Fill the Vacancy with the Lordship of Jesus

Make Jesus Lord of every area of your life.  Fill the Vancancy with the Lordship of Jesus.

Scripture: Matthew 12:43-45

43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. 44 Then he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation."
 

What is the point of Jesus' grim story about a vacant house being occupied by some evil force?  If you knew that someone had a life-threatening disease, would you let that person into your house without proper protection?  Sin and evil are like deadly viruses.   They are especially contagious when we get close to them and allow them to infect us.   Jesus warned his followers about leaving their homes and lives unprotected from destructive and evil forces.   It's not enough, however, to simply" clean house" by banishing evil thoughts and breaking with bad habits.   Something has to take their place to fill the void that has been created.

God wants to fill the void in our lives with himself and with the good things he provides for our well-being.   Augustine of Hippo said that our lives have a God-shaped void which only God can fill satisfactory.  If we attempt to leave it vacant or to fill it with something else, we will be worse in the end.  What do you fill the void in your life with?  Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it.   There are two kingdoms in opposition to one another— the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness under the rule of Satan.  If we disobey God's word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan.  If we want to live in freedom from sin and Satan, then our house must be occupied by Jesus where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior.   Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to God and his word?

"Lord, be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship."

A Deeper Study "The Danger of an Empty Home"

I Corinthians Teaches Truth & Invites Action

 

Growing in Godliness

Instruction in godly living is as vitally important today as it was to the church in Corinth.  Because human nature remains the same, we find ourselves facing the same issues and needing the same instruction as the Corinthians did.  Our source of power for godly living remains in the Cross and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The motive for our godliness continues to be love, and our goal to glorify God.  Diligently study this book and allow the truth to change the way you live.

Preach Christ crucified.  Recognize all wisdom and power are found in Jesus.  Glorify God in your body and in your spirit.  Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Do not give yourself to immorality or sin of any kind. 
 

Cultivating Dynamic Devotion

Devotion to God becomes truly dynamic when the Holy Spirit is allowed free address in our lives to teach us, to give us gifts, and to manifest the presence of the Lord.  There is nothing more exciting and wonderfully fulfilling than deeply knowing, loving and experiencing a close, intimate relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Welcome the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Be sincerely and eagerly available to receive any of the gifts of the Spirit that He would minister through you.  Earnestly desire spiritual gifts, keeping your heart available to the Spirit's resources of gifts and power for serving and loving others.  Pray with the spirit, and pray with the understanding.  Sing with the spirit, and sing with the understanding.

Celebrate the Lord's Supper regularly. Receive His forgiveness, healing, wholeness, and restoration.

Pursuing Holiness

As a believer, we are made righteous and holy in Jesus alone.  Righteousness, a term taken from the courts, is God's judicial determination to right every wrong,   His gift to the guilty which removes all condemnation and puts them in a state of justification, including full acquittal from all charges  against them.

Corinthians tells us that , having been sanctified, we are called to live holy lives.  Holy living requires that we rely fully on the Lord's wisdom and not the wisdom of the world.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.  We are able to understand the deep things and discern God's ways by the Holy Spirit.  Likewise, the Spirit empowers us to live as God's people, holy and set apart to Him.  

Put your confidence in Jesus, who has sanctified you.  Live your calling as a sanctified one living daily in His holiness.  Sanctification is a symbol taken from the temple, showing the need for cleansing from pollution.  It includes a renewal by the power of the Holy Spirit, which allows acceptable living before God and points to our ultimate perfection in His presence.

Find true wisdom, power, and holiness in Jesus.  Reject living in your own wisdom and ability.  The heart of true wisdom is knowing the ways and the will of God, and living in harmony with ultimate created reality.  The human wisdom Paul opposes is not intellect or education, but a false independence of God and a bent toward self-sufficiency.  God rejects human wisdom because of its pride and self-glory.

The gospel is the revelation of truth, but in the final analysis it is the operation of God's power with victory over sin and death.  Redemption, taken from a background of slavery and debt, speaks of freedom and final deliverance from all aspects of sin, including the resurrection of the body.  Biblical salvation is nothing short of a complete restoration of the universe, with a new heaven and new earth.

The Walk of Faith

Faith enables us to believe and receive all God has for us as Christians.  By faith, walk in the fullness of the gifts and power of the Spirit.  By faith, proclaim God's Word without reservation.  By faith, dedicate yourself to the work of the Lord. 

Boldly preach Christ and Him crucified.  This is the simple gospel.  Make room for the demonstration of the Spirit and power when you speak or preach.  Recognize that kingdom ministry includes signs, wonders, and miracles that demonstrate the power of God.

Keys to Renewing Church Life

While individual relationship with Jesus will always be vital, we must also see ourselves as living members of Christ's body, the church.  We must move from individualism and begin again the gathering and function of local congregations and the church as a whole.  We have one head who is Christ, and one body, the church.  Renew your commitment to the local body of believers.  Seek to build up the church through your words, actions, an participation.

Intentionally pursue unity within the body of Christ.  Do not give place to divisiveness or competition.  Honor others, seek to be like-minded, and recognize Jesus as the common ground for unity.  Recognize that division in the church is sin.  Turn from jealousy and arguing, which cause division.  Seek unity in Jesus.

Understand that the church is the New Testament temple of God.  His Spirit dwells in the corporate body, which is composed of many members in whom the Spirit also dwells.  Honor all members of the body, rejoice with them in their successes in the Lord, and care for one another.  Do not neglect church discipline.  Do nothing that will tear down the body, but build on the foundation for Christ Jesus. 

Utilize your gifts for the good of the whole body.   Seek to use your spiritual gifts to build up the church and glorify Jesus.  Let a word in tongues be interpreted, and let mature leaders judge a prophetic word.  Do not forbid speaking in tongues; do desire order in their exercise; and do earnestly desire to prophesy.

How to Pray for Your Church

1. Pray for Unity in Jesus for the Church

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.  (John 17)

2. Pray for God’s Will within the Church

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.  (Colossians 1:9-13)

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to Move in the Church

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 1:16-20)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  (Ephesians 3:14-19)

4. Pray for Fruitfulness for the Church

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (II Thessalonians 1:11-12)

~Bits and Pieces from study on I Corinthians

Words of Truth and Life

 PROVERBS 10: 11-14, 18-21, 31-32

These verses address the subject of talking.  Speech is one of the most distinguishing gifts of man. The faculty of speech offers immense influence either for good or evil.  It is the principle channel by which we will affect people and the world.   It is by speech that we communicate our thoughts to each other, carry on business, and improve our knowledge and learning.

We have the glorious privilege to choose our words. This privilege is one of the main reasons we are to gain wisdom. The righteous speak wise words. Thus they are fitting or appropriate (Prov. 10:14) and give life to people and situations. [It's not the duration of your life that counts.  It's the devotion of your life—how intense you are in serving the Lord and giving yourself to Him that matters.] The change of speech comes from the change of heart.   Jesus alone can change your heart. "How can you being evil speak good things?" Ask God to give you a new heart.  Only then can you love and speak words that have eternal value.

Verse 11 helps us understand interpersonal relations and distinguish between people better. "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."

The righteous speak wise words. The words of a righteous (and wise) person are like a fountain of life (13:14; 14:27; 16:22; also note 18:4). His good, pure, vigorous words of wisdom are as refreshing as a cool spring to a weary desert traveler. The words of the righteous are a source of life-giving spiritual vitality. Words of truth and love are the means by which God refreshes and pours life into the souls of people.

There is no true peace in the words of those full of strife. Violence overwhelms their mouth. Since the word for "overwhelms" can be translated "covers" (as it is in v. 12), the idea is either that his mouth conceals or deceptively hides violence (niv), or that violence characterizes what a person says. Jesus stated, "The evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart" (Luke 6:45).

What motivates you, anger or truth, hatred or love, folly or wisdom?

The strong contrast is made again in verse12. "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions."

Hatred results in dissension (6:14) because people who despise each other can hardly work or live together in peace. The stirring or raising up of dissensions suggests the gossip (6:19b) who is hated by Yahweh (6:16-19). If you hate someone you look for excuses to bad mouth him or start in on him. This fiend is at work everywhere, in homes, offices, politics and churches. It is like a subterraneous fire that smolders out disgusts, dislikes, envyings, coldness and selfishness.

Love contributes toward peace because it covers or forgives the faults of others (17:9). It does not dwell on those faults (1 Cor. 13:5; James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:8). The Hebrew word translated "covereth" is kacah, which means "to overwhelm" (Proverbs 10:6, 11).

If you love someone, you give them the benefit of the doubt. If you hate someone, you don't. Love covers a multitude of sins [Prov 17:9; 1 Cor 13:4–7; James 5:20; 1 Pet 4:8].  The message of Jesus is simple yet astounding: Love your enemies. Do good to those who mistreat you. Repay evil with kindness. When Christians live by these principles, he will keep his heart free of hatred no matter, how others feel toward him.

Then  let only thoughts that bless dwell in your heart and mind.  Silence your lips and tongue to all that wounds or is unkind.  Every day, choose to present your body, including your unruly tongue, as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:2) to be used by Him as an instrument of blessing.

Dear Father, forgive me for the harm I've done with my words.  Set a watch upon my lips and control my tongue.  Help me evaluate each thought and guard each word I say.  May I use my words to encourage my family, friends, coworkers, and church members. Amen.

~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Dennis Davidson

My Glimpses of Heaven with Divine Guidance

Pray for Your Children

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray and confess Your Word over my children and surround them with my faith — faith in Your Word that You watch over it to perform it! I confess and believe that my children are disciples of Christ, taught of the Lord and obedient to Your will. Great is the peace and undisturbed composure of my children, because You, God, contend with that which contends with my children, and You give them safety and ease them.

Father, You will perfect that which concerns me. I commit and cast the care of my children once and for all over on You, Father. They are in Your hands, and I am positively persuaded that You are able to guard and keep that which I have committed to You. You are more than enough!

I confess that my children obey their parents in the Lord as His representatives, because this is just and right. My children __________ honor, esteem and value as precious their parents; for this is the first commandment with a promise: that all may be well with my children and that they may live long on earth. I believe and confess that my children choose life and love You, Lord, obey Your voice and cling to You; for You are their Life and the Length of their days. Therefore, my children are the head and not the tail, and shall be above only and not beneath. They are blessed when they come in and when they go out.

I believe and confess that You give Your angels take charge over my children to accompany and defend and preserve them in all their ways. You, Lord, are their Refuge and Fortress. You are their Glory and the Lifter of their heads.

As parents, we will not provoke, irritate or fret our children. We will not be hard on them or harass them or cause them to become discouraged, sullen or morose or to feel inferior and frustrated. We will not break or wound their spirits, but we will rear them tenderly in the training, discipline, counsel and admonition of the Lord. We will train them in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.

O Lord, my Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on or above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger. I sing praise to Your name, O Most High. The enemy is turned back from my children in the name of Jesus! They increase in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Amen.

Scripture References:
Jeremiah 1:12 Psalm 91:11
Isaiah 54:13 Psalm 91:2
Isaiah 49:25 Psalm 3:3
1 Peter 5:7 Colossians 3:21
2 Timothy 1:12 Ephesians 6:4
Ephesians 6:1-3 Proverbs 22:6
Deuteronomy 30:19,20 Psalm 8:1,2
Deuteronomy 28:13 Psalm 9:2,3
Deuteronomy 28:3,6 Luke 2:52

©2011 Word Ministries, Inc.
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Blessing Our Children

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your angels that you have assigned to our children. You have given your angels charge over them, to keep them in all their ways. We reverence you and acknowledge you as our Lord and Savior. Thank you for the angel of the LORD who encamps all around our children and delivers them from perilous situations. We bless our children that they may be powerful in the land, and fulfill their divine destiny. Amen.

If you would like to continue to pray for our children and youth, Germaine suggests that you pray the Prayers for Children to be found in the Prayers That Avail Much Commemorative Edition

FUTURE GLORY

ISAIAH 54: 11-17

[Revelations 21: 10, 18-21]

In the midst of adversity, God speaks through Isaiah to foretell of renewal, revival and a flourishing time to come. However bad the people of God’s present situation, the future before them is incredibly bright and secure. For the reunion of Zion with the ways of God brings material and spiritual blessings.

 

God establishes the disciples of His people in His righteousness. God is in the recovery and reproduction business and He wants us to live in the light of His resurrection promises. We can because He promises to guard us in His righteousness and keep us secure (CIT).

I. A PRECIOUS REBUILDING, 11-12

Verse 11 begins to present the coming change in the situation of Zion. “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires.

Zion, the afflicted city, had been through many troubles and instabilities, here called storms, and no one had comforted her (Lam. 1:2, 9, 15-17, 21). The Lord is intimately aware of the concerns of His people and has compassion for them. The Lord will build up the city with stones made of precious gems, symbolic of His care and esteem for the value of the city. The contrast is between a devastate city and a most glorious one. It is intended to represent the contrast between who we are and who we will become, between what we have experienced and what we will experience.

Standing on the hilltops of heaven, God sees the storms of affliction that have threatened and tossed you. Every wave, every pitch, every buffeting is discerned and felt by Him. He too has sailed through many stormy seas, and is acquainted with suffering. Though not comforted by man, you will be consoled by the divine Comforter.

He promises to lay a foundation and rebuild your life. He will spare no setting however costly, no stone however precious when He rebuilds you for life eternal.

The imagery of unearthly transformation continues in verse 12. “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones.

Sapphires, rubies, and crystal are very resplendent and beautiful, but they are all the children of fire. You will not have them unless prepared to pay the cost in blood, sweat, and tears. These jewels are produced of very ordinary elements, which have been subjected to tremendous pressure and terrific heat. When you have misgiving amid your fiery trials, remember that God is at work making the sapphires, rubies, and crystal of your eternal character. You will be incomparably compensated. [F.B. Meyer, Great Verses, 289] Remember to hope in the God who will see you through the storms and comfort you (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

 

II. ESTABLISHED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, 13-14

Verse 13 contains the promise and peace of discipleship. “All your sons will be taught of the Lord; and the well-being of your sons will be great.

Peace or well being comes from a right relationship with God. There is no way to have a right relationship with God with out being taught of God. God would have us learn His ways that we might be transformed into His precious character by His Spirit. As a result Zion’s sons will possess an abundance of well-being or peace (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15). Such peace only comes to those who know the Lord and are His disciples. [Young, Isaiah, Vol III, 370]

[In the Millennium, the children will be taught by the Lord Himself and will enjoy His peace. Bible Knowledge Commentary, OT, ]

Verse 14 teaches that real security is established in righteousness. “In righteousness you will be established. You will be far from oppression- for you will not fear-and from terror, for it will not come near you.

Righteousness is the practice of right thinking and behavior because of a right relationship with God. God promises that righteousness will bring about security (33:5; 46:13; 58:8; 62:1-2).

The promises of security speaks to three communities of faith. First it spoke to the exiled community. How precious all these promises must have been to them in the years when their very existence as a people seemed to be threatened from one day to the next. Second it speaks to us. It is the righteous who are secure in the love and the good purposes of God. This security holds them fast, even when the world is falling down around them (Lam. 3:21-26).

This changing world has no security. All things pass and fade; all the old and comfortable is replaced with the new and strange. If we look for security here, we shall never find it. But those who have submitted themselves to become disciples of the Lord, in whom peace and righteousness have come to dwell, can rest in the eternal purposes of God that is profound and undisturbed. That is security.

Finally, these promises speak of the end of history, "when time and change shall be no more," when the Creator will call all things to an end and the Holy City, the congregation of those made righteous by the blood of the Lamb, will dwell securely forevermore. [Oswalt, Isaiah, 429]

In the second half of the verse the prophet commands oppression and terror to be distant from these righteous. They no longer fear for the Lord will protect them from tyranny (1 Pet. 3:14). Dear Lord, speak this command over me.

III. THE HERITAGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS, 15-17

Verse 15 contains another assuring promise. “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you.

Whatever trouble may come to them, God will not have sent it to them as a means of judgment and destruction, which was the case surrounding the events of the exile. Although God is in control of history, and nothing happens outside that control, He is not a puppet master whose sovereignty requires that every individual event be initiated by Him. We live in a fallen world where trouble comes to all people. But those who are living in obedience to the righteousness of God need not fear Him causing us to be fiercely assailed. Our conflict is neither a sign of retribution nor discipline, but merely of the patience of God in allowing free will of man and the cause and effect of the world to take their natural course.

As long as you live on earth and strive to follow God, you will have enemies. Don’t worry about them or what they can do, just be established in righteousness. Your enemies shall surely fall. The verse states that is no doubt about it, they shall fall because of you. 

[In the millennial kingdom no nation will be allowed to defeat Israel because the Lord has decreed it. Nations rise and fall on the basis of His word. Bible Knowledge Commentary, OT, ]

God states that all instruments and agents are at His disposal and under His control in verse 16. “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin.

Since God is the Creator who creates not only the warrior (the destroyer) but the weapon in his hand, and not only the weapon but even the blacksmith who made the weapon, we should not think that anything can come to us that will contradict God’s purposes for us. [An emphatic declaration that God is the maker of the weapon and the maker of their maker as well as the maker the warrior who wields them.] Isaiah’s point should not be overlooked. He is saying that no part of creation is exempt from the purposes of God, but that all things will serve the purposes of our Creator.

Now God does not promise us that trouble will not come. Indeed, Jesus promised His disciples just the opposite (Mt. 10:25), and both Peter (1 Pet. 4: 12) and Paul (Rom. 8:17) echoed that teaching. But He does promise His presence in the trouble, and He promises us that He will not allow it to tear us from His embrace. There are destructive agencies around us on all hands but they are all under the mighty hand of God. They cannot overstep the limits He assigns. [When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. He restrains the wrath of his foes, and surrounds him with a rock fortification.]

Verse 17 presents the conclusion of this section. “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

Whoever attempts to use weapon or tongue against the people of God will not succeed (will not take effect or accomplish its designs), because God is not sending that trouble and all things must eventually serve God’s purposes. They may be able to injure God’s servants, even to the extent of appearing to destroy them, but the fact is that will not be able to do so.

Those who decide to make trouble for the people of God should think very carefully. For those who make the trouble have another kind of assurance: they will fall and the fall will be great!   When people speak against you and misrepresent the truth and falsely accuse you they shall be put to silence with your godly lips and life-style. God will use you to prick the conscience of multitudes [as with Paul’s life and writings and preaching]. The Lord will fight the battles with you. He will refute, repudiate and rebuke all the evil forces that wage war against you. God promises protection and security for those who walk uprightly with Him.

The end of verse 17 is a summation statement for this whole segment or chapter. This is a new inheritance, not just a promised land but promised security. Peace and safety are the heritage-the inheritance of those who trust in the Lord. The servants  are true believers, both Jew and gentile (56:6-8) who are faithful to the Lord.

The word translated vindication is the same word translated righteousness in verse 14. The righteousness of the people of God is from the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the only righteous one. He is the One who makes us righteous.

CONCLUSION / RESPONSE

As servants of the Lord this promise is also for us. But it is not our own righteousness that qualifies us to claim it. Rather it is because we are in the Righteous One, Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Remember, peace will never come to those who do not appreciate what they already have in Christ and His promises. 

~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Dennis Davidson

God's Lost and Found

 

 

In Matthew 15:1-24 the Parable of the Lost Son is one of many stories that Jesus told on his way to Jerusalem.   Jesus used these short stories to teach the people of the day important lessons about Christian life, and we can still learn from them today.

I. DESIRE—12
A. The young man was thinking only of himself.
B. He wanted to “live for the now”
C. Many decide they don’t want to live for God anymore.
D. No good can come out of selfishness,

II. DEPARTURE—13
A. He hopped in his ’68 Mustang and took off.
B. He hit the open road—the world was his oyster!
C. He began to party like there was no tomorrow
D. People try to find happiness in the wrong places.
E. True joy can only be found in Christ.
F. There’s pleasure in sin---for a season

III. DESTITUTION—14
A. Finally, his money ran out
B. His “friends” split
C. The party was over
D. Those who start out living to please themselves often find themselves alone

IV. DEGRADATION—15, 16
A. This was the lowest possible humiliation for a Jew.
B. After a while the pigswill looked appetizing!
C. If you try to live high on the hog you may end up in the pigpen someday.

V. DESPAIR—17
A. “He came to himself”
B. He realized he didn’t have it so bad at home.
C. You can’t out run God—He’ll get your attention!

VI. DECISION—18, 19
A. He understood that he had sinned
B. He was willing to humble himself and repent.
C. That’s how we must come back to God!

VII. DELIGHT—20-24
A. The father was waiting and watching for his son.
B. He had compassion.
C. He restored him to fellowship
D. There was rejoicing
E. God welcomes His children back with open arms.

Clearly, the Father in this parable represents God. He is a loving Father who will let you walk away from fellowship with Him if you desire, but it breaks His Fatherly heart when you do. The younger son represents those of us who already have a relationship with God. He is our Father and we are His children. There’s a very important principle you must understand. You cannot sever your relationship with God–but you can certainly break fellowship with Him. The whole time the prodigal son was away, he was still a son, but He had left the presence and favor of his Father. Christians can do that, too.

Those of you who have prodigal children or grandchildren in your family know the kind of pain the Father feels. You know what it is to have grown children who are alienated from you and it hurts. When they were little you could discipline them, but now you only feel the pain. God hurts even more–why? Because the greater the capacity to love, the greater the capacity to be hurt. And God’s love is stronger than any human love, and that’s why His pain is greater, too.

Now, picture the father in Jesus’ parable. His heart was broken when his son left. Every day while he was gone, the father thought of the son and wondered where he was and what he was doing. Each afternoon about sundown he would walk to the edge of his property, stand at his stone fence and look down the road that had taken his son away. He was looking, longing, hoping that one day his son would return. Then one afternoon, he sees a bent over figure dragging along the road. It can’t be his son, because his son always had a spring in his step and held his head high–and besides, this character was dressed in rags. His son always was dressed in fine clothing. But as he continued to look, there was something about the figure that looked familiar. In a flash, the father realized it was his son. Then he did an amazing thing. He jumped the stone fence and sprinted out to meet his son. Verse 20 says, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him.” Then it says, “he was filled with compassion and he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” The Greek verb there indicates he kept on kissing him. We would say he “smothered him with kisses.”

God the Father, the Creator of the Universe will welcome you the same way–just as you are. Now, this is a revolutionary portrayal of God. Jesus said God runs to meet us when we decided to return to Him. Some of you have drifted out of fellowship with God. You have walked away from the presence of your heavenly Father. You see, whenever you choose to sin and disobey God, you are leaving His holy presence. Right now, do you sense God is far away from you? God didn’t walk away from you; when you sinned, you walked away from him. But God is a loving heavenly Father who is longing for you to return. He is looking for you to return to Him. Wayward and backslidden child of God, He has a message for you today. With tender words of compassion He is saying to you: “When you start home, I’ll meet you more than halfway.”

~Bits and Pieces of sermons on the Lost Son at Sermon Central

Jesus' Prescription for a Worry-Free Life

Jesus forbids worry. Three times he commands his followers to not worry. For those who are already living in worry, he commands, “Stop the worrying.” For those who are about to start worry, he declares, “Don’t make that step. Don’t even begin to worry.”

Jesus’ command is meant to keep his followers from getting hurt. Worry hurts. It affects people and their relationship. It strangles people. It chokes them. It affects even their sleep. It destroys faith. It leads to a lot of trouble.

Jesus provides three prescriptions for a worry-free life. Notice that these prescriptions require attitude, life, value adjustments. These require repentance, a seeking of divine help, and an honest to goodness evaluation of our lives.

1. MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. (Matthew 6:19-25a)

The “therefore” in verse 25 refers back to the three decision issues that Jesus pointed out in the previous paragraph. What we decide with treasure, with condition, and who to serve determine whether we turn out to be worriers or worshipers.

Jesus tells us that a worry-free life is a result of making the right decision.

Decision to prefer non-perishable, durable, eternal and heavenly treasures over treasures that are perishable, non-durable, temporary and earthly treasures. With your treasures safe you can live a worry-free life (See 1 Peter 1:3-5).

Decision to live according to God’s revelation or live on your own. This is the issue of the two “eye conditions” that Jesus pointed out in 6:22-23. The good eye sees. It is acquainted with the things of God. It refers to a life guided by biblical truth and values. The bad eye is blind. It is incapable of seeing beyond itself. It is a selfish eye. Knowing the truth and deciding to live by it keeps you from worry.

Decision to serve the right master. To serve Jesus leads to a worry-free life. To decide to live other “gods” means you will have to trust someone else.

2. TRUST THE RIGHT FATHER (Matthew 6:26, 32)

Twice, Jesus points to the heavenly Father as reason for not worrying.

He says, ‘to worry and have a heavenly Father” is inconsistent. How can you worry when you have a heavenly Father? He also chides worriers by pointing the obvious, “worry is useless.” It is a futile exercise, a total waste of time, of effort, of energy. One cannot prolong his or her life by worrying. In fact, worry shortens life.

There are followers of Christ who need to rediscover the Father God. Some relate with God as they relate to their earthly fathers. Absent, uncaring, unable, undependable earthly fathers do not represent the heavenly Father.

Our attitude is often similar to that of the disciples in Mark 4:35-41. They’d just been with Jesus the whole day and were on their way to another town when they encountered a “furious squall”. The disciples, fearful and quite upset rushed to Jesus, sleeping at the back of the boat, and accused him: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Jesus of course cared. He also had power over that stormy condition.

See Psalm 103:14; 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:26,31-32).

3. PURSUE THE RIGHT AMBITION (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 6:33 is Jesus’ alternative for worry. Instead of worrying about food, water, clothes and the like, we are to passionately seek God’s kingdom and righteousness. This is not a new theme that Jesus introduces here. This is a theme all throughout the Sermon. To care for God’s business is to be assured that God will care for your personal business.

So Jesus offers an alternative, a Plan B. “People who do not know God run after these things, but you are different. Pursue my kingdom, make it your central priority, make it your dream – your ambition.”

The kingdom Jesus refers to is his personal reign. God’s rule in Christ. So what does it mean to seek His kingdom above all?

First, it means to desire that one’s own life be placed under Christ’s rule. I desire that my whole life, every department of my life – be placed under His care, direction, and plan. To seek God’s rule in my life means that I want above all things that His will be done in my life – my home, marriage, family, ministry, relationships, finances, future, etc.

Second, it means an overwhelming desire to see people enter God’s kingdom so that they too might experience the life-giving kingdom. To seek God’s kingdom is to make evangelism our most important responsibility as a church family and as individuals. Our ambition is to see people come out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

What about “righteousness”? To seek God’s righteousness involves wanting God’s righteousness. It is a gift given to God’s people. We should want more of that. To live to please God. It also involves wanting to see God’s righteousness demonstrated in our world. Ministering to the poor, the weak, those displaced by poverty, sickness, and circumstances show God’s care for people.

Right now we have church people who are visiting hospitals, homes for the elderly, children that have disabilities. These are all expressions of God’s righteousness.

“When you take care of God’s business you can rest assured God will take care of your personal business.”

Conclusion: Worry is an attitude unbecoming of the child of God. Worship is better. To fret is a useless endeavor. To believe is better. If you have lived in worry, it is time to make some important changes. Make the right decision. Trust the right Father.  Pursue the right ambition. You will be greatly rewarded now and in the future.

 ~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Daniel Villa

Overcoming Worry   

Father, I depart from evil and do good. I seek, inquire for and crave peace. I pursue (go after) it! When my ways please You, Lord, You make even my enemies to be at peace with me.

Lord, You have given to me Your peace; Your [own] peace You have bequeathed to me. It is not the peace that the world gives. I will not let my heart be troubled, neither will I let it be afraid. [I refuse to be agitated and disturbed; and I will not permit myself to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

Instead of worrying, I will pray. I will let petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers, letting You, Father, know my concerns, not forgetting to thank You for the answers. Your peace will keep my thoughts and my heart quiet and at rest as I trust in Christ Jesus, my Lord. It is wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of my life.

Thank You for guarding me and keeping me in perfect and constant peace. My mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You. I commit myself to You, lean on You and hope confidently in You.

I let the peace (soul harmony that comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in my heart [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in my mind]. I am thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to You always].

In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you would like to continue to pray on this topic, Germaine suggests that you pray the Overcoming prayers in the Prayers for the Needs and Concerns of the Individual section to be found in the Prayers That Avail Much Commemorative Edition.

Scripture References:
Philippians 4:6,7 message
Colossians 3:15 amp
Proverbs 16:7 amp
Psalm 34:14 amp John 14:27 amp
Isaiah 26:3 amp
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You Are There

Have you ever contemplated just how our Eternal Father comprehends our daily experiences and total life-span from the perspective beyond Time?  God is involved with us and wherever we allow God to direct our lives, God is not only THERE but making a difference.  And if we learn to respond with integrity and enthusiasm to our Eternal Father, His perspective can become our perspective such that it shrinks our everyday problems and increases our potential for the future, both in Time and with Him in eternity. 

I truly believe that this is an important concept and will affect the way we relate to our Holy Father.  Since I believe we relate to the Father in prayer, and since I believe that it is most eloquent to pray the Bible in our prayer lives, I feel led to look at this question from the perspective of a famous prayer.  In fact, I hope it will help us to pray more effectively ourselves. 

In fact, I’m going to ask you to do something unusual. I’m going to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 139 and follow along with eyes wide open, praying quietly to God as I lead us in prayer following the boundaries of the Psalm. After all, many of the psalms (including this one) were actually prayers prompted by and preserved by the Holy Spirit. So, I don’t see how we can go wrong by praying them.

Father,

I need you to assess and appraise me according to Your knowledge of me, [You see, I can’t be objective, but You know more about me than I do…] (v. 1)

You know where I’m comfortable and where I’m willing to take a stand And You can understand my intentions before I even get around to acting. (v. 2)

You know the boundaries of what I can do and the limits of my endurance; You know all the little things about my habits and my intentions. (v. 3)

I can’t even say what I’m thinking before You know where I’m going. (v. 4)

You protect me on all sides (though some think I’m sheltered) and You give me guidance. (v. 5)

I simply cannot comprehend all You are and do; I can’t storm the fortress of Your Presence. (v. 6)

[On the other hand, You come to me…]  Is there any place I could go where Your Spirit couldn’t bless?  And is there any place where You are incapable of demonstrating Your Presence? [Of course not!] (v. 7)

If I could reach beyond nature and find myself in divine space, I would find You.  If I were as helpless as a ghost of myself, You would be there for me. (v. 8)

If I were powerful enough to bring the dawn [each morning] And I could live where the sun sets, (v. 9)

I would still need You to guide me and to hang onto me. (v. 10)

Even when I want to be hidden, to sink deep in the shadows of depression, (v. 11)

The light of Your Presence guarantees that even night must be as day. (v. 12)

That must be because You made me the thinking being I am, weaving together my twisting DNA code in the womb of my mother. (v. 13)

I’m really thankful that You are as awesome as You are. Your actions all around me make me feel low and properly worshipful.  You know my essence, inside and out. (v. 14)

You know everything about my body from the skeleton out; Since You sculpted me out of the available elements (v. 15)

You “signed off” on my zygote, even though You could see my entire future on the scroll of history; You’ve known what I was going to go through, before the circumstances occurred. (v. 16)

Thinking about all of this [and still considering the miracle of “free will”] is mind-boggling.

It should make me feel secure that You are aware of everything from the start. (v. 17)

Considering the things that You know would be as hopeless as counting grains of sand for me. But knowing that You know the final chapter in my life helps me quite worrying. (v. 18)

Of course, I would be thrilled if You would remove certain unscrupulous people from my life so that their presence wouldn’t be a constant impediment and danger to me. (v. 19)

I know You can see that these people are devious; They are serving “emptiness” or “worthlessness” instead of You. (v. 20)

I refuse to partner with those dedicated to worthlessness; I pledge to stand up for Truth when they attack You. (v. 21)

I just won’t stand for it. I don’t trust them. (v. 22)

So, Lord, I’m asking You to assess and appraise me to know my real motives.  Find any causes of anxiety within [so I can depend more fully upon You]. (v. 23)

Help me stay away from depending on the false and undependable, so I can live life according to Your Reality that doesn’t dissipate with Time and Space. (v. 24)

[And I pray this with the advantage the original psalmist didn’t have, the name and authority of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.]

Now, one reason people hesitate to pray prayers like this (or sometimes, even pray at all) is because they have an inadequate understanding of God’s omniscience. They figure that since God already knows everything they are going through, it isn’t worth mentioning in prayer. But I think that’s a cop-out and I’ll tell you why. God wants to spend quality time with us. God wants to share His perspective with us. In order to get beyond the prayer time equivalent of “Good food, good meat, Good God, let’s eat!” we need to be willing to discuss specifics with God. In order to get beyond the prayer time equivalent of just feeling warm and fuzzy, we need to take the risk of opening ourselves up to God.

Now, God (as we shall soon see in the text) already knows our perspective, but He graciously allows us to discover His perspective as we communicate honestly with Him. And don’t you think it pleases our heavenly Father to know that we recognize God at work in our lives, just as I love it when I discover that my actions meant something in my children’s lives?

Are we near God or are we far away? We really can’t know by ourselves. It requires God’s revelation to help us see our situation objectively. We don’t have all of the facts. We don’t see all of the potential.

Some people don’t like praying to an omniscient God because it makes them feel constricted, hemmed in, deprived of possibilities for personal potential. In fact, one way of translating the verb I’ve written as “bundled up” can be translated as “bound” or “tied up.” It can have a negative way of viewing God as being too restrictive in our lives. It can be the opposite of trust—that feeling expressed by many teenagers when they yell at their parents that parental restrictions are keeping them from growing up, from becoming more adult.

Verse 5 tells us that God is both behind and in front of us. It might mean that God is both to the west and the east so the psalmist (and Israel as a whole) could be protected from both sides (from the sea and from the desert). 

Martin Luther once pictured the condition of the believer. He pictured us as being like infants bound in a blanket. We’re being held in God’s arms and we’re safe in them. However, we occasionally let our bare feet peek out from under the blanket and that is when our enemy and his minions try to bite our exposed toes. In short, we have a tendency to put ourselves at risk whenever we try to wriggle out of the safety of God’s plan and provision for our lives. We have a tendency to act like God’s hand is heavy on us, oppressively holding us down, even though we know God wants what is best for us. We resent being in God’s “arms,” so to speak. We foolishly and rebelliously slap at God’s guiding hand. 

Does the theology of God’s omniscience make a difference in my prayer life? You’d better believe it. I can put myself in God’s hands, knowing that God not only understands my feelings but also knows all the circumstances surrounding the decisions I need to make, the desperation I might be feeling, and the direction I need to go. Prayer isn’t a matter of briefing God on my problems. It often involves talking out those problems in order to see more clearly where God wants to work in my life.

The God of the entire universe is with us in whatever we have to do.  God is in charge whether one is where the source of life was presumed to be or in the place of the dead. There is no avoiding God’s authority.  Even if he had the power to carry the sun like a god, we would still be under God’s command and subject to God’s Presence.

In the Psalm, the psalmist recognizes God as the creator of his kidneys—the center of conscience according to the ancient world. So, the psalmist appeals to God as the source of his information about right and wrong. We have an advantage over the psalmist. We can depend upon the Holy Spirit rather than some physical portion of our bodies. But the point is, the psalmist like you and I can appeal to God as the arbiter of right and wrong in our lives.

We can also echo the thoughts of the psalmist that God wove us together in our mother’s wombs. What great imagery!   I like the imagery because it suggests that those strands of DNA that are woven together in my chemical make-up did not happen by accident.  My very genetic structure is a fabulous tapestry from God.

We cannot comprehend God’s thoughts because they are too numerous and complex for us. It would be as absurd as trying to count the grains of sand on the beach. BUT, the reason the psalmist affirms all of this is because he wants to claim God’s power and God’s purpose for himself. So, I ask you, does the theology of God’s omnipotence affect your life? It ought to. God’s power and presence in our lives means—No Fear.

The last six verses make us quite uncomfortable. Does hating the enemies of God mean that we have to be priggish and self-righteous? Does it mean that we have to go on a crusade against those who do not trust in God?  

Here’s the question. Do we really want to get rid of all the devious, carnal, and despicable people around us? C. S. Lewis suggested in his Reflections on the Psalms that we are really only opposed to the enemies of God when they cease to amuse us, flatter us, and serve some utility for us. In reflecting on this Psalm and others like it, Lewis interpreted a phrase from the Model Prayer to reflect how we should understand this.

“’Lead us not into temptation,’ often means, among other things, ‘Deny me those gratifying invitations, those highly interesting contacts, that participation in the brilliant movements of our age, which I so often, at such risk, desire.’” Isn’t that what this last section of the Psalm is all about? The psalmist asks God to keep him aligned with God and not dependent upon idols. And when we refuse to align ourselves with those who oppose God, are we not also avoiding the idols of power, prestige, and privilege? And I, for one, need to keep on praying that. 

~Bits and Pieces of Sermon by Johnny Wilson

Keywords: Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Prayer

Christian Home or Religious Home?

There is a difference between a Christian home and a religious home. A religious home focuses upon the requirements of being a Christian, whereas a Christian home focuses on the relationship with God. Here are some of the characteristics of a Christian home:

1. A Christian home is not legalistic but instead there is genuine intimacy and communication of God’s love and his desires for us.
2. Family devotionals need to be a part of the family, but flexible, invigorating, full of variety and life. What a shame it is when we bore or burden our teens with religion rather then sharing the joy and love of serving God and growing in intimacy with Him!
3. As parents we need to live by example - More is Caught than Taught. Principles mean little to a teen... example means everything! Those who are the best examples are not the ones supposedly living perfect Christian lives, but those who allow teenagers to look in and see what life is really like.. the struggles, the triumphs, the desire to grow. Expose youth to good models in other adults as well among your church members and friends.
4. A teen's view of God as the Father is often affected by earthly fathers. As father's we are seeking to live in the example of the Heavenly Father?
5. Perception is reality to teens... Don’t say the perception is false and ignore it... deal with the perceptions. Don't see questions and doubts as threats but as opportunities to understand. Struggles are part of our spiritual journey.
6. Don’t pretend to be perfect in your Christianity... be honest about your own faith and they will know that you are real... youth see hypocrisy quicker than anyone.
7. Put a voice to your personal values and convictions and back them up by seeking to live by them.
8. Remember that faith is a relationship with God, not a complete understanding. You don't have to understand everything for your faith to make a difference. We use so much technology today that we don't fully understand... the real issue is not how does it work, but instead how does it work for me. How does it make a difference in my life.
9. Remember you cannot expect others to do your parenting work for you when you as a parent are the greatest influence on a child’s life. If you were to examine your life you will find things being transfered to your children... but very often it is our bad habits rather than our faith. Inspire your child. Spirituality is not demanded or forced but inspired and encouraged and nurtured.
10. “Today’s church dropouts are not the kids; but their the parents. You can’t teach what you don’t know any more than you can come from where you have never been.” -Adrian Rogers If you want to see your child grow in their faith, you need to be GROWING in yours.
11. You cannot do anything to be absolutely sure your teens will accept Christ because God gave each of us free will. But we can pray and live it ourselves daily!!
12. Dt. 6:6-9 Talk about your faith at any time of the day (Note there is a difference between talking with someone and preaching!) Have a willingness to share plus a mental readiness to share when the time is right. If we want our children to desire the faith we have we must show its attractiveness... is the Christian life truly the abundant life for you or a burden.
13. Make your home a place where other Christian teens are invited and welcome. Teens choose peers with needs similar to their own and as such can provide a clue to your teens needs and desires.
14. Instead of getting defensive, as parents we must admit we are depending on Christ in our own weaknesses. Scripture teaches us to be vulnerable: “Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” II Cor 3:5 Be real. You don't have to be a superhero to be a positive spiritual influence in the life of a youth!

Actually, while these truths are critical principles for parents, they are true for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of youths. That includes youth leaders, teachers, mentors, and anyone that has regular contact with teens.

When parents around the world describe the qualities that make their family strong, these are some of the things they talk about.

APPRECIATION AND AFFECTION

• Caring for each other
• Friendship
• Respect for individuality
• Playfulness
• Humor

ABILITY TO COPE WITH STRESS AND CRISIS

• Adaptability
• seeing a crisis as a challenge
• Growing through crisis together
• Openness to change
• Resilience

COMMITMENT

• Trust
• Honesty
• Dependability
• Faithfulness
• Sharing

TIME TOGETHER

• Quality time in great quantity
• Enjoying each other’s company
• Simple good times
• Faithfulness
• Sharing fun times

POSITIVE COMMUNICATION

• Sharing feelings
• Avoiding blame
• Being able to compromise
• Playfulness
• Agreeing to disagree

SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

• Hope
• Faith
• Compassion
• shared ethical values
• Shared moral beliefs