2014 or 2015, Does it Really Matter?

Another year is almost history. I sat contemplating what 2014 was like for me. What went right, what went wrong, what I should have done differently. Wondering If I could turn back the calendar to specific days or times and redo things would it have made a difference?  Had I did this or that or said this or that would it have made a noticeable difference in how things are now. I am sure in some instances it would have and yet in others I have totally forgotten what I did or said! So goes life. I look at the calendar and see that there are three days (counting what is left of this one) before I have to change calendars. I envision that starting a new calendar somehow ends one year and starts another one. In reality the days are no different it is only how we count them. We stop counting the days of 2014 and then with the flip of a page we start counting the days 2015. Therefore it is all about keeping count is it not? Let’s be honest and say that our calendars serve the purpose of planning. Days that have numbers assigned to them make it easy to plan things. About now, if you are still reading, you are probably thinking I am a doofus head, think about stuff too much, and have somehow become crazy in my learning. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion” as Briscoe Darlin told Andy Taylor. The thing is people have always counted days.

I think it has to do with this: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.[1] Looking ahead to the numbered days of 2015 causes me to wonder what will happen on day 14 in May? Have I planned anything for that day yet? What about day 28 in October? Or how about day 3 in January? In reality I should be thinking Lord will you allow me to see those days. Today, day 29 of December in the year 2014 is actually the only day that really matters now. Day 28 is past, day 30 has not arrived. I think God is telling us to take hold of the present day and live in it. Make the most of the minutes and hours we have allotted to us in this day. If you read this entire message you probably have spent about 5 minutes of it already; I hope it was not a waste of time for you. As we see the days of 2014 coming to an end and the days of 2015 lying in wait for us, let’s take a few minutes to come to grips with reality as God tells us to do and recognize how few they really are in comparison to eternity. Where will we be a thousand years from now? In heaven or hell? That is what really matters in regards to time. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.[2]

---

[1] Psalm 90:12 The Living Bible (TLB)

[2] 2 Corinthians 6:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

He's A Fake! From the Mouth of Babes!

She is a beautiful five year old girl with long curly hair and lovely dark brown eyes. She took the stage with the rest of the kids to sing their Christmas songs during our recent programs to celebrate the birth of Christ. She played her kazoo perfectly with all the others as they played We Wish You A Merry Christmas as their encore presentation for us. Then she came down and sat in one of the two front pews reserved for the kids with their teachers. She watched as the teens presented their program and sang songs and played instruments as their tribute to Christ. When they were finished it was my turn to bring the Christmas message to the people. I had chosen to portray a Bible character in order to present the message in a different format.

I attempted to portray Luke the evangelist, gospel writer, and beloved physician. I did extensive research on the good doctor and apostle in order to be as realistic as possible as what Dr. Luke may have been like. I listened to lots of videos of people speaking in Koine Greek to try to mimic the accent and pronunciation of words. I researched the history to get some idea of what Dr. Luke may have worn for his attire. I then did a lot of study of his writings, when he wrote, who he wrote to, why he wrote, how God used him to pen the words of the gospel on the parchment. I researched the history of the accounts of his birth of Christ. I studied the traditions the Jewish people followed when having to travel to the city of their heritage to be counted and pay taxes to Rome. I studied about stables and how they were used and what types of them there were. I put a lot of time, prayer, and research into portraying the best Luke I could and to ensure when I told the Christmas story it would be scripturally accurate and as historically true as possible. I stepped into the rear entrance of the sanctuary greeting the folks with my best attempt in the Greek accent and walked to the front of the sanctuary in my robe and sandals and my headband, carrying my scroll from which I would read the prophecy of Isaiah of the virgin birth. She watched closely and listened intently when I made my way over to where all the children were sitting. She then told one of her teachers, “He’s a fake! That’s the preacher! Look at his shoes! Why is he wearing those shoes?!”

From the mouth of babes Jesus said would come forth sincere worship and truth. She was right. I was a fake. I never thought of it that way. When Luke was introduced to the people she expected to see Luke not her regular old preacher dressed up and wearing funny looking shoes. I think her comments struck a spiritual nerve within me that forces me to be honest with myself. The adults knew what I was doing but she was not told that the pastor would be playing like he was Luke. I was so moved by her comments because it tells me that she knows me; yeah, me! She may be five but she knows her pastor; what a wonderful compliment to know that I have succeeded in my attempt to relate to the children by spending time talking to them in their classes and always greeting them when they enter the church. It melts my heart to know that she counts me as her preacher. That carries with it big responsibility. If she was disappointed that Luke was a fake how much more disappointed would she be if I turned out to be a fake? We forget sometimes that our “portrayal” of men and women of God is being watched and believed by little eyes. May the Lord help us not to let them down. May we ever be constantly aware that they see us as who we say we are. God forbid that they ever grow up and say to someone; he’s a fake. Did you know that the word hypocrite means “a stage actor?” Wow! Thank you little (Jane Doe) for teaching me a great lesson Sunday morning!

Guess Who's Pregnant?

Guess who’s pregnant? Give me a bit of liberty today as I write my opinion of how it may have went when Mary became pregnant with Jesus. That was the talk of the town. You know, the little pretty maiden who was promised to Joseph, an older, nice looking carpenter that would have people saying that it was going to be a May – December wedding. After the angel told Mary the news of what God was going to do she took off to the hill country in Judah to see Elizabeth because the angel told her that old cousin Liz, the barren one, was 6 months pregnant too! Three months later, following the birth of John she returns to Nazareth sporting a new profile. Joseph not wanting to embarrass himself or cause any trouble for her conceived a plan that she could be shipped off; perhaps back to Judah to live with Cousin Liz. “It is of the Holy Spirit” Mary told old Joe when he asked, “Whose is it?” Can you see the look on his face? She more than likely told him what the angel said, and even testified that Liz had a kid just as the angel said! Joseph did not buy it. He was a just man, a devout man of God that knew the Scriptures and was looking for the promised Messiah. He was certainly not going to marry a woman that was carrying someone else’s child, and then blamed it on God! No, she has to go.

During the night after grappling with the hurt of betrayal and the grief associated with having to let Mary go, he drifted off to sleep with a broken heart and tears on his cheeks. Then the same angel came to him during his sleep; in the context of a dream. “Mary is not lying to you Joseph. She is telling the truth. She really became pregnant by God. He sent the Holy Spirit to place the Holy Embryo in her womb. It is going to be a Son; He is the Son of God. You will name Him Jesus, meaning salvation is from God. He will be the one to save Gods people from their sins." Joseph being a man of God and knowing the Scriptures was reminded by the angel what Isaiah said; “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Old Joseph sat straight up in the bed, wiping the sweat from his brow as it was so real. He sent word to Mary the next day that the angel had visited him as well and probably apologized to her, then asked her to finalize her marriage to him. She did and although they never slept together to seal the deal, the Rabbis pronounced them husband and wife.  Without a doubt both of them made the Nazareth after Midnight section of the local paper. I am sure they may have tried to explain it to their families and friends only to have them listen with eyebrows cocked and smirks on their faces. The annual Roman census was coming up and Joseph always had to go to Bethlehem to register. This was the first census for the new governor Quirinius. Joseph and Mary along with many others that had to make the journey all began to make their way to Judah which was about a four day journey. Once they arrived they were able to find lodging with local Jews that would host those coming in for the census. Joseph and Mary were given the most privacy possible as she was near giving birth, and ended up not in the house where many others were staying but in the shelter where the local family housed their animals. One night as the family bedded down, labor pains hit Mary. Joseph did what he could to prepare the stable to maintain privacy and receive the Child. He came. The miraculous happened! A Child was born to a virgin!

Wrapping Him as all new infants were wrapped with the strips of cloth used to clothe newborns that Mary had brought with her and she laid Him in His makeshift crib; a feed trough. Then the shepherds showed up. “We were told the Messiah was here.” He was. “This is Jesus”, Joseph said.

Who would have believed it? Do you? If you do not believe the virgin birth of Jesus then there is no use in believing His death on the Cross redeemed your sins. If He was born a natural man then He died as a martyr and not a Savior. His Blood was pure, not tainted with the corrupted human DNA and thereby His Blood is the only Blood God will accept as sacrifice for sin. He came as the Prophets said He would and He will be back as the Prophets say He will. Are you ready? Joseph and Mary found out that God keeps His Word. He is Jesus, the Messiah, the Only Begotten Son of God, and the Savior of all who will believe. I hope you are one of us that do.

On Hell

“Without that self-choice there could be no Hell."[1] Some of the senior saints complain that we never hear sermons on hell any more. The topic is unfavorable it seems when it comes to sharing the love, grace, and mercy of the Savior. I have always preached that a Gospel that does not contain judgment is not a true gospel. As a pastor I have been given a shepherd’s heart by our Lord, a heart that wants the best for the sheep under my care. I not only lead the sheep to pasture but have the responsibility to show them the green grass that supplies the nutrients needed for growth. I also am responsible for warning them about the danger of wandering into the wrong field or the forest where poisonous weeds and wolves live. That is where Mr. Lewis is coming from with his statement; choosing is left up to the sheep. Therefore I think the reason that sometimes the subject of hell is not preached as often as some think it should be, and in my experience those who want to hear sermons on hell are already saved, is because most shepherds do not want their sheep to fear hell as much as they want them to love Christ. If one comes to Christ just because they fear hell then that somehow takes away from what Jesus said His purpose for coming into the world was in the first place; “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”[2] Jesus came to draw us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be also, not to send us to hell.

Take the prodigal son for instance. Have you ever stopped to think that the love the father had for the son was so great that he gave the son what he wanted even at the expense of losing him? The father did not have to give the boy his inheritance before he died; but he did. He gave him his inheritance because the boy did not want to be a part of that family any longer and stay in that place so the father gave him what he asked for, knowing that he may never see his son again. He loved the boy enough to give him what he asked for. In fact he wrote him off when he left as evidenced by what he said when the boy returned; “for this my son was dead and is alive again.”[3] The boy did not choose to end up in a pigpen at the out start but that is where he eventually chose to be. God allows people to make bad choices because He loves us enough to give us what we want. If no one ever chose to reject Christ, men or angels, then there would be no need for hell. Who in their right mind would chose an eternity of tormenting fire that never ends, without any possibility of ever escaping it? No one, but there are millions who choose to have their own way now, as the prodigal did, without ever thinking about the pigpen. I would say there are people in hell today who never thought they would really end up there. Perhaps many never thought it existed and yet others never believed the whole life after death thing to begin with. On the other hand how horrible for those who may have believed but yet chose to place their hope in going to heaven instead of placing their trust in Jesus. God help them.

---

[1] The Great Divorce. Copyright © 1946, C. S Lewis

[2] John 3:17 New King James Version

[3] Luke 15:24 New King James Version