A Well dressed Christian

August 26, 2012 The well Dressed Christian Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Year B Casualties in war in afganistan The war in Afghanistan is still going on after 11 years. In that time over 1900 american soldiers have been killed, and about 3000 soldiers killed overall. I used to keep track of that number until it got way to big. Casualties in war in the streets Father Pfleger has been keeping up the statistics in another war, the war on the streets of Chicago. Every day this summer he has listed the number of people killed in Chicago on that day. Last night, he said that 4 had been killed and 31 wounded in shootings in Chicago. Once again I am sad to say that he gives those statistics so frequently, that I have stopped keeping track of the number. Spiritual warfare But Ephesians reminds us that there is a much deadlier war going on. And the statistics are not being kept by anyone. And the effects are just was real, but sometimes you just cant see them. That is the war going on in the spirit. The war for our souls, and for what is right and wrong. The war against the devil in our lives and in the lives of others. No control over emotional warfare It seems that it is easy for us to identify physical bodies. But you cant identify the hatred, the greed, the disrespect, the jealousy, the need to control, the anger The tangible problems are relatively easy to deal with. Dealing with the intangible - dealing with jealousy, greed, patriotism that has degenerated into uncritical nationalism, community pride that has become twisted into bigotry and prejudice, fear that has become all-controlling both of individuals and of communities - the unseen forces that lead us towards death. These things are far harder to deal with. That goes behind the physical wars. Before there can be a war in the physical realm, it has to start in the spiritual realm, against things that you cannot see. The news does not talk about the casualties, but we can certainly see the results in the pews of our churches. It makes a difference to us, as we see where people used to come to church but they are not here anymore. In order to protect ourselves from this war, we are encouraged to put on the whole armor of God. The armor of god The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the helmut of salvation. You will notice that there is nothing given to us to hurt other people. That is all protective armor, designed to defend ourselves against an attack. And if we are not careful it is a daily attack. Sometimes the enemies uses other people to hurt us, often times it uses ourselves, our own spirit, our own heart. If we are not steeped in the word of god everyday- we don’t know what the consequences are. We are given one weapon against the devil in our armor. The sword of the spirit – the word of God. Take bible in small doses Some seem to expect the Word of God to hit them like a jolt of adrenaline each time they read or study it. Although the "jolt" may hit us periodically, the benefits of the Word of God act more like vitamins. People who regularly take vitamins do so because of their long-term benefits, not because every time they swallow one of the pills, they feel new strength surging through their bodies. They have developed a habit of consistently taking vitamins because they have been told that, in the long haul, vitamin supplements are going to have a beneficial effect on their physical health, resistance to disease and, general well-being The same is true of reading the Bible. At times it will have a sudden and intense impact on us. However, the real value lies in the cumulative effects that long-term exposure to God’s Word will bring to our lives. Most people are looking for the word to be a quick fix, a pill that you can take and fix everything. Your heart, your mind, your kidneys, anything and every all at one time. Sometime we even think that holding the bible will protect us from all. There is a woman who parks in front of the church all the time. She want to protect her camero. She wont come into the church, but puts that bible prominently in her window. The bible is our protection only if we read it and know what it says. It is not a pill to fix everything. It is a vitamin to keep us healthy. Taken in daily doses, that sustain us and guide us. Jesus Christ is the answer to everything. But we have to read in order to know that right question to ask, the right prayer to pray. God is a warrior Today a lot of people are uncomfortable with the warrior image of being a soldier for Christ. The don’t want to have to fight. And how in the world can a sword – bring peace. Not realizing that the image of God in the bible is as a warrior, a warrior fighting the spiritual war on behalf of his people. Ephesians is telling us to dress just like God is dressed. Isaiah 59: 17 says that when God discovered that there was no justice in the world. he put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head, he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in the zeal as in a cloak. The redeemer will come to zion. Soldiers prayer There is a tradition that an soldier offered up this prayer for a son, in his devotions to god and his country. “Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. “Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee … and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. “Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. “And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength. “Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”” —Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur This is a prayer that God himself granted for himself. That son was Jesus Christ. People don’t get Jesus Now we have been reading about Jesus as the bread of life for six weeks. It can be heard to preach when we are on the same chapter for that long. We learn that you have to have physical bread before you can have spiritual bread, that you need that spiritual bread in order to live. That physical bread sustains you for a short time, but eating eternal bread sustains you forever. Once again where do we get this spiritual bread- from the word of God in the bible, in the life of Jesus Christ. That seems to make sense to us. but there are people who don’t get the connection of the spirit and the flesh. Who don’t get that the spirit came together with the flesh in Jesus Christ. Why would we be feasting on Jesus? Not everyone gets it. Jesus says that not everyone gets it. God says that not everyone gets it. We still live in the illusion that everyone will. The word is open for everyone to take, but not everyone will. Churches feel the pain That brings me back to casualties of spiritual warfare. When we look at our pews, we see that many people have fallen away. When we look at our families there are many people that we would like to get back into the church. Sometimes we think that there is something that we did to make them leave, and that there is something that we can say to bring them back. Not realizing that is not the case. We think their refusal to come is a rejection of us, not always the case either. No where in the bible does it say that every one who started out with you on the journey is going to finish the journey. When the lord delivered the isrealites from Egypt, he concluded that most of them would never make it to the promisedland. When he told them they were the children of god, in jeremiah, god says that he can only use the remmant of the faithful. Not everybody. Even jesus says the many are called, but few are chosen. On revelation, when the rapture comes, scripture says that one will be taken up, and the other left. The bread of life is for everyone, but not everyone will be able to take it in. that is biblical. That is in John 6. Jesus explains that if you cant except this teaching, how can you accept the resurrection? That is a teaching only for the faithful. And there is nothing that we have done to make them reject the teachings of jesus. They were given a choice and they chose not to accept it. Preach people out of the church Clarence Jordon was a civil rights leader, he visited a church one day and found that it was one of the few churches, where black and whites worshipped together he asked how it go tthat way.. It was a white church that had been given a black preacher. He started preaching that the church was for everyone. He said the deacons sat him aside one day and said that he could not say that. So he fired the deacons. He said that he preached and preached until there were only 4 people left in the church. And not long after that the church grew and grew. Sometimes the gospel is not about bringing people in, it is about driving people out. People who have no use for the bread of life, and don’t want to listen to jesus. Once the negative energy leaves, then the positive energy can flow freely. When jesus spoke of the bread of life, many people walked away. He turned to the remaining twelve and asked if they were leaving too. They said no, there was no place else to go. This is the only place to get the living bread from heaven. It was that few that believed the good news, that were willing to work, who were prepared to follow jesus through the tuff times. And those were the people god used to build his kingdom. Pray Be strong in the lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of god, and paul’s final words to us – to pray. Pray for ourselves, pray for our loved ones, pray for our church, pray for god mission. Pray for a mission There was a general, who used to pray daily. He never talked about his mission, but he prayed for it everyday. There would be some days when his butler knew to pack his bags foe he was going off to battle. Someone asked how the bulter knew this without talking with the general. He said that whenever he was going to fight, he would stop and pray two or three times a day. Everything he did was in prayer. There was a church, that grew, people stopped activities, and held prayer services. It is time for us to pray. We have work to do, god had plans for us, we need to be ready for those that god is sending to us. let us pray…

What do you need from God

August 19, 2012 Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost Year B 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 John 6:51-58 “What do you need from the Lord” A genie in a bottle Three women were walking down a street and found a bottle laying on the side of the road. They picked it up and a genie popped out. The genie said, “You will each get one wish.” The first woman wished she was 20 times smarter. The genie made her 20 times smarter. The second woman wished she was 30 times smarter. The genie made her 30 times smarter. The last woman wished she was 60 times smarter. The genie turned her into a man. God is not a genie We may laugh at the joke of what people ask. But the truth is, that is what a lot of us, even he faithful think about prayer. We treat God like the genie in the bottle, who is willing to grant us the wishes of our heart. We see things that we want in life, and we ask God for them. And we wait for God to complete our order, and to make it all better. We wait and expect for God to give us the desires of our heart. We have to be careful when we pray. Prayer is not about a genie in a bottle in the sky granting the desires of our heart. Prayer is genuine conversation with God. Prayer is not so much about what we want in life, but about what we need. The king talks with God to get wisdom When a king took over his office, it was expected that he would go into a sacred cave, and wait on a message from the Lord. Scripture says that Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. Solomon had a reputation of being a king of great wisdom, and Solomon had the honor of being the king who was allowed to build a house for God, the temple in Jerusalem. In the temple, Solomon did not have to travel to Gibeon to talk with God, he could talk with God in his own home. The Temple was built with an inner sanctuary, where the ark of the convenant stayed, with the presence of God. Solomon’s temple designed so that he could talk with God You know that only the Zadok priest where allowed to the inner sanctuary to care for God. But you may not know that the king was also allowed into the sanctuary in order to talk with God. The temple was built in a square, with four entrances. Ezekiel 40 gives the outline of the temple, so that the people can return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. God enters the building from the East. Once God enters the temple, no one else is allowed to enter on that side. The king has an entrance from the west, where he can walk all the way into the inner sanctum. No one else is allowed to come in that entrance. The priest come to temple from the north, the people come in to sacrifice at the south temple. I tell you this so that you know the temple was the place where Solomon could go to be with God. No longer did he have to go to Gibeon to sacrifice, he could sacrifice at home. Where do you go to be with God? Where do you go, when you need to be close to God? When you need to be in his presence? Is it the house of God? Is it the sanctuary? Is it a place in nature? The place that we go to find God is not a place at all- the place where God lives in our need to pray, to talk with God about our lives, to ask God for the things that we need. God wants you to ask Paul says that God already knows what we need in our lives, sometimes God knows better that we do. But he also wants us to be able to ask. To be able to articulate our needs, and to be confident enough to speak them, and most important to be in relationship in order to receive them from our Father who loves us. Asking has changed the world. Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him. They did, and Christianity has fundamentally changed this world. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked this nation to treat minorities with equality and it threw off much of the bigotry and injustice of his day. If you are married it is because you asked. If you have a job it is because you asked. Every day is an opportunity to ask God for his wisdom to know and do His purposes for your life. The great value of asking is it keeps us focused on the Lord. Yes, it may be a need in your life but for it to be meet or for you to have the wisdom to respond correctly, it will require the Lord’s help. Praying for wisdom keeps your focus on the Lord and his priorities. Let the spirit work in your life Words exchanged with God are not enough. We have to also be able to listen to what God has to say, and to see how it unfolds in our lives. Scripture says that Solomon’s prayer was for the ability to listen to God in order to lead his people. A heart to recognize when the holy spirit is working in his life to grant his and our request. This poem is called God says no, but in each case, I don’t hear God saying no, but God is saying trust in the work of the spirit…. ‘God Said, “No.”’ I asked God to take away my habit. God said, “No. It is not for Me to take away, but for you to give it up.” I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, “No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.” I asked God to grant me patience. God said, “No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.” I asked God to give me happiness. God said, “No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.” I asked God to spare me pain. God said, “No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.” I asked God to make my spirit to grow. God said, “No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.” I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, “No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.” I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me. God said, “Ahhh, finally you have the idea.” Solomon knew that genuine success could be experienced only in discerning and doing God’s will. In each case God did not say no, he said that the answer to you prayer can only be found in time, in relationship. If we ask god for something, but don’t stick around for he answer. We walk away assuming that God said no. how many times have you prayed to God for something. But did not stick around long enough to get the answer? How many times have you expected something from God, but not prepared yourself for the changes that answer takes. They say if you pray for rain, then you should really invest in an umbrella. God loves you, God wants to hear from you, God wants to answer your prayer. But you have to realize that it is God who answer s in God’s own way. “Ask what I should give you?” Scripture says that when Solomon stood before God at Gibeon, God came to him and said – Ask what I should give you? Ask what I should give you? When you have to attention of God, what is it that you ask for? What is it that you need right now from God? Solomon understood that true wisdom is being able to ask God for what you need, and not what you want. We have To understand that the desires of our heart, come from being in right relationship with God; from being open to the movement of the holy spirit in our lives. And having an ongoing relationship with God. And trusting that God will always do what is best for us. when we pray. God’s answer belongs to God not us. God’s baseball game There was a baseball going on. The game was between God’s team and satan’s team. Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because "Love never fails." The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass. Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws. The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground. The roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence for a home run! The Lord's team won! The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you home." "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."--Ephesians 2:8, 9 (NIV). It is not our desires that answer our prayer, it is God. It is God’s grace that helps us to see the work of the spirit in our lives. No matter what our concerns, no matter what our request, our prayer is for a God listening heart and spirit - True wisdom for is submission and obedience to God’s work in our lives. Let us pray…… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It wasn't long before I had classmates hanging out in my room nights before Physics tests, asking for my help. I was always glad to give them help, and they knew that I wouldn't steer them wrong. Imagine, though, if every time I explained a problem to someone, they had said to me, "Well, that's a nice idea, but I think this way will work just as well..." And then they proceeded to use a different method, arriving at a different answer. Don't you imagine that after awhile, I would say "Excuse me, if you're not ever going to listen to what I tell you, why are you even bothering to ask?"