Sermon Select
If Christ Is Not Raised… We’re in Big Trouble! 4/11/99
I Corinthians 15:12-14
Jesus Christ’s resurrection is foundational to Christianity. It is the distinguishing feature that defines it from all other faiths on earth.
Those who knew and walked with our Lord had failed to understand His references to His resurrection when He walked with them. Before we fault them remember such a concept was foreign to human experience. The idea was alien to all reality.
Mary Magdalene was the first follower to see the open tomb. She interpreted it as a final insult and injury. To her it meant not had they crucified Christ, but now someone had stolen His body. She sprinted back to tell the disciples. From what was she running? Was it fear of further failure by the crucified Christ? The first persons she encountered were Peter and John. Her report was of a stolen corpse. She had no concept of a resurrection.
Peter and John ran to the empty tomb. Toward what were they running? Did evidence of a dead friend being further disgraced await? Their disbelief was confronted with the angels message: “Why seek you the living among the dead, He is not here, He is risen as He said.”
RADICAL! A dead man lives … resurrected! REVOLUTIONARY!
Such had never happened and if a thing hasn’t happened we normally think it can’t happen. For a thing to be real we feel it must be in our experience. That is ridiculous. However, for that reason some of our contemporaries thought men didn’t really go to the moon. It never having happened it was assumed it didn’t happen. It did!
No person having been resurrected it was not even imagined it could happen. It did!
Could all the heavenly bodies in the universe speak they would declare this planet has one feature unique in all creation. It would not be our atmosphere, or our hydrological system. The distinctive feature of planet earth is an empty grave in Judea.
Facts related to the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ were so abundant tens of thousands believed at once. To them it was the defining feature of His life. However, what many refused to believe was that all who believe in Him will someday also be resurrected. The idea of resurrection was not a common one.
I. RETROSPECTIVE REALITY
Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection was a reality in conflict with normalcy. Not only was resurrection unheard of it was considered undesirable by many. For this reason Paul wrote I Corinthians 15.
Paul had previously preached of the resurrection of the dead in Corinth. They reacted with ridicule. Acts 17:32 “when they heard Paul speak about a raising from death, some of them made fun of him…” They did not believe this new truth. Why? Because they did not want to believe.
Greek culture of the period was dualistic. They believed in eternal forces of good and evil. To them the spiritual was the good side. The material was the bad side.
They believed the human spirit would go to heaven; but not the body. In their thinking they separated their body from their spirit. They believed that what they did with their body was not related to their spirit. Two schools of thought regarding the body developed:
HEDONISTIC – indulgence in sensual desires. Our current society has become a hedonistic society. “What’s in it for me” is the prevailing philosophy. Feeling good has become an end in itself. Feel-good Christianity is the churches way of identifying with the world. Feeling good is good but it is a by- product of a consistent Christian lifestyle, not an end in itself.
In Celicia there is a statue of a man snapping his fingers with the inscription: “Eat, drink, and play for all the rest is not worth this.” Though an ancient statue it might well replace our Statue of Liberty as a statue of liberality.
Because of the subtle but strong appeal of hedonism commitment is needed. Discipline your schedule, select friends carefully, and avoid improper influences. A tiger that lurks in the shadows and sun of the jungle has alternate stripes to conceal its presence. A polar bear is snow white to blend with his environment. A flounder takes on the color of the mud in which it lives. We tend to adapt to our environment also.
Sir Thomas Lawrence, artist and president of the Royal Academy of Arts advised a promising young artist to get all tasteless and crude Flemish art out of his studio lest his eyes become accustomed to it and his work be influenced by it. We too need to get out of the studio of our lives those things which if we become accustomed to them we will adjust to their standards.
ASCETIC – denying the body normal comforts. New groups emerge regularly professing virtue in self- denial. A current one now attracting adherents is known as “the Brethren.” Their same philosophy and tactics a few years ago was known as “the Way,” before them it was “the Children of God.” The name keeps changing the beliefs and methods remain the same.
Both hedonists and ascetics were happy to think of death as finally freeing them from the body.
We are free from the body but shall one day be resurrected in a perfect body.
A dad was walking along the beach with his little child when they happened upon a dead sea gull. The child asked, “What happened to him?” The dad said, “He died and went up to heaven.” The puzzled child inquired, “Why did God throw him back down here?”
News of a resurrected body to people who had such beliefs wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They resented it.
I Cor. 15: 23, 25 speaks of the phases of the resurrection.
A. Resurrection of Believers (Three phases).
1. Christ’s resurrection described in Matthew 27: 51, 53. This is perhaps one of the most unknown aspects of events associated with the resurrection of Christ.
“and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27: 52, 53).
2. The second part will take place “at the time of His coming.” This, called the rapture of the church, is described in I Cor. 15: 51, 52. I Thessalonians also speaks of this.
3. The third part will occur after Christ’s 1000 year reign on earth called the millennium. This is when Christ “will hand over the kingdom of God the Father.” I Cor. 15:24.
B. Resurrection of Unbelievers
These three speak of a “resurrection of life.” John 5: 29 speaks of a “resurrection of judgement.”
II. REFLECTIVE REASONING I COR. 1: 14-19
Summarily the Scripture notes what life without the resurrection would be like.
Paul, who as the representative of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the era, put together the most comprehensive file on the resurrection conceivable. Knowing it to be a reality he nevertheless lists what it would be like if it were not true.
I Corinthians 15: 14 – 19:
Our preaching is in vain. It is empty.
We are false witnesses, liars.
Our faith is futile —- groundless, with basis.
We are still in our sins.
Our deceased loved ones have perished; dead and gone.
We have no hope.
We are of all people most pitiable; unhappy beyond words.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was radical. It resulted and results in dramatic transitions in lives.
Today, unlike believers of that day, people want to keep the shell of Christianity and discard the heart and soul. A faith is sought that makes us feel good, deal better with the stresses of life, and assure financial prosperity. Unfortunately many seem to think Christianity is merely an additive to life like herbal tea in the morning, or air-bags on a car, or anti-oxidants and beta carotene to ones diet, or a higher speed modem for your computer.
Feel-good faith doesn’t inspire radical change, the resurrection does.
III. PROSPECTIVE RESULTS
Scripture doesn’t promise that the Christian faith will make us better adjusted or sanitized or spiritualized. He says we shall be changed. The resurrection is world shaking reality. It demands a look at life that is completely different.
The results are noted in I Corinthians 15: 58
A. Consistent. Be ye steadfast = “from now unto death be and remain steadfast.”
Paul, the prototype of a skeptic set out to discredit reports of the resurrection, became its chief exponent, and was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write most of the New Testament.
Because of the resurrected Christ hope is alive. Hope has sustained many in hopeless conditions.
In 1838 and 1839 Native Americans were moved from this area. The event not unlike what is happening in Kosovo today was brutal, the people hopeless. The movement from these beautiful mountains to land unwanted by the white man is known as “The Trail of Tears.” We have lost our sense of history regarding this event. The Cherokee had lived, hunted, fished, and worshiped according to “The Way.”
John Ross was among those leading the way from these mountains. The red men walked with soldiers flanking them on either side and the rear. Native Americans, male and female, were spoken of in that day simply as “the red man.” The “red man” walked with his eyes up and his gaze straight ahead. He looked to neither side of the trail along which mockers sneered and laughed. The “red man” did not laugh. He kept his eyes straight ahead.
Empty wagons followed. The “red man” had too much dignity and pride to ride in the “white man’s” wagons. With dignity he walked.
Along the long trail hunger and disease began to weaken some of the tribe. Some were lame, sickly, old, and others with child. For a while the soldiers let them bury their dead every day. Soon it was felt this was too time consuming so they allowed burial only every third day. When a child died its mother carried it till time of burial. When a wife died the husband carried her for up to three days before burial.
The people who stood along the trail and the soldiers stopped laughing. Even they began to cry. The “red man” never cried. He never rode in the white man’s wagons. He kept his head up and his eyes straight ahead.
You can take away a person’s land but not his hope.
Secular historians dare not tell this part of the story. By the time the trail ended in Oklahoma every soldier in the escort had been converted to faith in Christ. The “red man’s” faith in Christ was lived out. Hope had kept it alive. The resurrected Christ had sustained them. Their example was the witness that won the soldiers. Hope had inspired faith. It still does.
B. Conscientious. Unmovable = fixed, settled, firm, solid. A reference to inner faith and conviction.
One of the most distinguishing proofs of the resurrection is the change in lives. Peter, who because of his fear of what might happen to him, denied Jesus and swore he never knew him. Forty days later he is seen and heard fearlessly standing on the steps leading to the temple preaching the resurrection. That single day 3,000 believed and were baptized.
The resurrection is the only explanation for the emergence of the early church.
Before the close of the first century over 100,000 believers were in and around Jerusalem.
Polycarp: “Eight and six years have I served Him…”
C. Constant. Always abounding = not shifting from your position. Always = all ages, all conditions, all extents.
Don’t be an exuberant believer in high school and a skeptic in college. Don’t be an active church member when your children are growing up and a hard to find empty nester using the Lord’s Day as your play day.
D. Compensating. Abound in His work because it isn’t empty. This is a negative way of expressing the positive truth that it is “wonderfully productive.”
Labor = exertion that is hard and tired. Strenuous efforts in abounding work need something sufficient to stimulate and sustain them. An awareness of “The Victory” does this.
All who believe and die in Christ shall experience a resurrection and Christ’s resurrection is proof of it.
I Corinthians 15: 20 speaks of the first fruits of those who have died. In ancient Israel at the time of harvest some grain naturally ripened before all other. Some of this early maturing grain was cut and bundled. A procession to the temple involved those who had harvested early grain marching through the streets on their way to the temple waving the grain and singing. It was to be an offering of gratitude and an expression of confidence there was more to follow. This was called “the first fruit.” It evidenced gratitude and confidence there was more to follow.
The resurrected Christ was the “first fruits” of the resurrection. There is much more to come.
John alerts us to two ultimate resurrections. Every deceased person will be in one or the other.
There will come a day of announcement: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25).
The great divide follows: They shall obey Christ’s voice … “and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29).
In which group will you be?
The Helper 3/21/99
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever;” (John 14:16).
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).
Jesus Christ has left you a legacy. He has provided a very special gift, a heritage, for all who commit to Him.
On the eve He was ending His earth walk He shared news of this gift with those who shared this walk for three years. In the upper room He related the nature of the gift. He said:
“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).
His reference was to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save. He planted His flag of victory at a place called Calvary. There He won for us a victory. Our future is secure. Because our future is secure we can throw ourselves into the present. Death for the believer is behind us only life eternal is before us. Though the spiritual victory has been won there are still mopping up battles to be fought. To guide us into victory Christ has left us His Commander-in-Chief, the Holy Spirit.
We live in a spirit world. It is strange that there has never been a time when people believed more in the spirit world than today. Nor has there been a time when there has been more Biblical ignorance regarding it. The growing new age movement is based on belief in the spirit world. Satanism is predicated on it. Books on angels are among the most popular sellers. The entertainment fields of TV and movies thrive on it. The world of evil spirits has the most rapidly growing holiday in our era, Halloween. Yet, the church with the greatest heritage of belief in the Spirit world is basically mute on the subject.
There is a Spirit dimension to life. Though unseen it is as real as the physical world we see. Let me illustrate!
Most persons adhere to the long standing belief that there are four dimensions to an object: height, depth, width, and breath. Now physicists are telling us there may actually be as many as 26 physical dimensions to any object.
Along comes Mr. and Mrs. Flat and they see everything in one dimension —- flat. Therefore, they don’t see and consequently don’t believe in what is right above or below them. They don’t believe in height or depth. That doesn’t change the fact there is height and depth. They just miss out on it. Likewise, unfortunately many people are missing out on the spirit aspect of life. Christ said:
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26).
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to call attention to Christ not to Himself. In that sense our mission is like His. If a person has an experience that leaves him or her talking more about the Holy Spirit or the experience than about Christ it is not of the Holy Spirit.
Such an experience is of the spirit, but it is not the Holy Spirit. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (I John 4:1). There are evil spirits in the spirit world that counterfeit experiences in order to confuse and deceive. If you were going to make a counterfeit $20.00 bill what would you make it look life? You would want it to look as identical to a $20.00 as possible to deceive. Satan causes some persons to be deceived by counterfeit spiritual experiences.
The mission of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ, not us, our experience, or Himself, but Christ.
The word translated “Helper” in some translations and “Comforter” in others is PARAKLETOS. It is a compound word one of which means “to cry [for help]” and the other means “to run.” The word pictures the Holy Spirit as one ready to run to help us when we ask for help.
The word was also used in a court of law to denote a legal assistant, the counsel for the defense, and advocate. It is used for one who pleads the case of another.
The reason modern translations use the familiar word “Helper” it the term PARAKLETOS literally means, “one call to assist another, one present to provide beneficial service.”
If you are a Christian you have already received this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit whether you know it or not.
When Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer the Holy Spirit is imparted. Get this —-
It is not our attainment but because of Christ’s atonement that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The fact every believer has the Holy Spirit is contrary to some teaching by some churches, therefore, it must be sustained by Scripture in order to be accepted. Consider:
“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9).
If you are His, you have received the gift of the Helper.
In dealing with a matter of belief Paul asked persons in Corinth: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19: 2). When they answered no Paul ascertained they had believed in John not Jesus. The test for them and for us is if you have believed on Christ as Savior you have the Helper.
The Holy Spirt was Christ’s birthday gift to the church. It is His birthday gift to every believer on the day of their new birth.
When we rely on organization we get what organization can do.
When we rely on education we get what education can do.
When we rely on eloquence we get what eloquence can do.
When we rely on the Holy Spirit we get what God can do.
(A.C. Dixon)
Unfortunately, if the Holy Spirit were to die 95% of the churches would go right on like they are. So would most believers.
The issue isn’t how much of the Holy Spirit we have. We have all of Him. The issue is how much of us does the Holy Spirit have.
Dwight L. Moody was the Billy Graham of his day. When as a young man he visited England he heard Henry Varley say, “The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is fully consecrated to the Holy Spirit.”
Moody reasoned: “He said ‘a man.’ He did not say ‘a great man,’ nor ‘a rich man,’ ‘nor a wise man,’ nor ‘an eloquent man,’ but simply ‘a man.’ I am a man, and it lies within a man himself whether he will or will not make that entire and full consecration. I will try my utmost to be that man.” Moody did and was used of God in a wonderful way.
When Moody was at his height a group of ministers met in Philadelphia to consider inviting him to preach a revival in that city. A number favored the idea and shared what great things God had done through Moody. Finally, one who opposed the idea spoke up and said, “To hear you talk, one would think D.L. Moody has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.”
A wise minister responded, “We did not intend to create that impression, but I do believe the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D. L. Moody.”
Every believer is the recipient of the Holy Spirit. Does He have a monopoly on you?
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (I Corinthians 12: 13).
In considering this text it is important to note one little word first. It is the word “by.” It is not “of” or “with,” but “by.” Often persons of a certain persuasion will ask if you have been baptized “with” the Holy Spirit or if you have been baptized “by” the Holy Spirit. The Scripture does not use those words. It is the Holy Spirit who does the baptizing into the body of Christ.
“All” refers to every believer. Therefore what is spoken of here is universal among all Christians.
“All” were “baptized into one body.”
The word “baptized into” means identified with.
Matthew 10: 2 speaks of being baptized into Moses referring to those who followed him who became identified with him as a follower.
The “one body” refers to the “body of Christ,” as reference to the community of believers.
There is an obvious fact here. If this act is for all, that is, it is universal, it has to be initial. That is, at the moment of salvation.
To understand this consider all in this room were saved at 10:00 AM one morning. At that moment one segment of the crowd was baptized “by” the Holy Spirit, that is, received the Holy Spirit. Another segment didn’t receive the gift of the Helper until 6:00 PM that same day. That means part of the group was without the Helper for eight hours. The Scripture says “all” have the Helper.
Instant replay: If the act is universal it has to be initial.
The Helper is perpetually with you. He is there in one of three states. You alone determine which. Preferably:
I. YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Everybody is full of something. Some are full of football, some of bull. At this time of year some wives are “fed up with” basketball.
When drunk a person is under the influence of alcohol. The expression “filled with the Spirit” means to be under Christ’s controlling influence. The Helper is His advocate Who indwells every believer to advocate Christ’s cause in life.
Three things need to be noted regarding this text:
1. It is a command. It is in the imperative mood meaning do it. Anything short of being filled is sin, it is disobedience to the Word of God.
2. It is continuous action. It is in the perpetual present tense meaning “keep on being filled with the Spirit.” Let your continuous norm be being filled with the Spirit.
3. It is in the passive voice, meaning this is something God does for us but we must let Him.
You can tell if you are Spirit filled by whether you are bearing the “fruit of the Spirit” spoken of:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:23).
Are these traits characteristic of your life?
Observe the word “fruit” is singular and the result plural. The old English word “fruit” was used to speak of harvest. Therefore, there is one harvest and all of these traits are the crop.
We are commanded to be “filled with the Spirit.” One person responded “I can’t hold much, but I can overflow a lot.”
We are called to be consistent in Christ, constantly being filled. We are not to be spiritual chameleons. A chameleon is a lizard that changes colors depending on the color of the surface on which it is. If on green it turns green. If on brown it turns brown. Supposedly a chameleon crawled on a piece of plaid and exploded trying to conform. Many Christians do the same.
Are you living a Spirit filled life? If not there are only two reasons. One is:
II. YOU ARE GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
“This is not a promise to be claimed. This is a command to be obeyed” Charles Spurgeon.
We grieve the Holy Spirit when He is leading us not to do something and we do it. Remember, He is Christ’s advocate. He is constantly advocating Christ’s cause in our lives. If He advocates us not doing a particular thing and we do it we grieve Him. He does not leave us. He is still in us but not being allowed to fill us, therefore, He is grieved.
Attitudes which we must put away in order not to grieve the Holy Spirit are identified for us.
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).
Monitor yourself. If any one of those exist in your life you are not a Spirit filled believer. You are presently grieving the Holy Spirit. You can never be filled, that is controlled by the Holy Spirit, until you get all of these out of your life.
It is He who seals us “for the day of redemption.” That means He keeps us once we are saved. A seal was used by a monarch. When placed on an item that meant the item was
The POSSESSION of the King. Believers are Christ possessed.
It meant it was the PROTECTORATE of the King.
III. YOU ARE QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19).
We grieve the Holy Spirit when He is leading us not to do a thing and we do it.
We quench the Spirit when He is leading us to do a certain thing and we don’t do it. “To quench” means to “put out, cool down, or subdue.”
In either and both states He does not leave us. He is with us but not in control of us. When He is out of control we are out of control of Christ.
Let’s have a rerun on one phase of this message. If you are not living a spirit filled life you are disobeying the Lord. Isn’t this a wonderful time to begin to obey Him.
Christ’s Ultimate Upper 3/7/99
John 14:1-7
Page 1578 Come Alive Bible
Jesus Christ gathered for the last time with His disciples. He was about to finish His earth-walk and return triumphant to the Father. This meant the disciples’ world was about to unsuspectingly go into eclipse at mid-day. Their world is about to fall apart. Their hearts were a medley of emotions. They had feelings like us. They were sad because of the gloomy prospect of Christ going away; ashamed because of their demonstrated selfishness; perplexed because one of them was predicted to betray Christ.
In Chapters 14 through 17 of John we are allowed to look into the very soul of Christ.
He spoke, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (Vs. 1). This statement has become the pillow on which many broken hearts have found comfort. The expression meant “Stop letting your hearts be troubled!” Literally, “Let not your hearts any longer be troubled…” How?
Christ compounded an antidote for their trouble; believe in the Father and Me.
Both words “believe” in the Greek text are the same, PISTEUET. They can either be a statement of fact or a command. The first is a statement of fact, the latter a command. No matter what was to happen in the next three days, they were to believe in Him.
Christ has always honestly told His followers of both the GLORY and the PAIN involved in following Him. Every believer should realize you should not expect to eat the honey, unless you are willing to take the stings. Anticipating the honey of earthly victory, they are about to receive temporal stings.
Jesus Christ’s time of sharing in the Upper Room had repetitiously been interrupted by Peter. He, at first, refused to let his feet be washed and then asked to be completely bathed. He had inquired as to who would betray Christ. His pendulum personality had swung so often he had virtually worn out his mood-ring. Then (13:36) he asked, “Lord, where are you going?” In answering Peter’s question, Christ reveals that:
I. DISTRESS CAN BE DIVERTED by realizing:
A. He Is Reliable. Trust in God the Father gives confidence in Christ, God the Son. Jesus asked, “Will you also go away?” The disciples responded, “Lord, where else is there to go?” Christ’s statement is actually a double plural imperative: “Have faith in God, and in me have faith.” Prophecy reveals Him to be reliable. The chances of an Old Testament prophet writing eight prophecies and having them come true in one person is one to the seventeenth power; that is, 1000 quadrillion. That many silver dollars spread over the face of the land mass of Texas would cover it two feet deep. If one dollar in that mass were marked and a person blind-folded and asked to pick out that one, he would have a better chance than for eight prophecies to be fulfilled in one life. There are 332 prophecies related to Christ that have been fulfilled. That is a mathematical impossibility.
Faith is merely confidence in God’s character. The origin of trouble in every life is failure to have faith in God. Adam and Eve are Exhibit A.
Without faith life is like the disciples’ night on the Sea of Galilee; night-bound and storm-tossed.
There is an oft-seen poster which reads: “All that I have seen of my Creator teaches me to trust Him for all I have not seen.” This indicates that faith is submission of your reason to all He has revealed. Faith does not ignore facts; it introduces facts, the facts of revelation.
Faith is a daily practice in every life. For example, you go to a doctor you do not know, whose degree you cannot verify. He gives you a prescription you can’t read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. You then take the medicine according to instructions. That’s faith.
The object of faith is more important than the amount of faith. You might have great faith that a well-known general of the army who is a friend of yours can fly you across the Pacific even though he has never flown a plane. You would likely end up drowned in spite of your faith. The problem would be the object of your faith is unreliable in this given area. By contrast you may have little or no faith in an unknown 2l year old with 5,000 hours flying time. Yet, he would be able to get the job done because he is a reliable object of faith.
You have faith. How reliable is the object of your faith?
Is there an area of your life in which Christ is not trusted with complete control? Is He dormant in your life while wanting to be dominant? Do you want Him to be only your Savior Lord while He wants to be your Sovereign Lord; the one in absolute control?
B. He is Responsible. “I go (before) you to prepare a place for you…” PRODOMOS, meaning forerunner, is the word used to describe Him going before us. This is comparable to a pilot ship that goes before to guide another vessel to a safe harbor. Jesus is our PRODROMOS (Heb. 6:30). He went before us to prepare a place for us. Having provided the ultimate, heaven, surely He will provide all else. Heaven is a place prepared for prepared people. He never takes us to an unprepared place on earth or in heaven.
Heaven is no poets dream; it is a reality. Christ said, “If it were not so, I would have told you” (Vs.2). He is too wise to be mistaken. He is too truthful to misrepresent. He is too kind to deceive. It is the “Father’s house.” Here all hearts are focused on the Father as the head of the Family. It is harmonious.
C. He is Returning. This is present tense meaning He is coming again to take them to Himself in time for eternity.
II. DESTINATION CAN BE DECIDED
Ultimately one of two destinations inevitably await us. There are only two choices: heaven and hell. The choice is ours.
On a lighter vein the story is told that God decided He had it with earth and was going to end things. He called Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates to heaven. He told them He was going to destroy the earth the next day and he wanted the three smartest people to spread the word.
Yeltsin returned to Russia and called a cabinet meeting. He announced he had good news and bad news. The good news is, God does exist. The bad news is, He is going to destroy the world tomorrow.
Clinton returned to America and called an emergency meeting of Congress. He said, “I have bad news for some of us, and terrible news for all of us. The bad news is, God is real and He does exist. The terrible news is, He is going to destroy the world tomorrow.
Bill Gates happily returned to Microsoft and said, “I have some fantastic news! First of all, I am one of the three most important men on Earth, and secondly, the Y–2-K problem has been solved.”
Heaven has many abiding places, “many mansions” MONAI, (Vs. 2). There is plenty of room. The best thing that can be said about heaven is that Christ spoke of it as “where I am” (Vs. 3). That is what makes heaven.
Dr. Kubler-Ross, Swiss-born psychiatrist, says, “Beyond the shadow of any doubt, there is life after what we call death.”
Jesus didn’t tell us all there is to know about heaven for a very good reason. We would be like a child sitting at one end of a table with a large bowl of spinach before him. At the other end of the table is his favorite cake. With that cake in sight, the spinach isn’t very appealing. If we know all there is to know of heaven, our present equivalent of spinach would not be very appealing.
It is imperative that we be prepared and assured our ultimate destination is the right one. Proper preparedness involves forgiveness: our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us.
Are you willing to forgive others? A little boy and his little sister ended their day long argument and quarrel angry with each other. About 2:00 AM the household was awakened by a terrific thunderstorm. The parents heard an unusual noise in the area of their bedrooms. The parent called out to find out what was going on. A little voice answered, “We’re in the closet forgiving each other.”
Is there someone with whom you need to spend a bit of time in the closet.
Second, have you sought God’s forgiveness and requested the gift of eternal life? If not do it now.
III. DIRECTIONS CAN BE DETERMINED
Christ makes a categorical statement to all the disciples which raised another question, this time in the mind of Thomas.
A. He Is The Way. “Teach me Your way, O Lord” (Ps. 27:11). Jesus’ death opened the way (Hebrews 10:20). The way is not a PROCESS but a PERSON.
“I” is emphatic, meaning, “I and no other always am the only way.” He wanted to make this perfectly clear. There is one way.
The first time the Romans assaulted the Saxons at Dover, they were defeated. The next time they landed and unloaded their provisions, set their ships on fire, and pushed them out to sea. The watching Saxons, seeing their determination, fled in defeat. With such determination, we must follow Him.
B. He Is The Truth. “Teach me Your way; I will walk in thy truths” (Ps. 86:11). He is truth personified.
C. He Is The Life. “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life…” (Prov. 10: 17). The first instruction to follow is to repent. Repentance is a picture of persons standing in a circle facing outward as they hold hands. Christ stands in the center. Facing away from Him, one sees his own shadow and cannot see his fellow persons properly. To repent is to TURN and face Him. One’s shadow is behind, the repentant now faces Christ, and can see his fellow persons properly.
Older theologians defined saving faith in terms of three words:
NOTITIA, that is KNOWLEDGE.
ASSENSUS, that is INTELLECTUAL ASSENT.
FIDUCIA, that is TRUST AND PERSONAL COMMITMENT.
Do you have all three? Don’t stop short of the third.
The expression “to obey” and the word “faith” both come from the same root. “Faith,” PISTIS, means “firm persuasion.” The expression “to obey” comes from PISTEUO and speaks of acting out of firm persuasion.
Happiness Is… 1/31/99
John 13:17
Page 1577 Come Alive Bible
Jesus Christ said, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
Jesus did not say, “If you possess these things you will be happy.” Howard Hughes was long considered the world’s richest man. Just before his death he was asked if he was happy. He replied, “No!” If money made a person happy he would have been giddy.
Until you make peace with who you are you will never be content with what you have.
BELIEVE —-
You are a wonderful, unique person.
You are a once-in-all-history individual.
It is more than a right to be who you are, it is a duty.
That life isn’t a problem to be solved, but a gift to be cherished.
If you so believe you will be able to stay up on what used to get you down.
Nor did Christ say, “If you go to these places you will be happy.” Some persons seem to think that they need to go somewhere to be happy. You will never be happy anywhere until you are happy where you are. It is you, not the place that makes for happiness.
I’ve just returned from Paradise, Hawaii. Once there we encountered a couple coming out of their hotel room. As the man slammed the door of this luxury hotel he said, “Let’s get out of this place, I am disgusted and want to get out of here.” I got the impression he plays that record where ever he is. He carries his unhappiness inside himself.
He didn’t say, “Get a certain job and you will be happy.”
A Princeton, New Jersey, psychologist, Dr. Herbert M. Greenberg, has done revealing study in this field. He interviewed over 250,000 employees from 4,000 firms. Every part of the country was represented as was every job category and educational group. His findings revealed 80% of all workers at all levels are unhappy and frustrated. Imagine, four out of every five are unhappy. One of the biggest markets in America today is for happiness.
Likewise, He didn’t say, “Be part of the “in crowd” and you will be happy.”
He said there are certain things you need to know and when you know them if you do them happiness is the natural consequence. Thus, happiness consists of “knowing” and “doing.”
He makes it almost sound like a science anyone can master. It is —- and you can.
Eudaemonics is defined by Webster as the science of happiness. Christianity is much more than a code of ethics but it is also a code of ethics. Science is a study dealing with a body of facts. The body of facts taught and demonstrated by Christ when applied results in happiness. Various laws of physics and chemistry have been demonstrated and proven inflexible for years. The truths taught by Christ are just as exact and always produce the same by-product – happiness.
Having noted Christianity is more than ethics I want to establish on what the ethics of Christianity are based. They are based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. This relationship must first be willfully established before seeking to apply the ethic. To reverse the order is to experience frustration. To get them in the proper order is to experience happiness.
The relationship consists of letting Christ be your Savior and Master. As Savior He cleanses and forgives of sin. Having paid the price for our sins by dying on Calvary it remains for us to respond in faith. When we do then the forgiveness is applied personally. Simultaneously with His forgiveness and His becoming our Savior He becomes our Master. That is, the one in charge of our new relationship.
Our eastern mystical religious friends speak reverently of their “master.” Their gurus are called their “master.” Christ is our Master. That is He is the one who teaches us. That is where the principles of happiness come into play. He is the Master we are the disciples. That is, learners. The more and the better we learn the happier we are. It works.
Once you trust Christ as Savior and respond to Him as Master you are FDIC Insured —
“Father’s Divine Immortal Compassion.”
In considering happiness some basics need understanding. First, no emotion can be maintained indefinitely. Even as Christ spoke of happiness He became troubled in His spirit as He thought of the dastardly deed Judas was about to perform (John 13:21). A shiver went through the soul of Jesus and His disciples as He spoke of His pending betrayal. Not a happy moment. Not all are. Don’t expect it.
That night in the upper room the hearts of the disciples were filled with a medley of emotions:
They were sad because of the prospect of Christ’s departure.
They were ashamed because they had acted selfishly.
They were perplexed because of the prediction one of them would betray Christ.
They were wavering in their faith, though hoping against hope.
All that was put in perspective when Christ said, “Let not your hearts be troubled….”
This was not simply cheery talk at a pep-rally. He gave assurance as to why they should cease being disturbed. In essence Christ said, “Continue to trust in God, also in Me continue to trust. I will supply your needs. Let not your hearts any longer be troubled.”
A person can’t stay sad, glad, mad, joyous, dejected, or happy all the time. However, you can maintain a predisposition toward happiness. That is it can be your nature to be inclined toward happiness. Have you ever heard it said of a little child he is so full of happiness? Or he has a happy disposition. You can be one who predetermines to interpret the events of life in the happiest light.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
The seeds of happiness are sown in the soil of every soul, attitude and disposition are the environment in which they do or don’t germinate.
Happiness is a choice not an automatic response.
There is a little couplet that speaks of two persons having different views of the same situation: “Two men looked out of prison bars. One saw mud the other stars.” Which are you?
Happiness is not something to be sought or bought. It is a beautiful by-product of a job well done. It is, as Christ said, the result of doing those things as he taught them.
It often comes into ones life through doors we don’t even remember leaving open.
If a person seeks happiness as an end in itself they are likely to find it as the old man did his glasses for which he had long looked. Right on the tip of his nose.
Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Happiness is like a butterfly. Try to grasp it and you will frighten it away. Sit down quietly and it may alight on your shoulder.”
I find it like a cat. Try to attract it and it will ignore you. Leave it alone and it will come and rub up against you and purr.
I know some persons who will never be happy. They may experience brief bursts of happiness. However, their inner orientation is such that they are predisposed to be unhappy. Are you such a person? You can change. A change of environment, social status, economic standing or any other outward change won’t bring about happiness. It has to come from personal internal orientation. Make a mental note of some of these ideals and apply them.
Consider four factors enabling you to have happiness.
I. PRACTICE HIS PRESENCE
Let me share a verse that is of all verses one of the greatest stimuli to happiness. “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!” (HEBREWS 13:5B)
He said “NEVER.” This is a compound of five negatives. That doesn’t each is added to the other, it means each is multiplied by the other. “I will never, no not ever, no never leave you…”
It is a forever never with no exceptions.
If God will never leave you He has not now left you for “never” means “now.”
“LEAVE” translates aniemi meaning, “to leave behind, to abandon, to give up on, to send back.” Get it!
“I will never, no not ever, no never leave you behind, abandon you, give up on you, or send you back.”
If you ever emotionally feel as though He has call your emotions a liar.
Then He said He would never “FORSAKE” you.
To forsake means to leave one in a helpless state, to disregard. Thus, He said: “I will never, no not ever, no never, leave you behind, abandon you, give up on you, send you back, leave you in a helpless state, or disregard you.”
Who said it? God!
The omnipotent God said it. The God who is all powerful.
The omnipresent God said it. The God who is all present.
The omniscient God said it. The God who is all knowing.
When you are inclined to say, “I don’t have strength to go on,” remember the all powerful God said, “I will never, no not ever, no never leave you behind, abandon you, give up on you, send you back, leave you in a helpless state, or disregard you.”
When you are inclined to say, “I am so lonely.” Remember the all present God said, “I will never, no not ever, no never leave you behind….”
When you are disposed to say, “I don’t know what to do.” Remember the all knowing God said, “I will never, no not ever, no never ….”
Practice the presence behind the promise. Note, the verse begins “I” and ends, “you.” This is the basic “I-you” relationship that produces happiness.
Want it? Get it, and you got it!
II. PROJECT WITH A PURPOSE
Start every day with the confidence you and your Master can achieve. Together you can search the unsearchable, know the unknowable, and do the undoable.
Realize you have an invisible companion in all of life.
“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
The difference Christ makes in our world is not that He said, “You MUST” with more force than anyone else, but that He said, “With Me, you CAN.”
Don’t let your feelings govern you attitude. Let faith and facts determine your outlook. When you awake in the morning you might in all honesty be able to say, “Dear Lord I don’t feel like you are here with me.” Any one of many things may cause such a downer. You may have eaten Paul Revere Pizza the night before and it got you up in the middle of the night.
The fact is you don’t feel like the Lord is within a country mile of you and is looking the other direction. In a moment like that be honest with the Lord. You might well pray:
“Dear Lord, I don’t feel like you are here with
me. However, Lord in your Word you said you would
never leave me not forsake me. Therefore, in spite
of my feelings I thank you for the fact you are here
with me. Let’s you and me go get ‘um.”
Continue with enthusiasm, “Lord, I’ve never
lived this day before and I will never live it
again. Help me to live it to the fullest in such a
way that I won’t long to live it over or have to
live it down. There will not be instant replay or
rerun so help me to live it up to your standard.”
Live each day with a purpose. That purpose being to do all within your power to see to it that in your life His will is done. He’ll help you.
In his work History of European Morals, Leaky spoke of Christianity as “the most powerful moral lever that has ever been applied to the affairs of men.”
Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom. It was primarily a reference to rule and realm. When He rules us He shares with us His power.
In searching for happiness keep in mind it is a beautiful by-product of a job well done. The initial and primary job that must be well done is to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
“If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
The apostle Paul exhorted his friend Timothy and through him shared the same encouragement with us: “…give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine ….Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (I Timothy 4:15).
Meditation is a lost art among most Christians. New Age afficionados have given a bad reputation to the art. However, the Psalmist spoke 14 times of meditating. The word means to make an image. New Age teaching is that we create our own reality. That is so close to the truth as to be deceptive. It is not truth however.
Biblical meditation is taking a concept and dwelling on it until we become absorbed in it. Before he wrote of them David made a mental image of: a shepherd and his fold, green grass and a stream, the cup and oil, and fellowship with God.
Mentally armed with such thought he faced lions and giants.
When he failed to engage in such meditation and instead went up on the roof top and committed Transidential Adultery he lost spiritual battles that caused himself and others much unhappiness.
Meditation on the Word of God enables one to replace subconscious conflicts with spiritual truths which produce peace and a stable personality.
“If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
Things That Go Bump in the Night 10/31/99
Hebrews 9:24-28
JESUS CHRIST believed in the devil, demons, and evil spirits. Do you?
The outcome of Christ’s encounters with demonic powers is summed up in Colossians 2: 15, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” There is victory in Jesus.
In America today there is a celebration of the spiritual underworld life style called Halloween. That holiday isn’t what it was when many of us adults were children, and it isn’t what it was long before that.
Fear sells. A recent survey among teens showed more of them know who Freddy Kruger is than Abraham Lincoln.
What a couple of decades ago was a fun filled night of collecting goodies has changed. Today more personal property is destroyed on this day than any. Costly vandalism reaches a peak on this night. Razor blades and needles are buried in fruit. Hallucinogenics are put in candy. It is not simply the scary night it used to be. It is now a frightening night.
FROM WHERE DID IT COME?
The word Halloween comes from the event called “All Hallows Eve.” It is now the evening before All Saints Day. In certain parts of the country, such as our former home state of Louisiana, All Saints Day is a very special occasion when our dead loved ones are remembered and honored. It is a custom to put flowers on graves on this day. It is second only to Mother’s Day in the sale of flowers in Louisiana.
Even before the time of Christ, the ancient Druids had a holiday honoring their lord of the dead, Samhain. It was on the last day of October, the Celtic new year.
Druids believed that on this night Samhain called forth the souls of all who had died during the last twelve months and had during the time following their death been inhabiting animal bodies. These spirits returned to their former homes where the occupants were to treat them by providing food and entertainment for them. If it wasn’t acceptable, these spirits played tricks on the residents. From this emerged our “Trick or Treat.”
Legend says a man named Jack tricked the devil into not bothering him during his life. At death, Jack was denied both heaven and hell. He groped his way through the dark by carrying a glowing coal in a carved out turnip. From this came our Jack-o-lantern.
Halloween is one of the highest and holiest days of the occult year. Though witchcraft and Satanism are separate, both celebrate this day. Certain hard core Satanist make 33 living sacrifices on this night. One for each year of Christ’s earthly life. One of these sacrifices is to be a human.
Several years ago a satanic castle built in the north Georgia mountains was pillaged, and the two Satanists who lived there were murdered. I was privileged to visit the scene the morning after the night of horror. I spent a bit of time in the library and found their diary. The descriptions of their celebrations on Halloween confirm the rituals associated with the event.
A QUESTION OFTEN ASKED IS, DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
Yes, I do. However, I want to share a Biblical perspective of what they are and what their limits are.
On occasion, while visiting the White House, I had the honor of staying in the Lincoln Bedroom —- free. The usher assigned to accommodate me told me of the sightings of Mr. Lincoln’s ghost in the White House. Queen Elizabeth, and several presidents have reported seeing him. Is Mr. Lincoln there? Emphatically, NO!
How do we know that? Our texts says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after that the judgement” (Heb. 9:27). “After that” means immediately. Mr. Lincoln is either in heaven or hell.
Because of his professed faith in Jesus Christ, we know he is in heaven.
Well, what is it?
It is a demonic representation of him intended to deceive persons. Before persons become alarmed and apprehensive, let me hasten to say such is a rare phenomenon and not likely to happen to a believer. What it does prove is that demon spirits do exist.
CAN THE LIVING COMMUNE WITH THE DEAD?
I have had former fortune tellers inform me that they could tell people things about their departed loved ones they had no way of knowing. They said they actually saw the dead relatives while in a trance and talked with them.
Were these actually their departed dead? NO! “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement…” The revelation they received was from deceptive demonic spirits representing the deceased in appearance and with information. They had lived around the dead relatives during their lives and knew all about them.
These admitted mediums, that have shared this confidence, said they came to realize this ability did not come from God and could be from only one other source — the devil.
This led them to renounce the practice and repentantly receive Christ.
According to Colossians 1: 13 Jesus “delivered them from the power of darkness.”
Demons do exist, but often are not recognized as such.
We also encounter supernatural forces masquerading as angels of light. Their disguise is often so effective we do not recognize them for what they are.
The Bible speaks of them deceiving even “the elect,” that is, Christians. A deceived Christian acts little different from a devout Christian. A legitimate question is, “In what ways is this done?” How do they mislead people?
1. They give “wisdom” that is contrary to the wisdom of God. “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic” (James 3: 15).
2. They work to control the lives of persons. There are individuals who assert they don’t want to establish a close relationship with Christ because they want their freedom. Little do they know they aren’t free, but rather that a supernatural power is at work in them.
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:1,2).
3. They afflict some people with sickness. I want to hasten to confirm not all sickness is of such origin. I know of too many dear Christians who suffer frustration because they have heard that Satan causes sickness. He does some. Some believers go through prolonged repentance hoping it will cure them. Ask God once to forgive your sins and it is done. Thereafter, rejoice over His cleansing.
Some, NOT ALL, sickness is caused by demonic forces. Jesus related to such a woman: “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound; think of it; for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16)
4. According to II Peter 2: 1, Satan dispenses error among people and seeks to reduce believer’s effectiveness. This texts speaks of false prophets. If you were going to make a counterfeit $20.00 bill, what would you make it look like? If you were Satan and were going to create an effective false prophet, what would you make him or her like? The nearer the resemblance, the more effective the deception and the more destructive the work.
Major deceptions are being marketed in glossy print and glitzy films by charismatic personalities. Some are:
a. “All is one.” All the plants, animals, and earth are part of one large living organism.
b. “All is a god.” This is ancient pantheism which abandons the view of a personal God in favor of an impersonal energy, force, or consciousness.
c. “We are all gods” whether we realize it or not. Actress Shirley Maclaine said her spirit guide informed her, “If everyone was taught one basic spiritual law, your world would be a happier, healthier place. And that law is this: Everyone is God. Everyone.”
d. “A consciousness awakening” is needed, a new way of interpreting life. Eastern meditation, yoga, hypnosis, or drugs can help.
In summary, this teaches we are all self- realized gods and as such inherit the supernatural. All this is of the devil.
5. They can buffet us. Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” which was described as “a messenger of Satan” (II Cor. 12: 7). The thorn isn’t identified in order that we can all relate to the situation and realize that as the text says God’s grace is sufficient.
I am convinced it was Alexander the coppersmith whom he described as having done him much evil (II Timothy 4: 14).
Sometimes thorns are personal.
6. They cause contention among God’s people.
“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you” (I Corinthians 1:11).
7. They give some a spirit of fear.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
Guilt is a major factor in many lives. It is “the blood of Christ” that can “purge your conscience” (Hebrews 9: 14).
If you have a spirit of fear it doesn’t come from God.
8. They tempt people with unclean thoughts, such as the man in Mark 5. When Jesus cast the legion of demons out of him, they entered into a bunch of hogs. Jesus shouted “Suey” to them and they committed hogacide.
Satanic influences are contaminating the minds of people as never before. Pornography is rampant. The Internet, TV, videos, and various publications flaunt it. It is one of the greatest stimulants to promiscuity. It is a major contributor to marital discord and break-up.
9. They lull persons into spiritual apathy, indifference, and delay. C.S. Lewis the brilliant British author put this into perspective in his classic Screwtape Letters. In the book there is a dialogue between the chief devil, Screwtape, and his nephew Wormwood. Wormwood is being sent on assignment to interfere with the spiritual lives of individuals and disrupt the church. The wise old devil gives this council on how to undermine the faith and repentance of a young Christian. In this conversation Christ is spoken of by Screwtape as “the Enemy.” The idea of repentance and faith in Christ is called a “disaster.”
It remains to consider how we can retrieve this disaster. The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance. Let the little bruit wallow in it. Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the Enemy plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”
In the initial moments of this message, I spoke of the victory of Jesus Christ over demonic forces. Hear these texts:
“He came to destroy the works of Satan” (I John 3:8).
“He brought to nothing the forces of evil” (Hebrews 2:14,15).
“He triumphed over the forces of evil” (Colossians 2:15).
The purpose and power of the cross is to bring people back into a relationship with Christ. The very essence of Christianity is the restored relationship. The love expressed by Christ on the cross has the power to turn rebellion into surrender, and resentment of God into love for God.
“He came to set the captive free” (Luke 4:18).