“Calf Crafting”

(Part 1 in series)

“Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them. When Moses went up the mountain the cloud covered it, and the glory of God settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

                                                                                                            Exodus 24:13-18

For forty days and forty nights, Moses was on the mountain receiving from the Lord all the words of the Law. While below Aaron and Hur were responsible for keep the people in order. However in Exodus 32:1 we read:

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what happened to him.”

In less than 40 days the Israelites gravitated from being a people who were actively following the Lord, to a people who were ready to pursue a new god! What caused them to drift so quickly?

1.      They never fully committed to following God! From the moment they left Egypt they were grumbling and complaining about how God had led them into the desert to die.

2.      The never fully submitted to the spiritual leadership placed over them.

3.      They saw “other gods” as being a viable means for direction in life.

4.      They were willing to compromise their faith in order to indulge their flesh.

Because of this, they began to pressure Aaron to make them a “god”!

“Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

                                                                                                Exodus 32:2-4

It says that afterwards, they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. The people took off their gold and actually contributed to crafting a life-less idol! They didn’t want to serve a God of consuming fire; they wanted to craft a god that would allow them to indulge their flesh.

They wanted a god they could manage. They wanted a god that was lifeless, powerless and with no authority. A god they could worship when and if they wanted to. The created themselves a god that would not judge sin, one that would not challenge their lifestyle, one they could craft into their image.

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Prayer that Avails Much (pt.2)"

(Part 2 in series)

“Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,” he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

                                                                                                            Matthew 21:12-13

Before we had protesters occupying Wall Street and hippies holding ‘sit-ins”… Jesus occupied the temple of God and cried out over the injustices He was seeing. PRAYER HAD BEEN SILENCED IN THE HOUSE OF GOD! No prayer could be heard over the commotion of the sheep and cows being sold, the barbs of the moneychangers and the bustling of religious activities!

What is silencing prayer is the House of God today? The church is drifting dangerously close to becoming nothing more than a social media site… a place to come and share stories, pictures with friends, read a few religious posts, download some worship music and then log off and go home. There is no room made for prayer. I am not talking about the two minute prayer the minister prayed before his message or the prayer offered to dismiss service. I am talking about a time of corporate prayer designed to engage the presence of God. I talking about a time to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, and seek the face of God!

 Unfortunately, the prayer meeting is the worst attended activity in many of our churches. Announce a fellowship dinner and 100 people show up. Announce a prayer meeting and 15 people show up. Then we wonder why we are not experiencing the power and Presence of God in our churches, families and communities. We have silenced ourselves and there is nothing the devil likes more than a silent church! Samuel Chadwick once wrote:

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”

Why is he terrified of a praying people? Because according to James 5:16, the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective! The King James Version of the Bible says that it “Avails much!”

Do you believe that prayer is “powerful and effective?” Do you believe that it has the potential to turn nations, transform lives and save souls? If so, how much time do you give to it?

E.M. Bounds once said, "The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it." 

There is an old adage that says “the proof is in the pudding.” Literally the adage means this: that the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. How you feel about prayer is not seen as much in what you say as in what you do.

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Prayer that Avails Much (pt.3)”

(Last in series)

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

                                                                                                James 5:13-15

We ought to be a people who are consumed with prayer! James says that we ought to pray when we are in trouble and when we are happy. We ought to pray when we are well and when we are sick.  The apostle Paul expanded on this when he wrote in Philippians 4:6:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”

Prayer, however, is more than a spiritual wish list. It is more than a last ditch effort when all else has failed. Prayer is more than casual conversation with a friend. It is more than an essential spiritual discipline, but it is intimate engagement with a Holy God.

People, who do not pray, do not have an intimate relationship with God for it is by prayer that we engage Him. Indian Christian Missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh once said:

"The essence of prayer does not consist in asking God for something but in opening our hearts to God, in speaking with Him, and living with Him in perpetual communion. Prayer is continual abandonment to God. Prayer does not mean asking God for all kinds of things we want; it is rather the desire for God Himself, the only Giver of Life, Prayer is not asking, but union with God. Prayer is not a painful effort to gain from God help in the varying needs of our lives. Prayer is the desire to possess God Himself, the Source of all life. The true spirit of prayer does not consist in asking for blessings, but in receiving Him who is the giver of all blessings, and in living a life of fellowship with Him."

It is this continual fellowship that the Apostle Paul spoke of in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17:

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer should not simply be a component of our lives, but the focus of it. We ought to walk daily in a spirit of prayer, not as men wandering about aimlessly with our heads in the clouds, but as men and women who know that there is a God who is with us. We must break our silence and begin engaging God in prayer, praise and supplication.

Let me be the first to say, that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, before we exhaust ourselves fighting to put prayer back in school; let us first fight to make it a priority in our own lives and churches.

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Prayer that Avails Much (pt.1)

(Part 1 in series)

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

                                                                                                            James 5:16

There is a story told of 5 young college students in London who decided to go hear a popular preacher of their day by the name of Charles Spurgeon. They arrived early and waited outside for the doors to open. As they were waiting, they were approached by an older gentleman who asked if they would like for him to show them around as they waited. They agreed and the man asked if they would like to start by seeing the “heating plant (the boiler room)”. They were not particularly interested as it was a hot day, but they did not want to offend the man so they agreed. He led them down a stairway where he opened the door and whispered… “This is our heating plant.” Surprised the students gazed inside to see 700 people bowed in prayer seeking a blessing on the service that would soon begin. Softly closing the door, the man introduced himself. It was Charles Spurgeon.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “I would rather teach one man to pray than 10 men to preach!”

Today many of our spiritual lives have turned cold because of the absolute lack of time spent in prayer. We have lost our spiritual passion for it! We’d rather spend four hours watching the Super Bowl or two hours waiting in line for the next I-phone. We’d rather hear inspiring sermons on prayer, read books about prayer, or post quotes on our Facebook page about it, than actually spend time engaging in it!

We complain about how the courts took prayer out of school back in 1962, but I am wondering who removed it from church? Who removed it from our daily lives? Where are the people protesting outside the church, demanding the church hold a prayer meeting? Where are the wives and children picketing outside their homes crying out for prayer?

2 Chronicles 7:14 declares:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

If we believe that prayer can transform households and turn nations, why do we neglect it?

Here is the sad reality. The reason for the removal of prayer from our public schools is a legal issue. The reason for a lack of prayer in our churches is a “faith” problem! If there is a place on this earth that should be permeated with prayer, it ought to be the church!

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Possessed by Our Possessions”

(Part 4 in 4 part series)

“You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.”

                                                                                                            James 5:5-6

As we learned last week, the unhealthy pursuit of mammon (possessions) can lead to hoarding and dishonest gain, this week we will see how it leads to the pursuit of self-indulgence and the unfair treatment of others.

James cautioned those people who were living in self-indulgence and pursing lives of luxury that this type of behavior would ultimately lead to judgment. As James describes it; they were fattening themselves for the day of slaughter. The imagery is vivid. Instantly what comes to my mind is a pig trough. When the farmer comes and pours in the slop, the herd of pigs descends on the trough and eagerly pursues what they want. There is no consideration of others. It is get all you can as fast as you can. Ironically the more they devour the larger they become expediting their day of disaster.  

I am constantly taken aback by what people consider needs! I watch television shows about couples with no children looking for their first homes and hear them say things like… “We NEED at least four bedrooms, three baths, a large backyard, modern kitchen, and finished basement.” I listen with concern as grown adults talk about their NEED to upgrade their smart phone for the fourth time in three years. We are constantly attempting to redefine what a NEED is because we live in a culture that is no longer satisfied with having what we need.   The fattening we are experiencing that will ultimately lead to our destruction is not simply the materialism that permeates our lives, but the tremendous debt we must accrue in order to have it.  Most people cannot afford to live at the level of luxury that they desire, so we have manufactured a culture that allows us to live beyond our means in self-indulgence and luxury. Ultimately, the more we devour, the more indebted we become expediting our day of disaster!

Here is the litmus test to determine if you are at all bound by wealth:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.”

                                                                                                                                                1 Timothy 6:6-8

Could you be content with just having food and clothing? I recently challenged our congregation with this passage of scripture:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

                                                                                                                                Hebrews 13:5-6

My challenge was this, if we truly believe that God will help us and keep us in times of need then for thirty days do not buy anything new and absolutely don’t take on any debt. That meant no new clothes, phones, electronics, cars, appliances and the like. If something breaks down and you can’t pay cash to replace it, then figure out how to manage without it until the 30 days are up. One family had a washing machine break down and she used the laundry mat until the 30 days were up! Some folks wouldn’t even try, because they knew they would never make it. Some lasted a couple days, and some made it the whole thirty days. In all it was a success, because it caused everyone to think about their need for possession and who really possessed who?

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Possessed by Our Possessions”

(Part 3 in 4 part series)

“Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.”

                                                                                                            James 5:3-6

It is evident, from the above passage, that the love of mammon will lead us down a very dangerous path. This unhealthy obsession with wealth will lead us into hoarding, dishonest gain, to pursue self-indulgence and to treat others unjustly.

James stated in verse 3 that “Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”  Simply stated, hoarding is the behavior of acquiring an excessive amount of things, coupled with an unwillingness to get rid of anything. Hoarding in our nation is an epidemic. There is even a reality show that chronicles the life of those whose lives have been wrecked by this obsession with material things. Many of us would read over this passage believing that it is directed only towards rich people! The question is who is considered rich? When much of the world’s population lives on $2 per day, nearly everyone in America is considered rich! Serving mammon is not simply about getting rich, but it is about possessing things! The danger of hoarding is best seen in an illustration I took from my trip to Israel a few years ago. There is a sea in Israel that receives water from the Jordan River, but has no outlet. Because it only receives and gives nothing out, it is toxic to maintaining life. It is rightly called the Dead Sea. Hoarding is evidence of a toxic situation in our lives. It indicates that we have a desire to receive, but no outlet for giving things away.

The pursuit of mammon can also lead us into dishonest gain:

“Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”

                                                                                                            James 5:4

You may feel that this, too, does not apply to you. You don’t own a business or run a company, so there is no application. However, if you are a worker who shows up late to work, likes to leave early, abuses break times, lies on your time card, and steals company property…this is just as much dishonest gain as the other. This, too, demonstrates a toxic situation in our lives, one in which we feel justified in taking what does not belong to us. As much as business owners, supervisors and managers need to exercise honesty and integrity with their employees, Christian employees ought to demonstrate the same honesty integrity with their employers.

 Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

"Possessed by Our Possessions"

(Part 2 in series)

“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.”

                                                                                                            Mark 5:1-5

We have become a people who are possessed! Although it isn’t a demonic spirit that has taken resident in our bodies, it is a demonic influence that has manipulated our lifestyles and thought life. As I read Mark 5, about the man from Gadara who was possessed by a legion of demons, I could not help to draw some correlations. This man was bondage. They took away his freedom. They changed the way he lived. Many said he was out of his mind!

And then I thought… “Are we too not out of our minds”!

Proverbs 22:7 declares: “The borrower is servant to the lender!”

Every time we borrow money to pay for something we become slaves! Not by force, but by choice! Why would we subject ourselves to such slavery? One word…POSSESSIONS!

We chain ourselves up to have new vehicles, the latest clothes, the newest technology and bigger homes! We plunge ourselves into debt, not realizing that it is a curse. Debt is the curse of a people who have trusted in mammon (wealth). Moses warned the people of Israel of this thousands of years ago in Deuteronomy 28:43-45:

“The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail.”

James, the apostle, tried to warn the rich people in his day warning them in James 5:1:

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.”

They had begun trusting in their wealth. James warned them that their wealth would rot, their clothes would be eaten by moths and their gold and silver would corrode. They were developing a “moth ball mentality”. Moth balls are used to preserve and protect something we are unwilling to lose… regardless of how it makes us smell. They were trying to preserve things that were temporary, fading and wasting away.

It takes a long time for gold and silver to corrode. To hold onto something, like gold and silver, so long that it corrodes indicates deep seeded beliefs in the power of wealth. James warns them:

“Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.” You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”

                                                                                                James 5:3

This unhealthy trust in wealth and possessions can lead to hoarding, dishonest gain, self-indulgence and treating others unjustly.

 Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/