The Journey Toward Contentment

Last week I began a little series on contentment, (The Journey Toward Contentment) seeing how we were entering the seasons of Thanks-giving and Gift-giving, I thought it would be an appropriate topic. My texts last week were taken from the Psalms of Ascent, (Psalms 120-134) and we talked about having the correct priorities, the correct people, and the correct places aligned as we took this journey toward contentment. I am not sure how the sermon went over, but a group of us did have a good discussion in my study afterwards as we sought to discuss the practical implications of the journey.

As we continue on the journey this week I am focusing upon the giving of thanks, and the Apostle Paul's directive to "give thanks in all circumstances." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) This directive, along with those that surround it (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28) are easily read but difficult to apply. I mean really, give thanks in all circumstances?!

Well, being one who believes in the triune God, and who believes that His Word is true, I guess I must believe these declarations are true as well, even if I find them hard to apply. What I have discovered is that thanks-giving in all circumstances is more Whom you are thanking, and what you are thanking Him for, rather than the present circumstance in which you find yourself.

One thing that I have personally discovered is that as I place my focus upon God and upon others, my thankfulness in all circumstances increases.

This past week my family and I went to watch Disney's newest installment of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (You must see it in 3D to really appreciate it!) Therein I was once again reminded of the importance of contentment and difference wrought in old Ebenezer Scrooge once he got his priorities, people and places in correct order. He learned that contentment was not to be found in hoarding, but in handing out, not in getting but in giving. And that is why once again this Christmas season I am promoting the ministry of the Advent Conspiracy, who are asking the question, "Can Christmas still change the world?" (Nice follow-up t my recent sermon series on "Changing Our World for Good.") I believe we can!

That is why I am encouraging my family, friends, blog-readers(?), to give a gift to the least of these. (Matthew 25:31-46) Rather than spending time and wrapping paper for a gift for _____________ (fill in the blank), give a gift in their name to a ministry of compassion like, Living Water or Food for the Hungry or __________________. Give a gift that blesses God, blesses those who receive the gift, those in whose honor it is given and blesses the giver. Now, there's a way to spend Christmas that will increase our thanks-giving in all circumstances and move us toward contentment.

The Language of Sanctity

OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO Thomas Merton wrote a description of America which could have been written today. In the words of Merton, describing the beliefs of his friend, Lax, we read,

Lax's picture of America -- before which he has stood for twelve years with his hands hanging in helplessness at his side -- is the picture of a country full of people who want to be kind and pleasant and happy and love good things and serve God, but who do not know how. And they do not know where to turn to find out. They are surrounded by all kinds of sources of information which only conspire to bewilder them more and more. And Lax's vision is a vision of the day when they will turn on the radio and somebody will start telling them of the love of God in language that will no longer sound hackneyed or crazy, but with authority and conviction: the conviction born of sanctity. (The Seven Storey Mountain)

Today, America is still looking for someone to tell them of God in a language that cuts through the facade and speaks to the heart. I believe that this language must be the language of holiness. Though, when I speak of a language of holiness, I am not referring to some rarefied tongue which utters words which demand a theological dictionary to understand. I am referring to a holiness that is born in the heart surrendered to God's ownership and lived out through the hands moved by the His Spirit.

This is a language that speaks through acts of compassion and mercy. It is a life that lives out the life of Christ in the world. It is not only a life that speaks the truth of God, but also lives out the truth of God. It is a holiness that is lived on the streets.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah concerning this type of life:

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness£ will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:6-12)

I believe when we learn to speak and live this language then our light will shine, more importantly Christ's light will shine in and through us and this bring light to the world. (Matthew 5:14-16) Then the world hear, and believe.

GONE FISHING?

OK, SO MANY MIGHT THINK I HAVE BEEN "GONE FISHING" sine I have not posted here for quite awhile, but the truth is a man has to have his priorities! Right? Of course, right!

Though I have not been "gone-fishing" this week's sermon text from the Gospel of John deals with the issue of fishing, and seeing that this sermon should be the last in my sermon series, "Changing Our World for Good," I thought it good to open the Pastor's Study back up.

Our text for this week is John 21:1-25 where we find the risen Lord Jesus fixing breakfast on the shore of Galilee while the disciples struggle to bring in another miraculous catch of fish. (Luke 5:4-8) Another time where a second lesson is needed to teach the disciples the deeper truth.

Early in Jesus' ministry He called to Himself this group of men and told them He would make them "fishers of men." (Luke 5:10-11) And yet, how quickly after the glorious resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, did these same men return to the lesser work of fishing for fish, which by the way, was not proving too profitable for them. I believe there is a lesson to be learned that once Jesus gets a hold of our lives the old ways of life will no longer profit us as we thought they did in the past.

There are lots of lessons in this passage, but the one that grabs me is the strong call from Jesus to Peter, "Then He said to him, 'Follow Me.'" (John 21:19) The reality is, the resurrection of Jesus changes everything. It changes our work, our home, our relationships, our past, our present, and most definitely, our future. To respondto God's grance and love poured out to us in and through the Person of Jesus Christ, and then return to "life as normal," is just wrong. We are not given the place to hang out a sign that says, "Gone Fishing," unless we are out fishing for souls with Jesus in the boat.

It is this fishing the Lord desires to find us doing as we follow Him awaiting His return. (Matthew 24:46)

TRUTH and CONSEQUENCES

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES WAS A GAME WE USED TO PLAY AS KIDS. And of course it also was a television show during the "golden days" of TV. But as I read this coming week's sermon text (John 18:1-40) and contemplated the words of Pontius Pilate, "What is truth?" (John 18:38), I was reminded that it is not truth or consequences, but rather truth and consequences.

Pilate's question was of course a good question, one that has been asked in one form or another since God inquired about the truth of who ate the fruit from the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Parents and philosophers, pastors and potentates have been seeking the answer to the question for millennia, and it's answer seems always elusive. It's answer seems determined by season or circumstance, or at least by the need of the moment. And so we continue to ask, "What is truth?"

Even as theologians we try to answer that eternal question. We try to nail it down into some propositional form. And just when we think we have an answer for the ages, somebody changes the question ever so slightly, or some new "revelation" comes to light. (Just take the flat earth "truth" for example.) So what are we to do? Can we ever find the truth?

I believe we can.

The problem in discovering the truth comes from the fact that we see it as a propositional statement, a reality that can be measured. But the truth is the truth is not a thing, but a Person. And until we come to know that Person all other truth will leave us questioning. When Pilate was searching for the answer to his question, what he failed to realize was that the truth was standing right in front of him. Truth was on trial, and without Pilate's realization of the Truth that stood before him all his decisions, no matter how truthful, would fall short.

Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). This is the Truth we need. To know this Truth is to know the Truth that will set you free. (John 8:32) To not know this One who is the Truth is to place yourself in the face of dire consequences! This is the Truth the world needs to know. A truth that goes beyond determining the human genome, or finding the "god-particle." It is a truth that brings us true life, a forgiven, reconciled life.

The one Truth that will set us free!

ARE WE THERE, YET?

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HOW MANY TIMES did I drive my dad crazy by asking him, "Hey Dad, are we there yet?" I can remember he usually answered in one of four ways. First, "No, we still have five-hundred miles to go!" Which to me meant nothing because I had no concept of mileage/time. His second answer was usually was, "We'll be there when we when get there!" Again, big help! Even I knew that! Then there was the eternal lie, "We'll be there real soon." Yeah, right! And then there was the silence, usually followed by the stare in the rear-view mirror. At which point I would slink down to the floor of the back-seat. (No seat-belts in those days.)

In our passage for this week's sermon we will be looking at John 16:16-33. As I have read it over and over again I could picture the disciples asking Jesus what He was talking about, but never quite getting the answer for which they were looking (hoping). They kept asking, "What does He mean in a little while we will see Him no more, and then we will see Him?" (John 16:17-18) Much like a 6 year-old in the back-seat they were getting anxious that they might never get to where they were promised.

Into their anxious thoughts Jesus spoke this truth, It might seem like we are never going to get where I promised you, but take heart soon you will see me again (John 16:22-24), and when you do it will be so amazing that all your grief will be turned to joy. Little did they realize that though it looked like their journey was going to end in death of their rabbi, friend, and Lord (and even in their own deaths), in reality the journey would be one to the resurrection and beyond!

Jesus told them, yes the journey is indeed long and rough and filled with trouble. Yes you may feel trapped in the back-seat, but Jesus reminded them than in Him they would find true peace, because he had overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Jesus knew that the journey he had called His disciples on would be tough, but He also wanted them to know that the destination would be one of great joy and of everlasting peace, and would be completely worth the trip.

It's the truth He wants us to know as well. Are we there yet? Soon, maybe very soon!

Not Without Reason

I remember this acquaintance I once had, (I really wouldn't call him a friend) every so often he would come up and whack my in the arm. When I asked him "why?" he would respond, "no reason," and just walk away. I always thought that if you're going to punch me in the arm, you should at least have a reason. But I guess some people will do mean things for no reason at all.

In this week's sermon passage (John 15:18-25) Jesus states that there are those who have "hated me without reason." (John 15:25) Jesus' words at this point are a quote from the Old Testament, from Psalm 69:4,

Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs on my head,
many are my enemies without cause
those who seek to destroy me
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

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Scholars have said the Psalm 69 is the most quoted by the New Testament writers. And for good reason. As you read through it it is quite evident that the words of the psalmist can be placed in the mouth of the Messiah, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

As I studied this Psalm in light of John 15:18-25, I was specifically drawn to the final phrase where the psalmist (Messiah) declares that he is forced to restore what he did not steal. Is that not what Jesus did on the cross? He paid for the sin that was not His. By His death He brought back to us the possibility to live in a restored relationship with the Father, a relationship that for Jesus did not need restoration. Yet, in the darkness of the Cross, He too knew the depth of separation from the Father which sin brings. (Mark 15:34, Psalm 22:1)

The death of our Savior Jesus the Messiah, brought about by a hatred which was thrown at Him without reason, but His death was not without reason. In fact, it was something that God had reasoned from of old.

Come, let us reason together
says the LORD,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white like snow;
though they are as red as crimson,
they shall be like wool."

How good is our God! For He has not given us what was reasonable considering our state, but in His grace and mercy He has done the incomprehensible paid the price for our sin. As the hymn writer, Charles S. Gabriel (1905) wrote in the refrain to his hymn, "I Stand Amazed in the Presence,"

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How Wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

Better than Facebook

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OK, so I confess, I enjoy spending time (wasting?) on Facebook. Sometimes I do think it borders on the voyeuristic, but truly it is a great way to find and keep up with friends. Though I must wonder how many of the 416 people listed as my friends really count as friends? In fact, there are those who I really count as friends who are not on Facebook.

In this week's sermon passage (John 15:1-17) Jesus, in speaking with His disciples, calls them friends (John 15:15). Now, we must say, that's even better than having thousands of friends on Facebook.

Friendship with Jesus is quite different than friendship with those on Facebook. His friendship is one that is marked by His sacrificial death for us (John 15:12-13), and maintained by an open relationship of communication (John 15:15).

Yet, unlike Facebook friendships, our friendship with Jesus carries with it some important requirements: obeying His commands (John 15:9-13), staying attached (John 15:4), and loving each other (John 15:17). Hardly burdensome when we consider the benefits friendship with Jesus brings: fruitfulness in life (John 15:6), open communication with God (John 15:7), His promise to remain in us (John 15:9-10), the gift of His joy (John 15:11), and the list could go on if we would take a survey of the rest of Scripture.

So, enjoy your time on Facebook, if nothing else it sure makes a good prayer list! But remember, there is a friend who sticks close than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). And if you're going to be adding a friend, Jesus is the best one to have on your friend list!

See ya on Facebook.