YOUR WAY OR MY WAY?

Luke 12: 13-21

A millennial opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the young man was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW. "Officer, look what they've done to my Beeeemer!!!" he whined. 
 

"You millennials are so materialistic, you make me sick!!!" retorted the officer, "You're so worried about your stupid BMW, that you didn't even notice that your left arm was ripped off!!!" Oh...", replied the 20-something, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm once was, and screamed, “Where's my Rolex!!!!!”

Three contractors were touring the White House on the same day. One was from New York, another from Missouri, and the third from Florida. At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. when they each replied that they were contractors, the guard said, "Hey we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don't you guys take a look at it and give me your bids." 
  
First, the Florida contractor took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, "I figure the job will run about $900 -- $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me." 
       
Next was the Missouri contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick calculations and said, "Looks like I can do this job for $700 -- $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me." 
       

Finally, the guard asks the New York contractor for his bid. Without batting an eye, the contractor says, "$2,700."  The guard, incredulous, looks at him and says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" 
     

"Easy," says the contractor from New York, "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Missouri."

Heard recently at a Middle School gathering: “Do not touch MY iPhone. It's not an usPhone, it's not a wePhone, it's not an ourPhone. It's an iPhone.”

Greed, lust, ownership of possessions, selfish accumulation of stuff will keep you from the kingdom of God as it is too distracting from God’s Will.

(Luke 12: 13-21) - Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Some in our society think that rules were not meant for them or that there are no rules because there is no one to enforce them. Rules and codes of conduct are for the other guy.

There are always rules that everyone needs to adhere to, from early childhood (brush your teeth), to the teenage years (be home by 10:00), to the young adult (you must pay your “dues”), to the old geezers (no passing gas in public).

There are rules at home, at school, at work, in public, and when you get married there are rules at home again, just different ones. We humans create rules for every aspect of our lives. Some of those rules (speed limits) become laws, others (passing gas in an elevator) are social ones.

God has rules too. If the planets didn’t obey His rules, we would all crash and burn.

Sometimes our human laws reflect God’s Laws, but we often don’t let our lives reflect God’s values. Our scripture passage admits that we should set our own human laws but woe to the people who don’t consider God’s values in making those laws.

Okay, let’s go the important point here: How we live and prepare for eternity will have a direct bearing on how we’ll face eternity. If we follow God’s rules we’ll be rich in God, but if we don’t we’ll find ourselves with little resources to survive.

Its an age old question of where we will spend eternity? Every human being since Adam and Eve is going to spend eternity in one of two places, Heaven or hell. God has but one rule about this if we desire Heaven. That’s all He needs, but He’s dead serious about it.

To make a long story short, God’s one rule to be with Him is very simple, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31 NIV)

For a little background, but still keeping it simple, here’s what the Bible says about how God’s rules apply to us:

Everyone has sinned. (Romans 3:23)
Therefore, everyone will die. (Romans 6:23a)
God offers the gift of eternal life. (Romans 6:23b)
We can’t earn it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
So how do we get it? (Romans 10:11-13)
It is by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Once we receive the gift, we cannot lose it. (John 10:27-30)
What if I don’t believe? (John 3:18)
Is there any other way to be saved other than through Jesus? (John 14:6)

Isn’t it strange that regardless of our age, or where we live, we all have rules that we must follow? Often there are consequences if we violate the rules, and sometimes the consequences can be very serious. But that isn’t the strange part.

Despite Jesus being the epitome of Love, He gave at least 38 “Commandments” as recorded in the four accepted Gospels:

1. "When you stand praying, forgive." (Mark 11: 25-26)

2. "You must be born again." (John 3: 7)

3. "Remain in Me and I will remain in you." (John 15: 4)

4. "Let your light shine before men." (Matt 5: 14;16)

5. "Settle matters quickly with your adversary." (Matt 5: 25)

6. "Get rid of whatever causes you to sin." (Matt 5: 29-30)

7. "Do Not Swear at All." (Matt 5: 34-37)

8. "Do Not Resist an Evil Person." (Matt 5:  38-39)

9. "Giving More than is Demanded." (Matt 5: 40-42)

10. "Love Your Enemies" (Matt 5: 43-45)

11. "Give to Please God, Not to be Seen by others." (Matt 6: 1)

12. "Pray Privately, Not to be Seen of Men." (Matt 6: 5-7)

13. "This, then, is how you should pray." (Matt 6: 9-15)

14. "Fast Without Fanfare." (Matt 6: 16)

15. "Do not Store up Treasures on Earth." (Matt 6: 19-21)

16. "Do not Worry about Your Needs." (Matt 6: 25-26)

17. "Do not Worry about Tomorrow." (Matt 6: 34).

18. "Place God First." (Matt 6: 33)

19. "Do not Judge" ("Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," Matt 7: 1-2 NIV).

20. "Guard what is Sacred." (Matt 7: 6)

21. "Ask, Seek, and Knock." (Matt 7: 7)

22. "Care for Those in Distress." (Matt 25: 34-36)

23. "Enter Through the Narrow Gate." (Matt 7: 13-14)

24. "Watch out for false prophets." (Matt 7: 15)

25. "Exercise Spiritual Power." (Matt 10: 1)
26. "Do not Despise Childlike Believers." (Matt 18: 10)

27. "Do not Exalt Yourself." (Matt 23: 8-12)

28. "Settle Disputes Between Believers in this Manner..." (Matt 18: 15-17)

29. "Do not Oppose Other Christian Groups." (Mark 9: 38-40)

30. "Have Complete Faith in God." (Mark 11: 22-24)

31. "Do as the Good Samaritan Did." (Luke 10: 30-37) 

32. "Love One Another." (John 15: 12)

33. "Do this in Remembrance of Me." (Luke 22: 19-20)

34. "You Should also Wash One Another's Feet." (John 13: 14)

35. "Be Merciful." (Luke 6: 36)

36. "Go, Make Disciples of All Nations, Baptizing Them." (Matt 28: 19-20)

37. "Obey What I Command" (John 14: 15)

38. "You Must be Ready." (Luke 12: 40)

Please understand that these “commands” are roadmaps to Jesus’ character and guidelines for our behavior – they are not to be used as scorecards to claim righteousness or to accuse others of falling short of His Glory.

The strange part is that so many people think that when it comes to God, there are no rules. Actually, the same people think they can make the rules themselves on God’s behalf, and He will graciously concede. What a delusion they will find.

Look friends that kind of thinking has sent millions of people to hell and is still doing so today. You might think you can do it your way (as the song goes), but it won’t work.

Jesus tells us in our Gospel Lesson for today that your way will get you in a place called hell of which you will reside for all eternity. Once you breathe your last breath and you’re in hell, there is no turning back. There is no second chance. It is permanent. So think about how you prepare real hard. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER : Luke 11: 1-13

After watching sales falling off for three straight months at Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Colonel calls up the Pope and asks for a favor. The Pope says, ''What can I do?''

The Colonel says, ''I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican.'' The Pope replies, ''I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words.''

So the Colonel hangs up. After another month of dismal sales, the Colonel panics, and calls again. ''Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll give you $50 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'''

And the Pope responds, ''It is very tempting, Colonel Sanders. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words.''

So the Colonel gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales the Colonel gets desperate. ''This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken' I will donate $100 million to the Vatican.'' The Pope replies, ''Let me get back to you.''

So the next day, the Pope calls together all of his bishops and he says, ''I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that KFC is going to donate $100 million to the Vatican.'' The bishops rejoice at the news. Then one asks about the bad news. The Pope replies, ''The bad news is that we lost the Wonder Bread account.''

A young boy called the pastor of a local "corner" church to ask the pastor to come by to pray for his mother who had been very ill with the flu. The pastor knew the family and was aware they had been attending another church down the road. So the pastor asked, "Shouldn't you be asking Pastor Simon down the road to come by to pray with your mom?" 

The young boy replied, "Yeah, but we didn't want to take the chance that he might catch whatever this is that Mom has."

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them,

          "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone

indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

A few years ago I read a Bible Study by the late Jack Kelley with an interesting insight on the Lord’s Prayer.

He suggested taking it line by line, and showing how each person should turn it from something we know by heart and can recite without thinking into an impassioned personal discussion with the Lord that can last as long as we want. 

You do it like this:

Our Father In Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name

Only believers can call God “our Father.” John 1: 12 says that those who believe in Jesus have the authority to become children of God. Unbelievers don’t have this authority.

We can’t choose our earthly fathers but through Jesus we can choose our Eternal Father, and His name is Holy, worthy of reverence and veneration. He is our Creator, and our Redeemer, our Lord and our Savior. He’s the author of all our victories, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Are we spending enough of our prayer time acknowledging God’s majesty, His holiness?

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Here we pray for our Lord’s soon return and for all the world to be once again united behind His will, from our leaders to our congregations to our families to ourselves. We pray especially that His will would be the directional force in our lives, leading us in ways that draw us nearer to Him, and are pleasing to Him and acceptable in His sight. We lay before Him all our hopes and dreams and ask Him to mold them into His, to increase our desire for the things He desires for us, and decrease our desire for the things that He doesn’t. We ask Him for more of an eternal perspective and less of an earthly one.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This acknowledges Him as Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. As He fed the Israelites in the desert, as He fed the multitudes in Galilee, so He will feed us, and more than that, provide for all our needs. We may think that it’s by our own strength and skill that we make our way, but who do we think gave us our abilities? (Deut. 8:17-18) And if He knows and meets the needs of the flowers and the birds, how much more will He do the same for us? (Matt. 6:33) Give Him thanks for His bountiful provision.

And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors

1 John 1:8-10 says that if we think we’re without sin we deceive ourselves, but if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. In seeking forgiveness we must also extend it. Whether justified or not, harboring anger or resentment against a brother is a sin and puts us out of fellowship with God. We can’t ask to be restored to Him until we’ve forgiven each other. We ask Him to forgive those who’ve wronged us and forgive us for our anger.

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From The Evil One

James 1:13 says that God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is dragged away and enticed. The intent of this verse is to ask for God’s protection against the temptations we conjure up out of the evil of our own minds as well as those brought to us by Satan who knows just how to entice us.

Ask, Seek, And Knock

Each one of these sentences can be expanded from a personal request to an intercessory prayer for family members and other loved ones, business associates, church members, leaders, etc. The list is almost endless, limited for the most part by time and inclination.

But that’s by no means all the Bible says about prayer. Matt. 7: 7-11 says that whoever asks receives, all who seek will find and to whomever knocks the door will be opened. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children how much more will our Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask?

In the Parable of the persistent widow, the Lord showed that even unbelieving and uncaring people will reward persistence, so we should keep praying and never give up. (Luke 18:1-8) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 puts it simply but powerfully. Pray without ceasing.

O Ye Of Little Faith

But when we pray we must have faith that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. In Matt. 21:22 the Lord made this astonishing promise. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

This is not as simple as it sounds. Look at James 1:6-8. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

And James also told us to consider our motives when asking. “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)

God is not some genie in a bottle who comes into our lives to make our every childish wish His command. He did come that we might have life and have it abundantly, but that doesn’t mean the same as acting on our every whim. With such privilege as He’s given us comes the need to act responsibly.

The Great Makeover

He told us to be made new in the attitudes of our minds (Ephes. 4: 23) and to be transformed so that we no longer conform to the ways of the world. (Romans 12: 2)

Want to be free of the stress and anxiety, pulled out from under that mountain of debt and relieved of the uncertainties of your life? You can be happier, healthier, richer and freer if you just put these two verses into action. Believe me I know. I’ve looked at life from both sides of the equation, and there’s no doubt in my mind as to which is better, and not just in the eternal sense. I’m talking about the here and now.

So how should we pray? And where do we get the faith the Lord was talking about? 

For the answers to both questions look at Philippians 4: 4-7.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul used the same word in Phil 4:4 as he did in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

The word “always” is translated to mean continuously, without ceasing. Rejoice without ceasing. We take so many of our blessings for granted and never think to thank the Lord for His generosity.

The first step to more effective prayer is learning to give thanks for everything. It makes us feel better about our situation, it pleases the Lord, and it reminds us of how often our prayers are answered. The key to building mountain moving faith is to acknowledge Him every time we ask and receive.

We begin by asking for little things and as we receive them we give thanks and are emboldened to ask for bigger things. And sure enough, we receive those too. And on it goes. Thanking Him for each answered prayer builds our faith into an unshakable fortress.

What this passage means in plain English is: “worry about nothing, pray about everything and be thankful for anything.”

Following this advice makes us gentler because we don’t let uncertainties fluster or frustrate us. The peace of God that transcends our situation keeps our hearts and minds at rest because we know He’s answering our prayers. As someone wrote to me once, we “stop telling God how big our storm is and start telling the storm how big our God is.”

What Does The Lord Want For Us?

No study on prayer would be complete without a reference to my favorite verse in all the Bible. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) To me it’s the secret to getting what you need and what you want.

Jesus told us that if we concentrate on seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, God would provide for all of our needs. (Matt. 6: 33) We do this by becoming born again. There’s no other way into the Kingdom and there’s no other way to gain His righteousness. Pray and worry about nothing, pray about everything and always be thankful! 

Amen.

THE PROMISE: I Believe in Life Everlasting

2 Corinthians 5: 1-8 (NKJV)

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,

if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.

For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

This is the final message in the series on the Apostles’ Creed. We started a long time ago when it was very cold and we’re ending on a hot summer Sunday in July.

We’ve focused on an over-arching theme of Jude 20, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” We’ve been trying to become stronger in our faith as we learn what that faith is as represented by the ancient church creed called the “Apostle’s Creed.”

Today we come to the final phrase of the creed: “I believe … in life everlasting. Amen.” In order for us to grasp this truth, let’s think together about the last phrase of the creed, the last word of the creed, and then the last thought based on all we have learned from this series.

First,  The Last Phrase of the Creed—"Life Everlasting.” “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

Question: Where is home for you?

Is it were you grew up? Where you went to school? Made your home after you got married? Where your parents live, lived, or owned a home? Is it where the majority of your the friends live? What makes or determines what home is?

Is it memories? The store down the street. The first bicycle ride. The first cut or broken bone. Playing with friends at the old tree swing. Going to school on a bus, or walking to school with others. Snow events, floods, weather, and other natural disasters or problems? Weddings, birthdays, family gatherings, church?

Where is home for you? Where is that place that you learned who you are, what you wanted to become, and served as inspiration or motivation? 

Where is your comfort zone – the place you know and the place people know you?

Robert Frost said that “home is where, when you go there, they have to take you in.” Sounds more like friends and family then a place doesn’t it?

I think because of the circumstances of my early life I can tell you where I lived but I can’t really tell you I had a home until Becky and I made one. I spent time here and there and didn’t really feel a part of anything until after I entered the Navy. But even there I served in four commands over six years which is moving for a sailor.

I think this is why I developed the ability to just let time pass with no concerns or cares. I used to be able to go someplace and wait for long periods of time because it was almost like it wasn’t real. I could disassociate myself from time if I had to. So I’ve often had a different perception of home meaning being by myself. Weird?

But most people have memories that define where home is, and friends, family, and physical locations that mark familiar landmarks and locations that make them feel good.

Becky grew up about a ¼ mile from where we live. It’s always been home for her, but she’s a rarity in the sense that most of her friends have left and there’s very little left in our small community that reminds her of her childhood home – but it’s still like home to her.

Most of us are looking for that “Cheers” home experience – a place where everyone knows our name and are always ready to be friendly in a really honest way.

That’s what Hebrews 13:14 means when it says, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”

The NLT translates the first phrase this way: “This world is not our home.” And that brings to mind the words of a familiar gospel song: “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” How true that is, especially in the world we have.

This world is not my home. Victor Hugo said we spend the first 40 years leaving home, and the next 40 years going home.

We are born saying “Hello,” and the rest of life is one long goodbye. Friendships come and go, people move into our lives for a while and then they drift away. We move from house to house, job to job, church to church, sometimes we even move from spouse to spouse, always looking, searching, hoping for a place where we will finally feel at home. A place where we can relax and be ourselves. Where we don’t have to pretend or try hard to impress others.

Where we can say, “Ah, this is where I belong.”

For the Christian, that place is called heaven. It’s a real place, filled with real people. And contrary to popular opinion, it’s not really one long, never-ending church service. Far from it. The Bible says that when we get to heaven we will be “at home with the Lord.” What does that mean? Jesus said to the thief on the Cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The essence of heaven is the presence of Jesus. Heaven is where he is, and when we are in heaven, we will be with him forever.

I may go away from home for a day or two but I’m always happy to come home.

Now I didn’t mean I’m happy to be physically home but because it is home because the people I love live there. Home to me is where they are, and if they are not there, it doesn’t seem like home at all.

The phrase “life everlasting” tells us that our home isn’t in this world. Our home is somewhere else. And we will never really be at home in this world because we are constantly saying goodbye to the people we love the most. They leave us, or we leave them. Our children grow up, they leave home, they come back for a visit, and all too soon they leave again. As the years pass, the visits grow more infrequent. There is no getting around that fact as long as we live on planet earth. If you are looking for a place where you won’t have to say goodbye, you won’t find it here.

When Jesus prayed in the Upper Room on the night before his crucifixion, he declared, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17: 3). Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ. If you know Jesus, then you already have eternal life. We think eternal life means “living forever.”

Well, it does mean that, but it means a lot more than that. Eternal life in its essence is a relationship. It’s not just living for 100,000 years and never dying. If you know Jesus, you have “life everlasting” here and now. It begins the moment you believe, and it continues right on through your death, and it carries you all the way home to heaven.

I would suggest that most Christians have a hard time with heaven. We see it as a backup plan, something that will happen a long time from now. Meanwhile we get busy trying to create a little bit of heaven on earth. But we are disappointed again and again. And even when we are successful, we can’t understand that nothing lasts forever.

That’s why God must take away the heaven we create, or it will become our hell.

There’s a book in the Bible that explains that thought. It’s called Ecclesiastes.

Solomon experimented with all that life had to offer: money, sex, possessions, wine, women, song, parties, education, buildings, books, armies, grand projects and vast gardens. He dabbled in everything and became the wealthiest man in the world. This was his conclusion: “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:1 KJV).

All his accomplishments amounted to nothing more than chasing the wind. He even says, “I hated life” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). But that’s a good thing to say if hating life causes you to turn to God.

Have you ever wondered why so many people have to hit rock bottom before they turn to the Lord? It’s not a coincidence—it’s how God set things up. We think real life consists in what we own and what we accomplish. But having climbed to the top of the heap, we find even the greatest success leaves us empty on the inside.

It takes years and years for some of us to realize this. And you may go through four or five careers and two or three marriages before you figure it all out.

Let me see if I can tie it all together:
1) This world is not our true home, and we’ll never really feel at home here.
2) All of life is one long goodbye.
3) Nothing in this world can satisfy us ultimately.
4) Even the truly good things we enjoy don’t last very long.
5) We should enjoy those good things without holding on to them because we can’t keep them forever anyway.
6) We won’t be truly at home until we are with the Lord in heaven.
7) Most of us have to learn this the hard way.
8) Eternal life begins the moment we believe, not the moment we die.
9) "Life everlasting” and “heaven” are all about knowing Jesus.
10) If we know Jesus, heaven has already begun for us even though we won’t be there completely until we meet Jesus face to face.
11) Thus the phrase “life everlasting” answers both the futility of this life and the mystery of what happens when we die.

Thomas Kelly captured this truth in the last verse of his famous hymn, Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him:

Then we shall be where we would be,
Then we shall be what we should be,
Things that are not now, nor could be,
Soon shall be our own.

Lastly, The Last Word of the Creed—"Amen.”

Our problem with “Amen” is that we hear it so often that it loses all meaning. For most of us, “Amen” either means, “The prayer is over” or “It’s time to eat.” And when we see it at the end of the creed, it’s like the caboose at the end of the train. It simply means that the creed is now finished.

But the writers of the creed had something more in mind. The word itself comes from the Old Testament and means, “So be it” or “I agree” or “Yes, this is true.” It’s not a throwaway word. The word “Amen” teaches us three important things:

FIRST. These things really are true. We say Amen because the creed is true—and every part of it is true.

I believe in God the Father Almighty—Amen!
Maker of Heaven and Earth—Amen!
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord—Amen!
Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary—Amen!
Suffered under Pontius Pilate—Amen!
Was crucified, dead, and buried—Amen!
He descended into hell—Amen!
The third day he rose again from the dead—Amen!
He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty—Amen!
From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead—Amen!
I believe in the Holy Spirit—Amen!
The holy catholic Church—Amen!
The communion of saints—Amen!
The forgiveness of sins—Amen!
The resurrection of the body—Amen!
The life everlasting—Amen!

The Christian church says “Amen” to the whole creed and to every part of the creed because these things really are true.

SECOND. Truth demands a personal response. It’s not enough merely to say or to recite the creed Sunday after Sunday. You must at some point decide whether or not you actually believe what you are saying. The “Amen” forces you to make a choice.

THIRD. Truth is ultimately wrapped up in Jesus. Did you know that “Amen” is one of the names of our Lord in the Bible? In Revelation 3: 14 he is called “the Amen, the faithful and true witness.”

If you say Amen at the end of the Apostles’ Creed, you are saying, “Lord, these things are true and I truly do believe them and I truly believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.” Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. 

The creed begins with “I believe,” and ends with “Amen.” 

These become personal statements of commitment that we learn to live by. Amen.

(Yesterday's message was delivered at a family reunion of the Conaway/Thomas Families)

THE CHEESY SIDE OF LOVE

Last year as I traveled down a country road on a Saturday Morning I encountered a young boy, about 10 years old, riding a bicycle. He was wearing jeans and a frayed flannel shirt, battered tennis shoes, had reddish brown hair, freckles, and blue eyes.

I caught myself almost slamming on the brakes in amazement, for this young boy looked as I think I looked at that age. It seemed as if I was meeting myself 50 years ago. Even the bicycle looked like my old homemade red rider.

Since that day I often wonder what I might have said to him if I had actually stopped and talked to him and discovered that somehow he or I had encountered a time warp that had brought us together.

The thought is not all that strange – I feel that the Transfiguration of Jesus meeting with Moses and Elijah on the mountain was a documented time-travelling event.

Either way, could I have said something to me that would have changed my life for the better, encouraged me not to make the mistakes I’ve made, or otherwise turned my miserable childhood into good experiences?

The answer is probably not. I would not have understood because I was not ready to understand, and my Guardian Angel had a lot of work to do in my life.

I would remain lonely, feeling unloved, angry, and lost. I would stay self-centered, greedy, envious, and devious for a long time. I would not be a good person who valued others, neighbors, or myself. I would remain an under-achieving punk until I went into the Navy in 8 years.

The only thing I would have going for me would be a bright and engaging mind filled with questions and a desire to read anything I could get my hands on. I was intelligent but belligerent, hostile, suspicious, deceptive, sneaky, and very lonely.

Love, friendship, loyalty, honesty, and truth were things I could read about but could not experience firsthand. Little did I know God would be with me every step.

I was not ready to learn the primary lesson in life we all need: it’s not what life does to you that determines who you are, but rather what you do with life’s possibilities that matters. Among those possibilities is our ability to come to understand who and what our Creator is, and what the key to getting right with Him is. 

Friends, there are few words in the English language that get used in more ways than the little four-letter word “love.” That little boy had no understanding of “love” and no way to see it around him even if it was there.

That little boy’s sin, his parents’ sin, human sin, destroyed any attempt to introduce him to even the basics of love. He was unreachable by human means. He had to learn it by being lead by the urgings of the Holy Spirit - that God’s love endures.

I have learned since then. I love my wife. I love my daughter. I love baseball. I’d love to be rich enough to travel. I love to watch the sunrise. I love my church. I love my God. I love my Savior.

BUT our human nature assumes that I’d also love to see all my human enemies fall down and break their necks. Love can be used in a negative connotation as well as a term of endearment. It separates and brings together at the same time. Human love requires conditions.

It’s why God’s law and definitions are necessary.

Confusing? I know. I feel it too. We all do, but did you ever stop and think about the true meaning of love. I mean the real meaning and not the lip service kind. The kind that makes me bawl my eyes out when I read or hear a sad story, or see unjust anger, animosity, or hate.

It’s the kind of motivations that I think built our country and drove our founding fathers to speak of inalienable rights to life, liberty, and happiness.

Did you know that God wrote (through the Apostle Paul) a passage of scripture for us that should guide our lives and tell us the true nature of humanity, without the conditions our society of hyphenations, special interest groups, and other barriers we’ve built?

It’s the passage that could be called the “ALL LIVES MATTER” clause that God has promised that gives us His assurance of unconditional love.

The notion that God doesn't love His creation unconditionally, and has placed conditions and qualifications, and segregated His love is the deception that the Serpent used to deceive Eve and it's one that is tearing our world apart. We humans are categorizing and sorting ourselves into incompatible (supposedly) groups.

Human Love versus God's Love?  

With all due respect, it’s not the one in Mr. Webster’s dictionary, but the one in the Word of God, the Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13.

The author, Mr. Paul, says that even if he could speak with the tongues of men and angels but did not love people, his words would mean no more than a cymbal crash. That if he had the gift of prophecy, could fathom all mysteries and had all knowledge and even had faith that could move mountains, he would still be nothing without love.

Let me quote verse 4 directly:

“Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Mr. Paul goes on to say that prophecies will cease and knowledge will pass away but love goes on forever, and that love is even greater than faith and hope. When we look at this description of love we can see how far we have drifted from God’s standards in our world today.

Paul says love is patient. We, and I mean this collectively – including myself – have basically run out of patience. We want what we want, and we want it right now. Heaven help the service person or the worker at the fast food place who stands in our way of getting it right now.

Let’s go to see what else Mr. Paul has for us: Love is kind. Love washes the dishes occasionally, puts aside important work and takes the time to look at the drawing your first grader brought home from school, and is so proud of.

Love is not envious. It rejoices when one of our friends accomplishes something, instead of saying, “That should have been me. Why him? He’s no smarter than I am.” We are supposed to be happy for our friend’s good fortune.

Love doesn’t boast. When you see old friends, say, at a grocery store or Wal-Mart, are you ever tempted to let everybody know just how successful you’ve been in your life, the house you live in or the car you drive or just how wonderful your son’s college grades are?

Love does not dishonor others.

Love does not lord it over other people just because you can. In fact – in my humble opinion – the way you treat other people is the measuring stick as to what kind of person you really are.

Love does not fly off the handle and understands about the daughter’s new boyfriend, the son’s first speeding ticket, the grandchild who broke your favorite vase or the black sheep of the family who is always in some kind of trouble.

Love protects and trusts, and the institution of Biblical marriage is built on those two principles. Marriage is about protecting your loved one – protecting them from harm, from hurt, from anything the world brings to your doorstep – and without trust, there can be no successful marriage.

When we look at God’s definition of “love” we realize how deep His perfect love for us goes. He wants us to love each other just like He loves us, and oh, people, just think about just what a wonderful world we’d live in if we would.

How does the old song go? “What the world needs now is love sweet love.” I couldn’t agree more. But we’ve failed at conditional love in today’s world so much so that it doesn’t work anymore. We don’t need worldly human love.

We need the old traditional unconditional love that God has for us, the kind that says, “My laws and rules and commandments must be obeyed for my love for all of you to understand and be happy.” I love the sinner but I hate the sin.

If God didn’t feel that way that little boy so long ago would have remained hopelessly lost and doomed to die a worthless death with no eternal hope.

This is what our country needs, and what we need. We need old fashioned take charge, take an interest, American love based on Christ’s Love, for country, self, and family. It took a lifetime for that little boy to learn this. That’s what I’d tell him! What do you think? Amen.