I love the way God uses little things to open our eyes. Take for example in Proverbs 6:6-8 we find these words, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."
Go to the Ant. Have you ever seen a lazy ant? Me either.
Well, this week God used a little thing to give me a perspective check. Let me explain.
First Baptist Church in Miamisburg is preparing for it's Easter drama called, "One Voice." I was asked to play the role of Jesus, a most humbling role to play. Think about it - How I portray Jesus could forever shape how some people think about Jesus. (God, I apologize now.)
So during practice this week, we were rehearsing the part where Jesus is carrying the cross. At one point in this scene, I collapse under the weight of the cross. When I did this I had a splinter from the cross stab into my thumb. It was about a 1/4 inch long and completely under my skin. (Yes, it hurt. No, I didn't cry or yell out.) As soon as that scene ends I have to get ready for my next scene. On my way to the right position I was complaining about the splinter. (Did I mention that it hurt and I was trying to get it out?)
It was at this moment that God, the Holy Spirit, spoke to me. I just stopped and looked at the girl next to me and said, "Am I really complaining about a splinter? After Jesus carried the cross He had nails put through both hands and feet." Wow! What a moment of humility. But that isn't all.
As I thought about this, I was reminded of the fact that the cross I was carrying was much smoother than the cross that Jesus carried. Not only that but part of the torture of of crucifixion was the fact that Jesus had been scourged before being nailed to that cross. His back had the flesh ripped apart as pieces of metal and bone dug into His skin and tore away strips of skin. Then, while on that cross, Jesus would have had to push Himself up on the nail in His feet in order to take a breath or speak. Then when the pain in His feet and legs was too much he would drop all His weight onto the nails in His hands, and when He does that, He can't breath. Then I looked at the splinter in my thumb and thought of all the splinters that filled the wounds on Jesus' back when He cried out, "Father, forgive them they know not what they do."
Thank you God for this reminder of how much you suffered for a wretch like me.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Question...Answer #1
Back in my January 12th blog I gave each of you the opportunity to enter into the discussions for my blog. I thought I would get some questions right away but for a while none came. Now, here we are in March, and I finally got a question. Thanks Rachel!
Rachel said...
"John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted? Or those people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear the Jesus died to save us from our sins? Are they condemned to hell?"
These are great questions! I will do my best to answer them to the best of my ability. As we look at these questions, we have to answer some very basic questions and then look at the two situations presented here. 1. What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted? 2. What about those people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear about the Messiah, Jesus, who died to save us from our sins?
Before we dig into these questions I want to look at a couple of biblical principles. These principles will help us understand the questions a little better.
A. The first thing that we need to ask is why do people go to hell? This question above all is foundational when it comes to answering these questions.
As we read the Bible we will quickly learn that every person, apart from Jesus Christ, is guilty of sin. Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We also know that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.") This death is eternal separation from God in hell. Revelation 21:8 says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
While we are reading the Bible we will also read passages like these:
Romans 5:6 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 10:13 "for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
These verses, as well as many others, talk about the simplicity of the salvation that we have through Christ Jesus. Jesus died for the sins of the world. He paid the price for every sin - past, present and future. As John the Baptist proclaimed, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
So, why do people go to hell? As I study the scriptures and draw ever closer to God I find that God doesn't send people to hell, people choose hell by rejecting God's free gift of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
B. The next thing we need to consider is the nature and person of God. We often want to limit God by our own standards. We want an all loving God of mercy and grace but we want to leave out that He is holy, righteous, just, and perfect. We want to ignore the fact that God will accept no place in our lives but 1st place.
To expand on this, lets examine the person and nature of God. (This is by no means an in-depth study. I am making this as simple as I can.) God is Holy. Because He is Holy, He is righteous in all He does. In His righteousness God is without sin and perfect. In His perfection He will not associate with sin or allow sin in His presence. Because God is perfect, His standards is perfect and we as fallen people continually miss the mark. Because God is just, there must be a penalty for our unrighteousness. The only penalty that is acceptable to His Holiness is physical and spiritual death which is eternal separation from God.
This is where God's love comes into play. God doesn't just love us but He is the very essence of love. 1 John 4:8, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." Because of God's great love, He paid the penalty to satisfy His own justice by sending Jesus to the cross on our behalf. Through the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus God gives us mercy and grace. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve (We deserve hell). Grace is giving us what we don't deserve (We don't deserve heaven).
C. The last thing I want to look at is the "Will" of God. We must quickly look at the three wills of God: His sovereign will, His perfect will, and His permissive will.
God's sovereign will (sometimes known as His Ultimate Will) is how God achieves His ends, given man’s choices, be they good or bad. He works all things together for the good of those He called, who love Him [Rom. 8:28]. This means He can ultimately get His good in spite of man’s bad.
God's perfect will (or intentional will) is the desires of God's heart. This is the ideal plan flowing out of His goodness. 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
God's permissive will (or allowed will) is when God allows things to happen that isn't what He truly desires. For example God didn't desire for David to cheat with Bathsheba but He didn't stop it from happening.
Now lets look at your questions.
1. What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted?
What makes this a great question is the fact that the Bible never deals with this question directly. So to answer this question we have to look at how it applies to the the three things (a, b, and c) that we looked at above.
The first thing we must look at is the sinful nature. The Bible says in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" A lot of people use this passage to say that babies and young children are guilty and therefore deserving of death and hell, however I'd like to look at this passage a little closer.
Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
A few things we need to notice in this passage.
1. From the time of Adam to Moses, death reigned. This is referring to the cursed state of man. That from the moment of birth we are in constant movement towards our death. Yet we know of some great patriarchs of the faith that lived in fellowship with God and were redeemed through God. The easiest examples to look at would be Abraham and Joseph. The key to this passage is "sin is not taken into account when there is no law" These men and woman will be judged on what the did with God's general revelation (we will look at this a little more later).
2. With Moses, God gave His law. The purpose of the law is to teach man of his sinful nature. (see Romans 3:19-20) The law cannot save anyone - it's purpose is to make us see our need for a savior.
3."how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" Christ's sacrifice on the cross is greater than death, greater than the law and satisfied God's wrath.
When we look at children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted we must ask are they deserving of hell? My answer is no. Here is why: 1. They never rejected God through the personal choice to disobey God. They could not know the law, so they can't be judged by the law. They only know their needs at a very basic level. 2. As we looked at earlier God is just. Would justice condemn a small or unborn child for being born? (Or, in the case of abortion, for being conceived?) No this is not the child's choice or action. God is also a God of love and who needs that love more than a helpless baby. 3. God's perfect will is that all people will come to salvation.
1 Timothy 2:3-5, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"
The last thing that I want to point out is the words of Jesus when referring to the salvation of adults in Matthew 18:3, "And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." We must become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven!
Based on these things and many more I think we can see that these children will be with God in His kingdom.
Question 2: What about the people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear the Jesus died to save us from our sins?
This is a great question, this is where we will look at the general revelation of God. And we must look at the judgment that they must face before God.
The general revelation of God is what God has shown us about Himself through His creation. Romans 1:20-21, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
God has made it possible for all men to know Him and worship Him without a complete knowledge of Him. The Bible also teaches us that, outside of Christ, all men will be judged according to there actions. Revelation 20:13, "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done."
It is not my place to assign judgment to people, it is for God alone. Each person will give an account for their actions to God almighty and the only guarantee of salvation comes through Jesus Christ. For those who have never herd of Jesus Christ, I pray they will. I also know that God's judgment will be the right one.
I do want to share this quick story. When I was in Bible College a missionary shared a story of when he was in Africa and he saw a man looking at the ocean. He asked the man if he knew God. The man told the missionary "I know there is a mighty and powerful God who is bigger than all creation. A God of love, mercy and hope. I know this God has a son because of my own love for my children." The missionary asked the man if he would like to know about God's son, and told him about Jesus.
This story shows that it is possible for people to know about God through what God has created. Psalm 19:1-3 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
The fact is Jesus said that the road to heaven is a narrow one. Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Again Jesus says, (John 14:6) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
We must remember it isn't our job to judge where someone spends eternity. I'll leave that up to our perfect, holy, righteous, loving God. Our job is to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus to a world that is as messed up as we are, yet doesn't know the forgiveness that is available through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
We need have a sense of urgency in our daily lives as we realize that we may be the only opportunity that people have to meet Jesus.
Rachel said...
"John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted? Or those people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear the Jesus died to save us from our sins? Are they condemned to hell?"
These are great questions! I will do my best to answer them to the best of my ability. As we look at these questions, we have to answer some very basic questions and then look at the two situations presented here. 1. What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted? 2. What about those people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear about the Messiah, Jesus, who died to save us from our sins?
Before we dig into these questions I want to look at a couple of biblical principles. These principles will help us understand the questions a little better.
A. The first thing that we need to ask is why do people go to hell? This question above all is foundational when it comes to answering these questions.
As we read the Bible we will quickly learn that every person, apart from Jesus Christ, is guilty of sin. Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We also know that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.") This death is eternal separation from God in hell. Revelation 21:8 says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
While we are reading the Bible we will also read passages like these:
Romans 5:6 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 10:13 "for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
These verses, as well as many others, talk about the simplicity of the salvation that we have through Christ Jesus. Jesus died for the sins of the world. He paid the price for every sin - past, present and future. As John the Baptist proclaimed, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
So, why do people go to hell? As I study the scriptures and draw ever closer to God I find that God doesn't send people to hell, people choose hell by rejecting God's free gift of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
B. The next thing we need to consider is the nature and person of God. We often want to limit God by our own standards. We want an all loving God of mercy and grace but we want to leave out that He is holy, righteous, just, and perfect. We want to ignore the fact that God will accept no place in our lives but 1st place.
To expand on this, lets examine the person and nature of God. (This is by no means an in-depth study. I am making this as simple as I can.) God is Holy. Because He is Holy, He is righteous in all He does. In His righteousness God is without sin and perfect. In His perfection He will not associate with sin or allow sin in His presence. Because God is perfect, His standards is perfect and we as fallen people continually miss the mark. Because God is just, there must be a penalty for our unrighteousness. The only penalty that is acceptable to His Holiness is physical and spiritual death which is eternal separation from God.
This is where God's love comes into play. God doesn't just love us but He is the very essence of love. 1 John 4:8, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." Because of God's great love, He paid the penalty to satisfy His own justice by sending Jesus to the cross on our behalf. Through the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus God gives us mercy and grace. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve (We deserve hell). Grace is giving us what we don't deserve (We don't deserve heaven).
C. The last thing I want to look at is the "Will" of God. We must quickly look at the three wills of God: His sovereign will, His perfect will, and His permissive will.
God's sovereign will (sometimes known as His Ultimate Will) is how God achieves His ends, given man’s choices, be they good or bad. He works all things together for the good of those He called, who love Him [Rom. 8:28]. This means He can ultimately get His good in spite of man’s bad.
God's perfect will (or intentional will) is the desires of God's heart. This is the ideal plan flowing out of His goodness. 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
God's permissive will (or allowed will) is when God allows things to happen that isn't what He truly desires. For example God didn't desire for David to cheat with Bathsheba but He didn't stop it from happening.
Now lets look at your questions.
1. What happens to children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted?
What makes this a great question is the fact that the Bible never deals with this question directly. So to answer this question we have to look at how it applies to the the three things (a, b, and c) that we looked at above.
The first thing we must look at is the sinful nature. The Bible says in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" A lot of people use this passage to say that babies and young children are guilty and therefore deserving of death and hell, however I'd like to look at this passage a little closer.
Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
A few things we need to notice in this passage.
1. From the time of Adam to Moses, death reigned. This is referring to the cursed state of man. That from the moment of birth we are in constant movement towards our death. Yet we know of some great patriarchs of the faith that lived in fellowship with God and were redeemed through God. The easiest examples to look at would be Abraham and Joseph. The key to this passage is "sin is not taken into account when there is no law" These men and woman will be judged on what the did with God's general revelation (we will look at this a little more later).
2. With Moses, God gave His law. The purpose of the law is to teach man of his sinful nature. (see Romans 3:19-20) The law cannot save anyone - it's purpose is to make us see our need for a savior.
3."how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" Christ's sacrifice on the cross is greater than death, greater than the law and satisfied God's wrath.
When we look at children who die as infants or were stillborn or aborted we must ask are they deserving of hell? My answer is no. Here is why: 1. They never rejected God through the personal choice to disobey God. They could not know the law, so they can't be judged by the law. They only know their needs at a very basic level. 2. As we looked at earlier God is just. Would justice condemn a small or unborn child for being born? (Or, in the case of abortion, for being conceived?) No this is not the child's choice or action. God is also a God of love and who needs that love more than a helpless baby. 3. God's perfect will is that all people will come to salvation.
1 Timothy 2:3-5, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"
The last thing that I want to point out is the words of Jesus when referring to the salvation of adults in Matthew 18:3, "And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." We must become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven!
Based on these things and many more I think we can see that these children will be with God in His kingdom.
Question 2: What about the people who have truly never had the opportunity to hear the Jesus died to save us from our sins?
This is a great question, this is where we will look at the general revelation of God. And we must look at the judgment that they must face before God.
The general revelation of God is what God has shown us about Himself through His creation. Romans 1:20-21, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
God has made it possible for all men to know Him and worship Him without a complete knowledge of Him. The Bible also teaches us that, outside of Christ, all men will be judged according to there actions. Revelation 20:13, "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done."
It is not my place to assign judgment to people, it is for God alone. Each person will give an account for their actions to God almighty and the only guarantee of salvation comes through Jesus Christ. For those who have never herd of Jesus Christ, I pray they will. I also know that God's judgment will be the right one.
I do want to share this quick story. When I was in Bible College a missionary shared a story of when he was in Africa and he saw a man looking at the ocean. He asked the man if he knew God. The man told the missionary "I know there is a mighty and powerful God who is bigger than all creation. A God of love, mercy and hope. I know this God has a son because of my own love for my children." The missionary asked the man if he would like to know about God's son, and told him about Jesus.
This story shows that it is possible for people to know about God through what God has created. Psalm 19:1-3 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
The fact is Jesus said that the road to heaven is a narrow one. Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Again Jesus says, (John 14:6) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
We must remember it isn't our job to judge where someone spends eternity. I'll leave that up to our perfect, holy, righteous, loving God. Our job is to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus to a world that is as messed up as we are, yet doesn't know the forgiveness that is available through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
We need have a sense of urgency in our daily lives as we realize that we may be the only opportunity that people have to meet Jesus.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Super Hero!
Right now there are 19 tentative superhero movies in the process of being made. These movies range from the start of another spider-man series, a reboot of the x-man series, as well as a few sequels such as Wolverine 2, Superman: The Man of Steel, another Ghost Rider movie, Ironman 3, and the third Batman in the Dark Knight Series. We will also see a few new heroes on the big screen such as Thor, Captain America, Deadpool and Green Lantern to name a few.
What is it about these movies that draw us to these characters? What is it about these heroes that speak to us?
Everyday we struggle with problems. We face moral and ethical decisions. We face choices about responsibility, belief, and basic struggles with knowing what is right or wrong. Superheroes face these same problems and choices, just in a bigger and more action packed way.
The big reason I feel we are really drawn to superheroes is that each one of us has a desire to make a difference in the world. We want our lives to have purpose and meaning. We long for a life of significance.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says, 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Did you catch that? You are God's workmanship! The New Living Translation says "we are God's masterpiece". However, this verse goes on to say more. You were created in Christ Jesus with a purpose, a mission. You were created to make a difference because God has prepared good things for us to do.
So often we get so caught up in what other people think about us. We start believing the lies that we will never make a difference in the world. We think things like, "I'm just one person, what can I do?"
The answer: "You can do more, and make a difference in the lives of people, more than you can imagine."
You and I are image bearers of God Almighty, we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Like the superheroes we are drawn to, we have opportunities all around us; opportunities to bring about positive life change in the lives of the people we meet everyday.
May you remember that God doesn't make junk. He created you with purpose and when we live in His purpose for our lives we just may become the superhero that someone needs to come and rescue them from the pains and heartaches of this life.
What is it about these movies that draw us to these characters? What is it about these heroes that speak to us?
Everyday we struggle with problems. We face moral and ethical decisions. We face choices about responsibility, belief, and basic struggles with knowing what is right or wrong. Superheroes face these same problems and choices, just in a bigger and more action packed way.
The big reason I feel we are really drawn to superheroes is that each one of us has a desire to make a difference in the world. We want our lives to have purpose and meaning. We long for a life of significance.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says, 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Did you catch that? You are God's workmanship! The New Living Translation says "we are God's masterpiece". However, this verse goes on to say more. You were created in Christ Jesus with a purpose, a mission. You were created to make a difference because God has prepared good things for us to do.
So often we get so caught up in what other people think about us. We start believing the lies that we will never make a difference in the world. We think things like, "I'm just one person, what can I do?"
The answer: "You can do more, and make a difference in the lives of people, more than you can imagine."
You and I are image bearers of God Almighty, we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Like the superheroes we are drawn to, we have opportunities all around us; opportunities to bring about positive life change in the lives of the people we meet everyday.
May you remember that God doesn't make junk. He created you with purpose and when we live in His purpose for our lives we just may become the superhero that someone needs to come and rescue them from the pains and heartaches of this life.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sermon Notes
I always love it when God works through a message. This morning at First Baptist Church in Miamisburg, Pastor Steve was preaching his second message on Ecclesiology. (Ecclesiology is Greek and simply translates as the study of the church.) We looked at three things about the church: 1-When the Church Began; 2-Who is Part of the Church; and 3-How Does a Person Become Part of the Church.
During the section on Who is Part of the Church, Pastor Steve had 12 quick points about the people who make up the church. Jessica (my loving, beautiful wife) was taking some notes beyond just filling in the blanks. Once I noticed the notes I pointed out that a message was forming. Now, Pastor Steve's notes were all in this format: The Church is made up of _________________ people. The blanks were filled in with the following words:
purchased
purified
predestined
placed
partnered
persistent
productive
persecuted
persevering
provisioned
promised
preserved
All of these points had scripture references and it was a great message. Jess' extra notes (mini-message within the message) came out as a paragraph, as follows:
I am not my own. I am called to be holy, chosen by Him, to be in Him. Joined together with brothers and sisters, constant in their walk with Christ. Bearing fruit under pressure by an unrepentant world, yet, standing firm. Given all we need by the One who made all, hope for our guaranteed salvation.
During the section on Who is Part of the Church, Pastor Steve had 12 quick points about the people who make up the church. Jessica (my loving, beautiful wife) was taking some notes beyond just filling in the blanks. Once I noticed the notes I pointed out that a message was forming. Now, Pastor Steve's notes were all in this format: The Church is made up of _________________ people. The blanks were filled in with the following words:
purchased
purified
predestined
placed
partnered
persistent
productive
persecuted
persevering
provisioned
promised
preserved
All of these points had scripture references and it was a great message. Jess' extra notes (mini-message within the message) came out as a paragraph, as follows:
I am not my own. I am called to be holy, chosen by Him, to be in Him. Joined together with brothers and sisters, constant in their walk with Christ. Bearing fruit under pressure by an unrepentant world, yet, standing firm. Given all we need by the One who made all, hope for our guaranteed salvation.
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