Bible Study: Welcome the Stranger

We will not have our regular Wednesday afternoon Bible Study this week. However, I invite you to read through the following Scriptures - considering Jesus.

"Welcome the Stranger"

Isaiah 53:3, 5; He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Pray - Think - Reflect

• Exodus 23:1-9

• Genesis 19:1-13

• Psalm 121

• Jeremiah 7:1-7

• Luke 9:51-58

• Matthew 25:31-46

If you live in the Robinson, Illinois area, I invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 7th, at 11:00 am as we read and study God's Word for our lives - applying it in a practical way.

 

2015; A Year of Worship

Let us declare that 2015 will be a year of worship! In 2015 - despite all of the hurts of the past, the burdens that we carry, and the opposition that we face - let us glorify the name of Jesus. Jesus has conquered sin, Satan, and death - He can lead you to a life of peace and joy. Let us magnify the mighty name of Jesus above all else in our lives.

New Year's Eve Thoughts

What are you going to stop doing?

What are you going to start doing?

How are you working to achieve this?

In 2014 my "word" was BOLD.

In 2015 my "word" will be THINK.

What Will We Do?

I often like to sit and watch my children, to listen to the way they interact and talk with one another and the way they interact and talk with their friends. For the most part, when I watch and listen to them, they are laughing, playing, or learning together. However, there are certain times when I like to watch and listen to them in the midst of conflict and disagreements. It is in these moments that I observe the way they react and behave when things are not going their way and when they are facing opposition.

This morning I was reading in Psalm 139 -  a familiar passage that brought a new thought to my mind. Psalm 139 begins;

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.

This reminded me that God enjoys watching His children - that He enjoys watching me. Not only is God watching me in moments of joy, triumph, and success. He is also watching me in moments of sorrow, heartache, and temptation. Not only that, He is watching to see the way I will react when things are not going my way and when I am facing opposition.

My children will often look for their mom or I - or they will call out for help - when they are not sure what to do and when conditions are beyond their control. Sometimes, knowing that the situation is getting away from them, I will sit and wait for their call for help. I believe that God also waits for us to call out to Him. Will we recognize that we are unable to handle life alone? Will we recognize that their is a God that created us, loves us, and wants the best for us that is waiting to come to our rescue?

Psalm 139 concludes;

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Instructions To Share A Biblical Perspective With A Disobedient Child

Every child disobeys. Disobedience is built within us as a part of our sinful nature. So, at some point, you may want to sit down and discuss the biblical perspective of disobedience with your disobedient child. Here are some instructions. 

First, take a moment to calm yourself, you do not want to discuss the Bible in an attitude of anger or frustration. Sit down with your child and read through the following...

1. Exodus 20:12

2. Exodus 21:17

3. Leviticus 20:9

4. Deuteronomy 21:18-21

It's about now that your child may be cowering - and crying - in the corner. Be sure to reassure them that you are not going to kill them or allow anyone to stone them to death. Be sure to tell your child that is is the Old Testament law, established by God and obeyed by His chosen nation to ensure purity and purge evil.

And we continue...

5. Proverbs 1:7-9

6. Proverbs 13:1

7. Proverbs 20:20

8. Proverbs 23:22

9. Proverbs 30:17

Once again, call your child back out of the corner of the room, and them a tissue, and reassure them that they are not going to be fed to the birds. 

Perhaps now is the time to lay out God's ideal plan for His creation. Discuss God's creation and the garden of Eden, where everything was perfect, God walked with Adam and Eve, and sin - disobedience - was nonexistent. Discuss the "death" (separation) that Adam and Eve faced due to their sin against God. Then explain how a child's disobedience against their parents causes separation between them and God and between them and their parent. Go one step further and illustrate how - if left undisciplined - a child's disobedience will lead to separation between parents, separation between siblings, and separation within the entire family. Explain that disobedience can tear a family apart. 

Then, we conclude...

10. Romans 13:1

11. Ephesians 6:1-3

12. Colossians 3:20

Close with a hug and a prayer. 

Painting Jesus

I shared this illustration to close the service yesterday morning:

An artist once painted a picture of The Last Supper. He took it to the writer Tolstoy for his opinion. Carefully the Russian master of words studied the canvas. Then, pointing to the central Figure, he declared; “You do not love Him.” “Why that is the Lord, Jesus Christ,” exclaimed the artist. “I know,” insisted Tolstoy, “but you do not love Him. If you loved Him more, you would paint Him better.”

How much do you love Jesus?

How are you painting Him - through your love, your words, your actions - in the world around you?

Morning Star's Fall

Once upon a time everything in the universe was perfect!

There was a good King who ruled from His Throne.

He was worshiped, and there was no one or no thing like Him.

He had one Son and He was just as good as His Father, the King. 

When the King was worshiped, His Son was worshiped too.

 

Everyone in the Kingdom served them – not because they had to but because they wanted to – out of love for the King and His Son.

The Father and Son had raised up three worshipers above the rest; their names were “Gift, Morning Star, and Messenger”.

 

Everything in the universe was perfect.

 

When The King and His Son were worshiped, Gift, Morning Star, and Messenger would worship them together with all the other worshipers

 

Yet Morning Star began to wonder why he wasn’t being worshiped.

And Morning Star began to look down on The King’s Son.

He asked himself why The King’s Son was given more honor than him.

 

One afternoon Morning Star stood up to the King and to His Son.

Morning Star refused to worship The King and rebelled against Him.

 

Pride had built up in Morning Star, he thought he deserved to be King.

He told The King to step down, to get off His throne and let him rule.

 

The King had to cast Morning Star out of the perfect Kingdom where Morning Star remains even today – allowing his pride to control him.

 

The prophet Isaiah wrote about Morning Star; How you have fallen from heaven,

morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead to the depths of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

 

Morning Star now goes by a different name – we know him as Satan. Satan tries to tell us that we deserve more than we have. Satan tries to tell us that we are more important than others. Satan tries to tell us that we are more important than God.

King of the Pride

Tomorrow morning I will be preaching on the topic of pride. It occurred to me today that a group of Lions is called a pride. Perhaps I was thinking of this after our recent visit to the St. Louis zoo.

However, it also occurred to methat the lien is known as the king of the jungle. And that is what pride does to us as well. Pride builds up and makes us believe that we are King (or queen) - first of our own lives, then of everything.

We must be careful not to let pride build up in our lives to the point where we believe that we are King (or queen) of anything.

Jesus' Love in Matthew 9

In His Hometown

Mark 6:4, 6; Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown is a prophet without honor.” And He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The Paralytic Man

Matthew 9:1-8

• Mark 2:1-12
• Luke 5:17-26

What do you see in Jesus’ love?

What did Jesus see before He healed the man?

• The man’s faith

What were the results of Jesus’ love?

• The paralytic was healed and went home
• The crowd was filled with awe
• The crowd praised God

Jairus’ Daughter

Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26 

• Mark 5:21-24, 35-43
• Luke 8:41-42, 49-56

What do you see in Jesus’ love?

What did Jesus tell Jairus to do?

• Believe (Mark and Luke)

What were the results of Jesus’ love?

• The girl was healed and got up
• News spread throughout the region

The Bleeding Woman

Matthew 9:20-22

• Mark 5:25-33
• Luke 8:43-48

What do you see in Jesus’ love?

What did Jesus say healed the woman?

• The woman’s faith

What were the results of Jesus’ love?

• The woman was healed from that momen

The Blind and Mute Men

Matthew 9:27-31

 

What do you see in Jesus’ love?

What did Jesus say healed the men?

• The men’s faith

What were the results of Jesus’ love?

• The men had their sight restored
• News spread throughout the region 

The Demon-Possessed Man

Matthew 9:32-33

 

What do you see in Jesus’ love?

What were the results of Jesus’ love?

• The man was delivered from the demon and he spoke
• The crowd was amazed

In many of these accounts we read that when Jesus looked – with love – at the individuals that we suffering, what He saw was their faith.

• Sometimes I wonder what it is we see when we look at the people that are suffering around us. Do we look for their faith?
• And I wonder if we attempted to truly love like Jesus loved – the way Jesus calls us to love – if we would see things different

In most of these accounts we read that the affects of Jesus love were far reaching – far beyond the person that had been healed or delivered.

• What affect will our Christian love have on those in our church – our community – our world?

Jesus’ Ministry of Love

Matthew 9:35-36

Our Call to Love Like Jesus

Matthew 9:37-38

Tired of The Construction

I don't want to complain BUT...the construction in our town is "driving" me crazy! Main Street has been torn up for over a month now.

·        there is a huge gulf on one side of the street that I'm afraid I'm going to catch my front tire on and flip my car over. 

·        there are those huge orange barrels that we have to navigate around to avoid

·        the main traffic light near our house has been a 4-way stop for a almost a month and you never know when you'll get stopped by the construction going on and add several minutes to any trip

·        many of the turn lanes through town are nonexistent - either that or the side roads are inaccessible due to the construction 

 

I'M TIRED OF IT!

 

I think about the construction on Main Street, and I consider the words of Isaiah 57:14; "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."  Then it occurs to me that many of us try to live our lives in the midst of construction - in the midst of broken roads, huge orange construction barrels, stopped traffic and traffic jams, and inaccessible roads. 

I'M TIRED OF IT!

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

 

·        When there is a huge gulf on the side of the road we operate in fear; fear of what might lie ahead, fear of being drifting off, fear of crashing. 

·        When there are huge orange barrels in the middle of the road we are restricted; having to carefully navigate; change lanes, take detours, restricted to the lanes these barrels keep us in

·        When there is constant construction traffic we are frustrated; we stop moving; we stop growing, we stop moving

·        When the turn lanes and side roads are closed, we lose access; to God's joy for us, God's power in us, and God's peace over us

 

I'M TIRE OF LIVING MY LIFE LIKE THIS! ARE YOU? 

 

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

 

Build up the road to God – Remove the obstacles in your life

 

Isaiah 57 goes on to state that:

 

• God desires to revive your spirit and your heart (15)
• God desires to heal you and restore comfort to you (18)
• God desires to grant you rest and peace (21)

 

Build up the road to God – Remove the obstacles in your life

 

What are the obstacles in your life that keep you for true peace?

• What are the obstacles in your life keeping you for God?
• Let God remove these obstacles for you.
• Stop living a life of limitation
• Take full access of God’s life for you

Daily Tasks

There are several tasks that I (try to) do every day. Some of these tasks are simple, others are more involved. Some of these tasks take only a moment or two, others are more drawn out. 

The most important - and most contemplative - task that I (try to) do every day is in regard to my time of prayer and a time of questioning. 

Every day I (try to) have three times of prayer; in the morning, at noon, and of an evening. In the morning my prayer focuses on me and my plea is "God, help me love You". At noon my prayer focuses on The Church and my plea is "God, help me love Your Church". Of an evening my prayer focuses on my family and my plea is "God, help me to love my family". 

The order of these prayers - to me - are important. If my day does not begin with the plea for God to help me love Him - and if I do not have a pure and true love for Him - the rest of my day is useless. At noon I focus on The Church - including my family, all those in our local church and those that our local church can minister to, and all those in The Church (worldwide) and those that The Church can witness to - because this is the point in the day when I am most focused on my calling as a pastor. Of an evening I focus on my family - my wife, my marriage, and my children - because this is the point in the day when I am most focused on my calling as a husband and a father. 

Every day I (try to) end my day asking - and mentally answering - three questions; (1) How did you prepare for the moment you will stand before God and answer to Him? (2) How did you prepare your family for the moment they will stand before God and answer to Him? (3) How did you prepare others for the moment they will stand before God and answer to Him?

I believe that the purpose of my life is to prepare - myself and others - for the moment that we stand before God and answer to Him and therefore I believe it is necessary to ask - and contemplate - these questions. Some days these questions bring to my mind exciting conversations and thoughts of development from the day. Other days I am met with discouragement and thoughts of failure to lead as I should. Yet - to me - this is a very important daily task. 

So, what is your purpose and how are you fulfilling it? Perhaps God has called you to a specific job. Are you doing it with all of your heart? Perhaps God has gifted you with talents or influence. Are you using them to your greatest ability? Perhaps God has trusted you with great resources or money. Are you being a good steward? Perhaps God has blessed you with family, friends, and relationships. Are you being the witness that You should be. 

Whatever your purpose is. Identify it and live it out. Only you can serve this mission that God has created you for and called you to. 

Restore and Revive Us Again

The following is from a message that I gave on October 5th, the audio can be found here. 

Isaiah 64:1; That You would come down from heaven and dwell among us.

Have you ever wanted to see God?

• To meet with Him and know His thoughts?
• To talk with Him and ask Him about His ways?
• To gaze upon His face and see His beauty?
• To stand in His presence and feel His power?

Just as the prophet Isaiah wrote (700 BC), We beg and we plead; God come down from heaven and dwell among us.

And He did. God came down from His thrown in heaven. He spent 30 years living among us as a common man - born of a humble birth, living a humble, ordinary life. He then spent the final three years of His life teaching, mentoring, healing, training, and ministering to those who are desperate in need. 

But we were not satisfied. We wanted a King, not a servant. We asked God  to come down from heaven and do what He had done in the past – to stand against our enemies – to establish a Kingdom.

Our response was to hand Him over to the highest power we could find so that He could be nailed to a cross, suffocate, and die. 

And because He is God in the flesh, He does something amazing, something that we never expected God to do – He died.

He said that He was dying for us and for our sins. He said that He was dying so that all of humanity can be reconciled to Him. But He died!?

And maybe He did die for my sin. But a dead man can't save me, and a dead man can't save you! 

Three days later this dead man is not a dead man anymore - He is alive – and He is God. He has taken away the curse – the sin of mankind and He has proven that He has power over sin, over Satan, and over death. 

We beg and we plead; God come down from heaven and dwell among us.

He did for a while, but then He left. God ascended back to heaven with the promise of a future gift. 

Ten days later – with sound of a mighty wind and the appearance of tongues of flames – God came down from heaven in the form of His Holy Spirit. 

But this time He does not simply dwell among us – as we have begged Him to – Now He also dwells within us. 

God came down from heaven and gave us help, comfort, understanding, and power. 

But, again, we were not satisfied. We wanted a God that we could see – a God that we could understand, a God that we could control. 

Our response was fear. We began to shut down and close God's Spirit out. We continued to live our lives without this gift – who is God. We continued to live our lives without this help, this comfort, this power. We continued to live our lives without God!

We beg and we plead; God come down from heaven and dwell among us.  And sometimes we wonder why He hasn't.

• Where is God in our world?
• Where is God in our churches?
• Where is God in our lives?

We beg and we plead; God come down from heaven

One day God will come down from heaven and He will make all things right.

• On this day, every knee will bow before Jesus – our King
• On this day every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord
• On this day God will establish His Kingdom

Now is the time to make sure that we are right with God,

• That we have a right relationship with Jesus Christ
• That we have a right relationship with His Holy Spirit

Let me invite you to consider these questions:

·        Do you have a right relationship with Jesus Christ?

• Jesus wants to be more than your Savior - to save you from the penalty of sin.
• Jesus wants to be more than your source of eternal life. 
• Jesus wants to be your everything - and to provide you with everything.
• Do you have unconfessed sin in your life that you need to seek repentance for?
• God cannot be in the presence of sin
• God cannot bless you if you have sin in your life
• Have you dishonored God’s Holy Spirit?
• We cannot fully embrace God until we accept all of Him
• God has more in store for you and for your life.

Let us go beyond the plea of Isaiah 64. Let us make Psalm 85 our prayer:

• Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. (4, 6-7)

I Think I'll Call My Mom

I haven't called my mom at all this week. Last week I probably called my mom 30 times.

My grandfather passed away last week and I was putting the funeral service together. So, I called my mom several times to run over details about the funeral, and gather information from her. Also, As we were grieving the loss of my grandfather has a family, I felt the need to call her more then normal and just talk.

But, as I think about it now, I haven't called my mom at all this week. She sent me a text message late last week and said she missed hearing my voice. Apparently she too was aware of the increase in the number of phone calls that I gave her last week.

I sometimes wonder if this is how God feels. That when we have a drastic change in our life - something that we are anxious or disturbed over, something that we sense an increased burden or stress over - or if we need something from him, then we call him more than normal. Yet, when things seem to be going just fine in our lives then we somehow forget to call on him, we forget to go before his throne and just visit a little while.

Perhaps it's normal that when things in our lives have changed, when we are anxious or disturbed, when we are heavy burdened or stressed, that we go before God more than normal. But, let us not forget to go before God's throne regularly, let us not forget to visit with him often.

I'm going to go now, I have to pray. And then, I think I'll call my mom.

Poppy

I'm sitting on a plane - in Traverse City, Michigan - as we taxi down the runway, headed toward Detroit. 

Our family vacation began on Friday and - as we arrived at the lake cottage - it began with some difficult news. My grandpa - "Poppy" - passed away on Friday afternoon. 

This morning I am headed to my parents to prepare for the funeral and to try and bring some comfort and encouragement through a funeral meditation. This morning I am headed to my parents while Kim and our children stay in Michigan.

I am reminded at times such as these just how brief life is and how important family is. I will miss Poppy, his jokes, his stories, and his life. Most of all I will miss his character, his humility, and his family values. Poppy was God-fearing, family-focused man. 

I pray that I can be a husband such as he was - loyal and honoring for 63 years. I pray that I can be a father such as he was - a loving and gentle leader. I pray that I can be a friend such as he was - patient and forgiving. 

As I head south, I miss my wife and I miss my children. And, in our brief separation from one another, I pray that I will learn how to - and I pray that I will grow to be - the husband, father, and friend that Poppy was - the husband, father, and friend that they deserve. 

Notes from Thursday Evening's Service

Family Camp 2014: Thursday evening service - Pastor Mark Van Valin

1 Corinthians 10:1-11;  For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 

Exodus from Slavery is a 5 Act Play:

Act 1: "Slavery" (Exodus 1:12-14) The Israelites had been in Egypt - in slavery - for 430 years. In this 430 years they had lost everything - their vision for the future and their vision for any freedom. The only vision they had after 430 years was a vision of slavery - 24/7 work and bondage. The Apostle Paul writes that we are all in slavery. John Wesley preached that we are asleep. 

Act 2: "Awakened Cry" (Exodus 2:23-27) When we are awakened from our slavery - or our sleep - we cry out. This awakened cry is a cry for acceptance and repentance. However, a person never cries out for what could be until they first catch a vision for it. In the same way, we are all content in our sin until we catch a glimpse of God's grace, holiness, and glory. 

Act 3 (scene 1): "When I See The Blood" (Exodus 12:13) When God sees the blood of the lamb He will pass over our slavery. This "passing over" by God comes through the blood of Jesus. This is our justification. 

Acts 3 (scene 2): "Baptism through the Red Sea" (Exodus 14:13-15) Baptism is a new birth. It is not enough to be promised deliverance from slavery - we must be delivered and baptized in a new birth. 

Act 3 should have been the last act. But it is not the end, it is not even the middle. In the same way that "finding Jesus", accepting His salvation, and being baptized into the family of God is not the end of the story for us. 

Act 4: "Wilderness"(Deuteronomy 8:2-5) For 40 years the Israelites walked in the wilderness. For 40 years they tried to recreate Egypt in the wilderness. For 40 years God aimed to discipline the idolatry out of the Israelites. We can be taken out of the slavery situation but it is a process of taking the slavery mindset out of us. 

In 1 Corinthians 10 The Apostle Paul writes about a wilderness that exists past an individual's salvation.

We must ask, why do we choose to stay in the wilderness. John Wesley erote that is came down to negleglct - from prayer and Scripture - sin - we can't imagine a life away from it - or ignorance - we don't know a life apart from it. 

Therefore our options are threefold; we can choose to go back to "Egypt" - that is our venue of slavery, idolatry, and sin (Exodus 16:3), can stay in - and die in - the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:5), or we can take possession of the promised land. 

Act 5: "Take Posession" (Deuteronomy 8:1, 6-9) This is the land that God has promised to each one if us. This is the land of sanctification and holiness that God is calling us to.