September 17

Isaiah 25-28

Galatians 3

Psalm 61

Proverbs 23:17:18

But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law."    

~ Galatians 3:10

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.

~ Galatians 3:13

When I read Galatians 3:10 today, it stopped me in my tracks. Those who depend on the law to save them are cursed because they cannot possibly keep the entire law and all who do not keep the entire law are cursed. I realize that this is what I do. I know it in my mind that I cannot achieve righteousness by my own actions. I know this is impossible. I know that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. But is this how I live my life? Why, then, do I focus so much on making sure everything I do is right and correct? Why do I feel so guilty and defeated when I screw up? Why to I feel as though God will love me less if I don't do everything perfectly?

If I depend on the law to save me, then I am indeed cursed. I choose to live a life where I am in constant anxiety of being good enough, while knowing full well that I can't ever be good enough.

The solution to this problem is in verse 13: Christ rescued us from the curse by placing it on himself. He already paid the price for my inability to keep the law, so I need to stopped acting like I can earn or lose favor with God based my actions.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that I will stop acting as though Your love is not a given. I pray that I will have confidence knowing that You made it possible for me to share in Your righteous because of what Your Son Jesus did on the cross. I pray that I will live in peace knowing that there is nothing I can do to lose favor with You. I pray that I will put my hope and my trust in Your love and Your promises. I pray that all the people who read Galatians 3 today who maybe struggling with the same thing will experience freedom knowing that You rescued us from the curse of sin and death. Thank You for all that You've done and thank You for all the You will in us. Amen.

Monday BlogPost (9/16/13)

Monday, September 16, 2013 [A New Normal]

Galatians 2:17 – 3:9

 

I was very reflective yesterday after the message and this morning as I read the Scriptures.  I have been thinking and thinking about the "turning points" that Pastor Scott mentioned yesterday and how in a moment life can change and a new normal is birthed.  One example is the morning of my wedding.  One minute I was a single guy (an "I") and the next minute I was married (an "us").  It was a glorious day, the honeymoon was amazing, and about a week later I woke up one morning and realized the new normal – "I" had become an "us"!  There was another person to think about, to care for, to make decisions with, etc.  I wasn't prepared for this step – I was too used to only having to think of ME.  Now, I was going to have to pick up my underwear and leave the toilet seat down (among other things).  Everything was changing. I had to begin to think of how who I was and what I did would affect US.  My life as a single guy…died.  (Glory to God!!)  This was one of the great turning points in my life.

 

"I have been crucified WITH Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  Paul is trying to persuade Jewish Christians in this particular community to no longer enforce the ritual of circumcision on new Gentile believers.  These Jewish believers were forcing their traditions on people who simply wanted Jesus. They were having a hard time letting go of their old life and ways.  I've been there before…many of us have…most of us still are, in one way or another.  The old ways are comfortable and familiar.  The question that we have to ask ourselves is this:  how is the old way working out for you?  Is it making you better or bitter?  Are you growing or are you groaning?  Is your life stellar or stagnant?

 

"Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Gal. 3:6).  The way to align our lives with God is through faith, an active faith.  Abraham believed God to the point of leaving his peaceful homeland and traveling to an area where life would be difficult.  This was a place where Abraham would have to trust God for everything.  This is where God is calling us.  It's a new normal, a life of faith.  To get there we have to "die" to the old ways.  Holding on to the old ways is NOT faith in Jesus.  And, if it's not faith in Jesus, then what is it?

 

Lord God, every day and every moment of life that You give to us offers us an opportunity for a turning point.  Help us to turn in the right direction.

 

--

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)

Kenny Sullivan

(201) 218-0751

שלום

September 15

September 15, 2013

Galatians 2:20   I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

     During my freshman year at college I joined a fraternity. I joined Lambda Chi Alpha because it was the best party frat on campus. It lived up to its reputation and by the end of my first year I ended up on academic probation. Two weeks later I placed my faith in Jesus Christ. That summer I started the process of growing in my new-found faith. As the summer came to a close I remembered that I was moving into the frat house in a few weeks. The thought sent a cold tingle up my spine. One Christian in the midst of 24 party animals - I didn't have a chance of survival. This was almost the equivalent of Daniel going into the lion's den. What was I going to do? What I did was to make a big mistake.

     I decided to save my life and my reputation. I didn't want to be known as a Jesus freak and I didn't really know what to say. So I went back to the fraternity as a silent witness for Jesus. After 6 weeks of not getting high or engaging in the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night parties, the brothers started to become a bit nervous. Rumor was I had become a NARC.

     Finally they cornered me in the living room of the house and demanded that I tell them what had happened to me. The Lord graciously allowed me the opportunity to share with them for several hours the change Jesus had made in my life.

     The mistake I made was a common one but you can learn from it.  I was trying to save my life. The gospel tells me I must do just the opposite; I must lose it.

     When the Scripture says, "I have been crucified with Christ" it means we have already died. We are dead men on furlough. Here in the USA our fear is not physical death but a social one. We are afraid of rejection.  

The only way to overcome that fear is by love. We must believe that people's souls are in grave danger. They desperately need to hear the message we have. And because we love these people we will risk everything to tell them the truth. Love is the only motivation strong enough to overcome fear.

     So learn the lesson of one foolish freshman. There is great freedom when we lose our lives for the gospel. When we lose our lives we will actually find that we gain great freedom. Share the love of God boldly and freely with people today. You have nothing to lose.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Sep 14 - Whose approval do I seek?

Is 15:1-18:7

Gal 1:1-24

Ps 58:1-11

Pro 23:12

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

I admit it - after having given my life to God, after having experienced Him in my life, and having spoken about Him thrice before our congregation, I still try to please people, which confirms I am still not a servant of Christ.  It used to be easy to see how I was trying to please people - when I was single, trying to impress the girls; when I was in school, trying to look sharp for the teachers; when first in a tie after graduation, trying to win the approval of potential employers.  While I find I still care what my employer thinks of my work, I realize that isn't really where the problem is.  It is with where my heart is, and as a parent, my heart is now with my children, and their future.  And there is where I realize I am still most vulnerable to the allure of the world: because I believe the world appreciates and rewards certain types of people, I want them to work hard in school so they can get into a good college; I worry about their SATs and their grades, their extracurriculars and their social lives.  I want them to get into a good college, so they can find a good job, hopefully enjoy a life of abundance.  What could be wrong with any of that?  After all, none of this is for me, right?  

Leaving aside Pastor Scott's sermon last Sunday about how Solomon had tried it all, and found a life apart from God meaningless, upon reflection I realize that, regardless of my motivation, there is a lot that is seriously wrong with this thinking, not just for myself, but for my kids as well.  First, I am aspiring to this for my children pretending I know what the future holds for them, and where their happiness might lie.  I act as though my life experiences and my aspirations (which have often enough been cause for misery - both my own and my family's) give me the power to predict the future.  The truth is, the only thing certain about this course of action for my children is it is bound to be wrong, bound to cause them sadness and pain.  Besides the impact this might have on my children, I am collateral damage, because even without knowing it, I have continued to embrace what the world wants, to the detriment of my relationship with God.

So if after 47 years, many of them after I'd given my life to God, I still don't get it, what is one to do?  Thankfully, we have a patient and instructive God...and we can take heart in today's proverb: Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  

God, I confess I still do NOT get it, and I continue to find myself swept up by what the world values.  Teach me, teach my wife and my children to recognize when we are trying to please people, and give a hunger only to serve You.

9/13/13

9/13/13

I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that next time I will not spare them. I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God's power. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. (2 Corinthians 13:2-6 NLT)

Deal with it.
I think this is a good warning for Churches everywhere. Their sins had been pointed out to them, yet no change. They weren't becoming more righteous, they were wallowing in their sins. Paul was an agent of change. But in fact, it was Christ that was that agent. Paul was pleading for them to deal with it, to take care of it on their own. Now we don't know the outcome in Corinth, but we have a pretty clear vision of what we need to do, and what they needed to do. Self examination is key to our success in cleaning up our lives. The truth is, if we look close enough, if we really look at ourselves in the mirror, there is plenty to work on. The point is, we need to work on it, not just wallow in it. We cannot defeat sin if we are not intentional. We need to be intentional.

Sent from my iPad

Thursday, September 12

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Isaiah 10:1–11:16

2 Corinthians 12:11–21

Psalm 56:1–13

Proverbs 23:6–8

 

 

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

    and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

    or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt

    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,

    the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling  together;

    and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,

    their young will lie down together,

    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy

    on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

    as the waters cover the sea.”

(Isaiah 11:1–9)

 

 

In Thursday’s reading, we encountered further Messianic prophecy in Isaiah.  These encouraging words speak of a coming Kingdom, whose fulfillment would come both in the first earthly coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and more fully in the Second Coming, with its attendant restoration.

 

As believers, we may rejoice in what God has already accomplished in Christ, revealing once-veiled mysteries and unlocking the promise of salvation through a humble trust in the Risen Jesus.  Yet, we also hope – not a flimsy fantasy, but a grounded assurance – that the further promises of the full-fledged Kingdom will bear fruit in the Second Coming.

 

Paul writes in Romans 8:18–24 about the creation’s longing for this entire fulfillment:

 

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

 

 

As with the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:10,11, we recognize that the contrast between the decaying world (entropy) and the eternal hunger within the human heart (eternity) – and the ultimate pain it causes.  May we who have received the Good News of Christ’s coming rejoice but also continue to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

 

Lord, we pray for pure hearts.  Help us to rejoice in Your goodness and to look warily towards the lying spirits of this world and the evil kingdom.  Give us wisdom from Your Holy Spirit to discern truth from lie.  Bring hope to those who suffer and mourn today:  a vision of Your present and coming glory.  Pour into us Your comfort that we may comfort those who are hurting.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS

September 10

Isaiah 6-7

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Psalm 54:1-7

Proverbs 23:1-3

Isaiah 7:6-9

"Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"

Ahaz was king of Judah and he was afraid. Israel and Aram were joining forces with the intention of attacking Jerusalem. Isaiah was sent by God to comfort Ahaz, saying that He would not allow this to happen. These nations of Israel and Aram were ruled by kings who were merely human and they were not as powerful as they thought they were. In verse 4, God referred to them as "smoldering stubs of firewood." That doesn't sound too threatening, does it? Smoldering firewood compared to the Creator of the universe? I don't think so.

I found it interesting that God pointed out how weak these kings were and that was the reason that Ahaz shouldn't fear them. Then Isaiah gave a sign of the coming Immanuel, God With Us, the Messiah, Jesus. With Immanuel on your side, there will never be anything to fear. Immanuel is the King of kings. If Ahaz was not to fear Israel and Aram because their kings were weak, then how was he suppose to view Immanuel? With awe and reverence and trust. Even when there are armies against you, look to the One is more powerful and the One who is on your side.