Sermons From My Heart

Have you ever wondered about what life will be like in heaven after we die? If so, you’ll be interested in what Jesus has to say about the subject in the passage from Luke 20:27-38.

The Sadducees’ question about the resurrection was a ridiculous one because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. Their question was designed to draw Jesus into an argument based on Old Testament law. Deuteronomy 25:5 commanded a man to marry his brother’s wife if the brother died. If they had a son, the son was to be named after the deceased brother. The Sadducees asked which of the seven brothers would be married to the widow in the resurrection.

The question reflected the common attitude toward women at that time. Women were seen as being no better than property. They had few rights and could be divorced by their husbands for petty reasons. Widows were in an even worse situation if they had no sons to look after them.

Jesus was quick to poke holes in the Sadducees’ logic. They were talking in human terms, but Jesus and God always talk in heavenly terms. Remember that God’s ways are not our ways and sometimes his ways are hard for us to understand. Heaven is a Godly concept that we can’t easily understand. Jesus does not give us a definite description of what heaven is like, but he does tell us that life in heaven will not be a continuation of life here on earth. Therefore, there will be no marriage, no property or worrying about property. Jesus also says that the only part of our earthly life that will continue in heaven is that we will continue to be children of God. When we die, we will fall into his arms and he will never let us go.

In our earthly life, marriage and procreation are necessary for life to continue. In our heavenly life, we will never die, so we will never have to worry about property and who will inherit our property after we die. We can’t prove the resurrection with rational arguments. We can’t understand things we have not seen. We have to accept them by faith, just like we have to accept God’s Word by faith. Even the world’s greatest preachers have trouble understanding the Word of God. Billy Graham once had a struggle with the truth of God’s Word, but one evening he knelt by a tree stump and declared to God that he would accept God’s Word by faith.

Jesus commented on the Sadducees’ rejection of the resurrection by referring to Moses. The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of the Old Testament, including the books written by Moses. These books did not talk about the resurrection. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, he said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” If there was no life after death, God would have said, “I was their God,” instead of “I am their God.” The phrase “I am” proves that our soul survives physical death and implies that the dead in Christ will rise when he returns.

The Gospel message is not about a continuation. It is about a new life. Jesus’ death and resurrection makes this new life possible. It is better that anything our current life can offer. It is a new birth, a new age, the unveiled sight of God. Heaven is God’s responsibility, not ours. Our responsibility is how we live our lives here and now. We have no idea what’s coming in the next life, no way to imagine how the next life will be even richer than the life we know now. We can’t let go of today’s relationships and trust God to give us new relationships. That limits our ability to accept the good news of eternal life. All life is under God’s direction, so everything we do needs to be seen in light of what God does in our world.

When we stop worrying about life after death, our lives will take on a new direction and a new energy. We will see the world with eyes that see God at our side as we face life’s challenges.  It is appropriate that we are hearing this reading at this time in the church year. Three weeks from today we will enter the season of Advent, which begins a new church year. As we conclude our church year and look toward what is to come, our readings focus on what is to come. Christian faith is about living, loving God and loving people.

It’s sometimes hard for us to believe in the big things in life when we have so many little issues and struggles that we let take up lots of space in our lives. When we are obsessed with the little things in life, it’s not easy for us to step back and understand everlasting life. We can only imagine what heaven will be like. Some people imagine it as a beautiful place with endless good times. Others imagine it as a place where there will be no sickness, old age or pain. Our ability to imagine what heaven will be like is our way of expressing our faith that our loved ones are alive and well and are getting along with each other.

For example, C.S. Lewis, who wrote “The Chronicles of Narnia”, once told the story of a woman who was thrown into a dungeon. Her only light came from a barred window high above. She gave birth to a son, who had never seen the outside world. He couldn’t reach the window to see outside, so his mother told him about green fields and waves crashing on the shore-but he couldn’t imagine what she was describing. Eventually, she persuaded the guards to give her some paper and charcoal so she could draw pictures to show her son what the outside world was really like-but what the boy came to understand was that the outside world looked like black lines on a white piece of paper.

The reality keeps returning to us, and it is stark. We have to let go of today’s relationships and trust God to give new relationships. Otherwise, our ability to accept the good news of resurrection and life after death is limited. Our loved ones are buried in a cemetery. Their gravestones are in a line and mark the names of our loved ones along with the dates of their births and deaths. We wonder where they are and what they are doing. At times like that, we can turn to the Scriptures for comfort, especially the passage we heard today.

Those who are willing to give their lives to God now will find that God will be there for them when the journey of their earthly life is over. We are to love one another just as God loves us and share God’s love for people in a way that excludes no one. In effect, marital love is extended and perfected, so that what’s best about human beings in this life is made available in an even better way to all of us in the next life.

If God is our God, and we are his people, death is not the end of the story. It is the beginning. Someone once said that “today is the first day of the rest of your life” and that will be especially true on the day we die. When we die, the Lord will not abandon us. He will be there to greet us. To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord. We have Christ’s promise of the reality of the resurrection through Christ’s own death and resurrection. Because he lives, we too shall live. Living without the doctrine of resurrection, or the hope it offers, cheapens this life.

The Gospel passage is about the next life. It’s about what happens after we die, especially if we are followers of Christ. For the Sadducees, death was the end of life’s journey. Jesus reveals that God is a god of life and not a god of death. For believers, death is just the end of one phase of life and the beginning of a new, glorious life-a life that we can only barely begin to understand now and will completely understand when we sit at the Master’s feet. Christ’s resurrection glorified life, and the hope of the resurrection for believers glorifies them. The resurrection gives us hope.

In order for us to receive the hope and glory of the resurrection, we have to repent. Repentance gives us hope for the future. Paul argued that the process of resurrection and repentance began with Jesus’ bodily resurrection. Resurrection is the start of a new life in heaven with Christ. Our dead, physical bodies will be raised spiritually to a new life.

In order for us to understand the resurrection, we have to expand our ideas about who and what God is and what we can do. We can’t limit God with our own limited human reasoning. God continually surprises us. The future he has planned for us is a glorious one that is far more than we can imagine and different from what we can imagine.

Bibliography

1. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 32^nd Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
2. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J. : The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)
3. Rev. Wayne Palmer, “Doubts About the Resurrection “. Retrieved from www.lhm.org
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr. : The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)
5. Exegesis for Luke 20:27-38. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
6. The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “God’s Novelty”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
7. Brett Blair, “His Teachings”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
8. John Wayne Clarke, “Putting Eternity to the Test”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
9. King Duncan, “Easter in November”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
10. Exegesis for 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
11. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XXIV, No. 6 (St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary; 2

How do you handle crises in your lives? Do you blame or belittle God?

In Old Testament times, people assumed that their crises implied God’s absence or apathy. In reality, God uses current events to remind people that there isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t dealing with God. No matter what the trauma or crises is in our lives, God can be trusted to bring comfort in the short-term and restoration in the long run. We hear that promise in Joel 2:23-32.

A great crisis came upon the Israelites-God’s judgment. They had to return to God with fasting, weeping and mourning. They had to cry out to God for deliverance. That deliverance was so profound and underserved that Joel told the Israelites in Joel 2:18 that they should retell the story and pass it on to their children.

The passage from Joel is just as important to the church today as it was to the church in New Testament times. It is a prophecy of what is to come. The first half of the passage mentions how the Holy Ghost will work in the lives of God’s children as the end times approach. The second half of the passage mentions the supernatural events that will take place as related to the earth and the heavens. Prophesy in Scripture often produces praise to God. Dreams and visions were customary ways that the Lord communicated special revelations in Old Testament times.

God brings about both the good and the bad. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives. They accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. But there is a time when those hard places have accomplished their purpose and God begins to restore.

God said, “Vengeance will be mine,” and the passage from Joel is a slightly different version of God’s statement. The harvests will again be plentiful for the people to eat and be satisfied. The people will praise God’s name, recognizing the source of their sustenance. In addition, people will know God, His presence and His uniqueness. They will know that He is with them. They will know that He is their God, active on their behalf and the One to whom they owe allegiance.

God’s plan for the people of Joel’s time and for us is that of restoration to health as whole people and as a healthy community. That depends on a righteous relationship with God. This is part of returning to God with all our hearts.

In Acts 2, Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 in his famous sermon on the Day of Pentecost. God’s Spirit gives life to everyone. When the Old Testament texts talk about the Spirit of God coming on humans, it is most often to specially equip someone or a group of people for a great task such as craftsmen, prophets, warriors, leaders and kings. Today God still pours out His Spirit on all believers. It fills them and empowers them to serve Him in holiness and great joy.

In Old Testament times, prophets discerned with unusual clarity the significance of current events and the circumstances of God’s people. Based on their diagnosis, they spoke a word from God to provoke His people to change. By speaking God’s word to our world, prophets call us to radical transformation.

Prophets also offered pastoral care and comfort. They kept the dreams of God’s people and His kingdom alive in times of disaster and discouragement. They generated hope, affirmed identity and created a new future. They offered both a negative critique and positive affirmation and encouragement. They demanded radical change and invited the people to patient endurance.  Today, the church and the world need both prophetic critique that demands change and pastoral comfort on the long road of endurance.

The Spirit encompasses everyone regardless of sex, age or social status, but sometimes we in the church make distinctions about whose bodies’ matter without thinking twice. Are black and brown bodies equal to white bodies? Are African bodies equal to American or Canadian bodies? Are the bodies of prisoners equal to free bodies? The answer to all of these questions and many more is a resounding “yes.” The traditional hierarchies of power are destroyed. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, there is no longer, “Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.” Christ removes all the barriers that we erect between classes, races and genders. God is equally open to everyone, and we are all the same in His eyes.

It’s one thing for us to say we believe God’s spirit is poured out on all flesh and a totally different thing to live it out in our daily lives. Which of our practices do we need to examine? Which sins do we need to confess?

What would it mean for us that God’s Spirit is for everyone? People will prophesy, dream dreams and see visions. Prophecy means proclaiming God’s Word. The gift of prophecy gives us supernatural power to discern the inner meaning of what is happening around us and what God wants to tell us.

Would you like to have new love for people, be able to care for them profoundly and become effective in helping them reach their full potential?

Would you like to have x-ray vision to be able to see beneath the surface of people to their deepest hopes and hurts?

Would you like to be able to discern what God wants to say to people through you?

Would you like to be able to speak the truth to people in love in a winsome, winning way?

Would you like to have a direct, personal experience of God’s Spirit and become a Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered person?

Any Christian who says “yes” to these questions is ready to receive the call to be a prophet and receive the monetary, situational, relational,  spiritual gift of prophecy. The needs of people and groups before us will bring forth the gift of the Spirit from within us. Our responsibility is to “keep on being filled with the Spirit,” as written in Ephesians 5:18. The Spirit gives this gift when we get into challenges requiring the wisdom, insight, discernment and boldness the gift provides.

Joel 2:25-27 reminds us that the promised abundance is still on the way. Eating, praise and satisfaction are all promises of the wonders to come-especially when we get to heaven. God will generously provide for us, but more importantly, He will be in the midst of His people, regardless of gender, age, sex or social rank.

All of us as believers have wasted years when we turned away from God. Some of us have regrets about those years. Regret is a painful emotion and a worse reality. There are so many past words, actions and decisions that we wish we could take back. There are so many actions that brought unwanted and lasting consequences. Perhaps we feel that our past sins have robbed us of many good years.

We can take comfort in the knowledge that God will restore those years. God won’t turn back the clocks of our lives, but He will pack so much blessing in the years we have left that we will live a life full of joy, victories and pleasures. All we have to do is repent and ask God to carry out His plans for our lives. We can escape the coming judgments that are reserved for this earth by putting our trust in Jesus. We can ask Him to forgive us and accept His mercy and grace.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1170-1171)
2. Ogilvie, L.J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 22: Hosea/Joel/Amos/Obadiah/Jonah (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1990; pp. 253-263)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. “No such Thing as Wasted Years.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
5. Phil Ware, “Heartlight Daily Verse, September 20, 2014.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
6. “Forgiveness.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com
7. Os Hillman, “When God restores What the Locusts Eat.” Retrieved from tgif@marketplaceleaders.org
8. Bob Thompson, “Always Dealing with God.” Retrieved from dailydevotional@ucc.org
9. Pastor Jack Hibbs, “Terrified or trusting?” Retrieved from devotion@reallifewithjackhibbs.org
10. Ron Moore, “Regret and Restoration.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. Rev. Megan Purdue, “Proper 25C 1^st Reading.” Retrieved from www.aplainaccount.org/copy-of-proper-25c-psalm-1/
12. John Holbert, “Locusts, Armies, Despair and Hope: Reflections on Joel 2:23-32.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com/progressive=christian/locusts-armies-john-holbert-10-22-2013.aspx
13. Daniel Clendenin, “Comfort and Critique: The Prophet Joel and a Plague of Locusts.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus,net/Essays/20131021JJ.shtml
14. Bob Thompson, “Always Dealing with God.” Retrieved from dailydevotional@ucc.org
15. Tammy Maltby, “A Vision for Trauma’s Aftermath.” Retrieved from dailytreasure@markinc.org
16. Walter C. Bouzard, “Commentary on Joel 2:23-32.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3052

What would you say to someone if you knew you were speaking to them for the last time? What advice would you give?

These same questions were likely on Paul’s mind when he wrote his second letter to Timothy. Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell in Rome, and he knew that he would soon be put to death by Emperor Nero. The letter to Timothy was a “passing of the torch.” In this letter Paul gave final instruction to his star pupil Timothy much like a schoolteacher gives final instructions to his or her students before they write a final exam.

It’s a good idea for us to reflect back on our spiritual lives once in awhile. It helps us live even better as we move forward. Our spiritual lives will face setbacks, hardships and difficulties. We can’t change something that happened in the past, but we can change how we do things from this moment forward.

The term, “At my first defense” speaks of Paul’s first imprisonment. This, his final imprisonment, was Paul’s Gethsemane. It was the end of his earthly journey and the beginning of his journey into eternal glory. He was delivered from danger.

Paul wanted to continue doing God’s work until the last possible moment, and he wanted to study God’s work until the last minute. In other words, he stayed focused on God until the last minute. He set a good example for us as Christians to follow. When we stay focused on Christ and study His word, we can withstand all of life’s challenges. Success eventually follows when we refuse to quit.

Paul has completed the work God assigned him to do. God has given the same assignment to both Timothy and us. It was up to Timothy to continue this work, and it’s up to us to continue it as well. Paul is now prepared to receive the crown of righteousness that God gives to all believers. This is possible because of God’s grace. All true believers who hope for Christ’s return and persevere in doing His work will receive this crown. When we devote our lives to doing God’s work, we might not receive earthly rewards. The results of our work will last for eternity as long as we keep getting up and going when we fall.

Paul’s life has been a sacrificial offering. The word “departure” suggests the untying of a boat from its moorings. Paul’s exit from this life will mean a new life ahead in eternity. Paul, like most people who know that their life is coming to an end, looked backward before passing into his eternal reward. Staring death in the face can bring out the best in people. The real prospect of death forces us to focus on what is significant in our lives.

Paul had every reason to be resentful. He had no money, clothes or food. He was in prison. His morale was dwindling. The only familiar person who was there to encourage him was the apostle Luke. All of his other friends deserted him because in Rome at that time supporting a Christian at his/her trial would have led to a death sentence. Paul’s last words had no hint of bitterness, resentment or regret. His unbreakable spirit emerged. He was more concerned about others than he was about himself. He extended forgiveness to those who abandoned him, thereby following the examples of Jesus when he was on the cross and Stephen when he was stoned to death.

God also stood by Paul, and God will also stand by us. When we are tired, he will give us strength. When failure is inevitable, he steps in and helps us find the strength to finish the work he gave us to do. We need his strength because we are in a spiritual war. We are fighting against evil in this world, flesh that is corrupt and a devil that is busy. Like soldiers on the front line of a battle we are in a battle that is demanding and risky, but the prize is worth fighting for. Jesus will not be ashamed of His soldiers. In fact, he will be in the trenches leading us and fighting alongside us. When we win the fight, we will get a foretaste of the reward we will receive in heaven.

Paul has no regrets about his past. All three images-fight the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith-have involved sacrifice, labour and danger. Now they represent the successful completion of Paul’s earthly ministry. Paul accepted the reality of his situation. God gave Paul the strength he needed to spread the Gospel, and God also gave Paul the strength to face his upcoming death. God rescued Paul from his fate not by preventing his death but by taking him to heaven. Christian life and ministry is a commitment to run all the way to the finish line.

Paul’s acceptance of his situation is a good example for us as Christians to follow. Things could be better, but they could also be worse. Our place in life can only be experienced by us. If we can change anything for the better, we must do so. If we are being blessed, we must share our blessings with gratitude with others. If we have any regrets, we need to address them now before they poison our spirit or ruin the rest of our lives. If we long for payback, we long for justice to show itself. When we fear payback, we become afraid that justice will show itself. We want our own efforts to matter. Complete justice rarely comes, and when it does come it rarely comes at the speed we want it to arrive at.

Those who are eager for Christ’s appearing are usually eager to fulfill His calling before He returns. They persevere because they know that their final salvation and righteousness are sure. Paul saw his upcoming death as a release from the toils of responsibility. He saw the hand of God moving to give him mercy and to spread the gospel among the people who were persecuting him. He saw his upcoming trial as another opportunity to spread the good news.

It’s important for us to look above what’s here on earth and to know where our treasures are. It’s also important for us to be true witnesses for God by showing others that we serve someone greater than us. When it comes to committing our resources in service to Jesus, we can only do what we can.  If we want to do well, we need to live well. If we want to live well, we need to figure out what our God-given purpose in life is and give it our best shot with God’s help.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1723-1724)
2. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s Living Insights on 1&2 Timothy/Titus (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 2016, pp. 232-239,247-249)
3. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
4. Demarest, G. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 1986)
6. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
7. Richard Inness, “Keeping the Faith.” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
8. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Famous Last Words.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
9. Dr. Harold Sala, “Quitting.” Retrieved from www.guidelines.org
10. Ed Young, “Invest in Your Future.” Retrieved from www.edyoung.com
11. Richard Inness, “What’s Your Purpose in Life?” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
12. Joni Eareckson Tada, “The Good Fight.” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org
13. Alistair Begg, “His Kingdom.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

Matt Skinner, “Commentary on 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18.” Retrieved from

A man went to visit a psychiatrist. “Doc, I’ve got two problems.” The psychiatrist said, “Okay, tell me all about it.” The man began, “Well, first of all, I think I am a Coca-Cola machine”.

The psychiatrist sat the man down and started therapy. For weeks, he gave it his best shot, but nothing seemed to happen. Finally, out of exasperation, the psychiatrist jumped up one day, took two quarters out of his pocket, shoved them in the man’s mouth, grabbed him by the ears and shook him until he swallowed the quarters. Then he hollered, “Okay, now give me a Coke”.

That’s when the man said, “I can’t, Doc. That’s my second problem. I’m out of order.”

The only people God can help are those who admit that they have a problem. They have to admit that they are “out of order”. They have to admit that they have a problem, admit what the problem is, seek help to overcome it and persist until the problem is resolved.

Have you ever thought that you were better than other people? If you have, how can you call yourself a Christian? Christians prove by their words and deeds that they are the same as everyone else, the only difference being that they show Christ’s love and that they admit that they are sinners and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness. That is the point of the Gospel reading from Luke 18:9-14.

My mother’s doctor told her when she had to start using a cane that “pride goeth before a fall”. Jesus warned the people that the idea that we are self-sufficient for our salvation is a prideful one. Pride is one obstacle to faith. It blinds us to our needs because it makes us think that we can handle our needs and if we can’t handle them, they weren’t important anyway. Pride has no room for mercy, no need for forgiveness. If we think that we can satisfy our own needs, or if we think we are better than anyone else, we are dead wrong. All of us “put our pants on one leg at a time”, as the old saying goes. All of us are the same. If you want proof, look at any cemetery. Rich and poor are buried side by side. Jesus exalted the man who knew his place in the game of grace. How about us? Jesus knew that we have a need that can never be covered over or washed away by human deeds.

It reminds me of a story about a minister who was waiting to board a plane. He saw a businessman run up to an airline attendant and demand immediate entry on the plane. The attendant asked him to go to the end of the line and wait his turn. The man shouted, “Do you know who I am?” He said he was a senior executive who flew often, and he could have her fired. She said, “Well, I guess I’ll wait for that call, but you’ll still have to go to the end of the line”.

Arrogance is the opposite of true self-esteem, and it is the opposite of the two Great Commandments to love God and love people. Humility is a realistic assessment of who we are in God’s eyes. Connecting with who we are in God’s eyes is the start of our spiritual journey. The remainder of the journey involves staying in touch with who we can become with God’s help.

The Pharisee represented the best in religious society. His life reflected care about religious things. Pharisees were pious lay people and religious leaders who were dedicated to their religious observance and admired by others of their faith. The Pharisee thought that he was better than everyone else. He tried to justify himself in the eyes of God. These were his two big mistakes, and they are the same two mistakes all of us make at times. Sometimes we think that we are better than others, and I’m just as guilty of that mistake as everyone else is. We use anything and everything we can to justify ourselves-intelligence, where we went to school, where we live, sports, family, job, etc. We feel the need to prove ourselves to God, but that isn’t necessary as long as we come to him in true faith just like the tax collector came to God in faith.

The main issue in this reading is the sin of self-righteousness, the belief in salvation by works instead of trusting in God’s grace. The Pharisee believed that his good works would get him into heaven, but the tax collector had the humility to do what God requires. He faced the truth about himself and asked for God’s mercy and forgiveness. We can’t gain God’s favour with good works. Our good works have to be backed up with a genuine, humble faith. God has no use for people who boast of their achievements. We must humbly repent and confess our guilt. Humility raises us up to heaven.

Jesus sees the truth about people by looking into their hearts. He saw that the Pharisee was not sincere, and he knew that the tax collector was sincere. Someone who is honest with God sees himself as he truly is. Anyone who repents and calls on Christ will be redeemed by God.

Jesus wants lives that have been transformed. He wants to see followers who love others like he loves us. He wants followers who will feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked. By doing these things, we will grow close to God.

Religion is not the same as Christianity. Religion concentrates on worshipping God by following man-made rules. Christianity concentrates on worshipping God in sincere faith and on loving others. There are five rules that will free us from religion:

1. Refuse to bind ourselves and others with man-made rules.
2. Reject appearances as a spiritual yardstick. Looks can be deceiving.
3. Review our walk with God and beware of the danger of form without function.
4. Return to the basis of examination and confession.
5. Remain humble.

We must remember that what matters to God is our heart and that we are sincere in our relationship with him. God will answer our prayers with a “yes” if we actually offer our prayers to him.

Jewish law required that the faithful give 10 percent of their income from crops and livestock to God’s work, but the Pharisee went beyond that by giving 10 percent of all his income. Jewish law required that the faithful fast or go without food one day per year, but the Pharisee fasted two days per week. He was a religious over-achiever. He stood off by himself and looked at other worshippers, eyeing some of them with contempt. In modern language he would say something like this, “O Lord, how thankful I am that I’m not loitering on some street corner, a no-count drug abuser living off welfare. I thank you that I’m not a homosexual or an abortionist or New Ager or Hollywood pagan. O Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re prefect in every way.”

Sinners are justified when God’s righteousness is added to their account. In other words, sinners are justified when they accept God in faith as their saviour. It was on this basis that the tax collector was saved, and it is on that same basis that we are saved. The tax collector’s heart was a pigsty, but when he prayed he opened the doors wide and begged God to enter. He was not happy with himself and was desperate for grace. Where the Pharisee’s prayer was self-centered, the tax collector’s prayer was God-centered. He did not compare himself to others. He made no reference to what he did or what he did not do. He knew that God knew him just like God knows each and every one of us, and this knowledge broke him open and made him want something better than all that he was and all that he did. Jesus likes sinners because they know that they still have room to grow and depend on God. Jesus also likes sinners because they do not look down on others.

God can take our miserable efforts and make something useful out of them. He takes our mismanaged lives, our failed efforts, our missed marks, our shameful deeds, our attitudes, our sinful lives and out of his resourcefulness he saves us by creating something new, worthy and wonderful that still has usefulness and beauty in his divine plan for our lives.

A martial arts student met his instructor for tea. The student said to his teacher, “I’ve learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one more thing now. Please teach me about the ways of God.”

The teacher took the teakettle and started pouring the student’s cup full of tea. Soon the cup overflowed and spilled over onto the saucer. The teacher continued to pour the tea until it spilled over the saucer and then onto the floor.

The student finally said, “Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can’t take any more.” The teacher looked at the student and said, “You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself.” That is a good lesson for all of us to learn.

When we are 100% dependent on God’s grace and admit that we are nothing, that admission impresses God to the extent that we have earned God’s favour and God’s life. This parable invites us to reflect on our claims to righteousness and goodness and whether it puts us in a position of justification and righteousness with God.

Bibliography

1. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)
2. Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “Lord Have Mercy: What’s Wrong and What’s Right?” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net
3. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, 22^nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org
4. Jang Ho Park, “How DO We Pray?” Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
5. James MacDonald, “Freedom from Religion”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
6. Greg Laurie, “The Right Way to Pray”. Retrieved from www.harvest.org
7. Dick Inness, “I Have a Problem”. Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
8. Jude Siciliano, OP “First Impressions, 30^th Sunday, Year C” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
9. T.M. Moore, “Pride”. Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org
10. George Vink, “Looking at Ourselves”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
11. Paul DeVries, “A Parable of Prayer”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
12. Reginald Smith, “Knowing Your Place”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
13. Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, “God’s Just Rewards”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org
14. Exegesis for Luke 18:9-14. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
15. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.
16. MacArthur, J.F.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers,; 2006)
17. King Duncan, “Why Jesus Likes Sinners.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
18. R. Curtis Fussell, “Pride.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
19. Leonard Sweet, “License to Steal”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
20. Dr. Bill Bouknight, “Broken and Beautiful” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
21. Alan J. Weenink, “The Cunning Craftsman, God” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
22. The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “Two Ways”. Retrieved from www.lectioonary.org

Good morning boys and girls!

Have any of you ever been bullied, teased or made fun of? It isn’t very much fun, is it? Believe me, I know the feeling because when I was your age I was bullied, made fun of and teased. Why do you think some people act like that?

Have you heard anyone brag about how good they are in school or in sports? What do you think of people who are like that? Why do you think people act like that?

Well, one reason why people brag, bully, tease or make fun of other people might be that they think that they are better than other people. But as God’s children we know that this is not true. We are all the same in the eyes of God, and he hates people who think they are better than anyone else.

Our Gospel reading today from Luke 18:9-14 talks about someone who thought that he was better than anyone else.Boys and girls, the Pharisee thought that he was better than anyone else. The Pharisees were among the religious leaders in society at that time, and they were so observant of religious laws that they thought that they were better than other people in society.

Dr. Seuss once wrote a story about a turtle like that. The title of the story is “Yertle the Turtle.” Yertle was ruler of a little pond on the island of Sala-ma-Sond. All of the turtles at the pond had everything they needed and were quite happy. They were happy, that is, until Yertle decided that his kingdom was too small. “I am ruler of all that I see, but I don’t see enough. My throne is too low down” complained Yertle. So Yertle lifted his hand and gave a command. He ordered nine turtles in the pond to stand on each other’s backs so that they could become his new and higher throne. He climbed up onto the backs of the turtles and he had a wonderful view. But Yertle still wasn’t satisfied. “Turtles! More turtles!” he called from his lofty throne, Yertle swelled with pride and feelings of importance as turtles from all over the pond came to climb on the stack of turtles which made up Yertle’s throne. At the very bottom of the stack was a plain and ordinary turtle named Mack. He struggled under the weight of all the turtles until finally, he decided that he had taken enough. That plain little turtle named Mack did a very plain little thing. He burped! His burp shook the throne and Yertle fell right into the mud! And now the great Yertle is King of the MUD. When you think too highly of yourself, you often wind up taking a big fall, don’t you?

In contrast, the tax collector was among the lowest class of people in society. Some of you have probably heard your parents complain about how much they have to pay to the tax man, and if you want to know why they complain, just wait until you have jobs of your own and have to pay taxes! In Jesus’ time, tax collectors “bought” their jobs from the Romans. They collected the taxes that people owed to the Romans, but they also tried to collect as much tax revenue as they could from the people. The difference between what the tax collectors collected and what they paid to Rome was their salary.

The tax collector was truly sorry for his sins and prayed to God with all of his heart. In contrast, the Pharisee bragged about how better he was than the Pharisee. Jesus does not like people who brag or think that they are better than other people. He said in the passage that in his coming kingdom those who think they are better than other people will be among those who will be made humble, and those who are humble and come to Jesus in humble faith will be glorified. Jesus likes humble people.

Let us bow our heads, close our eyes and have a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for loving us when we come to you with humble hearts filled with true faith. Help us always to be close to you in faith and humility. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

Have you ever wanted something so much that you kept asking for it time and time again until you finally got what you wanted? If so, you can understand how the widow in the Parable of the Unjust Judge felt. She kept going to the judge until he finally decided to hear her case. Jesus told this story to encourage His listeners to be persistent in prayer.

In Jesus’ time, widows were among the most disadvantaged people in society. In spite of Old Testament laws stating that they and other disadvantaged people were to be provided for and taken care of, they had few rights, no one to be an advocate for them and no one to look after them in their old age if they did not have any children. To make matters worse, judges could be influenced by bribes or friendship or other means. Not all judges were fair or interested in helping the less fortunate obtain justice.

The judge in this parable was only concerned with his own opinions, comfort and income. Luke doesn’t say so, but there was probably a reason why the judge wouldn’t give the widow justice. That reason probably had to do with money. It was likely that the judge was either taking bribes to fatten his wallet or had an “arrangement” with a wealthy citizen who stood to lose if the widow won her case.

In contrast, God, who is the Chief Justice of the highest court known to mankind, is a friend of the less fortunate. He loves to hear their cries for justice. His justice is swift and fair to the less fortunate yet is merciless when it comes to dealing with people who would take advantage of the less fortunate. He loves to hear our prayers. When we go to God in prayer, no matter how persistent we are, God will always be there to listen and give advice.

Although the judge did not listen to the widow when she began to ask for justice, and her cries initially seemed to accomplish nothing, something was happening: the judge’s resistance was breaking down. It did not matter that the woman could not see the change taking place. Her pleas were having an effect.

The point of this parable is this.  If an unrighteous, earthly judge will finally hear our appeals, how much will God, who loves and cares for us, hear our appeals? We, like the woman in this parable, should believe that with God all things are possible. We must never give up. God-who always does what is right and is filled with compassion for suffering believers-will always act in His own time and His own way.

Some of you are probably saying to yourselves, “I’ve tried praying, but I didn’t get any answer” or, “I didn’t get the answer I wanted”. There are several reasons why you received the answer that you did receive. Perhaps you didn’t pray hard enough or often enough. Perhaps your request did not fit into God’s plan for your life. Sometimes God’s answer is “No”. Sometimes his answer is “Not now”. Sometimes his answer is “No, because I have something even better in mind for you”. God our heavenly father loves us like our earthly parents love us, and like earthly parents He does what He knows to be best for us.

So why don’t we “pray without ceasing?” There are several reasons:

1. We are busy. The richer a culture is, the less time it has for prayer because money and wealth give people so many opportunities to be busy.
2. We don’t believe prayer does that much good.
3. We often believe that a good God should protect us from life’s disasters. When God doesn’t protect us and our friends, we assume that there must not be a God.
4. We don’t walk closely with God. To have any close relationship, we need to talk often and deeply. If we don’t talk often and deeply with God, we aren’t walking closely with Him.

We grow in faith when we hear from God, obey Him and acknowledge His faithfulness to His Word in our lives. If we aren’t hearing from God, we can’t grow in faith. The same is true if we aren’t obeying Him and if we aren’t looking for Him to fulfill His Word in us.

When we pray, God might not answer our prayers right away. He might use the delay to teach us something. He might use the delay to prepare us to receive his answer. He will answer our prayer in his own time and in his own way. In God’s way of doing things, justice delayed is not justice denied.

Gow will respond to our prayers because He will secure the rights of His chosen people. This gives us hope, because our world is so unjust, especially for disadvantaged people. We pray for things to be put right, but things don’t always improve. In fact, they often get worse. God can be found in the widow. Power is often found in weakness. If we are made in God’s image, we must tirelessly pursue justice even if we have to pursue it against powerful forces.

Prayer doesn’t mean being pests because God is not like the unjust judge. He isn’t slow to answer and provide justice to those who call out to Him. We might not believe this is true because we don’t understand what God considers quick. God is faithful to His promises. He has made a covenant with His people, and He remains true to it.

As children of God we have certain rights and responsibilities, and sometimes we forget about these rights and responsibilities, especially the responsibility to care for the less fortunate. God has to constantly remind us of these responsibilities. In this way, God is the persistent widow in the Parable of the Unjust Judge.

Luke wrote his Gospel about a generation after Jesus died and rose again. At that time, people expected Jesus to return shortly after he ascended into heaven, and they were getting discouraged when Jesus did not return when they expected him to return. Luke included the Parable of the Unjust Judge to encourage the people. The parable is about waiting and not losing hope, heart or faith. If we pray earnestly, faithfully and regularly, Jesus will find faith when He does return. If we are persistent in prayer, we will stay in touch with God. We must persevere in prayer because we must persevere in doing God’s work, and that includes doing God’s justice in an unjust world. That requires long, constant and persistent prayer. Sometimes the task seems hopeless, but we must never give up.

God is love and love is not coercive. That’s why God never imposes justice. He only works though willing hearts and minds. Actual justice comes at the speed of changed hearts, minds and behaviour. Unfortunately, we all know how fast that happens.

It is impossible to be persistent and to constantly work for justice in our lives and in our world if we lose faith. It is our conviction that God is just and desires justice, and our commitment to stay faithful to the cause until justice comes that sustains us and ensures that we won’t give up before we see God’s justice manifest among us.

Have you prayed and prayed, and there still seems to be no answer? Does it seem as if God is asleep and absent from your cry? Jesus has given us the answer by discussing the problem, delivering the parable, and defining the principle. Therefore, don’t give up, don’t lose hope, don’t quit now, but just keep praying until the answer comes.

God steadfastly hears our cries. He always cares when people are vulnerable, disregarded and in need. He also persistently calls us to act. God commands us to be like the widow in this parable. He commands us to persist in our efforts to advocate for a society with justice, opportunities, dignity and love for all people.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013: p. 1421)
2. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 264-265)
3. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. Dean Deppe, “A Persistent Plea”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
6. The Rev. Nils Chittenden, “Patina of Faith”. Retrieved from http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com
7. The Rev. Mark Sargent, “Keeping Heart, Trusting in God”. Retrieved from www.day1.org
8. The Rev. Dr. Robert Dunham, “Whose Persistence?” Retrieved from  www.day1.org
9. Pastor Jeff Schreve, “Does Prayer Even Make a Difference?” Retrieved from www.fromhisheart.org
10. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 29^th Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
11. Pastor Jeff Schreve, “Have You Thrown in the Towel on Prayer?” Retrieved from www.fromhisheart.org
12. Exegesis for Luke 18:1-8. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
13. Craig Condon, “Persistence Pays Off”. Retrieved from http://sermonsfrommyheart.blogspot.ca/2013/01/luke-181-8-persistence-pays-off.html
14. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 29^th Sunday -C-, October 20, 2019”. Retrieved from firstimpressions@lists.opsouth.org
15. Bob Cornwall, “Faithfulness in Prayer and the Realm of God-Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 22C.” Retrieved from www.bobcornwall.com/2013/10/faithfulness-in-prayer-and-realm-of-god.html
16. “Luke 18:1-8.” Retrieved from www.holytextures.com
17. Dr. Ralph Wilson, “#77. The Widow and the Unjust Judge.” Retrieved from www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/18_1-8.htm.
18. The Rev. Edward Markquart, “Pushy in Prayer.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_c_pushy_in_prayer.htm

Tears ran down Keira’s cheeks as Dad drove off. She pulled away from her mother and ran down the street. She heard Mom call her name, but she ran faster. Today was the worst day of her life!

Earlier that morning, Mom and Dad sat on opposite ends of the couch and calmly spoke the words that tore her world apart. “We still love you, Kiera. We just can’t live together anymore.” The words had pierced her heart.

Kiera finally stopped running and sat on a swing at the neighbourhood park. She could no longer cry; she felt empty.

As the weeks went by, Kiera’s life fell into a new pattern. After school on weekdays, she and her mother cooked dinner and spent the evenings together. On Fridays, her father picked her up after school, and she went to his apartment for the weekend. They had fun, but it just wasn’t the same as having him home.

One Friday Kiera’s father called to say he couldn’t come. After that, Dad sometimes came, and sometimes he didn’t. When he told her he was going to get married and she would have stepbrothers and a stepsister, she wasn’t quite sure where she fit in anymore.

A few weeks later, Kiera agreed to go to church with Mrs. Mason, who lived next door. The lesson was about the love of God. Kiera listened as the pastor talked. Love comes and goes, thought Kiera. One day you’re a family, and the next you’re lost somewhere in the middle. Tears began to well up, and when the sermon was over and everyone got up to leave, she stayed in her seat.

“What’s wrong, Kiera?” asked Mrs. Mason.

“Love’s not like what the pastor said,” replied Kiera. “Dad doesn’t love us like that.”

“God’s love isn’t like human love, “said Mrs. Mason gently. “God loves His children perfectly, and nothing can separate them from His love. He will always be there for them, no matter what.”

“Are you sure?” asked Kiera. It would be wonderful to be loved like that, she thought.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Mason. “Why don’t you and your mother come over for lunch and I’ll tell you more about it.”

In this passage Paul asks for a response to a question that doesn’t have an answer. Some realities are so awe-inspiring that the only proper response is silence. The question “who can be against us?” would have many answers. Anyone able to take away salvation would have to be greater than God.

God was willing to give His Son to restore our relationship with Him. That’s how much He loves us. If He was willing to give up Jesus for us, He will be willing to give us anything we want provided that it is good for us and that it fits into His plan for our lives.

Satan is called “the accuser of our brethren” in Revelation 12:10, but those charges can’t stand because the One who justifies is also the One who judges. For example, when a woman who was accused of adultery was brought before Jesus, He did not condemn her. If God the judge refuses to condemn us, who can be against us? Believers are protected by Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation and intercession.

God knows that every day we try to live for Him, we are fighting a spiritual battle. Satan doesn’t want us to serve God. He’d rather hurt us than see us become conquerors with Christ. Through the powers of Jesus, we can defeat the enemy and become great warriors in God’s kingdom.

In verse 35, Paul is not talking about one’s love for Christ when he speaks of the love of Christ. Paul is speaking of Christ’s love for people. Christ’s love is a safeguard against the difficulties of life. None of the seven threats Paul lists can separate believers from God. Our love for God is so strong that it will survive all opposition and trials. Our love is so strong that we will be willing to endure all of life’s trials, just like the love the saints in the Bible had for God allowed them to endure the hardships they faced. Not even death can separate us from God’s love if we are believers. When we die, we will be immediately ushered into God’s presence.

Paul’s words bring out the truth that for God’s people there is real risk and a call for real devotion. Christians might be tempted to think that because the love of Christ is so real and so unshakeable they need not fear that they will run into trouble. Scripture shows that while the love is sure, so are troubles. Paul says, “We are being killed all day long.” It is real and not imaginary anger that Christians face.

The phrase “more than conquerors” means “over and above victory.” Believers are super conquerors! We will gain the victory over all of life’s trials. Our faith won’t be destroyed. Not even evil spirits will be able to defeat us.

Paul begins verse 36 with the phrase “we know,” and ends with the more personal phrase “I am persuaded.” Knowing truth and being persuaded of it are different things. Paul knows God’s truth, but because he has also experienced most of what he is writing, he says with confidence that nothing can separate him from God’s love.

If we think God can’t really love us, we are wrong. All we have to do is commit this passage from Romans to memory. God is there whether we walk away from Him or not. God’s acceptance is based on Christ’s death and resurrection and not on our own merit.

When we pray, God is looking at our hearts more than anything else, because that’s His main concern. Prayer is inviting God. It is like the relationship between a parent and a child. It keeps us in touch with God, and God wants to stay in touch with us. With God on our side, we don’t need anything else. God plus one equals a majority. When we let God’s Word flood our lives with truth, we are changed by the height, depth and width of His love for us.

Bibliography

1. info@keysforkids.org.
2. Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
3. https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/homestudydaily/keep-in-touch-greg-laurie-daily-devotion-july-24.html?
4. Pastor Rick Warren, “Fear Not: God is for You!” Retrieved from www.pastorrick.com
5. Gwen Smith, “A Truth That Will Change Your Life.” Retrieved from https://www.crosswalk.com/devotional/girlfriends-in-god-november-8-2017.html

When I was a child and asked my mother for something, she would often remind me to say “please”. Then, after she gave me what I asked for, she would remind me to say, “thank you” by saying, “Now what do you say?” I knew what to say, but sometimes I would forget. We all know what to say, but unfortunately, we sometimes forget to say it.

Luke 17:11-19 is a story about ten lepers. A leper is a person who has a disease called leprosy. This disease causes sores all over the body. Leprosy was very common in Jesus’ day, and people who had this disease were thought to be unclean. They were required to stay away from other people because of the fear that they might infect them with their disease.

Priests had great power. Once a priest judged a person to be unclean, that person was cut off from society and family. He could not hold a job or engage in business. He was reduced to begging. To be restored to a normal life required a priest’s judgment that the person was no longer unclean. That was Jesus’ reason for sending these lepers to the priest-so that they might be restored to normal lives. Jesus had another underlying purpose. The lepers would bear testimony to the priests of Jesus’ great healing power. When the priests judged the lepers to be clean, their judgements would authenticate Jesus’ Godly power.

When Jesus told the men to visit the priests, He was telling them to get a certificate of release indicating they were free from the disease. As they followed His instructions, they were cleansed. He did not heal them on the spot. He did not heal them in a distant spot. He healed them as they moved to obey His orders.

When Jesus visited the lepers, He made a big statement. He was saying to them, “You have value to me because I created you in my image.” He also said to those who are not leprous, “These people are just as loved by me as you are.”

Jesus told the lepers to go show themselves to the priests. He directed them back to the temple. That is a challenge to our modern church. Whom have we cast out or ignored? Who are those considered “unclean” among us? They include divorced and remarried women, women who have had abortions, refugees, prisoners, ex-convicts and so on. We can also include members of the LGBTQ community, especially here in Canada. A resolution at the Anglican Church of Canada’s 2019 General Synod to allow same-sex marriages was defeated in the House of Bishops even though the majority of lay delegates and clergy delegates voted in favour of the resolution. When the results of the vote were announced, there was a huge sense of sadness. Supporters can take some comfort in the fact that there is a local option where bishops of individual Dioceses can authorize clergy to perform same-sex weddings.

The ten lepers didn’t ask for healing. They were looking for pity or a handout. When they obeyed Jesus’ instructions, He gave them much more than they asked for. When God tells us to do something small, all we have to do is obey Him! When we obey Him, He may surprise us by giving us more than we would have ever dared ask of Him.

What was a Samaritan (a foreigner) doing among nine Jews? Leprosy made misery their common denominator, and they joined together in a community of woe. Out of all those who had been healed, the one knowing the least about Jesus returned to thank Him. The most religious people are not always the ones who see life’s graces or think to say thanks. The lepers were Jesus’ fellow Israelites. They knew that He has been healing those in need and they showed Him due respect. The Samaritan-who worshipped God differently enough to be a non-Jewish outsider-knew that Jesus’ power was of God and that to thank Jesus was to glorify God.

The Samaritan was an outsider, and he saw Jesus for who He really is and turned back to throw himself at Jesus’ feet while praising God. In doing so, he showed not that Jesus has come for everyone but that those who are on the margins of society are most likely to see God working through Jesus. The insiders often miss this, preferring to work within the confines of the established institution.

As sinners, we have been defiled with the leprosy of sin. We should put our faith in God and obey His commands with confidence that He will heal us if we follow His instructions. This will be evidence that we have made peace with God.

While the one who returned had the same experience as the others, he had a different expression as a result of this experience. The other nine lepers were healed, but only one was made well. Being made well is more important than being healed. Unless gratitude is part of our human nature, we can’t be whole people. The other nine were merely healed. If ingratitude is more deadly than leprosy, the nine were in worse shape than before. Only one came back and was made whole.

Why didn’t the other nine return? Were they ungrateful, or did they just not know a return to say “thanks” was an expectation? Were they careless, or were they carried away in a mad fury to show their newly healed skin to those they were separated from by that dreadful bacteria? Were they distracted by the celebration with one another? Were they ungrateful, or were they swept up in the possibility of their new lives given in healing? Did they simply forget?

Jesus’ words in verses 17-19 reveal a note of sadness and surprise. The nine Jewish lepers who had been healed went away, clutching their blessings to themselves. Only the Samaritan returned, and Jesus rewarded him with a healing beyond the physical. The power of God cleansed him inwardly from the stain of sin.

One of the most prevalent sins today is ingratitude. God does so much for us, but we rarely (if ever) offer thanks for what He has done. In fact, many Christians fail to offer thanks over their meals, much less offer thanks over all that God does for them in their lives. They are like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought, handed the orange back to the man and said, “Peel it.”

Gratitude allows us to forgive everyone who has hurt us, especially our parents. Whatever they were, we can forgive them and bless them for our own sake. I know, because I’ve experienced this within my own family. One of my nephews had a difficult relationship with his father for several years because his parents divorced when he was a young child. His father was my brother. That rift was not completely healed until my brother was on his deathbed. His family was at his bedside, and my nephew spent a lot of time talking to his father even though his father could not speak because he was in a coma. At one point we were asked to leave while my brother’s breathing tube was removed at the family’s request. I saw my nephew in the hallway, and I could tell that he was upset. I asked him what was wrong and he said, “I never should have stopped talking to him after he took her side…” I asked my nephew if he was able to forgive his father, and he said, “Yes.” Jesus tells us to bless people who have hurt us, especially our parents. The Bible tells us that if we can’t forgive our parents, our days will be shortened.

Nothing pleases God more than faith, and faith is always expressed and made real through action. If we need a miracle or answer from God (just like the Samaritan leper), we have to do more than just believe that God can do it. We have to respond to our belief with gratitude. As the old saying goes, actions do speak louder than words.

The Samaritan leper praised God, but he still had problems. He lived as an outcast with no family, no job, no home and no village. In spite of these problems, he still praised God. Similarly, all of us have problems. We can focus on our belief that God is bigger than all of our problems and that He is present in the midst of our problems.

For the Samaritan leper, his encounter with Jesus was a life-changing invitation into a kingdom and a new community, into life as a new creation. When he fell at Jesus’ feet, he saw the Son of God who made him well. The Samaritan’s response is a model of discipleship, believing and faith. His grateful response to his healing was the start of a process of reaction. We are not called to respond as he did. We are called to imagine our own grateful response.

Several years ago a dog became stranded in the water at the bottom of a canal in Romania. A passerby saw the dog crying and trying to climb the wall to safety. The passerby scaled the wall, jumped into the water and carried the dog to dry land. The dog ran away and shook itself, but then it quickly returned, ran to its rescuer and showered the man with lots of nuzzles and licks.

We can learn a lot from the dog. Only one of the ten lepers Jesus healed returned to give thanks. Everyone who believes in Christ has been rescued and healed. We’re the most blessed people on earth. Some days may be harder than others, and some seasons of life might be tumultuous. But gratitude isn’t situational. It isn’t based on what we have or what we are, but on our relationship with the God who pulled us out of deep waters, set our feet on a rock, and put a new song of praise in our mouths.

Like the leper, on the way, we are being cured when:

1. A person who loves us tells us a hard truth we need to hear about ourselves.
2. We experience, in a loving relationship, opportunities for growth in generosity, forgiveness, patience and humour.
3. Parenting teaches us to give our lives for another in frequent doses of our time, energy, hopes and tears.
4. We suffer a broken relationship, go for counselling and the guidance we receive gives us hope for our future.
5. We seek help for an addiction and the group members offer us wisdom, support and helping hands when we fall and support us “one day at a time.”
6. We suffer the death of a loved one and family and friends are there to grieve with us and eventually there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Has Jesus done great things for us? Have we returned to give Him thanks? God loves to shower us with blessings, but He is not immune from the pain our lack of gratitude brings Him.  It’s easy to spend our lives worrying and obsessing over the problems of life. It’s also easy to overlook a blessing in times of need or forget to be thankful when troubled times have been put to rest. We must make certain that we don’t become one of the nine lepers who were so happy to be cured that they forgot who cured them.

This passage shows faithfulness in two ways. First, the Samaritan recognizes that mercy has come from Jesus, and returning to thank Jesus is a form of faithfulness to the mercy of God that has been shown. Second, the Samaritan’s thankfulness for his physical healing is a sign of deeper, spiritual healing-and that is our true salvation.

Faith is not only a matter of believing. It is also a matter of seeing. All the lepers were healed, but one saw, noticed, let what happened sink in…and it made a difference. This story is an invitation to recognize that what we see makes a difference. In the face of danger, do we see danger or opportunity? In the face of human need, do we see demand or gift? In the face of the stranger, do we see a potential enemy or a potential friend?

One of the simplest and most powerful ways we can show God’s love for others is by treating them with dignity, no matter who they are or what their relationship to us. When we take time to notice them, greet them and meet their eyes-especially those who serve us-and we speak kindly and patiently with them-even when we feel we are not being well treated-this gives them dignity and shows God’s love.

A life of faith is a life of thankfulness. Leprosy is not unlike a condition that is afflicting us, though ours is much graver. While the lepers were separated from worship in the Temple and the presence of God by their disease, we are eternally separated from God by our sinfulness. There is nothing we can do to heal ourselves. We need a Saviour to perform a miracle, and He did. He cured our problem-spiritual death. Even better, He bestowed on us spiritual life for eternity.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1420)
2. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 12 Bible software package.
3. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 249-253)
4. “’Please’ and ‘Thank You.’” Retrieved from www.Sermons4KIds.com
5. Daniel Darling, “The Ten Percent Rule.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
6. Joni Eareckson Tada, “A Surprise for Your Obedience.” Retrieved from communications@joniandfriends.org
7. Ron Moore, “Returning for Thanks.” Retrieved from www.ronmoore.org
8. Mike Benson, “Thankful.” Retrieved from kneemail@welovegod.org
9. Bobby Schuller, “Decisions=Actions.” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org
10. Jill Carattini, “Body of Hope.” Retrieved from slice@sliceofinfinity.org
11. Joni Eareckson Tada, “Give Thanks Loudly.” Retrieved from communications@joniandfriends.org
12. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for Luke 17:11-19.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
13. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Puppy Love.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
14. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 28^th Sunday, -C-.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
15. Ryan Duncan, “What are You Thankful For?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
16. Bob Christopher, “Something Good for the Soul.” Retrieved from bob@basicgospel.net
17. Diana Kerr, “Follow Your ‘Please’ With a ‘Thank -you.’” Retrieved from www.christianity.com/devotionals/grace-moments-devotions-grace-moments-devotions-june-6-2018.html#
18. Michael Youssef, Ph.D.,” Our Leprosy.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org
19. Katherine Lewis, “The Rhythms of Faith.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=4726
20. John W. Martens, “Lessons from the 10 Lepers.” Retrieved from www.americamagazine.org/faith/2016/09/22/lessons-10-lepers

21. David Lose, “Commentary on Luke 17:11-19.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=783

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In a few days Canadians will be celebrating Thanksgiving. This is the season where we give thanks to God for everything he has given us. We thank God for providing for our needs, and we especially give thanks for the gift of the harvest, whether it is from the land or the sea.

Giving thanks to God dates back to Old Testament times. In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Moses commanded the Israelites to give thanks to God for delivering them from slavery in Egypt. They were to give thanks by giving God the first fruits of the harvest. They could not take anything for themselves until they gave the first fruits to God.

The concept of giving God the first fruits was rooted in divine property rights. All created beings of any kind belonged to God and were regarded as holy. Before the harvest could be eaten by humans, it had to be “redeemed” from profane use. If this was not done, divine justice demanded retribution. The only way to resolve this situation was to give back to God the first part of the taboo object-in this case, the harvest. This nullified God’s property rights.

The passage from Deuteronomy 26:1-11 deals with the concept of stewardship. Specifically, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, it refers to offering to God the first fruits of our labour as an act of worship, thanksgiving and dedication of ourselves and our possessions to God. By doing this, we commit ourselves to living in God’s way. We, like the Israelites, must remember and tell others how God has rescued us in the past. These remembrances strengthen our faith and give us the courage to endure in difficult times. God created us to be close to him, and rejoicing in God is a great and powerful way to draw close to him.

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the peace that is beyond our understanding. We are encouraged to conduct ourselves in such a way that we bring that peace. Pausing to express gratitude for our blessings breathes life into our souls, especially in times of trial and heartache.

True thanksgiving means thanking God for our talents and abilities by accepting them as obligations to be invested in the common good. In other words, we are to use our talents and abilities to do God’s work in our world. True thanksgiving means thanking God for all that people have done for us by doing things for others. We must thank God for blessing us, and in return we must bless others.

Sometimes we have to wait until the fruits of God’s labour appear. Why?  God might be preparing us to receive his blessings. He is often teaching us to have faith in him. Sometimes God will withhold blessings to protect us from harm that we can’t see.

We need to rejoice in that which is guaranteed-God. We need to give thanks for that which can never be taken away. God never fades, and for that we can rejoice. We are to tell God what we need. Praying about everything, including everything we need, shuts out worry. In the words of the famous song recorded a few years ago by Bobby McFerrin:

Here’s a little song I wrote

You might want to sing it note for note

Don’t worry

Be happy.

In every life we have some trouble

When you worry you make it double

Don’t worry

Be happy

When you worry your face will frown

That will bring everybody down

Don’t worry

Be happy

Prayer invites God to be involved in all areas of our lives. When he is involved in our lives, we have nothing to fear.

In order to have a right relationship with God, we need to have an attitude of gratefulness. We need to be thankful. For example, in Luke’s version of the Parable of the Ten Lepers, which is found in Luke 17:11-19, Jesus healed ten lepers when they cried out to him. He commanded them to go and show themselves to the priest in the temple, but only one of them came back to give Jesus thanks. We are to be like the one who returned and gave thanks, and not like the other nine who were ungrateful. We need to give to God out of the blessings that he has given us. This is where the concept of tithing, or giving God 10 percent of our income, comes from.

We must have an attitude of obedience to God and his word. We must not equate faith with our desired outcomes. To do so means that we do not trust in God’s greater plan and purpose. The mark of a Christian is joy, especially the joy that is expressed in giving thanks to God.

We need prayer and supplication. Paul’s offer of prayer in Philippians 4:4-9 is not an easy solution or a magic formula or a bedtime repetition of words that we have labeled prayer. Paul is talking about the serious business of bring our lives before God, examining our dependence on God, placing our lives in God’s hands to be used, remembering and celebrating what God has already done, confessing our needs and dedicating our gifts, and committing ourselves and all that we are to make our common cause God’s kingdom, not our own kingdom.

Prayer, supplication and requests are not to be separated. They include genuine thankfulness regardless of our circumstances. God loves us and provides for our needs, both here and through eternity. God loves to hear our prayers because he is always ready to give his grace to his children, but God gives with wisdom. He gives gifts that help us to learn and grow. He gives us the resources to deal with the issues we face.

The greatest gift God gives us is the gift of eternal life. To enjoy it, we must constantly feed on his word, which is the Bread of Life Jesus refers to in John 6:25-35. When he made this statement, Jesus identified himself as being completely with God. God offers this bread of life along with spiritual water to drink when we come to him in faith by prayer. When we eat the spiritual bread, we can be sure of our eternal salvation.

Jesus’ bread of life speech takes place just after the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. The people wanted more of the free physical food Jesus offered, but they did not want the spiritual food. They are like some of us. People want forgiveness, but they do not want to repent. They want to go to heaven and wear the crown, but they don’t want to bear the cross here on earth. Christianity is a package deal. We can’t pick and choose what we want. Christianity is not the same as going to a restaurant. It is like a meal our parents made for us. We had to eat what was on our plate or else! This does not mean that we do not have to make any effort to satisfy our physical needs. On the contrary, Paul states in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 that if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat. Jesus must be the primary focus of our labours.

Like the Israelites, we come to Jesus asking for bread too. Our prayers reveal our true opinions about Jesus. We can be just as near-sighted or selfish as the Israelites were. We are often consumed with our current needs and desires, but we don’t always see the eternal gifts Christ offers us. We ask him to help us through our needs and problems, but we don’t give any thought to his kingdom and the role he wants us to play in that kingdom.

Prayer has potential, but we use so little of it. We can use the word ACTS to learn prayer’s full potential. ACTS is an acrostic.

• A stands for Adoration. Our prayers should include adoration and praise for God.
• C stands for Confession. We should confess our sins before God.
• T stands for Thanksgiving. Who among us has nothing for which we can give thanks?
• S stands for Supplication or asking. It includes prayers for us and for others. We don’t have trouble asking, because often our prayers consist of nothing else.

It would be a good exercise for us to go through this checklist when we say our prayers.

Jesus invites us to take part in his feast for the soul. He urges us to eat until we are full. Only he can satisfy our deepest hunger-the quest for eternal fellowship with him. Our main purpose in life is to get spiritual nourishment and eternal life by listening to and obeying the word of God. Keeping eternal life in front of us and eating the bread of life won’t make us lazy, shoddy or gloomy workers. We will bring joy and excellence to our work because we know him, trust him, treasure him and aim to make much of him. Everything we do in his name and for his glory will be rewarded in heaven.

Bibliography

1. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, Thanksgiving Sunday in Canada, Oct. 10, 2010. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org
2. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, 1^st Sunday in Lent, Year C. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org
3. Exegesis for Deuteronomy 26:1-11. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
4. Maxwell, J.C. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 5, Deuteronomy (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)
6. Dr. Harold Sala, “Thanksgiving”. Retrieved from www.guidelines.org
7. Mary Southerland, “Winning Over Worry, Part 3”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Dr. Charles Stanley, “God Acts on Our Behalf”. Retrieved from Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
9. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “How to Pray”. Retrieved from www.leadingtheway.org
10. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.,: The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
11. Bobby Schuller, “Releasing Expectations”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org
12. James MacDonald, “Pray About It”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
13. Exegesis for Philippians 4:4-9. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
14. Rev. Calvin Hoogendoorn, “Joy in the Midst of Anxiety”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
15. Michael E. Brooks, “Anxiety”. Retrieved from www.forthright.net
16. Amy Carroll, “Making a List and Checking It Twice”. Retrieved from Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
17. Dr. Harold Sala, “Making a Growth Industry of Worry”. Retrieved from www.guideleines.org
18. Craig Condon, “The Bread of Life”. Retrieved from www.sermonsfrommyheart.blogspot.ca
19. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “I Am the Bread of Life”. Retrieved from www.leadingtheway.org
20. Greg Laurie, “More Bread Please”. Retrieved from Greg_Laurie_Daily_Devotions@crosswalkmail.com
21. David McCasland, “Until You ARE full”. Retrieved from www.rbc.org
22. Marvin Williams, “More than Loaves”. Retrieved from www.rbc.org
23. John Piper, “Do Not Labour for the Food That Perishes”. Retrieved from www.desiringgod.org
24. Exegesis for John 6:25-35. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
25. Rev. Wayne Palmer, “Short Sighted”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org
26. Frederickson, R.L & Ogilvie, L.J.,: The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)
27. Jill Carattini, “The Weight of Hope”. Retrieved from www.sliceofinfinity.org

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What advice would you give to someone if you knew that you were talking to them for the last time?

That question was on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote his final letter to Timothy. The passage from 2 Timothy 1:1-14 is part of Paul’s last letter and was written from his prison cell in Rome. He doesn’t focus on his circumstances or his impending death. Instead, he focuses on the promise of life in Christ. Any Christian’s earthly circumstances pale in comparison to the glory of eternity.

Four times in this passage Paul uses a form of the verb, “to remember”-remembering, being mindful, remembrance, remind. No Christian is an island. All God’s people stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded them. Paul encourages us to follow his example when it comes to living the Christian life. In particular, he urges us to use the gifts God has given us. These gifts fade in strength when they aren’t used.

For example, the greatest gift parents and grandparents can give their children is the heritage of genuine faith. An important question for any Christian to ask is: If you were standing on the threshold of eternity and looking back over your life, would you be able to see that your faith lives on in others, especially in your family members?

A few years ago, someone wrote to Billy Graham. The writer wondered how his grandmother, who had recently died, got a very strong faith. In his reply, Billy Graham said the following words:

“The Bible (which is God’s Word) undoubtedly became important to her, as did prayer, and fellowship with other believers in her church. She also grew stronger spiritually by helping others and witnessing for Christ. The same can be true for us.”

Fear usually enters our lives when we focus on our situation and abilities instead of God’s sovereignty and attributes. Following fear to its logical conclusion will eliminate all opportunities for service. If we remember our spiritual heritage and friendships, as well as God’s calling on our lives and the spiritual gifts he has given us, we will be encouraged as we move forward in faith. It will ignite a fire within us. If the fire of our faith goes out, it can be rekindled. All we have to do is make some changes and do some rearranging. For example, we can join or start a Bible study.

All open doors offer two choices: to walk by faith or to be controlled by fear. Persecution, infighting, and false teaching all threatened the Ephesian church that Timothy shepherded. They will also threaten Christians in the last days before Christ returns. The fearful will drop out, but those who grab hold of the courage, compassion and self-control that God makes available will be able to stand fast until God completes His work in them.

Christians will suffer for Christ in some way in this life, but it is far better that one’s faith be marked by suffering than by shame at Christ or those who proclaim Him. Paul did not want Timothy to misunderstand his imprisonment. Paul understood who he served, and he was not ashamed. We can expect to face suffering and persecution just like Christ did. The glorious message of salvation is worthy of our suffering. God’s grace and purpose bring life. Obeying God is the central purpose of Christian lives. That obedience includes love, mercy, justice and caring for the poor. All of these involve giving and sacrifice.

The key to successfully accomplishing these tasks is our intention and not our performance. When our desire to love and serve Christ is strong, our performance will be positively influenced. When our performance does not meet our intentions, we will experience anew God’s grace and mercy.

If we have Christ in our lives, we have nothing to be afraid of when we share the Gospel. We don’t have to be trained speakers, gifted salesmen or educated teachers. All we need is a strong faith in Christ.

God saves us for the purpose of furthering the gospel, and not as a reward for our works. Good works are a response to God’s work in the life of a believer. Paul uses the term “has saved’ to indicate that believers have been saved already, and the results of that salvation continue into the present.

We live in a dark world that gives us a lot to fear. As long as we live, there is always something in our lives that is at risk. We can choose to surrender to that fear and let it rule our lives, or we can surrender all those things we love and fear we will lose to Christ and live a life without fear.

Paul was confident in his mission, and he understood the importance of carrying out that mission. He knew that faith is not a one-time act, but something that includes the past, present and future. Because of his faith, he found strength instead of shame when he faced opposition and persecution.

One thing we don’t have to fear as Christians is death, because Christ abolished that fear on the cross. Christ’s saving work not only relieved believers of the fear of eternal death, or separation of the soul and body from God, but it also removed the fear of physical and spiritual death. Death can’t separate us from God’s love anymore. Jesus replaced it with life and immortality.

Even when he faced execution, Paul’s hope and joy never wavered because he knew the power of Christ to faithfully deliver him into eternity. Paul had both a living faith and a faith unto death.

The gospel must be guarded as a treasure. Its words are right, healthy and whole and must not be tampered with. If anyone thinks he or she can adequately watch over this gift, he or she needs to remember Paul’s words to Timothy, especially his instructions to rely on the Holy Spirit’s help.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, P. 1717)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Demarest, G. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984; pp. 240-256)
4. Macarthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Billy Graham, “How Did My Grandmother Get Such Strong Faith?” Retrieved from http://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham
6. Charles R. Swindoll, “Sincere Faith at Home.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ccsend.com
7. Christine Caine, “Landing Safely.” Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
8. “Overcoming the Fear of Sharing the Gospel.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9. Dr. David Jeremiah, “The Secret to Soul-Winning.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
10. “Decision Making.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com
11. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Standing Up.” Retrieved from http://www.ltw.org