couch is the norm.
Do Jan and I still have conflicts? - YES!
But because we are allowing Jesus to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls that conflicts are temporary, not fatal.
Together Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Mine has been and is being a husband.
Marriage is hard work so if you don’t want to work don’t get married!
It takes a miracle for a marriage to really work.
Now, let’s define a miracle. It is an extraordinary event that shows God is intervening.
You and your spouse CAN NOT make your marriage work and make it what it is meant to be.
It takes you, your spouse and - JESUS.
In Matthew 19:3-10 some Pharisees come and ask Jesus if it is “lawful” for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus tells them it was the Father’s will from the beginning that marriage be a life long relationship. That it is to be a relationship where the two people become one. God then has joined them together and no person has authority to separate them. The Pharisees ask Jesus why Moses then established divorce and Jesus tells them it was because of , people’s hard hearts. Jesus says, “That anyone who divorces his wife except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The disciples say, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
In other words the disciples were saying, “Marriage is too hard. It’s better to stay single.”
It takes a miracle!
What are the biblical characteristics of marriage?
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Characteristic #1: Honor
We are to honor marriage. The marriage relationship was established by God and we are to honor it.
We are each to honor our spouse. We are to see them and treat them as the most valuable human blessing we have. We are to treat them as precious.
We are to honor the God who created marriage. We do that by fulfilling the commitments we made to our spouse in God’s presence.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Characteristic #2: Intimacy
We are to have social intimacy with our spouse by sharing ideas and opinions.
We are to have emotional intimacy with our spouse by sharing dreams and goals.
We are to have physical intimacy with our spouse by sharing our bodies. We need to hold hands, hug, and have sex.
I am very afraid that the church has convinced many people over the years that sex is wrong and dirty. Well, when God told Adam and Eve to fill the earth, He meant have sex. It is the only way to produce children.
Please, remember God created sex and everything God created, when used in the way God told us to use it, is good.
Sex is awesome!
Also remember that if you are not building social and emotional intimacy, you will not have great physical intimacy.
Genesis 2:25
Both the man and the woman were naked, yet felt no shame.
Characteristic #3: Wonder
No, I don’t mean wonder like, “I wonder why they did that.” I mean wonder like WOW! I mean wonder like seeing your spouse in awe.
Your spouse needs to be your best friend. With them you share you deepest dreams, your deepest desires, your deepest secrets, your deepest joys, and your deepest fears.
You need to be constantly studying your spouse and learning about them. You need to work toward a PHD in knowing your spouse.
Each day should be a day when you thank God for the gift of your spouse. Yes, even those days when you don’t like their behavior or attitude.
Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church - He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, as also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Characteristic #4: Respect
We normally read “wives submit to your husbands” and stop. When we do that, we miss the real truth of this passage.
Wives are to submit as we, the church submits to Jesus as our Savior. I don’t submit to Jesus out of fear, abuse or domination. I submit because I love Jesus so much for dying on the cross for my sins I want Him who loves me like that to have control of my life.
Wives are to respect their husbands out of a desire to show them how much they love them. A husband needs the respect of his wife. That is the number one emotional need of a man: to feel respected. When a wife respects her husband, it fills him up and makes him feel valuable.
This respect is unconditional. It is not a respect that has to be earned. Respect in the work place, in friendships, or in leadership is earned, but in a marriage relationship the wife should respect her husband out of faith in God and a desire to please Him.
Ephesians 5:25-28
As for the husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. He did this to present Himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. That’s how husbands ought to love their wives - in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself.
Characteristic #5: Love
Husbands are to love their wives. They are to love them, not any old way they want, but as Jesus loves His church.
This is unconditional love. Love that gives themselves to the other person. Love that put the needs of the other before their own. Love that sacrifices for the other person.
James 1:19
Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Characteristic #6: Communicate
Lead with your ears.
Follow up in love with your mouth.
Let anger straggle along way in the rear.
James is saying: communicate, communicate, communicate. Communicate is listening first and then speaking. You can never communicate too much.
The most frequently used illustration for the relationship that God wants with us as His people is the marriage relationship.
Your marriage Does Not belong to you: it belongs to Jesus.
The marriage problem we face in our culture is not one of:
Faithfulness
Compatibility
Love
Communication
The marriage problem we have in culture is one of surrendering to God’s will and obeying Him.
I personally know the awesome gift that marriage is. My wife is married to one of the most stubborn, work-focused, at times thoughtless men who exists. She has been my wife, when for 41 years; that‘s devotion. I know what is to neglect a precious gift of God and almost lose it. I know the joy of God healing, restoring and redeeming that gift and making it better than it has ever been. I know what it feels like to be genuinely unconditionally loved and respected beyond anything I deserve. I also know what it is like to love another person more than I love myself and to joyfully give myself to that person. All of this is not from Jan and Joe. All of this is from Jesus.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is Jesus make your marriage:
one that honors Him and each other
one that is intimate
one in which unconditional respect is shared
one in which unconditional love is shared
one where wonder and awe fill your days
one where conflict leads to communication
one where forgiveness is not withheld
one where snuggling on the couch is the norm.
Do Jan and I still have conflicts? - YES!
But because we are allowing Jesus to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls that conflicts are temporary, not fatal.
Together Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The Newness of Jesus
Ecclesiastes 1:9
History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
Nothing is really new. We use different terms and different wrapping, but most things are just recycled.
I did look up what some “new” things would cost.
New House: $152,000
New Mercedes-Benz: $75,835
New Harley: $11,000
New Adventure (going into space): $200,000
A New Relationship with Jesus: YOUR LIFE
Jesus did a brand new thing when He came. Jesus did an unheard of thing when He came.
GOD BECAME A HUMAN!
It was so new that the old systems could not handle it. Jesus tells us that we have to let Him make a new system because the newness of who He is and what He is doing will destroy the old system.
Mark 2:22
No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins.
Jesus brings newness.
Paul tells us that in Jesus, everything about us becomes new when we surrender ourselves to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.
God gives us a new LIFE.
Ezra 9:9
We are slaves, our God has not abandon us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us new life, so that we can rebuild the house of God and repair its ruin, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
Romans 6:4
By our baptism, then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might have a new life.
Two things will make up that new life.
New Praise
Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
New Hope
Isaiah 43:19
See, I do a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
God gives us a new HEART & SPIRIT.
Ezekiel 18:31
Rid yourselves of all offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit.
Romans 7:6
But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
A new heart means a new will to obey Jesus.
A new spirit means a new aliveness and freshness in life.
God gives us a NEW & LIVING WAY.
Isaiah 40:3
A voice is crying out: “Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God!”
Hebrews 10:20
By the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.
That way is brought about by a New Birth.
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
This leads to us following a New Teaching.
Mark 1:27
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “what sort of new teaching is this” they asked excitedly.
This allows us to experience a New Covenant with God.
1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and His people - an agreement confirmed by My blood.”
God gives us a NEW ATTITUDE.
1 Samuel 2:35
Then I will appoint a faithful priest to serve Me. He will do everything I want him to do.
Ephesians 4:23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
This new attitude leads to New Compassions.
Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
The new attitude allows us to have New Treasures.
Matthew 13:52
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storehouse new treasures as well as old.”
God makes you a NEW PERSON.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the God He created them, male and female He created them.
Ephesians 4:24
And clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
The fact that you are a new person in Christ allows you to be One New Person. We don’t have to be everything to everybody. We can be who God wants us and created us to be.
Ephesians 2:15
He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so He could create one person out of the two groups, making peace.
As a new person in Jesus I have been given a New Command - to love others.
John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new command: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
The old is not working in:
Government
Marriage/Family
Finances
Life
We are given a promise by God in Revelation 21:5: And He Who is seated on the throne said, “See! I make all things new.”
Let Jesus make you new!
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls will continue into a new year. I am expecting Jesus to do some new things in our lives. We can not produce those new things but He can. We can submit ourselves fully to Him and let Him produce awesome new things in us and through us.
As you end 2013 and start 2014, start fresh and new, putting the past behind and letting Jesus make you NEW with His Newness.
Newly Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
Nothing is really new. We use different terms and different wrapping, but most things are just recycled.
I did look up what some “new” things would cost.
New House: $152,000
New Mercedes-Benz: $75,835
New Harley: $11,000
New Adventure (going into space): $200,000
A New Relationship with Jesus: YOUR LIFE
Jesus did a brand new thing when He came. Jesus did an unheard of thing when He came.
GOD BECAME A HUMAN!
It was so new that the old systems could not handle it. Jesus tells us that we have to let Him make a new system because the newness of who He is and what He is doing will destroy the old system.
Mark 2:22
No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins.
Jesus brings newness.
Paul tells us that in Jesus, everything about us becomes new when we surrender ourselves to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.
God gives us a new LIFE.
Ezra 9:9
We are slaves, our God has not abandon us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us new life, so that we can rebuild the house of God and repair its ruin, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
Romans 6:4
By our baptism, then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might have a new life.
Two things will make up that new life.
New Praise
Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
New Hope
Isaiah 43:19
See, I do a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
God gives us a new HEART & SPIRIT.
Ezekiel 18:31
Rid yourselves of all offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit.
Romans 7:6
But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
A new heart means a new will to obey Jesus.
A new spirit means a new aliveness and freshness in life.
God gives us a NEW & LIVING WAY.
Isaiah 40:3
A voice is crying out: “Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God!”
Hebrews 10:20
By the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.
That way is brought about by a New Birth.
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
This leads to us following a New Teaching.
Mark 1:27
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “what sort of new teaching is this” they asked excitedly.
This allows us to experience a New Covenant with God.
1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and His people - an agreement confirmed by My blood.”
God gives us a NEW ATTITUDE.
1 Samuel 2:35
Then I will appoint a faithful priest to serve Me. He will do everything I want him to do.
Ephesians 4:23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
This new attitude leads to New Compassions.
Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
The new attitude allows us to have New Treasures.
Matthew 13:52
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storehouse new treasures as well as old.”
God makes you a NEW PERSON.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the God He created them, male and female He created them.
Ephesians 4:24
And clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
The fact that you are a new person in Christ allows you to be One New Person. We don’t have to be everything to everybody. We can be who God wants us and created us to be.
Ephesians 2:15
He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so He could create one person out of the two groups, making peace.
As a new person in Jesus I have been given a New Command - to love others.
John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new command: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
The old is not working in:
Government
Marriage/Family
Finances
Life
We are given a promise by God in Revelation 21:5: And He Who is seated on the throne said, “See! I make all things new.”
Let Jesus make you new!
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls will continue into a new year. I am expecting Jesus to do some new things in our lives. We can not produce those new things but He can. We can submit ourselves fully to Him and let Him produce awesome new things in us and through us.
As you end 2013 and start 2014, start fresh and new, putting the past behind and letting Jesus make you NEW with His Newness.
Newly Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Hope of Christmas
Hope is a confident expectation. It is a confident expectation based on the promise of God and His Word.
Hope is not wishing.
Hope is not fantasy.
Hope is the reality that Jesus is God.
Hope is the reality that Jesus is the Truth.
Romans 15:4 tells us that the Scriptures were written to gives us hope.
Ephesians 1:18 tells us that God desires for us to experience hope.
Romans 15:13 tells us that God wants us to overflow with hope.
Ephesians 4:4 tells us that we have one hope - Jesus.
When I think of Christmas I think of hope.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as a baby.
Babies are weak, vulnerable, and needy.
We are weak, vulnerable, and needy.
Jesus came to totally identify with us. He came and lived facing all weaknesses and sharing all our temptations, struggles, and needs.
Jesus shared them, but He overcame them. He lived a perfect sinless life. He did that as a flesh and blood human.
Christmas is for children.
Matthew 18:3
And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Why is Christmas for children?
Why do you have to become like a little child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Children are incomplete and incompetent.
Children are not finished yet they still have to grow and learn. We don’t let children drive cars, vote, or get married. They are competent to do these things.
We are not competent in ourselves either.
Paul reminds of that in 2 Corinthians 3:5. It says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
Christmas shows us Jesus as a baby. He was like us, human and as a baby, helpless. He faced all the things we face and overcame them all.
Christmas gives hope because Jesus came to ordinary people.
Jesus came into the world in unimpressive circumstances. He was born in a barn.
Jesus came into the world to parents of no social significance. His parents were a carpenter and a housewife.
Jesus’ welcoming committee were shepherds. They were considered sinners by the religious establishment of that day.
Jesus came for sinners.
Mark 2:17 says, “When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they don’t have any flaws.’”
Christmas is for sinners - those who know they are sinners.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as our peace.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Circumstances screw with our emotions and our feelings are all over the place, but if we are in Jesus we are in peace.
Jesus gave peace to His disciples as He met them after His resurrection.
John 20:19-20
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them and said, “Peace to you.” Then He showed them His hands and side.
Just as Jesus was peace for those disciples, He is peace for His disciples today.
Jesus = Peace
If we are anchored in the Rock (Jesus) and not in the shifting sands of feelings we can and will experience peace.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came to give us great joy.
Luke 2:10
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.”
Joy in Jesus is discovering the true worth of Jesus.
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells a story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. The second part of that verse says, “And from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.”
The man saw that the treasure was worth much more than all that he had, so he gladly gave up all that he had to get.
Jesus is worth more than all we have or will ever have. Real joy comes when we understand that and give up everything for Jesus.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus gave us Himself.
In John 12:21 a group of Greeks, non-Jews, come and tell Philip that they want to see Jesus.
When the shepherds and wise men come, they come to see Jesus.
They didn’t come to see Joseph.
They didn’t come to see Mary.
They didn’t come to see a religious icon.
They didn’t come for the “experience”.
They came for the sole purpose of seeing - JESUS!
What we need most this Christmas is not more stuff that in a short time we will get rid of.
What we need most this Christmas is not more religious experiences.
What we need most this Christmas is not spending time with family.
What we need most this Christmas is to see Jesus.
Jesus is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.
1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.
Jesus is our hope.
Colossians 1:15-23a describes who Jesus is.
He is:
the image of the invisible God
the firstborn over all creation
creator of all things
before all things
who holds all things together
head of the church
the beginning
firstborn from among the dead
supreme
the fullness of God
who reconciled all things to God
who made peace by His blood
who reconciled us by his death to the Father
who makes us holy
who makes us with blemish
who makes us free from accusation
That is the God who became human in the barn at Bethlehem.
That is the God who gives us hope.
That is why Christmas gives us hope.
My prayer for:
My Wife
My Children
My Grandchildren
My Faith Family,
and for unrighteous, confused, immoral sinners,
is to know Jesus and experience His love and forgiveness and for Him to become our hope and their hope.
In the Hope Christmas Brings Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Hope is not wishing.
Hope is not fantasy.
Hope is the reality that Jesus is God.
Hope is the reality that Jesus is the Truth.
Romans 15:4 tells us that the Scriptures were written to gives us hope.
Ephesians 1:18 tells us that God desires for us to experience hope.
Romans 15:13 tells us that God wants us to overflow with hope.
Ephesians 4:4 tells us that we have one hope - Jesus.
When I think of Christmas I think of hope.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as a baby.
Babies are weak, vulnerable, and needy.
We are weak, vulnerable, and needy.
Jesus came to totally identify with us. He came and lived facing all weaknesses and sharing all our temptations, struggles, and needs.
Jesus shared them, but He overcame them. He lived a perfect sinless life. He did that as a flesh and blood human.
Christmas is for children.
Matthew 18:3
And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Why is Christmas for children?
Why do you have to become like a little child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Children are incomplete and incompetent.
Children are not finished yet they still have to grow and learn. We don’t let children drive cars, vote, or get married. They are competent to do these things.
We are not competent in ourselves either.
Paul reminds of that in 2 Corinthians 3:5. It says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
Christmas shows us Jesus as a baby. He was like us, human and as a baby, helpless. He faced all the things we face and overcame them all.
Christmas gives hope because Jesus came to ordinary people.
Jesus came into the world in unimpressive circumstances. He was born in a barn.
Jesus came into the world to parents of no social significance. His parents were a carpenter and a housewife.
Jesus’ welcoming committee were shepherds. They were considered sinners by the religious establishment of that day.
Jesus came for sinners.
Mark 2:17 says, “When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they don’t have any flaws.’”
Christmas is for sinners - those who know they are sinners.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as our peace.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Circumstances screw with our emotions and our feelings are all over the place, but if we are in Jesus we are in peace.
Jesus gave peace to His disciples as He met them after His resurrection.
John 20:19-20
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them and said, “Peace to you.” Then He showed them His hands and side.
Just as Jesus was peace for those disciples, He is peace for His disciples today.
Jesus = Peace
If we are anchored in the Rock (Jesus) and not in the shifting sands of feelings we can and will experience peace.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came to give us great joy.
Luke 2:10
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.”
Joy in Jesus is discovering the true worth of Jesus.
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells a story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. The second part of that verse says, “And from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.”
The man saw that the treasure was worth much more than all that he had, so he gladly gave up all that he had to get.
Jesus is worth more than all we have or will ever have. Real joy comes when we understand that and give up everything for Jesus.
Christmas gives us hope because Jesus gave us Himself.
In John 12:21 a group of Greeks, non-Jews, come and tell Philip that they want to see Jesus.
When the shepherds and wise men come, they come to see Jesus.
They didn’t come to see Joseph.
They didn’t come to see Mary.
They didn’t come to see a religious icon.
They didn’t come for the “experience”.
They came for the sole purpose of seeing - JESUS!
What we need most this Christmas is not more stuff that in a short time we will get rid of.
What we need most this Christmas is not more religious experiences.
What we need most this Christmas is not spending time with family.
What we need most this Christmas is to see Jesus.
Jesus is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.
1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.
Jesus is our hope.
Colossians 1:15-23a describes who Jesus is.
He is:
the image of the invisible God
the firstborn over all creation
creator of all things
before all things
who holds all things together
head of the church
the beginning
firstborn from among the dead
supreme
the fullness of God
who reconciled all things to God
who made peace by His blood
who reconciled us by his death to the Father
who makes us holy
who makes us with blemish
who makes us free from accusation
That is the God who became human in the barn at Bethlehem.
That is the God who gives us hope.
That is why Christmas gives us hope.
My prayer for:
My Wife
My Children
My Grandchildren
My Faith Family,
and for unrighteous, confused, immoral sinners,
is to know Jesus and experience His love and forgiveness and for Him to become our hope and their hope.
In the Hope Christmas Brings Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, December 15, 2013
The Cradle Leads to The Cross
There are two life changing events in every person’s life.
The first is birth.
The second is death.
Birth always leads to death. Estimates of how many people who have ever lived on planet earth range from 56 billion to 108 billion. Only two people of the billions who have ever lived have not died.
According to Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, then he was no more because God took him.
And according to 2 Kings 2:11 Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So whether it is 56 billion or 108 billion, our chances of not dying are not very good.
Birth is how we enter the world. It is usually against our will.
Death is how we leave the world. It is usually against our will.
Birth is someone else’s choice - mom and dad.
When and how we die can impact others greatly.
Do you remember from your study of American history Nathan Hale? He was an American soldier who was executed as a spy during the Revolutionary War. He is known for the last words he spoke before his death. He said, “I regret that I have only one life to give for my country.”
What we remember about him was how and why he died.
Do we know who his parents were?
Do we know what colony he was born and raised in?
Do we know how old he was when he died?
Do we know what his occupation was?
Most people don’t, but we know why he died - serving his country - and how he died heroically.
Luke 2:1-20 records Jesus’ birth. It is a wonderful story. If the story were to end there, then Christianity would be:
Nice
Sweet
A Great Story
Even Heroic
But it would not be life changing.
In the movie Talladega Nights the main character Ricky Bobby is sitting down with his family for a meal. He prays before the meal to baby Jesus. His wife reminds him that Jesus grew up. But Ricky Bobby says that he likes the baby Jesus best.
Many people like to keep Jesus a baby because:
Baby Jesus isn’t dangerous.
Baby Jesus isn’t challenging.
Baby Jesus is controllable.
People, have you noticed the cradle is EMPTY!
Jesus’ death is recorded in all four gospels (his birth in only two).
The description of Jesus’ death is:
Painful
Bloody
Disturbing
But Jesus’ death gives meaning and purpose to His birth.
The cradle has to lead to the cross.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be forgiven of our sins.
We all have sinned.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
If there is no shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 9:22
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
For our sins to be eternally forgiven there had to be perfect blood, innocent blood shed. The only perfect innocent blood that would do was Jesus’ blood.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors. Instead you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be made righteous.
None of us is righteous on our own.
Romans 3:10-12
As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one.”
We can only be made righteous by Jesus’ blood.
Romans 3:25-26
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
We are declared righteous through our faith in Jesus so we can live out that righteousness daily.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be transformed from enemy to friend.
We are naturally enemies of God.
Colossians 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Jesus desires that we become His friends.
John 15:13
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus lay down His life for us so we could become His friends.
The cross is what reconciles us (makes us friends with God).
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Jesus was born to be your Savior.
Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Jesus died to be your Savior.
1 John 2:2
Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of the world’s people.
1 John 4:10
Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.
Jesus is returning as The King.
Revelation 19:13-16
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. Out of the rider’s mouth comes a sharp sword that he will use to defeat the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will crush out the wine in the winepress of the terrible anger of God Almighty. On his robe and on his upper leg was written the name: King of kings and Lord of lords.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about celebrating Christmas not as the coming of a cute lovable baby into the world. It is about celebrating the coming of our Savior and King into the world.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about acknowledging Jesus as our Savior and submitting to Him as our King.
With the Cradle Leading to The Cross Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
The first is birth.
The second is death.
Birth always leads to death. Estimates of how many people who have ever lived on planet earth range from 56 billion to 108 billion. Only two people of the billions who have ever lived have not died.
According to Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, then he was no more because God took him.
And according to 2 Kings 2:11 Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So whether it is 56 billion or 108 billion, our chances of not dying are not very good.
Birth is how we enter the world. It is usually against our will.
Death is how we leave the world. It is usually against our will.
Birth is someone else’s choice - mom and dad.
When and how we die can impact others greatly.
Do you remember from your study of American history Nathan Hale? He was an American soldier who was executed as a spy during the Revolutionary War. He is known for the last words he spoke before his death. He said, “I regret that I have only one life to give for my country.”
What we remember about him was how and why he died.
Do we know who his parents were?
Do we know what colony he was born and raised in?
Do we know how old he was when he died?
Do we know what his occupation was?
Most people don’t, but we know why he died - serving his country - and how he died heroically.
Luke 2:1-20 records Jesus’ birth. It is a wonderful story. If the story were to end there, then Christianity would be:
Nice
Sweet
A Great Story
Even Heroic
But it would not be life changing.
In the movie Talladega Nights the main character Ricky Bobby is sitting down with his family for a meal. He prays before the meal to baby Jesus. His wife reminds him that Jesus grew up. But Ricky Bobby says that he likes the baby Jesus best.
Many people like to keep Jesus a baby because:
Baby Jesus isn’t dangerous.
Baby Jesus isn’t challenging.
Baby Jesus is controllable.
People, have you noticed the cradle is EMPTY!
Jesus’ death is recorded in all four gospels (his birth in only two).
The description of Jesus’ death is:
Painful
Bloody
Disturbing
But Jesus’ death gives meaning and purpose to His birth.
The cradle has to lead to the cross.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be forgiven of our sins.
We all have sinned.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
If there is no shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 9:22
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
For our sins to be eternally forgiven there had to be perfect blood, innocent blood shed. The only perfect innocent blood that would do was Jesus’ blood.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors. Instead you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be made righteous.
None of us is righteous on our own.
Romans 3:10-12
As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one.”
We can only be made righteous by Jesus’ blood.
Romans 3:25-26
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
We are declared righteous through our faith in Jesus so we can live out that righteousness daily.
The cradle has to lead to the cross because we need to be transformed from enemy to friend.
We are naturally enemies of God.
Colossians 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Jesus desires that we become His friends.
John 15:13
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus lay down His life for us so we could become His friends.
The cross is what reconciles us (makes us friends with God).
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Jesus was born to be your Savior.
Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Jesus died to be your Savior.
1 John 2:2
Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of the world’s people.
1 John 4:10
Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.
Jesus is returning as The King.
Revelation 19:13-16
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. Out of the rider’s mouth comes a sharp sword that he will use to defeat the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will crush out the wine in the winepress of the terrible anger of God Almighty. On his robe and on his upper leg was written the name: King of kings and Lord of lords.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about celebrating Christmas not as the coming of a cute lovable baby into the world. It is about celebrating the coming of our Savior and King into the world.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about acknowledging Jesus as our Savior and submitting to Him as our King.
With the Cradle Leading to The Cross Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Crisis of Christmas
There is a crisis this Christmas! A crisis of faith.
You see, if Jesus is really Lord of my life, then He is Lord of my:
Priorities
Family
Relationships
And Christmas
My relationship with Jesus has to be the most
intense & intimate
relationship I have.
And I have to submit EVERYTHING to Him!
Let me encourage you to ask yourself two questions:
First, what has power over me?
Do People?
Do Things?
Do Problems?
Second, how would my life be different if JESUS had power over me?
Christmas has to be more than:
The Finale to a Frantic Shopping Season
Sentimental Music
Tinsel on a Tree
A Children’s Pageant
Boozy Good Will to the World
Christmas, like Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls, is staking your life on the revelation of God in Jesus.
Christmas, like Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls, requires the Necessity of Faith.
There is a great picture of faith in Matthew 13. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who is out planting his crop in His fields. After Jesus tells the story, His disciples come and ask why He teaches the way He does, in parables. They were really asking what this story meant. Jesus tells them in verses 19-23.
Matthew 13:19
Someone who hears the word about the kingdom but doesn’t understand it. The evil one comes at once and snatches away what was planted in him. This is what the seed planted along the road illustrates.
This is a picture of the INSENSITIVE.
They hear the word but it doesn’t speak to them interiorly (in their spirit). For them, the word is meaningless.
They are like the people that God speaks to in Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says, “Since these people turn toward Me with their mouths, and honor Me with lip service while their heart is distant from Me, and their fear of Me is just a human command that has been memorized.”
Matthew 13:20-21
The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
This is a picture of the SUPERFICIAL.
This people are open - too open! They are ready to receive everything, but nothing takes root.
They are like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:13, 18-19. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Simon was open, but he didn’t get it. He was focused on the things of faith, not the object of faith - Jesus.
Matthew 13:22
And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit.
This is a picture of the DEFEATED.
They have fought long and struggled for their faith, but their passion for Jesus has gotten swallowed up in trivial concerns.
In Revelation 2:4 Jesus shares a concern with the Church at Ephesus. This church has so much going for them. They are hard working, preserving, right believing, but Jesus says, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
They had lost their passion for Jesus.
Matthew 13:23
The seed that fell on the good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.
This is a picture of the VICTORIOUS.
Now, even among the victorious there are levels of submission to Jesus and in surrendering to do His will, His way.
The 30% are the pillars of the church. They are nice, with good morals, and helpful people. They like their church and serve because it is a good thing to do. They produce some fruit. They, however, shirk back from the radical demands of the Gospel.
The 60% are genuinely others-centered. Some focus on relationships. Others are social activists. Others are just people persons. They want to help and make a difference. They produce much fruit.
The 100% are totally surrendered to the person of and will of Jesus. They are surrendered to doing what Jesus says no matter what the circumstances are. They are submitted to following Jesus no matter where He leads.
These people show the attitude that Paul shares in Philippians 3:8-9. More that that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things - indeed, I regard them as dung! - that I might gain Christ, and be found in Him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.
Yes, Paul says that compared to knowing Jesus and serving Jesus, everything else in his life is animal poop.
The beginning of Christmas is Jesus.
Luke 2:9-11
The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you - wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your Savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord.”
It was at Christmas that God became human. It was at Christmas that the Kingdom of God came to the earth.
Christmas, just as Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls, means we are to drop everything and run to Jesus.
We are not to be intimidated by the cultural patterns of doing Christmas.
We are to celebrate Christmas as though Jesus is REAL - He is!
We are to celebrate the realness of Jesus with our:
Motives
Speech
Behavior
The way that we celebrate Christmas will reflect our faith in Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about celebrating Jesus 365 days of the year. It is about making Christmas about the birth of Jesus our Savior.
In Celebration Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
You see, if Jesus is really Lord of my life, then He is Lord of my:
Priorities
Family
Relationships
And Christmas
My relationship with Jesus has to be the most
intense & intimate
relationship I have.
And I have to submit EVERYTHING to Him!
Let me encourage you to ask yourself two questions:
First, what has power over me?
Do People?
Do Things?
Do Problems?
Second, how would my life be different if JESUS had power over me?
Christmas has to be more than:
The Finale to a Frantic Shopping Season
Sentimental Music
Tinsel on a Tree
A Children’s Pageant
Boozy Good Will to the World
Christmas, like Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls, is staking your life on the revelation of God in Jesus.
Christmas, like Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls, requires the Necessity of Faith.
There is a great picture of faith in Matthew 13. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who is out planting his crop in His fields. After Jesus tells the story, His disciples come and ask why He teaches the way He does, in parables. They were really asking what this story meant. Jesus tells them in verses 19-23.
Matthew 13:19
Someone who hears the word about the kingdom but doesn’t understand it. The evil one comes at once and snatches away what was planted in him. This is what the seed planted along the road illustrates.
This is a picture of the INSENSITIVE.
They hear the word but it doesn’t speak to them interiorly (in their spirit). For them, the word is meaningless.
They are like the people that God speaks to in Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says, “Since these people turn toward Me with their mouths, and honor Me with lip service while their heart is distant from Me, and their fear of Me is just a human command that has been memorized.”
Matthew 13:20-21
The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
This is a picture of the SUPERFICIAL.
This people are open - too open! They are ready to receive everything, but nothing takes root.
They are like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:13, 18-19. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Simon was open, but he didn’t get it. He was focused on the things of faith, not the object of faith - Jesus.
Matthew 13:22
And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit.
This is a picture of the DEFEATED.
They have fought long and struggled for their faith, but their passion for Jesus has gotten swallowed up in trivial concerns.
In Revelation 2:4 Jesus shares a concern with the Church at Ephesus. This church has so much going for them. They are hard working, preserving, right believing, but Jesus says, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
They had lost their passion for Jesus.
Matthew 13:23
The seed that fell on the good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.
This is a picture of the VICTORIOUS.
Now, even among the victorious there are levels of submission to Jesus and in surrendering to do His will, His way.
The 30% are the pillars of the church. They are nice, with good morals, and helpful people. They like their church and serve because it is a good thing to do. They produce some fruit. They, however, shirk back from the radical demands of the Gospel.
The 60% are genuinely others-centered. Some focus on relationships. Others are social activists. Others are just people persons. They want to help and make a difference. They produce much fruit.
The 100% are totally surrendered to the person of and will of Jesus. They are surrendered to doing what Jesus says no matter what the circumstances are. They are submitted to following Jesus no matter where He leads.
These people show the attitude that Paul shares in Philippians 3:8-9. More that that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things - indeed, I regard them as dung! - that I might gain Christ, and be found in Him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.
Yes, Paul says that compared to knowing Jesus and serving Jesus, everything else in his life is animal poop.
The beginning of Christmas is Jesus.
Luke 2:9-11
The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you - wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your Savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord.”
It was at Christmas that God became human. It was at Christmas that the Kingdom of God came to the earth.
Christmas, just as Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls, means we are to drop everything and run to Jesus.
We are not to be intimidated by the cultural patterns of doing Christmas.
We are to celebrate Christmas as though Jesus is REAL - He is!
We are to celebrate the realness of Jesus with our:
Motives
Speech
Behavior
The way that we celebrate Christmas will reflect our faith in Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about celebrating Jesus 365 days of the year. It is about making Christmas about the birth of Jesus our Savior.
In Celebration Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Christmas Is Christ's Mission
CHRISTMAS
Greatest Time of the Year
Most Stressful Time of the Year
A Great Spirit of Love & Peace
Totally A Spirit of Commercialism
A Great Time for Family
A Time of Family Conflict
Christmas seems to be many things to people. Some of those things are good and some are bad. Some of those things bring joy and some bring sadness and even anger.
What is Christmas supposed to be?
We are told what Christmas is to be in the name - Christmas.
Christmas means Christ’s Mass.
Oh, ok, but since I’m not Catholic, then I don’t go to mass. So what does mass mean for me?
The word mass has its origin in the word - Mission.
Christmas is Christ’s Mission.
What is Christ’s Mission?
Luke 19:10 says, “The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”
Jesus’ mission was to look for the lost.
Jesus’ mission was to save the lost.
Christmas is celebrating Jesus’ mission of looking for and saving the lost.
How do we do that? We do it by joining Jesus in His mission.
Jesus’ mission is looking for the lost.
We as people who celebrate Christmas (Christ’s Mission) need to be where lost people are. Lost people are part of our everyday life. They are all around us.
They are at our work.
They are at our schools.
They are in our neighborhoods.
They are at the social events we attend.
They are even in our families.
Jesus didn’t spend that much time with the religious people of His day. We have only a few recorded times that Jesus was in the synagogue. Most times when Jesus did go to the synagogue He just ticked off the religious leaders.
When Jesus taught in the temple, He taught in the outer court (the Court of the Gentiles). He taught there because everybody could go there, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, believers and nonbelievers, good people and bad people.
Jesus spent most of His time out with the public in public places. He reached out to prostitutes, tax collectors, and other kind of “sinners”.
Many Christians just want to spend time with other Christians. We have made our church buildings strongholds to keep us from the “sinners” of our world. The only stronghold we should have and need to have is Jesus.
Jesus has called His followers to be fishers of men. You can catch fish unless you go where the fish are. And they are not in the baptistry.
The concept of Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is to get the church, the Body of Christ, the people on mission with Jesus, out in the world being transparent so we can show our awesome Lord Jesus to a world (people) that desperately needs Him.
Jesus calls us to be IN the world but NOT OF the world.
So let’s celebrate Christmas, Christ’s Mission differently than the culture celebrates.
Let’s celebrate Christmas 365 days a year by:
- Feeding the Poor
- Refreshing the Thirsty
- Befriending the Strange
- Clothing the Naked
- Serving the Sick
- Connecting with the Prisoners
Let’s celebrate Christmas by sharing day in and day out our Jesus Story (the gospel) with anybody and everybody.
Let our celebration not be about:
- Black Friday
- Decorations
- Family
- The Season
- Religious Traditions
Let our celebration of Christmas be about what the celebration was about when Jesus came into the world.
Luke 2:8-11
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
The angels weren’t announcing an event. They were announcing a person, the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord - JESUS!
Jesus really is the reason for the season. Without Jesus there would be no Christmas. Without Christmas there would have been no Cross. Without the Cross there would have been no Resurrection. Without Christmas, the Cross, and the Resurrection there would be no SALVATION and we would be lost.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about celebrating Christmas (Christ’s Mission) by connecting with God through a relationship with Jesus and joining Jesus in His mission to look for the lost and share the Person of Salvation - Jesus.
Joining Christ’s Mission Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Greatest Time of the Year
Most Stressful Time of the Year
A Great Spirit of Love & Peace
Totally A Spirit of Commercialism
A Great Time for Family
A Time of Family Conflict
Christmas seems to be many things to people. Some of those things are good and some are bad. Some of those things bring joy and some bring sadness and even anger.
What is Christmas supposed to be?
We are told what Christmas is to be in the name - Christmas.
Christmas means Christ’s Mass.
Oh, ok, but since I’m not Catholic, then I don’t go to mass. So what does mass mean for me?
The word mass has its origin in the word - Mission.
Christmas is Christ’s Mission.
What is Christ’s Mission?
Luke 19:10 says, “The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”
Jesus’ mission was to look for the lost.
Jesus’ mission was to save the lost.
Christmas is celebrating Jesus’ mission of looking for and saving the lost.
How do we do that? We do it by joining Jesus in His mission.
Jesus’ mission is looking for the lost.
We as people who celebrate Christmas (Christ’s Mission) need to be where lost people are. Lost people are part of our everyday life. They are all around us.
They are at our work.
They are at our schools.
They are in our neighborhoods.
They are at the social events we attend.
They are even in our families.
Jesus didn’t spend that much time with the religious people of His day. We have only a few recorded times that Jesus was in the synagogue. Most times when Jesus did go to the synagogue He just ticked off the religious leaders.
When Jesus taught in the temple, He taught in the outer court (the Court of the Gentiles). He taught there because everybody could go there, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, believers and nonbelievers, good people and bad people.
Jesus spent most of His time out with the public in public places. He reached out to prostitutes, tax collectors, and other kind of “sinners”.
Many Christians just want to spend time with other Christians. We have made our church buildings strongholds to keep us from the “sinners” of our world. The only stronghold we should have and need to have is Jesus.
Jesus has called His followers to be fishers of men. You can catch fish unless you go where the fish are. And they are not in the baptistry.
The concept of Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is to get the church, the Body of Christ, the people on mission with Jesus, out in the world being transparent so we can show our awesome Lord Jesus to a world (people) that desperately needs Him.
Jesus calls us to be IN the world but NOT OF the world.
So let’s celebrate Christmas, Christ’s Mission differently than the culture celebrates.
Let’s celebrate Christmas 365 days a year by:
- Feeding the Poor
- Refreshing the Thirsty
- Befriending the Strange
- Clothing the Naked
- Serving the Sick
- Connecting with the Prisoners
Let’s celebrate Christmas by sharing day in and day out our Jesus Story (the gospel) with anybody and everybody.
Let our celebration not be about:
- Black Friday
- Decorations
- Family
- The Season
- Religious Traditions
Let our celebration of Christmas be about what the celebration was about when Jesus came into the world.
Luke 2:8-11
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
The angels weren’t announcing an event. They were announcing a person, the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord - JESUS!
Jesus really is the reason for the season. Without Jesus there would be no Christmas. Without Christmas there would have been no Cross. Without the Cross there would have been no Resurrection. Without Christmas, the Cross, and the Resurrection there would be no SALVATION and we would be lost.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about celebrating Christmas (Christ’s Mission) by connecting with God through a relationship with Jesus and joining Jesus in His mission to look for the lost and share the Person of Salvation - Jesus.
Joining Christ’s Mission Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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