Jesus: Messiah

This series of sermons was born out of a desire to spend time reflecting on Jesus and the various roles he assumes in the faith.

The first has to do with Jesus as Messiah.

Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus challenges his disciples to declare their understanding of his ministry and mission. Peter ultimately declares that Jesus the long awaited Messiah of Israel. Jesus commends his answer, but not his expectations. Peter’s expectations of the Messiah where those of many Jews at the time: Messiah would come to save Israel from their oppressors and destroy their enemies.

When Jesus told the disciples that he would be killed and rise on the third day be raised, it was too much for Peter to fathom. The same thing happend when John the Baptist was in jail.

Jesus had to change their expectations of the Messiah. Messiah would come to conquer, but the conquest would begin with death and resurrection and happen first in the heart.

In the same way we often have own expectations of what Jesus Messiah will do in our lives

Often we want a conquering hero, a Rambo God. We want someone who will come to our rescue and save us from the problems we encounter,  someone to make our lives smooth and trouble free, someone to take all of the struggle out of our lives, someone who will save us from the lot of every other human on the planet, someone who will save us from the consequences of our actions.

Jesus often has to correct our perceptions of Messiah. Most of the time what we really want is a Genie in a bottle and not a Messiah. We want a Messiah who will be at our beck and call and make life comfortable. We want a Messiah who will come and destroy our enemies and deliver us circumstances we do not like. And judge the people we do not like.

But the ministry of Jesus the Christ, at this point in history, is to conqueror and redeem our hearts.

At his point in salvation history Jesus is redeeming and judging from the inside out – where we need it most!

Jesus as Messiah frees us from all the things that bind us to our self-centered lives and offers us to opportunity to live a God-centered life.

Jesus, the Messiah marches boldly into our hearts and begins his work of judgment and redemption.

• He judges our motives, our prejudices and reactions
• He redeems our pain, our brokenness, and our bitterness
• He judges our unforgiveness and our inner rebellion
• He redeems our hopes and our perceptions
• He gives us peace with God and the peace of God that is found in our trust in God no matter the circumstances
• He releases us from the bondage of sin and self-centeredness into the freedom to live as God intended.

Jesus Messiah begins his work in our hearts the same way he started it with Peter. He asks a simple question: “Who do you say I am?”

Look at the evidence…The testimony of Jesus, the lives of those you know as Christians, the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The testimony leads to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

The only response that makes any sense is the same response that Jesus asked of Peter and the rest of the disciples — to lay down our lives for our Messiah, to follow in his footsteps.

[Mt 16:24-28 ESV ] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

There will come a time when everything will be put right. There will come a time when judgment will fall. There will come a time when every tear will be wiped away. But it is not hear yet. So, until that day we give ourselves completely to Messiah. Our biggest problems in life stem from the fact that Jesus doesn’t measure up to our expectations of what a Messiah should be.

Every one of the disciples performed miracles, raised the dead and saw many baptized into the way of Jesus Messiah, but they also suffered tremendously and rejoiced in spite of it. Maybe the problem is not Jesus, but our expectations. Some may say that is not enough, Paul thought it was.

[2 Co 4:16-18 ESV ] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

So what do we do? We allow the mission and ministry of Jesus Messiah to shape our lives, our expectations and our future. There may be many things happen in this life as we journey with Jesus; many things we do not understand. But we do know this: we walk with Jesus.

Text: Acts 26:12-20

To be real honest with you, what I say today will make you feel very uncomfortable. There are some aspects of folk religion that are so ingrained in our lives that we believe them even though we have evidence to the contrary. We even take folk religion ideas and read them back into the pages of scripture so that we make the Bible confirm our superstitions.

So, if you get a little uncomfortable today, I ask you to do four things:

• Suspend your judgment until you have heard everything
• Take time to look at the whole counsel of scripture and not just a few proof texts (passages that seem to justify one position)
• Be willing to reexamine the beliefs you hold in light of scripture
• Enter into dialog, not to prove a point, but to understand

Paul’s mission statement

When we look at Paul’s life we see a man chosen by God for a specific mission. There are situations where is seems that God had a specific plan for everyday of Paul’s life: the call to mission journeys, his arrest and trial at Rome. But here in this passage, Paul recounts for the third time what happened to him on the road to Damascus and spells out the tasks God assigned for him to do:

• To be a servant and witness of the things that would be revealed to him
• To proclaim these to the Jews and Gentiles.

Everything that happened in Paul’s life and ministry was a direct consequence of Paul’s faithfulness to this commission. In other words the plan for Paul’s life was not a minute by minute path from which he was never to stray, but using his gifts and abilities to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ

The Blueprint Plan

The blueprint plan is the idea that God has a specific path marked out for your life. That path includes all the major decisions that you must make for you to be in the center of God’s will. There does seem to be some biblical precedent for such and idea. (Jeremiah, Jonah, Joseph).

The we have modern examples. We try to seek God’s plan for the right college, the right spouse, the right job and then expanded it all of the major decisions of life.

Assumptions of this model

This model assumes several things about and our relationship with God. First, God has a plan for your life fully mapped out from birth to death which you must discover in order to live faithfully in the world – be in God’s will. Second, God is completely in control of your life. And third, God reveals this plan as you seek him in various ways.

Problems

When we go into Scripture we find all kinds of problems with this idea.

It is just not supported in the Bible – just because God worked this way with one person doesn’t mean he does it with everyone.

It makes God a reluctant giver. He hides will will from his children and expected them to go looking for it.

It turns God into a machine spitting out plans rather than a person. At its worse it seems to make God into a blind uncaring force like Fate or Destiny. God has set an unalterable future in front of you and will fulfill it regardless. Like the ancient Greek heroes.

What happens if you get off the path? Are you sunk for the rest of your life because now you are not completely fulfilling God’s plan.

When you do get off the path you have to settle for God’s permissible will rather than his perfect will. And what is that any way? (Rom 12:2)

If God already knows the future and knows that you will either keep or not keep on the path, why bother seeking him? It will happen just as he saw it happen. If God is really in charge how can you do other than his will?

If God has a blueprint for your life, he has already made every decision for you, so there are no decisions for you to make.

It is just not the way we experience the world.

God’s plan for our lives

What is God’s will for your life? God’s will for your life is not so much a path to follow as a purpose to fulfill. There may be something specific, but God is willing and able to show you that.

[Two resources have been extremely helpful in this regard check them out. Decision-Making and the Will of God and Questions to All Your Answers by Roger Olson.]

This is some of what Scripture says about God’s will for you:

• Eph 5:15-17 – make the most of the opportunities we have and be filled with the Spirit
• Eph 6:5-7 – Serve others, carry out your responsibilities
• 1 Thes 5:18 – give thanks always
• Heb 10:36 – Be faithful to God no matter what
• 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish….”
• 1 Thes 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification….”
• 1 Peter 2:13-15: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18: “Rejoice, pray, give thanks…for this is God’s will for you.”

The Dynamics of the relationship model

God enters into a real relationship with us. God is open and does not hide things from us that he wants us to do. Look at what Jesus said about prayer:

[Mt 7:7 ESV ] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

God is not a heavenly MapQuest; we live in relationship with him and it is a real relationship. We discover what he wants by spending time with him.

What is God’s Plan for our lives?

God wants us to discover and use our gifts and abilities for the Kingdom; How do we begin?

• Through worship – offering all of our lives to God
• In Fellowship – developing close relationships with other Christians so we can grow and care for others
• Step out in ministry to develop our gifts and serve others
• Join in God’s mission for the redemption of the whole world

God wants us to grow into the likeness of Jesus

Is there something very specific, maybe? The best place to discover that is in fulfilling this part

The Choice

Paul was confronted by Jesus with a blinding light on the Damascus Road and everything else in his life flowed out of that confrontation. God’s will for Paul’s life was to be a servant and witness of the things that God revealed to him.

The choice is God’s plan or yours; God’s dream for your life or yours?

You must live with the consequences, temporal or eternal of which ever one you choose.

Matthew 7:1-5

“You shouldn’t judge,” has become the mantra of our time. We hear it especially when someone is engaged in a questionable activity, at least from your perspective.

You become aware of a couple living together without being married or you see a gay couple on the beach, or maybe you see someone wearing an outfit that is just way too provocative. As soon as you voice your opinion, someone will say, “You shouldn’t judge.”

If the person who is pointing out your judgmentalism is the lease bit religious they may even cite Jesus as the authority on the issue- and he is!

You Shouldn’t Judge!

It’s hard to miss Jesus’ point in this passage. The simple message is do not judge. The Message paraphrase drives the point home well.

[Mt 7:1-5 The Message ] “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults- unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

Jesus gives some valid reasons in this passage not to judge.

Why are we not to judge?

• We are not God – we have no right to judge a person’s eternal destiny. Judging in this way usurps the place of God.
• We have limited knowledge – most of us make snap judgments based on nothing more than our perceptions and prejudices
• We are prone to error – we all make mistakes in almost every area of our lives so why do we think our judgments are 100% correct all the time. We sometimes even spiritualize them by using words like discernment.
• We may have wrong motives – probably the last factor we consider in our judgments, if we consider it at all.

We have all done this haven’t we? Haven’t you ever sat in worship and said to yourself, “Boy, So-and-so should have been here to hear this. You judged someone.

Our culture

Our culture applauds those ideas, because they think you shouldn’t judge either! Amazing our culture agrees with Jesus!

But usually the cultures motivation is not that pure the culture is usually upholding Individualism and Personal Autonomy. They are putting forth a skewed notion of tolerance.

The Other side – we are called to make Judgments

But wait a minute; something doesn’t seem to fit here. Jesus tells us not to judge and then he says:

[Mt 7:6 ESV ] “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Isn’t that a judgment? Yes it is. In fact, much of the Sermon on the Mount assumes that we will make judgments!

• Love your enemies – you made a judgment about a person
• Give to the needy – you made a judgment
• In the Lord’s prayer we talk about forgiving others – how can you forgive someone unless you have judged them as a wrong doer
• We are told to judge the words of those who claim to speak for God – judge their words as either good fruit or bad fruit.

And besides all that, when you tell me that I shouldn’t judge – you just judged me!

It is obvious that whatever is going on here Jesus did not forbid all judgments.

Normal judgments

Judgments are part of everyday life.  If judgments are wrong then we could never have contests of any kind. Sports would be out. We couldn’t shop for clothes at have a favorite store. We couldn’t recommend a doctor, mechanic or a plumber. We could not hire the best candidate for a position or fire someone who didn’t measure up. All of these require judgments – judgments about people

We Are Called to Judge The Fruit of Ministries

Bible teachers / speakers – We are told to evaluate what teachers tell us by the Word of God.

The apostle Paul blasted the churches of Galatia and Corinth because they didn’t do it.

[Ga 1:8 ESV ] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

[2 Co 11:4 ESV ] For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Candidates for ordination – In the United Methodist Church all candidates for ministry undergo scrutiny.  Pastors, Staff-Parish Relations committees, Church Conference, District Committee on Ministry, Board of Ordained Ministry all judge these people.

We Are Called to Decide disputes

Scripture says that we should be able to judge disputes between people.

[1 Co 6:1-3 ESV ] When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

We Are Called to Judge Behavior

[1 Co 5:9-13 ESV ] I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Why is Paul so harsh on these things? Have you ever been told that the church is full of hypocrites? People see folks involved in church who do things like this and even unchurched people know it is unacceptable behavior. When you engage in this kind of behavior you not only give a black eye to the church but also to Jesus. We are to judge behavior.

Making Judgments

Jesus, however, did not leave us without any guidelines.  In the Sermon on the Mount we can discern some very important principles to keep in mind when we make judgments.

Humility

We must always remember that we are not God. And because we are not God our judgments are riddled with errors, misperceptions, prejudices and questionable motives.

A grocery store check-out clerk once wrote to advice-columnist Ann Landers to complain that she had seen people buy “luxury” food items-like birthday cakes and bags of shrimp-with their food stamps. The writer went on to say that she thought all those people on welfare who treated themselves to such non-necessities were “lazy and wasteful.”

A few weeks later Lander’s column was devoted entirely to people who had responded to the grocery clerk. One woman wrote:

I didn’t buy a cake, but I did buy a big bag of shrimp with food stamps. So what? My husband had been working at a plant for fifteen years when it shut down. The shrimp casserole I made was for our wedding anniversary dinner and lasted three days. Perhaps the grocery clerk who criticized that woman would have a different view of life after walking a mile in my shoes.

Another woman wrote:

I’m the woman who bought the $17 cake and paid for it with food stamps. I thought the check-out woman in the store would burn a hole through me with her eyes. What she didn’t know is the cake was for my little girl’s birthday. It will be her last. She has bone cancer and will probably be gone within six to eight months.

You never know what other people are dealing with. — Terrie Williams, The Personal Touch (Warner Books, 1994); submitted by Danny Smith

Mercy

Making judgments with mercy is about generosity of spirit, a willingness to forgive and give the benefit of the doubt. It is about being conscious of your own failings. Notice the following survey

Percentage of Americans who:

Think incivility is a serious problem: 89.

Think mean-spirited political campaigns are to blame: 73

Think rock music is to blame: 67.

Think talk radio is to blame: 52.

Think their own behavior is uncivil: 1.

U.S. News & World Report (4/22/96). Leadership, “To Verify.”

When it comes to making judgments we would do well to remember Jesus’ words:

[Mt 7:2 NLT ] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Willingness to Revise

This principle follows logically from the other two: If our knowledge is flawed and incomplete and our judgments should be tempered with mercy and a willingness to forgive, then our judgments ought to be open to revision.

When we make unfounded, harsh judgments and refuse to revise them we put people in bondage, a bondage from which, at least in our minds, they can never escape. They have no change for appeal.

When we are willing to revise our judgments we release people into an open future. A future where they may become brothers and sisters in Christ

Conclusion

“You shouldn’t judge.” It’s true, but only a half truth and that makes it an urban legend. We cannot live in this world without making judgments. So when we make judgments, especially of people, let us make them with humility, mercy and a willingness to revise them.

Most of us have been on the short side of judgmentalism; we know how much it hurts. If for no other reason we should be willing to hold the reins on our judgments.

There are some you here this morning who have made judgments about another brother or sister in Christ and that judgment has affected every aspect of your relationship, if you have one. You have judged the way they look their spiritual lives, their behaviors even the way they have raised their children. Humility? Mercy? Willingness to revise? Not for you. It is time for you to repent, today. Or maybe you want to be judged that way too.

There are some here who are engaged in immoral lifestyles, sinful or hurtful behaviors. Whenever someone says something to you about it you tell them,” Hey you’re not supposed to judge.” And you think that little statement makes everything OK, but it doesn’t. Because you are still wrong, and if you will not listen to someone who holds you accountable here what will you do when you stand before God Almighty? It’s time for you to repent.

All of us in this place today stand under the gaze of One who knows our hearts better than we ourselves. He knows when we have tried our best and failed and he knows when we said we “couldn’t” and we really meant “wouldn’t.”  God knows our past completely and not just our version of the past. God knows our present and our future. And yet he chooses to be in relationship with us. The only one who can and does judge perfectly is reaching out a hand to you even now to offer you a relationship that will change your life. Don’t you think it’s time?

What is an urban legend?

Stories which are believed to be accounts of actual incidents that befell or were witnessed by someone the teller almost knows. These tales usually play on our fears and concerns in an effort to confirm the rightness of the way we view the world.  These stories are usually passed around the internet as forwards – and people actually believe them! In this series I am using the term to refer to the Christian cliches which get thrown around our popular culture.

Why this series?

In my twenty three years of ministry I have come upon many Christian Urban Legends – cliches which we spout out when we don’t know what else to say. We accept the truth of these sayings even though we have not verified them.
A few months after the last series, theologian Roger Olson published a book entitled Questions to All Your Answers. In this book he tackles many of these cliches like, “God is in control” or “Jesus is the Answer.” In the book he encourages us to adopt Reflective Christianity instead of folk religion which is made up almost entirely of cliches. As Dr. Olsen says, “Folk religion thrives on cliches and slogans that fit on bumper stickers and resists their critical examination even by…Scripture. Reflective Christianity, on the other hand, values critical, deep and thoroughly biblical thought. It values truth more than comfort and refuses to reduce the glory and mystery of God to bumper-sticker slogans
In the next few weeks we are going to look at some of these clichés and examine them in the light of biblical and historical Christianity.

Safety

The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. It sounds really good doesn’t? It gives us a sense of security in a hostile world. But is it biblical?

We are a culture obsessed with safety and security. Last month for example the Consumer product safety commission issued thirty-six product recalls.  Often news stories play on this innate insecurity, and drive our fears to new heights.

Scriptural Context

In the 10th chapter of Matthew Jesus is preparing the disciples for their mission. He tells them who to go to,  what to say and what to do, how to conduct themselves and how to respond to various situations. He prepares them for the persecution they will experience and encourages them in the face of that persecution.

In these verses Jesus cautions them about the cost of following him. Following Jesus will cause conflicts with families and the world at large. This will be a problem if you  are trying to get along with everyone. Following Jesus involves a cross.

The conflict will come from various sources:

• Those who don’t like what you stand for
• Those who don’t understand
• Those who disagree with you
• The Enemy

We want safety even in our mission for God

We crave safety and security above all else. Who could blame us?
Our desire for safety and security could mean that we see the value of this present life. That is a good thing!
But sometimes this desire becomes an excuse for not doing what we know God has called us to do.  Sometimes it is a way to spiritualize our lack of perseverance when things get tough.

God is not necessarily concerned with our comfort; He is more concerned with our faithful witness in the midst of whatever circumstances come our way.
We have a tendency to think that if God has led us to do something then everything will go smoothly, it will be easy and everyone will like us. But that doesn’t square with the biblical witness.

Examples of tough times

When the Israelites came to the Promised land they had real battles and many of them died even though they were doing God’s will. Stephen the first martyr in the book of Acts, was doing Gods will when he was arrested for preaching. Paul was beaten, persecuted and even left for dead all while in the will of God

So what do we do when things get tough?

We continue to do what we have always done. We pray, read the word and continue to trust God as we live as disciples.

We ask questions to get at the reason for the difficulty. Is it something within me? Have I miscommunicated? Did I misunderstand what would be required? Could my perceptions be mistaken? Am I under spiritual attack?

We rely on our spiritual support group to help us weather the difficulty. The we simply persevere we go through the difficulty knowing that faithfulness to God is more important than anything else. We persevre just like the saints of old:

[Heb 11:34c-39a ESV ]  Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

A World in Conflict

Those who would follow Jesus Christ live in a dangerous world. That is not all there is. There is joy and meaning and purpose and excitement and heaven too!
God wants us to know that when we pledge our allegiance to him that pledge, if it is lived out, will put us in conflict with this world. That same allegiance gives us peace with God.
The last night Jesus was with his disciples before the crucifixion he warned them of the coming persecution and gave them a promise:
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

Pledging our allegiance to God puts in conflict with the world, but it also opens us up to the resources of God’s grace.

Prayer for Courage

Dear God, give me courage, for perhaps I lack it more than anything else.
I need courage before people against their threats and against their seductions.
I need courage to bear unkindness, mockery, contradiction.
I need courage to fight against the devil, against terrors and troubles, temptations, attractions, darkness and false lights, against tears, depression, and above all fear.
I need Your help, dear God.
Strengthen me with Your love and Your grace.
Console me with Your blessed Presence and grant me the courage to persevere until I am with You forever in heaven. Amen

2 Timothy 4:1-8

Don’t Worry be Happy!
If it were only that easy. The Constitution tells us that the inalienable rights we have received from God include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Happiness is a difficult thing to nail down. What is it that makes you happy?
A degree, A special job or position, married, divorced, remarried. If I could just make a certain amount of money, loose weight, move to another city, buy a certain house, get a special car.
We all have these hopes and goals in life, but sometimes these things become more than goals and hopes they become the total focus of our lives. And it becomes even more of a problem when we make them the goal of our pursuit of God.

I came back to the Lord during the heyday of the so-called name-it-claim it gospel. One of the things we learned was that God wanted us to prosper. Prosperity was one of the blessings of serving God. It sounded so good.
On the positive side, it opened up a whole new positive slant to the message of the gospel. The Bible wasn’t just about sin, heaven and hell, it was about abundant life, prosperity and expecting good things.
On the negative side it tended to baptize greed, selfish ambition and covetousness.

Along with those notions came the idea that happiness was what God really wanted for us. God wanted us to be happy. Today you can see shelves of books dedicated to being happy, and many of them claim that is God’s main priority for you. But that becomes a very slippery slope. If God wants me to be happy, then I need to find out what makes me happy and do that. God will actually help those things come to pass. If I am not happy, then it must be God’s fault. Before long my happiness becomes god and God becomes my servant, because his job is to make me happy.

Let me be clear God does want good things for us. As a matter of fact, the Bible says:

[Mt 7:11 ESV ] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

[Jas 1:17 ESV ] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

God also reminds us that our worship of happiness can seriously distort our view of God and Life. Let’s look at this passage of scripture.

[2 Ti 4:1-5 ESV ] I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

In our Western culture we have accumulated teachers who will tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. Our happiness is not God’s number one concern, at least in the way we mean happiness.
There are at least two instances when God doesn’t want you happy:

1. When it causes you to sin

[1 Pe 1:14-16 ESV ] As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

• Happiness is never the bottom line with God. The bottom line is always becoming like he is.
• We were created in the image of God, God knows us and knows what will make us happy. Our real happiness comes when we live the way he created us to live.
• The problem is that we live in a messed up world where we are taught to be self-centered to the core.
• Our self-centeredness teaches us that the very best state of affairs is when I am happy, in that scenario I become the focus of everything. If it pleases me its is ok, then that’s all that matters.
• That is called narcissism, falling in love with yourself.
• Jesus taught us just the opposite.
• What happens when your happiness conflicts with the happiness of someone else’s?

When your pursuit of happiness conflicts with God’s desires, choose God’s ways.2. God doesn’t want you happy when it is based on circumstances

[Ec 7:14 TNIV ] When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, you cannot discover anything about your future.

Hey, stuff happens. We have good days and bad days. When things are going great we are all excited and happy, but when things are falling apart we sink in despair.

People spend their entire lives, every waking moment looking for what will make them happy. In our pursuit of happiness, in the most blessed country on planet earth, many people are discontent and miserable.

God doesn’t want you happy when it is based on happenings. There’s a deeper gift that God gives us, and that’s a gift of joy and contentment that we can find in the life of the apostle Paul.
Let’s look at a verse that we are familiar with:
But before we read it, I want to remind you of the context in which this verse was written.
The apostle Paul was writing this from within a prison. He was locked up to another Roman soldier, and don’t forget this, he was waiting a decision that would decide whether he would be executed or whether he would live. So in other words, life wasn’t great for him at that moment.

[Php 4:11b-13 ESV ] … I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

He says: “I’ve been on both sides of it.” “I have learned the,” secret of being content.

He said, “I can do all things through Christ gives me strength.” Now, listen to what Paul is saying. “I’ve had it all, and I’ve lost it all. I’ve been healthy; I’ve been hurting. I’ve been blessed, and I’ve been cursed, but I have a secret that most people miss. I have a joy and a divine contentedness that is not based on my circumstances. It is based on something internal that no one can see, and that is that I can do everything. I can make it through this. I can make it while being locked up in prison. I can make it if they kill me.” How? “I can do it all through Christ who strengthens me. There is something internal that sustains me.
God wants you more than happy. He wants you to have a joy on the inside no matter what is going on outside.

God wants you to be blessed
Far from a happy life God wants you to lived a blessed life. Blessing is the distinctive joy which comes through participation in the divine kingdom [Little Kittle p. 548].

We tend to equate blessing with good things, but blessings could come through things that are not good. Take a look at Matthew 5

• The poor in spirit
• Those who mourn
• The meek.
• Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
• The pure in heart.
• Peacemakers
• The Persecuted

Why are they blessed because in spite of the external circumstances, they are participants in the Kingdom, and have a joy that it is beyond measure.

Instead of getting the higher paying job, you may be blessed by losing your job. Why?

• So you can learn to trust in Him like you never have before.
• So that you can finally pay attention to your kids that you have been neglecting when you were supposed to be doing something for them You were building a career, not a family
• So that your marriage that has been struggling because you have neglected it can flourish, because now, you’ve got to pay attention to it.

God could bless you with healthy kids, or you could be blessed with a child with incredibly special needs … and you may experience the love of God through that child in ways that you never, ever thought of before.

And, God could bless you with conflict-free living for quite some time, or God could bless you with conflict, and trouble, and persecution, and those who hate you because you love Him. And you are still blessed.

As much as I would like to tell you, “Come to God and everything will to be o-kay,” if I did that, I would be lying to you, because sometimes, that is just not true.

But, what I will tell you is this.

[Ps 37:4 ESV ] Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The Hebrew word for delight here means to be made soft or pliable. It means to delight or enjoy. Here’s what we do not do. We do not go to God for Him to serve our desires to make us happy. We go to Him as His servant, and as we enjoy Him, as we delight in Him, He gives us His desires. And as His desires become our desires, then He loves to give us and fulfill the desires of our heart.

How do we get there?

[Mt 6:33 ESV ] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Seek first the kingdom of God; not happiness, not the things that we want, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these things will be added unto you.

And so, I’ve got good news for you. The good news is, God doesn’t always want you happy. He’s always got something much, much better for you than that. He wants you to be blessed.
Some of you are seeking happiness in ways you know are not right. You know what you are doing is wrong, but you continue in it, because it makes you feel good, or avoid difficult consequences. Your happiness has become a God.

Some of you are right now are miserable, because you have yet to find your joy in the kingdom. Instead of becoming soft and pliable in the hand of God, you are kicking and screaming like a two year old in Wal-mart! Understand that circumstances come and go, become soft and pliable, open yourself to what you can learn in your present circumstances and let God give you the desires of your heart.

We all go through tough times, we all want the tough times to end. We need to have the attitude, “I will be better for having gone through this.”

Matthew 23:37-39

Jesus had come to his final week on earth. He was cheered as he entered the city. But then they tested and prodded him— attacking him on every level. It is obvious that the cheering only went so far.
I can imagine Jesus on the Mount of Olives looking over the city as he says those words. His heart is broken. He wanted to comfort them but they wouldn’t let him.
We are often like that aren’t we? God warns us of attitudes and behaviors that will cause us harm and we don’t listen. God speaks through His word and directly to our hearts, he nudges us and yet we will not listen and we go headlong into trouble— trouble he never intended for us.
There is a school of thought which has been with us since at least the 1500’s and is gaining in popularity, especially among college students. Those who hold these beliefs teach that everything that happens in the world was ordained by God. The basis for that assertion, they say comes from Scripture and as been stated definitively in the Westminster Confession:

God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass…. (3:1)

To me one of the most disturbing aspects of this doctrine is that God also chooses who will be saved and who will not. The choice is not based on God’s foreknowledge, but simply on God’s choice.

Here are some questions I have:
If God determines everything that happens:
– why are we here?
– what difference do our actions make?
– why should I pray?
– why do children starve to death?
– why are some young women brutally raped?
– why are so many children abused?
– why do so many people wind up in hell?
– why should we be held accountable for our sins?

In ministry you have ample opportunity to struggle with the implications of these ideas. I have stood at the grave side of young and old and asked the question, “Why?” I have asked that question about many things, and found no satisfying answers. In fact I have more than 10 books that deal with that subject.
I read and pondered, studied and prayed. I still do not have a definitive answer, but I do have some convictions that guide me through difficult times.

The Choices
In theology there have been basically two ways of looking at the problem. Now this explanation is very simplistic, but it will you and idea of how to approach the problem.

1. God is sovereign over every aspect of creation and determines everything that happens. Nothing happens without his divine decree or permission. Before God ever created anything he determined everything that happened.

2. God has sovereignly chosen to allow his creatures to have free will and is prepared to redemptively deal with the consequences of that freedom.

To be honest there are passages of scripture that support each of those two options, that is why the debate still continues. I have come to trust the second proposition and here’s why.

Scripture indicates some things God wanted to happen that didn’t.
– Adam and Eve to continue to fellowship with him, and grow as persons. That is why he warned them of the tree
– God wanted people to fill the earth, but instead they built the Tower of Bable
– God wanted Israel to trust him and depend on him but they wouldn’t and constantly went a stray
– God wanted Israel to repent at the preaching of the prophets and they refused to
– God wanted Judah to surrender to Babylon and quietly go into exile but they didn’t
– The Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
– All people to be saved, but they are not (2 Ti 2:4)

Scripture assumes that we have freedom of choice and therefore the possibility that we will do other than what God wants
– God tells Adam and Eve not to eat of the of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
– Cain was warned not to let sin overpower him. God said, “If you do well you will be accepted, if you don’t sin lies at the door.
– Israel was given the law, there was a expectation of obedience
– Joshua told Israel they had a choice, they should choose God.
– The Prophets continually told people, “Change what you are doing.”
– Jesus called for choices to be made, he told people to repent and believe the gospel.
– Paul called for choices to be made. He told people to put off the new man, put on the new man.
– In Revelation, Jesus told many of the churches to stop doing what they were doing and do things God’s way.

Our devotional life shows free will:
– We pray because we don’t think things are already determined
– We believe that our choices make a difference, so we learn more to make better choices

It is clear from both scripture and experience that there are many things God wants to happen that don’t and many things God doesn’t want to happen that do.

So what does all of this mean?
1. God has entrusted us with the gift of free will
2. Our choices are real, not just illusions
3. We are not powerless pawns, puppets in the hand of God
4. We can choose to yield to God’s grace or resist it
5. Much of our future is determined by our choices not by a divine plan
6. As we cooperate with God any situation can be redeemed

So what do we do?
1. We realize our place and our dignity and value
2. We realize the power of our choices and the power of God’s grace in our lives
3. We choose to yield to the power of God for God’s purposes

• We can be the spouses, parents and students and employees we need to be
• We are not doomed to failure by the events of our past
• Through God’s grace we have the power to make the choices we need to make
• Our lives can be different!

Our lives are not completely planned out. They are not set in stone. God does not predetermine every action. We are not victims of fate.
God has endowed us with the tremendous gift of free will and with that gift comes great responsibility. We are not puppets we are sons and daughter of God, created “a little lower than the angels” [Psalm 8].

We live in a world that is filled with ambiguities and questions. At times are prone to give in to apathy and cynicism. We may never know all the circumstances that lead any particular event. But we do know the intent of our heavenly Father.

God tells us “Don’t give in and give up, but step up.” Choose to yield to his Spirit, and draw upon his grace. There are many things God wants done, many of them will not be accomplished without you. Work with him to do his will on earth.

The most devastating aspect of this doctrine is that it says God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Your salvation this morning is dependent on two things. God drawing you and your response. Your destiny is not set in stone. If you walk out of here this morning without a relationship with God it will be your choice.

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Usually you hear this phrase uttered when someone recounts the troubles they have experienced. “Well, you know, God won’t put more on you than you can bear.” The problem is that it is quoted as if it is scripture.

Why include this one? This Urban Legend leads us to passive resignation in the face of life’s difficulties and makes us victims of the whims of a capricious God.

The Context
The verse is actually a misquotation of 1 Cor 10:13
In context this Paul is warning the Corinthians not to engage in idolatry or immorality. Some of the Corinthians had come to believe their participation in baptism and Holy Communion allowed them to dabble in sin and be free from any consequences. Paul reminds them to resist sin on every occasion. He draws a lesson from the history of the Exodus to demonstrate the problems with that assumption.

Does God put things on us?
Some say God does or allows everything that comes into our lives. However that does not take into account acts of free agents. It doesn’t take into account our decisions and actions, the decisions and actions of others or the decisions and actions of the enemy.
It also doesn’t take into account the normal method of Jesus as God in the flesh.

Jesus said:

[Jn 10:30 ESV ] I and the Father are one.”
[Jn 10:37 ESV ] If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
[Jn 14:9 ESV ] Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Jesus is God made flesh, the perfect expression of God’s thought, character and will. God has defined himself in Jesus. Jesus fully expressed God’s desire for us in love and redemption. Many people attribute actions and attitudes to God that are no where revealed in the life of Jesus.

If Jesus were to correspond to some people’s image of God, he would go around condemning people, and putting all manner of sickness on people. But he doesn’t.

Notice the story in Luke 13:
In this story the normal thing to infer was that those killed were somehow guilty of grievous sin. Jesus disagrees, then reminds those present that a worse fate awaits those refuse to repent.

In effect Jesus says life happens. Because of all the variables involved in the situations of life it is impossible to reduce any incident down to a simple cause/effect relationship. Simple explanations betray a simple mind.

All people go through difficulties in life, As Paul says:

[1 Co 10:13 ESV ] No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

It is not some cosmic breakdown because you have problems in your life…everybody has problems! We have small problems and big problems. Even natural disasters are common, a common part of the world we live in. Some of our notions about this are really pre-Christian superstition.

God does sometimes intervene and keep tragedy from happening. But that intervention is by grace. Grace is unmerited favor, which means we can not earn it. Prayer doesn’t force God to do anything, prayer petitions God. God’s intervention can not be reduced to simple steps to get him to do our biding.

In this world where life happens, God promises to walk with us through it.

[Is 43:2 ESV ] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

God grants us his grace and his grace comes in many forms: healing, wisdom, endurance, friends, financial blessing.

[2 Co 12:7-10 ESV ] So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Some people claim that difficulties in our lives are actually our cross to bear. But they are not. Our sick family members are not a cross to bear. The results of our bad decisions are not our cross to bear. The inconveniences of life are not our cross to bear — it is simply life!!!

Paul reminds us that we are to endure hardship:

[2 Ti 2:3 NCV ] Share in the troubles we have like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Soldiers endure whatever comes for the sake of the mission. Our mission is to glorify God no matter what

[2 Co 6:3-10 ESV ] We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

And so we live life and endure the hardships that come for the sake of Jesus Christ. God is not the one who is always loading difficulties on our backs, he is the one who carries us through them.

So what do we with difficulties, how do we face burdens like a disciple?
1. Fix your eyes on Jesus – The one who ran this race before us and endured things we cannot begin to understand
2. Remember God is with you – Scripture reminds us that if we seek to live righteously we will suffer persecution. We are never alone even though no one else may understand
3. Yield to Redemptive Power – No matter what we are in or how we got there, God is working for our good.

[Ro 8:28 NCV ] We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.

• In our experience we may doubt that, but we should never let our experience define God, let God define himself

4. Let go of the “Why” question – It is almost impossible to answer the question any way. It will keep you from drawing on God’s redemptive power

5. Live in hope, knowing it will all be worth it – Hope is the anchor of our soul in a world that often contradicts what we know about God

[Ro 5:2-5 ESV ] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

• Hope anchors our soul when we cannot see tomorrow

When we say God won’t put more on you that you can bear, we live paralyzed lives. We passively resign in the face of life’s difficulties becoming perpetual victims.
But when we embrace who Jesus is and understand the hope we have in Him we become victors no matter what comes at us in life.

Acts 4:8-12
What are Urban Legends?
Urban Legend is the name given to some of the stories that get circulated, mostly on the Internet. Some of the stories are true, many are false and some are a mixture of true and false. Most people , however believe the stories are true. One of the current Urban Legends surrounds the minting of the new dollar coin. Early pictures showed a picture of George Washington on the obverse and the Statue of Liberty on the reverse. But no where on the face of the coin do you read the words, “In God We Trust.” Some people got mad and started an email campaign telling people about how the government was removing the national motto from our coins. If they had bothered to read the whole article they would have know that the National mottos, “In God We Trust,” and “E Pluribus Unum” along with the date were incised on the edge of the coin.

So in this series I want to explore some of the Urban Legends we as God’s people sometimes believe. The first is, There are many paths to God.

A listener responded to a religious radio talk show host with the following comment: “They may not believe in Jesus, but they love God and serve God with all of their hearts. They love God. You love God. How can you say one is wrong and the other is right?” We live in an age of religious pluralism.

Maybe you have seen the bumper sticker which spells out the word COEXIST with the symbols of several of the worlds religions. Each religion should work for the betterment of human kind. Each religion should cooperate in humanitarian concerns. But sometimes it means they are all equal paths to God and no one religion is more right than another. I can not agree with that and here is why.

The Nature of Truth
A proposition is true if and only if it corresponds to the way things are. For something to be true it must correspond to reality. The principle of non-contradiction says that a statement can not be true and false at the same time. It can not be true that all unmarried men are bachelors and that married men are bachelors. One of them can be true but not both of them. Contradictory claims can’t be simultaneously true.

If you believe that absolute truth exists, then if one thing is true the opposite can not equally be true. If we know the grass to be green, it cannot be red, yellow, black or blue.
With that in mind…

Many people believe that all religions teach the same things, it simply is not true. Oh there may be some similarity in surface aspects like the “Golden Rule” but there are major differences as well. For example:

• Christianity believes that Jesus is the Messiah and equal to God, Judaism does not. Both can be wrong, but both can not be right.
• Buddhism believes in reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul, Christianity does not.
• Hinduism is pantheistic, everything is part of God, Christianity teaches that God is separate from creation.
• Islam believes that God is strict, aloof unpredictable and responsible for both good and evil acts, Christianity teaches that God is good, merciful, faithful and not the author of evil.
• Hinduism teaches that the world is an illusion, Christianity teaches that the universe was created by God and the real habitation for all living things.
• New age practitioners believe that we are all god. Christianity believes that there in only one God.

To say that all religions are equally true you would have to either deny the existence of absolute truth or believe all truth is relative.

The most amazing thing about those that believe all truth is relative is that they claim to know a truth which trumps all truth — their’s, of course, is absolute.Each of these practitioners of the various religions believe theirs is true. And for their’s to be true ours must be wrong unless truth doesn’t really mean anything.

I have shared my faith with people who sometimes say things like this: “I know you mean well, but I just don’t see it like that. I think I live a pretty good life so I don’t really need to believe in God.”
This person in effect has said, “Look I don’t believe that a person has to believe in God.” That person is saying in effect, “I am the highest authority and the arbiter of all truth. I am my own god. Believing in God is just one of many options.”

What Jesus said
It is not Christians that are narrow minded, bigoted, and exclusive. Jesus is the one who made this thing exclusive.

[Jn 5:23 ESV ] that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

[Jn 5:26-27 ESV ] For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

[Mt 24:4-5 ESV ] And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

[Jn 10:30 ESV ] I and the Father are one.”

[Jn 14:6 ESV ] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So the question everyone must deal with is “What will you do with Jesus?”
C.S. Lewis has put forth the classic statement on Jesus
You can not say that Jesus is a great moral teacher. Either he is a liar (he knew he was wrong) a lunatic (he did not know he was wrong) or he is Lord.

No Other Name
The text for this sermon reminds us of something very important. The only way to be saved is through the name of Jesus. It is obvious that unbelievers try to find salvation in other names, but there are even some Christians who do the same. Salvation is defined as deliverance, reconciliation, healing, wholeness, atonement.

Many are seeking these things in other names:
Entertainment, wealth, pornography, material goods, status, fantasy, power, sports, relationships, alcohol, over-eating, shopping, sex, doing good deeds, drugs, church.
How do you know if you have fallen into these? Here is a good test.
When you feel the pain of your life, when you are at you lowest and feel lost and alone, frustrated, empty, what do you turn to in those times? That is what you consider your savior.

But, Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The only way of salvation starts with repentance: confessing that you have sought deliverance, reconciliation, healing, wholeness, atonement in other names.

It continues with faith: trusting that Jesus is the only way of salvation and relying on him.

The evidence of faith is: obedience, prayer
worship, sharing, growing, serving, giving, connecting, living

The essence of the Gospel is this: you cannot save yourself, God has to do it, that’s why he sent Jesus

Colossians 3:18-4:1

We spend the majority of our time at home or at work, so it is those two places where our discipleship is lived out more than anywhere else.
If we can not live as fully devoted followers at home or at work, we won’t be able to do it at church or on the mission field. If we can not be fully devoted around people who know and support us, how can we do in a hostile world?

Background
In order to properly understand this passage there are a couple of things you need to know about the culture to which Paul was writing.

1. Roman fathers had absolute authority in the home. He had control of every aspect of live for his wife, children and slaves – in fact they all had about the same status. Wives were valued for their ability to bear children, and handle the domestic chores. Children were valued for their contributions to the family’s livelihood. The father determined who lived and died, who they married and whether they married. He exerted tremendous control even over adult sons. The normal father ruled with a iron fist.
Slaves were little more than living tools, livestock to be used or disposed of as the master saw fit

2. Christianity as a foreign religion was under a great deal of suspicion. What the historian Tacitus said about Jews was also believed about Christians:

…the earliest lessons they receive is to despise the gods, disown their country and to regard their parents, children and brothers of little account.

In this household code Paul seeks to affirm what he can from Roman culture and transform as much as he could. The important thing to remember is that Paul is trying to show that when we are devoted to Christ, that devotion changes the quality and character of all our relationships.
Paul even does the unthinkable Normally only husbands father and master are addressed in household codes, in these verses, however, he addresses the”weaker” first and assumes they can make moral choices, that was unheard of. Then he addresses the husbands, fathers and masters.

I. Wives and Husbands

The issue is not who gets to dominated whom.

• Paul tells Roman husband and wives how to live out their devotion to Christ in their culture without giving offense to the gospel.
• For us it means that Husbands and wives are to first of all submit themselves to Christ and then carry out their responsibilities to each other in the Lord
• Husbands are not to dominate and lord it over their wives
• Wives are not supposed to do that either. Wives should not seek to subtle manipulate and undercut their husband’s place in the home.
• In fact husband are to cultivate Christian virtues in their relationship with each other.

What are these virtues?

[Col 3:12-14 ESV ] Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

The fundamental presumption is that the family is the primary place where Christian virtues are lives out.

II. Children and Parents
Children
Christian children have an obligation to obey their parents, in the Lord.
As long as parents are not asking them to do anything immoral or sinful they are to comply.

Fathers / Parents
In Paul’s day fathers had absolute control over their children and determined whether they lived or died. The normal pattern was to maintain strict discipline so that the children would not get out of line. That disciple sometimes included severe beatings.
Paul answers the question, “How should a father submitted to Christ treat his children?”
Paul’s answer is simple what ever you do be careful not to provoke or irritate them to the point of discouragement to be disheartened, dispirited, broken in spirit, and lose heart. That is not proper behavior for a Christian parent.

III. Employees and Employers
Now, contrary to what you may think there is not a direct correspondence between masters and slaves and employers and employees. But we can gain some important perspectives.

Employees

• Work diligently as if you were working for the Lord and do it whether or not your boss is a Christian
• Put your heart in it and give it your best. As a Christian you should be the most punctual, reliable and responsible person in the place

Employers

• Treat people fairly, expect people to give their best, and your give your best as well.
• Care about those who work for you

Conclusion
In reality this series has been about living as a Christian, a person fully devoted to Christ.
I received an email two weeks ago I want to share with you, because this person gets it.

I want to challenge you today to live as a fully devoted follower of Christ Husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees.

Work on developing these virtues in all your relationships: Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness and love.
In reality you can not develop these on your own…you must depend on the Holy Spirit, and you must yield to him.

And then determine today to become fully devoted
Worship God, Share your faith, Grow in Christ, Serve others, Give of your resources, Connect with other Christian and live your faith at home and work.