3/14/13

From Gary V. Womack...Casting All Your Cares on Him


Casting All Your Cares on Him
A sermon on "worry"

Lk. 10:38-ff Martha worried about serving her guest (without Mary's help) Sometimes we fail to weigh what is truly important in our lives.

Lk. 12:13-15 Someone worried about getting their share of an inheritance
Think how many families have suffered ill feelings over such as this.

Lk. 12:16-21 Parable of the rich fool. He worried about his abundance
Misplaced values can cause worry and loss of focus on the important.

Lk. 12:22-31 No need for worry about necessities. God takes care of us.
Take the time to look at the birds & remember God's promise.


Worry reflects a lack of trust, which indicates a lack of faith

Ex. 16:1-3 Israel began to murmur. They were worried about food.
Worry leads to unthankfulness, which leads to complaining.

Ex. 16:13-31 God gave them manna according to their need.
A lesson on trust.

Heb. 13:5-6 Learn to be content by knowing that God will not forsake you.
God never abandons His children like some human fathers do.

Phil. 4:6-9 Don't worry about anything, but PRAY
Instead of worrying, meditate on the good and do His will.

1 Pet. 5:6-7 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Jn. 11:1-7, 17-27

Look beyond the troubles of the day - to relief from all that causes tears.

Rev. 21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."


INVITATION

God has invited us to be with Him in heaven later, by following Him now.

Mt. 11:28-ff "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

From Gary... That one thing


Hot dogs with spaghetti inside them? How strange is that?  I think most people would not want this for supper (or any other meal); well, not quite everyone- How about Sheldon Cooper, PhD.?  Would HE like this? Perhaps, but wait; it is missing something... Which reminds me of an encounter Jesus had with someone in the New Testament...

Luke, Chapter 18

 18  A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 

  19  Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one—God.   20  You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”  

  21  He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.” 

  22  When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.” 

  23  But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich. 



24  Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!  25  For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” 

  26  Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 

  27  But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” 


From the way this "ruler" talked, he seems like someone who is a religious person.  He tried to follow God, but Jesus knew his heart.  And that heart loved riches more than all his professed love for the Almighty.  But, although this exchange may seem strange to us, in reality it is fairly common.  Think about how many people you know who work and work and work- and for what? More and More and More MONEY!!!  Now, I am not saying they are "BAD" people, but they lack something.  That something is loving God more than possessions.  Yet, there is hope, because verse 27 says there is.  We all have things pressuring us to put God in "second place";  and this is our something lacking!!!  Besides God, YOU are the only one who really knows what your heart is like- so pray about this, work on it- remember, there IS HOPE (WITH GOD)!!!  And, as usual, I forgot the picture at the top-- Sheldon Cooper, PhD. likes ketchup on his Texas spaghetti, doesn't he???  I wonder what your missing ingredient is????

From Gary V. Womack...CAIN and ABEL - Good vs. Evil -


CAIN & ABEL
- Good vs. Evil -

Notice - God's prophecy of a solution for sin in Gen. 3:15

Gen. 4:1-4 These sacrifices upon stone altars signaled the beginning of God's plan to redeem man from sin.

Eph. 3:8-11 God's eternal purpose.

Thus, the sacrifice of innocent blood for the guilty had its beginning:

Lev. 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that
makes atonement for the soul."

Heb. 9:22 "According to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."

This all pointed to the promise of the perfect sacrifice in Christ:

Heb. 10:1-7 However "it is impossible that the blood of bulls & goats could take away sins."

Heb. 9:13-15 Pointing to a Perfect Sacrifice to redeem sins committed under the old law.
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Gen. 4:5-8 Sin continued first with profaned worship - then murder.
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We are familiar with:

Heb. 11:4 "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained
witness that he was righteous, God testifying of
his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks."

Rom. 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Jn. 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
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Let's look at men's reaction to those with whom they disagree religiously 

Thus began the war between righteous men & wicked men.

1 Jn. 3:10-15 Children of God v/s children of the devil. 

The cause for conflict = Righteousness v/s wickedness

Jealousy - Hatred

Mt. 10:5-6, 16-22 Jesus' limited commission - sheep among wolves  Zealous - Ignorance

Jn. 16:1-4 Jesus warns - Some will think they serve God in killing you.

Acts 26:9-11 Paul was one who once believed this - Later (Rom. 10:1-3)

False Witnesses - Dishonest

Acts 6:8-ff, Example - Stephen contended for the faith. None could resist.

Acts 7:51-ff Stephen was killed for his righteousness.

Envious Detractors - Violent

Acts 13:44-51 Example - Paul at Antioch. Jews persecuted & kicked out of town.

Acts 14:1-6 Example - Paul at Iconium. Violent attempt to stone them.

Acts 14:19-20 Example - Paul at Lystra. Paul stoned & thought to be dead.

Secretive - Deceptive - Exploitive

2 Pet. 2:1-3 False teachers who secretly bring in destructive heresies.

Subtle - Flattering - Cunning

Jude warns of the wicked who creep in to draw away the righteous:

Jude 3-11, 16-19 "Woe to them for they have gone in the way of Cain..."

Acts 20:27-31 Paul issues the same warning to Ephesus. Watch out!!!

CONCLUSION
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Gen. 4:9-10 Cain's lack of responsibility - Abel's blood cries for justice.

Jude 14-15 "Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, (15) to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him."

Invitation

Mt. 13:36-43 Jesus explains the parable of the tares - Justice in the end

Rev. 20:11-ff The final judgment - Good & evil forever separated.

From Mark Copeland...Learning From Hypocrites



"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"
Learning From Hypocrites (23:1-39)
INTRODUCTION
1. What is a hypocrite?
   a. Some are accused of hypocrisy when their walk does not measure up
      to their talk
   b. But that may be an indication of weakness, not hypocrisy per se
   c. "Hypocrite" comes from the Greek "hupokrites (hoop-ok-ree-tace'),
      meaning an actor under an assumed character; e.g., stage-player
      (Strong's)
   d. A true hypocrite is one who pretends to be something he or she is
      not, and really has no intention of becoming

2. Jesus addressed hypocrites in His day, in particular some scribes
   and Pharisees...
   a. They were among the more religiously conservative of that time
   b. Yet some of the harshest words Jesus ever spoke were directed
      toward them
   c. In just one speech, he called them...
      1) Hypocrites (seven times) - Mt 23:13-15,23,25,27,29
      2) Fools (twice) and blind guides (five times) - Mt 23:16-17,19,
         24,26
      3) Serpents, brood of vipers (once) - Mt 23:33

3. Despite such strong condemnation, one can learn from hypocrites...
   a. You can heed their teaching, when it comes from God's word - cf.
      Mt 23:1-3
      1) Don't automatically disregard the message if the messenger is
         a hypocrite
      2) Look beyond the messenger to the original source of the 
         message
   b. You can also learn how not to act...
      1) Especially when you take note of how Jesus rebuked them
      2) Which we shall do in this lesson

[What valuable lessons can we learn from hypocrites?  The first are
lessons gleaned ...]

I. FROM THEIR ABUSE OF AUTHORITY

   A. BINDING ON OTHERS WHAT ONE IS UNWILLING TO DO...
      1. When speaking from Moses' seat in the synagogues, they were
         speaking with authority
      2. Unfortunately, they were binding things on others they
         themselves were unwilling to observe - Mt 23:1-4
      3. This breeds disrespect for all authority, including the Word
         of God
      -- If we desire the highest regard for God's word, then practice
         what we preach!

   B. DOING WORKS TO BE SEEN OF MEN...
      1. When they did their works, they did them to be seen by others
         - Mt 23:5a
      2. They loved to wear religious clothing that gave appearance of
         devotion - Mt 23:5b
      3. With time, such hypocrisy will become evident to those who
         know us
      -- If we desire God's approval, we need to do things to glorify
         God, and at times seen only by Him - Mt 5:16; 6:1-18

   C. SEEKING ATTENTION AND SPECIAL TREATMENT...
      1. The Pharisees loved special treatment received from others
      2. Such as the best seats and honorary titles - Mt 23:6-7
      3. Jesus expected His disciples to be different - Mt 23:8-12
         a. He forbade the use of religious titles
         b. He enjoined humility as the road to greatness
      -- If we desire to honor Christ, we will respect His teaching and
         not use religious titles or expect special treatment, but
         serve others with humility

[As Jesus continues with a diatribe against the hypocrisy of the
scribes and Pharisees, we glean several lessons...]

II. FROM THEIR FAILURE IN TEACHING

   A. FAILING TO SAVE OTHERS...
      1. They failed to truly show others the way to the kingdom of
         heaven, and to go in themselves - Mt 23:13
      2. Through their doctrines they had rendered the commandments of
         God of no effect - cf. Mt 15:3-6
      3. Their teaching came from hearts far removed from God - cf. Mt 15:7-9
      -- We need to make sure our teaching saves both ourselves and
         others - cf. 1Ti 4:16

   B. MISUSING RELIGION FOR MONEY AND PRESTIGE...
      1. They used religion to take advantage of widows, and impress
         others - Mt 23:14
      2. Paul warned Timothy and Titus about such teachers - 2Ti 3:
         4-6; Tit 1:10-11
      3. Instead, we should view godliness with contentment as true
         gain - cf. 1Ti 6:3-8
      -- It is imperative that we do things honorable in the sight of
         all - cf. 2Co 8:21

   C. MAKING PEOPLE WORSE THAN OURSELVES...
      1. The Pharisees did not make people better, they made them
         worse! - Mt 23:15
      2. Perhaps by their emphasis on the traditions of men, rather
         than upon the word of God
         a. The Pharisees themselves may have known the word of God to
            some degree
         b. But in neglecting God's word, they starved those who
            received their teaching!
      -- We must be careful not to put ourselves or traditions between
         God's word and those we teach, but let them know "the whole
         counsel of God"! - cf. Ac 20:27

   D. MAKING DISTINCTIONS WHERE GOD HAS NOT...
      1. The scribes and Pharisees made fine distinctions between the
         types of oaths one could swear - Mt 23:16-22
      2. We can easily do similar things today
         a. Saying some commands of God are essential to salvation,
            while others are not
         b. Teaching our "think so's" and "it seems to me" instead of
            telling people what the Bible says
      -- To safely guard against this, "let us speak where the Bible
         speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent", proclaiming
         the oracles of God - cf. 1Pe 4:11

[As Jesus increases the level of His righteous indignation against the
hypocritical scribes and Pharisees of that day, we are able to learn
three final lessons...]

III. FROM THEIR INCONSISTENCY OF PRACTICE
   
   A. LEAVING COMMANDS OF GOD UNDONE...
      1. They left undone the "weightier" matters of God's law - Mt 23:
         23-24
         a. They stressed tithing, but neglected justice, mercy, faith
         b. Thus they would strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel
      2. We can be guilty of the same thing
         a. By stressing "lighter" matters, and leave "weightier"
            matters undone
         b. Also by stressing "weightier" matters, and leave "lighter"
            things undone
      -- Jesus said we should do both, leaving neither undone, for all
         of God's commandments are important! - cf. Mt 5:19

   B. FOCUSING ONLY ON THE OUTER MAN...
      1. The "blind" scribes and Pharisees focused only on the outside
         - Mt 23:25-28
         a. Concerned with keeping the traditions of ritual cleansing
         b. Willing to put up with extortion, self-indulgence,
            hypocrisy and lawlessness
      2. We can be guilty of having the wrong focus
         a. Stressing big buildings, large crowds
         b. Accepting people into the church without challenging them
            to true repentance
      -- If we are to avoid creating a church of hypocrites, then we
         need to emphasize true repentance, a conversion of the inner
         man - cf. Ro 12:2

   C. HONORING THE PAST, BUT UNWILLING TO LIVE IT...
      1. They honored the ancient men of God, but were more like their
         ancestors who murdered the prophets - Mt 23:29-31
         a. Indeed, they would do even more harm than their fathers 
            - Mt 23:32-34
         b. Upon that generation would come the judgment for the murder
            of all God's prophets (cf. the destruction of Jerusalem in
            70 A.D.) - Mt 23:35-39
      2. We honor men like Jesus and Peter, but are we willing to live
         what they preached?
         a. Are we willing to obey their commands? - cf. Mt 28:18-20;
            Mk 16:16; Ac 2:38
         b. Or are we like many back then who refused to heed their
            word?

CONCLUSION

1. What can we learn from hypocrites?  A lot!  Provided we...
   a. Take to heart Jesus' denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees!
   b. Do not imitate their abuse of authority, failure in teaching, and
      inconsistency of practice!

2. Speaking of hypocrites, some people avoid church because "there are
   too many hypocrites there."  There may be hypocrites in the church,
   but that is no reason not to follow Jesus...
   a. Did the hypocrisy of Judas Iscariot permit the rest of the
      apostles to leave Jesus?
   b. Do you allow the presence of hypocrites keep you from enjoying
      other activities (such as sports events, vacations, etc.)?

Besides...which is better, to spend a short time with hypocrites in the
church, or to spend eternity with hypocrites in hell?  Remember what
Jesus said of the hypocrites:

      "How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" (Mt 23:33b)

Only through the redemption God offers through His Son can any of us
escape the condemnation of hell.  Don't let the hypocrisy of some keep
you from the blessings of salvation in Christ Jesus!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Jim McGuiggan... Don Quixote and Heartsight

Don Quixote & Heartsight

Having laid down the melancholy burden of sanity, Don Quixote became a knight. Before he’s carried back home in a cage he shows himself courteous, gentle, brave and longsuffering. Unless there’s some evil enchantment, all the women he meets are beautiful and worthy of the greatest respect and the men (most of them) are assumed to be good and noble. In return for all this he’s beaten, mocked and humiliated. Literary giant, J. B Priestly, speaking of Don Quixote, noted how strange it is that “it is the butt of the company, the man out of his wits, who sees what everybody ought to be seeing, if our values were really what we claim them to be, if Christendom existed outside our sermons and dreams.”
Our heart determines how we see and what we see.
In an Expository Times article some years back the editor C. S Rodd rehearses an incident told by Russell Maltby that is both painful and glorious. Maltby was acquainted with a man whose wife left him for another shortly after their marriage. She went back and the husband welcomed her home, but it happened again and again; her going to the other man and the husband giving her his heart and a home on her return.
A friend of the abused husband spoke to him, wanting to commiserate with and comfort him, but the husband stopped him with a terse, “Not a word! She’s my wife.” She returned home after a final absence and some time later died in her patient and loving husband’s arms.
Rodd shared this story with his assembly one morning and a marriage counsellor on his way out of the building remarked to Rodd that the husband’s “psychological problems needed to be looked at.”
Maybe, maybe not. If the husband had been firmer, would his wife have responded differently? Should he have given her an ultimatum? Who can say? But it’s interesting to me that this marriage counsellor, who knew nothing more about the situation than you and I do, was perfectly willing to see the husband as a disturbed man. The man who was gladly paying an awful price in this painful situation is seen as needing therapy?
(This piece is quoted by permission from my little book Celebrating the Wrath of God, published by Waterbrook Press, a division of Random House.)

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.