Forgiving

Recently a friend of my shared the above verse with me.  He said it is something that God has been really working on His life with and felt that it would be good for me as well.  He's right.  Following Jesus and making Him the Lord of all is not just giving up outward sins but inward ones as well.  As many of you know what of the great ladies in our church often says that everything comes down to a heart issue.  In many ways she is exactly right if we allow the Lord to change us and mold our hearts into His, than it is much easier for us to let go of ourselves and our attitudes that so often stop of block the flow of God's purpose in our life. Unfortunately we know all to well, or at least I do that living with an unforgiving heart blocks God's voice, God's promptings and often times God's flow in and through us.

Notice what Paul says here in Colossians 3, since we are chosen people, holy and dearly loved, (this speaks of our position of favor with God) we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (This speaks of how we continue to live in God's favor) as if we were putting on a garment, that fits well and looks natural.  This is equipment that comes along with our regular life in Jesus, if we are followers we don't have the option to clothe ourselves with these, they are standard equipment that are part of our life in Jesus.  Forgiveness is also part of that standard equipment every believer is left without a choice in the area of forgiving others. 

Look in awe at just how we who are followers of Jesus are to forgive, "forgive as the Lord forgave you". The Apostle Paul gives a clear understanding of how we are to forgive and to what level our forgiveness should reach.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Why then since it is normative for a believer in Jesus to have a Christ like attitude that forgives rather than holds a grudge to we find it so difficult to forgive?  The answer although simple is staggering.  I am so apt to do things my own way and respond out of my own humanity instead of responding like the one who is my Lord.  I am so quick to hold a grudge and make excuses for why instead of allowing the Lord to move in my heart to forgive. I am so quick to take offense and keep record of the wrongs done to me instead of remembering the Lord's forgiveness in my life.  It boggles the mind how quickly we forget God's mercy to us, how incredible are the ways of God towards us which we are to imitate in our dealings with each other.  Jesus said in Matthew 6 if we don't forgive others, God will not forgive us.  That is as clear as it comes. To be a follower of Jesus means to live a life of forgiveness. Jesus showed us that on the cross, Stephen showed us how when he was being stoned, the church martyrs even to the present day constantly show us that living our lives in an attitude of forgiveness and humility is the only way to please God.  We are so worried or at least I am about being vindicated and giving my side of the story so that people will "understand".  Notice, that the Word says to not only forgive wrongs done, but also any grievances that we have held against others.  What I need to be saying to Jesus is Lord I am sorry that I have not released others.  I ask your forgiveness for being so unforgiving to those who have hurt me.  I long to forgive as you forgave me; please let me become a person who walks in forgiveness as a life choice. I choose to clothe myself with your grace and give the grace that you have given me to others. When I choose to live in forgiveness it will open my heart and life to new levels of God's presence and open the door for me to follow the Lord more intimately.  It will not be easy to do, but the Lord never said it would be. I will be praying for you.

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Denying ourselves. When we come to understand what it means to make Jesus Lord of all, it will have the affect of revolutionizing our lives, in every aspect of what we hold dear and call our own.  We are all in this process of denying ourselvesand taking up our cross and following Jesus.  It is as if the Holy Spirit walks through the fields of our lives and point out weeds that have to be removed, not just the covered over. If you're like me you have the same tendency that I have, to try to cover over my shortcomings and not allow the Spirit of God to pull the roots out.  But following Jesus in true discipleship will mean a complete willingness to allow the Lord complete access and authority to prune and cut out anything in us that is not a reflection of Him. There is a great Christian group called Youth With A Mission, YWAM , many of you may have heard about it.  It was started many years ago as a way to have young people experience a life as a missionary on short term assignments either here in the United States or overseas. One of the things that made them unique as a group was the fact that they took time with all the people who were willing, to offer an intensive discipleship training, before they would serve.  The idea was that before these young people would become effective in their going out, they needed to learn who Jesus is. Some served for a year or two and some longer, but during those times it was very clear that there chief goal was not merely to give these folks an experience but to make them disciples. When you travel around and meet people who have walked through the discipleship that YWAM offered you instantly recognize something about them, they share the same heart, in fact some have commented about those who walk through the process, when you meet one you have met them all. That is because the discipleship is focus on their love for God and on a greater desire to be devoted to the Lord on every aspect of their lives, privately and publically.  They are asked to make a choice about following the Lord all the way.  I am not saying that all of those who start the discipleship process make it, but those who willingly surrender come out changed.  Jesus said that disciples who are fully taught will be like there teacher. Bill Hull says that the highest calling of any disciple was to imitate his teacher.  Not just repeat His words but imitate their teacher's life. Discipleship is not an option for followers of Jesus, it is essential to living a life that pleases the Lord.   But the first step of Discipleship is to deny ourselves, to give ownership of our lives over to Jesus, so that He can tells us how to live.  It will not be an easy process, spiritual surgery never is but it will be necessary in order for you and me to become the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be. We can not look at it as a single season of our life but as a constant calling to follow our Master. An old song says "To be like Jesus, this hope possess me."  Following Jesus closely and becoming His disciples will mean denying ourselves of what we think is best or acceptable and embracing a life that will reflect Jesus.  At times denying ourselves will not be only about giving things up, but will also speak about giving up the right to ourselves and our attitudes in a given situation. That is where it gets hard for us but that is exactly where the Lord wants us to be, surrendered and willing. Let's pray that the Lord would be Lord of All in each of our lives and that we would be willing to surrender to Him, to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. He will help us if we say Yes.

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When the Lord calls us to be His own He calls us to a entirely new life, one that we are not familiar with.  It is a life of surrender and self denial a life of following  Jesus all the way. But if I am honest with you, a life that is easy to talk about but much harder to do.  In Luke's gospel chapter 9 our Master makes all too clear what is required of those whochoose to follow Jesus.   ^23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ^24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ^25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? ^26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. These verses are packed with challenging truths and troubling realities of just how much the Lord is asking for all of us who bear His name. The words of Jesus begin with a condition given in two letters, "If".  It is not a given that we will follow Jesus, not a given that we will take up our cross but it is a choice for ourselves.  If we have it in our heart to say yes to Jesus than the choice we are making is not only an informed one but a life changing one. The call is clear to surrender every day, to deny ourselves from our own desires and follow the steps the Lord has marked out for us.  Think for a second at just a few of the things that Lord says that dying to ourselves will entail. Don't hate those who hate you, Love your enemies, pray for those who hurt you, if someone offends you turn the other cheek so they can do it again. 

Don't put your self first, put everyone else first. Be a servant, wash the feet of others, forgive every time, and keep forgiving. Love like Jesus.  These are only a few of the things that dying to ourselves will mean but we have no options in the matter. Is it possible that the reason that so many of struggle is because of the fact that we have not made Jesus truly Lord of our life. If we want to follow after Him then we have to make a choice to make Him Lord and to live the life that He longs for us to lives.  There is only one problem with that, it goes completely against our human nature, we want what we want and have the hardest time to surrender even a small area of our life.  But Jesus said if a man wants to come after me he must (emphasis on no choice) deny himself. God's call for you and me is not a life as we want it, but a life as the Lord wants it.  In the days to come we will have to take a hard look at what we say living for Jesus is and what we have made it.  Jesus says take up your cross and follow me.  The question is will we?

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You and I live in a crazy world where at times it seems that there are more opinions than there are answers.  If you watch any news outlets either on TV or the internet, it is easy to get bombarded with polls and pundits, nearly telling us what we should believe about anything at any time. When you add into the mix the culture around us that is so accepting of any thought and any ideasexcept Truth, we can become like a mouse sniffing cheese, we are caught in a trap, thinking that we need to please people or be relevant to our surroundings instead of sharing Jesus clearly.  I am all for being relevant if you take that to mean speaking truth in a way that people can receive it. Jesus was and is still the most relevant truth for our world.  At times however many believers become concerned that if they say that Jesus is the answer for life, or that He is the way to salvation, people will reject not only the message but the messenger as well.  We live in a world that is long on advice and short on answers.  That is exactly why in the Colossians Paul ask believers to pray that he would speak the message of the Gospel with great clarity. "Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should."  The message Bible says it this way, "Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ as plain as day to them.

Remember that our part is to proclaim it clearly and God's part is to speak to them and change them. There have been times when God has opened a door for me to share my life in Jesus and I was hesitant to come on too strong, and all of us have heard stories of  well meaning people screaming at someone trying to get them to believe. But we don't have to raise our voice or debate in order to proclaim the truth. I have found recently that people are much more open than you might think to the full truth about Jesus, and the way to God through Him. We as Christ followers have been called to proclaim in clearly not watered down and not abusive, but just as Jesus would have done it. He made the message clear and at times people were offended by the Gospel. Yet the Lord says to be faithful and always be ready to give a reason for the faith we profess.  Remember that we learned last week that sharing our faith really is nothing more than sharing our love for Jesus and answering the two questions Who is Jesus? And Why did He die? When you and I break it down to that level it is not up to us to convince but to convey.  We are to be ambassadors of who Jesus is.  I like what Randy Hurst says, don't be clever be clear.  In our crazy mixed up world you and I do have answers that will last for eternity.  I can not tell you what the economic markets will do tomorrow, but I can tell you who holds tomorrow.  I am asking God with you that when the open doors do come, we would not only walk through them and share our life and love for Jesus, but that we will be specific with our approach. Telling them Jesus loves and He lives, that He will forgive anyone who repents of their sins and turns towards Him.  We ask God to answer the same prayer the Apostle Paul Prayed, Lord every time I speak about you please allow me to make Your message, the message of Jesus, crystal clear. Look for the open doors and make Jesus known.

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^"2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ^3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ^4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ^5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ^6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Notice the main points in this passage;

Pray for Open Doors

Share Christ Clearly

Be Wise with Outsiders

Make the Most of the Opportunities

Conversation always full of Grace

Respond Individually

What a simple and yet powerful overview of how you and I are to live and to respond to those who the Holy Spirit is already working on.  The last point is a great one, a reminder to respond individually.  Each time we share each person will have a different need at that moment we will not always be able to use the same method or the same manner, but we had the amazing help of the Holy Spirit who is more than willing and able to allow us even at a moments notice to share our faith and respond to the needs of that individual.  There are so many things that were shared in the meetings yesterday and for those who would like to you can check out today's message on line from the morning service. But one thing that really stood out for me was a reminder that possibly the best know verse in all the Bible was given as a result of response evangelism.  John 3:16  "For God so loved the world...."   Was not spoken in a sermon in front of crowds of people, or during Jesus teaching in the synagogue, but was given to an individual named Nicodemus who came to Jesus one evening asking "How can a man be born again?"  That verse was given to one man and has been used now by hundreds of millions of people who have come to Jesus.  Our honor is to share Jesus with our world.  Would you join me and in a fresh way offer yourself to the Lord and say "Jesus I am ready to share your life and your love, I pray for open doors, and to be clear about you to others, I want to make the most of every opportunity you give me. To speak with grace and hope and to respond individually to each person whose path you have me cross."  May this week be the beginning of a new understanding of our role in God's master plan of redemption.  I am praying that you will have an awesome day with Jesus.

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The Message

Yesterday I wastalking with a believer in our church who like all of us want to tell others about Jesus.  This past week while they were at work they  overheard a couple of employees talking about some religious matters,  but instead of having the tone of love and acceptance these two fellow employees were in a debate over a couple of topics that had the other customers near by wondering if everything was ok. At that point it was very important for the person from Cornerstone to have wisdom as to what to say or not say, should they become part of the debate or should they continue to simply show the love of Jesus and proclaim the fact that God loves people and wants everyone to know Him. God spoke to her heart and encouraged her not to get into the fray but to convey His love as a peace maker and a lover of Jesus not as a debater of religious details. We have not been called to be promoters of religion or winners of religious debate, but to be ambassadors of Christ.  When you look at the life of Jesus, He never missed an opportunity to tell people the truth of God's love, but He never allowed the truth to come down to mere debating. That is why that our walking with Jesus requires us to make a choice to follow the Lord and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to love people enough to give them the truth of Jesus. It comes down to that question what and who do I live for? And what and who do I really love?

At this moment about 8am, I am sitting in a class with my youngest son Matthew at Valley Forge Christian College. The class is a great one on the book of Romans; the professor is speaking from chapter 9 which is really a great passage where the Apostle Paul states that He is willing to do anything in order for the nation of Israel to come back to God.  Look what Paul says in just the first few verses;

1 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief
3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed-cut off from Christ!-if that would save them. NLT

Paul makes if very clear not only in these verses but all those that follow that he has a mission and to him it is clear.  He must do whatever it takes to bring the Jewish people back to relationship with God.  If we are to be ambassadors for Jesus and we are the one who He is making His appeal through, what should be our heart towards those who are away from Jesus? Paul loved so much that he was willing to die if it would allow the Jewish people to come to Jesus.  Look what He says My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief, Paul grieves over those who don't know Jesus, He hurts over those who are lost.  We like our Lord should compelling people to come and be restored, come and be healed, come and find the reason that you were created, be reconciled to God, become a friend of God. Will you do something with me?  Would you pause this week and ask the Lord to break our hearts for people who are away from God?  Lord give me a new love for people and a passion to see them know the Lord that loves us.  I am convinced that one of the greatest needs for us as individuals and as a church family is simply to allow God to break our heart for lost people. Remember that God is making His appeal through us, and tells us to compel them to be reconciled to God to come to relationship with God.  God change our hearts, God break our hearts for the lost, God move our hearts with compassion so that people will know you.

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Jesus gives the disciples what is called the Great Commission in Matthew but then ends with the promise of His presence. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:20 NLT

Mark 16:20 says "The Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it."  

Because our Lord is with us we have a confidence to live for Him and the assurance that we are not on our own.  As we share the Gospel, we are living witnesses of what the Lord has done and will do in our world through our lives.  God is with us there is nothing to fear.

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Mark's account of what took place after the resurrection and what believer should expect in their own lives because of it is recorded in the later half of chapter 16.  Mark's entire Gospel is a fast paced look at the life and teachings of Jesus and very much focuses on the supernatural power and ministry of Jesus.  In many ways Mark is saying that the Lord's actions are as powerful as His words.  Since Mark's Gospel is thought to have been written to people who did not live near where Jesus had walked Mark makes a clear statement of the power of God, and so there is a graphic and dramatic approach to this record. The Apostle Peter was a main source of Mark's information and because of that we see this emphasis different from Matthew and Luke.  But these few verses give us an understanding of what we as followers of the risen one should expect. These verses are the words of our Resurrected Lord.

^ He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ^ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ^ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ^ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." 

 Mark 16:15-18

Wow! Pretty great stuff right?  Jesus addresses the importance of proclaiming the good news everywhere, at home, office and wherever we are, not as a mandate for missionaries but as a mandate for believers to proclaim who Jesus is. We have far too often used the phrase that evangelism is not my thing, someone else will do it. But as we can see already from this text, Jesus does not make any kind of "out" for us.  All of us are to proclaim the truth of Jesus everywhere. (As a side note for those who want to understand how to better share their faith, we are having some special instruction with Randy Hurst for anyone who wants to join us on April 5^th at 5:30, I will be there hope you can too) Since the Resurrection confirms who Jesus is, we have a clear mandate to share with everyone about our Lord and Master.  This is not an optional accessory with believers, but an essential one; it is why we are here.  Jesus, goes on to make a clear statement that believing in Jesus is the only way and that baptism as a sign of that commitment to believe is expected.  Recently the most prominent talk show host in our country made the statement that Jesus is not the only way to Heaven, this verse says otherwise.  That is why we must not neglect our next step as disciples to be proclaimers. 

In the verses that follow, Jesus tells us that signs, wonders, miracles, will accompany those who believe.  There are five signs here mentioned that attest to the authority of Jesus and the message that believers share.

•1.   Drive out demons- here again the authority of Jesus through His disciples over demonic powers.

•2.   They will speak with new tongues or languages- This is a clear reference to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Language

•3.   Pick up deadly snakes-  This is not to say that we are to do this, but is a statement of God's protection in facing persecution, much like Daniel God watches over and protects His people

•4.   Protection against poison- here again a clear reminder of the power of the Lord to keep us in the midst of persecution and suffering and again clear statement about the authority of Jesus over all things.

•5.   Finally the promise of laying hands on the sick and the healing that comes as believers proclaim the Gospel.

This power that accompanies the proclamation of the Gospel is something that at times we do not expect, but shouldn't we?   Now it Begins.....

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