Living the Christian life involves approaching God through prayer, praise and worship. On this site, we can find different ways people have and can enter into his presence.
Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.
James 1:9-15
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
The Source of Temptation
I’ve never been a captive to sweets. I think I could probably live my entire life and never eat another candy bar. But put a bag of Cheetos in front of me or maybe a jar of peanuts, man, I can do a lot of damage. And even though it’s really easy for me to go to a Mall and never buy a thing, if I opened up Ebay on my phone right now, I can guarantee that not only will I put in a bid on something I don’t need, I’ll up the bid until the auction is over and I win. These are a couple of things I know about myself. And even though I’d love to blame salty snacks and online auctions for these issues, I’m aware that the actual source of the temptation is found within me. You see, it’s all on the inside, and for that reason, I can only resist when I rein myself in.
But isn’t that what James said about all temptations? I mean, even though we might we want to say that we’re being tested by God or that the Devil made me do it, a desire to sacrifice our faith and our integrity for the sake of something else, that comes from our interior. And it’s those inner drives that move us to grab the very things that Jesus resisted when he was going toe-to-toe with the devil in the wilderness: to put personal wants above human need and to push the limits of God’s love and to bend our knees to devilish values for the sake of earthly power. Our willingness to compromise what we know God was called and equipped us to be is the source of temptation. And for that reason, we can only keep it under control by recognizing it, choosing to resist it and making ourselves accountable when we fail.
Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.
Luke 9:18-27
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God."
He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Consequences
In a few weeks, Americans will be selecting a president, but that’s 19 days away. Right now, both President Trump and Vice President Biden are trying to make the case for why we should vote for them. Sadly, I think there have been far too many attacks, at least when compared to any positive reasons to support either one. Of course, in spite of this, there have still been promises made, each of which, if implemented, will have certain consequences. For example, earlier today, I heard that the President wants to cut the corporate tax rate to 20%. Now it’s important to note that the rate was cut from 35% to 21% in 2017. And so what are the consequences of additional 1%? Well, on one hand, the President hopes that this cut will spur businesses to expand and reduce unemployment. On the other hand, right now, the national debt is almost $27 trillion dollars, and another cut in tax revenue will only increase that number. You see, statements carry consequences.
And that certainly includes statements of faith. There are consequences to saying that Jesus Christ is Lord. And that’s something that’s pretty clear in the passage we read. You see, I don’t think it’s an accident that right after Peter makes his declaration, Jesus immediate starts talking about his own suffering but also the consequences of making that kind of confession: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” In other words, anyone who expects their lives to get easier after recognizing that Jesus is Lord just hasn’t read the book. You see, on one hand, life will become more challenging for those who live the faith they claim. But on the other hand, those same folks who willingly sacrifice so much, they’ll have the knowledge that when the Son of Man returns, they’ll hear their Lord say, “Welcome, good and faithful servant.” And even though the downside is self-denial and service, that’s one consequence that gives me a lot of hope and peace.
Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.
Luke 7:18-35
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" When the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?'" Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John's baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves.)
"To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
Lucky Us
Sometime I imagine how it might have actually been back in the day, you know, following Jesus Christ in the flesh. I mean, just think of it, being right there as Jesus performed his miracles and taught his parables. And to be able just to soak it all in and then to ask questions, now tell me that wouldn’t have been sweet. I can’t imagine a greater blessing than to have been able to sit at the feet of the Son of God and listen.
And I guess that’s why I find what he said in this passage so jarring. When describing John the Baptist, Jesus said, “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John...” Of course, with this I concur. And if Jesus had stopped right here and then went on to slam the Pharisees, I’d have been fine. But right after affirming John, Jesus said, “... yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” In other words, people like you and me are greater than John, which I frankly find both mind-blowing and confusing.
But you know, if we pause and think, maybe Jesus hit the nail on the head. I mean, even though John was great, he still struggled with faith. That’s why he sent his disciples to find out whether Jesus was the one or if they should wait for another. And I think the reason he did that was clear and simple; we have something that John lacked, and I’m talking about the Holy Spirit. And as to the miracles and teachings, we have an entire book dedicated to the one we worship, one that we can read and reread anytime we want. And this was something else neither John nor the disciples had. And so, I guess when it comes to following Jesus, lucky us.
Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Ohio on Sunday, September 13, 2020.
Matthew 18:21-35, Contemporary English Version
Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?”
Jesus answered:
Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like:
One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. But he didn’t have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.
The official got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!” The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.
As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, “Pay me what you owe!”
The man got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you back.” But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.
When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. The king called the first official back in and said, “You’re an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. Don’t you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?” The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don’t forgive each of my followers with all your heart.
Forgive It Forward
Have y’all ever heard of the idea of “pay it forward”? Well, if you haven’t, this is what it’s all about. Suppose I give you something that you need. Well, instead of me looking for you to return that gift to me, when you’re able, I want you to take what you have and to help someone else. In other words, instead of paying me back, I’d like you to pay it forward. And I’ll tell you, I know that idea well, because it was something we tried to follow when I was over at Cove. You see, being a downtown church, we’d get lot of folks who had some very definite needs. And although what we could offer was really limited, we tried to help as many as we could. And every now-and-then, someone would talk about paying us back in some way. But when those situations came up, we’d ask them to take whatever they planned to give us and to use it to help someone else. Now whether they did it or not was up to them, but as far as we were concerned, we wanted them to pay it forward.
And you know, that’s kind of what we’re going to talk about this morning, but instead of looking at a general principle and some vague, non-specific stuff, we’re going to focus on forgiveness and how we can pass the forgiveness we’ve received from God on to others. And I hope we all recognize that this is something pretty important for us to do. Good night nurse, just think about the passage we read. I mean, right after Jesus explained to his disciples why and how they should resolve conflicts within the church, something we talked about last week, this happened: Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?” Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!" [Matthew 18:21-22, CEV] Now given the number of times Debbie has had to do this very thing with me, for her, the number may not seem all that big, but 77 times, man, that’s a lot of forgiveness in my book. Let’s just say that forgiving others is a big deal, at least it was for Jesus.
And for that reason, we’re going spend the next ten minutes or so talking about how we can do it. And we’re going to use the parable Jesus offered right after he gave this command to sort of guide us. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’re going to find two really clear steps that we can follow, if we’re serious about being the kind of people Christ has called us to be. In other words, by following these two steps, I believe this is exactly how we can forgive it forward.
And in my opinion, it all begins with acceptance. In other words, we need to accept, and I mean really accept, that we’ve already been forgiven by God. Now, for me, this is step number one. And that’s certainly the point of the first half of the parable. Now remember, this what Jesus said:
One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. But he didn’t have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.
The official got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!” The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money. [Matthew 18:23b-27, CEV]
Now that’s what happened. And as they used to say on Dragnet, let’s look at just the facts. A guy owed his boss, the king, a debt that he couldn’t repay in a million years. He bagged for mercy. And not only did the king show him pity, he also forgave the debt.
And I’ll tell you, this is this kind of forgiveness that we’ve received ourselves. In other words, we’ve been forgiven big time. But to appreciate just how big it is, I think it’s important to recognize exactly who we are. You see, we’re men and women who, in spite of our best efforts, just seem to come up a little short, at least as it relates to God. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” [Romans 3:23, CEV] And a little bit later in the same letter, he wrote this about himself: I know that my selfish desires won’t let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. And so, if I don’t do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? [Romans 7:18-24, CEV]
Now whether we like it or not (and frankly I don’t), that’s who we are, and because of that, just like the guy in the parable, we desperately need forgiveness, don’t we?
And brothers and sisters, that’s exactly what God has done; he’s forgiven us. I mean, even though we don’t deserve it, our sins were nailed to the cross, and we were given a glimpse of the future when the tomb was found to be empty. I’m telling you, with all our warts and weaknesses, God accepts you and he accepts me. And you know, that’s why, after saying that we all fall short, Paul wrote, “But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” [Romans 3:24, CEV] And that’s also why, right after asking “who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die?”, he wrote, “Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.” [Romans 7:25, CEV] Now this is what God has already done. And I’m telling you, if we want to be more forgiving, I think we need to accept that, in spite of ourselves, we’ve been forgiven. And for me, that’s the first step.
And step number two, after accepting that we’ve been forgiven, I believe we need to decide that we’re going to forgive others, particularly those who’ve offended us. And of course, in the parable, that’s where the steward dropped the ball. Remember, after being forgiven a debt there was no way he could repay, this happened:
As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, “Pay me what you owe!” The man got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you back.” Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed. [Matthew 18:28-29, CEV]
You see, even though he’d been forgiven and he knew it, he decided not to pass that forgiveness forward to someone else. And, according to the rest of the parable, the consequences of that decision were pretty harsh.
And you know, I think that’s something we need to remember, but I’m not talking so much about the consequences. You see, I believe, just like it is with faith, forgiveness is always a decision. In other words, it’s an act of the mind and the will, something that, again, Paul understood when he wrote to the Colossians, “God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.” [Colossians 3:12-13, CEV] Put another way, we’re not going to forgive anyone unless we decide to do it.
And even though, I guess I could use what happens at the end of the parable to scare you into being more forgiving, frankly, I really don’t think that would be very helpful. You see, the person Jesus described was an earthly king and not our heavenly father. And when push comes to shove, I don’t believe that God is going to withdraw his forgiveness of us when we choose not to forgive others. And I’ll tell you, since forgiveness is like a gift, any gift that comes from fear isn’t really a gift at all. It’s sort of like deciding to give your wife something for your anniversary, because she’ll make your life miserable if you don’t. We shouldn’t forgive others or turn the other cheek or walk the second mile or love our neighbors as ourselves, because we’re afraid God will send us to Hell if we don’t. If that’s the reason, even if we’re willing to forgive 77 times, we’ll stop when we hit 78, won’t we? Fear shouldn’t be our motivation. And I’ll tell you something else, we shouldn’t forgive only when we think the other guy has done something to deserve it. My gosh, if that’s reason, I think we’ll be grabbing plenty of debtors by the throat, because in most situations, it won’t take us long to decide that they just haven’t done enough, right; or so we think. No, our decision to forgive can’t be based on our fear or earned by their effort. Instead, for us, I think it must be motivated by gratitude and a desire to demonstrate to God that we really appreciate what he’s already shown to us. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s why Paul wrote this to the Ephesians: “Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.” [Ephesians 4:31-32, CEV] You see, if the first step in offering forgiveness is to accept that we’ve been forgiven, the second step is deciding to be forgiving ourselves.
And that’s exactly how we can forgive it forward. You see, according to the parable we just read, it starts when we accept that in spite of who we are and what we’ve done, God has already forgiven us. And that acceptance can lead us to make the decision to forgive others. Step one and step two. Of course, this acceptance and this decision means absolutely nothing, if we don’t put that decision into action. But let’s leave that for another sermon.
Below is the service I led at Cove Presbyterian Church on January 22, 2017. During the winter of 2017, I preached a series of sermons entitled "Spiritual Growth for Short People." As it relates to spiritual growth, have you ever felt “height challenged”? If you’ve ever felt somewhat short in the spirituality department, this sermon series is for you. For six Sundays, we discussed how we might grow in our faith and in our relationship with God. Specifically, we cover the following growth-related topics: ✙ Recognizing Our Limits
✙ Trusting the Lord
✙ Loving One Another
✙ Making an Impact
✙ Sharing the Message
✙ Bringing in the Harvest As with all our services, worship is intended to be a free expression of our love for God and the joy we feel when we accept that love. Of course, there are many ways for us to express that love and joy. So that we can experience a greater sense of freedom and flexibility in our praise, the session decided to move away from a rigid order of worship, with the different elements printed in a very formal way, and to utilize the screen and the worship leader to guide us through the service. Below you’ll find some material that you may need to participate fully in our praise and reverence for God. We started the service with the announcements. As the Bible entered, we sang "This is the Day that the Lord Has Made.”
Instrumental and vocal music are important to our worship. Songs give us the chance to praise God and to help focus our attention on the theme of the service. During the service, we have the opportunity to sing songs that reflect different musical styles. Since God has called into his church as individuals with a variety of tastes, this offers us the chance to display our sensitivity for our fellow worshipers and to grow in our knowledge of how we might praise God. Our first two songs were “My Wondrous Lord” and “Have Thine Own Way, Lord!.” Our prayers represent our communication with God. Of course, as Paul wrote, the Holy Spirit “...intercedes for us with groans too deep for words”; therefore, God already knows our needs. Still it’s important that we put them into words, as well as the regret we feel for our sins and our thanks for all God has done for us.
During the Our Congregational Prayer, we confessed our sins and hear the assurance that we're forgiven. We also lifted our concerns and needs to God. We closed this prayer with The Lord’s Prayer. As we collected the offering, the choir sang “In Remembrance.”
God’s word is at the core of the worship service. It’s often reflected in the songs we sing and the prayers we pray. But it’s most clearly present when we read a passage from the Bible, and it’s applied to our daily living in the sermon.
This morning, we looked at Hebrews 11:1-3:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
And the title of the sermon is “Spiritual Growth for Short People: Trusting the Lord,” and we’ll consider the second step if we want to grow in our relationship and our understanding of God.
During the service, we celebrated communion. When we gather around the Lord’s table, we believe that even though Christ's body and blood are not physically present in the bread and the juice, he’s with us in a special spiritual way. Jesus is the host of this meal and when we share the communion, we can experience his presence in a special way. For that reason, the elements are spiritual nourishment in Christ by faith. In fact, when the community as the Body of Christ gathers around table and celebrates the Lord's Supper, it’s “transformed” into the Body of Christ, or “reformed” into the Body of Christ each time it participates in this sacrament. We began this celebration by receiving the invitation to gather around the table. And then we prayed together, thanking God for giving us this opportunity to share in his presence. After hearing the meaning of the sacrament, ruling elders brought to the congregation the bread and the cup, that we held until everyone is served. And then, as the Body of Christ, we ate and then drank together. At the end of the celebration, we again prayed, asking the Lord to help us take the meaning of communion out into the world.
Our service ended with the postlude, “A Trumpet Tune.”
