The Un-Invited Guest Of Honor

 

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:11 KJV

“He came to what was his own, yet his own folk did not welcome him.” John 1:11 James Moffatt Translation

“He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own-His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.” John 1:11 The Amplified Bible

Imagine, if you will, that you have been invited to a party; a birthday party. All of your friends, loved-ones, acquaintances and some of your enemies are in attendance. The place is all decorated and adorned with the trimmings for the gala affair. The gifts are in abundance and everyone seems to be having a good time! But, wait a minute, something is wrong! It suddenly occurs to you that everybody is at this party except the birthday person; the guest of honor! You inquire to the host as to the whereabouts of the honoree, and much to your dismay, you discover that the guest of honor was not even invited to his own birthday celebration! Furthermore, you discover that not only was he not invited, should he happen to show up, he would not be welcomed! Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But, is this not the case with many of our Christmas celebrations today? It seems as if this world is determined to celebrate a Christ-less Christmas! Although he is the reason for the season, in many homes he is not welcome. Many have X-ed him out and replaced the babe in a manger with a fat man in a red suit! Now, I don’t mean to be a scrooge, but I think we ought to be more mindful of the real reason for this season.

Some commentators have said that the verse of our text is perhaps one of the saddest in the Bible. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not!” Let’s take a few minutes now to take a closer look at this text and see what application it has for us today. First of all, notice that the text says, “He came!” Oh! What a wonderful statement! He came! He came! God breaking into the plane of human existence! He came! Because we were unable to go to Him; He came to us! He came! The Word of God manifested in the flesh! He came! God intervening into human history to give us HIS-Story! For ages, God had been telling men the way, with the advent of Jesus, He provided a living illustration to show us the Way! He came! God’s idea manifested in the flesh; the embodiment of the faith. He came! Immanuel; “God with us!” Oh, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that He came. Because He came, I can have life and have it more abundantly! Because He came, I can face tomorrow! Because He came, life is worth the living! Oh! I’m so glad that He came!

Yes! He came! He came unto His own! He came unto His own world. John wrote: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” It was His own because He was active in creation! He was there when the statement was made, “Let us make man!” Hebrews says that the world is upheld by the word of His power! Yes! He came unto His own world; His own creation, and His own creation did not receive Him! The Creator was rejected by the creature!

He came unto His own people! He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In Matthew’s gospel, it is reported that Jesus sent out the disciples with instructions to go not the way of the Gentiles, but rather to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. One day a Syrophenician woman came to Jesus seeking his help, to whom Jesus replied, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He came unto His own people, but overall, He was rejected by them. Even his own family had doubts about him, John 7: 5 says that even his own brothers did not believe in him.

But not only was he not welcomed by his own creation and his own people, he was not welcomed by his own religion. The scriptures that the Pharisees and scribes studied testified of Jesus, yet the religious authorities refused to acknowledge him as the Messiah! Yes! He came unto His own!

He came unto his own and his own received him not! Yes! His own rejected the Christ and crucified him upon a Roman cross. His own refused to acknowledge him as the Messiah! His own refused to accept him as Lord. But why? Why was it that he came unto his own and his own received him not?

Well, His creation refused to receive him because of the same reason that they were in rebellion against God! Jesus said that men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. When John wrote that Jesus was the light and that the light was shining in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not, there was a dual meaning. One of the distinctive characteristics of John’s gospel is that it is full of dualism. By dualism, we refer to those words and concepts within this gospel writing that has more than one meaning. For instance, in John chapter three, Jesus told Nicodemus that a man must be born “anon.” The Greek word has two meanings which are both equally applicable in this context. The word means, “again”: Ye must be born again! But it also means “from above”: Ye must be born from above! Both concepts are equally valid. In order to see (perceive or understand) the Kingdom, one must experience a second birth and that birth must be of a spiritual nature: from above! So, when John wrote, what the King James Version interprets as “comprehend,” the Greek word is “katalambano,” which has the dual meaning of “understanding” or “comprehension” and “overcoming.” Hence the darkness did not understand the light neither did the darkness overcome, defeat, or extinguish the light. The world did not accept or receive Jesus because the world was in darkness!

His family according to the flesh and the Jews in general did not receive him because he came as a suffering servant and they were expecting a reigning king! That’s the way it is you know, when you don’t measure up to other folk’s expectation of you, they will reject you! Jesus came preaching a spiritual gospel, proclaiming deliverance from sin, but what the Jews wanted was a political manifesto declaring their independence from Rome! Tradition has it that Barrabas was also named Jesus and that he was a political insurrectionist. Hence the Jews wanted Jesus, the insurrectionist rather than Jesus the Christ. There are many people today who claim to be followers of Jesus. But the question is, which Jesus? The Jesus of the Bible; the Son of God or a Jesus of our own making? Yes, he came unto his own and his own received him not!

But thank God today! The rejection was not total! There were some who welcomed his arrival, And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

No, the rejection was not total! The record states, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Yes! I’m glad today that the rejection was not total! For there were those who were willing to receive him as their Lord and Savior! No! The rejection was not total! For there are those even today, who realize that without Christ there would be no Christmas! So, as I leave you alone to decide how you will celebrate this Christmas! Just remember that it’s not about presents wrapped under a tree, but rather a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger! It’s not so much about the presents you give to others, but the gift that God has given to you! As you celebrate Christmas this year, don’t forget about the guest of honor! You see, if you don’t invite him to the party, then he will not show up! He’s too intelligent to be a party-crasher! But if you invite him; he will come! For I heard him saying, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Yes! If you let him, Jesus will come into your Christmas celebration! Well! How should we celebrate Christmas? I submit to you that if you are lost you cannot truly celebrate this season! You cannot really celebrate a party if you’re not on speaking terms with the guest of honor! You cannot celebrate a holy season in an unholy manner! It’s on the verge of blasphemy to celebrate the birthday of Jesus by getting drunk at Christmas parties! The best way to celebrate this season is by inviting the guest of honor to take his rightful place in your life! The best way to celebrate is by letting him into your heart and life:

Oh! Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room, And Heaven and nature sing!

Oh! Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ! While fields and floods, rock, hills and plains, Repeat the sounding joy! Yes! You ought to go tell it on the mountain! Over the hills and everywhere! Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ was born!

 

 

God is Light and those who fellowship with God must walk in the Light 1 John 1:5-7

 

Introduction:

The writer whom we believe is Apostle John makes us know that he is the carrier of a message. It was the ambition of the apostles to be found faithful, and faithfully to deliver the errands and messages they had received. The apostles and the apostolical ministers are the messengers of the Lord Jesus; it is their honour, the chief they pretend to, to bring his mind and messages to the world and to the  churches. So John says in verse 5 that “the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you.”

The present message he wants to bring to us is about God whom we have to commune with and his nature. In fact he wants us to know that to fellowship with someone, we need to know his or her nature so that you can truly have communication or true relationship. That message he has is that God is Light and in him there is no darkness at all. Can you understand? The beauty and excellency of God here described?

That He is a self-active uncompounded spirituality, purity, wisdom, holiness, and glory. There is no defect or imperfection, no mixture of any thing alien or contrary to absolute excellency, no mutability nor capacity of any decay in him: In him is no darkness at all. That is what it means to be Light. God is Spirit; self-active; no one makes him active or inactive. He is perpetually active according to His will and no external source can change who He is. He is the unchangeable changer. Purity is his nature with all knowing capacity. Just think of His holiness and His Glory.

The writer now brings in the conclusion to professors of Christianity or professed entertainers of the gospel:

1.       If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, then we lie and do not the truth. To walk in darkness is to live and act according to such ignorance, error and erroneous practices as contrary to the fundamental dictates of the scriptures. God holds no heavenly fellowship or intercourse with unholy souls. What communion has light with darkness? They lie themselves because they have no communications from God nor accesses to him. There is no truth in their profession nor in their practice.

2.       But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. As the blessed God is the eternal boundless light, and the Mediator is from him, the light of the world, so the Christian institution is the great luminary that appears in our sphere, and shines here below. A conformity to this in spirit and practice therefore demonstrates communion with God.

Are you walking in the light? Where the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from all sin. Where you cherish the work of God which is the word of life. You will want to go anywhere just because of the undiluted gospel. Not only will you listen to the Gospel but you seek for God’s grace to live the gospel, you want to practice the gospel by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit of Light that is in you.

Or Are you walking in darkness? Where you enjoy the errors and ignorance of this world. Hatred, lasciviousness (feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire: lascivious wink, arousing sexual desire. Don’t we see that in facebook and whatsapp? Girls who kiss the phone or the air, some extend their tongue as if they are panting for the devil in sex.  And we say they are sexy. You sinner!) , debauchery (extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures: drugs and drunkenness that leads to sexual immorality before they realize when it’s too late), fits of rage, revelling (enjoying oneself in a lively and noisy way, especially with drinking and dancing), jealousy, murder, sexual immorality and all the like even though you come to church every Sunday and profess that you are Christian. It doesn’t matter whether you are pastor, evangelist, ordained or not, choir member, deacon, elder or leader in your church. Are you walking in the light?

 

Is It Right To Do Your Own Thing?

 

Summary: Without God as King of one’s life, the result is moral corruption and spiritual bankruptcy.

IS IT RIGHT TO DO YOUR OWN THING"

JUDGES 17: 1-13

"In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes".

In the latter part of the book of Judges you will find this interesting statement, "In those days there was no king in Israel, but everyman did that which was right in his own eyes", (A. V.) The New International Version translates the same verse, "everyone did as he saw fit". (Judges 17: 6, 18: 1, 19: 1, 21: 25) Without much thought it came to me that the statement could also reflect upon our own society - everyone wants to do their own thing.

A close look at the period of the Judges reveals that because man did his own thing the outcome was low moral standards, a of debasing of religious conceptions and practices, and poor social structure. The commentator suggests that the disorders of the time resulted from an absence of a strong central authority - no king. A point that is laboured four times in the next few chapters.

It would seem that there is a problem when we act as we like or do as we want to do without regard to any reference point.

Obviously, Israel had put aside the principles that were so important to them in times gone by, - given to them in their Exodus experience.

Just looking at Micah from the reading we see he breaks several of those commands.

He is a thief, (v. 2) He steals his mothers money and she curses Him. This woman’s money was her god  before it was transformed into a graven image else it would not have have carried her to the point of cursing her son with such a passion that it tiiggled Micah to return it. The  noticed that the money he took has a curse following behind so he repented, and did restitution to his mother. The mother was so pleased with the son’s repentance that she recalled her curses, and turned them into prayers for her son’s welfare: Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. When those who have been guilty repent, they have to be commended and upbraided (reproached) for their fault. Children should know and understand that when they still even what their parents have kept for them like what this woman did, they can receive serious curses though the money was saved for them.

He desired to make an idol, (v. 3) Micah and his mother agreed to make a graven image thereby rebelling against God’s second commandment. This should be the first instance of rebellion after Jushua led them and subsequently others started worshiping Baalam hence violating also the first and great commandment.

He had his own shrine, (v. 5)

e installed his own son into the priestly office, (v. 5)

Micah had a total disregard for what was right! And he did know what was right because when a Levi came along seeking a living, (again because of the corruption that existed in the Israel society), he hires him to be his own personal priest. You will remember that the Levites were to act as the custodians of the tabernacle, particularly the duty of looking after the curtains, the tent and hangings. His own son sufficed till a genuine Levi came along, (v. 10).

Micah thought his own priest would give him access to God, (v. 13).

The whole picture is sad. No regard for God. No regard for his law. No regard for correct worship practices. No regard for other individuals. Just a big interest in SELF - "Everyone did as he saw fit".

No government to call him to account. No punishment was imposed on his crime.

As I reflect on this story and the plight of our nation today. I take the three requirements of a good society.

WE NEED GOD

WE NEED RIGHT WORSHIP - A RETURN TO THE CHURCH.

We do not need to be doing our own thing, but God’s will.

"The best thing I know in this world below

Is doing the will of God".

Paul warns us, "Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world", (Romans 12 : 2).

Is God the focus of your life?

Do you obey his rules?

Do you worship him rightly?

It is God’s people who are seen in a poor light through compromise to be like the other nations around them. Do we want to be like others who do their own thing in our society?   Righteousness exalts a nation!

The Forgotten Secret of Christian Giving I Chronicles 29:14-17

 

David is an old man about to die. But God has given him a great vision. It is the dream of building a magnificent temple for the worship of Almighty God. It will be the grandest building ever constructed. His fondest dream to is honor his God by building that palatial structure.

But God has other plans. We pick up the story in 1 Chronicles 28:2-3.

King David rose to his feet and said: ‘‘Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

David had the dream but because his hands were dripping with blood, God would not allow him to build the temple. It must be built by a man of peace. God chose Solomon instead. So in verses 9-10 David charges Solomon to seek the Lord with his whole heart because the Lord searches every heart and every thought of the mind. In verse 1 of ch 29 David said to the people ‘My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God.”

In essence he says there are two problems:

1. Solomon is too young.

2. The task is too great.

Without God’s help the project is impossible.

The King; David set a good example by giving for the project then he called the leaders to follow the example and they gave willingly for the project of the temple.

Notice two points in verse 9. First, they gave “freely.” That means there was no pressure. Second, they gave “wholeheartedly.” That means there was no limit. The same two signs may be found today whenever God’s Spirit is moving. People will give freely and won’t have to be pressured, enticed or intimidated. And they will give without limit to the work of the Lord. The next few verses record a psalm of praise composed by David on the spot. In verse 12 he reveals the secret of generous giving: “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.” The details now follow from vs 14 to 17.

a. So David blessed the LORD before all the assembly: The generous giving made David rejoice and praise God. It wasn’t for the sake of the wealth itself, but because it demonstrated that the hearts of the people were really interested in God and in His house.

b. Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever: This is the first time in the Bible that God is addressed directly as a Father over His people.

c. Both riches and honor come from You: David could say this as a man who had a life full of both riches and honor. David knew that those things came from God and not from himself.

 

d. Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? David knew that both the ability and the heart to give were themselves gifts from God. He was actually humbled by having such a heart to give, both in himself and in the people of Israel as a group.

 

David says the people gave generously because they understood that everything they had came from God. In a sense, they were only giving back to God what he had given them in the first place. That’s why the people were able to give “willingly” and with so much joy. Generous giving is not difficult when we understand that everything we have comes from God.

All that we are and all that we have comes from God. Everything is a gift. Nothing is earned, everything is given.

Your life is a gift

Your health is a gift

Your career is a gift

Your intelligence is a gift

Your strength is a gift

Your personality is a gift

Your children are a gift

Your friendships are a gift

Your possessions are a gift

Your accomplishments are a gift

Your wealth is a gift.

You own nothing. Everything you have is on loan from God. He gives it to you for a little while and says, “Take care of it.” We hold on tight because we think it all belongs to us. Sooner or later we’ll understand that it doesn’t belong to us … and it never did. We are like little children holding so tightly to a few borrowed marbles. We grip them in our palm because we’re afraid of losing them. But sooner or later God himself begins to pry the marbles out of our hand. One by one he pulls our fingers off the things we think are ours. We may fight back, but he is stronger and he always wins. In the end he takes back that which belongs to him in the first place.

The Bible warns us over and over about the seductive power of money. First Timothy 6:10 reminds us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The love of money corrupts us in so many ways. It makes us selfish, greedy, and envious. It causes us to forget our friends, trample on our co-workers, neglect our children, and ignore our wives. It seduces us with the promise of happiness, but then delivers nothing at all.

All that we are building here in Mount Zion Boko will one day crumble to the dust. Everything built by man must disappear. Nothing lasts forever. Then why build at all? If we seek immortality through bricks and mortar, we have deceived ourselves. This building project was never about the building, and it was never about the money. That was always secondary to providing ways for us to minister more effectively to the people God sends us. Buildings are ministry tools to allow us to help people meet Jesus and grow in him. All that remains of Solomon’s temple is the record of the love and sacrifice of the people who built it 3,000 years ago. That record will stand for eternity. The same is true for us. God records our faith and our love and our sacrifice. What we build will not last, but God will remember forever what we have done and why we have done it. And so we give gladly and freely to see the church move forward by faith.

When we give generously, we’re saying, “Lord, it’s all yours anyway.”

When we give generously, we’re investing in the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

When we give generously, we are declaring, “There’s a lot more where that came from.”

When we given generously, we’re laying up treasures in heaven.

There is nothing we have given to God except what He has given to us. Romans 11:35 says “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” We need to understand that God is the source, the means, and the goal of all things.

 

 

 

Superficial vs. Spiritual Wisdom 1 Cor 2:12-13

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual."

Paul opens the chapter reminding the church that he first came to them only with the wisdom of God not of man. He determined to be nothing before them except for Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul was reminding the Corinthian church and us today in mount Zion Boko that when we come to Christ we are bound to grow in the basic facts of what God has done and even deeper teachings of God’s word.

This growth is a rigorous process. This wisdom has depth to it. A Christian who is maturing in his or her faith is not coming to church on Friday evening or Sunday, church school, or all the other activities, to be entertained by some clever, eloquent performer who orchestrates your emotions and makes you feel good. It is our responsibility to teach you. It is your responsibility to learn. That is why Paul says, "Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).

Wow, Paul says though I did not come to you with eloquence, we speak wisdom among those who are perfect, among those who are well instructed in christianity, and come to some maturity in the things of God. They don’t only understand the plain history of Christ, and his crucifixion, which is basic doctrine, they also discern deep and admirable designs of the divine wisdom. It is not wordly wisdom but divine wisdom. To those who enjoy the gospel revelation; types are unveiled, mysteries made plain, prophecies interpreted, and the secret counsels of God published and laid open.

Listen to the details:

Point 1: There are two kinds of wisdom.

a) One is "temporal wisdom." It is the wisdom of this age. It is the wisdom of the rulers of this age. It is a wisdom that has limited horizons. It is propelled forward by the spiritual powers of darkness. It has a satanic dimension to it. And it is doomed to pass away.

What would be some examples of this temporal wisdom?

There are many labels we could throw around.

Naturalism tells us that we live in a closed universe of cause and effect. What we experience through our senses is all that there is.

Hedonism declares a universe that has no real meaning, so "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

New Age Mysticism informs us that reality is found within ourselves and, with intense meditation, we will come to a greater awareness of who we are and how to function in relationship to others.

Materialism stimulates our inquisitive nature, promising that wealth and power is the purpose of living. "The one with the most toys wins."

Apostate Christianity belittles the historic biblical doctrines of the faith, yet still claims to be Christian.

There are those who still claim the name Christian but reject the notion of a Creator,  the God who sustains, who breaks into human history in the person of Jesus Christ and who reveals His truth in the Scriptures, which we hold to be "the only infallible rule of faith and practice."

All these worldly wisdom live within time. They don't really explain where we came from, why we are here and where we are going in a way that equips us with quality for the now.

b) The second kind of wisdom is eternal wisdom. This is the hidden wisdom of God. It is His natural and special revelation of himself. This lasts forever and is the ultimate ground of all being in which you and I can stake our very lives. Granted, at times, we distort it and misinterpret His wisdom. When we do so, we need to come under the authority of God's revelation, finding correction of our errors through our endeavor to more fully understand the wisdom that goes beyond our temporal, limited, finite, human rationality.

Point 2: None of the rulers of this age fully understand this.

Sometimes the phrase "rulers of this age" is used to describe evil, supernatural powers thought to control human destiny. It appears that here Paul is referring to human leaders, since, in verse 8, he says that these are the ones who crucified Jesus and since the contrast in this whole passage is between the believer who has the Spirit and the nonbeliever who does not have the Spirit.

Not many of the rulers of this world understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Power does have a way of corrupting. As has been said, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I do know that, when your citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and you bow your head before His sovereignty, there are those rulers of the kingdom of humankind who are threatened by your allegiance to the Lord. They do not understand this. The currency of the kingdom of humankind is a different currency.

Illus: My wife went to Egypt some few months ago and in returning she brought back some of their currency which she did not change. While in Egypt they were useful there but here in our country they are useless. Her plans was to give it to a visiting Doctor who came to the Hospital so that he can return with them. It is their currency and useful there but here it is irrelevant.

The eternal wisdom of the Kingdom of God is viewed as foolishness to the kingdom of this earth. It is currency that is irrelevant. It doesn't make sense. It is puzzling (confusing).

Don't be surprised when some people view you as odd when you are faithful to your Lord.

Point 3: No one can figure the eternal wisdom out on his or her own.

It is impossible to come to this truth of God without God's specific revelation. Paul paraphrases an Old Testament statement when he writes, "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him'-these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

This is the wisdom of the before time, end time and after time. Paul is saying that the most brilliant of persons living in time alone could never come up with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, the most brilliant persons who have ever walked the face of this earth cannot, in a clear and rational way, articulate the notion of before time and after time, much less be able to figure out the strange mysteries of the Creator, Sustainer God, who was before time, will be after all time is over and who functions in His triune nature here within the very midst of time. He is not only the alpha and the omega; he is everything between and that wisdom can only be revealed by His spirit.

Eternal truth is not perceived through the eye. We can see nature. It gives us wonderful pleasure. We enjoy art. Some of our most satisfying sensations come through the eye. We can study science. It is dependent upon observable data. However, when we see nature defaced into that which is ugly and observes science gone crazy in nuclear holocaust or physical disease or in legal transgression, we need healing that goes beyond our gifts of observation.

The moral word is not one of convenience alone. The ear can hear the great music, but there is a music of grace that goes beyond that which triggers the most rapturous of beautiful ecstasy.

The human heart can be filled with enormous piety, compassion and even love, but it cannot ultimately set right that which is wrong.

For all of this, we need God's revelation of himself.

Point 4: God has revealed His wisdom to us by His Spirit.

Tell me about yourself. Tell me your deepest inner thoughts, will you? I doubt that you will. They are secret, aren't they? They are your private thoughts. No one is going to know them, unless you reveal yourself honestly. And no one can make you do that, can they? You can play games, can't you? And you've done some of that. We all reveal facts about ourselves that fake people out. We all know how to do it, don't we? You can show off the knowledgeable or the ignorant you. You can show the wealthy or the poor you. You selectively choose to reveal what you want to reveal. That is your right, to own your own thoughts. No one has the power to rape your inner private self.

I notice this in my counseling ministry. There are layers on one's self that a person reveals. Seldom do they get down to the deepest level in the first interview or two. That is one reason why we advise long-term therapy. There is so much about a person that remains hidden.

Paul makes this human analogy when he writes, "For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11).

You have no opportunity to know who God really is and what He is thinking unless He initiates His self-disclosure to you. He has done it. The result is the wisdom of God that you can only discover through His self-disclosure.

Point 5: You have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit of God.

Paul writes, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

God has given you a tutor. If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior, you have the Holy Spirit in your life. He is the very essence of God himself, who has been given to you by God to impart not human wisdom, but spiritual truth. The Holy Spirit is not going to supernaturally teach me German language, or Chinese without my effort. Nor is the Holy Spirit going to do your physics for you or write your English literature paper or even fill out your annual tax forms. The Holy Spirit will give you wisdom that will help you use your time more wisely and maximize the intellectual gifts that are yours. He will help clear your mind, so that you can study. But the Holy Spirit's primary function is to interpret spiritual truth, so that you can come to Jesus Christ, grow in Jesus Christ, be enabled by Jesus Christ to face temptation, to be gifted in Jesus Christ and used by Jesus Christ in a way that validates your very creation.

Point 6: The unspiritual person does not receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The unspiritual person does not receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit for they are foolishness to him. That person is not able to understand them, because they are "spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Why is this? The unspiritual person lives only in the temporal. The Kingdom of God understandings are moronic or idiotic to him or her. The spiritual person lives with a sensitivity to the eternal.

For example, when I teach from God's Word, if a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior, it will have a tremendous impact on how that person uses their money, sexuality and power; a nonbeliever becomes threatened. An unspiritual person rejects that. They accuse me of going from preaching to interfering in their business. It's their own business what they do with their money, their sex life and their power. They don't realize that every good and perfect gift they have comes from the Lord, and He owns it all, and He can take it back at any moment. They won't let go. It's theirs. They don't understand the joy of liberality, that sees one's self only as a temporary recipient and steward of what God has given. They say concept of tithing is absurd. The fact that one could experience joy in giving himself or herself to the Lord and to others doesn't make any sense. The flip side is that the nonspiritual person doesn't understand why unlimited money, unlimited sex and unlimited power doesn't satisfy them.

I invite you today, if you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior, to open your life to Him; acknowledge your need of His forgiveness, His healing, His wisdom, letting go of that false pride, that arrogance which demands that you have your way as one living in the economy of this world's kingdom. Or if you have received Him but have restricted the Holy Spirit with a blanket of self-interest, elitism, arrogance, pride, doubt, party spirit, admit it for what it is. Repent! Welcome the Lord once again into the very center of your life. And live with the wisdom which comes from the Holy Spirit!

 

The Joy of Giving : Philippians 4:10-20

 

 

Introduction

 

The church in Philippi had taken up an offering to give to Paul, in prison because of his faith. Paul wrote back to the church and expressed his joy (see verse 10). Joy, or its derivative, occurs almost 20 times in this letter.

 

Have you discovered the joy of giving? Perhaps too many of us view giving as an occasion for grief or dread rather than an occasion for joy. In what ways can giving make you a joyful person?

Paul starts by indicating that in the beginning of the gospel no church communicated with him in giving as the church in Philippi (vs 15). Even though what they gave was nothing compared to what they have received from Paul, he was grateful and acknowledged what they did so much. The church in Philippi did not ask what the other churches were doing to Paul but they were keeping the flames of giving and making sure that Paul had his necessities to do ministry. Today many people ask what others have done before they can decide on what to do. That was not the case with these people. Even when others were not giving they kept giving.

Listen to the reasons. Paul says in verse 17“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”. Giving is a fruit of their spiritual growth that is counted on the account of the believers who give not the receiver.

See:

1.      It was but little which they sent. They sent only to his necessity, just such things as he had need of perhaps it was according to their ability, and he did not desire superfluities.

2.      It is an excellent thing to see those to whom God has given the grace abounding in grateful returns to his people and ministers, according to their own ability and their necessity: You sent once and again. Many people make it an excuse for their charity that they have given once why should the charge come upon them again? But the Philippians sent once and again they often relieved and refreshed him in his necessities. He makes this mention of their former kindness, not only out of gratitude, but for their encouragement.

3.      He excuses their neglect of late. It seems, for some time they had not sent to enquire after him, or sent him any assistance but now at the last their care of him flourished again vs 10

 

1. Giving revives our concern (v. 10)

 

The word renewed in verse 10 pictures something that was dead now coming to life. The word sometimes is translated as revived. The word pictures a tree or plant that is barren in the winter, but when spring comes, the tree or plant blossoms with new shoots and flowers. The Philippian Christians had been barren in expressing their concern for Paul, but now, with the gift of money they sent him, they were blossoming anew with concern for Paul's welfare. Are you in a blossom in your giving in church or you are like a dead tree that is still in it’s winter? Even when it’s spring you are still in your winter. There are some people who continue to live in the dry season even when God has brought rainy days in their lives. The church in Philippi realized that they need to change and move. Make an account of your giving, make and account of your tithing and see if you are still in the dry season or the raining days and make a change. 

 

See, Paul makes an excuse for them: Wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. How could they lack opportunity, if they were resolved upon it? Paul was not angry with them and like Paul I want to say you lacked the opportunity to show gratefulness to God and now there is an opportunity to give your tithe, your offering and for thanksgiving and for the completion of this church building. What a wonderful opportunity you have.

As we focus on the needs of others, and give to help meet those needs, we experience joy. Giving revives our concern for people. The Philippian church experienced that.

 

2. Giving teaches us contentment (v. 11)

 

Paul did not want this church to think that his joy rested on whether he had money. Paul had schooled himself to be satisfied with whatever he had. He had joy in his life, not because his purse was full, but because he had learned contentment. The Greek Stoics used the word content to describe self-sufficiency. Paul believed his sufficiency was in Christ (Read Hebrews 13:5). Paul believed that whether you were naked or clothed, hungry or filled, rich or poor, if you had the Lord in your life, you had everything you needed.

 

Our consumer-oriented society pressures us to place too much value on material things, to the point that our joy is based on how much we have. This approach to life results in chronic dissatisfaction. We never seem to have enough.

 

How do you define contentment? Contentment is not trimming down your desires. Contentment means living with a sense of God's adequacy, a conviction that God is adequate for any need we face. Therefore, we can give joyfully, knowing God will supply our needs.

 

Can a Christian really attain joyful contentment, especially in our materialistic world? Yes (Read verse 13). From our union with Jesus comes the strength to learn contentment.

 

3. Giving makes us partners in ministry (v. 14)

 

Paul said about this gift of money sent by the church at Philippi (Read verse 14). The word share is the same word often translated as "fellowship." The word denotes partnership. Each time we give to the Lord's work, we partner with other Christians to help advance the kingdom. That exciting thought puts joy in our hearts.

 

4. Giving pays spiritual dividends (vv. 17-18)

 

Paul made clear he was not looking for monetary gifts for his own benefit. Giving blesses the one who gives more than the one who receives the gift. The phrase "credited to your account" implies that giving to the Lord is like investing in kingdom matters. Kingdom work pays spiritual dividends (bonuses,shares,etc). Paul is like saying; I welcome your kindness, not because it adds to my enjoyments, but because it adds to your account. It is not any design to draw more from you but to encourage you to exercise beneficence that meets with a glorious reward hereafter.

 

Giving from the right motives and for the right reasons becomes in God's sight, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.  (Read v.18). This language from the Old Testament shows that our giving becomes an act of worship and devotion to God. Sacrifices to God fill our hearts with great joy (see Ps. 4:5, 7). It is not a sacrifice of atonement. That is done only by Jesus Christ. But it is a sacrifice of acknowledgement, well-pleasing to God because it was a fruit of their grace (Hebrews 13:16).

 

A study of the giving patterns in churches revealed that

 

Seventy-five percent of the money given to churches comes from 25 percent of the people.

 

Mount Zion Baptist church are giving a little more than 3 percent of their incomes.

 

These figures show just how many people are missing the blessings that result from giving. Some leaders are also missing in churches as far as giving is concerned.

 

5. Giving grows our faith in God (v. 19)

 

Perhaps some of the members of the church at Philippi had given to Paul's ministry but were worried they might not have enough money left to meet their own needs. Paul gave them a great promise to stand upon. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” vs 19

 

Many Christians sit at the kitchen table or at a desk each month with their bills, and they conclude they have no or little money to give to the church. Paying for college tuition, buying new tires for the car, buying food, paying rents and repairing their houses as larger priorities than faithful financial stewardship.

 

Verse 19 encourages us to take the step of faith and to give, trusting God to meet our needs.

God meets our needs personally ("my God").

He meets our needs liberally ("all your needs").

He meets our needs gloriously ("according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus").

Paul says my God not your God. My God who takes what is done to me as what is done to him. You supplied my needs according to your poverty, but he will supply your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. That is grace because you don’t merit either.

Conclusion

 

As we give financially to the Lord's work, we become keepers of the flame. We help spread the gospel message. We meet people's needs. We assist people in growing spiritually. We enable our churches to shine as God's lights in the world. Such privileges fill our hearts with joy. Keep the flame and Shalom!

second message: The Heart and Soul of Christianity

 

Scriptures: Mark 10:35-44; John 13:12-15; Matthew 25:31-46

 

Introduction

 

Last week our brother Clifford preached on the topic “Giving: The heart and soul of Christianity”. Today we will be looking and the second sermon on the same topic. You can understand why giving is the heart and soul of our faith. If we are not giving then we are like dead Christians and when you are dead you don’t exist. Those who have not learned generosity are just church goers, they don’t yet understand true Christianity. If giving is the heart of Christianity; then stop giving and Christianity will die. We saw that Giving begins with a cause

Giving entails a sacrifice

Giving leads to life

Giving produces joy

Now we just read about the request of James and John. They mad a very boundless request to their master (to do to them whatever they will desire) rather than asking him to do to them as he deems fit (Eph 3:20).

Worldly honour is so glittering that the disciples of Christ have also been dazzled (amazed) with it. Whereas to be good should be more our care than to look great, or to have the pre-eminence. The disciples became angry with James and John not because they affected precedency, but because they had the same ambitions. Jesus took this opportunity to teach them the heart of Christianity. Jesus showed them that;

1.    Dominion was generally abused in the world mark 10:42

2.    That it ought not to be accepted into the church and Christianity. It shall not be so among you…

Illus: The late Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, was visiting Taiwan on one of his overseas trips. During the visit he hiked with a Taiwanese pastor back into one of the mountain villages to meet with some of the national Christians. The roads and trails were wet, and their shoes became muddy. Later, someone asked this Taiwanese pastor what he remembered most about Dawson Trotman. Without hesitation the man replied, "He cleaned my shoes."

 

How surprised this humble national pastor must have been to arise the next morning and realize that the Christian leader from America had arisen before him and cleaned the mud from his shoes. Such a spirit of servanthood marked Dawson Trotman throughout his Christian life. He died as he lived, giving his life to rescue someone else from drowning.

 

Service, in the vocabulary of the world, is often synonymous with duty, a necessary activity. And to many in our hypersensitive society the label "servant" is offensive. To them it would mean belonging to a lower class of people. They would think it demeaned their status in life, marked them as "common people." Consequently, it was to be avoided at all costs.

 

I. Jesus taught service

 

Not so with Jesus. Jesus Christ, the King of kings, came to serve. Serving others is giving; you are giving yourself, giving your time, giving your money, giving your energy, giving your talent, giving…giving. That is servanthood.  For Jesus, service was not a peripheral issue, not just a florescent sign splashing half -truth in a window of self-indulgence. When it came to service, he meant business. Because it is the heart of His ministry. Know that giving is the heart and soul of Christianity. It was near the end of Jesus' ministry. He and the twelve disciples were on the wandering journey to Jerusalem that would end in a few days with Jesus' Crucifixion. On the roadside, James and John came up to Jesus with a private, surreptitious (clandestine) request (Mark 10:35- 37).

What they wanted was rather clear. They knew many people were saying that Jesus was the Messiah who, like David, would be a great military commander and would drive out Israel's enemies (the Romans), and restore Israel to greatness. They suspected that, at Jerusalem, Jesus would start the revolution, stir up the thousands of pilgrims, and begin the war. They expected Jesus to win, and they wanted to have the two chief positions in His new government after the Romans were driven out. They wanted to be the secretary of state and secretary of defense in Jesus' new cabinet. Today we have men and women like that, we don’t care about ministry but what we care about is our position. Will I be deacon or leader in that ministry? Will I be this or that? We don’t look at the big picture.

 

Jesus seems to have been disappointed and frustrated with them. "You don't know what you're asking," He said. He was referring to the fact that His close associates likely would die the same kind of death He would face in a few days. But they didn't understand what He meant. Jesus said, "But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared" (Mark 10:40, NIV).

When the other ten disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were furious, maybe because the brothers had beaten them to it! So the twelve disciples, having been with Jesus three years, near the end in Jerusalem, were arguing over who was the greatest. Jesus called them and spoke (Mark 10:42-44, NIV). "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them - Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

 

 Do you want to be great in God’s house? You must be servant; that kind of servant who get’s up on Sunday morning and the priority is to be in God’s house, That kind of servant who will be there at the first hour to clean the benches and to pray, that servant who wants to prepare the atmosphere for others to come and get an encounter with God. Not that kind who comes when he or she wants and at the time they want but at God’s appointed time. The paradigm has changed! The disciples must have felt as if they had been slapped in the face. Some must have looked at Jesus as if He were the one who didn't get it. What were James and John thinking?

 

Without doubt, it was one of Jesus' most radical statements. It was revolutionary because it turned the values and advice of the world completely upside down. The world measures greatness in terms of size, power, and authority; in the Kingdom of God, greatness is measured in terms of service. Though we value power and prestige, God values the heart of a servant.

 

II. Jesus modeled service

 

As though His statement about radical serving was not enough, the night before He was crucified Jesus modeled, once again, servanthood. It was Thursday night of Passover Week. Later that night He would be arrested and begin the dizzying round of trials before the Jewish high court, Caiphas, Annas, Herod, and Pilate. Before sundown the next day, He would be dead.

 

He knew that the time of His death had come. That made the celebration of the Passover Meal with His disciples all the more touching. It would be their last meal together, the last real time to talk with them and teach them. We call this meal on Thursday night the Last Supper.

 

During the meal, as the twelve disciples lounged on cushions around the low table, Jesus stood up, took off his cloak, and tied up his long gown with a towel. He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and dry them with the towel. When He came to the impetuous (impulsive) Simon Peter, the disciple at first refused to let Jesus wash his feet. But then he relented. Slowly, around the table Jesus went, until He had washed all their feet. The place must have been silent; the disciples had never seen Jesus do this.

 

When he finished, He put His cloak back on and sat down at His place. He told them He had set an example that they should do as He had done for them (John 13:12-15).

 

What did Jesus mean that they should do as He had done? Some groups take His words at face value and periodically have foot-washing services. But these people know that there was much more to Jesus' words than an order simply to mimic His action. And the disciples would have seen clearly what He meant. He had acted out for them a basic truth of Christianity. The job of washing feet is a filthy job. People didn't bathe very often and they wore no shoes, or only sandals. People's feet were dirty and smelly, and it was a demeaning job to have to wash them. In fact, the job was usually dumped on the lowliest servant in the household. Washing feet was a lowly act of service to one's betters. And that is what Jesus was acting out to His disciples. He voluntarily took the lowly position, the position of lowest status and prestige. He put aside His due rank and privilege and became the lowly one. He

would complete the lesson the next day when He submitted and died on the cross to redeem humanity. He, the mighty God in human flesh, allowing His opponents to kill Him, in order to buy our forgiveness. He took the lowly place. And as He washed their feet, He drove home the point He had made a few days before on the road to Jerusalem as the disciples argued over who was the greatest: greatness in the kingdom of God is marked by being a servant.

 

III. Jesus judges service

 

Jesus taught about service, He modeled service, and He said that the basis of judgment will be whether we have been servants or not. One of the most disturbing passages in the New Testament is Matthew 25:31-46. It is Jesus' description of the final judgment, sometimes called the "Sheep and Goat Judgment." Jesus said that when He returns in glory in the Second Coming, He will sit on His throne and pass judgment on the people of the earth. He will divide like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. This is a disturbing passage theologically because Jesus said that the basis of the judgment will be whether we have been servants, whether we have helped the needy. We don't like to hear this, because we think our actions or works have nothing to do with our salvation. And other parts of Scripture make it clear that they don't. So, what is Jesus saying here? Could it be that

those with real faith, those who truly know God and will go to heaven, will see servanthood develop in their lives? Can He be saying that those who believe will be servants? What good is it to say that we believe in Christ but have no evidence in our lives to prove it? If we have faith, it will show in how we live. Good works don't save us; they prove that we are saved.

 

But Jesus' words about judgment disturb us for a more personal reason - that many aren't comfortable being servants. We would rather hear that the evidence of real, saving faith is that we go to a lot of church meetings, because we can do that. Or that one is intellectually convinced that Christianity is true, because we are convinced of it. We don't want to hear about service, because we don't always choose to serve.

 

After a surgery performed by an American missionary doctor, perspiration ran on the doctor's forehead; his eyes were glassy, his lips almost purple from unrelenting strain. His hands began to tremble with fatigue. "How much would you have gotten for this operation in the States?" the physician was asked. "Quite a lot," said the physician, "it was a complicated procedure."

 

"How much will you get for this here?" The doctor looked at the poor Korean woman who had come to him with only a coin in her hand. She had asked for help in the name of Christ. Tears welled up in the doctor's eyes, and with choking voice he said, "Well, for this I will get nothing but her gratitude and my Master's smile. But that, sir, is worth more than all the plaudits and money the world can give."

 

The distinction that will then be made between the precious and the vile He shall separate them one from another, as the tares and wheat are separated at the harvest, the good fish and the bad at the shore, the corn and chaff in the floor. Wicked and godly here dwell together in the same kingdoms, cities, churches, families, and are not certainly distinguishable one from another such are the infirmities of saints, such the hypocrisies of sinners, and one event to both: but in that day they will be separated, and parted for ever Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, Malachi 3:18. They cannot separate themselves one from another in this world (1 Corinthians 5:10), nor can any one else separate them (Matthew 13:29) but the Lord knows them that are his, and he can separate them. This separation will be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saints shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in the crowd of saints (Psalms 1:5), but every one shall go to his own place. This is compared to a shepherd's dividing between the sheep and the goats it is taken from Ezekiel 34:17, Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle. Note, 1. Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd he now feeds his flock like a shepherd, and will shortly distinguish between those that are his, and those that are not, as Laban divided his sheep from Jacob's, and set three days' journey between them, Genesis 30:35,36. 2. The godly are like sheep--innocent, mild, patient, useful: the wicked are like goats, a baser kind of animal, unsavoury and unruly. The sheep and goats are here feeding all day in the same pasture, but will be coted at night in different folds. Being thus divided, he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left, Matthew 25:33. Christ puts honour upon the godly, as we show respect to those we set on our right hand but the wicked shall rise to everlasting shame, Daniel 12:2. It is not said that he shall put the rich on his right hand, and the poor on his left the learned and noble on his right hand, and unlearned and despised on his left but the godly on his right hand, and the wicked on his left. All other divisions and subdivisions will then be abolished but the great distinction of men into saints and sinners, sanctified and unsanctified, will remain for ever, and men's eternal state will be determined by it. The wicked took up with left-handed blessings, riches and honour, and so shall their doom be.