He Will Wipe Away All Our Tears and this week's texts

Two times in the Book of Revelation the Word of God tells us that God will wipe away all our tears. This has to be one of the most personal and compassionate images of the Lord in all the Word of God. There are days when we want to weep. Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend, at the unbelief of the city of Jerusalem, and when he cried out to God in Gethsemane. Like Jesus want to cry when we lose a loved one, when we see our loved ones make horrible mistakes, and when we cry out to God for strength that is beyond ourselves. We look forward to the day when there will be no more weeping, because God will set all things to right. 

As I read the words of Revelation I was struck with the thought, why would be crying in heaven? Here is the biggest reason that comes to my mind, we are are not worthy to be there. Perhaps for the first time ever we experience the full power of grace. If that does not make you cry nothing can. 

Revelation 20 speaks of the great Judgment seat of God. He opens the Book of Life and then the books. The Book of Life is the citizenship book of Heaven. The only way we can get our names written into the book is be adopted into the family of God. We we come to Christ and have all our sins washed away our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. For that we rejoice and change our lives to be more like Jesus. However, there is still the issue of the opening of the books. 

These books record all we have said and done while on earth. These deeds do not get us into or necessarily keep us out of heaven, it is only by the blood of Christ we are made holy, not by works. However, if God were to open the books of our lives and lay out all our mistakes, betrayals, lusts, words we wish we could take back, and so on we would no doubt be weeping. No one enters into heaven with their head held high because they believe they have earned their way into Glory. Rather, we all enter in knowing we are only allowed in because of the grace of Christ. Thus, perhaps, we will need Him to wipe away all our tears. Our tears will be tears of shame, but also tear of joy and happiness. Once and for all our sinful nature is gone, our sins are no more for anyone to ever bring up again, and we are with Jesus. I can't wait to have  reunion with those that are there now. Some of which I have never met, but I feel like I know because I have read about them so much. I can't wait till the time when there is no more need for grief or suffering of any kind. When there is no more cancer, or liver disease, or diabetes,  or dementia, or mean people. Come Lord Jesus.

Here is this week's texts   

August 30, 2013                   Ps 85–88, 1 Cor 2:6–3:17, Ps 103:title–5, Prov 21:19–20

August 31, 2013                   Ps 89–90, 1 Cor 3:18–4:13, Ps 103:6–12, Prov 21:21–23

September 01, 2013            Ps 91–95, 1 Cor 4:14–5:13, Ps 103:13–22, Prov 21:24–26

September 02, 2013            Ps 96–101, 1 Cor 6, Ps 104:1–5, Prov 21:27–28

September 03, 2013            Ps 102–103, 1 Cor 7:1–24, Ps 104:6–10, Prov 21:29–31

September 04, 2013            Ps 104–105, 1 Cor 7:25–8:13, Ps 104:11–18, Prov 22:1–3

September 05, 2013            Ps 106, 1 Cor 9:1–18, Ps 104:19–24, Prov 22:4–5

September 06, 2013            Ps 107–109, 1 Cor 9:19–10:13, Ps 104:25–35, Prov 22:6–8

September 07, 2013            Ps 110–115, 1 Cor 10:14–11:1, Ps 105:1–4, Prov 22:9–11

The Risk Of Loving Others

            For the past several months our church body has been praying diligently for Doug Hardy. We prayed for healing and we prayed for a liver for Doug. We prayed with expectation and with faith. Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the way we expect or want. Yesterday, Tom Stanfield and I anointed him with oil and knelt beside his bed and prayed with him. Tom and I with open tears expressed our love to the Lord and our love for our brother in Christ, Doug. After we prayed with him we knelt beside Doug’s hospital bed and he breathed his last breath. In the role I am privileged to serve I have been with several as they have breathed their last breath. It is never easy, but it is my calling.

            I interviewed at First Christian almost five and half years ago. After they decided to give this young guy a chance to lead Crystal I prayed hard about if we needed to move to Roanoke Rapids. God had opened a few doors of ministry for us and we wanted to do what first and foremost God wanted us to do. We have always sought to serve where we are needed and can have the biggest impact. We were torn on where to go and what do to. Doug called me and with his direct, but loving approach told me what we needed to do. He said, “I have prayed about it and you need to come to First Christian.” Though I did not know Doug at that point I believed what he said and we moved to Roanoke Rapids. I have jokingly told people two things about that experience. First, we asked ourselves do we want our baby (which was four years down the road as it turned out) to sound like Doug Hardy. Second, if you are not happy I am here at FCC, blame Doug.

            By nature I do not trust easily. However, very quickly I learned to respect, trust, and love Doug Hardy. Doug and I talked out difficult issues within the church that no one else knew were happening. Doug and I went to homes of those that were struggling, had made mistakes, or simply needed someone to talk with. So many times Doug would call me for no other reason, but to check on me and make sure I was alright. I am so accustomed to people calling or making an appointment because they have an issue they need help with or they are upset about something. It was a real blessing having someone that reached out the way Doug did so many times. While Doug is not the only person in my life like this, he is irreplaceable. When I think of Doug Proverbs 17:17 comes to mind. Doug was that kind of friend and I pray I was the same to him.

            When we choose to love someone, in the type of way that Christ commands, it is a risk. There is the danger that we will be hurt. There is the possibility we will be betrayed. There is a chance they will abandon us. However, it is worth the risk. I praise God that I got to know Doug. I praise God that we were placed in each other’s paths to support one another when needed. Perhaps, as a friend told me yesterday, the reason Doug called me and told me to come to FCC was because he needed me to hold his hand as he died and support his beautiful family in the days, months, and years following. We do not mourn like those that have no hope, and thus I can’t wait to see my brother Doug again in glory one day.

            Our congregation has lost a servant leader. Doug served as an elder within the congregation for many years. He saw great times and rough times for the church and was a steady presence through it all. The challenge to us today is to follow his example of servant leadership. We are blessed to have a great group of elders, deacons, staff, Sunday school teachers, and many other ministry leaders. However, I pray with anticipation to see who God raises up to lead with the loss of this leader.

            Please continue to pray for Doug’s family and for our congregation. I know that God has great things in store for us as we continue to serve and honor Him with all our strength, hearts, minds, and souls. 

A few more thoughts left out from the sermon and this week's texts

There is always so much more to say about any given text than what I can say about it on Sunday morning. For one reason I am not as gifted of a speaker as what I would like. Second, the attention span of the average person is not what it was some years back, thank you t.v.. Third, our wonderful people working downstairs with our little ones can only handle them for a certain amount of time, may the Lord bless them. Fourth, the reality is we can only absorb so much information, but I seek to have one main point not five or six. With that being said...

I am considering the nature of Paul's ministry. Paul had to defend himself against those inside the church and those outside the church. How do we define what is a successful ministry? We could spend weeks discussing this, but in reference to this specific text (2 Corinthians 2) a few things come to mind.

Paul teaches us that it matters much more who the person of God is, rather than what they can do. What I mean by that is God is much more concerned about character than He is performance. Paul's ministry was not based upon his enormous personality, nor in his resume of building large congregations. His ministry was based upon his own testimony of the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in his life. Paul understood that for the ministry to be healthy it could not be about him, rather it needed to be focused upon Christ. Too often we miss this point in ministries today.

Understand that if we have the wrong attitude about the nature of the church or the nature of those called into fulltime ministry (or part time for that matter) it can be detrimental to the health of the church, her ministers, and the congregation as a whole. The Church is called to seek the Lord, to worship the Lord, and to share the Good News about the Lord. We are to mediate God's glory to the ends of the earth. However, if we are not careful we can make the local congregation into just another group of consumers. In America we can have the wrong idea that going to church is kind of like going to spiritual Wal-Mart; meaning it can become a place where we look for our needs to be met rather than seeing it as a family that we blessed to be a part of. Please never see yourself as a religious consumer looking to the church and her ministers to meet your needs and if you don't get what you perceive you need you simply look at another church. (Please do not take that the wrong way. If you are not going where the Bible is taught, the love of the Lord is central, and love for the people is proclaimed it is not a healthy place.)

What did Paul see as his primary role? No doubt it was the preaching and teaching of the Word and prayer. While there are other areas of ministry are very important Paul understood that vital nature of these things. While there will be some managerial tasks, counseling, programing, and emotional cheerleading that needs to take place, the Word must be kept central. This can be difficult to do when so many ministers are trying to please so many people in so many different ways. Part of the answer here is lies in the reality that the role of a minister is not so much to do the ministry as a hireling, but to equip the people to do ministry. We are blessed in this congregation to have many that serve in many roles, though it never seems to be enough. We are blessed to have Elders that love the congregation and seek to minister to them as best they can.

Paul wants us to see the local body as a family. This is a family that serves the Lord, serves one another, and seeks to serve those outside the church. We are a church with a mission that is directly from God. We are called to be ministers of reconciliation. Well I could go on, but I will stop.

That being said, there will be more said about this when we get to Chapter 3 this Sunday. I love studying God's Word verse by verse and phrase by phrase. I hope you do as well.

Here is this week's texts:

August 22, 2013            Ps 58–62, Rom 12, Ps 99:1–3, Prov 20:29–30

August 23, 2013            Ps 63–67, Rom 13:1–7, Ps 99:4–9, Prov 21:1–3

August 24, 2013            Ps 68–69, Rom 13:8–14:13, Ps 100, Prov 21:4–5

August 25, 2013            Ps 70–72, Rom 14:14–15:13, Ps 101, Prov 21:6–8

August 26, 2013            Ps 73–76, Rom 15:14–33, Ps 102:title–5, Prov 21:9–11

August 27, 2013            Ps 77–78, Rom 16, Ps 102:6–11, Prov 21:12–13

August 28, 2013            Ps 79–81, 1 Cor 1:1–17, Ps 102:12–18, Prov 21:14–15

August 29, 2013            Ps 82–84, 1 Cor 1:18–2:5, Ps 102:19–28, Prov 21:16–18

Extra from today's sermon

There is never enough time to say all I want to on Sunday mornings. I gave an explanation of this text this morning, but here is another and I believe it is powerful. Please consider it. 

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

No doubt the Roman audience that read what Paul wrote would have thought of the elaborate celebration of victory for the conquering Roman general parading through the streets of Rome. The verb he uses here is interesting to me (students of the Word this is why we take the time to do word studies). Normally, the verb is used intransitively with the meaning “to celebrate a victory by means of a triumph.” That is how many if not most commentators see this text. But in the rare cases when the verb is used transitively, it means to lead captives in a triumphal procession. This is the meaning here most likely. While that may seem harsh, let me explain and I think you can see not only the logic, but the beauty of the metaphor. 

Paul does not picture himself as a garlanded, victorious general nor as a foot soldier in God’s army who shares in the glory of Christ’s triumph. Rather, he pictures himself as a conquered prisoner being put on display. He was previously God’s enemy but is now defeated (Rom 5:10; see Phil 3:18) and being led to death in a display that reveals the majesty and power of God and effectively proclaims the gospel.

Picture the scene that Paul is painting. It is a major celebration (often they could last for three days). A military victory has been won and the spoils of war are paraded before the people. There were platforms that were rolled through the parade with the captives on board. Those that were once mighty and feared are now laughed at and on their way to near certain death. 

With that in mind how could Paul see himself like this (or how could I for that matter)? 

1. Do you realize that before we are conquered by Christ (saved) we are enemies of Christ? That is the way Paul sees it in Romans 5:10. Paul tried to destroy the Church before Christ conquered him (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13). While many of us never tried to destroy the church as Paul did, we have warred against the Kingdom of God through our actions. Keep in mind part of the idea here is that the ultimate authority, ruler, despot, general, or any other title of grander you can think of is Christ. 

2. One of the problems that Paul was dealing with was the perception that those in Corinth had of him in regards to his suffering. While the world sees power as those that are wealthy, strong, and victorious in battle; Paul did not fit this picture. Paul suffered humiliation and pain everywhere he went. Did that mean he was the true messenger of God? Of course not, if anything Paul says it proves his commitment to the Gospel. An overall these of this letter is that God's power is seen through our weaknesses. A lesson we can learn from this is, we must be much more concerned with how God sees us than how the world sees us. 

3. Paul often calls himself a slave of Christ. That is not a word or an image we like to consider, however it is the one he uses. Yet this slave of Christ was not conquered with military might, but with love. That is the major difference between the ways of the world and ways of Christ. 

Paul could say the old man is dead and Christ has given him new life. Martin Luther said: “God creates out of nothing. Therefore until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.”

Having said that there is more to the story. God is gracious and gives us not what we deserve. The captured slaves in the metaphor are being lead to their deaths. At the end of the parade there would be an arena in which the captives would fight wild animals for the enjoyment of the crowd. However, some of the captured would be spared to show the grace of the emperor. Paul knows that Christ is going to rescue him from the fire of Hell. While he may see himself as a conquered slave, this slave shows the mercy of Christ. Thus, Paul is not sad, but he is rejoicing for all to see. This conquering of Christ does not lead to his demise, but to his ultimate victory. 

Paul is presenting a beautiful paradox we all should consider. Without being conquered by Christ, we cannot join in the celebration of His victory. Through our righteous suffering for Christ, we are are glorified with the One that suffered for us. Praise be to God that He allows us to be His conquered ones. We serve a mighty and gracious God. 

(If you want a fuller explanation read, D. E. Garland or Ben Witherington III sometime, those boys are really smart.)

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Food for thought from Romans 6 and this week's texts

On of the sad realities of modern Christianity is we sometimes give the wrong idea when trying to teach a positive truth. For instance, I  love the doctrine of grace, it was not taught much in my early stages of Christianity, but it is at the heart and core of the Gospel. God is full of grace and is willing to forgive. However, that does not mean we should go and make horrible decisions because we know God will forgive us. This is the very point Paul is making in Romans 6.

In our zeal to be loving and non judgemental, which is good, we can give others an excuse to sin. In chapters 1-5 Paul explains that we are saved not by our works, but by the grace of God through faith (more discussion is needed there, but this is not the time). Perhaps, part of the problem is we don't see sin the same way that God does. Perhaps, we have been deceived to think it is not that big of a deal. You hear some say things like, "oh I can't help it, it was how I was raised." Or, "it is a lifestyle choice." Or, "you have to change with the times." And of course, "you without sin cast the first stone." (I think they are missing the whole point Jesus is making there). 

What is the cost of sin? The cross. We make pendants, wall hangings, pretty pictures, and such of the cross. However, it is a vile thing when you consider what it really is. Capital punishment to the extreme is not pretty. It is horrible to look upon, it is a bit sickening to consider, it is nothing any of us want to be near. Yet, the Son of God choose to take on the humiliation, excruciating pain, and the alienation associated with the cross because of the vile nature of sin. 

If we love someone we do what we can to protect them from harm. We shelter them from abuse and pain when we can. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." The Lord knows us and knows that when we sin it hurts us, it hurts those around us, and it hurts him. If we truly love the Lord perhaps we need to consider the pain we cause the Lord when we willingly sin know what the cost of sin. 

A word we do not use often enough is, "repent." To truly be sorry for the sins we have committed. That means more than being upset about the consequences  but making a conscious decision to not commit those sins again. We need to grow to hate the sins we struggle with and wage war upon them. We wage war with the renewing of our minds through Scripture, the power of prayer, and accountability of fellow Christians.  

It would do us all good to meditate upon the cross daily. Consider the agony of Mary as she saw her son on the cross. Let me illustrate it with the word of Jack Cottrell: 

"What do you think she felt as she watched the soldiers nail her son to the cross? As she watched them nail the large nails through his writs and feet, as she watched Him writhe in agony, what was going on in her heart? Do you think for a moment she would have gone over there and said to the soldiers, "Give me the hammer. Let me drive some nails into His hands?" How utterly preposterous! Her heart was breaking with every pounding of the hammer!

Picture yourself at the same scene. How would you have felt, watching the soldiers nail the body of your Savior to the cross? how would you have felt, knowing that it was your sins that were nailing HIm there? Would you have wept in sorrow and agony? Would you have denounced your sins on the spot, filled with loathing and hatred for them? Or would you have gone over to the soldiers and said, "Give me the hammer. Let me drive some nails into His hands"?... Every time you decide to do something you know is wrong, you are saying, "Give me the hammer!" You are piercing Him to the very depths of His heart..." (from his sermon, "Give me the hammer") 

Sound too harsh? Give it some thought, more importantly give some thought to your own sins and what it does to the heart of God and Read Romans 6.  

Here are this week's texts: 

August 15, 2013            Ps 33–35, Rom 6:1–7:6, Ps 94:14–23, Prov 20:12–14

August 16, 2013            Ps 36–37, Rom 7:7–25, Ps 95:1–4, Prov 20:15–16

August 17, 2013            Ps 38–41, Rom 8:1–30, Ps 95:5–11, Prov 20:17–18

August 18, 2013            Ps 42–45, Rom 8:31–9:13, Ps 96:1–7, Prov 20:19–20

August 19, 2013            Ps 46–49, Rom 9:14–33, Ps 96:8–13, Prov 20:21–23

August 20, 2013            Ps 50–54, Rom 10, Ps 97, Prov 20:24–26

August 21, 2013            Ps 55–57, Rom 11, Ps 98, Prov 20:27–28

August 22, 2013            Ps 58–62, Rom 12, Ps 99:1–3, Prov 20:29–30

How 2 Corinthians applies to us

I am beginning a new sermon series tomorrow morning on 2 Corinthians and I am excited about it. I love the Word of God and pray that I am able to get out of the way and let Christ shine as we study this book together. As I am studying this book it becomes more and more apparent how relevant this epistle of Paul is to today's Church. As always is the case I never have enough time to say all I want to say about a text on Sunday morning. Therefore, I am going to share a bit more here.

Paul loved the church at Corinth. He had poured himself out for them and had taught them pure doctrine. As is often the case though, they were not as loving toward him or toward true doctrine. Paul was in Ephesus in the winter of AD 54 when he got a visit from some prominent members of the church at Corinth (Chloe and her her household). They reported there were divisions among the people, some wanted to follow individual leaders, there was sexual immorality among the people, there were lawsuits among the people, there were problems with worship, some were getting drunk during communion, and well the list goes on and on. So he wrote a letter to them (1 Corinthians). This was a harsh letter, he basically tells them to grow up.

The Epistle was read and they did not like what he said. They were upset and wrote to Paul and it was not nice. Paul read it and likely tore it up and threw it away. He immediately got on a ship to address the issue face to face. When he showed up they were in the middle of the meeting. He told them clearly in no uncertain terms what he thought. Then he left and went back home. When he got back he wrote them this letter (2 Corinthians). In this letter he teaches about the comfort of God and the grace of God, though he does deal with some real issues as well.

A few thoughts:

• Look at the issues they were dealing with and tell me, doesn't this sound like the modern church? Division in the church is a real issue. Following leaders rather than Christ is an issue, or on a lesser level putting in such high esteem that a congregation or movement lives and dies through that individual. Today we are so enamored with super preachers and teachers. Sexual immorality is still an issue today. Lawsuits are causing major issues in churches and in our society as a whole. There is such division and confusion over worship. There are fights over style, there is lack of sound doctrine in lyrics, emotion trumps truth too often. I could go on, but you get the point.
• Like Paul we all sometimes want to tell people how it is, but we have to remind ourselves we are not Paul. We must pray hard and study hard to ensure we are not pushing or fighting for our own agenda or opinions, rather than God's agenda and truth. 
• And like the church at Corinth, we need some comforting words. 

The opponents of Paul were teaching a health and wealth gospel. Instead of teaching the people to endure in faith and love in the midst of adversity, the false teachers were promising deliverance from all problems and a spiritual experiences. Tell me this does not sound familiar. This is the religion of the day, one that promises God is going to give you health, wealth, and happiness if only you have enough faith (often you show this by sending money to false teacher to show your faith). These opponents of Paul were mixing legalism and promises about the Spirit. They promised a more powerful experience of the Spirit than what Paul could give them. This too sounds very familiar to many teachers today. There are many problems with this style.

In this epistle Paul attacks many issues in our culture.

• Forgiveness without repentance. Too often we make the Gospel a get out of free jail card, when God demands change from the inside out, through grace. 
• Legalism as a means of grace. Christianity is not a system of rule to follow to become more holy, it is a relationship with a God that bestows grace and holiness as we grow closer to Him.
• Our lack of zeal for those lost or backsliden. Paul is not content to mind his own business and watch people go to Hell. 
• Paul reveals a means of converting and discipleship that is not based on techniques or programs, but on truth, grace, and comfort. We are taught the truth, shown grace, and given comfort to do the same for others. That is how real ministry happens. 

I'll stop for now. I am excited about this sermon series, it going to be fun to study with those that are willing to learn with me. 

Cute baby's laughing and this week's texts.

This makes me laugh, I need to laugh more. Makes me want to have lots of babies, then I remember how tired I am and how much they cost and I reconsider that thought a bit. Here is this week's texts:

August 06, 2013            Job 40:3–42:17, Acts 27:13–44, Ps 90:4–10, Prov 19:17–19

August 07, 2013            Ps 1–5, Acts 28, Ps 90:11–17, Prov 19:20–21

August 08, 2013            Ps 6–9, Rom 1:1–15, Ps 91:1–7, Prov 19:22–24

August 09, 2013            Ps 10–13, Rom 1:16–32, Ps 91:8–16, Prov 19:25–27

August 10, 2013            Ps 14–17, Rom 2:1–24, Ps 92:title–5, Prov 19:28–29

August 11, 2013            Ps 18–19, Rom 2:25–3:20, Ps 92:6–15, Prov 20:1–3

August 12, 2013            Ps 20–24, Rom 3:21–4:4, Ps 93, Prov 20:4–6

August 13, 2013            Ps 25–28, Rom 4:5–25, Ps 94:1–6, Prov 20:7–8

August 14, 2013            Ps 29–32, Rom 5, Ps 94:7–13, Prov 20:9–11