Knowing, Living, or Demanding? by Pastor Ed Evans

Knowing, Living, or Demanding?
by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9
42:1 Here is 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.
42:2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
42:3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
42:4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
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 upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
42:6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
42:7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols.
42:9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

This past Saturday saw an act of attempted murder that many are calling senseless. U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, while hosting a meeting with her constituents, was shot in the head, while a federal judge was killed by the assailant, and a nine-year-old girl and four others.
A suspect is in custody, a 22-year-old former college student, known for his brushes with the law, his anger at "the current government", who at one point posted on the Internet his message, "No, I won't believe in God."
Giffords had been interviewed by the news media before concerning a break-in at her district office, and demonstrations outside her office, during which she spoke of "heated rhetoric" by the protestors.
In an interview with MSNBC-TV last March, Giffords said, "“You look at these examples around the country, which really try to incite people and inflame emotions, then chances are they’re going to have a couple people, extremes on both sides, frankly,” Giffords said, not finishing her thought. “Most of the country is in the middle, but we do have these polarized parts of our parties that really get excited and that’s where again, community leaders, not just the political leaders, but all of us need to come together and say, OK, there’s a fine line here.”
Shall Christians not speak out about such things?
I have spoken before about the current loss of public civility, the rise of public anger and frustration, and the directions such unrestrained anger often takes. It seems to run rampant through today's society, and is not confined to criticism within the political arena. It happens in the grocery store parking lot over a parking space, in the store aisle over the last box on sale. It happens on TV over a disagreement of ideas and purpose. It happens on the highway about right of way, about the space between vehicles, about yielding the way. It seems to happen especially in the social networks online resulting in foul language, ugly comparisons, crude, rude and out of control responses.
Some of us feel we have a right to our anger, a right to play into the building frustration of those who see no answers to wrong acts, wrong though unintended consequences, and a wave of unrighteousness we, as individuals, cannot stop. And the frustration builds, the anger is contagious. We know we are right, we know our cause is just, but what we see as injustice continues, unabated. Frustration at a lack of resolution continues, anger at being ignored builds. We tell ourselves this is a just anger, and we can control our resulting actions. And maybe we can. But what of others privy to our anger?
The danger of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded room is not that we will panic and trample anyone, but that those over whom we have no control will panic and trample and injure others. Once the panic is loosed, it cannot be undone or contained.
One thing I know experientially, as one who has spent a lifetime dealing in words, is that words have meaning, words have consequences, words can hurt, maim, and kill. Still, words are but a tool used to save and build, as well. What matters is what we do with them, whether they are used for salvation or deadly extremism.
Christianity is not about such extremism. If God is love, and all evidence points to the fact that He is, then all that is about Christ is about love; Christians are about love.
And yet, it is such extremism that infects, that incites, that leads others astray and away from the will of Almighty god. 1st Corinthians 8:13 speaks to not doing that which causes my brother to sin, as does 1st Corinthians 10:32, and 1st Timothy 4:12, Romans 14:13, 2nd Corinthians 6:3, and the evidence mounts.
Notice in today's scripture that "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 upon it and spirit to those who walk in it", he whom God Himself has selected, whom He chose as His 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. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching." This is He whom the Lord God supports and gives us as an example of His will. There is no hint or discussion of revolution, forcible argument, actions taken to demand adherence to God's purposes.
So, let me ask you, where do we get off demanding of one another what the God who created us does not demand of us?
Knowing what God wants, living what God wants, is different from forcing others to do what we believe God wants. Even God, especially God, gives us free will.
When we demand, through whatever means, that others conform to our perception of what is right and wrong, we have crossed the line into extremism. Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, speaking to the Republican convention in July 1964, said, "Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed."
For 33 years Jesus Christ walked the earth, given access to and imbued with the power of the Father, able to drive out demons, heal the sick and crippled, able to bring the dead back to life. And yet at no time did He force anyone to join Him in His belief that the Father was to be worshipped. The Law of Moses, as given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai, was on His side, and yet His response to was to say, " A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
Anyone who does not understand that need only refer to 1st Corinthians 13:1-13, where Jesus lays out specifically what love is all about.
However, we as human beings are not naturally about love, and it is common that within our anger at others and building frustration lie the roots of jealousy and strife. We do not agree with something they have said or something they are doing, some decision they have made, but we cannot stop them, they are "winning" and we are jealous of their position over us, and we strive with them for supremacy of whatever is the problem between the parties.
But life in the body of Christ is not about winning and losing, it is about the worship of Almighty God. Romans 13, verses 12-14 says it very clearly: "The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."
In a previous chapter, 1st Cor. 6, verse 12, Paul is speaking mainly about keeping oneself from being subordinated by the love or lust of food, but he makes a larger point when he writes, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."
As we live our lives before Christ, we may feel empowered in His freedom to the point that all things are lawful to us, but we need to remember Paul's following admonition that "not all things are profitable" to us. In particular, all things may not only not be profitable to us, but they may indeed be detrimental to the well-being of others. We are here to do the bidding of Him who created us, to preach His gospel by word and deed. Our purpose here does not include demanding our rights, gaining supremacy in any discussion, or even winning.
Jesus Christ, through his death, burial and resurrection has already won our salvation, our freedom, and our future before God. Everything that matters has already been won. That is far more worth speaking up about. He has already won. Praise God.
Amen.


Daily Scripture Readings for January 10-16, 2011
Monday -- Isaiah 46:5-11
Tuesday -- Hebrews 6:9-20
Wednesday -- Matthew 19:16-30
Thursday -- Matthew 6:25-34
Friday -- 1st Corinthians 3:10-17
Saturday -- 2nd Timothy 1:1-14
Sunday -- Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 29; Matthew 3:13-17

New Year's Resolutions, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:7-14

31:7 For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel."
31:8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
31:9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
31:10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."
31:11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
31:12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.
31:13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
31:14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

Our scripture in Jeremiah speaks of coming home, of freedom from captivity, to be once more at liberty to plant and to grow and to enjoy the fruits of our own labor, praising God for His blessings of freedom and the opportunity to be what we are, blessed of God with promise.
Even so do we in this age look forward to the this man-designated segment of time before us -- a new year; 52 weeks within which God has given us another opportunity to "get it right," freed from the old mistakes, the false starts, the unplanned disasters of this past year.
This new year is like an unspoiled country into which we enter full of hope and promise, looking forward to the blessings of the God who loves us, cares for us, and already knows every step of the future before us. And so we plan how we might best use this new year to accomplish goals, to fulfill principles set before us. Does God expect us to chart our own course through this new year, or to simply fall in line with His plans?

The making -- and breaking -- of resolutions with which to begin the new year is a tradition so old no one really knows where it began. But many of us tend to look at the beginning of a new calendar year as an opportunity to start fresh, to leave the old practices behind, to draw a line in the sand and say, here is where we begin anew, afresh, with new priorities.
Not everyone, of course, takes the making of New Year resolutions seriously. Mark Twain said of the practice, "New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual."
Andre Gide questioned whether one could seriously make new year resolutions after the age of 40 when so many of us live according to the habits of a 20-year-old.
Then there was the fellow who prayed on that first morning of the New Year, "Dear Lord, so far this year I've done well. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help."
Some will say this exercise of making new resolutions is focusing too much on ourselves, that we should simply stand and allow God to set our priorities, make up our list of resolutions for the year ahead. Which would be fine if God had said He was willing to make every decision in our life for us. But He has endowed us with free will for a purpose, and expects us to exercise it.
Recently a man and woman lost their house to the bank because she would not make the mortgage payments. She kept telling her husband, whom she was divorcing so he was not living in the house, that God would make the payments for her. Which is all well and good if God has said He would do that. It came as a surprise only to her when the bank repossessed the house.
Okay, so if God is not going to make every decision for us, it behooves us to apply such principles as the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), with guiding precepts that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Then, of course, we have what society often refers to as "the Golden Rule", which actually stems from Luke 6:31, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." That's good guidance for deciding priorities.
After all, our resolutions for actions during the New Year would naturally be grounded in our priorities. So let's ask ourselves, first, do our goals actually reflect our priorities? And are those priorities in synch with our faith and obedience to Almighty God?
Those priorities we are setting, do they agree with such directions from God as Matthew 6, "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"?
Admit it, our commitment would so much easier be directed to the ways to achieve that new weight loss and that buff new physique. Or laying out the steps leading to that new car, those new kitchen cabinets, or how to go about adding those new workshop tools to our inventory. But although the very life we live in today's society leads us naturally to want more and better, such things have nothing to do with Biblical principles, nothing to do with seeking God; nothing to do with focusing on God and working past the storms the enemy builds around us.
So how do we address this task of setting priorities, and from those, resolutions, within the will of God? Simple, ask Him.
James advises us in James 1:5 that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." From wisdom supplied by God comes decisions that will stand the test of time and the attack of the enemy.
In addition to bringing into play the will of God and the wisdom of God in our decision-making and planning, we also need to keep our plans in context. For although it may seem at times as thought the world revolves around us, as followers of Jesus Christ it really is not about us. It is about Him. Our plans, our decisions, our actions, even our thoughts, need to be part of the fabric of His will spread across the believers of our home, our community, our city, state, and nation. We are part of the context of His will, which is the primary reason our plans and actions need to agree with and be within the parameters of the plans He has for us.
In fact, God has said it very plainly in Jeremiah 29:11 -- "I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you."
So I put the question to you, who are you? Do you understand your position within the plan of God? When you consider yourself, do you see yourself according to what you do, your dreams for the future, how you earn a living, the work you do for profit and for hobbies, perhaps seen through the eyes of others, for the benefit of others, or according to how you see God leading you as He gives you light to see?
Our lives have significance according to how we relate to God, how we relate to others, how we relate to God's purposes for us. If we live only for ourselves, our lives will impact ourselves and few others. Our life is not about us, but about God's will for us. As Almighty God, His foresight, His planning and involvement in our lives is what the military calls a "force multiplier." What we could accomplish with our lives, what impact we might have on our own, equates to the difference between starvation and abundance where those around us are concerned. What we can do for others, and what God can do through us really has no comparison. Why would we not want to "plug in" to the greatest power in the universe and make the best use of the talents and capabilities with which He has endowed us?
We seek His face, His wisdom and His purpose for us so our identity as His creation with God-given talents and responsibilities sets the framework for the goals He would have us accomplish. Then we can set those exciting resolutions in place that will get us there, with our commitment, our prayer, and the guidance He has promised us through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Begin setting your goals, and your New Year's resolutions to reach those goals, with prayer, with drawing near to Christ, seeking to know God's will.
In this way, we follow daily in the footsteps of Jesus, under His superior tutelage through the Word, toward the goals God has set for us. What a stimulating and exhilarating way to enter the New Year! Never a dull moment with God, praise His name!
Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for January 3-9, 2011
Monday -- John 15:12-17
Tuesday -- 1st Thessalonians 1:2-10
Wednesday -- Isaiah 42:1-9
Thursday -- Luke 10:1-12
Friday -- 1st Peter 2:1-10
Saturday -- Colossians 3:12-17
Sunday -- Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

Fighting back against sodomized military

COMMENT: Political promotion of a human perversion does not make it any the less offensive, and those who thought surely common sense would prevail are now making their voices heard. "No" needs to be said loud and clear!

Fighting back against sodomized military (OneNewsNow.com)
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1260920
A national defense analyst and Pentagon advisor says the new Congress can take a number of actions to blunt the impact of the new law that allows homosexuals to openly display their lifestyle in the U.S. military.

Not Just Any Gift, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Hebrews 2:10-18
2:10 It was fitting that God, for Whom and through Whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
2:12 saying, "I will proclaim your name to My brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."
2:13 And again, "I will put my trust in Him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."
2:14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
2:15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
2:16 For it is clear that He did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.
2:17 Therefore He had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect, so that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.
2:18 Because He Himself was tested by what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested.

There is a great quote by Christian author C. S. Lewis about God's gift to you and to me, His gift to the ages, Jesus Christ. It's long, but I want to share it here with you. C. S. Lewis wrote, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him. 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
In last week's sermon I quoted John R. Rice concerning Jesus, and that is relevant here, too, so I will repeat it:, "You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father's face and tell Him you have received His Christmas gift."
First, Jesus Christ refers to Himself as "Son of Man," and we find the basis for that as early as Daniel 7:13, referring to a heavenly figure representing God's people, and four times in John -- -- emphasizing His preexistence and His descent into the flesh of this world as a humiliation that both conceals and manifests His glory.
He is also the image and the glory of God -- 1st Corinthians 4:4, 6 and Colossians 1:15 -- such as mankind was made to reflect (1st Corinthians 11:7). But even more than that, for you and I, Jesus' redeeming act of salvation was provided for all of mankind. By faith in Him, we can all participate in a salvation already accomplished by Him. He is that gift of God to every one of us.
I have often thought how fitting, if we would only recognize it, is the idea of giving gifts at Christmas time. For Jesus Christ was the greatest gift that could ever be given, a gift offered to us by God Himself. That's why I reminded us of John R. Rice's precious insight, "You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father's face and tell Him you have received His Christmas gift."
Any attempt to celebrate Christmas outside of Christ is a futile, empty exercise in playing with things we know nothing about. Those outside of Christ might as well be celebrating the Winter Solstice, the Roman Saturnalia, or the Greek's Lenaea. It would mean as much, and have about as much to do with gift giving as any other hypocritical exercise.
For the gift of the Son of God, to return mankind to the purpose God intended, carries far more spiritual weight than we could ever understand. For example, God did not send just any gift, any angel, and not even the Son of God lightly.
If you read today's scriptural reference thoroughly you will see the ground laid for an extremely important passage, Hebrews 2:14-15, which reads, "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death."
Our merciful, loving God was keenly aware of what you and I feel, what we suffer, and what we fear. And how could Jesus walk among us, be one of us, even as the image and glory of God, without the experience of who we are? And so He came to us in flesh and blood, born physically as you and I, spent time growing physically and mentally, subject to the slings and arrows of the physical life, so that He might truly know us, and be what God intended, that meaningful bridge back to God, salvation accomplished painfully on an instrument of torture, humiliation, and death.
I've heard people just throwing off Jesus' sacrifice by saying, "Oh yeah, but He could handle that, because He was the Son of God." Jesus was and still is the Son of Almighty God, but He was also Son of Man, heir to all the human pain of the body, dejection of the mind, humiliation, such as you and I. And yet, He kept His mind stayed on the Father, He knew that a second of the relief He was surely capable of giving Himself, the obvious intervention of warrior angels that was certainly possible, a misstep of serving Himself and His sacrifice to reunite all of mankind with the God who created us, would be in ashes, worthless.
One of the songs that always tugs at my heart is "He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels." How many times have you and I, out of sheer instinct, without even thinking about it, lashed out to protect ourselves from a threatened blow? How fast could the Son of God have acted as the muscle-ripping pain built inside of Him, as His breath gave out, and the blood flowed? How quickly?
If you're not familiar with that song, here are the first few verses of the lyrics:

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed;
They led Him thro' the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame."
Refrain
He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.

Matthew 26:53 reminds us of Jesus' words: "Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to see the skies overhead filled with angels that humans could not see, waiting for a word from the Master, waiting for a signal to stop them from hurting the precious Son of God. And the Bible tells us that on those occasions when God turned the angels loose, they were devastating. What they could have done that day, to relieve Jesus' pain, to pay back those responsible for His pain, His humiliation. This was the Son of Almighty God!
But God had prepared Jesus for this moment, so that not only did Jesus feel it all, was in the kind of excruciating pain you or I would have been in, but He knew the importance of this sacrifice that only He could make, a sinless One for all the sinful people of the world then, and those to come. For you. For me.
1st Peter 1:10-12 reminds us that salvation was not for the angels, and how we respond to salvation is something they are curious about. We can imagine them peeking over the clouds to see our reaction to this precious gift bought with the blood of their sweet Son of God, looking down into the blood of the mercy seat trying to understand salvation.
And yet, perhaps not understanding it all, they would have, and could have according to the Word's description of the power of God's angels, destroyed everything and everyone in sight at a word, a wink, a nod from Jesus. But He would not do that. Thank Almighty God He would not do that, or you and I would be lost forever. .
This was not just any gift given of God, not just an answered prayer, a healing, some object of gain provided through the power and might of God. This was, and remains, a carefully prepared gift of salvation, bought and paid for, for you and I, at great price. At great price. straight out of the heart of God.
Paul, writing to the Romans in a different context, describes the kind of God love that would reach out to us in this way, with the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:38-39 we read, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is in Him, God's gift.
A specially prepared gift, His own and only Son, buying with His own blood, with His death, the gift of life ... for us. For you and I. Please, accept His gift. It's yours, from the heart of God.
Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for December 27, 2010-January 2, 2011
Monday -- Exodus 20:18-26
Tuesday -- Galatians 3:23-4:7
Wednesday -- 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21
Thursday -- John 3:1-8
Friday -- Ephesians 1:3-14
Saturday -- Colossians 1:15-23
Sunday -- Isaiah 63:7-9; Hebrews 2:10-18; Psalm 111; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Take Off Your Pack, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Romans 15:4-13

15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

15:5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus,

15:6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15:7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

15:9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name";

15:10 and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";

15:11 and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him";

15:12 and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope."

15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Take off your pack. Telling someone to "take off their pack" is an old military term meaning to "stand down," to use another military term, to relax, to not be so tense about something, to not worry about it.

When soldiers take a break during a long hike, or at the end of the hike, they are told to take off their pack, to relax, to take a break. Take off your pack.

More directly, in this case, take off your pack, join hands and pray up a storm. Stand in the will of Almighty God and worry about nothing.

The politicians and ruling class making classic mistakes about the economy, about jobs, about health care and the general running of the nation? More and more people out of work? The ground being cut out from under those who provide national security, amateurs in charge of decisions about international relations?

The very first verse of our scripture today reminds us, "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope."

Our hope cannot be in the intelligent use of people's wisdom, cannot be in the efficient use of plans and diagrams and programs, nor in the best use of force or political power, or diplomacy.

No, the answer lies in what Romans 15:5-7 says, that "the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."

Christian with Christian with Christian, therein lies the answer. For if it is

Christians side by side, back to back, and living, loving and remaining within the will of God, then nothing else matters.

Wherever you go these days, there is concern and worry about the state of the nation, about its economic future, about the longevity of jobs people have even at this point. There is talk of hoarding food against coming shortages, when even a loaf of bread will be beyond the ability to pay, when the sick and the aged will not be able to afford healthcare, when the jobs and the future of this nation will be assumed by foreign countries.

There is deep concern, frustration and disappointment with elected officials and their lack of commitment to honor, integrity and promises made. And because these actions are rampant in this nation, there is great fear, paranoia, and lack of trust runs like rivulets of water before a crumbling dam.

All about us are people urging that we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and "take hold." Others want us to join hands with those who would be our enemies, chanting "can't we all just get along?"

And still others want to do away with all judgment of others altogether and simply live by majority rule, whatever that majority says, goes.

But there is a better way. There is a more lasting way. And in a sense, it is a way that is already in motion, waiting for us to simply get there, if we will accept what has already been done for us.

More than 2,000 years ago, a flesh and blood man, born of a woman on this earth, and yet also a man of God, because He is God, set aside His power and allowed Himself to be tortured and painfully crucified on a cross, a very instrument of torture, so that we might be reunited with God. Since we are finite, we die, we constantly break the laws of God, we serve ourselves and our interests first, misusing ourselves and others, because we are flesh and blood, we have nothing close to the holy, righteousness of God. So Jesus Christ, Son of God, He who died on that cross, clothes us in His righteousness, and makes us acceptable to a holy, righteous God.

Jesus did that for us, if we accept His gift. If we don't accept it, He still did it for us.

So we have a future with God, in eternity, if we want it. This is a future that goes far beyond the life of any sordid events taking place now, far beyond the lives of anyone exercising power, good or bad, over us now; far beyond the life of any decision we make now, except the decision to accept what Jesus Christ has done for us. That decision has a life all its own, stretching into a future beyond anything we know.

But that is still future. What about we who are still here, now? There is a great labyrinth of a forest that stands between us and then, the "then" that's way out yonder. And this forest is impenitrable to our foresight, with paths that twist and turn, with low hanging branches of temptation that threaten to sweep us off our feet, full of storms with great thunder and lightning that may give us pause and frighten us. What are we to do with this "now" that we are in, right now, and coming directly at us at the speed of 60 minutes every hour?

Allow me to return to the very first verse of today's scripture, Romans 15:4, which says, " For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope."

What was it that was "written in former days"? It is the inspired word of God, which God knew we would need, and so sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in its understanding and application.

We have no need of worry or concern. Nothing of what we are seeing, nothing of what is happening, nothing of what is even threatened is a surprise to the God who created the universe, and who has kept it intact and operating in ways that provide for our well-being. Take the very worst of situations, war, for example. There has always been war on earth, and there is war in heaven. So long as there are conflicting ideas, cross purposes, greed, desire, sin, there will be war. We are in the midst of it, constantly, but God is dealing with it for us, for us who belong to Him.

One of my very favorite verses is Romans 8:28, "God works all things together for good to those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purposes."

Notice what that verse does not say. It doesn't say "if I take arms against His enemies," or "if I work hard to change the government from bad to good," or "if" anything. But there are still some "if's" at work here. For example, if we understand the importance of recognizing the fruit of the spirit for the purposes of discernment, if we understand that vengeance belongs to God and not to us, if we know and accept that Jesus said "love" is a higher law, then we can stand with full confidence in the power and purposes of God's holy will, and not worry.

Now, I know that sounds simplistic to some, and sometimes that which seems too obvious also seems too easy, and we question whether or not we can trust it as truth.

So let me point out that our scripture for today also talks about how "Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that He might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy."

For ages upon ages, the Jews, the circumcised people of God, were "THE people of God," and there were none like them. Suddenly they are told that "their" Messiah is now going to share God with an uncircumcised people, an "unclean people." But notice what else the verse says. Not only has the Christ "become a servant of the circumcised", but He has done so "on behalf of the truth of God in order that He might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs...." Those are "their" patriarchs.

How God works is not at all simple, and is beyond our understanding. We see only the results of how He works, and even then "through a glass darkly." What we do know for certain is that God is at work, and He is working in behalf of His own. As far back as the ancient text of Jeremiah 29:11, we are assured, "I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you."

For those who belong to Christ, nothing has changed. Almighty God is still in charge, and we are invited to stand confidently in His will, not to fear, not to worry, but to stand. Take off your pack, and stand in His will.

Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for December 5 -- 12, 2010
Monday -- Luke 1:5-25
Tuesday -- Luke 1:57-80
Wednesday -- Matthew 3:1-12

Thursday -- Isaiah 62:1-12
Friday -- Luke 12:35-48

Saturday -- Isaiah 51:1-8

Sunday -- Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

There Is Poison Loose Among Us

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25

65:17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.
65:20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
65:23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their descendants as well.
65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.
65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

According to an MSNBC.com news story this week, by Helen A.S. Popkin, the giant online book sales company, Amazon.com, apparently bowed to public pressure and removed a self-published book advocating adult-child sex. The book, "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover's Code of Conduct" by Philip R. Greaves II, was initially defended by Amazon.com in a public statement that said, "Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."

In other words, it was all about sales, with no hint of social responsibility. Also disappearing from their list about the same time was "Our Gardens of Flesh: From the Seeds of Lust Springs the Harvest of Love," another sexually-graphic e-book by the same author. No one protested that one, but they exhibited the socially responsible good sense to remove it.

Unfortunately, in our modern society, there are those who would buy such books.

I want you to know without a shadow of a doubt that this is more than a First Amendment, free speech, issue. It is more than "holier than thou" people looking down their nose at others. This is an issue not just of differences of opinion or even of breached morals, this is an issue of life and death; eternal life and death. And because I want to ensure you understand the seriousness of this battle raging within our society, I'm going to share with you some very disturbing facts.

According to a study from 2003, performed seven years ago by Internet Filter Review, at that time there were 1.3 million pornographic websites carrying 260 millions pages of this stuff. There are undoubtedly more now.

What keeps it going? The total porn industry revenue for the year 2006 was $13.3 billion in the U.S., $97 billion worldwide.

This is anything but a harmless industry since worldwide it involves sexual adult slaves and children. One in ten adults admits to Internet sexual addiction, and of those 28% are women. But listen to this, more than 70% of men from age 18 to 34 visit a pornographic site in a typical month, according to a study by comScore Media Metrix. That means in an average grouping of 10 men, only three have not.

Of that wretchedness, there were more than 20,000 images of child pornography posted online every week, according to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. What is the impact, the effect on those children? Approximately 20% of all Internet pornography involves children, according to the National Center for Mission & Exploited Children. As of December 2005, child pornography was a $3 billion annual industry, according to Internet Filter Review.

At this point, I want to go wash my hands, scrub out my computer. But, wait, it gets worse. It gets much sadder.

A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.

Then you have 51% of pastors saying cyber-porn is a possible temptation, and 37% saying it is a current struggle, according to a Christianity Today Leadership Survey. In fact, more than half of evangelical pastors admit viewing pornography last year.

Focus on the Family's Robert Charman, of Pastoral Ministries, reports that approximately 20 percent of the calls received on their Pastoral Care Line are for help with issues such as pornography and compulsive sexual behavior.

A Christianity Today survey reports 33% of clergy admitted to having visited a sexually explicit web site. Of those who had visited a porn site, 53% had visited such sites “a few times” in the past year, and 18% visit sexually explicit sites between a couple of times a month and more than once a week.

A Barna Group survey shows that 29% of born again adults in the U.S. feel it is morally acceptable to view movies with explicit sexual behavior .

In a Christians and Sex Leadership Journal Survey, 57% of pastors say that addiction to pornography is the most sexually damaging issue to their congregation.

There is more, but I hope you get the picture. Pornography is seriously damaging to the children and adults involved in the making of it, rotting away the base of our society, and weakening the stature of those who should be involved in making us stronger before God Almighty. It is poisoning the well of our children's future, and like the drug trade, it is killing us.

No, you cannot close your eyes to it. You cannot turn your back on it and hope to ignore it. You cannot walk away from it and hope it goes away. It is going to attack someone you love, someone you know, perhaps even someone you respect.

You, me, all of us must deal with it.

Why? Let me begin with Ezekiel 33:8 -- "When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood."

At the same time, I would point out the content of Luke 17:2 -- "It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin."

It is important that the American family take control of its own home, what comes into it, what leaves it. You see, the Internet Filter Review reports that Average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old.

A U.S. Department of Justice Post Hearing Memorandum of Points and Authorities, in a case titled ACLU vs. Reno, reads: "Never before in the history of telecommunications media in the United States has so much indecent (and obscene) material been so easily accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few restrictions."

We are poisoning the well.

Not long ago the Sears department stores began, on Father's Day, promoting pornographic posters on their Internet web site and in their stores. The reaction of the community they serve was immediate and angry. Still, while after several weeks of protests they finally removed them from their Internet site, they continued to sell them in their stores; a classic example of profit taking precedence over the health of the very community they serve.

Certain hotel and motel chains continue to offer pornographic movies in their rooms despite protests.

Some mass market magazines you routinely find in your grocery stores have pushed the pornographic envelope with a blushing cover now and then, unmindful that these magazines are often on checkout racks at the eye level of a 5-6 year-old child. To their credit, some grocery stories have banned specific issues when this happens.

This is neither vigilantism nor censorship, but responsible stewardship within the community. First, if someone insists on exposing themselves to such puerile trash, there are unfortunately plenty of other places to procure it without exposing young children to it.

Secondly, confusing discernment with vigilantism or censorship is a sign of spiritual immaturity. The novice Bible student might point out that while in 1st Cor. 2:15 it says, "But he that is spiritual judges all things..." while in Matt. 7:1 it says "Judge not, that you be not judged..."

Author F. F. Bruce suggests "Judgment is an ambiguous word, in Greek as in English: it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination. In the former sense judgment is depreciated; in the latter sense it is recommended."

However, while the Christian is not to judge hypocritically or self-righteously, scripture repeatedly urges the believer to evaluate carefully and choose between good and bad people and things. 1st Thess. 5:21 tells us the Christian is to "test everything, and hold to that which is good." That's using your good judgment.

Christian author A. W. Tozer writes: "Among the gifts of the Spirit scarcely one is of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit."

In our scripture today God is promising blessings to the faithful, a new heaven and earth where God will answer even before they ask. A blessing worth far more than anything any temporary emotional thrill can bring on this earth. It tells us that God will not leave the world the way it is, but will free us to bring light to the darkness of sin, and those who will not abandon their sin will go down with it. God will see a fulfillment of our purpose here on earth, and those who ignore that, or lack discernment, will be left out, in the darkness to which they cling.

Our God says He will create things anew, and there is nothing new about devaluing life, as pornography does, turning adults and children into objects for pleasure, ignoring their sense of worth, their emotional feelings, demeaning those who are original creations of God Almighty. Pornography is as old as the worship of Baal, and clearly as destructive. It has no place in the Christian's life, no place in the Christian's thoughts.

The reaction to commercial institutions promoting such unacceptable, damaging activity to the human spirit in our communal society must be exactly what it has been, combined community pressure to shame them into placing the interests of a healthy society above the desire to make a profit.

The people of God must make it abundantly clear they will not do business with those who place profits above the mental and emotional health of their children, their community, and themselves.

We have a vote in these matters, with our pocketbook, and with our feet. And a clear word of protest can sometimes clarify the issue for those who have allowed the promise of profits to cloud their judgment.

Just as surely as we look to the fulfillment of God's promise of Isaiah 65:17-25 in which we will glory, we must also hold to the fulfillment of God's promises in 2nd Chronicles 7:14 -- "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for November 14 - November 20, 2010
Monday -- Matthew 25:1-13
Tuesday -- Colossians 4:2-18
Wednesday -- 1st Thessalonians 5
Thursday -- 2nd Thessalonians 2
Friday -- 2nd Thessalonians 3

Saturday -- John 4:31-38
Sunday -- Malachi 4:1-6; Psalm 82; 2nd Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19

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Do You Know Who You Are?, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Isaiah 1:10-18, Luke 19:1-10

Isaiah 1:10-18
1:10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
1:11 What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
1:12 When you come to appear before Me, who asked this from your hand? Trample My courts no more;
1:13 offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation -- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
1:14 New moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
1:15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Luke 19:1-10
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it.
19:2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.
19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.
19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because He was going to pass that way.
19:5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
19:6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome Him.
19:7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."
19:8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
19:9 Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.
19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Whatever happens in America as a result of the Nov. 2nd national election, the stress and strain of coming days makes it most important that you know who you are. For it is on that basis that we make crucial life decisions. Who we are determines our entire approach to life and its highs and lows. We forgive, support or lash out at other people depending upon who we think we are as we come into contact with them.

In today's scripture readings, in Isaiah and Luke, we find two different responses. God had judged the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they recognized His authority over them not at all. Maybe, for just an instant of time, they thought they had the powers that God has, but He shut them down, permanently.

In Luke, Jesus comes to town and the man thought by all to be a sinner, judges himself as a sinner, but Jesus Christ speaks words of comfort to Zaccheaus, and ignores the judgment of the self-righteous; ignores even their judgment of Him.

The rulers didn't know who they were. The tax collector Zaccheaus knew who he was. In fact, he knew he was short, so he climbed a tree just so he could see Jesus. He knew who he was. Jesus knew who he was. The man's neighbors only thought they knew who he was, because they didn't know who they were. Do you know who you are?

It really is important that we have a clear understanding of who we are because our response to Christ, our understanding of Him, is filtered through our vision of who and what we are, and many have altered views of Christ you will not find in the written, inspired Word of God.

They are like the man who figured there must be some magic in the Bible, and to avail himself of it, all he had to do was pick out a verse and do what it said. So blindly he pointed to a verse. It was Matthew 27:5, which said that Judas went out and hanged himself. Well, that sort of shook him so he blindly pointed to another verse, Luke 10:37, which said "Go and do thou likewise." When you don't know who you are, and you don't know Jesus Christ, you are just up for grabs.

Listen to what Oswald Chambers says in "My Utmost for His Highest" -- "That Christ died for me, and therefore I am completely free from penalty is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that 'He died for all' (2nd Corinthians 5:15) -- not, 'He died my death' -- and that through identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted as a gift to me. The substitution which is taught in the New Testament is twofold -- 'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' The teaching is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me."

Oswald Chambers ends his lesson with a reference to Galatians 4:19-20, where we read Paul writing to the Galatians, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!"

Paul feels the pains of a mother with a stillborn child, seeing that those to whom he preached stopped at the point of thinking Christ was for them, without coming into the fullness of Christ by having Him formed in them. The Galatians knew about Christ from Paul, but they were now listening to others who played upon their emotions, and kept them from moving on to experience Christ.

They thought they knew who they were, but because they now listened to the siren sounds of the world, they were not who they thought they were.

We might use the common zipper as an example. The zipper on our jacket works a wonder to quickly and firmly close the jacket around us and keep out the cold breezes. Unless it gets off-track. Once a snag in the cloth gets in the way, or a hurried movement interferes, the zipper gets off track and does not work correctly. It will not advance and it will not go back. And it does not keep out the cold breeze.

When we not only know about Jesus Christ, but follow His example to experience Him, we can then fully experience the gift of life that God intends for us. Before God Almighty we wear the white-robed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We walk in His will for us, and nothing touches us that does not pass through His hands first. We are not promised that our existence here will be trouble free, pain free, or filled with riches and sweetbreads, but we are promised that He will go through it with us, and, as Mark Twain once alluded to it, ours is "the confidence of a Christian with four aces."

Do you know who you are, or do you only think you know? Are you so caught up in capturing and enjoying what is "good" for you that you have ignored God's warnings about who you are in His eyes? The rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah ignored God's judgment to their own peril, and destruction. The short-of-stature Zaccheaus accepted who he was, and changed, for which God blessed him.

This world does not adapt itself to our wishes, but often buffets us about with difficult lessons and misadventures. What is going on right now in the social structure of the United States of America is creating difficult times for many people, especially in the economic arena. Food, medicines, all the items necessary for life are rising in price, even as jobs and the opportunities to earn a living are disappearing.

Some counsel changing all this through the ballot box, even as reports surface of illegal voting practices. Some counsel change through the law, even as judges have begun to change the laws without the benefit of legislation. Some counsel that freedom and change comes from the barrel of a gun, and call for armed revolution.

Psalm 20:7 cautions us, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." The lesson of the Bible is that prayer changes people, and then people change things.

Do we know who we are as people of the Living God, as followers of Jesus Christ? I think we do, for again and again I see quoted 2nd Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Do we indeed know who we are? Are we "...My people, who are called by My name..."? If so, then we know what we must do. The very word of God could not be more clear. So, who are you? Do you know?

Amen.