Sermons From My Heart

There was a little old lady who would come out every morning on the steps of her front porch, raise her arms to the sky and shout, “Praise the Lord!”. One day an atheist moved into the house next door. Over time he became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he would step out onto his front porch and yell after her, “There is no Lord”.

Time passed, and the two of them carried on that way every day. One morning in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, “Praise the Lord! Lord, I have no food and I am starving. Please provide for me, oh Lord!”

The next morning, she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “Praise the Lord!” she cried out. “He has provided groceries for me!” The atheist jumped out of the hedges and shouted, “There is no Lord. I bought those groceries!”

The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted, “Praise the Lord! He has provided me with groceries, and He made the devil pay for them!!

A few years ago, there was a television show called “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”. It was a show where a construction crew comes into a home and does a complete renovation, usually for a low-income family or a family that has seen other hardships. There is nothing new about extreme makeovers. In fact, Jesus performed many extreme makeovers in the Bible. We heard one such makeover in Luke 8:26-39.

When Jesus healed the demon-possessed man, he was no longer shameless. He was clothed. He had a sense of what was decent and proper. In other words, he had morals. The man was in his right mind. He saw the world as it was…a world with both enemies and friends. It doesn’t matter what they are or how severe they are. Jesus has the power to overcome our demons.

The story of Jesus and the demon-possessed man is an example of spiritual warfare. Jesus declared war on Satan and his demons. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about demons, but it tells us enough. They are real and they deal in fear and deception. They are opposed to God and everything he does. We do not have to fear demons because we have faith in God’s power.

All of us have our own inner demons, but they usually are not as severe as those who controlled the man. Our demons include possessiveness, hoarding things, extreme individualism, self-centeredness, racial prejudice, homophobia or exclusiveness. They could be spiritual questions, family secrets, health issues or anything else. They exist in the minds of perverts, rapists, murderers, child molesters, other criminals and anyone who thinks, does or speaks evil. To be possessed is culturally acceptable, and to be demon-free goes against our culture. That is scary because it goes against the status quo.

When demons control us, we are not ourselves because we are not in control. In contrast, sin is what we do because we are in control of our lives. The freedom demons offer is a false freedom because it dehumanizes and isolates its victims. Just look at how the demon-possessed man was treated. He was isolated from the community by having to live in the cemetery. He was isolated when the townspeople tried to confine him in chains.

Who are the people in our society that we try to restrain in various forms of chains? Are they people like the mentally ill or clients of sheltered workshops? What places does Jesus take us to that scare us? Are we scared of people who are different from us because of race, colour, creed or other petty reasons? Jesus forces us to confront our demons. How do we react when that happens? Do we react like the demon-possessed man did when he was healed, or do we react like the townspeople did?

This story reveals the emphasis that Luke’s Gospel places on salvation. It shows the depth of human suffering into which God’s salvation can reach. Jesus seeks out the oppressed, understands their plight, redirects their rage and reincorporates them into the community. Jesus’ power is greater than all the forces in the world. Jesus never went out looking for demons, but when he found them he dealt with them immediately and severely. We do not have to go looking for demons. We need to keep our eyes fixed on God.

The demons knew what their fate was supposed to be. They knew that they were supposed to enter the abyss, which was known as the place where God confines demons. They pleaded with Jesus to go into the pigs instead. Since pigs were unclean animals in the eyes of the Jews, it was logical that unclean spirits sought out unclean things. Even though the demons thought that they had won when Jesus agreed to their request, in reality they lost because the pigs entered a natural abyss when they fell off of the cliff.

So how do we deal with evil. There are four steps:

1. We must expect struggles with evil. Satan has been defeated by Christ, but he will never give up. He will keep fighting.
2. We must actively live out our faith. Satan’s cronies tremble before God’s awesome power.
3. We must resist evil with the power of the Holy Spirit. We do this by going to the Lord in prayer for everything.
4. We must remember that as believers in Jesus we are on the winning side. We will be injured, and we will suffer from time to time, but we will be free from spiritual bondage.

Jesus acted as a friend to the demon-possessed man. He asked the demons hard questions and expected mature responses. The demons knew that Jesus would radically change their lives, and they were not ambivalent when it came to radical change. When we encounter Jesus, we can expect radical changes in our lives. We won’t be the same. Either our hatred of Jesus will grow, or we will draw closer to him in faith. The demon-possessed man received a new identity when Jesus answered his problems. The demon-possessed man sat at the feet of Jesus, which meant that he was now under the authority of Jesus. He chose to act responsibly. The man became free when he submitted to Jesus’ authority.

The demon-possessed man was so grateful for his healing that he wanted to join Jesus and the disciples. Instead, Jesus told him to stay home, minister and witness to the people. In a sense, the man did join the group. He became a disciple. We are also disciples when we follow Jesus by faith by ministering and witnessing wherever we are. Sometimes we will be called to a different calling than the one we would have chosen, but it is important to listen carefully and obey the call to which we have been called. It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to be a prince or princess anywhere else-unless God has called us to be a prince or princess.

There was a cost to the healing. The cost was the loss of the townspeople’s livelihood when the pigs died. The pigs were expensive property. They were sold to the Roman occupiers for food. The people did not care that the demon-possessed man was healed. They were only concerned with their livelihood. In other words, they were more concerned with material things than they were with spiritual things. They knew what to do when the man was sick, but now that he was healed they didn’t know what to do. They could have rejoiced with the man, but to do that they would have to have been healthier themselves. They were sick and could not deal with the healed person in their midst, so their natural response was to reject this new element that had come into their lives, just like a body sometimes rejects a transplanted organ.

Christianity preaches a message of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is no violence in that message, so why do so many of the other religions in the world persecute Christians? It is because they recognize that Jesus can do things for the people that they can’t. Jesus paid for our sin debt on the cross. No other religion can offer that. In other words, people of other religions are jealous of Christians-plain and simple!

Now that the man was healed, the townspeople would have to find room for him in the village. Will his family welcome him home? Has his wife remarried? Have his children made peace with his absence? How will he make a living? Will he become dangerous again? Will one of their daughters fall in love with him? Jesus solved one problem but created the potential for more problems. It’s no wonder that the townspeople asked Jesus to leave.

When we have been freed by Jesus, we are free to follow his version of the Ten Commandments:

1. Be yourself. We can be aware that we are integral parts of God’s creation.
2. Love the world by loving your neighbour. We are all neighbours and we have a neighbourly connection to every other human being on earth, including those who suffer from mental illness.
3. Learn from everyone. We are all equal in God’s eyes. We may have different gifts and talents, but we are specially gifted by God’s spirit.
4. Love always and in every circumstance.
5. Be merciful, just like Jesus showed mercy to the demon-possessed man.
6. Live surround sound. There is never just one voice that we hear when we listen to God speak to us. We can’t hear his voice without hearing the voice of Scripture and being open to receive the voice of the Spirit. There is never just one side to a story. It takes all four gospels to tell the story of Jesus.
7. Learn a living. Everyone we meet has something to teach us. The demon-possessed man taught us how we should respond to God’s grace in our lives. The townspeople taught us how not to respond to God’s grace.
8. Truth is black and green. It is black in the words of Scripture, and it is green in the relationship between creation or nature and the Creator.
9. Trust the Spirit: the power of force is farce. In Jesus the ultimate expressions of power and powerlessness came together.
10. Show Courage. The courage Jesus showed was not just the courage of resistance. It was the courage of endurance. There will be some of us who may be called upon to show the courage of resistance, taking definitive, costly action, in order to stand up for justice, mercy, truth, and love. But every single one of us will find it necessary to offer the courage of endurance throughout our lives. The easiest way for evil to win is not through bombs or bullets, but through the slow erosion of commitment and courage to stand against the current.

Bibliography

1. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2012)
2. Alexander Wales, “The Demons Within”. Retrieved from http://www.esermons.com
3. Lawson, B., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)
4. The NKJV Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2007)
5. Barry, J.D.; Grigoni, M.R.; Heisler, M.S.; Custis, M.; Mangum, D.; & Whitehead, M.M.; Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software; 2012)
6. David R. Cartwright, “What Happens When You Are Not Prepared for What Happens”. Retrieved from http://www.esermons.com
7. Arley K. Fadness, “Liberating the Possessed”. Retrieved from http://www.esermons.com
8. Leonard Sweet, “Jesus’ Ten Commandments”. Retrieved from ww.esermons.com
9. Exegesis for Luke 8:26-39. Retrieved from http://www.sermonwriter.com
10. Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, “A Man’s Declaration”. Retrieved from http://www.lhm.org
11. Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XXIV, #4 (St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary; 2013)
12. Proper 7-Year C. Retrieved from http://www.preachingtip.com/archive
13. “An Extreme Makeover”. Retrieved from http://sermonsforkids.com

This passage is familiar to Christians. The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer Jesus taught us. It’s the model for us to approach God. It has three sections:

1. The honour that worship gives to God.
2. The humility that recognizes our dependence on God.
3. The hope which this rule of God creates.

Nothing is wrong with reading and praying a prayer written by others. After all, the Lord’s Prayer falls into that category. But God’s people must avoid the danger of mindlessly reciting routine prayers without making sure that they spring from the heart. Effective prayer is all about speaking to God on a heart-to-heart level.

The Old Testament uses the work father fewer than 14 times. By contrast, the word Father occurs 17 times in the Sermon on the Mount alone, and Christ refers to the Father more than 70 times throughout the Gospels. Calling God “Father” acknowledges His intimate love for His children and our position as members of God’s family.

Because people are prone to pray for their whims and interests, the Lord’s Prayer provides an outline that encourages a more focused prayer life. Rather than being some sort of spiritual formula that is intended to be repeated verbatim, it presents a systematic coverage of topics. Those who pray according to this model pray the priorities of their heavenly Father.

This model prayer addresses a God who is to be sanctified or praised. Praising the name of God does not mean honouring its letters so much as the Person behind the name. All His names-from His personal name, Yahweh, to the ones that describe His actions and character-reveal who He is. 

The phrase “Your kingdom come” refers both to God’s spiritual reign in the lives of individuals and His coming rule over all creation. When people become Christians, the Spirit of God takes up residence within their hearts, and therefore “the kingdom of God is within.” At the same time, the final fulfillment of the kingdom of God-when Christ returns in His glory and establishes a new world order-is still in the future.

Matthew 6:12- “forgive us our debts”-is similar to Luke 11:4-“forgive us our sins.” Sinners are debtors to God for their violation of His laws. This is the heart of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus stressed this in the words that immediately follow the prayer.

The phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread” refers to physical bread and spiritual bread. Humans universally depend on God for His provision of food, health, and even breath. Asking God for daily bread acknowledges one’s complete dependence on Him. We can’t have abundant spiritual lives without a daily portion of God’s Word. If we feed on God’s Word every day, we will receive the spiritual nourishment we need to live a victorious Christian life.

The Lord’s Prayer proclaims God’s authority revealed through Jesus Christ. At the same time it recognizes that the devil rules the world. He became the ruler through man’s sinfulness. He is still trying to increase his power.

Believers are to confess their sins so they can be cleansed on a daily basis. This sort of forgiveness is a simple washing for the worldly defilements of sin. It is not a repeat of the wholesale cleansing from sin’s corruption that comes when we accept Jesus as our Saviour.

Jesus has established His spiritual kingdom in our hearts. We are a new creation. Jesus has also prepared an eternal kingdom called heaven-where we will live with Him forever. He wants us to love and act like a child of God rather than as a child of this earthly kingdom.

All of us suffer from broken relationships-with God and with each other. This brokenness will weigh us down spiritually and slow our progress in growing in Christ unless we take steps to mend it. God wants to heal that brokenness and He wants us to take a role by forgiving and seeking forgiveness for ourselves. When we do, we will make peace with God, ourselves and with those we have hurt.

People’s relationships with the Lord cannot be made right until their relationships with others are made right. We can’t call ourselves Christians if we don’t forgive those who have offended us. Upon conversion, Christians receive God’s forgiveness for sin once and for all. But as they live in ongoing relationship with God and others, relational forgiveness should be sought again and again.

When Jesus taught about forgiveness, he was very clear. He taught that if we don’t forgive someone, God won’t forgive us. All of us have had unfair things happen to us. We can choose to hold on to the hurt, become bitter and angry, and let it poison our future; or, we can choose to let it go and trust God to make it up to us. We might not think that we are able to forgive because someone hurt us so badly. Forgiveness is like a door on our hearts. If we shut the door and refuse to forgive, then God can’t forgive us. When we open the door and allow forgiveness to flow from us, then His forgiveness can flow into us. If we choose to forgive and open the door we will receive God’s life, peace and healing today.

There is a story about a man in Spain who had a teenage son. Their relationship was strained and got to the point where the son ran away from home. His father was moved with deep and passionate love and began a desperate search for his son. He finally decided to put a personal ad in the local newspaper. The ad read, “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office Tuesday at 12 noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Dad.” On the day in question, the man showed up at the newspaper office to discover that 800 men named Paco had come.

The word “temptation” could also be translated as “trial or test.” God does not tempt us. He does subject us to trials that may expose us to attacks by the devil. These moments of testing frequently occur when believers are most vulnerable; thus, they should pray for God’s protection, especially from the source of all temptation: the evil one. God’s people must live in the power of God’s strength.

In the past Jesus delivered so many people from the evils they faced, and He can still do it today. The God who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt can still free us from oppression today. The God who delivered Daniel from the lions’ den can still deliver us from danger today. The God who rolled back the stone and raised Jesus from the dead can still deliver us from the grip of evil forces today, even when the dangers we face are ones that we brought upon ourselves through bad decisions and sinful behaviour. If we ask Him to forgive our sins and restore us to fellowship with him, He is able and willing to do just that. God can keep us from getting into trouble in the first place if we walk according to His commandments, and He is able to get us out of trouble when we have fallen prey to some danger when we turn to Him with faith and trust.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp.1291-1292)
2. Augsberger, M.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p.18)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2006)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Ron Moore, “Learning to Pray.” Retrieved from www.ronmoore.org
6. Steve Arterburn, “Restoring Broken Relationships.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. David Cross, “The Choice of Kingdoms.” Retrieved from info@seedsofthekingdom.net
8. Robin Dugall, “The Power of Forgiveness.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
9. “The Disciples’ Power.” Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
10. Marvin A. McMickle, “Teach Us How to Pray.” Retrieved from www.preaching.com
11. “Our Daily Bread.” Retrieved from info@dailydisciples.org
12. Dan Johnson, “Forgiveness.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
13. Joel Osteen, “For Your Own Sake,” Retrieved from www.joelosteen.com

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What do you do when someone does something nice for you?

Well, the most important thing you should do when someone does something nice for you is to say, “Thank you.” In most houses, people keep a good supply of thank you cards so that we will not forget. I hope you will always remember to say, “Thank you” when someone does something nice for you. I can remember my mother telling me as a child to write thank you notes to people who gave me gifts, especially at Christmastime.

What else should you do when someone does something nice for you? Another thing you should do is to tell others about the nice things that person has done for you.

Jesus spent his life on earth doing good things for people. He was loving, kind, and compassionate. The Bible tells us that he came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life for them. Wherever Jesus went, he healed the sick and the lame. He gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. Why, he even raised some from the dead! Sometimes the people remembered to say, “Thank you” and sometimes they forgot.

In our Bible lesson today, Jesus met a man who was controlled by evil spirits. He had not worn clothes for a long time, and he did not live in a house, but spent his days and nights roaming among the tombs and in the mountains. People in the town where he lived were afraid of him and tried to bind him with chains, but he was so strong that he broke the chains.

Jesus saw that the man was tormented and he felt compassion for him. There was a large herd of pigs on the hillside nearby, so Jesus let the evil spirits enter into the pigs, and the entire herd ran into the lake and drowned.

After Jesus freed the man from the evil spirits, he was like a different person. People saw the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and speaking calmly. He was so happy that he wanted to go with Jesus and follow him wherever he went, but Jesus told the man to go back to his home and tell everyone what God had done for him. The Bible tells us that the man went back and told all the people in the city what great things Jesus had done for him.

We should always remember to give thanks for all that Jesus has done for us. The greatest gift we have ever received is the gift of eternal life. Jesus made this gift possible by his death on the cross. We should also tell others what he has done for us so that they might come to know the he loves them too.

Let’s pray. Dear God, we thank you for all that you have done for us. We are especially thankful for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, your son. Help us to always show our gratitude and tell others how much you have done for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bibliography

1. “Go and Tell.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

After Jesus’ ascension, the community of believers found its natural leadership in the apostles whom Jesus appointed. There was only one problem. There was a vacancy on the team of apostles. There were 11 apostles, but Jesus appointed 12. Who would replace Judas? How would the replacement be chosen?

The 120 who assembled for this occasion was the number required by Jewish law for a council in any city, which made Matthias’ election not only official but legal. That they prayed together “with one accord” made this gathering a spiritually significant one as well.

When God gives prophecies (as He did in the Old Testament passages quoted by Peter), they will come to pass. Peter used Scripture to reassure the people that Judas’ defection and the choice of his replacement were both parts of God’s plan. God works through human initiative or ordinary people like Peter and Matthias and the 120. Through quiet deliberation and prayer, God set the groundwork for both Pentecost and the whole Gospel mission.

Why were Peter and the other disciples restrained when they told the story of Judas’s suicide? It’s likely for the reasons Peter highlighted in his choice of words. Judas was one of the disciples. He was not some unique stranger who did what we could never do. Judas is so much like us. Any one of us could have betrayed Jesus the same way. We do betray Jesus in our words, acts and thoughts on a daily basis when we behave in ways that lead us to turn away from the truth of the Gospel.

Judas “turned aside to go to his own place.” It’s easy for us to do the same. The Holy Spirit’s grace keeps us with Jesus: repentant, forgiven, thankful for the mercy He has won for us. When we think of Judas, let’s do it with fear and trembling-and with intense gratitude to God who has given us a place that isn’t ours, a place in His own kingdom.

There were two requirements for Judas’ successor:

1. He had to have taken part in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
2. He had to have seen the resurrected Christ. The resurrection was central to apostolic preaching.

When Peter said that an apostle had to be a witness to the resurrection, he was referring to the 40 day period between the Resurrection and the Ascension, when Christ made Himself known to His followers, proving He was alive.

The eleven remaining disciples needed God’s guidance. Casting lots was a sacred, lawful device used to determine divine will. Although it was a common practice in Old Testament times, only here in the New Testament do we find it used by a follower of Christ. God might have spoken through the casting of lots for Matthias. God speaks to us today in a lot of different ways-including the Bible.

Matthias was chosen.  The name Matthias means “Gift of God.” While the apostles waited for 10 days for the coming of the Holy Spirit, they prayed and appointed an apostle to replace Judas. The disciples didn’t know that God had another person in mind to take Judas’ place. The person God chose was Paul.

Paul saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He became a disciple first and then an apostle who was recognized among the official twelve. After his election, we don’t hear anything more about Matthias. In contrast, Paul led the expansion of Christianity. The casting of lots was a poor substitute for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In all fairness, the casting of lots occurred before the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost.

Because the Holy Spirit had not yet come, the 120 were living and operating under Old Testament rules. They were still making decisions and gaining guidance like Old Testament believers. After the Holy Spirit came, the casting of lots was never mentioned again.

There is no need to be down on Matthias. He responded to a call. He was ready with his knowledge of Christ and an open mind and heart to receive His Spirit. He was there at Pentecost-that’s all that matters. Whether his ministry afterward received the recognition of history is not important. The same is true for us. Once we have experienced what Christ said and did for us in His death and resurrection, titles or history’s recognition or even the accolades of people today become unimportant.

Why did the apostles choose a replacement for Judas? They understood that good witnesses were needed to tell others about Jesus (especially the reality of His life, death and resurrection) to fulfill the mission that Jesus gave them. Witnesses are still needed today, and that’s where we as Christians are needed. We can testify to what Christ can do in people’s lives if they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.

The most important part of the process the apostles used was the use of prayer to discern God’s will. They discerned God’s will by casting lots. How can we discern God’s will for our lives today?

1. We know the framework of God’s will for our lives in this world. We are called to love God and to love our neighbour.
2. We know we live our lives under the canopy of God’s forgiving love. We can pray for God’s specific will to be revealed to us, but few of us will have our prayers answered. We will have to boldly choose our path. Most of the time we don’t know for certain which is the right path to take. We have to choose, but we know that God’s forgiving love will sustain us when we make a decision.
3. We know that nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp.1486-1487)
2. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
3. Ogilvie, L.J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)
4. Dr. Kari Vo, “Our Place or His?” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
5. Dr. Kari Vo, “Confession.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
6. Julius Medenblik, “The Blessing of Witnesses.” Retrieved from today@thisistoday.net
7. Mike Slay, “The Apostles Pick a New Martyr.” Retrieved from noreply@ailbe.org
8. Berni Dymet, “Practical Guidance from Above.” Retrieved from bdymet@christianityworks.com
9. Jeremiah, David: Acts: The Church in Action (San Diego, CA: Turning Point for God; 2006,2015; pp. 37-46)
10. www.workingpreacher.org.preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3659

1. Richard Jensen, “Commentary on Acts 1:15-17,21-26.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org.preaching.aspx?commentary_id=315

Who are we?

The answer to this question will be different for each of us because of the many roles we have in our lives. We could be a spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, doctor, dentist, lawyer or any one or more of thousands of roles. There is one answer that all of us who have come to faith have. We are Christians. There are no barriers of class or ethnic segregation. The Christian identity includes all of us, and that is the point Paul is making in Galatians 3:23-29.

Paul specifies the dimensions of the family of God: its height reaches up to God’s throne, its depth reaches down into baptism in Christ, forever loved and accepted in him; it is wide enough to bring natural enemies together; and it is long enough to trace its ancestry back to Abraham. All who accept Christ as their Saviour become members of this family.

This passage is a commentary on the struggle between law and grace. The law teaches people about God and brings us face to face with our sins, but it also keeps us locked up in sin. The law does not provide for salvation from our sins. Even the Old Testament sacrifices could not provide for salvation because they had to be repeated. The animals that were sacrificed had to be perfect in the eyes of the priest. The priest also had to atone for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people. Christ was the perfect, ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He was sinless in nature. All we have to do is believe in him and what he did for us on the cross.

In the Greco-Roman world, a guardian prepared a child for maturity. Once the youth came of age, he didn’t need the guardian any more nor did he have any responsibility to the guardian, although the two of them might remain friends. The same is true for the Old Testament law. The law served as a guardian for us. The law prepared Israel for the coming of Jesus, who was the ultimate fulfillment of the law.

The law’s inability to bring life did not mean that the law was useless. The law was put in charge as our teacher to lead us to Christ. It is like a straight edge to show us how crooked we are-and to highlight our need for a Saviour. It is the code by which our lives and society are kept in an orderly manner. When the law becomes destructive or conflicts with God’s will, we must obey God rather than man. It is our responsibility to teach others about the faith until they claim God’s promise of salvation for themselves. When we receive salvation, it means that we take up Christ’s cross and fulfill his ministry of salvation and reconciliation. When we receive Christ in faith, we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness and we receive garments of salvation and robes of righteousness.  

Following World War II, there were more than two hundred French soldiers with amnesia who returned to Paris. They had been prisoners in Japanese camps and suffered through horrible ordeals of privation and torture. These men had been so psychologically devastated by their imprisonment that they lost the conscious awareness of who they were and where they had lived before the war.

Most of the soldiers’ identities were quickly established from Red Cross records or with the help of fellow prisoners, but after all known efforts were exhausted, there were still thirty-two men whose existence seemed impossible to trace. Not only were there no records of them, but none of the other soldiers knew anything about them. The doctors who were treating these thirty-two men believed that their chance for recovery would be impossible unless they were reconnected with family and friends.

Someone proposed publishing photographs of the men on the front page of newspapers throughout the country. A date, time, and place of meeting would also be given, hoping anyone having information about them would come. The plan was implemented and French newspapers soon published the pictures, adding that the Paris Opera House would open its doors for the potential identification and connection with loved ones.

On the assigned day, a huge crowd gathered inside the opera house to view the veterans. Every seat was taken and people spilled out onto the streets. Finally, in a dramatic entrance, the first of the amnesia victims walked onto the stage of the darkened room and slowly turned around under the glare of the spotlight, giving everyone a full view. Then, according to instruction, he and the other thirty-one soldiers who followed asked the same pleading question: “Does anybody out there know who I am . . . does anybody know who I am?”

Thankfully, many of the men were soon reunited with their families.

This is the same question that all of humanity is asking—“Does anybody out there know who I am?”  So what is the answer? For Christians, the answer is clear. We are children of God. Let me explain.

At the time Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians, only sons could receive an inheritance. Daughters got nothing. In contrast, Paul stated that both men and women who have been adopted into God’s family enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of God’s children-and that includes the right of inheritance. God includes all of us as his sons and daughters. Everyone who believes in Jesus for salvation is part of God’s family; brothers and sisters to one another and co-heirs with Christ.

In addition to being children of God, Paul stated that since we have been baptized we have died to the old ways of law, sin and death. We have risen to a new life in Christ. In this new life, there are no distinctions. Jews and Gentiles are the same. Free men and slaves are the same. Men and women are the same. All divisions have been abolished. All Christians are the same in the eyes of Christ. Since we are all equal, we do not have to observe ancient rituals such as circumcision.

For example, there was a church in the Jesus movement of the 1970s that was growing among the young street kids of the neighbourhood. They had long hair, were dirty and never really wore shoes, but they were just flocking to the church.

One day the church decided to put some new carpeting in their sanctuary. The first time those kids came in, they tracked dirt all over that brand-new carpet. The building committee was furious and demanded that a sign be put up in the church lobby that said, “No dirty feet allowed.”

The next Sunday the chairman of that committee walked into the building for the Sunday service. He was shocked to see that the sign had been removed and the church pastor was on his knees with a bowl of water and a towel washing those kids’ feet right there in the foyer-just like Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. This is what it means to be equal before God. We are to love our neighbours by welcoming people of all backgrounds into fellowship with the body of Christ.

God doesn’t deal with us with a performance/requirement method. We don’t have to do good deeds to earn salvation. God deals with us by means of a promise in response to faith. If we come to him in faith and receive him as our Saviour, we will be blessed with eternal life. Even if life has been hard for us and we are messed up, God still loves us. We can still become children of God.

Being whole in life and having meaning in life are not the result of what we own or don’t own or what we have done or what we have not done. Our lives are complete and have meaning because we are children of God. The only equation that works in our lives is us plus Christ equals wholeness and mercy. God wants us to continually pursue the reign of his kingdom in our lives where we submit to his will. When we do this, we will see new ways to respond.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1627-1628)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 69-76)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
6. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
7. Dr. Neil Anderson, “Wholeness and Meaning in Life.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Dr. Jack Graham, “What It Means to Love Your Neighbour.” Retrieved from www.jackgraham.org
9. Dr. Steven Davey, “Does Anybody Know Who I Am?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. Doug Fields, “The Enemies of Patience.” Retrieved from Crossswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. Dr. Tony Evans, “Daughters of the King.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
12. Jill Carattini, “The Shape of Affection.” Retrieved from www.sliceofinfinity.org
13. George Hermanson, “Who Are We?” Retrieved from www.georgehermanson.com/2007/06/who-are-we.html.

As we celebrate Trinity Sunday, we focus on the magnificence of creation. Modern technology has given us the means to discover the expanse and wonder of the universe. Thanks to the Hubble telescope and a second generation Hubble that will be sent into an even higher orbit, we see more of the universe. We are amazed at God’s wisdom in creating such a complex universe. When we study creation and combine it with reading the Bible and engaging in loving, merciful and compassionate relationships, we find God.

Are we choosing to fear God, or are we turning from Him? The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We need wisdom from above to live as Christians in our modern world. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit work together as the three members of the Trinity to give us that wisdom. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that nothing else matters. In other words, we must keep our eyes on the prize.

Chaos threatens to overtake the world, but wisdom makes the world a place where people can live a good life if they follow God’s wisdom. Wisdom travels everywhere in the form of the Holy Spirit because people don’t always pay attention. We are often stubborn and foolish. We turn away no matter how loudly wisdom calls. That’s why God took matters into His own hands. He came to us as Jesus our Saviour. He grew up among us, lived our lives and served everyone He met. He called everyone He met to Him. He carried out the ultimate act of God’s wisdom by dying on the cross for our sins. God is a God of love. He acts for us and among us. He reaches out to us and wants a relationship with us.

When we find God, we find the relationship among all three members of the Trinity. God is self-sufficient. God has been completely satisfied in the interpersonal relationships that have existed among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God’s overflowing goodness led him to create human beings in his own image and likeness. That same goodness led his Son to become human and live his life for others. That same goodness led God to give us our beautiful world to both preserve and develop in perfect harmony. That same goodness led God to destine us for everlasting life with Him in eternity. God, in His infinite Wisdom, has done all of this for us.

The wisdom of God is available to all who will listen to and follow Lady Wisdom’s call. The poetic tribute in the reading from Proverbs communicates that wisdom and all its benefits (the ability to reign or lead, riches, honour and righteousness) are tied to the fear of the Lord. Solomon’s experience of the rewards of wisdom was unparalleled in human history.

Wisdom is linked to the eternal God. He established it even before creation and brought it forth for use in the creation process. These verses from Proverbs form the background of John’s portrait of Christ as the eternal word in John 1:1-3. Wisdom is God’s delight, and God brought forth the world by the power of His delight. His delight drives Him to create. Human life, guided by God’s wisdom in the ways of righteousness, is His special delight.

Wisdom is the attribute of God by which He created all things. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:24 that Jesus Christ is “the wisdom of God.” Paul also wrote in Colossians 1:15-19 that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things…in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” In the passage we heard from Proverbs, Wisdom is personified and, as the pre-Incarnate Christ, is described as being with God through all the mysterious, beautiful and powerful artwork of creation.

In the New Testament, Jesus has assumed the role of Lady Wisdom, but the role of the Holy Spirit is often overlooked. In John 16:12-15, Jesus mentioned that the Holy Spirit will guide and comfort the disciples after He returns to heaven. The Holy Spirit comforts and guides us today.

The Christian worldview begins in God, who disposes all movements without movement of His own, who sees the past, present and future ages of creation equally, for whom nothing is past, nothing remains to come, but all things are present. Nothing that is good offends Him, nothing that is evil gives Him pleasure, by whom nothing was created by nature evil which in itself in only the corruption of good. God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each equally God, but each having its unique role to play in realizing the economy of glory and blessing that God is unfolding in the world.

Wisdom was present at creation, because Wisdom is part of all three members of the Trinity, who were also present at creation. All three members of the Trinity are eternal and uncreated. Wisdom was a witness to creation. Wisdom was a part of creation. Wisdom was identified with the Holy Spirit at creation. Wisdom’s origin is divine because creation comes from God. Wisdom ties all three members of the Trinity together and enables us to know and understand the Trinity.

This passage from Proverbs has contributed to the expression of Christian faith, of which the Trinity is a key part. One of the themes is the superiority of Christ over all claimants to equality or intimacy with God. The early Christians knew from His claims, miracles, teachings and presence that Jesus was the eternal God. Wisdom’s preexistence, participation in the creation, life-giving power and call to exclusive allegiance provided the vocabulary for the exultation and adoration of all three members of the Trinity.

All three members of the Trinity are present at every stage in world history. They have existed from eternity. They are equal. God sent the Son, the Word, who became one with us in His birth. God and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. We are spiritually connected to the Trinity because the Holy Spirt makes us members of the Body of Christ.

Wisdom is described as a lady who provides gentle and loving direction and help in life’s moments. Since all three members of the Trinity also provide gentle and loving direction and help, all three members of the Trinity are part of Wisdom.

Since ancient times spiritual writers have understood the source of dignity, worth and wisdom. It is God. We find the same things in the Trinity. The unity of all three members of the Trinity can’t be explained by human wisdom or logic. That is why the concept of the Trinity is difficult to understand and explain. The Trinity has to be believed in the heart. It is the ultimate expression of love-the love shown by God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp.816-817)
2. Hubbard, D.A. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 15: Proverbs (Nashville, TN:Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1989; pp. 118-121,124-127)
3. Fr. Jonak Benedict, O.P.: “To Praise, to Bless and to Preach.” Retrieved form www.torch.op.org
4. T.M. Moore, “Without Beginning, Without Foundation.” Retrieved from https://blogs.baylor.edu/truettpulpit/2016/05/10/proverbs-81-4-22-31/
5. “Wisdom Cries Out.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
6. Julianna Claasens, “Commentary on Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31.” Retrieved form www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2858
7. Dr. Kari VO, “The Wisdom of God.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
8. Alan Brehm, “God’s Delight.” Retrieved from www.thewakingdreamer.blogspot.com/2013/05/gods-delight.html
9. Elizabeth Webb, “Commentary on Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1708

“Sara’s mad at me,” Inez told her mother as they drove down a country road toward town. “When she got an A on our spelling test and I got a C, I—well, I said she must have cheated. I know I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why don’t you call and apologize?” suggested Mom. “I know it’s not easy, but it’s what Jesus wants you to do.”

“Okay, I will, but not right now,” Inez said. “I’ll wait until she’s in a better mood.” As Mom turned down a side road, Inez looked at her in surprise. “Why are we turning here?”

“This is a shorter way to town,” said Mom.” I don’t know how good the road will be after the rain we’ve had, but let’s give it a try.”

For a short distance the road was good, but then the pavement ended and the road became very muddy. “I think we should go back,” said Inez.

“I think you’re right,” said Mom. “We’ll have to find a place to turn around.”

“How about there?” Inez pointed to a narrow path leading into a field.

Mom slowed down, but then shook her head. “Those ditches at the side of that path are awfully deep. We need to find a better spot.”

A little later, Inez motioned toward a wider spot in the road. “How about here?”

But Mom passed by that one too. “That’s not exactly the perfect spot either,” she said.

“Mom!” Inez threw her head back against the seat. “If you ask me, the first possible spot is always the perfect spot!”

“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Mom said as she slowed down and turned off the road and onto a narrow path.

As they turned around, Mom spoke. “Waiting for a perfect spot was pretty silly, huh? We made a mistake in coming this way, and the first chance to correct that mistake was the best chance. That’s also true when we make other mistakes and need to apologize for something. It’s silly to wait for a better time to do.”

Inez raised her eyebrows. “Okay, Mom, I think I get what you’re saying. Can I use your phone? I want to give Sara a call.”

Do you have a hard time saying you’re sorry when you’ve done something wrong? Putting it off usually makes things worse, and it’s not how God wants His children to treat others. So don’t wait for a better time—apologize and ask for forgiveness right away. You’ll feel much better, and you’ll make the person you wronged feel much better too.

This section of Matthew’s Gospel begins a series of six issues from the Law which Jesus interpreted. He gives the full word of God on these matters. The first is the prohibition against killing. The Law said in Leviticus 24:17 that if you take another person’s life, yours is to be taken in return. Jesus says that anything that leads to killing is wrong, including anger.

While someone may say that he/she has never killed, Jesus asks about the inner attitude of anger, hate, destructive words and hostility. Anger hurts other people and damages the spirit of the one who has feelings of anger. We must resolve anger in other ways instead of focusing on personalities. Jesus answers these problems by asking us to take the initiative in reconciliation.

The word “raca” actually means “empty head, worthless, or foolish.” It is a word of contempt. Those who used that word were demonstrating a spirit of anger that could cause them to be called before the Sanhedrin, the highest court in the land. Such anger is dangerous and destructive and has no place in the life of a believer.

Jesus shows the full moral significance of the Law. He shows that the righteousness of the Law involves conforming to the spirit of the Law instead of mere compliance to the letter of the Law. For example, the term, “you good-for-nothing so-and-so” stems from the same sinful motives- anger and hatred-that can lead to murder.

Anger is a God-given emotion. Sometimes it moves us to proper action, but if it is left unchecked, it is a dangerous emotion. The Bible advises settling disputes quickly, before the enemy can gain a foothold in one’s heart and influence subsequent behaviour. Anyone who comes to God without being reconciled to someone they have offended stands judged by doing so. Such a person is a murderer in God’s sight.  That’s why we must first be reconciled to the brother or sister we have offended.

Anger eats away at our souls and turns us into bitter, unhappy people. No one likes to be around an angry person-and that often makes them even angrier. How can we control our anger? Here are four steps:

1. Pray for the Spirit to control our anger.
2. Address our anger daily. Ask God every day to deal with our emotions.
3. Stay away from angry people. They will drag us down.
4. Confront and forgive

Our gifts, offerings and service to Jesus are meaningless when we refuse to resolve issues or build and preserve relationships with fellow believers. One Sunday a minister preached on 1 Corinthians 11-the passage in which the apostle Paul admonishes certain wealthy Corinthians for celebrating the Lord’s Supper unworthily by shutting out their poorer brothers and sisters in the faith. The pastor wanted to make sure his congregation went through a moral inventory before taking the bread and the cup. He concluded his sermon by quoting Matthew 5:23-34 and then said, “Some of you have destroyed a relationship by something you did or said. Even if it might mean missing Communion, God would rather that you get it right now and go into the lobby to call that person and apologize.”

In the silence that followed, a large number of people went to the lobby, pulling out their cell phones as they went. The shining looks on their faces as they came back made it clear that they had been through a spiritual bath and were ready to commune with God.

To be authentic in our relationships, we must deal with our failures by confession, repentance and seeking forgiveness from others. In doing so, we prepare ourselves for deep and loving relationships.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp.1289-1290)
2. Corrine Canavan-Fifield, “The Perfect Time.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org
3. Augsberger, M.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p. 18)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Day 35.” Retrieved from biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
6. Ron Moore, “Anger.” Retrieved from www.ronmoore.org
7. The Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, “Is It as Wrong to Get Angry at Someone as It Is to Murder Them?” Retrieved from https://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham/
8. Gary Chapman, “Authentic Relationships.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com

Most of you have probably heard the legends about St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. One particular legend, which is based on fact, is his understanding of the concept of the Trinity. In his personal confession, he wrote:

For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father, unbegotten, and without beginning…and his son Jesus Christ, who always existed with the Father, before the beginning of time…And he poured out his Holy Spirit on us in abundance, which makes the believers and the obedient into sons (and daughters) of one God in the Trinity of Holy Name.

Saint Patrick was once asked to explain how God could be three in one. He reached down and picked up a shamrock. He held it up and asked, “Is it one leaf or three?”. The reply was, “It is both one leaf and three”, to which Saint Patrick replied, “And so it is with God”

Here’s a simple example of how the Trinity works. God loves us and he is hurt when we turn away from him through sin. Jesus came to restore our relationship with God by paying the price for our sins. The Holy Spirit reminds us of everything Jesus and God said and did and guides us on our daily walk of faith. The Holy Spirit lets us know that we are loved and that we can experience God’s love in an immediate, personal and transforming way.

Why should we even talk about the Trinity, let alone listen to me preach about it? That is a question I asked myself several times while I prepared this message. The Trinity is a difficult concept for anyone to grasp, and I remembered the reason why it is so difficult for us to understand when I came across these words which I found in the sermon I preached on Trinity Sunday in 2010. 

In that sermon I mentioned that part of reason why the Trinity is so difficult to understand lies in how the Trinity is presented in John’s Gospel. John wrote his Gospel for an audience that was primarily Greek. The Greeks were leaders in science, thought and philosophy. In other words, Greek society was very intelligent and highly sophisticated, especially in terms of understanding abstract concepts. This is one reason why John’s Gospel is very theological in nature.

I also mentioned that the very complications of the Trinity are designed to bring us closer to God. There is something we need to know. We don’t know everything about God, but we know everything about Him that we need to know. The Scriptures assure us of that. We do not have to understand everything, spiritual or non-spiritual, the minute we become adults and that includes the Trinity. We know enough to save us. God pours out grace upon us, in abundance and consistently, whether we realize it or not. The Holy Spirit helps us and the Church to understand all of what Jesus said, especially what he said about God.

The Trinity is one of the most fascinating aspects of Christian theology, but it is also one of the most controversial. It is a mystery to us because it is a reality that is above our human ability to understand. We can begin to grasp it on our own, but we must really discover it through worship, symbol and faith. In essence, the Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence, but distinct in person. In other words, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another, yet at the same time they are completely united in essence, will and tasks.

There are four good reasons why we need to talk about the Trinity. First, the Trinity is God. All three persons-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-are the same but different at the same time. Second, the Trinity is the basis of our Christian doctrine. If we eliminate the Trinity, we eliminate the doctrine of one God or we worship a God who can become better or worse or has needs.

Third, the Trinity reveals counterfeit gods. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes and minds to who Jesus really is. The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus is both the Son of God and God himself in the flesh. If we hear the Trinity preached regularly, we accept it and can counter the false gods of faith such as Islam, Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Finally, the Trinity is the basis for all human relations. All three members exist in prefect love and harmony, but the Holy Spirit submits to both the Son and the Father, and the Son submits to the Father. They submit to each other, but they are equal.

The Trinity is not just a New Testament concept. The Holy Spirit was very active in the Old Testament. The Trinity was an active part of creation. People were regenerated in the Old Testament just like they were regenerated in the New Testament, and the only way people can be regenerated is by the influence of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also gifted certain people in the Old Testament and equipped them for specific tasks. For example, kings were anointed with oil, which represented being empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out their duties in a godly way.

The Holy Spirit brings spiritual truth to believers. It calls Scripture to mind, illuminates its meaning and couples itself with experience. The Holy Spirit glorifies God the Son. It vindicates the truth of his teachings and his identity. Unlike the disciples after Jesus ‘ resurrection and before Pentecost, we are not alone. We always have the Holy Spirit. It convicts the world of sin and changes people’s lives.

No one can escape God’s wrath by natural means. It can only be done through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It creates a sense of relief in believers, and only then can we start to live. Faith in God leads to peace with God. Peace does not mean tranquility. It means no longer being subject to God’s anger because of sin. We can’t earn our way out of our sin debt to God because we can never know how much is enough. The process of receiving God’s grace through faith is just a start. It transforms us through the working of the Holy Spirit.

If we give ourselves to the Holy Spirit and let him guide us, we will never wander from the faith because he is ever-present. He glorifies Christ in the view of men. He convicts the world of righteousness. He comes to everyone who humbly seeks to know Christ. He intercedes in every area of our lives. He helps us understand God’s Word. He convicts us of sin. He speaks the truth of God’s Word. He teaches us what Christ taught either by himself or through the disciples.

In order to approach Scripture, we have to pray first. We have to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding. We sense the Holy Spirit when it comes to us from God. God reveals himself to all of us, but only as much as we can understand with the help of the Holy Spirit. For example, in the reading from John 16:12-15, Jesus knew the disciples couldn’t receive more truth because they were concerned with themselves. They could not understand the spiritual truth he wanted to teach them without the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit comes from God and glorifies the relationship between Jesus and God. It translates the words of Jesus for us when we encounter situations where we have to ask ourselves the famous question, “What would Jesus do?” It challenges us to shape our lives according to Jesus’ teachings instead of shaping our lives according to the standards of the world.

The Holy Spirit emphasizes sin, righteousness and judgment. Faith in Jesus gives us God’s grace and peace. It gives us hope and comforts us when we suffer as expressed in these words from Romans 5:3-4: “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope”. God pours out his love through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God’s love is watching over us. Suffering is good not because of the suffering itself, but because of the patience, experience and hope that come from it.

For example, those of you who have been farmers or who have planted gardens know that plants need soil, sun and rain in order to grow. If you take away any one of those ingredients, plants have a harder time growing. It’s like the story of a man who toured an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken. The season was dry and some of the trees were dying because they lacked water. The man who gave the tour then took the visitor to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. He said, “These trees could go without rain for another two weeks. When they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now, my trees have the deepest roots in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at greater depths.” Suffering can produce the “roots” we as believers need to survive and thrive in any season of life, but to grow these deep roots we have to plant ourselves in God’s Words to find comfort and strength when we suffer.

We must remember that the Holy Spirit is our guide, not our controller. We keep our ability to choose to follow His leading. As a result, we are always responsible for our actions and our words. The Holy Spirit guides believers into truth, which in turn makes his guidance trustworthy. It helps believers decide what is true and what is false; what is wise and what is foolish; what is best and what is simply okay. When life bombards us, the Holy Spirit will guide us. He will give us that sense of discernment that we need to make both big and small decisions. As we become more sensitive to his guidance, we will worry less and less about the decisions we will make.

The Holy Spirit never speaks on his own. He submits to the Father’s authority, so everything he speaks is directly from the Father. This makes sense because the Holy Spirit lives in all of us, and since he has direct access to our minds, he is the perfect candidate for communicating God’s will to us.

The Trinity is a mystery, but this does not mean a riddle. Instead, the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately must know through worship, symbol and faith. In order to understand it, we must live in the light of its implications for our human lives. The relationship that exists among the three divine persons suggests to us that we can know God through our relationships—not only in God’s relationship to us, but to the entire created world.

God is real and we are never alone. We can draw close to him and know that he will provide for our needs because he cares for us. We are never beyond his reach because of the Holy Spirit.  The Father opened the way for us to be in his family. Jesus continually offers his peace so we can experience peace of mind and heart, and the Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of peace in our lives. As a result of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the God-like love dwells, abides and makes its home in our hearts, but it can’t be expressed until we yield to the Holy Spirit in fellowship by confessing it and practicing it.

Bibliography

1. R.C. Sproul, “What was the Role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?”. Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
2. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2010)
3. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on Romans (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2010)
4. Jared More, “4 Reasons the Trinity Should be Part of Your Preaching”. Retrieved from http://www.sermoncentral.com
5. Anne Graham Lotz, “Open Your Eyes”. Retrieved from angelministries.info@angelministries.org
6. Charles Spurgeon, “The Holy Spirit-the Great Teacher”. Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
7. Jamieson, R., Fawcett, A.R., & Brown, D.: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbour, WA: Logos Research Systems inc.; 1997)
8. Frederickson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.: 1985)
9. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 2009)
10. Dr. Charles Stanley, “A Helper for All Occasions”. Retrieved from Crosswalk @crosswalkmail.com
11. Anne Graham Lotz, “Guided Into a Deeper Level”. Retrieved from angelministries.info@angelministries.org
12. J. Vernon McGee, “How Could I Have Peace of Mind?” Retrieved from Jesus.org@crosswalkmail.com
13. Craig Condon, “The Three Musketeers-Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. Preached at Trinity Anglican Church, Liverpool, NS on Sunday, May 30, 2010
14. Dr. Harold Sala, “Trouble”. Retrieved from http://www.guidelines.org
15. Bob Heerspink, “Beyond Enlightenment”. Retrieved from http://www.backtogod.net
16. Greg Laurie, “It’s Covered”. Retrieved from Crosswalk @crosswalkmail.com
17. Dr. Charles Stanley, “Peace With God”. Retrieved from Crosswalk @crosswalkmail.com
18. Exegesis for Romans 5:1-5. Retrieved from www. sermonwriter.com
19. Lectionary Homiletics, Volume XXV, Number 3 (St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary; April/May 2013)

Hello boys and girls!

Can anyone tell me what a compass does?

A compass is a very handy instrument that will help keep you from getting lost. Not only that, it will help you find your way if you do get lost. The compass has four main directions, they are North, South, East and West. The needle of the compass always points North. So, if the needle is pointing in that direction and you want to go South, you would go in the opposite direction from what the needle is pointing. With the needle pointing North, if you want to go East, you would go in that direction. If the needle sometimes pointed North and at other times it pointed to the South, East, or West, you would never be able to use the compass to find your way. You would wander around, hopelessly lost. The compass must always point in the same direction if you are going to use it to guide you.

Can anyone tell me what a map does? A map can help us to find a place, and if we’re travelling a map can show us how to get there, how far away it is, what types of roads we can travel on, etc. A compass and a map are old-fashioned ways to find out where we are and where we want to go. Today, thanks to modern science, we have another way.

Can anyone tell me what a GPS receiver does? GPS stands for Global Positioning System. Some people have receivers like this put in their cars to tell them how to get to wherever they want to go. GPS is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites. When a GPS receiver is locked on to the signal of at least three satellites, it can track movement and determine the user’s position, speed, trip distance, distance to where the user wants to go and much more.

Boys and girls, there is another way we can be guided to where we should go. Can anyone guess what it might be? It’s called the Holy Spirit. When we don’t know what to do or which way to turn, the Holy Spirit always points us in the right direction. We can’t trust our feelings or what other people are doing to make important decisions

Jesus promised that God would send the Holy Spirit “to guide us in all truth.” That means that the Holy Spirit will help us to understand God’s Word which always points us in the right direction. It points us to Jesus who is “the Way, the truth, and the life.”

Whenever you don’t know which way to turn, you can always turn to God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

Dear God, we thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be our +guide through life. We know that the Spirit will lead us to Jesus. Give us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to obey the Holy Spirit all the time. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

Bibliography

1. Garmin Limited, “What is a GPS?”. Retrieved from http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/

2. “Our Spiritual Compass”. Retrieved from http://www.sermons4kids.com

Today, I’m going to do something a little different in my message. In addition to speaking about a particular passage, I’m also going to touch on one of the key doctrines of Christianity-the Trinity. The concept is the Trinity is not mentioned specifically in the Bible, but it is there. The Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts to preach on, and that’s why many ministers take Trinity Sunday off!

Romans 5:5 begins a section of Scripture that scholars consider an exposition of God’s love for humankind. John 3:16 expanded and expounded upon God’s love. Paul refers to God’s glory, wrath, love and grace. God’s plan of salvation is a reflection and extension of his attributes.

Paul’s Letter to the Romans begins with the desperate condition of lost humanity and ends triumphantly with the benefits of being reconciled to God. Just as it begins and ends with “Through our Lord Jesus Christ,” so, too, is Christ first and last in the life of the believer.

God gives peace to us who have faith, even when we face life’s challenges. He pours out love and gives us hope until the day when we share in his fullness. God’s peace comes to us through Christ, and in Christ we have the constant assurance of God’s grace. The Holy Spirit is the means by which we experience God’s love.

Some people believe that they can earn their way out of sin debt to God. The problem with that belief is that people can never know how much is enough. If we trust in religion to save us, we will be in a constant state of fear because our debt will solve the mystery of our eternal destiny. Our fate might be eternal suffering. The only way to get relief from this fear is to receive God’s grace through faith. If we do, we will be at peace. We will also have the assurance that we will be with Jesus when he returns and remodels the world.

We can have confidence that Christ will set things right one day. We have been renewed and we are becoming more like Jesus. We can anticipate his return without unpleasant circumstances to distract us. This does not mean that our present lives will be free from suffering. Being faithful in a world that is full of suffering is difficult and making sense out of it is, as Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “too much for you know, but when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to complete truth.” That truth involves persevering with faith because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel reveals God’s love and justice, both of which begin and end with faith. When we are saved through faith and by God’s grace, we receive God’s righteousness and become children of God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are made wholly acceptable to God. God’s love touches every part of our lives. It reaches out to everyone, and it is beyond comprehension. It’s like a buried treasure that we have found. God has given us the realities of peace, grace and love.

God’s love sounds regularly in our hearts, but it is seldom heard. It’s often buried under personal ambitions, cares, problems, daily routines and the general busyness of life. When we stop focusing on ourselves and our own problems and focus instead on God, our problems fade away.

God gives us everything we need for inner peace. He opened the way for us to be in his family. It’s as if we entered a castle and were escorted into the royal presence as honoured guests instead of being treated as outsiders. Jesus continually offers his peace so we can experience inner peace. The Holy Sprit cultivates the fruit of peace in our lives.

The word “peace” does not mean a lack of negative experience or a euphoric feeling. It closely resembles the Hebrew word “shalom”, which describes a blessed and prosperous community, not an inner, psychological or emotional peace. Paul has that inner wholeness in mind. Peace must be in the hearts of the people for there to be outward, objective peace in the church and in our lives.

God gives peace to people who have faith. That peace comes to us through Jesus, who gives us the constant assurance of grace. The Holy Spirit provides the means by which we experience God’s love. We have a good, peaceful relationship with God because of what he did for us in Christ. The Holy Spirit assures us that we enjoy divine favour and access into God’s presence. Because of God’s grace, we will share his glory on Judgment Day. God promises his children that they will be one day clothed with Christ’s glory. The term “rejoice” means “to boast, in the sense of jubilation, exultant rejoicing-to shout about it!”

Christians are justified by faith and declared worthy by God. Consequently, they have peace with God and don’t have to fear God’s judgment. When people are justified, they have access by faith to the grace of God in which all Christians stand. In the New Testament, the term “access” refers to the believer’s access to God through Christ.

It is quite natural to glory or exult in what is positive, but not in sufferings and tribulations. In the Greek language, perseverance means “to abide under or stay under pressure.” Suffering teaches believers to stay faithful under pressure, like squeezing olives in a press to extract oil. This pressure results from the conflict of two truths: faith and its enduring benefits versus a fallen world under Satan’s influence.

When we suffer we can rise above our sufferings to see the whole promise of God and the structure he is creating in our lives. God’s grace is sufficient for every situation we will face. Pressure is mandated by God and his love. When the Holy Spirit enters our lives, he opens our eyes to the wonder of his love and shows us that from now on our lives will be covered by his love and that all circumstances (both good and bad) will be related to God’s loving purposes.

Learning to stay calm under pressure produces character. The trials of life refine a Christian’s character and faith. Paul is speaking of sterling character, character without impurities. One writer calls it “tried integrity”-the maturity of a veteran who is complete, or lacking nothing, as opposed to the immaturity of a raw recruit. Christians can rejoice in future glory and present trials and sufferings because they are changed and have become more Christ-like. They have received God’s love and strength because when they were converted the Holy Spirit poured God’s love into their hearts.

When we abide in Christ we are so saturated in Jesus that when God looks at us he sees his own Son and wraps us in his love for Jesus’ sake. Real joy is found in God’s presence, with Jesus, secure and loved forever and ever. God’s love never changes, and Jesus holds us close forever, no matter what our circumstances are. Joy is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1549-1550)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Anne Graham Lotz, “God is Love.” Retrieved from angelmin.info@angelministries.org
4. Dr. Ed Young, “See with Perspective.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org
5. Dr. Ed Young, “Have Faith in Grace.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org
6. Briscoe, D.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
7. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, Trinity Sunday (C).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
8. “Am I Pleasing to God?” Retrieved from www.abidingabove.org
9. Rick Ezell, “Experiencing God’s Love.” Retrieved from rickezell@greerfbc.org
10. Bayless Conley, “Inwardly Compelled.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
11. Anne Graham Lotz, “The Focus of Our Faith.” Retrieved from angelmin.info@angelministries.org
12. Dr.Charles Stanley, “Peace with God.” Retrieved from www.intouch.org
13. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, Trinity Sunday (C).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
14. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on Romans (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2010, pp. 110-114
15. Edwina Gateley, “Deeper Than the Darkness.” Retrieved from http://journeywithjesus.net
16. David Kalas, “This is Where You Come In.” Retrieved from www.sermonsuite.com/printer.php?i=788040700
17. Preaching Magazine, March/April 2016 (Nashville, TN: Salem Publishing Inc.; p. 51)