"Peeking Behind the Veil" - (01/24/10)

INTRODUCTION:

There is something in most of us humans that makes us want to see what is hidden.  We want to see what is behind the curtain.  We want to lift the veil to see what it hides.  We want to know what is in those packages under the Christmas tree.  I had one uncle who was famous for sneaking down in the middle of the night and carefully unwrapping his presents to see what is inside.  Then, just as carefully, he would wrap them back up again and sneak back to bed.

Moses wanted to see the Lord.  While he was up on Mt. Sinai Moses asked God to reveal Himself to him.  I believe that in part, Moses was just curious to see what God is like.  They had talked, the Bible says, “…as a man talks with his friend.”  But finally, Moses asked to see God’s face.  You remember the story.  The Lord told him, however, that no human could look upon God and live.  So the Lord allowed Moses to see just a little bit of His glory, His Shekinah.  And even that was so powerful that Moses glowed in the dark for weeks to come and had to cover up his face with a veil because the effect continued long after he came back down from the mountain.

In our passage for today the Lord Jesus drew back the curtain for just a few moments and allowed three of His disciples to see Him as He really is.  He did not do it merely to satisfy their curiosity, however.  He did not do it in response to any request by them.  He did it so that later on, after His death and resurrection, they might serve as witnesses of what they had observed and experienced, to bear witness to His divinity.

Oh, they thought they already knew everything about Him.  They had walked and talked with Him, eaten and slept with Him, sat at His feet and looked into His face but never before had they seen Him like this.  They had never seen His glory, the glory He shared with God the Father from eternity past.  For a few brief moments they got to see Jesus as we will one day see Him when we step from this earthly life into His glorious presence.

TRANSITION:

            The Transfiguration account is recorded by three out of the four Gospel writers: Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36.  The three accounts are almost exactly alike with just a few minor variations, which taken together, give us a very full understanding of what took place there that night.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 1: And He was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Kingdom of God after it has come with power.” 

• The chapter division at this point here in Mark is unfortunate because this verse is clearly the conclusion of the discourse recorded in the last 5 verses of chapter 8.  Moreover, we see from the next verse that there was a six-day interval between verse 1 and verse 2.  Matthew and Luke’s accounts both place it with the previous discourse.  And what was Jesus saying in those verses?  He was talking about what it means to be a true disciple of His, and the fact that the day would eventually come when His true glory and majesty would be revealed for all to see.  That statement in 8:38 leads directly to this one in 9:1 and they tie together.
• However, the content of this verse has confused many people over the years.  Some claim that Jesus was referring here to the future destruction of Jerusalem.  Others say that He was speaking of the beginning of the Church at Pentecost.  Still others believe that Jesus was speaking of the end of the age, when He will return to set up His Messianic Kingdom.
• But I don’t believe He was talking about any of those things.  Look again carefully at His words.  He is speaking of a soon occurring event that will obviously reveal the power of God’s Kingdom.  He says that some of those standing there that day would witness this demonstration of the power of God.
• So what was He referring to?  Here’s a hint: in all three Gospel accounts the thing that immediately follows these words is the Transfiguration in which Jesus revealed His glory.  I believe that He was referring specifically to this event, and apparently so did Matthew, Mark, & Luke.
• Moreover, Peter, who was one of those who was “standing there” referred to the Transfiguration using the very same words.  He writes in II Peter 1:16-18, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from Heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain.”  Indeed he was there.

Verse 2: And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves.  And He was transfigured before them; 

• “After six days” means six days after Jesus uttered the prophecy in verse 1.  And here, at least for the three disciples who witnessed it, was yet another fulfillment of what Jesus had said.  They got to see a foretaste of the glory that Christ had, and will have again in Heaven.
• Luke is the only one of the three Gospel writers to tell us when this event occurred.  In Luke 9:32 we read, “Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.”  From this we conclude that this all happened at night.
• Notice who was orchestrating this event—Jesus.  He chose Peter, James, and John.  He chose the place where this would occur.  He isolated them and prepared the scene by getting them alone.  But why didn’t He take all 12 disciples along?  I don’t know.  Several times He singled out these same three men for further training or instruction, perhaps because they were His key leaders and He knew that this experience would give them status in the eyes of their fellow disciples.  Or maybe out of the 12 they were the three who were most spiritually perceptive.  I don’t know.  Or perhaps is was because of the “3 witnesses” rule in Judaism, referred to in Matthew 18:16 quoting Deuteronomy 19:15 (see also Deut. 17:6), which states: “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” 
• “He took them to a high mountain.”  No one knows exactly where the Transfiguration occurred.  Some believe it happened on the slopes of Mt. Tabor.  Others think it occurred on one of the spurs of Mt. Hermon.  The mountainous area around Caesarea Philippi is the third, and perhaps the most likely possibility, given the fact that that’s where they were in chapter 8 (cf. 8:27).
• “He was transfigured before them.”  The Greek word used here is the verb form of the word used in the field of Biology to describe the process of transformation by which a worm turns into a butterfly.  We call that metamorphosis.  It means a radical change in the very essence of the creature in question, not merely a superficial change of outward appearance.  As the disciples watched Him Jesus changed before their very eyes.  In that moment Christ’s human body was glorified.  Everything about Him was suddenly different—His body, His hair, His clothing.  It is in this glorified body that He will one day come to set up His Kingdom.  The details of the change are given in the next verse.

Verse 3: and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 

• This Greek word metamorphóō is the same word used in II Corinthians 3:18, which says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”  Paul uses the same word in Romans 12:2 where he writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 
• Only a moment before His garments looked pretty much like everyone else’s clothes.  His robe was probably light brown or tan.  But now, suddenly, He is clothed in shining, dazzling white raiment, as white as snow.  But this wasn’t the most shocking thing.

Verse 4: And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were conversing with Jesus. 

• This verse has drawn much criticism.  Peter, James, and John could obviously just look up and see that there were two other men with Jesus, and that they all three glowed.  But how did they know who the two men were?  Well, perhaps they didn’t in that exact moment.  But remember, after this was over they talked these events over with Jesus.  Moreover, there may have been something in the way Moses and Elijah were dressed that gave away their identity.  Nevertheless, we know that they were indeed the two great men from the OT.
• Why Moses and Elijah, rather than, say, Joshua and Daniel?  That’s easy!  The Jews thought in terms of basically two categories of Holy Scripture: The Law, and The Prophets.  Moses was the famous Law Giver.  Elijah was the prince of the Prophets.  They were perhaps the two most respected men of Scripture.
• Luke 9:30-31 says, “And behold, two men were talking with Him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure [lit. exodus], which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”  So apparently Moses and Elijah were discussing with Jesus the events which would take place in Jerusalem a short time later, including His death, burial, and resurrection.  This should have proved to the disciples that the death of the Messiah was in no way incompatible with the Old Testament scriptures.
• Seeing Christ’s Transfiguration as a kind of preview of the Messianic Kingdom (cf. 16:28) the great Lewis Speery Chafer, in his fine commentary on this passage, points out that Moses (who had died and been buried by the hand of God – Deut. 34:5-6), and Elijah (who was taken to Heaven in a whirlwind without passing through death – II Kings 2:11) represent the two groups that Christ will some day bring with Him to establish His Kingdom: dead saints who are resurrected, and living saints who have been “translated.”  I don’t know if that’s why these two were chosen by the Father to come and comfort and encourage Jesus, but it’s an interesting theory.

Verses 5-6: And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.  Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  ⁶ (For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.) 

• Have you ever been so scared or so beside yourself that you lost track of what you were saying?  Have you ever been in a situation where you heard yourself saying stupid things but didn’t know how to shut off the flow?  I have.  And I have also been on the receiving end, when people in their desire to comfort me, said stupid stuff and made ridiculous comments.  It would have been far better and much more comforting if they had said nothing at all.  Here we see Peter “loosing it.”  He was beside himself because of what he had just witnessed.  He was, as my dad used to say, “running off at the mouth.”
• Peter offered to build three little shrines, one for Jesus and one for each of His heavenly visitors.  What was that about?  Poor old Peter was so shaken up that all he could think to do was to build a monument.  That’s what the Jews did whenever God did something amazing.  He parted the Red Sea so they built a monument.  He gave them the Law so they built a monument.  God led them across the Jordan so they built another monument.  It’s what they always did so that was the only thing Peter could think to do.  Interestingly, Jesus didn’t even comment on Peter’s offer.  He knew that Peter was beside himself.
• However, the show wasn’t over yet.  Just when they thought it couldn’t get any better, God Himself spoke to them in an audible voice.

Verse 7: Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is My beloved Son.  Listen to Him!” 

• Matthew’s account adds a couple of other little tidbits of information: “He [Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’  And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid.”
• Apparently Peter was cut off in mid-sentence by the cloud and the heavenly voice.  His voice was stopped by God’s voice.  But that’s how it is—when God speaks, everybody else shuts up.  Peter was just running off at the mouth, but God had something important to say.  I’m afraid that sometimes we are so busy speaking that we neglect to listen for His voice.
• This “cloud” was not some kind of fog or a mere rain cloud.  It was the Shekinah, the visible manifestation of God’s glory, which throughout the OT always marked the presence of God (cf. Exod. 13:21-22; 40:38; Num. 9:15; Psalm 99:7; Isa. 4:5; II Chronicles 7:1).

Verse 8: And all at once they looked around and saw no one with them any more, except Jesus only. 

• Can you picture this in your mind?  Only a second before they had witnessed Jesus and His two back-from-the-dead companions glowing in the dark amidst a heavenly radiance that defied description.  For Jews to be in the presence of Moses and Elijah would have been a breathtaking experience.  But now, to suddenly realize that Moses and Elijah were mere servants who had been sent from Heaven to minister to Jesus must have been mind-boggling.  This one with whom they had been living, eating, conversing, and traveling was far greater than the OT law-giver and the greatest of the prophets.  WOW!

Verses 9: As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead. 

• Matthew 17:9 is even clearer: “And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’”
• This is odd.  It was His idea to take them up on the mountain in the first place.  It was His choice to reveal Himself to them in that way.  So now why would He tell them that they have to be quiet about it and not tell anyone?  Can you imagine what a burden that put on those three men?
• Apparently this was in keeping with Jesus’ policy of restraint in order not to add fuel to the fire of the inaccurate and erroneous Messianic teachings that were already floating around and the possibility of the disciples inadvertently inciting a popular uprising.

Verse 10: And they seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what “rising from the dead” might mean. 

• In spite of their desire to run out and tell everyone what they had witnessed, from what we can tell, Peter, James, and John obeyed the Lord’s instruction.  Only after the resurrection did they share this story with the other disciples.  But it must have been a very difficult secret to keep.
• They didn’t understand the “why” behind His command but they obeyed Him, nevertheless.  There is a lesson here for us.  Obedience is based on trust, not on full disclosure.  Sometimes God does not tell us all the reasons for what He does, but by experience we have come to know and believe that His way is always the best way.
• But their vow of non-disclosure didn’t keep them from whispering to one another.  Jesus really confused them by His “rising from the dead” speech.  They didn’t know what to make of it.  They analyzed the words.  They parsed the sentence.  They studied the context and the syntax.  They tried to come up with theories of what He could possibly mean by those shocking words.  However, at this point in the story they still did not get the fact that He had come to die on the cross to save sinners.

CONCLUSION:
          I believe that this passage is holy ground. In it the veil between earth and Heaven is parted for an instant and we get a chance to see Jesus the way He will look when we next lay eyes on Him, in all His glory, surrounded by the hosts of Heaven. This is a foretaste of glory, a preview of coming attractions. It is similar to the experience of Moses on Mt. Sinai when the Lord allowed him to see just a glimpse of the Shekinah glory of Jehovah.
          Peter, James, and John were not participants in this story—they were there merely as witnesses. However, the day will come when we will indeed share in Christ’s glory because His Word promises that we too will be transformed, in the twinkling of an eye. We will all be changed, transformed; We will no longer be sinners but will indeed be saints. Our mortality will be changed into immortality. Everything will be made new. I John 3:2 puts it this way: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He [Christ] appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”

"Handlers of Truth" II Tim. 2:15 - (01/10/10)

"Handlers of Truth"

II Timothy 2:15

INTRODUCTION:

This morning our emphasis is on God’s amazing Book, the Holy Bible:

• The English word Bible comes from the Greek word, bíblos (βίβλος), which simply means, “book, or scroll.” But the Word of God is unlike any other book in all of history.
• It was written by more than 40 authors from many different walks of life – kings, rich men, poor men, fishermen, poets, government officials, teachers, and prophets.
• It was written in three languages – Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
• It was written on three continents – Asia, Africa, and Europe.
• Its writing spanned a period of over 1,600 years.
• It consists of 39 Old Testament books, plus 27 New Testament books, forming a collection of 66 books, that are really one united book.
• The Bible is the biggest “Best Seller” in history – over 6 billion copies have been printed worldwide.
• World sales of the Bible are more than 100 million copies every year.
• There are approximately 6,800 distinct languages in the world. The Bible has been translated (in whole or in part) into around 3,000 of those languages.
• Many people died translating it into the common tongues.
• Countless people have died protecting it.
• It is the most hated and most beloved book in all of history.

TRANSITION:

The Bible makes some audacious claims about itself, including that it was written by men under the direct control of God who guided them in writing the very words that perfectly reflect the heart and mind of God himself.

• II Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
• II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
• Hebrews 4:12 says of the Scriptures, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

But today I want us to concentrate on another familiar verse that speaks about the Scriptures, but with a different emphasis. If indeed the Scriptures are the God-breathed revelation of the Living God Himself as we believe, then what is our obligation to that revealed Word? What is incumbent upon us if that is true?

MAIN BODY:

Paul tells us in II Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of Truth.”


What do we mean by “accurately handling” the Word of God. Let me tell you a story that illustrates what it does NOT mean:

A man was looking for some specific guidance from God so he prayed and asked God to make his Bible open at the page He wanted him to read. So the man opened his Bible randomly and the first verse that his eyes met was II Corinthians 13:12. It said, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” A little discouraged he tried again, and this time he found himself at I Corinthians 14:39, “Do not forbid the use of tongues.” Somewhat confused yet undaunted and convinced he was on the right track, he tried again and the first verse he found was Matthew 27:5, “…he went away and hanged himself.” The very next verse “God led him to” was Luke 10:37, “... go thou and do likewise!”

Let me ask you, was that man “handling accurately” the Word of Truth? No! He was using the Bible like an Ouija Board or a deck of Tarot Cards. People twist and torture the Scriptures all the time to try and make it say what they want it to say, but that is not a legitimate way to handle the Word of Truth.

So let’s look at II Timothy 2:15 again to see what it really says:

“Be diligent”

• That means to spare no effort or expense. We are exhorted to put in the time and study of God’s Word necessary to understand it. See chapter 4 for the same expression used twice. In 4:9, “Make every effort to come to me soon.” In 4:21 Paul writes to Timothy, “Make every effort to come before winter.”

“…to present yourself”

• This is a military term meaning “to report for duty or inspection.” We need to take God’s Word seriously, like a soldier reading the orders from his general telling him to report for duty.

“…approved to God”

• Don’t kid yourself. God sees, He knows, and He weighs the thoughts and intentions of the heart. I don’t know about you but someday I want to hear His words, “Well done, Mike, good and faithful servant!”

“…as a workman”

• As Christ’s disciples we have a task to perform that requires effort. The Christian life is not a pony ride or a walk in the park. It is about working while there is yet time.

“…who does not need to be ashamed,”

• What are the kinds of things that make a workman feel ashamed?
• Getting caught being lazy
• Getting caught being dishonest, stealing, etc.
• Getting caught doing lousy work
• Getting caught bad-mouthing the boss

“…handling accurately”

• KJV says, “rightly dividing,” a phrase that is somewhat confusing but not inaccurate. The Greek word Paul uses here means to “cut straight.” It implies:
1. Exegeting God’s Word carefully— “What does it really say?”
2. Interpreting God’s Word correctly— “What does it really mean?”
3. Applying God’s Word honestly— “How does it apply to me?”

“…the Word of Truth.”

• Here Paul refers to the Bible, the Gospel, the Word of God, the Law of the Lord, etc.
• In John 17 Jesus prays to the Father on behalf of His disciples. In verse 17 He prays, “Sanctify them in the truth. Thy Word is truth.” There can be no better testimony than that of Jesus himself.

Many years ago, as recorded in John 18:38, Pontius Pilate posed the famous question, “What is truth?” The world asks the same question today in many different ways:

• Are there really such things as “right” and “wrong”?
• Does absolute truth exist?
• Whose truth sets the standard to follow? Mine? Yours? Some guru’s?
• Are there such things as absolutes, or is everything relative?

Jesus gives the answer to all these questions in John 14:6: Jesus said [to Thomas], “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” He was claiming to be the absolute embodiment of truth, as well as its final arbiter.

Pontius Pilate would have fit in well in America, 2010. He was very much like the majority of people around us.

• People in post-modern America are uncomfortable with the idea of absolute truth. In my opinion we Christians are largely to blame. We have waffled and blinked time and again when we should have stood firm on the truth.
• The American legal system with its horror stories about dirty attorneys, cops, and judges has left us somewhat jaded and disillusioned.
• The commonly held belief that we come from pond-scum has led to a devaluing of human life. But on the other hand, everyone is looking for self-esteem and meaning in life. You can’t have it both ways.
• Fetuses are just tissue with no soul, so it’s OK to “abort” them. But we will spare no effort to save a preemie. That is illogical. Yet when does the soul show up? Two minutes before birth?
• People are saying that homosexuality is just a perfectly normal alternative lifestyle and they add, “You have no right to judge me!”
• Our schools are teaching that there are no moral absolutes and we make our own truth. But then, what gives you the right to tell me I’m wrong to beat an old man to death with a tire iron and steal his spare change?

The world is confused and rightly so, because in too many churches the preachers in the pulpits and the Christians in the highways and byways are afraid to speak the truth for fear of offending anyone. The problem with that approach is that the Gospel and the Word of God are by nature, offensive. They present man as sinful and rotten to the core with no hope of salvation by his own efforts. Saying that tends to offend sinners. I would point out that Jesus offended sinners every time He opened His mouth. If we are faithful to the Word of God, we too will offend the world.

TRUTH is kind of like a tiger in a cage. A tiger can be gentle or it can be very rough. It can show love or it can kill. People feel uneasy around both tigers and truth because we can’t really control either one.

• We work with them
• We respect them
• We don’t abuse them
• We must not take them for granted

That is why Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:15 to “…speak the truth in love.” Truth needs to be handled lovingly, carefully, accurately, and precisely because it has the power both for great good and great harm. Just think of some of the expressions we commonly use:

• “The truth will come back to haunt you.”
• “The truth will out,” meaning that the truth will be told sooner or later.
• “Lies, like chickens, always come home to roost.”

The Word of God is TRUE. We need to love it, respect it, and work with it; but never take it for granted. To twist it or ignore it is very dangerous. Jesus is the embodiment of Truth: Truth Incarnate.

CONCLUSION:

The following by an unknown author is a fitting tribute to the Holy Bible.

“This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of Hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents. It is the Book of books—God’s Book—the revelation of God to man.” (Author unknown)

“Looking Back, Looking Ahead” - (12/27/09)

"Looking Back, Looking Ahead" - New Years Message

INTRODUCTION:

There are certain groups of people for whom periodic evaluation and/or retesting has been deemed to be very important:

• Commercial airline pilots – drug testing, med. exams, check flights, etc.
• Public school teachers – continuing education, yearly evaluations, etc.
• Police officers – weapons requalifying, yearly evaluations, etc.
• Fire fighters – regular testing, drug screenings, etc.

It is important too for Christians, as well as churches, to periodically pause to evaluate their spiritual health, their progress in maturity, and their effectiveness in the Lord’s service. The last week of December is a good time to do this, to stop and reflect back over the events of the year and make the necessary course adjustments in our personal lives and ministries. Like hikers on a mountain trail who not only look ahead but also stop and look back once in a while just to see where they have been, we too need to maintain a panoramic perspective. It is always good to keep checking your tracks to make sure you are covering fresh ground, not merely going in circles. We are constantly leaving footprints in the sands of time. A good tracker can tell a lot about an animal by the tracks it leaves – burdened, injured, its gender, age, size, weight, etc. Our tracks tell a story too.

The average American almost never pauses in his hectic schedule long enough to do any kind of personal inventory or self-evaluation. It is a fact that lots of people feel very threatened by introspective evaluation. We don’t want to look too closely at our lives because we are afraid we won’t like what we discover.

This is true of pastors and church leaders as well. All too often leaders are afraid of evaluation because we don’t want to face up to the fact that serious changes may be needed in the way we are going about things. Evaluation always implies that we will take necessary steps to correct the problems so that we can do better in the future. That involves risk and leaves us open to scrutiny and possible criticism, things that nobody likes.

TRANSITION:

Then, as if these roadblocks weren’t enough, there are always a few “Super-saint” types who claim that evaluation is the antithesis [the opposite] of grace. Their argument goes something like this: “We live under grace after all, not under the Law. The kind of personal evaluation you are proposing sounds like “bootstraps theology” to me, a doctrine of works. We just need to do our best and leave the results to God. He does not call us to be successful, only faithful. We are only responsible to plant seed and water it. The Lord is the One who brings in the harvest, after all. And Jesus Himself said that the wheat and tares would grow up together until the very end. I think we should leave the examining, evaluating, and judging to God.”

Now this kind of rhetoric sounds spiritual but, in fact, it doesn’t square with the teaching of Scripture. Evaluation does not stand in opposition to the grace of God. God’s Word clearly reveals that personal evaluation of our lives and ministries is both right and mandatory. In fact, even the great Socrates, though not a believer in the true God, saw the need for regular self-evaluation and mid-course corrections. He is reported to have stated: "The unexamined life is not worth living." I think he was correct.

MAIN BODY:

In II Corinthians 13:5 Paul writes, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” The implication is that it is better for us to test ourselves than to wait for someone else to do it. He goes on to say there should be no fear in doing this unless we indeed find that we are not in the faith. But in respect to eternity it is better that we find that out now while we can still do something about it rather than later.

In I Corinthians 11:26-28, in teaching about the importance of the Lord’s Supper, the apostle Paul makes it clear that we are to examine ourselves before we partake. Listen to his words: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” What does he mean by that? I believe he means that we are to make note of our attitudes, our overt sins and our sins of omission and then confess them to the Lord and receive forgiveness. This same examination or evaluation should lead us to make changes so that the problems do not continue or reoccur.

Brutal honesty in our self-evaluation is necessitated by the perversity of our natural state. We are sinners by nature as well as by choice, and the Bible says that we are rotten-to-the-core.

• Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it?”
• An old familiar hymn puts it this way: “Alas, and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die. Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” Worm Theology is not popular these days. By far and away modern people prefer “I’m OK, you’re OK Theology.”

Understanding this fact, Paul gives a warning in Galatians 6:1-4 in the context of talking about us helping another brother to escape from the entanglements of sin. He writes: “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work…” Paul is saying that each Christian is to carefully examine his own work in order not to be deceived about himself.

The OT has many passages that challenge us to put our own hearts to the test, to carefully weigh our motives.

• Lamentations 3:40, “Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord.”
• Proverbs 14:15, “The naïve person [lit. simple] believes everything, but the prudent man [i.e. wise] considers his steps.”  
• Revelation 2:4-5, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first."  

Self-evaluation is always to be done under God’s supervision. We are not capable of being totally objective, so we need His help.

• Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me. Test my mind [seat of our thoughts/intellect] and my heart [seat of our feelings/emotions].”
• Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in me; and lead me in the everlasting way" [i.e. the way of eternal, not temporal things].

The idea of all this is that a wise person will not only see the problems but do something about them (cf. James 1:21-27).

• Psalm 119:59, “I considered (= scrutinized) my ways, and turned my feet to Thy testimonies.” 

CONCLUSION:

Today, like Joshua and the Children of Israel, we stand on the edge of the Jordan of 2009 looking across to the Promised Land of 2010. We have come through many things in this past year. We can look back and, by our footprints, see where we have been.

For some of you this year has been the most difficult wilderness experience of your whole life. For others it has been a year of blessings and wonderful things. But hopefully, for all of us it has been a learning experience and an opportunity to sink our roots deeper into the grace and goodness of God and to grow in Christ.

If we insist on going blindly through life, bumping into things, and yet never stop long enough to examine what we keep bashing our shins on, then we are as ignorant as beasts and, moreover, doomed to continue being wounded time after time. This morning, on this the trailing edge of the year AD 2009, before moving into 2010, I am challenging all of us to invest the necessary time and energy to take a perhaps painful look at our lives and our relationship with the Lord to see whether or not things are truly in order. If we find that course adjustments are needed, then let’s covenant with God to claim His divine power to make the needed changes and get our spiritual, personal, family, and even financial life back on the right track headed in the right direction.

[Note: Following is a self-evaluation tool that we used yesterday, allowing 10-12 minutes for people to work on it just before the close of the service with a plea to complete it later at home. I hope that you, too, find it helpful.]

Personal Spiritual Inventory

Take a few moments to pray before you write anything.  Ask God to clearly show you areas of your life where changes are needed.  Then please respond honestly to the following questions.  I highly suggest that you write out your answers because it will help you organize your thoughts.

1. Why do we always feel so reluctant to evaluate our personal and spiritual lives?
______________________________________________________________________

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2. Are there certain sins in your life that you commit regularly or habitually, sins that perhaps you have tried to excuse or shrug off saying, “That’s just the way I am”? [Name them one by one]

• _________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________

3. Has the Holy Spirit been convicting you about these things?  Do you know for a fact that God wants you to repent of them and to turn them over to Him to receive His forgiveness and cleansing?

Yes    No    I’m not sure  (Circle one)

4. What are the factors that have been holding you back from being fully surrendered to God in these areas of weakness and defeat?  [Be specific] _______________________________________________________________________
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5. Are you now ready to turn these areas completely over to the Lord and ask Him to give you complete victory over the sins which have been robbing you of joy and side-tracking you in your service for Him?  If so, then write out your prayer to the Lord, confessing these things as sin, committing them to Him once and for all, claiming His promises of complete forgiveness and of His divine enabling, so that you can finally begin to walk in victory rather than in defeat.

“Dear Lord Jesus…

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"The LOVE That Surrounds Us" - (12/20/09)

NOTE: I preached this message back in December of 2002. I'm including it here in order to complete this series on the four great themes of Advent; namely, HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE. Rather than me give the Christmas Sunday message this year as I usually do, I asked three of our elders to team-preach the message, which we entitled, “Three Faces of LOVE.”  They did a great job but their comments were not manuscripted so it makes it hard to share them with you. Instead, I'm giving you this blast from the past. Have a blessed Christmas.

INTRODUCTION:

Christmas is a season when we talk a lot about love. The jewelry stores play on this theme to try and get us to buy diamonds for our sweethearts. The car companies show loving people giving new cars as gifts, all wrapped up with a big bow, sitting in the driveway. We think to ourselves, “Wouldn’t that be a wonderful loving gift to give? Surely a new Lexus or a $10,000 diamond tennis bracelet says “I LOVE YOU” loud and clear.

TRANSITION:

However, the greatest expression of genuine love at Christmas time is not seen in the gifts we give to one another, no matter their dollar value, but rather in the gift that God Himself gave to the whole world. John 3:16 tells us of this marvelous love. It says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” The Apostle Paul, speaking of this love says in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

We notice in both of these verses that the love God felt toward us led Him to do something. True love always acts in loving ways. It manifests itself in loving behaviors and practical help. God so loved…that He gave! God so loved…that He offered up Christ as the sin sacrifice to demonstrate His love for us!

Christmas LOVE is all about how God came down to earth in the person of Christ to live a sinless life among us and go to the cross to take upon Himself the punishment for our sins, trespasses, and iniquities. This Christmas LOVE is real! It surrounds us!

MAIN BODY:

In old cowboy movies or war movies we often hear someone say, “They’ve got us surrounded!” But being surrounded isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It depends on what you are surrounded by.

1. AIR surrounds us right now, and I’m kind of glad for that fact. We can’t see it but we know it’s here because we can breath. We really only notice air when we aren’t getting enough of it.
2. WATER surrounds the fish. They probably don’t spend a lot of time analyzing the water but without it they would be in a world of hurt.
3. SOUND WAVES surround us. We are constantly walking through a stew of different kinds of electromagnetic signals including AM and FM radio signals, cell phone transmissions, TV broadcasts, CB and Ham radio, etc. Those signals are all around us but we don’t hear them unless we have a special tuner.
4. LIGHT surrounds us as well. Light, like sound, travels in waves. Alpha and gamma rays, infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light rays constantly bombard us. Light is all around us, even on the darkest night. Even when we can’t see it.
5. TEMPERATURE surrounds us as well. In our bodies we register heat and cold as physical sensations. In reality, from the standpoint of physics, temperature is just an index of how actively the molecules that touch our skin are vibrating. At –273.15 degrees Centigrade all molecular vibration ceases and thus no heat is present. This is referred to as Absolute Zero on the Kelvin scale.

These are all things that surround us but they are also things that sustain us. We cannot live without any of them. Without air we would quickly suffocate. Without sound waves we would languish in a totally silent world. Without light we would not only be blind but would soon die. Without heat our bodies would soon stiffen and freeze.

In the same way, without the love of God, which surrounds us, we could not survive. It is by God’s love and grace that we even possess life in the first place. It is His amazing grace that provides every breath we inhale and every beat of our heart.

It is also equally true that not all men acknowledge God or His good and gracious gifts. Many people are not even aware that God truly loves them and that He genuinely cares what happens to them. Yet the God of the Bible is a loving, merciful God who is constantly reaching out toward us lost sinners, even though we certainly do not merit such love.
Psalm 139 records David’s thoughts concerning the love of God that surrounded him: O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You… [Verse 23 continues...] Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David recognized that he was surrounded by God’s presence and that God had detailed, intimate knowledge of him. Yet that fact did not cause him fear, but rather was a source of comfort because he had a loving, intimate relationship with God.

In Psalm 34:7, speaking out of his own personal experience of witnessing God miraculously deliver him from the hands of his enemies, David states, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [God], and rescues them.” It is obvious that David was overjoyed by the fact that God’s loving care surrounded him.

One other passage from the Psalms comes to my mind. Psalm 125 is a Song of Praise that was traditionally sung by the Israelites as they journeyed toward Jerusalem for the holy festivals, such as the Day of Atonement and Pentecost. The first two verses say, “Those who trust in the Lord [Yahweh] are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord [Yahweh] surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” Again, to be surrounded by God is clearly seen as a very good thing, because God loves His people.

The only people who hate the idea of being constantly under God’s gaze are those who are in rebellion against Him. Sinners always seek out the darkness in order to not be noticed by Him. But, of course, we know that doesn’t work. No one can hide from God. He is all around us just like the air we breathe. He knows our every thought. He sees our every action. Yet, He loves us in spite of all that. How amazing!

My favorite Bible passage about the love of God is found in Romans 8:35-39. Listen to this: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” These words tell me that the love of God surrounds me in such a way that nothing can ever remove me from His presence and His tender care.

CONCLUSION:

Love is one of the central themes of Christmas. It was love that sent God Himself to earth to be born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem and to live among us as one of us, and then to die for all of us at Calvary. It was God’s love for you and me that caused Him to choose to redeem us rather than simply condemn us. Had He chosen to send the whole human race to hell He would have still been good, and just, and holy. However, He is also merciful. He chose not to give us what we deserve but rather to offer us what we could never merit – grace, and mercy, and a way to come to Him through the cross.

Today, if you don’t know the Savior in a personal way, if you have never turned your heart and life over to Him, I plead with you to do it today. Confess to Him that you are a sinner. Ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you completely. Lay your life in His nail-scarred hands and then release it to Him once and for all. Trust Him today. Let His love not only surround you, but fill you as well. That is the Christmas gift Jesus came to give to you.

"The JOY That Satisfies Us" - (12/13/09)

Note: This is the sermon I was planning to give this past Sunday but we had a change of plans and ended up doing a combined service with the Korean church that meets in our facilities. Pr. Ken Cho gave a fine message but I don't have his manuscript or notes so I'll include this message as a continuation of the Advent Series. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful and encouraging.
 

INTRODUCTION:

We read in Luke 2:8-11: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'”

Notice the 4 main points of the angel’s message:

1. Good News = “Gospel”
2. Great joy = unbounded and glorious
3. For all people = universal, not just for a few
4. A Savior = not merely a mentor

TRANSITION:

Today I want to talk about the things in life that can truly satisfy the human heart, the things that bring genuine joy. For you see, joy goes way beyond mere happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances. But joy can be present and abounding even in the midst of pain, sorrow, and isolation. Happiness, like water, quickly evaporates when the heat is turned up. Yet real joy, like gold in a fire, endures even when times get hard. Happiness is experienced by practically everyone. Genuine joy is a gift from God that unbelievers do not possess.

MAIN BODY:

The Bible has much to teach us about the kind of joy that really satisfies. Moreover, Christian music is filled with references to joy and rejoicing. God’s people discovered long ago the truth expressed by the prophet Nehemiah in Neh. 8:10, “The joy of the LORD is our strength.” It has been that joy that has seen Christians through fiery trials of every sort and description.

In the OT ten different Hebrew terms express the various facets of the word “joy.” In fact, no other language has as many synonyms for joy and rejoicing as Hebrew. One of the most common of these words is gil, which also serves as the root for several of the other words. It means to leap, or spin around with pleasure. It is beautifully illustrated by the story of King David in II Samuel 6:12-16 when he danced with joyful abandon before the Ark of the Covenant as it was carried to Jerusalem through the streets of the city. The most common word for joy in the NT is cara. Closely related to it is the verb chairo, which means, “to rejoice.” Both of these words are found extensively throughout the New Testament.

The concepts tied up in the word joy seem to fall into several distinct categories. These are sometimes summed up by theologians as “natural joy,” or the human side of joy.

• When joy is moderate it is often called gladness. 
• When it is intense it is called exultation or transport. 
• When it is tied to possessions it is termed contentment. 
• When it relates to high desires accomplished it is satisfaction. 
• When it refers to vanquished opposition it is called triumph. 
• When it has permeated into the character we call it cheerfulness.

However, there is another side to joy and that is the spiritual side. The NT regards joy as essentially a divine gift. In Galatians 5:22 joy is listed as a “fruit of the Spirit.” Philippians 1:25 declares it to be a result of faith. Pure joy is joy in God, as both its source and object. Did you get that? It means that God is not only the Giver of joy, but also the One in whom we take the greatest joy. David in Psalm 43:4 says it beautifully, “I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.”

Our God is a God of joy. Psalm 104:31 tells us that He Himself rejoices in His own works. As He viewed His finished creation He said, “It is very good!” You can hear resounding joy in those words.

Believers also find great joy in the promises of God’s Word. In Psalm 19 David says that the Word of God is sweeter to him than honey and more desirable than fine gold. This is the testimony of countless Christians down through the centuries. In John 15 Jesus shared with His disciples the Good News of God’s salvation and then He said in verse 11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Two chapters later in His prayer recorded in John 17 He said to the Father in verse 13, “But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in themselves.”

As I stated earlier, as a gift of God, joy is unknown to the world, but paradoxically the believer may rejoice in afflictions and sufferings with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Look at Acts 5 for example. Verse 40 says, “And they [the elders of the Sanhedrin] took Gamaliel’s advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

The world cannot comprehend this kind of joy. Obviously no one in his right mind would be happy about being beaten half to death. Paul was no masochist and he is not saying that they were happy to be hurt, but in II Cor. 6:10 he describes their sentiments as “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.”

Some of my favorite verses about joy are found in the book of I Peter and they are all in the context of Christians suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

• I Peter 4:12-14 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
• I Peter 1:3-8 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

CONCLUSION:

Let me ask you today --- have you ever experienced this kind of inexpressible and glorious joy? Would you like to? In Luke 2:10 the angel of the Lord told the shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

• Great joy is not found in Christmas shopping
• Great joy is not found in family gatherings
• Great joy is not found in receiving more presents
• Great joy is not found in cultural and religious holiday traditions
• GREAT JOY COMES FROM KNOWING JESUS!!!

That joy is for all the people, including you! And it is all tied up in the Good News about a Savior who came to be born, to live, to die, and to rise again from the tomb, ALL FOR YOU! Won’t you invite Him into your heart today?

"PEACE That the World Can't Give or Take Away" - (12/06/09)

INTRODUCTION:

Have you notice? The Christmas season is a time when there is always renewed interest in the subject of angels due to the role they play in the Christmas story.

• You see them on decorations, pictures, nativity scenes, etc.
• Decorations in the malls
• Books by wacko New-Age groupies about their “guardian angels”
• Usually depicted as beautiful, blond female angels, or winged-babies

TRANSITION:

The first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke record some of the most remarkable encounters between angels and humans, all having to do with the birth of the Lord Jesus.

• Gabriel with Zacharias, announcing the birth of John
• Gabriel and Mary, announcing the birth of Jesus
• The angelic host and the shepherds out in the fields

It is especially this last encounter that we want to focus on today. Let’s read this familiar passage once again. It is found in Luke 2:6-15.

While they were there, the time came for the Baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” [lit. “of (His) good pleasure.”]. 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

MAIN BODY:

This morning I want to focus on basically one word from Luke 2:14, the word “PEACE.” The Greek word for peace is “eirêne.” It gives us the female name, Irene. It is used approximately 100 times in the N.T. and is a very important word. It has various shades of meaning. It often is used to simply mean the cessation of hostilities, the opposite of war. But it also carries the idea of harmony and order. It corresponds directly to the Hebrew word “Shalom” which means not only peace, but health and welfare also. To pronounce a blessing of Eirêne or Shalom on a person, a family, or a home includes all of these things.
But where is this peace to be found? What is its source? Where can we get it? These are the questions we want to examine today.

I. God is the AUTHOR of peace. — He is the architect, source, and supplier.

• Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” 
• II Corinthians 13:11 – “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 

II. God is the INITIATOR of peace with men. — He chose to make peace with us, even though we are sinners by nature and by choice, and have been in rebellion against Him since the Garden.

• John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
• Romans 5:1, 8 – “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• II Corinthians 5:18-19 - “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 
• I Peter 3:18 – “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 

III. God is the GIVER of peace. — It is His gift to those who belong to Him.

• Isaiah 26:3-4 – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed [steadfast] on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. Trust in the LORD forever, for YAHWEH, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” 
• Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” 
• Psalm 4:8 - “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” 
• Psalm 29:11 – “The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.” 
• John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 
• John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 
• Philippians 4:4-7 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

In this last passage the Greek word translated “guard,” or “keep” in the KJV, is a fascinating word. It is the word “phrouréo.” If you look it up in a Greek dictionary you will find that it is a military term, which means “to keep by guarding, to keep under guard, as with a garrison.” It is used of blocking up every way of escape, as in a siege. And it is also used of providing protection against the enemy, as a garrison does.

The peace of God puts a strong wall of protection around out heart, which is the center of our emotions, and around our mind, which is the place from which our thoughts come. God’s peace is like a 24-7 armed guard over the two things that Satan uses to frighten us and rob us of peace and joy.

CONCLUSION:

Do you have this peace in your life today? Have you asked the Prince of Peace to come in and be your Savior and Lord? With the world in constant uproar with wars and rumors of wars, I pity anyone who does not know Christ in a personal way. Knowing about Him is good — it’s the starting place. But actually knowing Him is something else altogether. If all you have this Christmas is the story of Baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, then you don’t have the package. The whole reason He came was to finally go to the Cross to pay the price for your sin, and mine. Won’t you open your heart to Him right now, and ask Him to forgive you and save you and abide in you forever?

One of the sad things in the Christmas story is the fact that Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn. If the people of Bethlehem had only understood who He was and the incredible miracle of that night, that “unto you is born a Savior”, every door in the city would have been open to Him. Unfortunately, people were so caught up in their own lives that they failed to see and understand what was happening. The same thing happens now every day. When Jesus knocks at the door of people’s hearts they are often too busy to hear, or too cold-hearted to answer the door. They simply hang out their sign which reads, “Do not disturb! No room in the Inn!” I hope you won’t do that. I hope you will hang out a big “WELCOME” sign and invite Him in today.