January
22
2012
Isaiah 35:1-8
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the LORD has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
One of the biggest challenges and most significant choice we can make in life is the road we will take. I don’t know if most people think of life as a road or journey, but in many ways, that is a useful analogy. Along the road are junctures, decisions that we need to make about the direction we will go. The major decisions are obvious and highly important, such as where a person may live or the type of house one will buy or rent, what kind of job a person tries to get (this is not always an option), and especially who one will marry (if one does marry), and others. Many of decisions are quite minor, at least on the surface. But these smaller decisions begin to add up and show a general direction for our lives. We may not think hanging out with a certain person or dating a certain person is a big deal (and I have heard that argument from young people). But that “minor” decision will begin to add up with others and set patterns for our lives.
Isaiah looked forward to a day when God would provide a new road for His people to walk. It is described as the way of holiness. It is a journey that is full of peace, happiness, fulfillment, purity, love, joy, and many other positive experiences. It does have its challenges. However, if you ask two people at the end of their lives who took two different roads, one the way of holiness and the other the ways self, pride, sin, who had a better journey, I bet that the one who walked with God will have had a much better trip. There is definite benefit to walking with the Lord in this life. As the old hymn goes, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” May our paths be guided by the Holy Spirit who will give us a wonderful life in this world full of pain, questions, and sorrow.
If you would like to listen to a sermon on this topic, go here.
January
12
2012
Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
A lot of things take our energy. This is especially true when you have children. I often find my attention and energy drawn to so many areas of my life: family, ministry, academics, needs around the home, and even pets (especially with our new golden retriever puppy, Sami). It is hard to maintain focus with many of life’s challenges. I wonder if this is true for many others as well. I have to confess that I fill my life with activities because of many ideas that float through my mind and the different projects I get myself into.
Most people want their lives to have some meaning. They look to various things, people, events, and ideas to provide this meaning. Generally, what consumes a person’s time is often where that meaning is found. Some people put most of their energy into their jobs. Working is their passion. Others like to watch athletic games on TV. Football is their passion. Others invest all their time in their families. If you follow a person for a week, you could probably tell what his or her passions are.
Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, who had a significant influence on John Wesley, said, “I have but one passion; it is He, He only.” Paul the Apostle shifted his passions from trying to please God to living for God. He realized that he needed to put his passions aside, to crucify the old man, and to be made new, letting Christ reign supreme. When we see life through the filter of Christ, our passions will be changed. We will find new meaning in the many things that occupy our time and energy. We will live for Christ, not for self.
You can find a sermon on this passage and topic at http://www.buhlnaz.org/sermons.
December
31
2011
New Years Day is always a good time to reflect on the past and consider the future. The past and the future ought to impact our present.
Philippians 1:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
If we are going to spend our energy and time on certain activities, we ought to make sure that these activities are worthwhile. There are many things that distract us from this path. There is a series of books about giving certain items to animals. We got a Christmas gift to add to our collection called If you Give a Dog a Donut. These stories go from one activity to another until by the end of the story, the critter is far from where it started. We are like that a lot. We get distracted along the journey and find ourselves far from where we started. We intend to do one thing but end up doing another. It is hard to stick with our goals. Several things can help us with this:
1) Remind ourselves of our goals; keep them before us. Find ways to remind ourselves of our goals. Some organizations do this by posting the purpose or vision statement of the organization.
2) Have others in our lives who will hold us accountable. Because we are easily distracted and forgetful, being part of a community that helps us keep to our goals can be a great asset.
3) Make small but steady stead in reaching our goals.
4) Ask God to guide and bless our decisions. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”
June
26
2011
I enjoy a good adventure story or movie—something about the adrenalin rush that comes with the suspense in the story line. Without realizing it, we pick characters in the story with whom we identify. Hopefully, our hero is the good guy. Often there is a prize that drives the plot of the story, such as the love of a fair maiden, finding a lost person or civilization, freedom from oppression, or even some type of wealth.
Treasure is a prize that also drives much of our lives today, even if that treasure is not gold and silver buried in a sunken pirate ship. Treasure is anything that has value to us. Our career goals can be a form of treasure. Perhaps our possessions, homes, cars, or even families can be what is of value to us.
Paul the Apostle wrote, “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Paul gives several helpful insights in this verse that provide a strong foundation in our ever-shifting world.
First, he mentions a “treasure.” What is this treasure? If we study the surrounding passage, we find back in verse 6 that the treasure is “the glory of God in the face of Christ.” As Paul says earlier in 3:18, our goal in this life is to be transformed into Christ’s likeness, from one degree of glory to the next, through the help of the Holy Spirit. That is a big thought! The treasure we possess is the whole goal of life: that we might live purely, love deeply, and serve unconditionally in the same way the perfect human, Jesus, did.
Who among us can reach that goal? We fall far short of it so often. Our love towards our loved ones and surely towards our enemies is no where close to the way Jesus loved people. We give in to temptations whereas Jesus overcame every temptation he faced. Paul expresses our experience in his second point: we live in jars of clay. He is speaking especially here of our weak, physical condition. There is truth in the cliché, “I’m only human.” Why does God give us this awesome goal of being Christ-like yet put us in this imperfect world, full of sickness and temptations? Why is not the world perfect, with no sin and no disease? Answering that question will open the way for us to find peace no matter what our physical circumstances may be like.
Paul knew firsthand what suffering is all about. He had often gone without food, been imprisoned, shipwrecked, and even beaten to the point of death. He saw his physical existence wasting away, his stamina deteriorate, and his flesh become weak. Yet, he realized that this imperfect existence is the arena in which we live out the perfect gospel. He writes later in this passage, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (4:16).
For Paul, there is a big difference between living by our own resources and living by the help of God. Living without God eventually leads to defeat and despair, when our clay jars crack and perhaps even shatter and crumble into a pile of brokenness. Our pots may be more cracked than we are willing to admit.
The reason we live in this kind of situation is expressed as a purpose clause: in order that the power to transform our lives can be clearly seen to be from God and not from our own efforts. If we could make our lives better by our own efforts alone, who needs God? The truth is, and experience has proven over and over again, that we need a power source outside of ourselves. There is an innate drive within every human for finding meaning to life and looking beyond our mundane everyday existence. This drive has pushed humanity to look to the stars and to explore the depth of the seas.
The most important things in life are the invisible ones. If you are like me, we like to hold on to the things that we have. We have worked hard for them. In today’s economy, earthly treasures do not come without some effort. We must focus our lives on the invisible, spiritual qualities deeply planted within each of us, not the temporary things of this world. As cracked pots, we do not hold water very well. The good news is that the very presence of the glorious creator can abide in us. No matter how deep the valley or dark the trail, we do not have to walk it alone. The priceless treasure offers us a source for hope that can never be exhausted.
February
24
2011
1 John 4:7-12
The First Epistle of John is one of the great documents that make up the collection called the New Testament. In this letter, which is written more like a sermon, John lays out the heart of the Christian faith. He defends the faith against false doctrines about Jesus that were beginning to infiltrate the church while at the same time presenting to his readers the greatest truths contained in all of scripture. Chapter 4 marks in many ways the high point of John’s discussion. In this chapter, he challenges his readers to love in the same way that God loves.
We know what true love is because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. Jesus’ death was more than a martyr’s death. It involved taking upon Himself our sins, suffering the pain and hatred we experience. His death was more than symbolic; He did not simply die representing me. In a very real sense, it was “mystical” and real in that He literally assumed my wrongs. By His pain and suffering, we find out the depths of God’s love for us.
Christianity is more than a set of rules. It is more than following the teachings of an ancient itinerant Galilean preacher. At the heart of our faith is the belief and hope that we can have a relationship with the God of the universe and that this relationship will forever change our lives.
We get a foretaste of this relationship with God through our relationships with one another here on earth. Unfortunately, our love sometimes is anything but close to God’s example of love. So many things of this fallen world encroach on our love for God and love for others. Even in the church we struggle to love one another because we are too much like the world (this was the very core problem of the Corinthian church). Every person shares in this problem of loving, but there are specific issues in our culture and time that we confront. Our model for loving cannot be found in this world, a drive for things, position, power, or prosperity. The world seems to be exploding in the past few weeks with hatred. There is hope and a different way to live.
John says in verse 12, “if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” Loving one another opens the floodgates of God’s presence in our lives. We have a responsibility and obligation to love others. It is the central command for followers of Jesus. We do not have a choice of whom we will love, when, or how. We only have the reason to love: “We love because He first loved us” (v. 19).
A sermon recording is available here.
February
15
2011
Ecclesiastes 5
I think most people would like to have a little more money. Money is how the world turns in our modern times. It is pretty difficult to do much without it. In the “old days,” a person could trade for goods or even be self-sufficient on a farm. These days, few of us have the means to grow our own food, which means we must rely on others to provide the goods and services we need. A little more money would make life more comfortable.
The problem we face is that we never know when enough is enough. The lure of the mighty “MORE” is strong: if I just had a little more, life would be so much nicer. I’ll be honest, in some ways, having a little more cash on hand would make life nicer. Perhaps it might mean that we don’t have to drive that old smoking car around any more, or we could buy a more comfortable house, even have better food on the table for our children.
The “preacher” of the book of Ecclesiastes calls all this a chasing after the wind. Money is a great asset, but it and all it buys ultimately come to ruins. The more significant things in life are worshipping God and living lives of love in this world. Everything else is “vanity,” a key word in this book of the Bible.
What happens when we have let the lure of money put us in bondage? It can happen subtly without us always being aware of the long-term consequences. We look at our finances and believe we can afford the payment on the car. Our credit card limit is large, so there is plenty of room to charge that big screen TV. After all, the payments will not be too big. Then come the difficult days of losing our jobs, an unexpected medical bill, a broken car that needs fixing, and so on.
With signs that the economy is improving, reports in the news are that consumers are just waiting to spend their money that they have been cautiously saving over the past year. The warning signs are everywhere that giving in to the lure of money will only lead to disaster.
What can we do? Be wise with what God has given us. Set long-term goals (replacing the car, educating the kids, buying a house, saving for retirement), watch monthly spending, pay what we already owe, and be faithful in the support of God’s kingdom work. There is a great freedom that comes when you owe no one anything except the debt of love (Romans 13:7-8). It does not matter how much or how little we have, God wants us to be good stewards and to find happiness in this life through serving Him.
A sermon recording is available here.
February
3
2011
Judges 2:10-15
Some of the choices we make in life are so influenced by our past that we do not even realize the influence of former generations. The first decade of life is crucial for developing patterns that will guide us the rest of our lives. As Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Why is this true? Because we have helped that child set up some early patterns for life that will become more or less innate in that child later in life. That child always has the freedom to rebel against these patterns, but if we are faithful in our upbringing, they will be in the back of the child’s mind later in life.
The patterns we set for children can be both good and bad. Good patterns include our mannerisms, such as how we talk with other people (showing respect and kindness), how to view the world, how to approach problems, respect and belief for God, good hygiene and other polite habits, and the list could go on. Children will watch their parents or other guardians (including day care, teachers, and those around the church). Often you can look at a young person and see the values of his or her parents by how that young person acts.
The patterns we set can also be negative. Anger and other emotional issues are some that we so easily and readily hand on to our children. Children will pick up on rough speech, disrespect, poor manners, and many opposites of the earlier list above. These “bad habits” can have bad outcomes later in life and make for poor work relations, difficult family issues (our marriage issues do not just affect us but also the future marriages of our children), and can even lead to poor health (such as alcohol addictions).
As children, we can break the cycles handed down to us. We can make the choice of not following the patterns set by our parents. With God’s help, we can choose different paths. It may take a lot of work, perhaps counseling, much prayer and personal searching to make some of these changes. One major ingredient will be honest with ourselves about who we are. That is a difficult one for some people to deal with.
Are we truly innocent of the sins of the past? I would suggest that we are innocent until we realize that God is convicting us about these choices. When we come to realize that we have fallen into the same patterns as former generations, we need to change with God’s help. If we don’t make the effort, we will find our own lives bound for ruin and hardship, depending on how dominant, evil, or binding the past actions of our parents might be. It is never too late to find release from these, even in later years of life, however, the sooner the better. I really encourage anyone on the younger side to look carefully at their own lives and make good decisions now. I had to make some of those decisions myself. I looked at the heritage I had. I have a lot to be thankful for, but there are some areas that if I followed the pattern could create problems for me and my new family. I am still processing some of these and likely will my whole life. But at least I know some of the issues I need to work on with God’s help.
So I encourage everyone who reads this to spend a few moment looking deep into yourself, asking God to show you what you need generational healing from.
A sermon recording is available here.
January
27
2011
Deuteronomy 6:4-10
Psalm 127:3
So much is detracting and waging war against the family these days. In people’s efforts to exert their freedoms, they chip away at the foundation of civilized society. We won’t know the harms of this until the children of today grow up. We are seeing more and more results almost daily in the news with children shooting each other and their teachers, teenage pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, and many other things. Will things get better? I am not confident about the larger culture getting any better.
I wonder if Christian families have relied too much on the wider culture to raise their children. How much quality time do we get to spend with our kids? My kids are pretty busy. I am pretty busy. There is a lot calling for our attention, including sports, the TV, extra-curricular activities, work and so on. If you are a parent or grandparent who cares for children, what are the primary influences that you see in your child’s life? If you made a list of the top five influences, and could verify these with some kind of evidence (like, my kids spends 5 hours a day playing video games), do you notice any dangers? Are you happy with this list?
Since the wider culture has lost its moral bearing, this forces parents to return to God’s original plan: nurture and discipleship needs to take place in the home. This is God’s model. Why? Because parents are in the primary spot to influence their children, for good or for bad. Obviously children are freewill agents and will do what they want when they grow up, but we can make the alternative of following God so attractive that they will not want to go the way of the unbelieving world. There will be something foul about its taste. They will have tasted the good life that the Lord gives and not want to be satisfied by the imitation flavors of the world. They will see our lives and say, I want to be like my mom and dad.
What happens if our family is not a unit anymore, or if things have not gone well in the past? The work becomes more difficult but not impossible. In my brief thoughts, I would suggest that one of the biggest things you will need is a heavy dose of humility, which will then be evidenced in trust, love, and commitment. You will need to build a new foundation because the old one has crumbled. The good news is that you can always start fresh, though the going may be difficult. It is always harder to rebuild or remodel something than to start fresh. Young parents, start your foundation early so that you will not have to remodel it later when it is really hard to rescue.
A sermon recording is available here.
January
27
2011
Hosea 1 & 3
No marriage is perfect because no one is perfect and imperfect people make imperfect relationships. Since this is the case, how can we make our marriage stronger?
When I look at my own imperfect marriage, several major thoughts come to my mind about how we can strengthen our marriages. I have to be careful with these because they come too close to home and touch on areas that I need to improve on.
1) Keep God the focus and center. When two people are focused on the big picture of the same goal of knowing God and eternal life, it makes a big difference about what to do with the little things of life. There are a lot of things in this life that are really not that important. The biggest thing I can do in this life is to be right with God and to help my wife and children be right with God.
2) Love no matter what. This comes a lot easier when we love God first. This kind of love is willing to overlook faults and quirks. It is quick to forgive. Unforgiveness can grow and fester over time until it reaches a point of almost no return (I say almost because there is always hope).
3) Show affection and caringness. This can be very simple, but let your spouse know you are important to him or her.
4) Spend quality time together. Find time in the busyness of the day to share some thoughts together. This gets very difficult when the children have a million outside activities or your job demands a lot of time.
5) Show your love in tangible ways. Surprise your spouse with a kind word of praise or admiration or a token of your appreciation.
6) Relieve the load the other person carries. Many of our spouses work outside jobs which can be very draining. A little boost can be a thoughtful way to stay connected.
What happens if we find ourselves in a difficult place, perhaps at a point we are ready to split or we have already departed from one another? There are some reasons for parting ways, but many of these reasons can be healed with time, forgiveness, prayer, a willingness to change, and open communication. This may be the more difficult route to take and may involve some bruising and pain before the healing comes. One of the hardest things to say–and mean–is, “I am sorry.” Don’t push the problems under the rug and pretend they are not there, but also don’t dig them up from the back yard after they have been buried and forgiven. When separation has happened and there is no hope for reconciliation, don’t live in the past and let the wounds fester.
A lot of important biblical words come to my mind when it comes to marriage: love, forgiveness, reconciliation, compassion, thoughtfulness, helpfulness, openness, and many others. The reason for this, I believe, is that God has given us marriage to remind us and teach us about His relationship with us. Marriage is one of the great, if not the greatest, ways we can know what it means to love like God.
A sermon on this topic is available here.
January
19
2011
Psalm 147:3
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
The natural tendency is for things of this world to fall apart. We have to work at keeping things repaired. The same is true for relationships. Relationships take nurturing or maintenance and even repairs at times when something gets damaged.
Lots of things can damage relationships. Since most of us are good intentioned people and would not intentionally hurt someone else, we need to ask ourselves what causes hurt relationships. It is one thing to be mean spirited, but that would not be Christian. If we are mean spirited, we need to seek forgiveness with God and seek His help with this. Since most of us are not mean spirited, how do we get ourselves into relationship problems?
One area that I did not mention much in my sermon is poor communication which can lead to many of the causes I raised. We are quick to judge what another person means. Often times we are wrong. Learning good communication skills and interpersonal skills can go a long ways in keeping good relationships. These skills can be learned. For some of us, we need to learn to be braver. For others, we need to watch our tongue more.
Paul the Apostle put it well in Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV): “1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
The answer for strong relationships is humility and putting the other person first. The model for this is Jesus, as Paul goes on to say in Philippians 2. Jesus gave up His “rights” by dying on the cross in order that others could be in relationship with God. Jesus is both the model and means for this to happen in our relationships also.
So, in your relationships, ask yourself if you are following the example of Jesus.
A sermon on this topic is available here.