Tag: sermon

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Churches Without a Place to Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Those of us who have churches or locations in which to gather for worship can easily take them for granted. Believers all over the world gather without a building or sanctuary to call their own. Other churches struggle to make less than ideal spaces work for corporate worship. While worship doesn’t require walls or a roof, there are tremendous blessings that come with having a sacred space of one’s own for worship. Through things like intentional design components, architecture, artistic elements, and the layout of the sanctuary itself, there are many powerful ways to ensure that Jesus is clearly the focal point of our worship and life. Help believers without a space of their own overcome whatever obstacles stand in their way. Bring gifted people to their flocks who may have the talents or connections to get done what needs to get done to establish their own sacred space. While they wait on your timing, continue to nurture and edify them with your Word however and whenever they gather, building up the body of Christ while it waits for its place to worship Christ.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Counting the Cost of Carrying the Cross

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(Luke 14:25-35)

Ask anyone looking for employment right now and you’ll find that getting hired is not as easy as one may think. There are many factors involved in the process that employers have to consider, as hiring someone new isn’t cheap. The cost of hiring involves much more than just determining the wages. Is health insurance offered or required? Is there any sort of retirement? Is the employee required to be in the office or can she work from home, or some sort of hybrid arrangement? Can AI carry out the work that some employees used to be responsible for? The hiring process is a lot more involved than it used to be.

Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14 almost sounds as if he’s sitting down one-on-one with potential hires, interviewing them to determine their qualifications and whether or not they’re well-suited to for the job. Honestly, if that were the case, his words would be much easier for us to handle – if only! If it was just a potential job, we would have the option of saying no to his ridiculously lofty expectations and continuing our job search elsewhere. 

But Jesus is actually addressing a matter of far greater importance than simply getting hired for a job. He’s forcing us to wrestle with a much more serious question: how much is your salvation worth to you? This is a hugely important matter for us to consider! Because when you don’t value something, you don’t take care of it. When something isn’t worth much to you, you don’t really care what happens to it. So when Jesus invites us to count the cost of carrying the cross, what he’s asking is this: how much does your salvation really matter to you? How much do I really matter to you?

What hits home about Jesus’ teaching is that he’s refusing to let us off the hook by just paying him lip service. We can fool an awful lot of people with what we say, including ourselves. But we can’t fool Jesus. We can tell others how much he matters to us. We can say all the right things. But then when the sacrifices surface – and they will always show up for the Christian, because Jesus promised the crosses would come – is Jesus worth it or not?

Jesus’ pictures about a builder planning to construct a tower or a king planning for battle emphasize the point he’s making: think before you proceed. Did you do that before you signed up for this thing called Christianity? Do you still do it on a daily basis? As helpful as Jesus’ examples are, sometimes we’re so dull and slow that I think we need even more concrete examples of counting the cost of carrying the cross.

For practical purposes, let’s take that a step further and consider it in light of membership in a Christian congregation. When you became a Christian/member of a congregation, did you give much thought to what types of crosses you’d have to bear or what it might cost you? People will typically ask what sort of class or requirements are necessary to become a member, but Jesus pushes us to give much more thought to the matter than that.

For starters, did you know that you’d be expected to actually be involved in carrying out your church’s mission (ours is “Seeking the Lost, Serving the Found”)? Did you consider that disciples should actually read the Bible and study it? Did you know what you signed up for when you married an unbeliever? Were you aware how heavy that cross would be at times? When you took at job that you knew would involve working on Sundays, did you anticipate how heavy that cross would be over time without regular worship? When you racked up a mountain of debt and hear the words of Scripture calling God’s people to grow in the grace of giving, did you factor in the cross of how debilitating that debt would be? The cross of permitting kids’ schedules to put church activities on the back burner – did you count that cost? Friends choosing alternative lifestyles or just rejecting your beliefs in general – did you count that cost? 

Our answers to those questions, and so many others like them, take on huge significance when we look back at the conclusion Jesus drew in his illustrations. What did he finally say about being the builder who blundered on the cost of his tower or the king who carried out a war without considering how the size of his army compares to the enemy’s? He said, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (v.33). Jesus didn’t say it would be tough or an uphill battle or the chances are slim; he said you cannot be my disciple! As in, it is not even possible! You cannot be unwilling to give up everything and call yourself a disciple at the same time. It doesn’t work.

And, if you didn’t notice, when it comes to counting the cost of carrying the cross, those examples weren’t the only ones Jesus used. Look at the whole list of disqualifications that Jesus provides to vet potential disciples. Look at the requirements. Don’t hate family? Can’t be his disciple. Don’t hate your own life? Can’t be his disciple. Don’t want to carry your cross? Can’t be his disciple. Not willing to give up everything you have? Can’t be his disciple. At this rate, it’s a wonder Jesus has any disciples! 

Actually, something just like that happened during Jesus’ ministry. Luke introduced this section of his Gospel by pointing out that “[l]arge crowds were traveling with Jesus” (v.25). That was also the case in John 6, where Jesus gave what has become known as his “Bread of Life” discourse. Jesus had just fed the 5,000. Then he turned the concept of physical feeding into a spiritual teaching that essentially told the crowds if they didn’t fill up on Jesus and his Word, they would be lost.

Guess what happened once Jesus used his physical miracle as an introduction to a deeper spiritual truth? “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). The crowds dwindled. The followers said farewell. It would have been a noticeable difference, too, going from a crush of crowds to just a trickle of disciples.

But it isn’t as noticeable today, is it? Because today it’s much easier for us to fake it without making any real sacrifice. Today we know how to look the part well enough for others, and the more we focus on looking the part instead of genuinely carrying the cross, we actually start to deceive ourselves as well. So who is worse off – the crowds who visibly demonstrated their decision to no longer follow Jesus by turning away, or those today who are good at giving the external appearance of following, but are unwilling to make any real sacrifice (and only end up fooling themselves)?

We can pop in at church occasionally, which of course looks the churchgoing part. Or, we can be sure to let others know our “thoughts and prayers” are with them, which sounds spiritual enough. We can slap a few Bible passages and spiritual-sounding stuff on our social media here and there. We make sure to sign up or participate in stuff at church once in a blue moon, just enough to add to the appearance of being active and engaged. We do these things and “Voila!” – we look just like Jesus’ disciples. 

But all of that misses the point of Jesus’ vetting process: his disciples make sacrifices. Where, in the examples just mentioned, is there any real sacrifice? 

Let’s consider a pretty impressive record of someone who counted the cost of carrying the cross. “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Cor. 11:23-27). You know those words as the words of the apostle Paul. Paul didn’t just pay lip service to being a disciple of Jesus; he displayed it sacrificially with his whole life. 

Let’s be honest – there are a lot of Dollar Tree Disciples today, aren’t there? Now that’s not a knock on Dollar Tree as much as it is a harsh reality we need to own up to. You know why anyone shops at the Dollar Tree. They want something for almost nothing. They want a certain item or product, but it’s obviously not something they’re willing to spend a lot on, so they shop at the Dollar Tree to get it.

Isn’t it possible that a lot more of us are Dollar Tree Disciples than we think? We want something for almost nothing. We want all the good Jesus stuff, the forgiveness and grace stuff, the salvation stuff – we want all of that, but we don’t really want to have to give up much to get it. That’s the mindset of a Dollar Tree Disciple.

And you know what makes that mindset so dangerous? It’s actually on the right track.

We want something for nothing, and that’s exactly what we have through Jesus. What Jesus came to bring couldn’t be bought or purchased by you or me. There was no price tag that would ever make salvation affordable for us. There was no option for bartering or working out a deal with him.

No, what Jesus came to bring is entirely free to us. It is a gift. We can’t buy it or earn it – it can only be given. It cost us nothing. So if we want something for nothing, we’ve come to the right place. Forgiveness and salvation doesn’t cost us a dime!

But all of it came at a price. A hefty price. And the price tag is so out of reach for us that only God himself could pay it. And Jesus did. You think Paul had an impressive list of crosses that he bore as Jesus’ disciple? None will ever compare to the literal cross Jesus bore. Consider that the whole reason we even use that term – bearing our cross – is but a poor reflection of the unbearable cross that Jesus bore in our place. Talk about sacrifice – literally! How much did Jesus have to give up? Everything. So he alone has the right to demand the same of us – “those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:33). 

But unlike Paul, Jesus was not just an example to imitate. Jesus didn’t come to show us how to be good disciples and then plan to seek out those who met his impossible standards, because he wouldn’t have found any – not a one!

No, Jesus came so that only through and in him, we could be perfect disciples. Here’s how Paul described it taking place. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus came to make us what we could never be on our own: perfect disciples. He sought out everyone, including Dollar Tree Disciples, and by grace he made us his own devoted and dedicated disciples. 

Do you see yourself that way? He does. Because of Christ, God sees his church filled with devoted and dedicated disciples. And you know what devoted and dedicated disciples do? They count the cost of carrying the cross. They think differently about priorities. They make sacrifices that others wouldn’t fathom making in a million years. Counting the cost, they embrace the cross in this life because they know they are guaranteed the crown of life at the end of their race, through faith in Christ Jesus.

Those Lacking Humility Will Be Humiliated

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(Luke 14:1, 7-14)

Most of us generally don’t go around tooting our own horns. There are a few exceptions, of course, but even if we do tend to think pretty highly of ourselves, we know better than to openly express it in conversations with others. We know how that comes off and it isn’t a good look in social situations. 

In the parable Jesus told in Luke 14, what is our takeaway? Does the parable serve simply to validate for us that letting others know how highly we think of ourselves in social situations is taboo, and not worth the risk of back-firing? Jesus painted a mortifying picture of what could happen to the party guest who jumps right to the place of honor. “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place” (v.8-9).

Imagine being called out like that in a room full of people! We would want to crawl under a rock and die! So what is the real reason we’d avoid doing such a thing? Let’s be honest. Would it be our own genuine humility prompting us to avoid taking the best seat in the house, or would it more likely be prompted by our fear of being publicly humiliated?

While we’re pretty good at hiding our lack of humility before others, a little more detective work on ourselves ends up showing our true colors. Here’s what I mean. In the parable Jesus told, very few of us would actually take the place of honor, because in that context, doing so would put us under the microscope. When you show up at a wedding reception, for example, you don’t go grab a seat at the head table with the rest of the bridal party. Rather, you find your assigned seat. That kind of a situation is a no-brainer.

But what do we do in any other situation without assigned seating, when we’re anonymous, or when others aren’t paying attention? We look for the best seat. We want the best view possible. We want to be closest to our kid. We got there first. We…we… we. Me… me… me…

So we might think ourselves pretty good at hiding our lack of genuine humility in some social settings where our actions are under scrutiny. However, whenever it’s a free-for-all, we don’t even bat an eye at going for the best spot (and, we even have our own mental list of justifications for doing so!). My point is not that it’s wrong or sinful to want or pursue the best or ideal spot at times; rather, it just shows our default mode of who we’re really putting first in our lives: me… me… me. 

Odd, isn’t it, that we don’t arrive at our kids’ game, identify the best seat, and then immediately look for a lesser seat so that someone else can have the good one we just found? When we pull into a crowded parking lot and manage to score a spot close to the entrance, we don’t keep on driving right past it and make our way to the far side of the lot so that we can keep those prime spots open for other more deserving drivers (Costco, anyone?). 

Why don’t we naturally do those things? Because even though we may be pretty good at masking our outward actions to hide our lack of humility in situations when others might notice, our natural innate efforts at looking to be first or for the best spot reveal much more about what we really think of ourselves in our own hearts. 

Why does this matter of humility rub us the wrong way so much? Because it opposes our natural senses. Success, advancement, promotion – all of these things in every area of life come as a result of hard work. Achievement. Effort. We are used to getting ahead and moving forward on the basis of our own merit. We recognize and value progress and productivity.

And, on the other hand, we don’t celebrate mediocrity, stagnation, or the status quo – and we certainly don’t celebrate decline or regression. The habitually late and mistake-prone worker isn’t going to be nominated for employee of the month. They don’t give Golden Globes or Grammys for shows no one watches or albums no one listens to. Those who fail to perform fail to get noticed. 

We might think we know better as Christians, right? We know we aren’t saved by our performance, but by grace. Faith in Jesus – not, “job well done” – is the basis of our confidence.

But why then does a Christian struggle so much when surrounded by other Christians who “aren’t very Christian?” Why do we so often seek to make ourselves feel better about our Christian walk not by personal confession and absolution, but by comparing ourselves to other “underperforming” Christians? Because I need others to know that I’m something, I’m someone. Because deep down inside I think I’m something, I’m someone.

What we fail to realize is that even our own identification or classification of  “underperforming” Christians isn’t just a judgment or assessment of them, but also an assessment of ourselves as the standard of measurement. Whenever we spot an “underperforming” Christian, we are making that judgment in comparison to how we are performing.

While we may not think about it that way, when is the last time you disapproved of someone you considered to be a “better” Christian than you? When did you look down on a Christian you considered to be more sanctified than you? It doesn’t happen, does it? So the struggle with the lack of humility is every bit as challenging for Christians as it is anyone else.

That’s really what Jesus was showing in his first parable. As he stated, “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v.11). Anyone who lacks humility – even Christians – will eventually be humiliated one way or another. So Jesus wants us to know something that is so important about humility that we can never really deal with it unless we are aware: the problem with a lack of humility is always a heart problem. 

While that may not be as clear in his first parable, it is more evident in the second teaching he provided to the host of the gathering he was attending. “Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid’” (v.12). Jesus was not telling his host he could never have his friends, family, or even the wealthy over for dinner. That was not his point. Rather, he was speaking to the motivation for inviting such guests. If you have ulterior motives for inviting such guests over, thinking that it may pay dividends for you in the future, is that motivated by humility or pride? 

On the other hand, consider the alternative guest list that Jesus encouraged. “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (v.13-14a). To include this category of guests is to get much closer to humility, because inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind is to not see them as poor, crippled, lame, or blind, but simply to see them as guests. Pride would have nothing to do with such a guest list, because it wouldn’t waste time with those it viewed as inferior or insignificant. Humility, however, is honored to have any guests to host and to humbly serve.

That’s what makes humility such a struggle. It isn’t a code we can crack. It isn’t something we can figure out. It isn’t a five-step process. It’s much simpler than that, and much harder at the same time. Jesus’ call for our humility shows us that we aren’t. We aren’t humble by nature. We can’t achieve humility by just putting in more effort.

That’s because what we are by nature is prideful. And when that’s what we are, then we need more than just a self-help program to turn things around. We need more than a few healthy habits or quick hacks to achieve humility. To make sure the only humiliation we ever experience is here and now, and not the eternal humiliation when God permanently turns away the proud, pride needs to be put to death. It needs to be killed. 

And that is exactly what happened on the cross. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). “With its passions and desires” includes the pride that is so passionate about self. That, too, was crucified along with Christ. And what does it mean to be crucified? It means death. Killed. Dead. Christ, who alone qualified as perfectly humble, assumed our pride, took it on himself, and was nailed to the cross with it in our place. What Jesus did – the greatest achievement ever – was not for his own recognition, but for our salvation. The sin of pride has been paid for. That part of us has died.

Why allow it to be resurrected then in our hearts again? It’s dead. Let it stay dead. How? Not by trying harder and harder to be more humble, but by relying more and more on God. See then, humility isn’t a matter of trying to be more humble, but rather relying more on God. Reliance on God results in humility, but not because I’m thinking more of my own humility; rather, because I’m focused more on my good and gracious Savior and his righteousness that is mine only by faith. Humility is simply reliance on God. 

Relying on God comes more naturally when I consider what I know about my future. I don’t have to worry about being recognized or exalted, because I already know what God has in store for me one day. Oh, I may never experience that during this lifetime, but the reward is all ready and waiting for me when I get home to heaven. That’s what Jesus had in mind when he said, “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:14). We aren’t waiting to be repaid by others for our actions here – that payment is waiting for us in heaven. 

Relying on God also comes more naturally when I consider what I know about the present, when I remember what he has for me right now. James reminds us, “he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God” (4:6-7). So many bristle at the idea of humbling themselves before God and submitting to him, but how how they are missing out! Look what he has in store for those who humbly submit to him: grace.

The heart over-inflated with pride has no need of more room for grace, or so it thinks. But the heart deflated in humility will be filled up with grace upon grace. So the key to humility is not trying to get rid of our pride, and it isn’t making the effort to be more humble. The key to humility is grace. And it comes in endless amounts to those who know they need it, and rely on it alone for this life and eternal life. Want to be more humble? Fill up on more grace. 

The Door Requires More than Rapport

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(Luke 13:22-30)

You got a guy. Everyone’s got a guy. But for this job, you got a guy. He’s swooped in and saved the day in the past, so when the situation arrives and his services are needed once again, you reach out to him. You assure others that he’ll come through.

But then something came up. There was a mix-up of some sort. He could do it, then he couldn’t. He had the wrong day. He couldn’t make it. Something else came up and he flaked again. In the end, he didn’t come through, and you felt like you let everyone down because of it. You feel awful.

What was the problem? Why didn’t your guy come through? Why did he leave you hanging? In some scenarios there may be legitimate reasons. He had other work that was a priority. An emergency came up in his own personal life that didn’t allow him to help out at this time.

Or – and this is maybe the one that stings the most: you assumed more of the relationship than you should have. You thought you had a certain rapport or understanding, only to find out that you had the wrong idea. The relationship wasn’t what you thought it was, and you ended up getting burned by it, along with others in the process. 

That might be a good way of explaining the warning Jesus is giving us in his teaching in Luke 13. Most people, regardless of religious background or belief, assume they have a certain rapport with God, or the divine, a higher being – whatever label they want to attach to it. Even within Christianity this can be the case – people assume they have a certain rapport with Jesus. Jesus’ warning to us this morning, though, is that we had better be certain that the relationship with assume we have with Jesus is not one that’s going to leave us high and dry, discovering that we don’t actually have what we thought we had with him. 

The picture Jesus uses to describe that is a door. A narrow door. And if you are shocked by Jesus saying that door is not maybe as large as you expected it would be or you think it should be, then you’ll be even more shocked by the number of people who assume they’re on their way through that door, only to eventually find they are not able to enter it. Jesus warned, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (v.24). The two points that Jesus emphasizes ought to grab our attention: 1) make every effort, and 2) many… will try to enter and not be able to.

“Make every effort.” These words of Jesus are especially dangerous in this era of soundbites and snippets, clickbait captions, and replayed reels. No, it’s not that there is anything wrong with the words themselves; the problem is on our end. With as brief of attention spans as we’ve ever had, and in our rush to scroll to the next dopamine fix, we don’t have time for context. We don’t have time to actually read the article. We don’t have time to think critically for ourselves. So like everything else we consume media-wise, we take bite-size chunks out of Scripture and run with them. In this case, that can be deadly.

Because if we’re lazy and ignore the rest of Scripture, it sounds like Jesus is telling us that salvation is a matter of how hard you work. “Make every effort” is the soundbite that has prompted who-knows-how-many souls to conclude that getting into heaven is a matter of being good or trying harder or measuring up. As long as we do our best, God does the rest and we’ve got nothing to worry about. But if effort was really the issue, then Jesus really piles on the discouragement with his words that follow!

“Many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” So much for effort! So what, I just need to try harder than all the others who thought they were trying hard, only to find out they were shut out? I need to be more dedicated, more disciplined than they were in earning my salvation?

Hardly! If entering through the narrow door was a matter of your effort or mine, the door would be slammed shut to everyone. No amount of any effort on the part of anyone will ever measure up. It isn’t your effort. The Bible makes this very clear. It says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). Effort is ruled out, because keeping the law doesn’t cut it – all God’s law does is expose how futile our efforts are!

So what “effort” is required, then? What does Jesus mean here? The effort required is to let go of yours and lean on his. And yes, that is hard work that requires great effort! That’s why Jesus describes the door as being narrow. And it is. We can’t widen it, and it doesn’t get bigger like that door off in the distance. From far away it looks tiny, but because we understand perspective, we naturally assume that just like any door, the closer we get to it, the bigger it appears to get.

Only Jesus says this door is not like that. It doesn’t get bigger. It stays small. It remains narrow. We can’t change that. So we’d better make sure we are addressing what can change to make sure we get in.

That’s why our church and school exist. Our goal is to get as many through that narrow door as possible. While the rest of the world is worried about stuff that doesn’t matter, we’re on a rescue mission, we’re sounding the alarm, we’re announcing exactly what is necessary and required to get through that narrow door. 

The answer? The one who’s talking in these verses from Luke: Jesus. But, it’s more than know just knowing Jesus. If a person thinks that knowledge of or familiarity with Jesus is sufficient, he has a warning. “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’  (v. 25-27).

Yes, Jesus is the answer, but make sure that your relationship with him is more than just the good rapport that you think you have with him. Jesus isn’t interested in risking your salvation by assuming you’ve got the right take on religion or your relationship with him, so he tells us how it is. He tells us plainly what is required. Do not bother pitching to him why you think you’re good to go through that narrow door, at the risk of hearing those same words, “I don’t know you.” 

That assumed rapport that people have with Jesus can show up in so many ways. People think they intuitively know how Jesus would respond or speak in any given situation. “Jesus would this” or “Jesus wouldn’t that…” This is especially shocking when their opinions directly contradict his clear words in Scripture.

Take his warning today, for example. To anyone who feels that the concept of hell doesn’t line up with a loving God, listen to Jesus. Jesus is the one speaking the harsh words of warning today – don’t miss that! This is his warning! So those who think that “hell” isn’t in Jesus’ vocabulary, pay attention to exactly what he’s describing here. The Jesus people would like to think is giving all people a pass to get into heaven because he just has such a big heart is the the same Jesus right here warning that NOT EVERYONE GETS IN – IN FACT, MANY WON’T! 

But Jesus doesn’t just wanr us that many won’t make it into heaven; he also teaches us how we can.

On another occasion, Jesus described exactly what is necessary to get through the narrow door. With bellies full of bread, compliments of Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5,000, some crowds had tracked Jesus down afterward. Wanting to know more about what he was teaching him, an individual asked Jesus what work was required for a person to be saved. “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:29). He later clarified, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (v.40). Believe. And any “effort” required to believe is also God’s work, for the Holy Spirit is responsible for granting the gift of faith, too. See, the effort is really all God’s effort from start to finish.

But it’s not natural for us to believe that. What’s natural is to believe that God needs something from me. What’s natural – albeit in a fallen world – is for man to be well aware of his own shortcomings and be absolutely convinced that there must be some contribution on his part to work with God. That’s natural, and so yes, it takes real effort not to fall for that lie. It takes real effort to believe that through Jesus Christ, God alone has carried out all the effort needed to get us through the narrow door.

Speaking of which, have we stopped yet to marvel at the fact that there even is a door?!? When Adam & Eve first sinned (and each of us has compounded that sin every single day of our lives in our thoughts, words, and actions), they were banned from Eden. As a result of our own sin, we, too, should be banned, not from Eden, but from heaven itself. We have no business being there. Heaven is for holiness, and we have disqualified ourselves by our unholiness. 

But grace gave us a door. God’s love established that sinners would not be shut out of heaven for eternity. There is a way, and his name is Jesus. Through faith in him alone, that narrow door is large enough for every soul to be welcomed into heaven. 

And how wonderful it will be to rejoice with all of those who will be there with us – including those we may not have expected. Jesus reminded us, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last” (Luke 13:29-30).

When faith in Jesus is a factor, anyone can have it. So when it isn’t a matter of our righteous living or our good lives, but faith in Jesus, yes, some good folks that we thought for sure would make it, will be left out. And others we thought to be miles away from heaven, will be right at the front of the line.

Only grace. Grace for you. Grace for me. Grace for everyone, who not only know Jesus, but know and believe that through faith in Jesus alone we are granted access through the narrow door into heaven. 

You got a guy, actually, you’ve much more than just a guy. You have a Savior. And heaven is yours through him.

Multiplying Division

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(Luke 12:49-53)

Before applying the cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to the freshly scraped knee, a mom warns her child, “this is going to sting a bit.” In trying to determine the extent of the injury, whether it’s a sprain, a break, or something else, the doctor grabs hold and twists this way then pushing that way, all the while asking his patient to “tell me if this hurts.” Days or weeks of underlying tension between a husband and wife culminate with the words, “we need to talk.” Real pain is being experienced in these examples, whether it’s physical, emotional, or even spiritual.

Yet, while none of those examples are pleasant experiences – for the person on either end – they have in common that the end result is intended to make things better. The hurt happens so that healing can follow. One of the biggest lies we tend to believe is that our problems – and the hurt that goes with them – will eventually just go away if we avoid them. Rather than bring up an uncomfortable topic that will likely involve some tension or conflict, we just avoid it and convince ourselves that doing nothing is the better way. What we’re saying is that we prefer to avoid the hurt of a challenging encounter or conversation by riding it out until things improve.

But tell me, if you can, how many times things have ever actually improved, how many times healing has actually taken place, with that approach. Almost never. This “Wounds that Heal” series may be a tough one for many, but it’s essential that we understand that even when Jesus’ words hurt, that hurt is the necessary precursor to healing. So we pray that this series will be for us like making your way into the ocean on a beach day. At first the water feels cold and uncomfortable, but once you’re in, it feels invigorating and refreshing. May Jesus’ words in this series hit us like that.

The wisdom of Proverbs also provides helpful insights to our understanding of this series. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” The words of a friend may hurt or sting, but when you consider the source, you know they are being candid with you for your own benefit. An enemy, on the other hand, will schmooze and sweet-talk all day long, not because he’s interested in building you up, but because he wants to soften you to eventually serve himself. If wounds from a friend can be trusted, let’s go into this series remembering that we have no greater friend than Jesus, and trust completely that even when he speaks words that hurt or are hard to hear, his goal is always my healing and growth. 

We start off this series with words from Jesus that will hit home for some of us a little more than others. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (v.51). How do we handle these hard words? When we address what looks like a contradictory statement compared to the way the rest of Scripture speaks, we’ll better understand what Jesus is saying. Then, as we do, we’ll start to see how his hard words actually help and heal us. 

Let’s address some of the passages that come to mind when we hear Jesus and peace in the same sentence. Right away, many of our minds likely go to one of the most comforting lists of titles given to Jesus that we associate with Christmas. Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It seems like even more of an odd thing for the one called the “Prince of Peace,” to say he didn’t come to bring peace, doesn’t it?

Then there are also the words out of Jesus’ own mouth that he spoke: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “In me you may have peace” sounds about as 180º from Jesus bluntly saying that he didn’t come to bring peace, but division! What gives?

The reason is really quite simple: we’re dealing with different understandings of peace. Take an example from the sporting world. Why will fans and analysts always debate about who is the greatest in any given sport? Why will that always be an ongoing debate that can never be settled? It’s because we aren’t working with the same definition of “great.” We can’t agree on a GOAT if we can’t agree on what greatness is. Does greatest mean the most championship rings, because there are plenty of players who were not superstars, but who had the privilege of being shuffled around and playing on championship teams. Does greatest mean the best statistics? If so, which statistics matter the most, and what if someone has great statistics but no rings? Does greatest mean record-holder in any given statistical category? What if a player dominates in only one statistical category, but is mediocre at best in others? And what about sports where different players play entirely different positions – a great lineman on the football field cannot be compared to a great quarterback by using the same metrics for greatness. 

Just as rabid sports fans will become rather unruly when discussing who is the greatest, should it surprise us that Jesus guarantees that division will come about as a result of the peace he came to bring? How does one define peace?

Ask yourself what most people on the planet have in mind when they think about peace. What does “peace” mean to most people? Tolerance? It means unity. It means we don’t let our differences divide us. It means we all get along. It means the absence of conflict. It means you don’t force me to share your views or opinions. You might have a few more thoughts to add to the world’s view of peace, but these about capture it, don’t they?

Now, what is God talking about when he speaks of “peace” in the Bible? We don’t have to wonder or guess, because he tells us. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 4:25-5:2). The phrase we need to hear to get to the bottom of all of this is “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s the peace Jesus came to bring: peace between God and men.

So what we’re talking about is not the same thing at all, and realizing that gives us a better understanding about the apparent contradiction in Scripture. It all depends on which peace we’re talking about: the world’s varying definitions, or Jesus’ definition? Jesus came to bring the kind of peace we need, but not the kind of peace the world thinks it needs or wants. And, sadly, until anyone sees the need for Jesus’ peace, they’ll look in vain for it everywhere else. 

Their search for peace ends up looking like a guest trying to figure out the lighting in an unfamiliar room. If you live in or have stayed in a place with a room that has outlets controlled by a light switch, that can serve to help us understand Jesus’ words this morning. If you don’t know the outlets are controlled by a light switch, think of all the steps you’ll first take to address a lamp that doesn’t turn on. First, you might check the obvious to make sure there’s a bulb in the lamp, maybe even changing it if there is. If that doesn’t do the trick, then you check to make sure it’s plugged in. If it’s plugged in and still doesn’t light up, you maybe start to wonder if the lamp is just broken and needs to be replaced. So you spend all this time on the lamp, when all you really need to do is flip the light switch when you enter the room and it gives power to the outlets, turning on the lamp.

By nature, without Jesus, we all do the same things to address division – or a lack of peace – in our lives. We try to fix all of the symptoms without realizing the real problem: a lack of peace between God and me. So I work on this symptom and that symptom. Nothing improves – and often it gets much worse! – so I try a different approach with no luck. And on and on. 

It isn’t until the light switch is flipped on – which just so happens to apply perfectly to Jesus, the Light of the World – that the peace that is lacking in my life now starts to flow from the peace I have with God into all other areas of my life. We try to manufacture a horizontal peace when the solution is the vertical peace we receive from God in Christ Jesus. Only from that peace does the world ever receive what it’s actually looking for.  

That’s the irony, isn’t it? The world would have much more of the peace it is looking for, if only it pursued more of the peace Jesus did come to bring. But until it does, there will be division. Some will long for Jesus’ peace; others will dismiss it in frustration, demanding that an all-powerful God cater to their whims and provide their version of peace. And that is the reason for the division.

But the source of that division is also the solution to it. And we have it. Yes, these wounds that heal us mean that we need to expect they’ll do the same for others, because it is an undeniable reality of the ministry of the church. We are called to bring peace, yet God prepares us for the hard work of ministry by telling us that our efforts will result in even more division. So we aren’t surprised when we see the peace we pass along result multiply division.

But there is no other way. We cannot change doctrines or teachings for the sake of getting along better with other churches who do. We cannot ignore or avoid parts of the Bible which cause people offense. There is no other way. And those who think there is are not only fooling themselves, but also compromising the real peace Jesus came to bring, the real peace every man, woman, and child, needs: peace between God and man.

Yes, it will mean that our mission will multiply division. The ministry of the church will increase division in the world. But more importantly, it will also increase the number of souls that are saved. It might hurt to share it, but the best kind of healing will follow: the kind that provides the permanent peace our hearts crave, and can find nowhere else but in Jesus. 

Treasure That Satisfies Your Heart

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(Luke 12:22-34)

What picture comes to mind for you? The default image that I equate with the word treasure is an old chest filled with gold coins (with pictures of pirates not far behind, of course). Maybe you think of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (with pictures of leprechauns not far behind, of course). Those of us who grew up with Scrooge McDuck cartoons probably have the image of him swimming through his pool of money in his bank vault. I think associating these types of pictures with the word treasure is pretty common… but I’m not sure they’re really that helpful as we consider Jesus’ words from Luke 12. That’s because “treasure” as Jesus is teaching about it here is not at all limited to money or gold coins.

What does it mean to treasure something? Jesus provides for us a pretty good understanding of what it means. We can find it out by connecting the dots if we take note of where the word heart shows up in his teaching in these verses.

The most familiar verse of this section is the last one, verse 34: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” But don’t miss his other use of the word heart. Look again at verse 29: “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” Can we replace the phrase “set your heart on” with the word “treasure”? So then, we could summarize what Jesus is saying this way: “Do not treasure what you will eat or drink. Whatever you treasure, that is what has your heart.” So I treasure what my heart is set on. Whatever receives my attention, my focus, my time, my energy – that is what I treasure. 

Another way to think about it? Treasure as Jesus defines it is really a matter of our personal values and priorities. With that understanding, we see that treasure can refer to just about anything under the sun. To what – or whom – do I attach the most value or worth? What is my greatest priority? The answer to those questions reveals where your treasure is. And, by extension, your heart.

Jesus highlighted two examples of what can fall into that category: food and clothing. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes’” (Luke 12:22-23). In these two examples, Jesus also reveals a simple indicator that will help us identify where our treasure is: worry.

In fact, we might be more used to this section of Jesus’ teaching being used to address our preoccupation with worry. These verses are very often referenced as much-needed reminders to us that worry is a waste of time because God will provide for all of our needs. That is absolutely true, and will always serve as an important takeaway from this teaching. But if we pull back the curtains on “worry” a little bit more, the connection between worry and treasure becomes even more clear.

What, after all, do you worry about? Do you stay up at night worrying if your neighbor’s landscaper will do a good job on his yard? Do you fret about the grocery store receiving its deliveries on time? Have you been beside yourself wondering about the new server hired at the local restaurant who seemed to be a bit behind in his training the last time you ate there? Are any of those things unimportant? No! Someone thinks that every one of those things is important.

But not you. Why? Because you don’t attach much value or worth to them. Because they aren’t priorities for you.

But you worry about your children. You worry about work. You worry about making ends meet financially. You worry about your health.

Why do you worry about such things? Because you attach value or worth to them. Because they are priorities for you. Because you treasure them. So if you’re struggling to get to the bottom of what you really treasure in life, ask yourself what you frequently worry about, and you’ll get closer and closer on your own personal treasure map to where X marks the spot for you.

But worry does more than just reveal where our misplaced treasures are; it also reveals a pretty embarrassing faith. After pointing out how God masterfully cares for nature in ways that never even cross our minds, Jesus arrives at a very pointed and convicting conclusion about us when we worry: we are “of little faith!” (v.28).

Ouch. Worry isn’t just a normal part of life. Worry isn’t just a harmless fixation on worst-case scenarios. Worry in any measure is a lack of faith. It is more a reflection of being a child of unbelief than it is a child of God. 

Think of it – faith itself is a gift of God, something undeserved, something we do nothing to receive, yet we even dishonor and dismiss God with that very gift when we worry. And, when allowed to continue unchecked and even to multiply, worry can result on unbelief. Jesus illustrated this with his parable of the sower and the seed when some of the seed was choked out by life’s worries.

So if there’s on thing we ought to worry about in life, we ought to worry about unchecked worry in our lives – it can lead to devastating results! Yet, while our own worry will help us identify what we treasure, and sadly, how lacking our faith is, we need more than that. A scolding and a slap on the wrist not just won’t cut it.

So here is something you’ll never need to worry about: how much God treasures you. Jesus may not have made a big, splashy statement to that effect in his teaching here in these verses, but that’s because it’s woven consistently throughout them. It’s a given. It’s the norm. It’s unquestionable and unchanging: God treasures you!

See how Jesus made that known when he used illustrations from nature about how God provides for the birds. “And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (v.24b). And, what’s more, God wasn’t reluctant or hesitant to call us into his kingdom and entrust it to us, but note how the Good Shepherd speaks tenderly to his sheep: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (v.32). 

Look also at Jesus’ own words about hearts and treasure once again. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v.34). If one’s heart is where there treasure is, then find all the validation and worth you could even need in the beauty of Christ’s incarnation.

God took on human flesh and bones. Why? Not just because he wanted to experience what it would be like. Not just so he could say, “been there, done that.” No, he became man to live with man, to dwell with man, to rescue and save man. His heart – quite literally, along with the rest of his physical body – arrived on this earth so that it could be where his treasure was: mankind. You. Me. All people.

No degree of worry you could ever express, no amount of treasuring the wrong things in your life, could ever forfeit or cancel out how much God treasures you in Christ. He literally brought his heart to live and dwell and be with the human beings he treasured so much!

What on earth could ever provide you with that measure of being valued or loved? Who on earth could ever treasure you that much? No one. Not even close. And if we are treasured that much by God, then he alone is worthy of having our hearts in return. Yes, we need the Jesus who treasures us beyond our comprehension to properly direct our hearts to what he would have us treasure. And he does just that. 

Jesus directs us to, “seek his kingdom” (v.31), and maybe we do well to bring Matthew’s emphasis into it, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” (6:33). What is Jesus telling us to do? Treasure his kingdom. Attach your value and worth to that. Make that your priority. 

The added bonus? There’s no worry attached to that treasure, because it’s guaranteed and never runs out. And it’s always at work. If you treasure your daily bread, which is silly because the Lord promises to provide it, you will always be plagued by worry. That’s the nature of treasuring the stuff of the world. You’ll keep worrying about it. Always. You won’t ever escape some degree of worry, and worst-case scenario, it can even choke out your faith. So seek his kingdom instead.

Eli Stanley Jones did just that with his life. The American missionary, known for his extensive mission work in India, suffered a stroke at the age of 88, which left him significantly impaired. Nevertheless, even though he was limited in sight, hearing, speech, and movement, he was able to dictate into a tape recorder his final book, called The Divine Yes.

It was in that book that he used a mountain climbing rope to illustrate his personal situation. Rope that is used for mountain climbing has incredibly strong strands in its center. So even as the outer layers of the rope rub and fray against the rock, the rope is still able to hold the climber because of its strong center. E. Stanley Jones said that to him, Christ represented that center strand. Even as his stroke damaged the outer strands of his life, his center, his heart, where Christ was, held strong.

He wrote, “Many of the strands of my life have been broken by this stroke, for I can no longer preach and I cannot write as my eyesight is so poor that I cannot see my own writing. I can only dictate into a tape recorder. The things that were dear to me, for the time being, are broken. The innermost strands belonging to the Kingdom and the Person of Jesus and my experience of him holds me as much as the total rope, for the innermost strands are the strongest. I need no outer props to hold up my faith, for my faith holds me” (E. Stanley Jones, The Divine Yes [Nashville: Abingdon, 1975], 64). 

Maybe that should be our picture that comes to mind when we think about the word treasure as Jesus teaches it: mountain climbing rope. And we don’t even have to be world-renowned evangelists for it to apply. We simply treasure Jesus and his kingdom above all else. We pursue the gospel and everything about its work in our lives and in the lives of others, and we won’t ever be let down. He will hold us fast. His treasure alone will truly satisfy our hearts.

Raised & Renewing

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(Colossians 3:1-11)

Significant past milestones can sometimes have an affect long after they happen. How much do the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution affect not only the United States, but the entire world still today? Events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 had an immediate impact on people enlisting in the military. Once the smart phone was invented, life afterward will never be the same.

Such past events can impact the present for individuals, too. Listen to the stories of individuals who survived a life-threatening accident or injury talk about how much more they value life in the present. The sedentary heart-attack survivor becomes a regular exerciser. The at-risk diabetes diagnosis results in radical dietary changes. The person who had to file for bankruptcy rebounds by dramatically changing his financial habits and becomes wealthy enough to retire way ahead of time. Some event happened in the past that triggered ongoing changes ever since then and into the present day.

One such event took place in the past, 175 years ago. On May 26, 1850, in Milwaukee, WI, after several months of ongoing discussion about the possible formation of a new Lutheran synod in Wisconsin, the initial convention took place and the Wisconsin Synod was born. It was just a handful of pastors at the time, serving congregations around the Milwaukee area. While the majority of them shared connections from mission societies in Germany, they had not had very extensive theological training (and, although the WELS is often pegged as being too conservative or strict theologically, it is somewhat ironic that part of the original wish to establish another Lutheran synod was driven by the desire to be more tolerant than the existing Lutheran synods, who were perceived as being too theologically stiff and inflexible). That little Lutheran synod survived and this year we celebrate the 175 Anniversary of the WELS.

That past event is responsible for ongoing blessings ever since then and into the present. In our American landscape of Christianity, which continues to see churches and church bodies split and fracture as unbiblical teachings are tolerated, pursued, and even celebrated, God has blessed our church body with an even firmer theological confession than when we first began. And how does one track all of the other blessings continue to happen right up into the present? We are able to carry out ministry together as a church body that our individual congregations would be incapable of carrying out individually. We support a robust school system at the high school, college, and Seminary level, specifically in place to train our future pastors and teachers, ensuring faithful adherence to all of Scripture. We are in mission fields all over the world, both sending and supporting missionaries. We are in the middle of a plan to start 100 new churches over ten years right here in the U.S. While these are the significant priorities and focus of our WELS, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the total ministry we’ve carried out together. So that event that happened in the past, 175 years ago, is responsible for more blessings that we can count in the present day.

Another significant event took place in the past, sixty years ago. Noticing the growth taking place in and around La Mesa, our sister congregation, Reformation Lutheran Church, expanded its ministry sixty years ago to include the start of worship at Grossmont College in the very infant stages of our Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. The goal was to establish another congregation in East County that could share the responsibility of proclaiming that Jesus has been raised and we are being renewed. Shepherd of the Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed in 1965 with nineteen communicants and met originally at Grossmont College in the Fine Arts Lecture Hall. The first service was conducted on March 21, 1965, by Pastor Lowell K. Smith, who was serving Reformation Lutheran Church, San Diego. 

That past event is responsible for ongoing blessings ever since then and into the present. How many total souls have come to know Jesus and the confidence of his grace, forgiveness, and salvation, through our congregation’s ministry? For how many Christmases, Good Fridays, and Easter Sundays have we eagerly preached the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus? How many students have received not just a good education, but a Jesus-centered education, and a deeper understanding of the Bible and its place in their lives, through our K-8 school? How many hearts have been brought closer to Jesus through our Bible studies and various ministries for sixty years? How many hands have been held at bedsides, easing our brothers and sisters in Christ across the threshold of their heavenly home? That event that happened in the past, 60 years ago, is responsible for more blessings than we can count in the present day.

But you’d have to go back further than 60 years, and even further back than 175 years, to get to the event that is at the heart of it all: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, 2,000 years ago. Without that event, there is no WELS. There is no Shepherd of the Hills. There would also be no letter from Paul to the Colossians, for he would have had nothing on which to base his letter to the them.

But Jesus did rise from the dead, and it is that event which allowed Paul to remind the Colossians and us, “you have been raised with Christ” (v.1). The Resurrection is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. It is everything. Jesus dying in our place and remaining dead would have been just another religion, but Jesus rising again and crushing death by proving to the world that it isn’t the end – That’s everything! And faith connects us to that powerful historical event so that Jesus’ resurrection is ours!

And, as a result of what has happened in the past, something is also happening in the present: you are “being renewed in knowledge in the image of [your] Creator” (v.10). Something is still happening. You are being renewed. Change is happening. In you. Right now. Continually. You are changing. You are becoming more like Christ. 

You have been raised. You are being renewed. That may be a simple way to explain why the church exists, to help with those two purposes. And, it might be worth noting that they fit well with the tag line that captures our mission: Seeking the Lost, Serving the Found. We seek the lost with the news of resurrection and the eternal life that is guaranteed with it. We serve the found as we are being renewed in our Christian living.

Paul ties together the past with the present by reminding his listeners that what happened in the past changes how they think, focus, and feel in the present. It changes our priorities. It changes what is important to us. It changes everything about our lives, including the behaviors and thoughts and sin that we now want to leave in the past. Those are the things Paul listed in verse five and following: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices…” (v.5-9). That’s the old you. That’s the you you’re striving to leave in the past. 

Right? You are putting those behaviors to death, right? Or… do you see a thing or two on the list that you’d prefer Paul didn’t include? Are you putting those things to death, or do you suppose that you can somehow allow a few of them to just linger harmlessly? Do you imagine you can return to this or that sin from time to time, as long as it isn’t all the time? Do you pretend that you’re in control of whatever belongs to your sinful nature just because you don’t give in to it as much as someone else? Do you have a part-time relationship with something from Paul’s list, imagining that having a mistress won’t negatively impact your relationship with Christ?

“Put to death” is strong language! Think in terms of the DNR on the wrists and rooms of hospital patients – Do not resuscitate! Kill sin and put it behind you. Be done with it. Paul emphasizes how serious God is about putting sin to death by reminding us of what will happen regarding everything on that list: “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (v.6). An on-the-side relationship with anything Paul calls us to put to death won’t cut it. We can’t be raised to life while also welcoming and allowing sin to live and breathe and exist in our lives. Wrath – that alone is what awaits such sin. Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise. In fact, speaking of thinking, Paul encourages an entirely different way of thinking. 

The life God had in mind when he raised us to faith in Christ includes this kind of thinking: “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (v1b-2). Our hearts and minds are focused in a different direction after we’ve been raised. We’re being renewed to dial into things above, spiritual things, eternal things, salvation things.

This is so essential, first and foremost, because it takes us back again and again to the past event that reminds us of who we are in the present. Jesus’ resurrection not only guarantees my victory over that list of sins that Paul says “do not resuscitate”, but also lines my heart and mind up with the heart and mind of Christ. The Christian life isn’t just a matter of putting the bad behavior behind you, of having “taken off your old self with its practices,” but also a matter of “put[ting] on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (v.10). It’s remembering that you are dressed with baptismal righteousness of Christ. You are new and you are being renewed – because that’s what it means that you were raised. Some events happened in the past that triggered ongoing changes in the present.

There’s more. That past event which resulted in ongoing changes in the present also yields future results. In many of the health scenarios mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, the future results include an extended life or improved quality of life. Financially the past bankruptcy experience that triggered changes in managing finances resulted in an early retirement. 

Jesus being raised in the past and your ongoing renewal in the present promise to yield an amazing future result. Paul alluded to it: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (v.3-4). You will appear with Christ in glory! That’s the future that is in store – a glory that you better believe will blow any worldly concept of glory or acclaim out of the water. It won’t even be close! The glory waiting for you when Jesus returns, because of what Jesus did for you and what Jesus is doing in you, will surpass everything you could ever think or imagine! 

What a great way to celebrate sixty years – by getting back to the roots of why our congregation was established in the first place.

May it also rekindle our zeal and desire to get back to the basics: proclaiming Jesus raised and Jesus still renewing, so that many more will be ready for Jesus’ returning! 

Pray for What Pleases God

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(1 Timothy 2:1-7)

What’s the first step? Figuring that out can be the difference between getting a task or project off the ground or sitting on it for days, months, or even longer. When we focus on the scale of a project – how many different steps are involved or how long it’s going to take or the endless questions that will need to be answered or the research that needs to be done or the skills that need to be learned – we understandably get overwhelmed.

And then we shut down. And put it off. It’s too much. It’s more than I can handle. I don’t even know where to begin. 

But knowing – and then taking – that first step, is everything. Yes, hiccups will follow. Yes, things won’t go as planned and will need to be adjusted. Expect all of that. But it all seems so magically manageable once we just take that first step and get the ball rolling. Traction ensues and things get done and accomplished. 

And of course, the more serious the situation, the more important it is to address.

I went through this not too long ago when putting down flooring in the garage bathroom of the parsonage. At about the worst time, the toilet tank started to leak. After realizing the bolts were rusty and corroded, compromising the seal, I elected to turn off the water, empty the tank, and remove it. That’s when I realized the line to the tank wouldn’t shut off completely, resulting in a slow leak on the floor. After not being able to stop that leak, I shut off the main water line for the whole house. Guess what didn’t stop leaking?

I was starting to panic a little, because I couldn’t stop this slow leak, which would have eventually flooded the whole garage floor if left unchecked all night. Eventually, I removed the toilet base and directed the leaking hose directly into the toilet drain. That worked to give me peace of mind until being able to call for some additional help to come the next morning. So the more serious the situation, the more important it is to take that first step – it’s not an option to leave it undone when the stakes are high.

How high were the stakes when Paul was writing to his fellow pastor, Timothy? The first chapter spills the tea: false teaching was creeping in, and it was already having the damaging effect of leading some astray, whom Paul even mentioned by name. So putting off that matter was not an option. Something needed to be done, and done right away. The first step needed to be taken. What was it?

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.1-2). Prayer. “First of all,” Paul writes, pray “…for all people.” The first step in dealing with the challenges laid out in the first chapter was to pray. 

But we often do it the other way, don’t we? We act first, pray last, after we feel we’ve exhausted all other options. Think of how foolish it would be to paint a room that way. You open up the can of paint and start rolling it on and cutting in the corners. Then, after all the walls are covered with a second coat, you decide to go back and fill any holes or cracks and make any drywall repairs. Then, after you fill all the holes and cracks or make the repairs, you decide to tape off the baseboard and any light fixtures or switches. Why would you do all of that after you’ve already painted? It’s backwards.

Just like our prayer lives often are. We want to figure out what we need to do first. What’s the plan? Who needs to be involved and who needs to be talked to? What solutions do we have to come up with to figure out the problem? Then, after we do all of that, we wrap it all up with the nice bowtie prayer. After all, “all we can do now is pray,” right? Not according to Paul! Paul says that prayer should happen first of all and for all people.

Who is included in “all people?” “Kings and all those in authority” (v.2a). Or presidents – no matter the party. Or government officials – no matter the political affiliation. Or bosses – no matter the dumb policies. Or community, church, and home leaders – anyone in any capacity of authority, regardless of our own personal feelings toward or about them. All of them are to be included in our prayers, and not as a last resort, but “first of all.” 

Why? “That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.2b). No, by “peaceful and quiet lives,” Paul’s concern is not that you could live the care-free life of a recluse or hermit, a life to yourself, uninterrupted by anyone else’s problems. He wasn’t urging prayers for those in authority with the goal of improving your quality of life by limiting hardship or adversity.

Rather, he urged prayers for those in authority so that their work permits peaceful living, so that we can let our light shine as Christians when we live “lives in all godliness and holiness.” Our godliness and holiness is God’s version of attraction marketing to draw people to the cross and to Christ. Our godliness and holiness is a direct reflection of him. Our godliness and holiness may be exactly what the Spirit uses to create curiosity in unbelieving onlookers. So pray for it and then produce it. You. Me. Live quiet lives in godliness and holiness. 

When you do, you stand out. That sounds odd, doesn’t it? We’re not used to standing out by being quiet and focusing on living godly, holy lives. In a world of “who can yell louder and shock more,” we fall into the trap and get sucked up into all the noise, thinking we can out-scream everyone else. We can’t. But you’ll get the attention of your neighbor or your coworker when your godly, holy living is so awkward looking to them because so few operate within any ethical or moral framework like that. You’ll stand out because you’re odd. 

And that’s part of God’s plan through prayer and producing the kinds of lives he calls us to live. It all fits in with his ultimate goal, which Paul reminds us of in the next verse. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (v.3-4). There’s two pretty good reasons for prayer: one, it pleases God; two, it is directly tied to his desire to see all people saved.

This kind of prayer pleases God. Just stop there for a moment and ask yourself how important that is to you. In general, how much of your time and thoughts are focused on pleasing God? Do you consciously think about pleasing God? How differently would we live if more of our thoughts and words were framed by the ongoing desire to please God? Prayer pleases God. Praying for others and for those in authority pleases God. If for no other reason than that, we have more than enough reason to give more time and attention to prayer in our lives because we want to please God. 

It’s also good because it’s the game plan God put together to accomplish his goal of saving all people who come to know and believe in him. God wants everyone to be saved. Think about it. God didn’t just drum up some plan for salvation hoping that it would stick for a few people; he outlined – and then carried out – the perfect plan, a plan that would disqualify no one, a plan that would be possible for everyone, regardless of social status, intellect, or natural ability. It’s a plan entirely dependent on his work from start to finish, and he wants everyone to know about that plan of salvation and to be saved through it. And your prayers and my prayers are included in that plan. 

And don’t forget, it isn’t just your prayers that are included in that plan: so are you. You are the beneficiary of it. You know the certainty of it. You have peace through it. His desire to save all people has already played out in your life. Paul reminds us how. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (v.5-6a).

A mediator is called in to work with two parties in an effort to get what is best for each side. Jesus alone did that. He satisfied God’s justice and paid the ransom price for our sin and rebellion. He died and suffered hell. He also provided for us the holiness we could never manufacture on our own. He tore down the barricade of our sin that separated us from God. He did that for you and me. What he did for you and me, he also did “for all people.”

Paul backed up that precious truth by reminding Timothy that he was not dwelling in the realm of theory or philosophy or even prediction of what might happen, but confirming that it already had. “This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles” (v.6b-7). The ransom price paid by Jesus was witnessed. It happened.

People saw it. People testified to it. People were still testifying to it – people like Paul. And, people like Timothy, to whom Paul was writing this letter. And, people like you and me, who not only can pray first of all, but also witness, testify, herald the good news to others. When that message accompanies our lives of godliness and holiness, we’re packing a powerful one-two punch for the gospel. 

In the meantime, first things first: pray. Take that first step. Pray for what pleases the God who wants all people to be saved. 

Gospel Growth

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(Colossians 1:1-14)

We want to know if something is working. Depending on what it is, we have different metrics to help us determine whether or not it is. If a person has car trouble and either replaces a part or has the mechanic fix it, we’d expect to be able to tell because whatever sound or warning light used to be going on is no longer an issue. The plan you have in place to drop a few pounds should be able to be verified as working by the shrinking number on the scale. You can tell a certain product works if it delivers the results promised. We want to know if something is working, and there are ways for us determine if that’s the case.

Does it work the same way with the gospel? How do you tell if it’s working? On the one hand, if a person looks at the general moral compass of our country, they might determine that the gospel – and by extension, the churches responsible for proclaiming it – isn’t working. After all, how could so many call bad what God calls good, and call good what God calls bad? But because this is such a common occurrence, we might conclude that most churches today aren’t preaching the gospel. Because if they were, wouldn’t our society include more good people?

So are we looking at the wrong metrics? Expecting wrong or unrealistic results? How can we tell if the gospel – and the church proclaiming it – is working?

Let us be encouraged by the words of Paul, which are every bit as true today as they were the day he first wrote them to the Colossians. “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace” (v.6). The gospel grows. It bears fruit. That’s what it does. It’s what it has always done in the past and it’s what it will always do in the future. Where, though, does this growth happen? Here. There. Everywhere.

What do we know about Paul’s relationship with the Christians in Colossae? In addition to it being one of the letters he wrote while in prison, it was also somewhat unique in that Paul was writing to a church that he had not personally started or even visited. As Paul explained in verse seven, it was Epaphras who had started and pastored the church. And, according to the details of the rest of the letter, there was concern over a false teaching that was getting around and threatening the gospel which Epaphras had been responsible for preaching and teaching. 

What Paul was personally familiar with was the fruit the gospel was bearing in all of the places he had proclaimed it. The prolific church planter that he was, Paul had many Christians and congregations on his heart and mind at all times. Not only that, but as leaders were trained and equipped to keep the gospel ministry going, he received regular reports about gospel growth in so many places. So he knew firsthand about how the gospel was “bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

And, Paul was excited that the same thing could be said about what the gospel was doing among and through the believers in Colossae. Paul wasn’t just trying to pump them up with encouraging reports coming in from all over, but also reminding them of the work that was happening in their midst ever since it had first reached them. Theirs was one of the churches Paul was celebrating. He had heard news of the obvious evidence of their faith in action and prayed that it would continue as their faith continued to grow. 

Do you know how much fruit the gospel is bearing all over the world today? Even if we focus just on the work we’re doing together in WELS, we see so many reasons to celebrate! This year we are celebrating that our church body has been carrying out gospel ministry for 175 years. This 175th Anniversary highlights that for almost 200 years, we have been establishing churches and schools as hubs for gospel ministry. In addition to the thousands of congregations and mission efforts across the United States, we are involved in mission efforts in about 50 countries, and currently looking into more than 15 possible new mission fields. Our world-wide ministry allows us to spread the gospel through digital and printed publications in other languages, providing medical aid and disaster relief, and even training future pastors through our seminaries in other countries. 

But, let’s not be too presumptuous that we assume the only gospel work God is doing throughout the world is through WELS. While we certainly desire to see the gospel preached and taught correctly and without any error – and rightly so! – we rejoice that the good news is delivered even when the “packaging” leaves much to be desired. In other words, even where this teaching or that teaching may not be inline with a given doctrine in Scripture, the good news of Jesus as the Savior from sin for all people is still made known. So yes, through WELS and other Christian churches, “the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

And, as Paul wrote to the Colossians, so he could say to us: “just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” As we’ll celebrate very soon, God has been at work with his gospel in and through Shepherd of the Hills (SOTH) for sixty years! That is no small thing! 

What fruit would you point to evidence of God’s work? Paul provided a lengthy description of what gospel growth looks like. “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father…” (v.9b-12a). 

Where have we seen any of this at SOTH? How many eternal lives have been altered directly because of the gospel through our church and school? How many students have been trained and educated in Scripture through our school and the schools we support? How many have been wrapped up in Christ’s righteousness through baptism? How many struggling souls have been refreshed and restored after having received Jesus’ body and blood?  How many souls have been ushered across the finish line into eternal life while bearing the SOTH name? Will these blessings continue? They will if we keep the gospel front and center in all we do, because that’s what the gospel does: it grows. It bears fruit. Here. There. Everywhere. 

And, the gospel can bear fruit in unexpected ways – not just under our own roof, but also on the frontlines of ministry. Sometimes that fruit is born out of what might come across as failure. After carrying out gospel ministry in the Fallbrook area for fifty years through its church and school, our sister congregation in the last couple of years made the difficult decision to close the doors of its ministry. One could easily conclude that the gospel had become ineffective or was no longer bearing fruit. However, it appears that God is simply taking what he yielded from that gospel ministry to bear fruit in a new orchard.

From the financial assets of one ministry, our sister congregation has passed along the resources both to our congregation and to our church body to work together in expanding ministry around San Diego County. In addition to a substantial gift given to WELS for that purpose, the saints in Fallbrook also designated a gift to our own congregation to establish a plan for exploring mission work. We are currently working with our various mission planners to determine a plan for carrying out mission work in the Menifee area.

What could that look like? How could God bear fruit through that gospel ministry? How could it contribute to and collaborate with our existing congregations in Temecula and Wildomar, as well as our high school, CLHS, to bear fruit in gospel ministry? What will our role in that gospel effort be? While we may not have a clear picture just yet, we do have confidence that the gospel will bear fruit, because that’s what it does. It grows. It bears fruit. Here. There. Everywhere – including the potential mission field of Menifee!

We’ll keep after this if we continually remind ourselves of the power the gospel has in our lives and potentially in the lives of all who hear it. Remember who we are! “[The Father] has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v.12b-14).

When we remember this, we don’t want to walk, but run with the gospel! When we rejoice that our doubts about how effective the gospel is and our complacency surrounding it have been cancelled and forgiven, we’re renewed and stirred! Why should we have this privilege? Because the Father qualified us through the work of his Son. Knowing that we belong to his kingdom of light, having been rescued from the darkness of unbelief, we want to expand that kingdom to include many others – here, there, everywhere!

How do we know if the gospel works? It’s simple. Open your eyes. It’s here. There. Everywhere. Bearing fruit all over. And it will continue to work and bear fruit, because that’s what it does – the gospel grows.

Free From Me

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(Galatians 5:1, 13-25)

All student loans have been cancelled. Any remaining car payments have been eliminated. All remaining criminal sentences have been commuted and records have been expunged. Great news! … that is, if any of those apply to us. But if none of them do, then it’s rather ho-hum news. Freedom only matters to those who need to be freed from something.

Paul talks a lot about freedom in the verses from Galatians 5. We know that we have freedom in Christ. But, what exactly is it we are free from? He mentions not being “burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (v.1). What exactly does Paul mean? The rest of Galatians makes it clear that the good news of the gospel means we have been freed from being enslaved by the law. In other words, we don’t get to heaven by keeping the rules. That means we aren’t bound to the unattainable standard of perfection in our lives. 

We want to make sure we know why that’s such a big deal. While the relationship we believers have with God’s law is always going to be conflicted, we need to know why. It’s easy and natural for us to find relief from knowing that our salvation isn’t found by keeping the law, because we all know that’s impossible. Very few of us stay up at night wondering if we’re good enough to get to heaven. We know keeping the law doesn’t save us; Jesus does. 

But we may not have the best understanding of why. See, it isn’t the law’s fault. We don’t find relief from salvation by works so appealing because the law itself is unbearable or problematic or too strict. God’s law is perfect. We have to understand that the real reason we naturally take issue with the law is on our end. It shows who we are. It shows that we – not the law itself – are the real problem. 

It’s like the insurance adjuster assessing the status of a car after it’s been in an accident. There’s the hope that the car can be fixed, that whatever damage was done can be replaced or repaired by a mechanic and we’re back up and running in no time and on the road again. But the law doesn’t reveal that about us. Instead, it shows that we’ve been written off as a total loss, just like that car that has been totaled and is beyond repair. No, our problem isn’t God’s law; our problem is that we’re broken beyond repair. We’re the problem.

We sometimes refer to our spiritual enemies as the “unholy trinity,” referring to the threats of Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh. When Paul writes that we are free, he means we are free from being enslaved by these three enemies.

But of these three, which freedom do you appreciate the most? You might answer Satan. And indeed, he is a threat. But I wonder if that’s part of what makes him so effective. When our attention is on him, when we are concerned about the possible damage he can do to us, we let down our guard against the enemy inside us: our own sinful nature. And if we think of Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh as allies coordinating attacks against us, they don’t really care who gets the credit – they just want to see us spiritually and eternally crash and burn.

For now, let’s give our attention to the very real threat of self, which the writer of Galatians is very well qualified to address, since he demonstrated a keen awareness of this struggle. He shared it in another of his letters to the Romans, where he wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15-19). 

Why is self such a sneaky sinful threat? Let’s consider an example from the outdoors. Think about all the different kinds of bugs there are outside. Think of the bee. When a bee does its thing, you know it right away. It stings. Or a mosquito. It itches. So when you see or hear a bee or a mosquito nearby, you’re on the lookout.

Then there’s the tick. Ticks aren’t like bees and mosquitos. They don’t announce their presence. Ticks can be such a pain because you don’t even know they’re there until you spot them, and that may not happen until days later as they swell and become big enough to be seen with the naked eye. 

That’s your sinful flesh. The other stuff is easier to watch out for. Satan’s temptations. The world’s allures. We know what to watch out for. And, to some extent, because they are external temptations, we can still disassociate a bit from them. Because, while we may have a sinful desire for those things, it’s still just the desire that is the problem – not us, we convince ourselves. We’re still able to differentiate between right and wrong, and able to identify those wrong desires that we shouldn’t have, all the while still thinking pretty highly of ourselves when we succeed.

But that is exactly what Paul is warning against in these verses. Don’t believe the lie that you are basically a pretty good person who just has to wrestle with some wrong desires here and there. The truth is, you as a person are what’s wrong, and the reality is that if you ever have even a single good, right, pure, thought, it’s only because by faith, the Spirit has worked that into you. When we admit this, when we quit trying to downplay it or balk at our sinful nature, it starts to make sense why we struggle the way we do. 

It’s why marriage is so tough. When I work with couples in their marriage, do you know what the problem is 9 times out of 10? It’s the spouse. The husband or the wife lays out for me everything that is wrong with their spouse. You know what almost never happens when I’m working with couples in marriage? I can’t think of the last time a spouse wanted to talk to me because they were struggling with being the reason their marriage wasn’t better. They knew they were the problem. They knew they were selfish. Isn’t that odd? It’s a wonder any marriage works when most every spouse is convinced that their partner is the problem!

Paul provides two examples in the verses from Galatians which demonstrate we’re the problem. He warned, “But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14). Have you ever wondered why the Bible directs us to love others as ourselves? Why would that be the metric, the standard? Why not, love your neighbor as your parents, or as your spouse? Because we are in love with ourselves, that’s why! We’re experts at loving ourselves! We think the world of ourselves! That’s what the sinful flesh does: it loves – and will fiercely defend and justify – self over everything and everyone else. 

It’s why we struggle so much even to serve others unselfishly. It isn’t about how much I do or how I serve someone else; rather, it’s how in my own mind I constantly keep tabs and am comparing all of the deposits that I have made in the relationship with how infrequently the other person has made any deposits and how often they seem to make withdrawals. See, I am not serving anyone else out of love for them, but out of love for me, and as I am constantly comparing, the other person always falls short. That’s what our sinful flesh does. That’s what is always at work within us. That’s the first example. 

To see Paul’s second example, take a focused look at the laundry list of sins Paul mentioned, starting in verse 19. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v.19-21).

By my count, the list mentions 15 different examples. But if we take away the external temptations that include sex and alcohol, do you notice anything about the remaining ten? Each one of them is 100% a “me” issue that is entirely my fault and no one else’s. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy – there is no one to blame for each of those sins but me! In other words, while ultimately every sin we commit is our fault, two-thirds of Paul’s list is made up of sins that very directly expose my heart as the problem! You have no one to blame but yourself for the damage sin does in your life!

That’s why Paul’s struggle in Romans 7 was so frustrating for him; he knew he was the problem. And ultimately, that awareness led him to the only conclusion any of us can arrive at. Listen to the rest of his words from that section of Scripture: “So I find this law at work:  Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-24). There can only ever be one conclusion: thank you, Lord, for Jesus, and the deliverance he provides from myself!

And that is the freedom about which Paul is raving in these verses before us from Galatians. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free” (v.1,13). When Paul says that Christ has set us free for freedom, that freedom includes the freedom from your own selfish heart. On the cross, Jesus didn’t just pay for your sins; he introduced you to a world that is no longer governed by the dictatorship of your own selfish heart. That is true freedom – to be free from the deception of believing that my time, energy, and resources during my lifetime on earth are best utilized in service to self. That if I keep after it, eventually I will find utopia here on earth that finally has my perfectly designed life just the way I want it.

There is no such thing. It is a mirage, and the only reason I believe it is because I fall back to the lies of my own sinful flesh. Real freedom means I can stop chasing after that lie. Real freedom means so much more. 

When I understand the true freedom I have in Christ, then I also become aware that when I have an issue with serving someone, it is never truly about the other person, but about me. Because the other person has no bearing on the freedom I have in Christ. No matter how good or how horrible the other person is, my freedom allows me to find joy in the act of service.

That freedom craves the pursuit of Paul’s famous fruits of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (v.22-25).

Look, no one would dare to claim that the acts of the sinful flesh Paul listed earlier is desirable or noble. No one. But everyone here this morning absolutely agrees that everything listed as the fruits of the Spirit are not only noble and worthy of pursuit, but a blessing to everyone anytime they are put into practice.

Dear friends, You. Have. Freedom. You are free to pursue this good and worthy fruit. You are free to put it into practice in service to your neighbor and to Jesus, no matter what. At all times. No matter the circumstances. Let us give our undivided attention to putting this fruit into practice and loving Jesus and our neighbor, since the freedom we have in Christ, the freedom from our own sinful flesh, means we have a heart that is filled up to the brim when loving our neighbor as ourself. We know what it’s like to love ourselves. But more importantly, we know how much more fulfilling it is to love our neighbor even more than ourselves.