Grow in Grace and Knowledge

 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”~2 Peter 3:18 HCSB

Peter closes out his second letter with these words.  He has written two letter of encouragement to the saints and closes urging them to continue to grow.  He understands the Christian faith is not one satisfied with just standing still but is based on a lifetime of growth, growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Grace and knowledge go hand and hand.  It is by grace of God that we have any knowledge of God at all.  God doesn’t have to help us understand Him, He doesn’t owe us anything, it is all by grace.  The sun rises and falls because of grace.  It rains, crops grow, everything is dependent upon the grace of God.  The very breath you are taking in right now is because of God’s incredible grace.  

It was through grace God revealed Himself to man.  After the fall in the garden Eden, God had every right to destroy man forever but extended him grace.  Not only did he spare man but he provided a way to rescue man from his wayward state.  He sent His Son Jesus Christ to suffer in our place the justice of God.  It was God’s pleasure to crush His Son for the sins of the many.  Growing in the knowledge of this act of grace brings us closer to God and helps us understand His glory. Understanding grace humbles us and makes us teachable.   

In Christ “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.” (Colossians 2:3 HCSB)  By seeking to grow in the knowledge in Christ we are seeking a treasure. We are people in search of truth.  We all want to know the answers to the questions that move us.  Whatever the question is that you have the answer is found in Christ.  Everything starts and ends with Him.  In Him is everything we need to live.  But it is more than just existing, in Christ we have life!  Life that is full, life that is worth living.  Growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ can only result in one thing, thanksgiving and praise of the glory of God!   

Lord help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Lord help understand and to live for Your glory.  Lord thank you for your grace and let other see your love in us.  Amen

Ask

“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask. What should I give you?" ~1 Kings 3:5 HCSB

David had gone to be with his fathers and his son Solomon was declared king.  Solomon walked in the way of David and the Lord came to him in a dream.  God asked Solomon what shall I give you.  Most people in Solomon position might have asked for riches, long life or freedom from enemies, but Solomon say this, “So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:9 HCSB) Solomon asked for a ‘listening heart’ which is translated in English differently, some say understanding, wisdom or discerning, but I like obedient.  Solomon understood where the wisdom needed to govern came from. 

Solomon confesses he is young and inexperienced and he greatly desired to please the Lord in being king over God’s people.  He understood it was God who made him king and it was God who would give him the wisdom he needed.  Solomon did something else important, he asked.  Have you found yourself tested? Found yourself in an impossible situation and you feel hugely under qualified? It is when we are in these situations that we need to ask God for knowledge.  Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 HCSB) With God there is wisdom to see us through any situation we just need to ask.

Solomon humbled himself before the Lord, he knew where to go for help and he asked.  God granted his request.  He made Solomon the wisest man to ever live.  He not only gave him wisdom but he also gave him everything he didn’t ask for.  He was given riches, he was protected and given long life.  Anytime we seek God first, He will always exceed our expectations.  Today ask God to give you the wisdom you need.  Humble yourself before the Lord and know it is God who is knows all things, he alone can help you. 

  

Lord you are to wonderful to understand, Lord give me understanding of You.  Lord give me the wisdom needed to live to bring you glory.  Lord give me the knowledge I need to live a life worthy of the call you have placed on my life.  Amen

In Christ

I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery--Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. ~Colossians 2:2-3 HCSB

I once had a person say about my sermons, they are all the same—they are about Jesus.  They were right! I do bring up Jesus in every message.  Why do you think I do that?  As I survey the world around me there are many places for you to find self helps.  You can read a book or go online for just about any situation you might have.  You can learn how to deal with your crazy teenager, or a cranky grandparent.  You get how too guides for buying cars, to guides for dummies to a coffee pot.  What you need in life isn’t another how to guide but something you can stand on, truth. 

Jesus is truth and He is the key to everything.  Jesus is what binds us all together as believers.  Through Him we can love one another deeply.  He joins our hearts together in love.  He makes known to us the mystery of the ages—that Christ has come to suffer and die for us.  He took our sin upon Himself, both Jew and Gentile and now all who believe have access to God. In knowing Christ all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are found in Him and Him alone.  I am convinced if we were to draw nearer to Christ, learn and live Christ in our daily lives, most if not all of our worries and what troubles us would disappear.  

Notice I am not saying our problems will disappear, but the way we view them and approach them would.  When we start to realize that our troubles are opportunities for Christ to work in our lives.  When we experience suffering, we know that He walks along side us and at time carries us.  He places people in our lives that minister, touch and love us.  As we draw closer to Him all of our relationships change around us.  In Christ we think less about ourselves and more about others, which in turn strengthens every relationship we are in.  How or why would I talk about anything else?  We have all we need in Christ and I will proclaim Him until He takes away my last breath!  

Lord you are all we need!  Lord give us the wisdom and knowledge to know You.  Give us the desire to seek You in everything.  Lord in You is everything we need!  Lord help us to understand this and most of all Lord help us to share this wonderful mystery with everyone.  Amen        

Jesus is….

“He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For everything was created by Him,

in heaven and on earth,

the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions

 or rulers or authorities—

all things have been created through Him
and for Him. He is before all things,

and by Him all things hold together.

He is also the head of the body,

the church; He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

so that He might come to have

first place in everything.

For God was pleased to have

all His fullness dwell in Him,

and through Him to reconcile

everything to Himself by making peace

through the blood of His cross—

whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

~Colossians 1:15-20 HCSB

Jesus I praise you name!  There is no one like you, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Thank you for the cross, thank you for your grace, thank you Lord!  Lord let me live for you and for your glory! 

Repentance and Mud Pies

“Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” ~Acts 3:19 HCSB

Reading this verse I am given a painful reminder.  Without repentance there isn’t salvation, notice the order of this verse--repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out.  We have stopped telling people in sharing the gospel they need to repent.   In our effort not to sound judgmental or offensive we have stopped telling people they need to turn from their sin.  As I read the ligature and hear the gospel presented by others I hear it like this.  “We have all sinned, Jesus died for our sins and by putting our faith in Him we are saved, all you have to do is believe”.  What is missing is the need to repent, Jesus died for us and we have to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus, who will remove our sin and help us overcome the sin we struggle with.  

When we are without Christ and living in sin we are walking away from Christ, by repenting we are turning our backs on sin and turning to Christ.  It is not a continued walk with sin and Jesus walks along with you, you have to turn away.  In our thinking we have cheapened the effects of sin.  In doing so, we have developed a mindset that sin is like a playing with mud pies.  The mud gets on our hands and it’s messy, it might get on our cloths and even in our hair, but it was fun and it washes off!  Sin is far more sinister than mud—it makes its way through our pours and poisons us.  The mud makes it way to our hearts darkening and hardening them.  The mud gets to our minds and clouds our thinking, sin has one purpose, to kill, steal and destroy.

Even worse you cannot wash it off, it cannot be removed by your efforts.  You can wash, scrub, use high industrially cleaners and will never remove it, and whatever you touch it becomes dirty.  When you hold your kids, your spouse or shake the hand of a friend it spreads to them.  It dirties everything and everyone around you.  Only the blood of Christ can remove it, only the blood of Christ can keep it from you.  By turning to Christ we are saying I cannot clean myself, I need you to clean me.  We humble ourselves and acknowledging Christ is the only one who can save me and wash me white as snow.   

Lord help us to repent of our sins, to turn away from sin and turn to you.  Lord help me to live a life of holiness, that brings glory to you.  Lord cleanse my heart and my mind of the dirt.  Lord help me to share this with others that they too may know you and experience the season of refreshing that comes from you and you alone!  Amen        

Caught!

David responded to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Then Nathan replied to David, "The LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die.

~2 Samuel 12:13 HCSB

David has pulled off the perfect crime.  He has committed murder, adultery, lying, deceiving all along the way.  No one knows the full extent of his crime.  All the while God is watching and sends the prophet Nathan.  Nathan shares with David a story about a man with a lamb that is like family and how a rich man took the poor man’s lamb for himself, out of greed.  David is infuriated and says, “The man who did this deserves to die!”  Nathan tells him, “You are that man.”  He then proceeds to tell him how God established him and he has sinned greatly against the Lord.  David responds by saying, “I have sinned against the LORD.” 

My first reaction is what about Uriah! Hasn’t David sinned against the man he murdered!  How about Bathsheba?  Hasn’t David sinned against her?  How about Joab, to put him in a position to kill one of his own men?  Yet David says I have sinned against the Lord, in fact in Psalm 51:4 he says he sinned against God alone.  Why would he say that?  The offense is against the highest offended, which is God.  Let me illustrate this.  If I abuse my son and then apologies to my wife, my son is going to be hurt even more and rightly so.  I must first apologies to my son and then to my wife.  Both have been offended, but my greatest offense is against my son.  

When we sin God is the one most offended.  He provides everything for us.  He gives us life, relationships and everything we have is due to Him.  So when we turn away from him and chose sin over His grace, He is greatly offended.  Sin is very serious and we have an incredible God who wants to forgive us.  He loves us and through His Son Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of sin.  Jesus paid the price, He satisfied God’s righteousness and through Him we have life.  So when we sin we are to confess our sin and turn from it, repent.  We do not escape the consequences of our sin, but the one most offended forgives us.

Lord I confess my sin against you.  I pray you will forgive me and help me to repent.  Lord give me the strength and turn to you and to seek you with all of my heart.  Lord let me glorify you in my life in everything I do, for your namesake and glory!  Amen.   

Pastor Steve

No One Knows?

"When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the LORD considered what David had done to be evil." ~2 Samuel 11:27 HCSB

David’s men are out fighting against the Ammonites.  Early in the evening David got from his bed and strolled along the roof of his palace when he saw a women bathing—a very beautiful women the scriptures says.  He wants to know more about her, she is Bathsheba the wife of Uriah and soon she is summoned to the palace.  Soon afterwards she sends word to him that she is pregnant.  So David in an effort to cover his sin sends for Uriah to come home.  Twice David tries to convince Uriah to go home and be with his wife, twice he refuses.  David then gives Uriah a note to carry to Joab to place him in the thick of battle and to withdraw from him, he is to be killed.  All goes according to plan, Uriah dies and David gets the wife—no one knows about David’s sin. 

David thought he was smart but God saw the whole thing and wasn’t going to let him get away with it.  This thought brings us to a major point in this story that applies to us all.  God see’s everything we do and will hold us accountable! With that thought the question becomes, "What sin are you hiding from everyone else and you think God is none the wiser?"  What are you thinking of doing and are sure you can get away with it?  Everything we do the Lord knows and it will be exposed in time.  

If you have done something you need to confess your sin to God and make it right.  I would also encourage you to pray for God to provide you a Christian brother or sister you can confide in and will hold you accountable.  If it involves people you need to offer an apology and ask for forgiveness, even if the person will not accept or offer forgiveness back.  Fifteen years ago I got mad at a brother for something he said to me and I harbored those feeling all that time.  God worked it out where I had contact with this person again and in His timing put us together on the phone!  I confessed my sin to my brother who in turn quickly apologized himself and it became a great experience of healing for us both.  Don’t hang on to sin confess it and allow God’s grace to bring you healing and forgiveness.  Most of all remember there is nothing we do that is hidden from God and He wants so much more for you than allow you to remain in sin.

Lord forgive us of our many sins.  Lord forgive us of our hidden sin and help us to confess that sin to you and to another person in Christ.  Lord give us someone in our lives we can openly confess our short comings.  Lord if we have wronged someone in our sin, provide a way to forgiveness.  Lord I thank you for your love, grace and mercy!  Amen

Who Am I

“Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? This is why You are great, Lord GOD. There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, as all we have heard confirms. So that Your name will be exalted forever, Lord GOD, You are God; Your words are true, and You have promised this grace to Your servant.” ‘Summery of David’s prayer” 2 Samuel 7

In 2 Samuel 7:18-28 David Prays.  Saul the king is dead.  He was killed along with his son Jonathan by the Philistines.  Saul’s remaining son Ish-bosheth was made king by Abner Saul’s general over most of Israel.  But the people of Judah followed David, what followed was civil war.  Over a course of two years David armies were victorious.  Once a truce was agreed upon with Abner, the fighting stopped.  Only David’s general Joab wanted Abner dead for killing his brother in battle and took matters into his own hands and murdered Abner.  Two thieves broke into Ish-bosheth and killed him while he was napping.  All of David’s rivals were now dead and there was truly peace.  

In this God made a covenant with David.  He promised his throne would remain forever.  In fact we know this to be true because Jesus is from the line of David and His throne is forever just as God promised.  David humbled himself before the Lord and asked, “Who am I?”  Think back over your life and remember how God has brought you along.  How He established you, saved you, loved you, shown incredible grace to you.  Reflect on how He continues to provide for you, strengthen and encourage you.  Take your time and think and then ask the question, “Who am I?”

God is great, there is no one like Him!  There is no other God who can do the things He does, He is alive!  His name will be exulted in all the earth, forever!  His words are true and His grace is everlasting to His servants!  

Lord who am I?  Lord thank you for allowing me to be a part of Your Kingdom!  Lord thank you for loving me, showering me with Your grace, which I do not deserve.  Lord you are magnificent and I will praise your name!          

Sermon: In Your Heart (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Sermon can be heard here.

We live in a great nation.  A nation I believe blessed by God.  We are a nation who has pursued freedom from tyranny, which is defined as “the unrestrained exercise of power.”  Many have died protecting this freedom not just for our nation, but for people everywhere.  In fact seven soldiers of our nation died this week.  In history of the world the United States of America is unique.  There has never been an establishment of a nation based on this statement:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

In this statement we as a nation recognize God as the Creator and sustainer of our nation.  We know that God sustains and establishes all nations for His good will and purpose.  But I believe our nation’s founding fathers were intent on establishing this country on biblical principles.  In fact it is the basic biblical principles of grace, forgiveness, justice and righteousness this nation has allowed for such an incredible amount of diversity.   It is these principles that we have deployed the world over to confront evil and to rebuild nations.  What I fear is we have begun to lose these basic principles and the question then becomes, how do we recover them?   

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and as a veteran myself I have had the honor and privilege of serving my nation.  I want to see America continue to a force of good in the world.  With that said this is not my home.  I am a member of another kingdom; I belong to the kingdom of God first and foremost.  My heart is with the Lord’s in whatever nation He places me.  

Why do I make such a statement?  Because I think it is far more important for us to understand the big picture.  I do not put my faith in nations or the law of government.  They cannot change people’s hearts and if I thought they could I would have been a politician.  I know the truth about man’s heart and the only thing that can change the human heart is the living God, through Jesus Christ.  As a Christian my sole purpose is to live for the glory of Christ.  My time here is short but my time in heaven is for eternity. 

So how do we recover the basic biblical principles in our nation and why does it matter.  I hope to answer that question this morning and I think it starts with our children and I’ll explain why.   

In the Bible God established the people of Israel as a nation.  And right before he did Moses gave them finial instructions.   

Set the Stage

In the book of Deuteronomy we see Moses reminding the people of Israel of what to expect and what NOT to do once they are established.  Moses knows he will not enter the promise land with them.  He has led them for over 40 years from Egypt and through the deserts.  He has constantly interceded for them to God directly and now everything has been leading up to this.  So he tells them. 

"Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 HCSB)

Shema (hear)

Deuteronomy 6:4 is the most quoted verse in the bible.  Orthodox Jews have recited this verse twice a day for thousands of years.  It is still recited today.  Jesus quoted this verse “He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

(Matthew 22:37-39 HCSB)  In doing so he summed up the heart of the Law. 

          -Your Everything

Shema means to hear or listen.  Moses is saying this is something you have to pay attention to.  Like right now sit up and listen, take notice at what I am about to say.  He is saying if you miss this, you will suffer greatly, this is very important for you to understand.  It’s like when your son runs out in the street and the conversation you with him on the sidewalk.  His life depends on him understanding.  

What he tells them is what is going to separate the Israelites from the rest of the nations around them.  Firstly there is only one God, He is Yahweh. 

There are no other gods.  He is not many God’s, He is the one God and He is Sovereign.  The nations around them would worship multiple gods.  Israel was monotheistic which was different from everyone else.  

Secondly, this was a relationship based on love. It wasn’t a relationship built on legalism out of a sense of duty or necessity, but love.  This wasn’t just any love either; this love was to be much deeper.  In the Bible this love goes along the lines of husband and wife, father and son.  This love was to be the core of their being; they were to love the Lord with everything—from your heart.     

          -Your Heart

This idea gives some insight into the thinking of the ancient Hebrew life.  The heart was regarded was the seat of the mind.  From the heart, people lived their lives. It was the source of one’s being.  The heart was what made a person, their essence.  That idea didn’t change in the New Testament.  In fact we see how in the New Covenant God would write these principles upon our heart.  And out of love and devotion to Christ for what He has done for us we would follow his commands ‘wholeheartedly’, all of our heart, soul and strength.  

There wasn’t to be a shared love with anything else, this love and devotion is complete and undivided, Yahweh is Lord, period.  They were to love no one else.  This love for the Lord was to be passed onto the next generation.  His commandments were to be obeyed from generation to generation.  So Moses attaches special importance on teaching of their children.  

Engrave them

To ensure the passing on of this Love for Yahweh, the parents, every member of society was to aid in the teaching of the children.  

          -Children

The words and works of the Lord were to be chiseled into the lives of the hearts of the children.  The picture in verse 6-7 is that of an engraver.  He would use a chisel and a hammer to etch each word very carefully into granite.  It would take patience, endurance and once finished would be permeate.  This was to be accomplished by incorporating the covenant and its instruction into every aspect of their lives.       

         

-Talk About

They were to talk about it.  The word of the Lord was to be on their lips.  They were to share the stories of what God had done for their nation.  For what God had done in their lives.  Every conversation was to be seasoned with the words and thoughts of the Lord.  

-Walk About

When they walked, lied down, or got up, God and His ways were to be the topic.  Every opportunity that was given to share His word, His principles, most of all His love was to be taken advantage of.  Moses goes even further and says to bind them to your arms and foreheads, write the words on your door frames of your house and on your gates to be seen as you leave and return!  

          -Live About

They were to live it out in front of their children, every person always.  They were set apart by the Lord and they were to be different from everyone else in the promise land.  They were to be Yahweh’s people and He would be their God.  This was to be the heart of the entire nation and they where to impress this on every child.  

Everything Depends On It!

Because everything depended on it!  Let’s pick up in verse 10, and see what I mean. 

"When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you--a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, wells dug that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant--and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Fear Yahweh your God, worship Him, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and wipe you off the face of the earth.”

(Deuteronomy 6:10-15 HCSB)

How do we get back to the basic biblical principles our nation was founded on and why does it matter?  It starts with our children.  It starts at home.  Each parent needs to take the responsibility to teach and to live Christ and His word in front of their children.  Mom and Dad are to model and to teach their children the word of God.  The church is to equip and train the parents and to assist them in teaching the children.  They are not primarily responsible for teaching the children they are to equip and assist.

We have to get back to this basic principle to ensure and to pass on Christ to the future generations.  Because if we don’t we will cease to be a nation of good, a nation God can use for his good will and purpose and we will cease to exist.  I believe this with all my heart. 

We the people do not sustain this nation.  It is not our will and determination that holds everything together.  It is not the collective goodness of our people that makes America great.  It is God and His grace and mercy.  The founding fathers acknowledged this idea and were fearful of losing it. George Washington said this:

‘I am sure that never was a people, who had reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of the God who is alone able to protect them.”       

Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  I would encourage you to attend one of the local ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives in the defense of this nation.  I would also ask you to consider what has been said here this morning and praise God for His blessings He has poured out on us as a people.  I would also encourage you to think about the urgency in which we need to get back to teaching our children about the Lord.  Realize we all have a hand in this, it is all of our responsibly to talk, walk and live the gospel.   I close with this verse. 

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the LORD your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 HCSB)