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On page 274 of The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard writes in regards to Jesus’ discourse in Matthew 7:13-27:

You enter this kingdom community, he first points out, by a narrow gate. That is, there is a correct way to enter, and not just any approach–the “wide way that leads to disaster”–will succeed (vv. 13-14)

He then goes on to say that those leaders that are to be trusted are the ones who actually learn to do what Jesus taught was best. That in calling Jesus Lord or doing great works in his name is simply not enough.

Willard contends it’s about hearing and obeying:

• “The one who hears him and does what he says accordingly builds the house of his or her life to be totally indestructible. The house is built upon a rock, not upon sand, where the winds of life will knock it down.”
• “The narrow gate is obedience–and the confidence in Jesus necessary to it”
• “The fruit of the good tree is obedience, which comes only from the kind of person we have come to be (the ‘inside’ of the tree) in his fellowship.”
• “Doing what he said, beginning from ‘believe on him whom God has sent,’ we step into the flow of God’s ways, we ‘enter the kingdom of the heavens.’”

Willard concludes that “in actually doing what Jesus knows to be best for us, we build a life that is absolutely indestructible, ‘on the Rock.’” The Rock of course being Christ.

The narrow gate is about doing the will of the Father and not about doctrinal correctness! For all of us that spend so much time studying and debating doctrine, do we sometimes disregard discipleship and living the life we are called to live so that others can see us as continuing to be learners of what Jesus taught, so that we may be trusted? Isn’t it really about being obedient to the Father, living in the grace of Christ’s sacrifice for all, as we give ourselves to him as an act of spiritual worship?

I’ve been spending time in the word of God this week and a particular part of Scripture has really been getting to me. I wanted to share what is moving me and hope that it may stir something within you and allow you to come to find what it is that you are seeking:

Psalm 42-
New Living Translation

1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
3 Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and 6 my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

9 “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

I’m feeling content with where I am at this week. I’m taking a break to seek God and only do ministry that he calls me to do, rather than what I feel I need to do in order to get to where I think he wants me to go. For the first time in my journey as a Christian I am not sure what tomorrow holds, yet I am feeling great peace in knowing that I can work through this time with God and not be before his people and potentially cause them to stumble.

For my last sermon last Sunday, I spoke about Romans 15:13. It’s my favorite verse in the entire Bible and it speaks to me in amazing ways…when I allow it to speak to me. Sometimes I take this verse for granted and it’s a terrible thing to do with God’s word. I’ve repented and I’ve been humbled before my Lord. I am learning to live in hope for tomorrow, yet recognizing the beauty of what God has placed before me today. I am hopeful that my time with my family will be honored by God and that he will use me to touch my daughters in ways that they will come to Christ and commit their lives to him as their Lord and Savior. Through my time of renewal and learning to wait on God, I am hopeful that he will call and I will answer in faith. In recognizing how far I have come, and realizing how far I have to go, that God will meet me where I am and show me the way to take those things that I have been gifted at doing and combining them with those things that God has burdened my heart for and made me passionate about. There is much to be hopeful for in the new place I am at this week and what a joyful and peaceful place I find myself as I remind myself of his promise to me and the promise he made to all of his people.

Romans 15:13- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lord God, I pray that you wil fill your people with the hope that will change the world. That through their witness you will become known to those that did not know you before. That the hope that overflows rains down upon those in darkness and calls them to come into your light. May we learn to trust in you so deeply that your Holy Spirit can give us joy and peace through the hope you pour into our spirit, so much so that it overflows into those you have placed around us. In Christ’s name, amen.

When we are facing adversity, many times we just keep pushing through it hoping we can overcome it. It’s our nature to do so. It’s rooted in pride and being self-centered. Sometimes we get through the problem and praise ourselves for finding a way to deal with the problem, but is that the way God intended for it to be done? Remember what is written in James 4:6:

“he opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll make it through okay on your own, but you’ll definitely make it through if you just call upon the Lord to overcome your circumstances. It could be that you need a job or your house is getting foreclosed on and you have no where to go. It may be that some things are going wrong in your church or ministry. How about trying to deal with an addiction on your own? Maybe you were viewing some pornography right before you read this and you try to stop, but you just can’t. For some of you it may be some physical illness or even something terminal like cancer. Don’t try and hang onto it and hope that it gets better through your ways. Just invite God to take over and commit to trust in him and wait on his timing. It’s called prayer and it’s something we should force ourselves to go to first in any situation. Prayer is unbelievably powerful.

James 5:13-16:

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

In each of the 4 verses above, we see the answer is prayer. In trouble, or sick, or stuck in sin? Pray, pray, pray, pray!

Of all things to reference, I was up late last week and I came across an infomercial. A guy is selling some program to help people live a life of faith. I caught it at the exact moment he was telling a story:

A businessman was at home when he got the call that his wife was headed to the hospital to have a baby. As a businessman, he had a personal car and a company car in his driveway. His instinct was to take the personal car since it was personal business he was on. However, something caused him to stop and pray about it. So, he asked God and God responded to take the company car. The businessman didn’t understand the reasoning, but heeded God and took the company car. While he was traveling down the freeway on the way to the hospital, a car slams into him from behind. As they both pull over, the businessman wants to get out and go see how the other driving is doing. He’s concerned as any of us would be. However, something causes him to stop and pray again. He asks the Lord if he should go check on the other driver. God tells him no! So, the businessman stays in his car and waits for the police and ambulance to arrive.

Why was prayer so important during those two times? Well, it turns out that the other driver was a convicted murderer that was out on parole and could have potentially been a threat to the businessman had he confronted him at this car. As for taking the company car instead of the personal car? After being injured severely in the accident and the other driver not having insurance, the businessman received $1 million in coverage from his insurance company because his company car had a high level of insurance. This allowed him to get medical treatment and to cover expenses as he could not work any longer. His personal car only had basic liability coverage of $25,000.

When we pray, we must not only listen for God to respond, but we must be faithful to follow what he asks of us. We must put our trust in God and not in ourselves. May we purposefully humble ourselves before God in all things so that we may seek his hand and carry out his will, giving him all the glory.

In John 5 Jesus gives us an example of his healing power. However, there is more to the story if we look closely:

John 5:2-9:

2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.[b] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

7″Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Here is a guy that has been sitting next to this same exact pool, in the same exact place for 38 years. It takes a lot of faith to keep coming back for 38 years in order to receive a healing doesn’t it? Or does it? Notice what Jesus said to the man in verse 6? He asks the invalid, “Do you want to get well?” What a question! To us, it seems the answer must be obvious. Many of us may even commend the man for his faith to keep coming back 38 years and hoping for a miracle.

It turns out that there were people that would camp out at the pool and beg for money. They didn’t want to go into the pool and be healed as they were pretty comfortable earning a living by begging. What purpose would be served if Jesus had healed someone like that? They may actually get kinda mad at Jesus for taking away their livelihood! Others were there because they just wanted to feel sorry for themselves. They weren’t believing in being healed as they would never enter the pool, choosing instead to sit on the sidelines and complain about how bad life was and how they couldn’t even get help into the pool as no one cares about them. Again, what purpose would it serve if they were healed by Jesus? None, as they would just wander off somewhere and find something else to cause them to feel burdened upon and sorry for themselves.

Now, ask yourself a question. Which one of these describes you? As much as we try to portray ourselves as strong and above it all, we each have experienced our own pity party at some point. We each have been in a situation where we have made excuses for things not happening as a way to just not keep going. A lot of us just keep doing the same old thing regardless of whether it works or not because we are such creatures of habit!

What if Jesus is asking you right now if you want to be delivered from your affliction? If you want to do what it takes to get that job and find a way to make ends meet or if you just want to keep pretending to look for a job and complain that there is too much competition so you’ll never get hired. What if Jesus is asking you to stop saying “Woe is me!” and make a decision to take a step in the right direction?

In verse 7 the invalid actually tries to make an excuse. He says no one will help him get into the pool and he is always just a little too slow on his own to make it. You know what Jesus does? It’s right there in verse 8. He doesn’t even acknowledge the excuses! Jesus hears the man, but immediately replies by telling him to, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” With this, the man gets up and walks away.

If we’d just look to Jesus to help us with our problems and be ready to respond immediately when he moves on our behalf, we would save a lot of wasted time and time pitying ourselves. You know, we’ve all gone through it and we’ll all go through it some more, but sometimes we just have to rise above it all and know that Jesus is asking us if we really want to be delivered and empowered and waiting for us to say “YES!” Won’t you stand up and pick up your mat and walk and say “YES!” to Jesus today?

Use it or lose it! I hear that from Obama a lot these days in response to the oil companies sitting on a bunch of land that isn’t being used for drilling for oil. Obama says use the land or the government is gonna take it back.

Is there something you have been given, such as a talent that you aren’t using? Did you think that you could just hang onto it and keep it in your back pocket forever?

Luke 8:16-18: 16“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

This is a parable that Jesus tells to his disciples as a way of letting them know that they are to share the truth (the light) with the world, not keep it for themselves. However, in general terms we can think of the light as the talent or gift that God has entrusted us with. Should we keep that talent or gift hidden so that no one else can know it? If so, why did he give it to you in the first place?

Maybe it’s something you know needs to be shared, but you are scared or feel you aren’t good enough yet. Well, in verse 18 we see that whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has, will be taken away from him. If you work on the talent or gift to make yourself better, God will honor that commitment and continue to lead you to improvement and confidence. If you don’t apply yourself, then some day you may want to only to realize that it has been lost.

Have you ever been in a place where you want to kick yourself for not doing something you think you should have? I hear this a lot with people that wanted to play music when they were younger, but as they got older they don’t have the time or the patience to develop the talent and always end up wondering what it could have been like had they just played when they had the chance.

Some of you know that you can sing well if you just tried, but you keep to yourself because you think others won’t appreciate your voice. Some of you have a gift to connect and relate with strangers, but you won’t share the gospel with another because you are afraid that they may reject you because you stumble in your words. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect so practice! Everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s never at the top.

Take a risk! Be bold! Thank God for giving you that special gift or talent and commit it to him and share it with the world. You were given the talent or gift for a reason and it shouldn’t be kept hidden. Have the faith in knowing that God wants you to share it with others so that he may be glorified. Sometimes you only get one opportunity and then it’s too late. Don’t let this pass you by. Have faith and enjoy the experience. You’ll feel much better for trying and you’ll probably please and bless a bunch more people than just yourself

Have you ever thought about how great things used to be? You know, back when you weighed less, or your joints didn’t ache or when you had more hair or when all there was in life was school and socializing? Boy, I know I have! Making money and having the world at my feet created a very easy existence for me. Sure, I was a slave to my job for many years, but the nice house and new cars every year and dinners out all the time sure seemed to make it all worthwhile. Now after serving in ministry for over 3 years with full-time hours, but no pay and often-times no reimbursement for expenses, is it right for me to ask why things used to seem so easy when I was an atheist compared to now as a Christian in ministry?

Ecclesiastes 7:10 reads: Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Why is it not wise? Because it’s the wrong question! The right question would be why am I here in this moment going through what I’m going through and how can it be used to glorify God? Also, what can I take away from the old days that will help me get through today or avoid making the same mistakes? We go through experiences and seasons of life for reasons. Sometimes they aren’t known to us until after we go through them; other times we may never understand why we go through them.

God has placed us on a journey with a beginning and an end. We didn’t have a choice as to when our life began and we won’t have a choice as to when it will end. God will be God. Therefore, why not just embrace the blessings we have today. We all know that no matter what we are going through, there is always going to be someone somewhere that is suffering even more than we are. It’s not a competition!

Let’s not look to our past to see how good things used to be and how bad they are today and cause ourselves to lose heart or become depressed. Our past shapes who we are, but we have a legacy that we will leave behind and it will end on a positive note if we just keep our eyes focused ahead of us and do our best to learn from our past so that we may have a better tomorrow. God’s gonna get you through everything if you’ll just trust in him and be at peace with all you are facing right now.

In Matthew 22:39 we are commanded by Christ to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, love others equally as you would love yourself. However, what if you really don’t love yourself very much? Interesting dilemma!

It’s really okay to feel good about yourself…really! You were created in the image of a loving God that cares for you more than words can say. He wants you to embrace that love and unleash it onto others around you.

Believing in yourself and liking who you are is not pride and it’s not a sin. It’s encouraged by God as he wants you to celebrate life and your relationship with him! Through you others can come to know God’s love for them and realize they are important. If you don’t appreciate yourself and your ability to contribute then how can God show his love through you? Therefore don’t be ashamed or afraid to give yourself hug and tell yourself how great you are and that God has an awesome plan for your life and it will affect a lot of other people in your lifetime. He has things planned for you that no one else will have the ability to do. God created you with a unique purpose and he needs you to see that purpose fulfilled. You matter to God and you matter to us!

Remember, it all starts with you. Let God show you how much you really mean to him and how important you are. Let him put a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Just ask him to share this with you. He’s waiting on you.

Title: Why did Lazarus Have to Die?: A Test of Faith, Part 1

Scripture: John 11:1-16

1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

7Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”

9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”

11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

1. What experiences can we look back upon to affirm our faith?
John 11:2- This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

Our study begins and ends with two people that we know had times of great faith and not-so-great faith. Mary, as we will find out next week, fails the faith test when she condemns Jesus for not being there in time to save her brother Lazarus from death. Yet, as referenced in John 11:2, we come to know that Mary lavished expensive perfumed oil on Jesus’ feet to the dismay of Judas and others in the room.

Mary has a chance to be a little lackluster in her faith, yet through her experience with Jesus in John 11 we can understand why her faith stands out so strongly in John 12 when she is rebuked by Judas, yet praised by Jesus. We must reflect on times when we relied on our faith and God honored that by seeing us through the difficult time and made us stronger by having gone through the trial.

2. Is it faith if we demand it to be on our timing and not wait on God’s timing?
John 11:6- Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Imagine if you asked God to answer a prayer, yet didn’t see any response. Would you give up? Would get angry? Here we see Jesus explicitly stating that he knew Lazarus was sick, yet he did not go to visit him for two more days. God works on his timing and we are not in a position to try and bring him down to our level. We must be patient and trust in the Lord as his might and his power can only be glorified when he works within the heavenly realms, and not our earthly ways.

3. When God calls upon our faith, how do we respond?
John 11:12-13- His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

How many times have we heard God’s voice, yet responded in an incorrect or inappropriate manner? In John 11 Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem (through Bethany, which is just 2 miles away) for the Passover and his death on the cross. Therefore by this time the disciples had walked with Jesus for 3 years, yet when he says Lazarus is asleep, they don’t realize he meant Lazarus was dead. They question Jesus and wonder why he would want to wake up Lazarus when sleep may do him so good. When God calls us to respond in faith, do we act in faith or do we hear what we want to hear and then question his motives?

4. Everyone has experienced doubts sometimes
John 11:16- Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Here Thomas shows a strong faith in Jesus exclaiming that all the disciples should go to Bethany and die with Lazarus so that they may have new life and that God may be glorified. However, most of us know the disciple Thomas as Doubting Thomas. This is the same Thomas that couldn’t believe Jesus had risen from the grave and now walked amongst his followers. His faith was very low at the time and he even challenged Jesus by saying the only way he would believe was if he could put his finger into the hole where the Roman soldier had pierced his side on the cross. Have you ever been so bold as to challenge Jesus when he called upon you? Has it made you feel guilty or ashamed? Jesus knows us and knows that we will have times when we doubt his call or fail to follow his voice. We are placed in this world and do our best to be godly in all things, yet we are incapable of perfection. God knows this and therefore doesn’t give us such experiences of stumbling in our faith so that he can make us feel guilty. He wants us to learn from the experience and help be able to better discern his voice and to respond without fear as we grow and mature in our relationship with God.

You are not alone when you doubt and it doesn’t make you any less of a Christian when you do. Remember, it’s not necessarily about the choices we make, but it’s how we handle them that mark who we are in Christ.

One of the things I struggle with sometimes is my imbalance in my faith. What I mean is that I have had 37 years to live in the world and in worldly ways, yet only about the past 4 years to live as a believer and student of Christ’s teachings. I’ve been told by many that I have grown quickly in my knowledge and faith and it’s a testament to the transforming power of God, yet obviously I have a long way to go still.

I used to say a lot of things that could be misconstrued as hurtful, all in the name of getting people to laugh. Sarcasm is something that I have difficulty with. It comes so naturally to me that many times I don’t realize I’m being sarcastic until after the words have left my tongue. Nothing I say is ever sarcastic in such a manner that it speaks some truth, it is always just said in a harmless and joking manner. However, I’ve seen that what is funny to me and others around me may not be funny to the person the words were directed towards.

There isn’t any one instance that convicted me and has me repenting, but it’s just a general sense that this is something I must be very careful about and one of the things I do that does not honor God. As it is written in Ephesians 4:29:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Therefore I must be careful with my words and fight the automatic nature of my use of sarcasm for humor. Just as I don’t need to use profanity or sexual innuendo to be funny, I don’t need to rely on sarcasm for humor either. Today I pledge to remove sarcastic comments from my mouth, never to return in the name of Jesus. Please pray for me.