(part 1)
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I ward you as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature- with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:19-25
As believers, there is a conflict that is happening within us between- “what the sinful nature desires” and “what the Spirit of God desires.” Galatians 5 gives us a vivid description of these “works of the flesh”…these attitudes and behaviors that cater to the desires of the sinful nature. Paul warns that this type of living- living to indulge the sinful nature- has eternal consequences:
“I warn you as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:21
As I meditated on this passage of Scripture, I was forced to stop and consider: “How do we, as believers, manage this conflict within us between the flesh and the Spirit? How do we respond when we are tempted? How do we react in times of trouble?”
God’s answer is found in Galatians 5:22-23:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.”
The fruit of the Spirit is God’s response to the sinful nature. The fruit of the Spirit, do not simply reflect the character of God, but they are “responses.” Responses that gratify the Spirit of God! Just as the “works of the flesh” gratify the desire of the sinful nature, the fruit of the Spirit gratify the heart of God.
Galatians 5:24 says that: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passion and desires. Since we live by the Spirit let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Keeping in step with the Spirit is about managing conflict by consistently responding with the fruit of the Spirit. When we respond to temptation or trial by gratifying the flesh we get out of step with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, after we have indulged the sinful nature and found ourselves out of step with God…we have somehow wrongly determined that “asking forgiveness” puts us back in step.
Notice from Galatians 5:22-23 that “asking forgiveness” is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Too many people suppose that asking forgiveness when they choose to indulge the sinful nature is as good as exercising the fruit of self-control from the start. When faced with temptations, they reason that the difficulty or their unwillingness to “exercise self-control” will be adequately covered by God’s Grace.
We have confused what it means to “ask forgiveness” with true repentance. Asking forgiveness simply acknowledges our remorse for having participated in the acts of the sinful nature. We are asking God to extend His mercy towards us. It calls for action on God’s part, but none on our own.
Repentance, however, calls for action on our part…to flee, forsake, and turn away from the fruitless deeds of darkness. Repentance brings us back in step with the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
“The True Christmas Spirit”
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.”
Ephesians 4:17-21
This may seem like an unlikely Christmas passage, but ultimately it is a reflection of what the true Christmas Spirit is all about. As Mary sat holding Jesus, the day after He was born, I wonder if she knew how things were about to change! Her and Joseph’s life, of course, was changing. Just ask anyone with kids. Introducing a child into your family dynamic changes things…more work, less sleep, amazing joy!
But did she realize that with His birth, the way that man approached God was about to change…how we think, the way we live, our relationships with one another?
The coming of Christ that day changed things! Mary and Joseph were changed! The shepherds were changed! The Magi were changed! In essence, it is the purest example of the Christmas Spirit. Being in the Christmas Spirit is not about wearing festive clothes, hanging lights, putting up a tree or giving gifts. The Christmas Spirit is about “living a changed life in light of His coming.”
It is a telling thing really. How many of you “the day after Christmas” feel enriched, alive and full of hope? How many of you feel depleted, drained or at best unchanged? Luke 2:8-16 tells us how the shepherds came to know of Jesus’ birth. Upon hearing the news, they traveled to Bethlehem to “see this thing the Lord had told them about”:
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.”
Luke 2:16-18
Scripture tells us that they returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen! They didn’t go home, take down their tree, put away their decorations and go back to business as usual! They came back enriched, alive and full of hope. For most folks, Christmas is over on December 25th. Most of you probably already have your trees down and your decorations put away, but that first Christmas…things were just getting started! People’s lives were being changed.
Matthew 2 tells the story of the three wise men. Matthew 2:1-2 reveals how they reacted to the birth of Christ:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
These wise men, from the east, were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. With great expectation, they watched the skies, night after night, waiting for the sign of His coming. Upon seeing the star, they did not simply, congratulate one another and go back to their day jobs. These men, changed by the light of His coming, traveled hundreds of miles, leaving comfort behind, to go and worship:
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11
I’m here to tell you that the 1st Christmas season did not start with a Black Friday sale and end with His birth! The Christmas season started with His Birth! It took the Magi two years to get there and two years to get home! Their whole lives changed course “in light of His coming”! That is the real Christmas Spirit!
That is what Paul was saying to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 4:22-24:
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Living a changed life is the purest expression of the Christmas Spirit! Are you in the Christmas Spirit?
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Ephesians 4:17-21
This may seem like an unlikely Christmas passage, but ultimately it is a reflection of what the true Christmas Spirit is all about. As Mary sat holding Jesus, the day after He was born, I wonder if she knew how things were about to change! Her and Joseph’s life, of course, was changing. Just ask anyone with kids. Introducing a child into your family dynamic changes things…more work, less sleep, amazing joy!
But did she realize that with His birth, the way that man approached God was about to change…how we think, the way we live, our relationships with one another?
The coming of Christ that day changed things! Mary and Joseph were changed! The shepherds were changed! The Magi were changed! In essence, it is the purest example of the Christmas Spirit. Being in the Christmas Spirit is not about wearing festive clothes, hanging lights, putting up a tree or giving gifts. The Christmas Spirit is about “living a changed life in light of His coming.”
It is a telling thing really. How many of you “the day after Christmas” feel enriched, alive and full of hope? How many of you feel depleted, drained or at best unchanged? Luke 2:8-16 tells us how the shepherds came to know of Jesus’ birth. Upon hearing the news, they traveled to Bethlehem to “see this thing the Lord had told them about”:
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.”
Luke 2:16-18
Scripture tells us that they returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen! They didn’t go home, take down their tree, put away their decorations and go back to business as usual! They came back enriched, alive and full of hope. For most folks, Christmas is over on December 25th. Most of you probably already have your trees down and your decorations put away, but that first Christmas…things were just getting started! People’s lives were being changed.
Matthew 2 tells the story of the three wise men. Matthew 2:1-2 reveals how they reacted to the birth of Christ:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
These wise men, from the east, were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. With great expectation, they watched the skies, night after night, waiting for the sign of His coming. Upon seeing the star, they did not simply, congratulate one another and go back to their day jobs. These men, changed by the light of His coming, traveled hundreds of miles, leaving comfort behind, to go and worship:
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11
I’m here to tell you that the 1st Christmas season did not start with a Black Friday sale and end with His birth! The Christmas season started with His Birth! It took the Magi two years to get there and two years to get home! Their whole lives changed course “in light of His coming”! That is the real Christmas Spirit!
That is what Paul was saying to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 4:22-24:
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Living a changed life is the purest expression of the Christmas Spirit! Are you in the Christmas Spirit?
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Thursday, December 9, 2010
“Making Communion Personal”
(part 2 of 2)
“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
John 6:53-56
On hearing this, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Turning to the Twelve he asked them, “Do you, too, want to leave?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.”
As I meditated on this passage I was struck by this thought: “How you respond to the blood and body of Jesus Christ determines your eternal future.” As I read the context of this event I found three responses to the blood of Christ that are revealed to us between the Passover and the Crucifixion. The difficulty of Christ’s teaching was centered around “What YOU do with the blood and body of Christ when it is before YOU.”
Do you receive it by faith as did the Twelve. Jesus closest disciples determined at the Passover to receive it by faith. They recognized Him as the Holy One of God and put their trust in Him. However, not everyone was willing to do so.
After the Passover meal Jesus went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It is there He is arrested and eventually brought before Pilate the governor. Pilate questions Jesus, but finds nothing by which to charge Him. Pilate’s wife, after being troubled in a dream, pleads with Pilate to release Him. However, because of the uproar being created by the crowd Pilate determines to wash his hands of the situation. It was the custom for the governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. He puts Jesus and a criminal by the name of Barabbas before them. He then asks them to choose. They choose Barabbas. When asked what to do with Jesus, they reply “Crucify him!”
“When Pilate saw that he we getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hand in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
Matthew 27:24
Like many people today, Pilate attempted to wash his hands of the responsibility of Christ’s blood. By his actions, he made a decision. A decision with eternal consequences. For Jesus said, ““I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
By ignoring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we make an eternal decision to remain separated from the life of God.
The third response to his blood is found in Matthew 27:25:
“All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
This is just blatant rejection of Jesus Christ. They did not ignore Him, but rather they willfully rejected and vocally opposed Him. They were not trying to wash their hands of it, but rather dip their hands in it!
How then will you respond to the blood and body of Christ? Jesus presented Himself on the cross 2,000 years ago. It is now personal! YOU must decide how you will receive Him. Will you receive Him by faith as the Holy One of God? Will you refuse to take responsibility? Or will you blatantly reject Him? Your eternal future rests on your decision!
“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
John 6:53-56
On hearing this, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Turning to the Twelve he asked them, “Do you, too, want to leave?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.”
As I meditated on this passage I was struck by this thought: “How you respond to the blood and body of Jesus Christ determines your eternal future.” As I read the context of this event I found three responses to the blood of Christ that are revealed to us between the Passover and the Crucifixion. The difficulty of Christ’s teaching was centered around “What YOU do with the blood and body of Christ when it is before YOU.”
Do you receive it by faith as did the Twelve. Jesus closest disciples determined at the Passover to receive it by faith. They recognized Him as the Holy One of God and put their trust in Him. However, not everyone was willing to do so.
After the Passover meal Jesus went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It is there He is arrested and eventually brought before Pilate the governor. Pilate questions Jesus, but finds nothing by which to charge Him. Pilate’s wife, after being troubled in a dream, pleads with Pilate to release Him. However, because of the uproar being created by the crowd Pilate determines to wash his hands of the situation. It was the custom for the governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. He puts Jesus and a criminal by the name of Barabbas before them. He then asks them to choose. They choose Barabbas. When asked what to do with Jesus, they reply “Crucify him!”
“When Pilate saw that he we getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hand in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
Matthew 27:24
Like many people today, Pilate attempted to wash his hands of the responsibility of Christ’s blood. By his actions, he made a decision. A decision with eternal consequences. For Jesus said, ““I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
By ignoring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we make an eternal decision to remain separated from the life of God.
The third response to his blood is found in Matthew 27:25:
“All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
This is just blatant rejection of Jesus Christ. They did not ignore Him, but rather they willfully rejected and vocally opposed Him. They were not trying to wash their hands of it, but rather dip their hands in it!
How then will you respond to the blood and body of Christ? Jesus presented Himself on the cross 2,000 years ago. It is now personal! YOU must decide how you will receive Him. Will you receive Him by faith as the Holy One of God? Will you refuse to take responsibility? Or will you blatantly reject Him? Your eternal future rests on your decision!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
“Making Communion Personal”
Part 1
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
Matthew 26:25-29
What does communion mean to you? In all the times you have participated in the Lord’s table have you ever made a “personal connection” with Christ, or have you simply been going through the exercise of receiving the elements. The more I read about it, the more I am convinced, that communion was never intended to be formalized, but rather personalized. Not personalized in that it is changed to fit each individuals needs, but rather “made personal” by the people receiving it.
Communion was personal to Christ. As He took the bread He said… “Take and eat; this MY body.” When He lifted up the cup he said… “Drink from it, all of you. This is MY blood of the new covenant.” Jesus was painfully aware of what He was about to face. Later, that very evening, He would anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane praying… “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:44 tells us that he would pray so earnestly that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Communion was more to Jesus than a tiny piece of broken bread and a little cup of juice.
Do you take it personal? Taking it “personal” is more than just understanding that the bread represents Christ’s body and the fruit of the vine represents His blood. In John 6 the people who were following Jesus asked him:
“What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
John 6:30-31
What I found interesting was that these people had never seen manna, tasted manna, or experienced it. They knew what had been written about it, but by their own admission it wasn’t a personal experience for them… “Our FOREFATHERS ate the manna.” “He gave THEM bread from heaven.” They wanted Jesus to do something similar for them. Jesus responded to them by saying:
“I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:32-33
They cried out to him saying… “From now on give us this bread.” What Jesus would say next would challenge them to the very core of their beliefs:
“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up a the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”
John 6:53-58
On hearing this, many of Christ’s followers said: “This is hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and from that time on many of them turned back and no longer followed Him. It had become too personal for them!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
Matthew 26:25-29
What does communion mean to you? In all the times you have participated in the Lord’s table have you ever made a “personal connection” with Christ, or have you simply been going through the exercise of receiving the elements. The more I read about it, the more I am convinced, that communion was never intended to be formalized, but rather personalized. Not personalized in that it is changed to fit each individuals needs, but rather “made personal” by the people receiving it.
Communion was personal to Christ. As He took the bread He said… “Take and eat; this MY body.” When He lifted up the cup he said… “Drink from it, all of you. This is MY blood of the new covenant.” Jesus was painfully aware of what He was about to face. Later, that very evening, He would anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane praying… “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:44 tells us that he would pray so earnestly that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Communion was more to Jesus than a tiny piece of broken bread and a little cup of juice.
Do you take it personal? Taking it “personal” is more than just understanding that the bread represents Christ’s body and the fruit of the vine represents His blood. In John 6 the people who were following Jesus asked him:
“What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
John 6:30-31
What I found interesting was that these people had never seen manna, tasted manna, or experienced it. They knew what had been written about it, but by their own admission it wasn’t a personal experience for them… “Our FOREFATHERS ate the manna.” “He gave THEM bread from heaven.” They wanted Jesus to do something similar for them. Jesus responded to them by saying:
“I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:32-33
They cried out to him saying… “From now on give us this bread.” What Jesus would say next would challenge them to the very core of their beliefs:
“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up a the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”
John 6:53-58
On hearing this, many of Christ’s followers said: “This is hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and from that time on many of them turned back and no longer followed Him. It had become too personal for them!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
“Where Are You?”
I was surprised recently, while I was browsing on YouTube, by how many videos are posted of people who are driving around lost. I began to think that if there are that many posted videos…how many people get lost and don’t post it? How many people are we passing everyday who are lost?
You see, we are not lost because we don’t know where we came from. We are not lost because we don’t know where we are going. Lost is not knowing where we ARE along the way! Have you ever left home to go somewhere and somehow along the way ended up someplace that is unfamiliar to you. I think we have all been unsettled, to some degree, from time to time from being lost. Spiritually we all have a similar story. We all started from the same place- steeped in sin, separated from God and we all have a desire to reach the same eternal destination-heaven. However, not everyone makes it.
Fortunately for us, Jesus has a heartbeat for lost people:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Luke 19:10
Jesus was man who understood how easy it could be to get off course. In John 8:14 Jesus said:
“I know where I came from and where I am going!
Jesus knew that He had come from God and was returning to God (John 13:3). Yet, along the way there were plenty of opportunities for Him to get off track. In John 6:15 some wanted to take Him by force and make him king. Although it wasn’t His time. In Luke 4:28-30 we read how some wanted to kill Him prematurely before He finished His work. Satan even tried to get Him off track in Luke 4:5-8 by tempting Him with the kingdoms of this world. Taking any of these paths would have kept Jesus from His final destination.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t take much to get us off course. Just ask a ship’s navigator how a 1 degree miscalculation can affect the destination of a vessel on a long voyage.
Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
To deviate off that path even 1 degree will leave us far from our eternal destination.
The problem is people don’t like to admit to being lost. Daniel Boone once said: “I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” As humorous as that may be, there is a sobering reality, for those who deviate from the path, found in Proverbs 14:12:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Take time today to determine where you are on your spiritual journey. Are you still on course? Have you deviated from the path? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and Life. You must keep in step with Him if you are going to reach your eternal destination!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
You see, we are not lost because we don’t know where we came from. We are not lost because we don’t know where we are going. Lost is not knowing where we ARE along the way! Have you ever left home to go somewhere and somehow along the way ended up someplace that is unfamiliar to you. I think we have all been unsettled, to some degree, from time to time from being lost. Spiritually we all have a similar story. We all started from the same place- steeped in sin, separated from God and we all have a desire to reach the same eternal destination-heaven. However, not everyone makes it.
Fortunately for us, Jesus has a heartbeat for lost people:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Luke 19:10
Jesus was man who understood how easy it could be to get off course. In John 8:14 Jesus said:
“I know where I came from and where I am going!
Jesus knew that He had come from God and was returning to God (John 13:3). Yet, along the way there were plenty of opportunities for Him to get off track. In John 6:15 some wanted to take Him by force and make him king. Although it wasn’t His time. In Luke 4:28-30 we read how some wanted to kill Him prematurely before He finished His work. Satan even tried to get Him off track in Luke 4:5-8 by tempting Him with the kingdoms of this world. Taking any of these paths would have kept Jesus from His final destination.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t take much to get us off course. Just ask a ship’s navigator how a 1 degree miscalculation can affect the destination of a vessel on a long voyage.
Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
To deviate off that path even 1 degree will leave us far from our eternal destination.
The problem is people don’t like to admit to being lost. Daniel Boone once said: “I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” As humorous as that may be, there is a sobering reality, for those who deviate from the path, found in Proverbs 14:12:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Take time today to determine where you are on your spiritual journey. Are you still on course? Have you deviated from the path? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and Life. You must keep in step with Him if you are going to reach your eternal destination!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 11, 2010
“That Your Faith Not Fail”
(Part 3 of 3 )
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
Satan knows that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” And so, he uses events, circumstances and weaknesses (like a sieve) to separate us from our faith.
This type of an attack by Satan is not unique to the apostles. It is a tactic that Satan has employed since the earliest of times. If fact, one such instance is recorded in one of the oldest books of the Bible- the book of Job. In the book, God puts forth Job as a righteous man, to which Satan protests saying:
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job 1:9-11
So God gave Satan permission to test job. Satan began by sifting Job of his possessions. First the Sabeans attacked and carried off Job’s oxen and donkeys. Then fire from heaven fell from the sky and burned up Job’s sheep. Later, the Chaldeans attacked and carried off Job’s camels. Then, tragically, Job’s children are killed when a mighty wind collapses the home they are all inside. However, even after losing so much Job maintained his integrity:
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:20-21
In all of this Job did not lose faith, so Satan returned asserting that Job would not be so blameless if he didn’t have his health:
“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job 2:4-5
So God gave Satan permission to inflict Job with painful sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. All Job could do was sit and scrape himself with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. Things got so bad that even Job’s wife asked him: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Yet Job refused to give up his faith. He told his wife in Job 2:10... “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”
Finally Job was placed in the sieve of contention. When Job’s friends came, under the guise of friendship, they began to mock, criticize and ridicule Job for bringing this calamity upon himself. Instead of encouraging him and building him up, they each took turns tearing him down. Yet, in the midst of this contention, Job declared:
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.”
Job 13:15
Satan had sifted Job of his wealth, health and closest relationships, but he could not get separate Job from his faith! Satan does not care if you are rich or poor, healthy or sick, surrounded by friends or lonely! Many of you are facing some very difficult and pressing times right now. Like Job it seems that Satan has sifted you dry, but when the tossing and shaking are over, if you hold on to your faith… you win!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
Satan knows that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” And so, he uses events, circumstances and weaknesses (like a sieve) to separate us from our faith.
This type of an attack by Satan is not unique to the apostles. It is a tactic that Satan has employed since the earliest of times. If fact, one such instance is recorded in one of the oldest books of the Bible- the book of Job. In the book, God puts forth Job as a righteous man, to which Satan protests saying:
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job 1:9-11
So God gave Satan permission to test job. Satan began by sifting Job of his possessions. First the Sabeans attacked and carried off Job’s oxen and donkeys. Then fire from heaven fell from the sky and burned up Job’s sheep. Later, the Chaldeans attacked and carried off Job’s camels. Then, tragically, Job’s children are killed when a mighty wind collapses the home they are all inside. However, even after losing so much Job maintained his integrity:
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:20-21
In all of this Job did not lose faith, so Satan returned asserting that Job would not be so blameless if he didn’t have his health:
“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job 2:4-5
So God gave Satan permission to inflict Job with painful sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. All Job could do was sit and scrape himself with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. Things got so bad that even Job’s wife asked him: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Yet Job refused to give up his faith. He told his wife in Job 2:10... “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”
Finally Job was placed in the sieve of contention. When Job’s friends came, under the guise of friendship, they began to mock, criticize and ridicule Job for bringing this calamity upon himself. Instead of encouraging him and building him up, they each took turns tearing him down. Yet, in the midst of this contention, Job declared:
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.”
Job 13:15
Satan had sifted Job of his wealth, health and closest relationships, but he could not get separate Job from his faith! Satan does not care if you are rich or poor, healthy or sick, surrounded by friends or lonely! Many of you are facing some very difficult and pressing times right now. Like Job it seems that Satan has sifted you dry, but when the tossing and shaking are over, if you hold on to your faith… you win!
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 4, 2010
That Your Faith Not Fail
(Part 2 of 3 )
“Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
Luke 22:35-36
Jesus, recognizing He was on the verge of His crucifixion, again, attempted to convey to His disciples the intense changes that were about to take place. Prior to this, when they had walked with Him, they had lacked nothing, but soon He would be crucified. Soon they would no longer have Him “physically” there to rely on. Soon, they would have to learn to walk by faith.
In this passage, He is encouraging them to make provision for what is about to take place:
“It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
Luke 22:37
Peter’s response was abrupt and forceful, as he swore his undying allegiance to Christ promising to go to prison and even die for his Lord. Jesus, however, knew precisely what Peter would face and prayed that his faith would not fail. Jesus warned them that they would soon face a great sifting. In ancient Israel, a sifter was used to separate the wheat from the rubble. It was placed in the sifter and shaken aggressively causing the wheat to fall through and the debris to remain within the sifter. Jesus uses this analogy to explain to His disciples what was about to happen to them. Satan was about to sift them as wheat. His objective? He would put them in the sifter and aggressively shake them in an attempt to separate them from their faith.
Satan knows that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” And so, he uses events, circumstances and weaknesses to separate us from our faith. In Peter’s case, he used Peter’s pride to sift him. Peter had proclaimed, “I will go to prison and death with you!” He was certain that even if all the rest of the disciples fled, he would stand strong. Later, when Peter is confronted by a servant girl outside the home of the high priest, Peter begins to deny that he even knows Jesus. When the rooster crowed at daybreak he recalled Jesus’ answer to his boasting:
“Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22:34
Peter’s story serves as a reminder that we face a real enemy who desires to separate us from our faith. Peter and the disciples were not immune to it. In fact, Jesus warned them it would come. What, then, is separating you from your faith? Are you trapped in the sieve of poverty, sickness, wealth, ambition, unbelief or unforgiveness? And, if so, how do you overcome?
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
“Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
Luke 22:35-36
Jesus, recognizing He was on the verge of His crucifixion, again, attempted to convey to His disciples the intense changes that were about to take place. Prior to this, when they had walked with Him, they had lacked nothing, but soon He would be crucified. Soon they would no longer have Him “physically” there to rely on. Soon, they would have to learn to walk by faith.
In this passage, He is encouraging them to make provision for what is about to take place:
“It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
Luke 22:37
Peter’s response was abrupt and forceful, as he swore his undying allegiance to Christ promising to go to prison and even die for his Lord. Jesus, however, knew precisely what Peter would face and prayed that his faith would not fail. Jesus warned them that they would soon face a great sifting. In ancient Israel, a sifter was used to separate the wheat from the rubble. It was placed in the sifter and shaken aggressively causing the wheat to fall through and the debris to remain within the sifter. Jesus uses this analogy to explain to His disciples what was about to happen to them. Satan was about to sift them as wheat. His objective? He would put them in the sifter and aggressively shake them in an attempt to separate them from their faith.
Satan knows that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” And so, he uses events, circumstances and weaknesses to separate us from our faith. In Peter’s case, he used Peter’s pride to sift him. Peter had proclaimed, “I will go to prison and death with you!” He was certain that even if all the rest of the disciples fled, he would stand strong. Later, when Peter is confronted by a servant girl outside the home of the high priest, Peter begins to deny that he even knows Jesus. When the rooster crowed at daybreak he recalled Jesus’ answer to his boasting:
“Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22:34
Peter’s story serves as a reminder that we face a real enemy who desires to separate us from our faith. Peter and the disciples were not immune to it. In fact, Jesus warned them it would come. What, then, is separating you from your faith? Are you trapped in the sieve of poverty, sickness, wealth, ambition, unbelief or unforgiveness? And, if so, how do you overcome?
Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
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