Post 291: Thanksgiving Family Devotional

Welcome back friends, today I have posted a family devotional that I will be using on Thanksgiving.  Please take the time to read this, I would love any feedback that I can get.  Thank you!

Thankful for the Christ Child

(Luke 2:38)

1.                  When was the last time you were truly grateful for something; what was it?

2.                  What promises have people made that gave you hope?

3.                  What was the last thing you saw that made you happy?

4.                  What was the last thing you read that inspired you?

5.                  For what, in the Bible, are you thankful?

In Chapter 2 of Luke, we find someone who was truly grateful.  Her name was Anna; it says she was a prophetess.  Having that title means that she was either married to a prophet at one point, or that she was simply a teacher of God’s word.  However, the Word says that she was about 84 years old and lived on the temple grounds.  Jesus is only a few weeks old at this point.  Joseph and Mary bring Him to the temple to “present Him to the Lord”.  While there and old devout man named Simeon gets the blessing of his life because He gets to see Jesus before he dies.  He holds Jesus in his arms and blesses Him.  Since Anna lived there, it would have been easy for her to hear about the child that was claimed to have been virgin born.  When she sees Him we don’t see her speaking to Joseph and Mary, we don’t see her singing psalms or pronouncing blessings.  What we see that she does is first she praises God; she gives thanks to God for Him.  After the Bible says she “spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem”.

I have a couple more questions for all of you.  How thankful are you for Jesus?  How thankful are you that He died so that we wouldn’t have to?  Are you thankful enough to spread the word of “redemption” and salvation like Anna did?

Post 290: My Family Christmas Reflection

Welcome back friends.  This Christmas my family is not in a very good financial state.  So instead of the traditional presents and food, we're making a conscious effort to focus on family, fun, and (most importantly) faith.  I have honor of writing a reflection for my family that I will read to everyone there, helping us to focus on our Lord.  Below is what I have written.  Please let me know what you think.  Thanks!

Christmas Family Reflection

(Matthew 22:1-14)

It’s always been traditional for Christmas reflections to be based off of the Christmas story found in Matthew 1 & 2, Luke 1 & 2, and even the prophecies of the Old Testament.  While there is great importance in knowing and celebrating these parts of scripture there is much more than can be applied to the Christ of Christmas.  We could talk about the Creation account in Genesis since John 1:3 says that all things were made through Him.  We could talk about the glory and kingship rightfully and finally bestowed to Him in Revelation.  I am of the firm belief that, if you know your Bible well enough, every passage points to Christ in some way.

            That being said, I have decided to focus on Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast for the king’s son.  Forgive me if this starts to sound like a sermon; I can get quite carried away with excitement when probing the depths of scripture.

(Read Matthew 22:1-14)  What are you wearing today?  Are you dressed in your finest, are you wearing filthy rags, or did you toss on your garments with indifference?  What I’m talking about is your spiritual garments.  Keep that question in mind as we discover how important, and exactly what, our spiritual garments are.

As we read the passage we can see clearly that there are three groups of people mentioned besides the King and His servants.  We have those who are indifferent to the invitation, those who killed the servants, and strangers from the “highways” who were invited later.
            The first two groups are clearly the Jews.  They have been called since the time of Abraham to be a part of God’s kingdom and to enjoy the celebration of salvation with Christ.  At times through their nation’s history they ignored this call and even killed his servants, the prophets.  In wrath and judgment God destroyed Jerusalem and brought many to an early end several times.  He won’t stop calling them to the feast until they finally accept His invitation during the tribulation.

At times God shows His extreme patience with these groups.  As you can see in verses 3 and 4 He sends out his servants twice hoping his subjects will come; but they reject Him and face the judgment.

However, the group I want to focus on are the ones that we represent and have the most relevance to us.  The third group, the strangers from the highways refers to the gentiles who were not of God’s kingdom but have now been invited through the spread of the Gospel.  We are children of our Lord and part of His kingdom but before we were all strangers.  Before we had put our faith in God we didn't know Him or love Him and in His grace He chose to reveal Himself to us.  We have been invited to the feast, we have been chosen to be a part of His kingdom but the question is, are you ready?

After the first two groups were punished we see the king still wanting guests for his feast so he sends out his servants a third time.  The important thing to notice is that these are people from the highway.  If you were traveling on a highway back then you traveled light.  Whatever business you had you would only take what was necessary.  The average traveler would be lucky to have sandals on his feet and a pack over his shoulder to carry food, water, and valuables.  Most wouldn’t be able to take much more than that and you certainly wouldn’t bring any formal clothes along with you because not only would they not be necessary but you probably couldn’t afford them. So, this tells us that the King, in inviting these strangers, would take the responsibility to wash and clothe them who had no idea they were going to be a part of a wedding feast.

Psalm 132 talks about being clothed with righteousness.  That righteousness is not something we can make ourselves or purchase with valuables.  It is something that is given to us by our King.  Romans 5:17 makes it clear that it is a gracious gift from God.  This righteousness is offered through the righteous life that Christ lived for us, all we have to do is receive it.

All of us here understand this and I’m sure we’ve all accepted it; but have we all put it on?  What do we do with this garment and how do we wear it?  In 1 John 3:7 is says “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”  And verse 10 “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”  If we are going to wear this righteousness then that means our acts and deeds of righteous living have to be as visible as the clothing on our body.  You can try to be as righteous in your mind and heart as you want but if no one sees it in your life then you’re not righteous at all.  The good news is that God knows we won’t always be wearing our garments.  Sometimes we will fail.  That’s why John used the phrase “practice righteousness”.  It’s an on going practice that we will sometimes succeed at and sometimes fail.  When we fail we have Christ to take care of that.

            Now, let’s move down to verse 11 and the point of this reflection.  We see here one of the strangers from the highways who isn’t wearing a wedding garment.  We already established that the king would have had to provide the garments for those who arrived.  This shows that this man chose not to wear it.  He chose not to accept the gracious gift.  When the king asks “friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment” he isn’t bewildered as to his presence but as to his audacity!  The stranger’s speechlessness shows that he has no excuse for his actions.  This man who was journeying was given a great, unexpected, and undeserved honor of being at the feast and chose not to show respect to the king by wearing the proper attire.  In light of this, the king’s act of casting out the ungrateful stranger, to be with the guests who didn’t not come at all, is a just act.

            Our Lord has every right to send out those who don’t accept His gift and put it to full use.  They have chosen either to not accept his invitation or his gift of salvation.  Either way they choose their own fate.
            So, what are you wearing today?  Are you wearing the garment that God has handed to you?  Have you come here to just have fun and enjoy this world or are you here to give Him glory and honor for what He has done for us?  If you haven’t given Him his due and thanks today, I greatly encourage you to do so before the day is through.  Let Him know how grateful you truly are.

Post 289: Prepare for Battle

Welcome back friends, I have posted yet another sermon written for the children of my church.  By all means read it and critique it.  I would love to know honest, unbiased opinions.  I will also be recording the sermon as I deliver it and hopefully will be able to post it on here.

Introduction:  (Blow the battle horn a few times.)  Are you ready for battle?  Get on your feet!  Come on!  Stand at attention!  What’s the matter with you?  Grab your armor, your shield, and your sword; let’s go!  What’s the matter?  What’s wrong?  You don’t have any armor?  You don’t have a shield?  You don’t have a SWORD?  What kind of warrior are you?  I’ll tell you what I’m going to do for you.  I’m going to get you battle ready!  First let’s work on a battle cry.  A battle cry is what warriors do to scare the enemy before a battle.  So, any time I blow the horn I want you to yell as loud as you can.  (Blow the battle horn a few more times.)  Great job warriors!  Now before I give you your armor I have make sure you’re ready.  So have a seat and we’ll get started.

We can learn a lot from the Bible and today we’re looking in the Book of Joshua.  Adult’s please help the younger kids find it.  We talked about how the Israelites received the ten commandments from God, they sent spies into the promised land and were too scared to go, and God made them wait 40 years in the desert but now it’s time to get the land He promised them.  Let’s read.  (Joshua 1:1-9)

Now, let me tell you about what’s waiting for us!  Our Leader and Lord, Jesus Christ God’s Son has given us some “Promises” too.  (Slide 1)  We’ve read a promise already.  It’s in verse 1:5.  What does it say at the bottom.  “I will not leave you nor forsake you.”  This is what God said to Joshua.  He gives this promise to us too!  Jesus said something similar in Matthew 28:20.  He said “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.  That means no matter who we are, no matter what we do, no matter where we are; He will always be with us!  He’ll be with us whenever we need help and even when we don’t!  God is a good friend and that’s only one of the promises for us!  James 1:5 promises wisdom, Matthew 7:7 promises to provide our needs, John 14:2 states the promise of Heaven!  There are more promises than I can tell you about.  So, there are many rewards for our hard fought battles.

Now that you know what our promises are let’s move to “Preparation”(Slide 2).  Joshua had to do some preparation.  If he just marched into the land without food or water they would have died very quickly.  In verse 1:11 Joshua commands the people of Israel to make preparations.  They need to store up food and water to take with them because there were no grocery stores or fast-food restaurants back then.  However, in verse 1:8 he had them prepare something totally different.  (Joshua 1:8)  He had them prepare their souls!  This was very important because in a war a lot of people die, so if any of them died he wanted to be sure that they went to be with God.  Also, he know that God wouldn’t help them unless their souls were right.  The best way we can prepare our souls is to study the Bible, pray, and worship.  If we do that then God will equip us with his armor.  How many of you have heard of the “Armor of God”? (Slide 3)

(Ask for a helper to put the armor on.)  Well, let’s go through the armor piece by piece so you know what to expect.  Everyone turn to Ephesians 6:13-17.  (Ephesians 6:13-17)  If we seek after God in prayer, worship, and Bible study then He will give us the armor.  Now what do you do if you don’t feel like reading your Bible even though you know you should?  Let’s take a look.  (Psalm 37:4)  This verse says that if you do God’s work to make you happy then He will give you what you desire.  This doesn’t mean that He’ll give you a new bike or a game system.  There is another way to look at this verse.  God will not only give you what you desire, but He will also give you the desire itself.  He’ll help you to want what He wants.  All you have to do is go to God and ask Him!  (Have helper take off armor and then sit down.)

So, after you know what promises await you, and after you prepare, then you’re ready to “Proceed” (Slide 4)!  In Joshua 1:16 the Israelite warriors answered him.  (Joshua 1:16)  Why were they ready to do whatever Joshua told them?  The answer is back in verse 1:5b.  (Joshua 1:5b)  They weren’t afraid because they had the promise that God would be with them, and they had made all of their preparations.  So, now that we have our promises, and we know how to prepare ourselves; how do we proceed?  Jesus told us how to proceed in something called “The Great Commission”.  (Matthew 28:19-20)

Post 288: God's Chisel

If you haven't seen this skit, please take the time to do so.  It is very clever and meaningful.

Post 287: Spies in the Promised Land

Welcome back friends.  From time to time I'll be posting my sermons on here for anyone that my stumble across them.  I'm working on my expository skills but I don't have any formal training.  Further more my audience is K-6th Grades.  So, if you enjoy a good exposition then crack open your Bible and follow along.  Otherwise, have a nice day.

Spies to the Promised Land

(Numbers 31:1-14:25)

(Slide 1) Introduction:  (Treats for Bibles) How many of you have ever pretended to be a spy?  Did you know there are spies in the Bible?  If we look carefully, we can find them.  Turn to Numbers 31:1 and we’re going to read through 14:25.  Please stand and follow along in your Bible.

(Slide 2) Faithful Few:  God helped Moses and Aaron bring the people of Israel to the land that He promised to give them.  However, the Lord wanted to send in spies ahead of them.  So he had Moses pick some trustworthy men to do the job including.   Caleb and Joshua were two of the twelve.  Now, if you want to know more about Joshua, he has an entire book all to himself called “Joshua”.  Well, as we read, after the spies got back all the people wanted to go back to Egypt or just die in the wilderness.  But, Caleb was different.  What did he say in verse 13:30?  (Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.)

Caleb was one of what I call the “faithful few”.  How was he a faithful one?  (He trusted the Lord.)  Look in verse 14:24 and see if you can see what made him different from everyone else.   (He had a different spirit and followed God fully.)  Caleb trusted God and was ready to give his life for whatever God wanted to do.  That’s what we should try to do.  If your friends don’t want to do what is right, you should do the right thing anyway.

(Slide 3)  Many Mutiny:  Now, Caleb’s answer wasn’t the only one.  Look in verse 14:4 and see what the other spies were encouraging the people to say.  (They wanted to get a new leader and go back to Egypt.)  It seems clear that they wanted to run away because they were afraid but why?  What does it say in verse 13:33?  (There were giants, they felt tiny like grasshoppers.)  Have you ever said “I don’t want to, it’s too hard”?  That’s the same thing they were saying.  They didn’t trust God like Caleb did, even after all He had done for them in Egypt and through the desert.

(Slide 4)  Asking Again:  God was very angry with their betrayal.  He was ready to get rid of all of them and start a new nation with Moses.  But, Moses pleaded with God not to destroy them.  Why?  The answer is in verses 14:13-16.  (He was worried about God’s reputation with the Egyptians.)  Moses also had friends and family and so he probably wanted to save them too!  Moses pleaded with the Lord for the ones he cared about, did you know that Jesus did too?  In fact, Jesus prayed for you!  I would like my three helpers to go ahead and read their verses.  (John 17:20-26, Luke 23:34, Luke 22:31-32)

Even though Jesus is God, He still prayed to the Father for help for us.  He prayed for Peter, He prayed for the people killing Him on the cross, and he prayed for us to be strong and united.

(Slide 5)  Pardon and Penalty:  Well, God is just and can get angry but He is also very loving and forgiving.  In verses 14:20-23 is God’s answer.  He will forgive them but they must be punished.  How many of you have ever been punished?  Why do you get punished?  Do your parents love you?  What’s the point of punishment?  (So you will learn from your mistakes.)  God wanted to do the same thing your parents do.  Your parents forgive you when you do bad things but you still need to be punished so you will learn.  God is the best parent ever!  He knows exactly how much forgiveness and how much punishment we need.  For the people of Israel he had to make them wait forty years before they could go to the land He promised them.  But he did forgive them by letting them live.

(Slide 6)  Conclusion:  Aren’t you glad God forgives us?  We do bad things all the time but He doesn’t kill us or send us straight to Hell even though He could and should.  He is full of love and very forgiving.  He died a horrible death on the cross through Jesus so that He could forgive you!  We should thank him for that.

In a moment I’m going to give you the chance to do that but I want to ask you something first.  Are you going to be one of the “Faithful Few” or the “Many that Mutiny”?  Are you going to be like Caleb and trust God or are you going to be like everyone else and complain?  It’s your choice.  (Prayer)

Outline

Introduction:           (Treats for Bibles) How many of you have ever pretended to be a spy?  Did you know there are spies in the Bible?  If we look carefully, we can find them.  Turn to Numbers 31:1 and we’re going to read 14:25.  Please stand and follow along in your Bible.

I.                    Faithful Few

A.     Numbers 13:30

1.      How - Spoke up for trusting God (13:30)

2.      Why - Different Spirit (14:24)

3.      Modern - friends do bad, you don’t

      II.                 Many Mutiny

A.     Numbers 14:4

1.      How - New Leader

2.      Why - Fear

3.      Modern - “It’s too hard!  Don’t wanna do it!”

      III.               Asking Again

A.     Numbers 14:17-19

1.      How - spare name from Egyptians (14:13-16)

2.      Why - he cared, his family

3.      Parallel - Jesus asked for us

(Kids Read)

a.       John 17:20-26

b.      Luke 23:34

c.       Luke 22:31-32

      IV.              Pardon and Penalty

A.     Numbers 14:20

1.      How - prayer and forgiveness

2.      Why - promise, correction

3.      Parallel - 2 Samuel 12:23

4.      Modern - parents forgive but punish

Conclusion:  Aren’t you glad God forgives us?  We do bad things all the time but He doesn’t kill us or send us straight to Hell even though He could and should.  He is full of love and very forgiving.  He died a horrible death on the cross through Jesus so that He could forgive you!  We should thank him for that.

In a moment I’m going to give you the chance to do that but I want to ask you something first.  Are you going to be one of the “Faithful Few” or the “Many that Mutiny”?  Are you going to be like Caleb and trust God or are you going to be like everyone else and complain?  It’s your choice.  (Prayer)