Job 38:1-3 7/30/2024

“Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:  “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

This is a hard book.  Job endures unimaginable trials compounded by judgmentalism and lack of support from friends and family. But after thirty-seven chapters of God’s majesty being judged … The Creator has heard enough.  The Lord speaks out of the storm and begins with a  question that basically asks “Who do you think you’re talking to?”… Followed by questions that suggest Job should do more listening and less evaluating.  

What about us. How much of our prayer life is spent seeking God’s will, and how much is spent telling God what we think He should do?

The Cross allows us to approach God as his beloved children, but we should not forget whom we are approaching. We don’t evaluate God’s plan; we seek to understand it. Jesus tells parables which promote constantly praying and even “bugging” God for answers. But we can never forget who He is.  

Following this verse, God list some of His qualifications for being God. When these are brought to his attention, Job responds:  “Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Being reminded who we pray to, should solicit the same response from us. 

Too many churches  represent God as a feeble deity begging for our approval… Our world condescendingly mocks its Creator … but this passage indicates we have dangerously misjudged Him. This book contains a severe reprimand.  He is not a genie that we evaluate …He is the omnipotent Creator who will question us, and we will answer to Him.

Make no mistake, He loves you, weeps with you, and your pain is so precious to Him, He holds your tears in a bottle… but as you struggle, God is not pacing the floor.  He is in complete control. 

We must learn to stop trusting the outcome and start trusting the God who determines it.  And when we can’t see the way, we must trust His heart … In the eye of the storm, know that God loves you, He has a plan, and the anchor will hold. 

"It's not great faith you need; it is faith in a great God." - N. T. Wright

James 3:14-16 7/23/2024

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Last week we discussed how anxiety and gratitude cannot exist together in the brain.  This makes  gratitude the silver bullet in our battle against anxiety.  So, let’s examine what inhibits gratitude … This verse says the culprit is self-centered envy which throws our life into confusion. 

The internet is the perfect breeding ground for this problem.  Most people publish the perfect online image with little concern for accuracy.  But somehow, we miss the obvious fact that everyone else is doing the same thing.  Everyone is publishing fictional “profiles” with heavily edited photos to back up the facade.  This spurs our “Friends” to exaggerate even more until we all deceive ourselves into “virtual nirvana” where everyone is envious of everyone else’s fabricated lives… No wonder there is anxiety. 

What you don’t see is that all your “perfect friends” have struggles.  Even as they post pictures of their incredible adventures, many are dealing with rollercoaster relationships, health struggles, and financial problems.  So, as we privately struggle with our real-life problems, and look online and see our friends sailing through life untouched,  it causes us to crash. Here’s the thing… it’s not true.  

When we compare our reality with someone else’s made up life, it confuses us. This opens the door to anger, self-pity, envy, jealousy, and resentment.  The instigating circumstances are fake – but the resulting emotions are real.  And these emotions destroy our lives. 

Do you have bitterness and envy?... Did you allow it into your life by believing you’re the only imperfect person in your circle? Have you exhausted yourself trying to keep up the façade?

Just stop and take a breath … Don’t compare your life to others, you’re not seeing the whole picture. Though it may feel like it, you’re not alone… We are all broken people. Share your struggles with a friend, and then together, count your blessings.  We all have difficulties at times; you are not the only one. Trust the Father’s love and know you never face the struggle alone.

“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.” - Harold Coffin

Exodus 13:3 7/16/2024

“And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place…”

From the beginning God has told us to remember the mighty things He has done.  

We are instructed to have faith - not a blind faith -  but a proven faith… based on past deliverance. God has repeatedly proven His trustworthiness and instructs us to build monuments or celebrate certain days to remind us that He is faithful. 

We don’t need to be taught self-pity, that comes naturally.  But we do need to practice gratitude. Gratitude and anxiety cannot exist in the brain at the same time. Gratefulness reduces the level of cortisol, otherwise known as the stress hormone.  So, if your anxious, start counting  your blessings … The breath you just took can be the first one on your list.

Our memories are short when we are blessed - and long when we are hurt – that should be reversed. We should purposefully ingrain the victories in our minds so we will have confidence at the next challenge.

We need altars and ceremonies to turn our gaze from ourselves to God. Our strength is only found in His strength.  Our worth is only found in His worth.  We emphasize the fact that He loves us -  but more precisely we should focus on “why” He loves us…. We didn’t earn it… It is not because of our good works. He loves us because we are His. He has chosen us to be His cherished children and paid the adoption fee with His blood. While we were rejecting Him, He died to save us. That is why we are more than conquerors, that is why we are thankful….  Gratefulness is the spontaneous response to this grace.  

Put that message on a sign above  your bathroom mirror, place a note in your car, put a cross on your desk... but do something that constantly reminds you of the fact that He created you, He loves you, and in spite of your failures, you are the apple of His eye.

Gratitude is the only rational response to His blessings. It will change your life if you will just be still long enough to remember all He has done. 

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions.” – Zig Ziglar

Mark 3:28 7/9/2024

“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

These are terrifying words from Jesus regarding the limit of God’s tolerance. There are arguments about the exact meaning of the passage, but one thing is frighteningly clear… If you reject God’s plan of salvation … if you blaspheme the Spirit by denying your need for redemption, and repeatedly reject His offer -  the offer will end, and there is no plan B. 

That’s hard to hear because God is love, and we have mis-defined Love … Love and tolerance are not the same thing.  Love sometimes has hard edges.  That’s counter to our culture’s mantra “love me like I am”… But loving you, and condoning your sin, are actually incompatible. God loves us as we are - but He loves us too much to leave us that way, and like iron sharpens iron sometimes love produces sparks. 

Peter was reminded of this when he tried to direct Christ away from the Cross. And  Jesus’ own family is reproved when they tried to remove Him from danger… Resisting God’s plan (even with good intentions) is hazardous. The Holy Spirit opens your eyes to your need and offers you the only plan available for your redemption. If you reject that plan, you are rejecting the only plan in which God can remain God… and still fellowship with you and me.  

So, if you repeatedly push away and  blaspheme the Holy Spirit as He tugs at your heart – God will eventually say “have it your way”… to which there is no recovery.

Contained within the Triune God is Unbending Holiness,  Perfect righteousness, and inconceivable love… And the Cross is the only place these characteristics can coexist.  Only the cross transfers to us the holiness necessary to commune with God. If you reject that, there is no other proposal.  

So, this morning, acknowledge your need of redemption, embrace the Holy Spirit’s offer of renewal, fall to your knees and give your life to Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life and there is not, nor will there ever be, an alternate route.

“Every divine action begins from the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed in the Holy Spirit.” - Saint Basil

Amos 1:2 7/2/2024

“He said, “The LORD roars from Zion And from Jerusalem He utters His voice;...”

When I was in Africa, I heard a lion roar … Not in the zoo… a wild roar.  I felt it more than I heard it, and it brought an immediate sense of dread.  Amos uses the awesomeness of that encounter to illustrate the intensity of God’s response to sin. 

In this book, Amos is delivering judgement from the Lord. There are five offenses in the first chapter that describe abuses of God’s chosen people … At the time they occur, God doesn’t send lightning, or unleash angels … But God is now preparing to roar His response. Amos is going to reveal a side of God we have conveniently disregarded today.  God is Holy… His justice is unbending, and there is no terror like that of sinners in the path of His wrath.

Ezekiel, Joel, and now Amos – all bring the same message of The Warrior God and the terrible price exacted for our depravity. God’s fury is staggering…. His response is a Roar of vengeance… a clap of thunder signaling the coming storm of retribution. This Holy God of Armies is not the one we hear preached from the pulpit very often, and perhaps because of that, we have become comfortable and stopped working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

We call sin a mistake, recite a little prayer … and continue with our day. But sin is the most abhorrent, repulsive act a man can commit… We must get our heads around that. You cannot grasp the love of God until you understand the horrific stench of sin… You can’t understand grace until you comprehend what you have been forgiven of…. 

You didn’t make a mistake; you spit in the face of God.  You arrogantly rebelled and declared yourself King . Your willful sin was the reason for the torturous death of His Son.  You should recoil at the remembrance of your wickedness… you should spit the word “sin” out of your mouth like poison.  It is important that you understand the lethalness of the disease - so you can appreciate the miraculous power of the cure. 

"This day, my God, I hate sin not because it damns me, but because it has done Thee wrong. To have grieved my God is the worst grief to me."
- C.H. Spurgeon