“A right to Life; it can be Compelling”

Isaiah 49:7c the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Have you ever been compelled to do something?  Being compelled is different than making a decision.  When you make a decision you think about what you will decide on.  When you are compelled you are caught up in the moment and you get swept up in whatever is going on.  It is almost like an involuntary act, it seems the only decision you can make is to break away from what is compelling you.  If you don’t break away you will be bound into an action you might enjoy or you might find that you should have broken away before the action took place. 

Have you ever been so excited that all reason goes away and you get so caught up in the moment that you didn’t see it coming? That could be good or it could be bad.  It depends on what you’re getting excited about.  Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist were dealing with that emotion as they got excited when they heard John say “Behold, the Lamb of God!”, and Jesus walked by and without hesitation or taking the time to reason things out, Andrew and the other disciple followed Jesus.

We get caught up in life’s events that happen in our lives all the time, some of these events could be good and some not so good.  I remember watching on television when the Beatles toured the U.S. for the first time.  I watched on the television all of these girls crying tears of excitement, jumping up and down in a frenzy, and then involuntarily passing out.  It was crazy to watch and I still don’t understand it, for me there is no other human that would make me do such a thing.  Really we are all just people with different talents and gifts given to us by God, distorted by man and exploited by the one who has the gift or talent.

Even now when I see people get all worked up over some band or actor/actress it continues to blow my mind.  We’ve made them legends in their own minds and in ours too.

            John 1:35–37 ³⁵The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

            I think that Andrew and the other disciple certainly were compelled to follow Jesus, but I don’t think they cried tears of excitement, jumped up and down in a frenzy, and then involuntarily passed out when Jesus walked by.  We get caught up in a lot of different things that turn us away from God too, and from His word.  In the heat of the moment a young couple gets caught up in the intimacy of each other and reason goes out the car window.  Excitement grows, passion takes over and compelling actions replace God’s given sound reasoning… 

A month goes by and a decision is forced upon the couple.  For some the choice is made due to the life style they wish to obtain…  A right to life; it can be compelling or it can be easily discarded.  For others the decision is made because they realize though conceived in sin one of God’s precious children will be brought into God’s world.  Still a God given gift, this child will be brought up by a forgiven mother and father in hopes that they will come together as one to raise this precious gift of God. 

            John 1:38–39 ³⁸Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

            Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist were compelled to follow Jesus, note that they were sinners too.  Though we might not know what their sin was the fact remains we are all sinners.  Jesus came to save sinners, which really translates that He came to save all people, because we are all sinners. What has been done cannot always be undone, but in all cases there is healing and a means to move forward.  So rather than condemning those who have sinned Jesus Christ chose to forgive us.

            John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

            John 8:7b “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

                If the one who is without sin doesn’t cast a stone, then why should we cast a stone?  If the one who died for our sins forgives us heals us from our sin, then why should we not be forgiving and helping one another too?  Christ is the gospel whose presence in our lives compels us to worship Him.  It is not through obligation that Christ died on the cross for our sins but through the great love of our Father in heaven, (John 3:16).  Our Lord Jesus Christ does not throw stones at us even when we throw stones at Him.  Our sinful nature throws stones every chance it gets, and each time we cast those stones at God, He forgives us in hopes that we will see that great love He has for us. 

When we see that love God has for us, especially when we know we had just cast a stone towards God because we sinned we are compelled to go to our knees, with tears of sorrow and repent.  And there standing right beside us is our Lord Jesus Christ with His out stretched arms and hands ready to embrace you and saying, Luke 7:48 “ your sins are forgiven”, and you feel the comfort of His embrace and the warmth of His love. He just asks us to believe, and we have all become believers through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit,

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

He has made us His Children, 

John 1:12 ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

And, truly all of our sins are forgiven,

Mark 3:28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,

            It is true, God gives us the promised eternal life and everlasting relationship with Him through His compelling love.  Amen.

 

By Pastor Curtis A. May

 

Go in His peace and serve the Lord

“God-kind not Mankind”

Isaiah 42:5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

            Does God exist because we believe in Him?  Or, do we exist because God believes we should?  Without God we would not have life for He is the one who breathed life into us, (Gen 2:7). We do not exist through some freak accident that has beaten all the probabilities that says we cannot exist; rather we exist because it is God’s will for us to exist.  Everything you see and even those things you cannot see exist through what God originally created.  Those things that have life God gave life though plant or animal or mankind.

            God created us in His likeness, (Gen 1:26) maybe we were supposed to be called God-kind, instead Adam allowed Eve to fall and then fell himself into sin, and we became mankind cursed with a sinful nature.  Because God is without sin we cannot be called God-kind.  We are only mankind, weak in that we cannot save ourselves.  What we might call our strengths are our delusions of grandeur because we fail to see our strengths as the gifts God has so graciously bestowed upon us.

Isaiah 42:1–9 ⁹Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

            The former things that are spoken about here are not that the law is being replaced, but that the outcome of the law is being changed.  The law is not a law if it does not demand a consequence.  Think about it if you break the law of our government then you will pay a penalty for breaking that law.  God’s law is the same; if you break God’s law the consequence is the penalty of death.  However, God created us to love not to destroy. 

God gave Adam and Eve freewill to make choices the test of that choice was the tree of knowledge of all good and all evil.  We do not have that same freewill we cannot choose to be sinless.  We are cursed, that is what a curse is, and you cannot escape this curse unless someone else lifts the curse from you.  That is what is new; God has procured a means of lifting the results of the curse and gives us another result.  Instead of receiving death we receive life.  Through God’s mercy we are saved from the consequences of the law.  Through God’s grace we are given the opposite of what the law demands we receive.  Instead of death we receive life.

Isaiah 42:6–8 ⁶“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, ⁷to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

            God gives us a savior to wash away the sin that breaks the law and demands us to suffer an eternal death.  We are blind to the curse we are under and also prisoners to our sinful nature.  God has given us a mirror to shows us what we are blinded to, the mirror is His law.  God’s law shows us we are sinners, and that we are plunged into darkness.  Our Lord and savior is the light that illuminates our way out of this prison of sin and graces us with salvation, everlasting life and eternal relationship with God..

            Isaiah 42:1 ¹Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

            Man’s justice is to make sure we punish as many as we can so that we can live in an illusion thinking we have made things better for ourselves. God’s justice is to justify you to Him that He does not lose you but rather He keeps you forever.  The law however, needs to fulfill the consequences that are demanded for breaking the law and God knows this must be done in order to save what He loves.  So God gives up something He loves to save many.  God gives up His only begotten Son to death for our sin.  However God raises His Son to let us know we too will be raised as we become His adopted Children.

Isaiah 42:2–4 ²He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; ³a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. ⁴He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

            Though many have that “faintly burning wick ” of faith Christ still dies for them too as He dies and received the punishment for all sin past, present and future.  Christ through His resurrection defeats death and Satan once and for all we are the all.  Christ washes us clean and now justifies us to God the Father, so that we are now righteous in His eyes.  We are now serving in the justice of our Lord our God, saved for eternal life and relationship with Him.

Christ has made us again to become God-kind in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

By Pastor Curtis A. May

 

 

What Would You Ask For”

Luke 2:40&52 ⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with

1 Kings 3:5 ⁵At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”

            This is the last Sunday of Christmas, and the 12 days of Christmas will be over tomorrow. Have you asked God for all the Christmas presents you want to receive from Him?  Of course God has not made you king of the Jews like He did Solomon, at least not that I know of.  So if you only had one more day to ask God for something what would it be?  You see, God is giving us the same command that He gave Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” Isn’t this great?  God is commanding us to ask Him to give us something.  Wow!  What will you ask Him to give you? 

I’m sure that because this is a sermon and we’re in church you will give the righteous Christian answer. Especially since we are surrounded by our peers, we’ll answer with a response that will bring glory to ourselves.  We do that you know, bring glory to ourselves instead of God.  We don’t bring glory to ourselves in such deliberate actions per say; rather we ourselves don’t always realize what we are doing and when we are doing it when we are bringing glory to ourselves. If we were by our self and God said we could ask for anything we wanted, what would that truly be?

Solomon, like most believers start off on the right foot, he does the right things and his heart was honestly in the right place at the right time.  Solomon asked for the will of God.

1 Kings 3:7&9 ⁷And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.

⁹Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

            This is great! A young believer looking at the life of his father, and all that his father had achieved and realized that he Solomon was just an inexperienced boy asked to serve God and God’s people.  Oh how great that would be if God would put us in charge of His people.  We could show them a thing or two.  Oh, “wait a hold it,” we are but children too.  Though we might be

 

adults in this world, we really are inexperienced in God’s world. 

Could we be as wise as Solomon and ask for God’s guidance or do we already know all that we need to know?  What would you ask for?  And what little knowledge would you base your asking on?  Solomon though a child looked at his earthly father’s beliefs and service to God and realized he did not measure up to his father’s abilities and wisdom.  What should we ask God?  And if we got what we asked for would we or could we use it to benefit God’s plan for all.

1 Kings 3:11&12 ¹¹And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, ¹²behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.

            Solomon asked for the good of others, and not for his own good.  Anita and I have talked many times about winning the lottery and how much joy it would be to give it to family and friends and others too.  But who would receive the glory in the giving, would it be for our joy or for the glory of God?  Now if you could give gifts anonymously that the news would report an anonymous giver.  Maybe the one receiving such a gift would say it was an angel or God.  But what would we say, if it were from us.  You have heard me say “God made me do it.”  Maybe I should change it to “God blest me to do it.” 

            Solomon not only was given what he asked for but also those things we would cherish in this world, riches and long life.  Solomon seemed to have the wisdom too and heart to ask for God’s will for all.  Do you think Solomon realizing the blessings God had already given His people influenced his asking?

1 Kings 3:13&14 ¹³I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. ¹⁴And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

            Here’s a thought, God has given us all the same things He has given Solomon only in a greater way.  If we are to ask in the will of God then let us ask for eternal life with Him in heaven.  Oh

 

wait, we don’t have to ask for His perfect will and eternal life.  Oh yea, wow, He has given us that gift without us asking.  We receive a gift to cherish that is much greater than wisdom, riches and long life to be used in this world. 

Christ came to give us the most wonderful gift that truly is the will of our Father in heaven.  It is the perfect example of God’s will, that is, it really is God’s will to save us for His joy and for our joy.  God’s will is to show His love to us through an eternal relationship with Him in a new earth and in a new heaven made perfect by His word.  The Father is giving each of us through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ His wisdom, righteousness, and riches beyond our understanding until we drink of it a new in Christ’s Father’s house.  Amen.

 

By Pastor Curtis A. May

 

Go in His peace and serve the Lord