Competing Voices 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Competing Voices 2 Timothy 4:1-5

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

There are so many voices shouting at us today. Fox News, CNN, and every other news outlet. And we have the never to criticize North Korea and the Russians, for their fake news? There are tweets and soundbites, investigations and senate sub committees, the latest tell all book, and the who’s grabbed who in America list.

There are thousands of different people saying they have the spiritual truth, or a spiritual truth. Some claim to be pastors or prophets to sway you to listen to them. At Christmas time they all seem to come out more than usual. Paul wrote to Timothy “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

In Matthew 24:24 Jesus warned “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

How do we stay focused on the truth and not lead off as Ephesians 4:14 says “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Hold on to what you know is true.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

1Peter 1:25
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Is it from the Bible?

2 timothy 3:16&17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:20
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Test everything by what you know is true.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

To know the truth, to discern between all the competing voices in our world do these things.

Focus on what you know is true, God’s Word and His Gospel.

Test it. Is it from the Bible or does it contradict the Bible?

Is the voice consistent with the things Jesus taught us?

Then you will know the truth and only the truth can set you free.

Why Love

Why Love

1cor 13

John 15:12-17

John 3:16-21

John 21:15-19

1 John 4:7-21

Matthew 5:43-48

Romans 5:6-11

Today’s subject has the greatest potential for Joy in our lives and the greatest potential for pain. Way back in June, I had a sermon on “The Nature of Love” from 1 Corinthians 13. I talked about how the Greeks had 3 words for love, Phileo, Eros, and Agape. These words are often intertwined to the point where we have all three going on at the same time. Ideally in marriage all three are present.

Our world is also confused to where one necessitates the other, I feel warm fuzzy connections with you (Phileo) so I must have sex with you, (Eros). And on the other hand, some want to experience sex, (Eros) without any emotions (Phileo) or responsibility, (agape).

Remember this song?

Oh well, I'm the type of guy who will never settle down
Where pretty girls are, well you know that I'm around
I kissed 'em and I loved 'em everywhere I went
I hugged 'em and I squeezed 'em Then I ran for president.

 

Oh well, there's Flo on my left and then there's Mary on my right
And Janie is the girl well that I’ll be with tonight
And when she asks me, which one I love the best?
I tear open my shirt and I show "Rosie" on my chest

 

How messed up are people in our world? There are people who say I love you so much that I have to shoot you and a school full of children because you don’t love me back.

Because of the Pain it can cause emotionally some people choose to not love at all. To isolate themselves to avoid the hurt and pain that came come with love.

Oh yeah, I’m the type of guy that likes to roam around
I’m never in one place, I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive around the world

So, with the potential for so much harm; Why Love. Why not stay isolated.

I could just say because God says you must, as we saw in our scripture today. But why would God demand this of us?

1.      Genesis 2:18 “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.”

a.      God designed us physically and emotionally to be together.

b.      If we do not have love in our life we are incomplete, something less than whole.

2.      1 John 4:7-21 “God is love” “for He who does not love his brother or sister who he can see, cannot love God who he does not see.” Anyone that does not love does not know God.”

a.      Love is such a part of God that we can never know God unless we open up to love.

b.      We can not understand God unless we have love in our life.

3.      John 3:16 “for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son”

a.      God knew the price was worth it, and paid it for us.

b.      John 15:12&13 God chose to experience it.

 

Romans 5:8 “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

To be all you can be, choose to love.

To experience God’s presence, choose to love.

To experience the greatest joy in life, choose to love.

To know God in His fullness, choose to love as He did.

Therefore, even though I am not good at it, and even though it hurts, I will choose to love.

Know God! Choose to love

 

Great Expectations John 13:1-20

Great Expectations John 13:1-20

Last week I spoke about how to have a proper self-image, today I want to talk about how we see other people.

How do we view the other people in our lives? What is their value to you and the world. How do we determine that value?

What do we expect of them morally?

What do we expect of them, to become, to contribute to society, to be?

What is their value as a friend?

What is their value as a person?

What do you believe about a person?

In our passage Jesus clearly puts a value on each of the disciples, including Judas. Jesus takes on the lowliest of social positions by washing the disciple’s dirty feet. To do so elevated them to a place of honor. Peter’s questioning of Jesus shows that radicalness of Jesus’ actions.

But then Jesus throws the curve ball. Jesus says “I am the greatest one in this room and I treat you as more important than myself. You should imitate my actions.” Over and over in the Gospels Jesus says he came to seek and save the lost, poor and neglected people of the world. He challenges his followers to be the servant of all. Jesus places the highest value on rescuing the lost and broken people of the world. Therefore, we should place the highest value on the lost. What is the value of each person’s life, soul? It is worth suffering for, it is worth being beaten for, it is worth being humiliated by everyone in town, it is worth the pain of dying on the cross.

A homeless person with some obvious mental issues came to church looking for help. The man had no shoes, His feet cut, bleeding, sores all over them, and the stunk up the whole room. Jacki Ritchie, a nurse in our church who was there took this man and washed his feet over and over until they were clean. Jacki put ointment on them and bandaged those broken feet. Another woman came up with the size fifteen shoes that would fit him. It was one of the trues pictures of Jesus’ love I have ever seen. Jacki trying not to gag at the sight and smell of those feet that belonged to a man she did not know and would never see again. Washing them with all the love of Jesus for one of his lost.

What limits do you place on people? Do you believe they have something of value to contribute?

My head deacon
There was a woman whose children were unruly, her husband came to church in a dirty and often mismatched suit, with part of breakfast on it. Often the whole family could be heard fighting with each other blocks away. She herself dressed plainly with little make up or work on her hair. So, my expectation of her when they elected her a deacon was not high. When they made her head of deacons at her first meeting I went into shock. She broke every preconceived idea I had by being the best deacon I ever had. She organized and empowered the whole church to become servants and ministers to each other.

We mistakenly put limits and values on people. We forget that is not them, but God in them that sets the limits of what they can do. Abraham, Ruth, Ester, Rahab, Jacob, David and even the disciples were not the kind of people you would choose for your save the world team. But what God did with them was not limited to their abilities, it was limited by God who empowered them.

The world around us values people for their looks, their intelligence, strength, productivity, or their wealth. But God challenges us to see differently.

God’s question to each of us is; “are other people worthy of you washing their feet? Are you more interested in seeing them succeed than your own success? Is their Joy and happiness important to you? Will you give of your own life so that they can find their way back to Jesus?

 

“What Number Are You?” Romans 12:3

“What Number Are You?”  Romans 12:3

I was in the store and these two frazzled parents and three screaming kids were today’s special! The parents treated the children harshly, trying everything to get them to behave. I thought at one time they just might desert them and leave them in the store. Many people see their relationship with God like that family in the store. God is yelling at us, treating us, beating us, and sorry He made us.

How do we see ourselves, self-image? Do you see a prince or princess of God’s kingdom? Do you see a weak skinny kid, or an overweight kid, The kid with crooked teeth, or flat lifeless hair? Do you see the fine cloths the master has provided, sparkling earrings or neckless of gold? Or are you focused on the smudge of dirt on your face and the grass stain on your knee? Or maybe you see your split lip, black eye and bruised knuckles? How do you see yourself? Are you a 1 or a 9? How do you see yourself? How does God see you?

How many of our troubles in life can be traced back to our self-image? The girl or woman who starves herself to death because she thinks she is to fat? The person who eats to much or drinks to much because they feel like a failure? The person who must have everything perfect? The person who must have all the toys, all the money etc.

High

When some people look in the mirror they see God. They are the greatest and deserve to be treated that way. They want to be treated as more important than everyone else. They deserve to get their way and most often do. They are prideful, boastful, and arrogant, but then again, they have a right to be, they’re the best.

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.

Low

When others look in the same mirror they see failure, and imperfection. Who would want to be around or with them, they don’t even want to be with them. They have nothing to offer to the world that it would want so why bother.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

 

How God sees you

Ephesians 1:4-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

You are the prince or princess of the kingdom.

There was a mother at a playground with her son, she sat on a bench trying to pretend to read a book while keeping a watchful eye on him. He wanted no help today he had announced he was a big boy. He worked hard to climb ladders and monkey bars. Went down the slide and got his knees skinned when he fell face first at the end. He looked up managing not to start crying and mom gave two thumbs up. So, he ran off to the swings. Later when another kid on the titer totter jumped off low while he was high, he got is elbow knocked hard on the ground. He was tired, so mom carried him to the car and smiled as she drove home, and he took a nap.

I watched a father at the zoo with his daughter walking hand in hand, laughing and pointing at all the strange animals God has created. Sometimes to see he would lift her high or even carry her on his shoulders. It was clear she was getting tired, so he carried her to the car and left the rest of the zoo for another day.

This is how God sees you, you are His child and He wants to both see you walk on your own and is more than willing to kiss skinned knees and carry you when you are worn out.

Psalm 34:3-7 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.