Arrows

Psa 127:1 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
Psa 127:2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psa 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psa 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.
Psa 127:5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

This text reminds me of my home and family. It is comforting to know that God is the builder and watcher of my life, my family and my home. I take in joy in understanding that we are in God's hands...yes he is that big!!! As Hebrews chapter one states, " he upholds the universe by the word of his power. " He holds it ALL together. He does all this by His WORD. That is awesome to know.

But I chose Psalm 127 today because of the blessing my wife and I will receive in a few months. Lord willing, we will be blessed with a new "arrow". Children are a blessing, gift, and an inheritance from the Lord.

I thank him for his grace and magnificant blessings!

Whatever you do....Colossians 3.18-25

There is no doubt that in the day in which we live we need some direction in the way we conduct ourselves with others. Paul gives us some details on how we can do this. He begins by talking of the home. He addresses wives, husbands, children, and fathers. These details are vital in the development of a family that Glorifies the Lord. Wives are told to submit to their husbands because it shows obedience to the Lord. Husbands are told to be tender to their wives, children are told to obey parents in order to please the Lord. Fathers are given advice on raising kids. And we even have some details given to slaves or workers. But all of these point top serving others, denying our wants and needs, and pleasing the Lord.
Today’s family does everything but glorify God. The fact of the matter is that when we lift up and serve others we are serving and glorifying God. This is God’s plan. We see the example in the Bible through the life of Jesus Christ. He came as a servant. He lead with his service. Oh the wonders he did….never for himself always for others, always to Glorify GOD. So it brings us to the closing statement in chapter 3 which will be our focus tonight. Notice verses 23-25.

We are given a clear picture of what a life that Glorifies God looks like. Notice how Paul generalizes this in verse 23 by using the phrase “whatever you do”
I. Whatever you do….
This covers everything. From relationships with family, friends, church members, coworkers, students, all people. This covers our dealings in our finances, and how we pay our bills, how raise our kids, how we treat our parents, how play sports, take tests, do chores, our job performance all these things ride on the statement “whatever you do”. How can we glorify God in everything we do? What must happen in an individuals life in order for him to glorify God? Do you think that pleasure and enjoyment are found in living a life that glorifies God? Why?
II. What you must do…
We must come to the realization of what we must do as people who follow Christ. We are to glorify God with our bodies. We are a sacrifice sealed to work for him. We are to give up our wants and do everything as if it were for God. Because it is for God. When we do a test at school you are doing for the Lord. When you mow the grass you are doing it for the Lord. When you wash the dishes you are doing it for the Lord. Every action you do it as hard as you can and do it for the Lord. Not to pleas people but to please God. All things that you and I doe are a reflection of what our relationship in God looks like. We need to live our lives as if they were worth dying for. How can we accomplish this task? What are some barriers to thinking this way? Why do most “Christians” not follow what Paul tells us to do here? What can we do to promote this type of thinking in our church?
III. Who You Are…
When we were bought by the blood of Jesus, we became his. We are no longer our own. We must depend upon his strength his integrity, his grace, his wisdom, and all of who Jesus is. We are now his servant. When we do anything in life it we are serving him. Oh how we need to embrace this type of thinking. Can you imagine what we would see in the lives of people if we all lived like servants. What is a servant? Do we have a right to mistreat some one if they have mistreated us? What are some ways a servant pleases his master? How can we be the servants that Christ wants us to be?

God's Desire for our minds

Freedom again is the theme of these verses.
Why God wants you to have a free mind
Colossians 2.13-15
God truly desires for you and I to have a free mind. Through these three elements, we can see why God wants our minds to be free.


I. Alive through Him (vs13)
Jesus through his death and resurrection, and our embracing of His atonement (sacrifice) we are made truly alive. You see Jesus did not come to this world to make unhappy people happy, or to make non-religious people religious. He came to make dead people live…..This only happens through Christ. We can’t jump start ourselves into new life, or depend on another to give us new life. This is why we should beware and escape the bondages that our minds can be caught in. We have new life we do not have to be caught up in the things of this world that can hold our minds captive. Yes we were once dead in our sins not experiencing true life now we can. What does it mean to be alive in Christ? Why are we “dead” without Him?
II. Legal Pardon (vs14)
Legally in God’s eyes we are condemned. Because of our sin and unrighteousness charges have been brought up against us. Praise God For Jesus. You see Jesus saw the charges, the crimes, and the punishment. He paid the debt which satisfied God’s demands, he accepted the punishment which satisfied God’s justice. Look what he did in our lives. He came and did all this so that we may be free. We will never experience true freedom unless we allow our minds to be free. This is why God wants our minds to be free…we have been pardoned from the legal demands of sin…we are free…no more guilt…It is all because of the cross!!!!!! Why would the Guilt of sin hold our lives captive? Do you think that some people let their Guilt hold them back for living for God? How has the Guilt of sin affected your life for Christ?
III. Supreme Authority (vs15)
God has set Jesus above all things including governments and authorities as well as satanic authorities. He is supreme because of who he is and what he has done. He disarmed Satan and the workers of iniquities. Satan no longer has a foothold on your mind. Christ has freed you from his grasps. He has openly put them to shame and destroyed his deceptions. This is why we should live with free minds. God wants you to have a free mind because off whom Christ defeated. Even in the Garden of Eden where it all began, Satan was in the middle of deceiving and imprisoning our minds. But thanks be to God for his son Jesus and his work. Through Satan’s defeat we can have free lives and minds. How did Satan deceive the minds of Adam and Eve? Why is important that this defeat happened? Do you think Satan wants our minds captive? Why?

God's Desire for our minds

Hot and Cold and the End of All Things...

Well today an Arctic blast is moving across our area of WNC. Snow and temperatures have fallen in some regions. This winter so far has been a roller coaster. Warm one day Cold the next.

I notice that my life with Christ is very similar. Hot or Cold. Some days I am on fire, and others I am not. It is not that my desire to live Holy leaves or my want to live for God fades.Many times I would like to attribute these fluctuations to outside circumstances, but I cant blame it on anything but my on depravity.

It turns out I have a problem with a humanist. This person believes that the end of all things is man's happiness. This person wants himself lifted up. All others seem to come second or even third in his priorities. This person is me.........in fact we are all this way. God, let us be as Paul and desire to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. What wretched, weak, life wasting people we are.

Suffering is foreign concept to most Christians. We think we suffered if we came to church on a cold wet night. We love pride. We even worship it. We do not want to cause a scene or a disturbance even if it means furthering the Gospel. We are our own problems. WE ARE WASTING OUR LIVES!!!!!!! What is your life goiong to mean at the end. What will you and I have to offer at Jesus' feet? Will it be our pride, popularity, our money and riches, our education, our Jobs? Will we lay our boats, campers, 401(K)s, cd's, bonds, houses, time share? Will these matter in the end??? NO!!!

May we lay down the sufferings we went through on Earth at Christ's feet. May we lay down changed lives, fixed homes, souls of saints,, songs of praise, shouts of victory all for HIS GLORY!!! MAY WE LIVE FOR HIS GLORY!!!

Submission, subjection

Glorifying God is our purpose in life. It should be displayed in all avenues and area of life. Our reactions and relationships with authorities are direct views of how we feel about glorifying God.

here is a picture of my little girl Emma and her older cousin K.C. just before they Glorified God with their obedience to Baptism...Praise God for this picture...may all our little ones live for HIM.

I Peter 2.13-25
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 2:14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

We are to Glorify God in our public life.

I. Submission vs13-15

As said above we are be in submission to the authorities because it is the will of God. The American Christian says no to this...he even links with those who may help him obtain rights that the Christian "needs". We are to submit. When we rebel it is a reflection of our poor relationship with God. This trickles down to every level of authority, from presidents, police, preachers, and parents. Submission is also a witness to a lost world. Submission is also our calling. Verses 13-15 display the principle of submission profoundly.

II. Freedom vs 16-17

Now freedom is something we can talk about right? We all want to be free. As Christ followers do we live in freedom? Or freedom can and should Glorify God. Many of us live in the world of legalism. Living by a set of rules that govern our every move. Yet many also live in a state of liberalism. These folks use the grace of God as a "go ahead" to do and live as you want. Holiness is not important in liberalism. So many of us live in one of these two. We must live as FREE people. This means that our freedom is from God and his grace not form OUR rules. Yet free people are not bound to proving their freedom by lascivious living. We are free to Glorify HIS Name. We are not bound to sin, death, darkness. But we have been awakened by this marvelous light. FLEE the chains Christian...Glorify God with your freedom.

III. Suffering vs18-25

Suffering is done through service to others. This verse makes concrete that our rights are a blessing not a need. Even in hard times SERVE. Suffering happens through sorrows. When we face sorrows for Christ this suffering Glorifies HIM. As Paul said may we know the fellowship of his sufferings. Oh how we dodge suffering to be comfortable.....notice the account of Christ suffering in this text...did HE dodge it...did he look for revenge..did take the sword...no he was like a LAMB Lead to the slaughter. Through his sufferings Christ Glorified God like no other ever has or ever will. Now may we accept our sufferings so that we may Glorify our father.

Don't waste your life on the rotten corrupted world. Do not let the system of corruption infiltrate your life and drown your life. Oh dear brothers and sisters may we engage our life and bring him Glory!!!!!!! HE is Worthy HE is worthy he is worthy...THE SINGS MY SOUL, MY SAVIOR GOD TO THEE...HOW GREAT THOU ART, HOW GREAT THOU ART.

revival

what is revival? Is it a set of religious meetings, or is it a movement, maybe a feeling.....who knows?

Many times we can get bogged down with the ins and outs, daily pressures, emergencies, and general chaos that happens in life. These things can easily stress us and damage our relationships, or even add to our the stress of our daily grind. When it comes to our relationship with God, this can be just one more pressure added to our plate.....

Our purpose in life is to Glorify God with our entire being. We are to bloom where we are planted.

How can we when we live in a time such as this. There are wars, famine, financial crisis, and many uncertainties the we MUST deal with. How can revival be had, how can we bloom for God?

The answer is found in the Word of God. II Timothy 3.16-17

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

The answer is the Word of God.

The word of God is provided so that we may know how to live and function in this world. If we want to be taught, corrected, trained, competent, joyful, and equipped in this life we must immerse ourselves in the WORD of GOD.

REVIVAL will be experienced when the Christian takes the time to be in the WORD of GOD.

Then and only then will revival be experienced once again.