“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Ephesians 1:11-12
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Genesis 50:20
“What dost thou mean by the providence of God? The almighty and everywhere present power of God; (a) whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs (b) heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, (c) fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, (d) riches and poverty, (e) yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.” The Heidelberg Catechism Question 27
Today I lay on my bed with a sore throat and fever that caused me to miss my first Sunday service in over thirty one years of ministry. To top it off I have had someone utterly break my heart with a phone call this morning; the implications yet to be seen in regards to the effect on my life.
It is in moments like these where my faith in the absolute sovereignty of God is put to the test. What do you do when problems come your way? When people make decisions that could impact your life? Is my life under control of my illness? Am I a victim of people's decisions? Is God really in control when everything seems to be falling apart? Paul says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." ESV The NASB translates it, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God".
In reading this passage I am reminded that today matters and must be embraced because the sovereign Lord has seen fit that I must endure it. I must bear today's sickness and sorrow with the eyes of faith. E. Stanley Jones, the great American missionary to India in the 19th century said, "Don't bear trouble, use it.Take whatever happens-justice and injustice, pleasure and pain, compliment and criticism-take it up into the purpose of your life and make something out of it. Turn it into a testimony."
Oh this is what can free us from bitterness, fear, depression, despair, and anxiety when troubles come our way. At this moment when I feel weak, sore throat, uncertain about my future, overwhelmed with pressure, exceedingly sorrowful, heartbroken, and angry I can proclaim to all of these feelings and thoughts that God is working at this moment and it will all be for the good or God is not God.
My theology has been verified over and over again by my past experiences. Looking back in my life I can truly say God has worked all things for the good (Romans 8:28) and that what man intended for evil, God intended for the good (Genesis50:20). I have made many mistakes along the way. I have failed God, my wife, my family, my church, and my friends. Also, there have been plenty of those who have hurt me as well either intentionally or unintentionally. That is why I can say with such passion that there is no truth that has meant more to my life than the truth that God is sovereign.
During some of the most trying, difficult and darkest seasons of my Christian journey; I have held on for dear life to this most precious truth and by His grace this truth has brought me through to the other side.
I had been a Christian for only a few months when I experienced in the most supernatural way a calling to the ministry. I was lying on a hammock on a hot Mexican day at a beautiful point called Punta de Mita when God came to me and called me at the age of twenty-two to the ministry. I heard this voice in my head that told me to turn in my Bible to Jeremiah chapter one. I had never read Jeremiah, by the way. So I read the account of God’s call to Jeremiah and when I was finished reading, a voice said to me in my mind, “Bill, you will be my Jeremiah, and I will make you a Pastor.” At that point all I could do is argue with God about how this wasn’t possible and laugh inside at the absurdity of it all. I had barely graduated from high school, I had never held a job for more than a few months, and my only goal in life had been to travel and surf all over the world. Not to mention the fact that since I had become a Christian I had not even been to a church! Yet here I write thirty four years later having been a Pastor now for thirty one years. Praise be to God!
It would take a book to describe the wild journey of how God put this plan together. My journey has been fraught with plenty of mountaintops and plenty of valleys. Sometimes I can only chuckle and wonder at God’s ability to get me through some of the most difficult, frightening, low, and lonely times when it seems as if being a Pastor was more of a wish that I had than a sovereign call of God. During those times I have experienced much brokenness, setbacks, divine chastening, constant weaknesses, character flaws, foolish pride, selfish ambition, and gross incompetence. Yet during these times I also have seen miraculous providence's, last minute deliverance's, amazing provisions, deep and profound moments of renewal and revival in my soul, and much sovereign love and sustaining grace. The only way I can describe it is that no matter what I have done, no matter what man has done, no matter what circumstances have taken place, God has been in control and working to fulfill His purposes for my life.
The Westminster Confession says in its opening lines of Chapter III:
“God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.”
The most fundamental thing we can say about God is that He is sovereign. God’s sovereignty is, as John Piper puts it, “The strong wood of the tree that keeps our lives from being blown over by the winds of adversity. It is the rock that rises for us out of the flood of uncertainty and confusion. It is the eye of the hurricane where we stand with God and look up into the blue sky of his mastery when everything is being destroyed. ‘When all around gives my soul gives sway, this is all my hope and my stay’.”
This word I use to describe this attribute of God, sovereignty, is not a word that can be found in Scriptures, yet is constantly implied by scripture. To speak of God’s sovereignty is to speak of His authority and power. As sovereign, God is the supreme authority of heaven and earth. All other authority is lesser authority. Any other authority that exists in the universe is derived and dependent upon God’s authority. All other forms of authority exist either by God’s command or by God’s permission.
The word “authority” has in its root the word “author”. This further helps us to understand God’s sovereignty. God is sovereign because He is the author of all things over which He has authority. He is the Creator of the universe. He is the owner of the universe. As owner, He therefore has certain rights over His universe. He has the right to do with His universe whatever is pleasing to His perfect and holy will. “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3-4).
God’s sovereignty is the ultimate sovereignty, the supreme sovereignty. As the one in ultimate power, the ultimate authority, and the author and the owner of all things; God is in ultimate control over the universe. He reigns and rules from the farthest, most distant galaxy to the tiniest ant in my backyard. He reigns over my present illness and reigns over others decisions that have been made than affect me. Listen to what the Scriptures have to say about this peculiar sovereignty:
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, "My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
“The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on
whomever He wishes” (Daniel 4:32)
"But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. "For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such decrees are with Him” (Job 23:13-14)
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the
plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of
His will” (Ephesians 1:11-12)
I will never forget a sermon by R.C. Sproul discussing the sovereignty of God. It was called “Joseph’s Technicolored Coat”. At the conclusion of his sermon he went through from Joseph to Christ the implications of God’s governing every event that led to Christ. He took us all the way back to Jacob’s giving Joseph the technicolored coat. If there had been no coat, perhaps there would not have been so much envy and jealousy among his brothers. No jealousy, no selling to the Midianite traders. And if the Midianite traders had been headed in the opposite direction, Joseph would never have gone to Egypt. No Egypt, no selling to Potiphar. Had someone else purchased him, there would have been no encounter with Potiphar's wife. No Potiphar's wife, no prison. No prison, no meeting with the baker and the butler. No meeting with the butler, no meeting with Pharaoh to interpret his dream. No meeting with Pharaoh and Joseph never would have become prime minister.
It goes on. If Joseph had never become prime minister then the Jews would never have settled in the land of Goshen. Had that not occurred, there would never have been an enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt. No slavery, no need for the rescue of a crying baby named Moses. No Moses, no Exodus. No Exodus, no Law. No law no prophets. . . And so it continues all the way to Jesus and His redemption on the cross.
If we telescope this collection of "what ifs?" we conclude that if it were not for Joseph's technicolored coat there would be no Christianity, and every chapter of human history would have a different ending. But no matter how many “what if’s” you play in your own mind, there are absolutely no “what if’s” in God. Never forget and anchor your life on this great promise: "My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a better taste, But sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain. William Cowper
Today on my back and with troubles around me I will take all of my unbelieving fear, anxiety, discouragement, perplexity, confusion,and I will rejoice that there is more than meets the eye.
I will Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; knowing by faith that behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. There is my God working His purposes for my good and His glory.
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
THE LIFE GIVING POWER OF GOD'S WORD
"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:21
The first moment of my life when the doctor slapped baby Billy was the moment I took my first breath of oxygen. For the past 54 years I have continued this breathing. My life depends upon the gift of oxygen. Every moment I am alive my lungs are breathing in oxygen, not nitrogen, not carbon dioxide, nor hydrogen. As long as I breath into my lungs this precious oxygen I will live. If I cease to be able to breath in this oxygen I will die.
The Bible is our soul's oxygen. James says, “Receive the implanted word.” Just like a baby who has already received his first breadth of life, James says the word of God is already in you. And you should receive it. It is rooted and planted in you. It brought you life. It is there sustaining that life by feeding faith in Christ. John Piper says,
It is there like oxygen. It gives life and in giving life, it makes you breathe, and in breathing you receive oxygen. No one says: “I have oxygen; look how well it is working in me; it makes me alive; I don’t need to receive oxygen.”
James adds at the end of verse 21 “which is able to save your souls.” What saves our souls? The implanted word which we receive. The Bible like oxygen is necessary in order for our souls to survive. Piper says,
If you decide that you don’t need to receive the external word, you are like a person who decides he doesn’t need to breathe. If you are spiritually dead, you can carry through that decision. You can choose not to breathe. But if you are spiritually alive, you can’t. The implanted word is powerful; it produces life and breathing. It takes over the spiritual diaphragm and demands oxygen. It demands the life-giving external word. If the word is implanted in you, you can’t hold your breath forever. The implanted word will sooner or later conquer and be replenished. You will receive the word again. And you will love it.
Just as you can tell a person is alive or dead by whether they are breathing, so you can tell if a person is spiritually dead or alive by whether they are reading the word. Oh how many people are looking like they are alive because they are breathing yet spiritually dead because they have not been reading the Bible. David Roper used to say, "Just because you are breathing doesn't mean you are living."
A classic illustration of this we find in the book of Haggai. In 586 BC the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took most of the Jews into exile. About 50 years later Cyrus, the Persian, took Babylon, and brought the Babylonian Empire to an end. The next year (538 BC) he allowed 50,000 Jews to return to their homeland under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel and rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. All of this was owing to the sovereign hand of God fulfilling the prophecies of Jeremiah (Ezra 1:1). There they found shocking devastation. Nothing had changed since the defeat some 50 years earlier. Immediately the returnees set about to rebuild the temple in about 536 B.C. They re-laid the foundation amid a great celebration (see Ezra 3 for details). Then suddenly the Samaritans (who hated the Jews) began to oppose them. After all, the Samaritans had no reason to want the temple rebuilt or for the Jews to return to prosperity. Because of their constant opposition, the Jews stopped the rebuilding the process and never got started again. After all there was plenty of other work to do—they were trying to restart a nation from scratch. As the years passed slowly but surely Jerusalem came to life again. Homes were built, stores opened, commerce established, fields planted, crops harvested, and life began to resemble something of a normal pattern. There was only one problem. The temple foundation still lay in ruins—overgrown with weeds. Every time the Jews passed it, it stood as a mute reminder of their failure to take care of God’s house. So after 16 years, God sends the prophet Haggai to proclaim the Word of God to the Jews.
“Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Haggai 1:3
God hits the jugular! He gives a reality check on how He has seen the past 16 years of indifference and misplaced priorities. God was accusing His people of having plenty of time for themselves while pleading a lack of time for Him. It was an accusation of having plenty of time and money to spend on their comfort and pleasures while claiming to not have enough for God and His work and service. The people were prospering. How could it be that they were unable to get involved with God and the work He had given them to do? The prophet goes on...
"Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes… You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."” Haggai 1:5-6,9-11
Here we come to a sobering reminder that what happens in your heart effects every other part of your life. Because the people had pushed God out of the center of life, they were now suffering in every other area. They had fields without produce, action without satisfaction, labor without profit. Fruitless toil, fleeting riches, unsatisfied hunger.
Then God issues the call ,"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.” This was a time to act. God says very simply GO and BUILD. It was time to get on with what God had given them to do. So what happened after 16 years of disobedience and spiritual death?
“Then Zerubbabel the son of She-altiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD…And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.” Haggai 1:12,14
It is one of the discouragements of preaching when a pastor preaches with passion and power and then be greeted with yawns and indifference as they go back to being and living as they always do. Still, from time to time there is something quite different. The word strikes home and a life is changed. When it happens to a whole church or large numbers of people, you have a revival! That is what happened after Haggai’s preaching. Through the prophet, God was lovingly but sternly giving his people a state of the union massage and a call to put first things first and the people heard it, received it, and acted on it. This is amazing! 16 years have gone by and now the people desire what God desires and are doing what God has called them to do. Haggai reports that Zerubbabel and Joshua and the people obey and begin to work on the temple, on the 24th day of the sixth month. If we compare that with the first verse of the chapter where Haggai began to preach this message on the first day of the month, we find that the change came in just 23 days! Haggai spoke on August 30, 520 B.C.The work began on the 21ST OF September.
Don’t underestimate the power and the importance of the word of God to your life. Breath it and you will live.Ignore it and you will die. It's as simple as that. Look at it's power to change a nation after 16 years! We cannot easily overstate how profoundly powerful and important the word of God is for our lives. If the word of God does not rank with your most cherished possessions, you need to do a reality check on your life. Nothing apart from God himself is more important and powerful than his word.
Breathing in the precious Word of God in order for my soul to live,
Pastor Bill
Friday, January 11, 2008
ASK AND YOUR JOY WILL BE FULL!
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:24 ESV
Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be really happy? How do you get really happy? Jesus says we get really happy when we pray. In His wonderful world, prayer is what He has designed to bring you not just joy, but the fullness of joy!
Have you not asked God for anything? Are you trying to satisfy your needs without Him? Are you depending upon people, your job, your family, the government, the church, or yourself to meet your needs. Jesus understands that there are those of us who never depend upon God nor ask Him for anything. "Until now you have asked nothing in my name..." By implication, that attitude and prayerless posture will never bring real joy to our lives.
To those who have never asked God for anything. To those who come to Him only as a last resort. Jesus says: ASK, ASK! What will happen when we ask? Jesus says, "And you will receive" Why? Because Jesus says that in coming to Him as a needy person and depending upon Him for everything you need your joy will be fuller than if you tried to get that need met another way! If someone or something else or if I myself meet my need I may have joy; but if Jesus provides that need I will have the fullness of joy! Think about this, our needs are met and our joy is increased when we are needy and totally without resources in ourselves and the world. He wants us happy in Him. The way we get it is to ASK.
John Piper calls this the classic Christian Hedonist text. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” That your joy may be full. He says,
"God did not create prayer to make us unhappy. He created it so that when we convey our hearts to God the Father in the name of God the Son, God the Spirit moves with a fullness of joy that we would not otherwise know. If your joy in God is small, this may be part of the reason."
Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Pursue the fullness of your joy! PRAY! From Jesus Christ's word we can draw out a simple rule: Prayerlessness always produces joylessness. Prayerfulness always produces extreme and full joyfulness. Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Going hard on my knees for supreme joy,
Pastor Bill
John 16:24 ESV
Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be really happy? How do you get really happy? Jesus says we get really happy when we pray. In His wonderful world, prayer is what He has designed to bring you not just joy, but the fullness of joy!
Have you not asked God for anything? Are you trying to satisfy your needs without Him? Are you depending upon people, your job, your family, the government, the church, or yourself to meet your needs. Jesus understands that there are those of us who never depend upon God nor ask Him for anything. "Until now you have asked nothing in my name..." By implication, that attitude and prayerless posture will never bring real joy to our lives.
To those who have never asked God for anything. To those who come to Him only as a last resort. Jesus says: ASK, ASK! What will happen when we ask? Jesus says, "And you will receive" Why? Because Jesus says that in coming to Him as a needy person and depending upon Him for everything you need your joy will be fuller than if you tried to get that need met another way! If someone or something else or if I myself meet my need I may have joy; but if Jesus provides that need I will have the fullness of joy! Think about this, our needs are met and our joy is increased when we are needy and totally without resources in ourselves and the world. He wants us happy in Him. The way we get it is to ASK.
John Piper calls this the classic Christian Hedonist text. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” That your joy may be full. He says,
"God did not create prayer to make us unhappy. He created it so that when we convey our hearts to God the Father in the name of God the Son, God the Spirit moves with a fullness of joy that we would not otherwise know. If your joy in God is small, this may be part of the reason."
Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Pursue the fullness of your joy! PRAY! From Jesus Christ's word we can draw out a simple rule: Prayerlessness always produces joylessness. Prayerfulness always produces extreme and full joyfulness. Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Going hard on my knees for supreme joy,
Pastor Bill
Monday, January 7, 2008
A PRAYER FOR MY CHURCH IN 2008
My favorite pastor and teacher, John Piper once wrote a prayer for his church. Ever since I read it, I have made it my own. Each year I make a similar prayer for my church. I pray that you will make this your prayer for your church and your life this coming year
O Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, please build all of the men and women and boys and girls at the Lighthouse into a people . . .
who don’t love the world or the things of this world more than they love God,
who don’t ever want to sin again,
who don’t desire the fleeting pleasures of sin more than the pleasures of God
who don’t allow the world to desensitize their consciences or shape their decisions
who don’t try to find happiness in people, in this world, or the things of this world
who don’t care if they make much money,
who don’t quite when times get tough
who don’t care if they have many possessions,
who don’t care if they get famous,
who don’t care what people think about them,
who don’t live for the esteem of self or others
who don’t expect that life should be safe, secure, comfortable, and easy,
who don’t make decisions based upon what is convenient or expedient,
who don’t feel like they know it all or have learned all there is to learn,
who don’t feed their minds on primarily on TV or movies or talk radio or magazines each day,
who don’t allow the world, culture, or popular opinion to influence their thinking, morals, attitudes, perspectives, passions, and values,
who don’t get paralyzed by others’ disapproval,
who don’t return evil for evil,
who don’t hold grudges,
who don’t hate,
who don’t gossip,
who expect little from God,
who are negative, pessimistic, critical, or cynical,
who don’t hoard or hold back,
who don’t twist the truth,
who don’t brag or boast,
who don’t whine and complain,
who don’t criticize more than praise,
who don’t hang out with anyone who would cause them to love Christ less,
who don’t waste their lives
But instead please build them into a people …
who will not compromise for anything or anyone,
who are ablaze with passion for God,
who are utterly God-intoxicated,
who always ask “What would Jesus do?” in every decision,
who are filled with the Holy Spirit,
who strive to know the height and depth of Christ’s love and to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength,
who are crucified to the world and dead to sin,
who are compelled by God’s love to tell others about Jesus,
who are purified by the Word and addicted to righteousness,
who run the race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith
who keep the Lord’s Day (Sunday)holy and refreshing by honoring it,
who pray whenever they are in trouble, which is always,
who worship God in Spirit and in truth,
who are broken by the consciousness of sin,
who are thrilled by the wonder of God’s free and amazing grace,
who are stunned into humble silence by the riches of God’s glory,
who are persevering constantly in prayer,
who are ruthless in self-denial,
who are fearless in public witness to Christ’s Lordship,
who are able to unmask error and blow away doctrinal fog,
who are tough in standing for the truth,
who are tender in touching hurting people,
who are merciful in forgiving others and extending grace to all,
who are humble and patient with others shortcomings
who are passionate about reaching the peoples who have no church,
who are keepers of all their promises, including marriage vows,
who are content with what they have and trusting the promises of God,
who are patient and kind and meek when life is hard,
who love those who God loves,
who are full of faith in God
who have optimistic hope in God for their future
who worry less and trust more
who expect great things from God
who attempt great things for God
who suffer with joy
who treasure Christ above all
who persevere through thick and thin daily,
who give love to give generously and cheerfully,
who are committed to growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord,
who are happy and satisfied in Christ alone.
who find their greatest joy in bringing God glory and others joy
PRAYING and PRESSING ON for all there is in Christ in 2008,
Pastor Bill
O Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, please build all of the men and women and boys and girls at the Lighthouse into a people . . .
who don’t love the world or the things of this world more than they love God,
who don’t ever want to sin again,
who don’t desire the fleeting pleasures of sin more than the pleasures of God
who don’t allow the world to desensitize their consciences or shape their decisions
who don’t try to find happiness in people, in this world, or the things of this world
who don’t care if they make much money,
who don’t quite when times get tough
who don’t care if they have many possessions,
who don’t care if they get famous,
who don’t care what people think about them,
who don’t live for the esteem of self or others
who don’t expect that life should be safe, secure, comfortable, and easy,
who don’t make decisions based upon what is convenient or expedient,
who don’t feel like they know it all or have learned all there is to learn,
who don’t feed their minds on primarily on TV or movies or talk radio or magazines each day,
who don’t allow the world, culture, or popular opinion to influence their thinking, morals, attitudes, perspectives, passions, and values,
who don’t get paralyzed by others’ disapproval,
who don’t return evil for evil,
who don’t hold grudges,
who don’t hate,
who don’t gossip,
who expect little from God,
who are negative, pessimistic, critical, or cynical,
who don’t hoard or hold back,
who don’t twist the truth,
who don’t brag or boast,
who don’t whine and complain,
who don’t criticize more than praise,
who don’t hang out with anyone who would cause them to love Christ less,
who don’t waste their lives
But instead please build them into a people …
who will not compromise for anything or anyone,
who are ablaze with passion for God,
who are utterly God-intoxicated,
who always ask “What would Jesus do?” in every decision,
who are filled with the Holy Spirit,
who strive to know the height and depth of Christ’s love and to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength,
who are crucified to the world and dead to sin,
who are compelled by God’s love to tell others about Jesus,
who are purified by the Word and addicted to righteousness,
who run the race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith
who keep the Lord’s Day (Sunday)holy and refreshing by honoring it,
who pray whenever they are in trouble, which is always,
who worship God in Spirit and in truth,
who are broken by the consciousness of sin,
who are thrilled by the wonder of God’s free and amazing grace,
who are stunned into humble silence by the riches of God’s glory,
who are persevering constantly in prayer,
who are ruthless in self-denial,
who are fearless in public witness to Christ’s Lordship,
who are able to unmask error and blow away doctrinal fog,
who are tough in standing for the truth,
who are tender in touching hurting people,
who are merciful in forgiving others and extending grace to all,
who are humble and patient with others shortcomings
who are passionate about reaching the peoples who have no church,
who are keepers of all their promises, including marriage vows,
who are content with what they have and trusting the promises of God,
who are patient and kind and meek when life is hard,
who love those who God loves,
who are full of faith in God
who have optimistic hope in God for their future
who worry less and trust more
who expect great things from God
who attempt great things for God
who suffer with joy
who treasure Christ above all
who persevere through thick and thin daily,
who give love to give generously and cheerfully,
who are committed to growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord,
who are happy and satisfied in Christ alone.
who find their greatest joy in bringing God glory and others joy
PRAYING and PRESSING ON for all there is in Christ in 2008,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A PASSION FOR JESUS IN 2008
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11 ESV
Nobody wants heartburn. Drug companies make millions on heartburn prevention medications. You have got Alka-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Tums, Maalox, Mylanta, Tagament, Pepto bismal, Pepcid AC, Prilosec and probably a dozen more I am not familiar with. They all claim to help with heartburn because nobody wants it. But as we enter the year 2008 I am praying that every one of you would desire to get heartburn! No, not the kind that nobody wants, but the kind of heartburn that could be described as “burning hearts”. I long for each one of us to have the “hearts burning within us” experience of Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-32.
These two were dejectedly trudging toward Emmaus talking with each other about all the things that had happened to Jesus. The risen Jesus joins them, but they do not recognize him. He opens the scriptures to them and explains how it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer and then enter into his glory. They invite him in for supper and when he blesses and breaks the bread their eyes were opened and they recognized him. He vanished from their sight and they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
I don’t want your hearts to be lukewarm in our relationship with God. I want your hearts to burn with passion for the Lord. I hate heartburn, but I long for a burning heart. Passion is another word for “burning hearts”. A passion is a strong feeling, an emotion that is packed with intensity. At times it carries a sense of urgency. Passion is the driving force within us that motivates us to action and focuses our life's attentions in such a way that we have an impact on those around us. “One person with passion is greater than ninety-nine who have only an interest.”
I love reading the journals of David Brainerd who was an obscure missionary to the Indians in New England. He lived a short life: twenty-nine years, five months and nineteen days. Only eight of those years as a believer, and only four of those as a missionary. He was not well known. He was extremely vulnerable to depression and was perpetually ill. But his life has inspired the modern missionary movement perhaps m more than any other life since the apostles. Why? One reason that stands out is that he was utterly aflame for God. He says, "Oh, that I might be a flaming fire in the service of the Lord. Here I am I Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth ... send me from all that is called earthly comfort; send me even to death itself if it be but in Your service and to promote Your Kingdom…When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of him the more insatiable, and my thirsting after holiness the more unquenchable; ... Oh, for holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh, this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press after God ... Oh, that I might not loiter on my heavenly journey”.
David Brainerd's life is a vivid, powerful testimony to the truth that God can and does use weak, sick, discouraged, beat-down, lonely, struggling saints, who cry to him day and night, to accomplish amazing things for his glory. It is amazing what God can do though a life; albeit short, ablaze for His glory. The key to making a difference for God is a flaming zeal, a burning heart for God.
The apostle Paul was burnt-up with the passion of God. He burned up the pages of the Bible with his burning heart for Christ. He said in Acts 20:24: "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Or in Philippians 3:7-8: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ."
His zeal and sense of purpose eminent qualified him to write this exhortation in Romans 12;11. He gives us three commands: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
I. THE FIRST COMMAND- “Do not be slothful in zeal” The NIV says, "Never be lacking in zeal." The word for zeal in Greek is spoude (from which we get the word "speed") and denotes "diligence, haste, intensity" The idea is that we should be passionately diligent in all that we do. Diligent zeal is very important to God. We are called to give diligence to our growth in Christ (2 Pet. 1:5-8); we are to abound in diligence (2 Cor. 8:7); and to be diligent and not become sluggish (Heb. 6:9-12). Paul gives an admonition to Timothy “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Tim.4:15). And it is nowhere plainer than in our passage: In diligence, not idleness! You must show due diligence over your own spiritual state, over your own soul. You must monitor your zeal, checking the fire regularly.
Has the fire burned down? Are the coals in danger of being extinguished? Is it time to add more fuel, to stoke the fire? Again, Paul speaks in these very terms to Timothy, laying the responsibility directly on Timothy’s shoulders: 2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
So he speaks this word directly to us as we enter into this New Year as followers of Jesus Christ: don't cruise, don’t lag, don't float, don't drift, don't sit mindless in front of TV, don’t have only little dreams of playing on the weekend. As John Piper says, DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!
Jesus speaks terrible words of warning to those who settle in with lukewarm affections for him. Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, will I spit you out of my mouth.” So, God's will for us is that we not be bored or apathetic, but zealous and fervent and strong in the service of Christ and his kingdom. The culture of apathy is contrary to the Christian mind and heart. Stir up zeal for God and for the cause of God. There are great things worth living for; and giving in to apathy is a sacrilege against the greatness of God and his glorious purposes in the world. “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!”
II. THE SECOND COMMAND- “be fervent in spirit” The Greek word behind "fervent" (zeontes) means "boiling." That's where we get the English word "fervent," because it comes from the Latin word "to boil." Metaphorically, it means “to boil with emotion, to burn white hot with zeal, to be fervent or to be zealous.” In short, get on fire for God! John Wesley said, “Get on fire for God and people will come and watch you burn!”
The great commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). And God promises to be found by us when we see him with earnestness rather than half-heartedness. Jeremiah 29:13-14, “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you declares the Lord”
Over and over the Bible says: intensity matters. Zeal matters. So combining the two commandments we see that passion causes us to do lots and to feel lots. That is what Romans 12:11 means: “Do not be slothful in zeal.” So when you put the first two parts of verse 11 together they say something like: Do lot’s of work for Christ passionately. Work for Christ with feeling. Feel lots in doing. Wholeheartedness matters. Don’t settle for anything less.
Oh reader, we exist to spread a passion for the glory of God. You can’t spread what you don’t have. If you do not burn with zeal are you willing to do whatever it takes to stoke the fire? The tendency of fire is to go out.” Fire automatically goes out. Have you heard of the hot poker principle? You get the poker near the fire. If it stays close to the fire you get it hot. If you get it away from the fire it cools down. The poker doesn’t produce the fire it has to stay near the fire. Are you willing to reorder your life and do some things differently to get near the fire? Are you willing to make some effort to have some high dosage, extended time, prayer driven Bible study? There is a direct correspondence between the time and amount of prayer and bible reading, and the depth and strength and warmth of my zeal for God. Without large doses of God and his word, I am very vulnerable to worldly mindsets.
What about your relationships? Do you associate with passionate people? Passion is definitely more caught than taught. Are you willing, as often as you can to be with people who have energy in their souls that is consuming and compelling. The question is: If you want the flame of Emmaus road, the flame of Brainerd and the flame of Paul, are you willing to make serious changes? Oh I pray that you would ask God for it in constant prayer and ransack the Word of God for wonders that make you boil for Christ.
III. THE THIRD COMMAND- “serving the Lord” All this passion has a focus. Focus is everything. People can be busy and people can have passion and yet have the wrong focus. All our working and all our boiling is in order to serve Christ. This is what a boiling burning heart is for. This is the motivation behind enthusiastic labor. Serving Him. Period. Serving His agenda.
As Christians we have work to do. We were created in Christ for good works (Eph. 2:10) and to be zealous for them (Titus 2:14). We are to “redeem the time for the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16) We are to "not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we shall reap if we do not faint." (Gal. 6:9) We are to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58)."
Serving Christ is the highest privilege in the universe for human beings. We are to serve the Lord with zeal and intensity and passion in the service of Christ, but remember that we do not serve the Lord in our own power any more than we came to Him in our own power. Our supreme purpose is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and our power to fulfill that service is from Him. “For this purpose also I labor,” Paul testified, “striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Col. 1:29). “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed” (Romans 15:18). “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10)
When you understand this extraordinary God and the extraordinary work that He desires to do through your working you can begin praying a prayer like this: Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am". The impact can be all out of proportion to who a person is. David Brainerd made a difference for God utterly disproportionate to who he was. This is a prayer that any one of you can pray without fear of presumption. The wording of the prayer contains a disclaimer: "I am not great. But you, Lord, are very great. And in your astonishing sovereignty you can let my little life make a difference far beyond all my little powers." This is the prayer of one who expects great things from God, therefore is willing to attempt great things for God disproportionately to who he is. This is the greatest life. Therefore do not be slothful in zeal, but boil in the spirit as you serve the Lord.
So my simple pastoral plea to you is that you let the Lord of glory speak life and energy and hope and zeal and passion and earnestness into your spirit. That is his will for you this year. If Remember David Brainerd, remember Paul! It is amazing what God can do through a life ablaze for his glory. God will give more significance to your life than you could get from anything this world can offer you. God fights fire with fire. In the midst of a world ablaze in sin and suffering, God sends forth people on fire. Those who have been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty ought to be fired-up. Are you? Will you open your heart this morning to join the fellowship of burning hearts?
Open your eyes and let him inspire in you afresh a passion for His glory in every aspect of life. May your passion be a building block to the Lighthouse being a new, strong, God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated, missions-mobilizing, soul-winning church. Pray with me. "Incline my heart, O God, to your glory. Waken my slumbering affections and give me life. Open my eyes to your perfections. Set my heart on fire for you. Unite my divided soul with one holy passion.
“Give me one pure and holy passion Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life to know and follow hard after you. To know and follow hard after you to grow as your disciple in the truth. This world is empty, pale and poor Compared to knowing You my Lord Lead me on, and I will run after You, Lead me on, and I will run after You.” Chris Tomlin
Romans 12:11 ESV
Nobody wants heartburn. Drug companies make millions on heartburn prevention medications. You have got Alka-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Tums, Maalox, Mylanta, Tagament, Pepto bismal, Pepcid AC, Prilosec and probably a dozen more I am not familiar with. They all claim to help with heartburn because nobody wants it. But as we enter the year 2008 I am praying that every one of you would desire to get heartburn! No, not the kind that nobody wants, but the kind of heartburn that could be described as “burning hearts”. I long for each one of us to have the “hearts burning within us” experience of Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-32.
These two were dejectedly trudging toward Emmaus talking with each other about all the things that had happened to Jesus. The risen Jesus joins them, but they do not recognize him. He opens the scriptures to them and explains how it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer and then enter into his glory. They invite him in for supper and when he blesses and breaks the bread their eyes were opened and they recognized him. He vanished from their sight and they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
I don’t want your hearts to be lukewarm in our relationship with God. I want your hearts to burn with passion for the Lord. I hate heartburn, but I long for a burning heart. Passion is another word for “burning hearts”. A passion is a strong feeling, an emotion that is packed with intensity. At times it carries a sense of urgency. Passion is the driving force within us that motivates us to action and focuses our life's attentions in such a way that we have an impact on those around us. “One person with passion is greater than ninety-nine who have only an interest.”
I love reading the journals of David Brainerd who was an obscure missionary to the Indians in New England. He lived a short life: twenty-nine years, five months and nineteen days. Only eight of those years as a believer, and only four of those as a missionary. He was not well known. He was extremely vulnerable to depression and was perpetually ill. But his life has inspired the modern missionary movement perhaps m more than any other life since the apostles. Why? One reason that stands out is that he was utterly aflame for God. He says, "Oh, that I might be a flaming fire in the service of the Lord. Here I am I Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth ... send me from all that is called earthly comfort; send me even to death itself if it be but in Your service and to promote Your Kingdom…When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of him the more insatiable, and my thirsting after holiness the more unquenchable; ... Oh, for holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh, this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press after God ... Oh, that I might not loiter on my heavenly journey”.
David Brainerd's life is a vivid, powerful testimony to the truth that God can and does use weak, sick, discouraged, beat-down, lonely, struggling saints, who cry to him day and night, to accomplish amazing things for his glory. It is amazing what God can do though a life; albeit short, ablaze for His glory. The key to making a difference for God is a flaming zeal, a burning heart for God.
The apostle Paul was burnt-up with the passion of God. He burned up the pages of the Bible with his burning heart for Christ. He said in Acts 20:24: "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Or in Philippians 3:7-8: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ."
His zeal and sense of purpose eminent qualified him to write this exhortation in Romans 12;11. He gives us three commands: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
I. THE FIRST COMMAND- “Do not be slothful in zeal” The NIV says, "Never be lacking in zeal." The word for zeal in Greek is spoude (from which we get the word "speed") and denotes "diligence, haste, intensity" The idea is that we should be passionately diligent in all that we do. Diligent zeal is very important to God. We are called to give diligence to our growth in Christ (2 Pet. 1:5-8); we are to abound in diligence (2 Cor. 8:7); and to be diligent and not become sluggish (Heb. 6:9-12). Paul gives an admonition to Timothy “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Tim.4:15). And it is nowhere plainer than in our passage: In diligence, not idleness! You must show due diligence over your own spiritual state, over your own soul. You must monitor your zeal, checking the fire regularly.
Has the fire burned down? Are the coals in danger of being extinguished? Is it time to add more fuel, to stoke the fire? Again, Paul speaks in these very terms to Timothy, laying the responsibility directly on Timothy’s shoulders: 2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
So he speaks this word directly to us as we enter into this New Year as followers of Jesus Christ: don't cruise, don’t lag, don't float, don't drift, don't sit mindless in front of TV, don’t have only little dreams of playing on the weekend. As John Piper says, DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!
Jesus speaks terrible words of warning to those who settle in with lukewarm affections for him. Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, will I spit you out of my mouth.” So, God's will for us is that we not be bored or apathetic, but zealous and fervent and strong in the service of Christ and his kingdom. The culture of apathy is contrary to the Christian mind and heart. Stir up zeal for God and for the cause of God. There are great things worth living for; and giving in to apathy is a sacrilege against the greatness of God and his glorious purposes in the world. “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!”
II. THE SECOND COMMAND- “be fervent in spirit” The Greek word behind "fervent" (zeontes) means "boiling." That's where we get the English word "fervent," because it comes from the Latin word "to boil." Metaphorically, it means “to boil with emotion, to burn white hot with zeal, to be fervent or to be zealous.” In short, get on fire for God! John Wesley said, “Get on fire for God and people will come and watch you burn!”
The great commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). And God promises to be found by us when we see him with earnestness rather than half-heartedness. Jeremiah 29:13-14, “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you declares the Lord”
Over and over the Bible says: intensity matters. Zeal matters. So combining the two commandments we see that passion causes us to do lots and to feel lots. That is what Romans 12:11 means: “Do not be slothful in zeal.” So when you put the first two parts of verse 11 together they say something like: Do lot’s of work for Christ passionately. Work for Christ with feeling. Feel lots in doing. Wholeheartedness matters. Don’t settle for anything less.
Oh reader, we exist to spread a passion for the glory of God. You can’t spread what you don’t have. If you do not burn with zeal are you willing to do whatever it takes to stoke the fire? The tendency of fire is to go out.” Fire automatically goes out. Have you heard of the hot poker principle? You get the poker near the fire. If it stays close to the fire you get it hot. If you get it away from the fire it cools down. The poker doesn’t produce the fire it has to stay near the fire. Are you willing to reorder your life and do some things differently to get near the fire? Are you willing to make some effort to have some high dosage, extended time, prayer driven Bible study? There is a direct correspondence between the time and amount of prayer and bible reading, and the depth and strength and warmth of my zeal for God. Without large doses of God and his word, I am very vulnerable to worldly mindsets.
What about your relationships? Do you associate with passionate people? Passion is definitely more caught than taught. Are you willing, as often as you can to be with people who have energy in their souls that is consuming and compelling. The question is: If you want the flame of Emmaus road, the flame of Brainerd and the flame of Paul, are you willing to make serious changes? Oh I pray that you would ask God for it in constant prayer and ransack the Word of God for wonders that make you boil for Christ.
III. THE THIRD COMMAND- “serving the Lord” All this passion has a focus. Focus is everything. People can be busy and people can have passion and yet have the wrong focus. All our working and all our boiling is in order to serve Christ. This is what a boiling burning heart is for. This is the motivation behind enthusiastic labor. Serving Him. Period. Serving His agenda.
As Christians we have work to do. We were created in Christ for good works (Eph. 2:10) and to be zealous for them (Titus 2:14). We are to “redeem the time for the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16) We are to "not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we shall reap if we do not faint." (Gal. 6:9) We are to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58)."
Serving Christ is the highest privilege in the universe for human beings. We are to serve the Lord with zeal and intensity and passion in the service of Christ, but remember that we do not serve the Lord in our own power any more than we came to Him in our own power. Our supreme purpose is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and our power to fulfill that service is from Him. “For this purpose also I labor,” Paul testified, “striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Col. 1:29). “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed” (Romans 15:18). “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10)
When you understand this extraordinary God and the extraordinary work that He desires to do through your working you can begin praying a prayer like this: Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am". The impact can be all out of proportion to who a person is. David Brainerd made a difference for God utterly disproportionate to who he was. This is a prayer that any one of you can pray without fear of presumption. The wording of the prayer contains a disclaimer: "I am not great. But you, Lord, are very great. And in your astonishing sovereignty you can let my little life make a difference far beyond all my little powers." This is the prayer of one who expects great things from God, therefore is willing to attempt great things for God disproportionately to who he is. This is the greatest life. Therefore do not be slothful in zeal, but boil in the spirit as you serve the Lord.
So my simple pastoral plea to you is that you let the Lord of glory speak life and energy and hope and zeal and passion and earnestness into your spirit. That is his will for you this year. If Remember David Brainerd, remember Paul! It is amazing what God can do through a life ablaze for his glory. God will give more significance to your life than you could get from anything this world can offer you. God fights fire with fire. In the midst of a world ablaze in sin and suffering, God sends forth people on fire. Those who have been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty ought to be fired-up. Are you? Will you open your heart this morning to join the fellowship of burning hearts?
Open your eyes and let him inspire in you afresh a passion for His glory in every aspect of life. May your passion be a building block to the Lighthouse being a new, strong, God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated, missions-mobilizing, soul-winning church. Pray with me. "Incline my heart, O God, to your glory. Waken my slumbering affections and give me life. Open my eyes to your perfections. Set my heart on fire for you. Unite my divided soul with one holy passion.
“Give me one pure and holy passion Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life to know and follow hard after you. To know and follow hard after you to grow as your disciple in the truth. This world is empty, pale and poor Compared to knowing You my Lord Lead me on, and I will run after You, Lead me on, and I will run after You.” Chris Tomlin
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