3/25/13

From Gary... Remembering those who serve

 

These two pictures have something in common. The one on the left was taken in China and the one on right was taken in Wesley, Chapel Florida.  The first picture (left) is of Jim Campbell of East Brunswick, N.J..  He was my chiropractor for many years while I lived in New Jersey. The group on the right is the chiropractic team that currently cares for my wife and I.  Both have changed my thinking about health greatly and in my opinion, have saved my life.  The medical community really does not appreciate their contributions to society and often what they do is maligned and ridiculed.  In thinking about this, I am reminded of this passage from the book of Ecclesiastes...

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9
 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.  15 Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.  16 Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.  17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. 

The wisdom behind chiropractic treatment is natural healing.  In other words, healing with the help of God.  Today, let me remember those who use natural healing methods, specifically chiropractic!!  May God bless them for what they are doing!!!  If you have problems, consider chiropractic and get well soon.  Think this is hokum?  Well, there was a time that I felt this way, but that was a long time ago and I am a little wiser (and considerably healthier) today.  

P.S. 
And, NO, I am not saying this for money, but out of gratitude for the service of dedicated people who really care about others!!!

From Gary... WHAT SHALL I RENDER ?



WHAT SHALL I RENDER ?

Bible Reading: Psalm 116:1-12

 Song: All to Jesus, I surrender



I. INTRODUCTION

A. Good jobs in Jersey: Pay and BENEFITS from GOD!! 
     benefits Psalm 116

B. Good question from Hezekiah: 
    What shall I render to the Lord?

C. Good answer ... verses 12-19 (1 ff.)



II. BODY


A. A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING 13, 17

1. A concept of worship: SALVATION + PRAISE

2. A cup of thanksgiving = Isaiah 36-37 RUNNING OVER 
    (Psa. 23)

3. A compliant heart = the tenth leper, a humbled king 
    and YOU ? !


B. A SACRIFICE OF MEANS 14, 18

1. An attitude toward giving: " I shall pay"

2. An attitude of responsibility : "my"

3. An attitude of dedication: "vows"

4. An attitude of communion: "presence"

5. An attitude expressed in each of our coins.

C. A SACRIFICE OF LIFE 15, 16

1. A trust that I am special to God: "precious"

2. A trust that God cares : "in the sight of the Lord"

3. A trust revealed in personal commitment: "servant"

4. A trust proven to me: "loosed my bonds"


III. CONCLUSION


A. THE QUESTION... "WHAT SHALL I RENDER TO THE 
                                     LORD....

B THE ANSWER..... SONG # 649 "WHAT HAS THOU 
                                                        GIVEN FOR ME??

C. THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER IS YOURSELF!!
     Psalm 116:1

From Gary V. Womack... THE SYRO-PHOENICIAN WOMAN Faith and Perseverance



THE SYRO-PHOENICIAN WOMAN

Faith & Perseverance


Mt. 15:21-28 TEXT Along with Mk. 7:24-30

Jesus goes to the city of Tyre (20 miles S. of Sidon - 100 miles NW of Jerusalem)

Tyre was in the province of Phoenicia -
also known as Syria (of Assyrian influence)

This was land that had been allotted to the tribe of Asher - (Josh. 19:24-31) as part of the promised land of Canaan (Gen. 10:19; 15:18-21)

vs. 21 This is the only record of Jesus going outside of the land of Palestine during his ministry

Jesus was unsuccessful in escaping the multitudes in this place.

Mk. 7:24 "From there He arose and went to the 
               region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered 
               a house and wanted no one to know it, but 
               He could not be hidden."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 22 This woman was a Gentile
           Mt.: Syro-Phoenician - Mk.: Canaanite

She asked for MERCY - an undeserved gift.

Mk. 7:25-26 "For a woman whose young daughter 
                   had an unclean spirit heard about Him, 
                   and she came and fell at His feet. (26) 
                   The woman was a Greek, a Syro-
                   Phoenician by birth, and she kept 
                   asking Him to cast the demon out of her 
                   daughter."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 23 Jesus did not answer. Why?
          A test of her faith?

Sometimes our prayers are not answered immediately. Why?

Lk. 11:5-8 Jesus' parable teaches patience & 
                 persistence in prayer.

Our faith needs to be tested in order for us to grow in faith

Jas. 1:2-3 "My brethren, count it all joy when you 
                 fall into various trials, (3) knowing that 
                 the testing of your faith produces 
                 patience."

Isa. 40:29-31 "He gives power to the weak, and to 
                     those who have no strength, (30) even 
                     the youths shall faint and be weary, 
                     and the young men shall utterly fall, 
                     (31) But those who wait on the Lord 
                     shall renew their strength; They shall 
                     mount up with the wings like eagles, 
                     they shall run and not be weary, they 
                     shall walk and not faint."

His disciples were ready to send her away.
But Jesus stands ready to help in time of need.

Psm. 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength,
                  a very present help in trouble."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 24 Jesus' present focus (mission) was the  
           "lost sheep of Israel"

His compassion was focused on them:

Mt. 9:35-36 "Then Jesus went about all the cities 
                   and villages, teaching in their 
                   synagogues, preaching the gospel of 
                   the kingdom, and healing every 
                   sickness and every disease among the 
                   people. (36) But when He saw the 
                   multitudes, He was moved with 
                   compassion for them, because they 
                   were weary and scattered, like sheep 
                   having no shepherd."

Isa. 54:7-8 " 'For a mere moment I have forsaken 
                 you, but with great mercies I will gather 
                 you. (8) With a little wrath I hid My face 
                 from you for a moment; But with 
                 everlasting kindness I will have mercy on 
                 you.' Says the Lord, your Redeemer."

Mt. 10:5-8 His limited commission focused on 
                 the Jews.

Compare this to His great commission:

Mt. 28:18-19 "....All authority has been given to Me 
                     in heaven and on earth. (19) Go 
                     therefore and make disciples of all 
                     nations, baptizing them in the name of 
                     the Father and of the Son and of the 
                     Holy Spirit,"

Jesus' ultimate goal included Gentiles as well:

Jn. 10:15-16 ".....I lay down My life for the sheep. 
                    (16) And other sheep I have which are 
                    not of this fold; them also I must bring 
                    and they will hear My voice; the there 
                    will be one flock and one shepherd."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 25 But she came and worshipped Him - 
          anyway - PERSISTENCE!

Are we too quick to give up? Are we ready to turn away if He doesn't answer immediately or in a way we didn't choose?

Do we assume He doesn't love us if we aren't immediately relieved?

Mt. 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and 
               you will find; knock, and it will be opened. 
               (8) For everyone who asks receives, and 
               he who seeks finds and to him who knocks 
               it will be opened."
Prov. 8:17 "I love those who love Me, and those 
                 who seek Me diligently will find Me."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 26 Jesus' reply: It's not appropriate at this 
                                time.

After Jesus' death, burial & resurrection - then was the time:

Eph. 2:11-16 After the cross, the middle wall of division would come down.

Mk. 7:27 "But Jesus said to her, 'Let the children be 
               filled first, for it is not good to take the 
               children's bread and throw it to the little 
               dogs."

Jesus was still testing the persistence of her faith.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 27 She acknowledged her unworthiness - 
          even as a little "dog" But she asked only 
          for "crumbsShe was acknowledging His 
          great power to grant her request as only a 
          small thing for Him to do. Others were 
          amazed by His power to cast out demons:

Mt. 9:32-33 "As they went out, behold, they brought 
                   to Him a man, mute and demon-
                   possessed. (33) And when the demon 
                   was cast out, the mute spoke. And the 
                   multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was 
                   never seen like this in Israel.' "

What others (at Capernaum) had considered great - she recognized as crumbs

----------------------------------------------------------------------

vs. 28 She passed her test of faith.

The faith of this Gentile woman was an example for Israel.

On one other occasion prior to this, Jesus granted the request of a Gentile The centurion of Mt. 8 also demonstrated similar faith & Jesus held it up for Israel to see:

Mt. 8:5-13 (10) "Assuredly, I say to you, I have 
                        not found such great faith, not 
                        even in Israel!"

We are to be:

Rom. 12:12 "...patient in tribulation, continuing 
                   steadfastly in prayer."

"The testing of our faith is measured by the persistence of our will."

Jas. 1:2-8 Ask without doubting.



INVITATION

Our faith waits on the Lord

Lk. 12:35-38 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; (36) and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. (37) Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. (38) And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."

From Jim McGuiggan... God and his companions

God and his companions

Romans 6:23 says we earn death by sinning but that "eternal life" is a free gift from God.
Eternal life isn’t simply "endless" life! It is a quality of life that is part of the "new creation" that has come about in Jesus Christ. It isn’t just endless existence; it is life that takes it nature from the kind of life epitomised by Jesus Christ. Those that come to share eternal life—for which they now look forward and will one day fully experience individually—will enjoy it in the redeemed creation (see Romans 8:18-25). But it will be "life" and not some vapoury excuse for "life"! The Christian hope is not summed up in some ghostly existence but embodied life, lived out in holiness and joy.
It is a great blunder to reduce eternal "life" to "forgiveness of sins". A rich relationship between two humans will involve mutual forgiveness but to boil the relationship down to that robs it of much that is vibrant, challenging and precious. I don’t suggest that Christians consciously reduce life with God to "sins forgiven" but so much literature and speech comes to focus on talk about sin that, simply by default, it sometimes appears that that’s what it’s all about.
There is of course much talk about "let’s all be honest and pure and kind and tolerant" and such like. But more often than not—so I presently judge—this is "the right response" to God for his having forgiven us. It is "gratitude," don’t you see. And how can we not agree with that? Well...it’s not that simple; it’s richer than that.
To enter into "life with God" is to throw our weight into his purposes. To enter life with God is (sort of) to ask him, "Now, how does this work, this friendship of yours and ours?" God has a dream and vision and he is working toward that and to enter into a living relationship with him is to share his dream, pursue his goals, act with him to bring to completion his overarching purpose. It isn't grovelling and endlessly talking about our sins and how nice it was of him to forgive us! It’s gratitude! How could we not be grateful to him for giving us life (and all that that means)? But it’s more than gratitude, it’s astonished commitment, it’s looking in fathomless wonder at what we’ve been called to share and plunging into it, way out of our depth!
There’s something wild about the universe, William James said (saying more than he knew or believed), and we are needed to bring it into line. Eternal life is not about a post-mortem happiness, it’s about sharing God’s heart and purposes for his creation, it’s about living in his image.
I’m a great sinner and God knows I need forgiveness but I’m bound to say that there’s too much of this self-examination. This constant taking of our spiritual temperatures and checking our religious pulses wastes too much time and energy and more importantly it takes our eyes off God and his creation. This isn’t just about us and how spiritually fine-tuned we are! Some years ago when existentialism was enjoying one of its popular phases a USA senator felt compelled to say that he was weary of people that were always experiencing angst over just about everything. He complained that he didn’t have the luxury of having an inner debate about every blessed decision. He said they were agonising over whether to go to the toilet while he was forced to make decisions quickly that affected hosts of people. He was complaining about people that took themselves much too seriously and can’t take their eyes off themselves. That’s the kind of thing I’m trying to get at here.
Constantly having ourselves on our minds is too great a burden. We're not up to carrying it. No wonder we often get weary and sometimes sour. Anyway, it's the wrong burden (compare Matthew 11:28-30).
We mustn’t think that God lives with us as if we were a mass of isolated humans. He doesn’t! We mustn’t think the centre of his thinking is about sin. It isn’t! It’s about life! And it’s about more than you and me!

©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.

From Mark Copeland... The Significance Of The Resurrection



                        "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

             The Significance Of The Resurrection (28:1-10)

INTRODUCTION

1. According to the four gospels, Jesus rose from the dead following
   His crucifixion...
   a. Matthew records how the women found the tomb empty and were
      instructed by an angel to tell the disciples - Mt 28:1-8
   b. Also how Jesus appeared to them while on their way - Mt 28:9-10
   -- In all, the New Testament records ten distinct resurrection
      appearances of Christ prior to His ascension to heaven

2. The significance of the resurrection of Jesus to the Christian faith
   cannot be overestimated...
   a. It has great significance for one who has yet to believe in Jesus
   b. It also has great significance for those who are Christians

[In this study we shall consider "The Significance Of The Resurrection"
for both unbelievers and believers...]

I. FOR THE UNBELIEVER

   A. IT VERIFIES THE DEITY OF JESUS...
      1. The resurrection proves that Jesus truly is the Son of God
         - Ro 1:4
      2. It also demonstrates that He truly has all authority in heaven
         and on earth - Mt 28:18; Ac 2:36

   B. IT VERIFIES THE TRUTHFULNESS OF JESUS...
      1. Jesus foretold His resurrection on three occasions - Mt 16:21;
         17:22-23; 20:17-19
         a. If Jesus was telling the truth in describing His suffering
            and resurrection...
         b. ...then He was telling the truth in everything else He said
         -- Would God raise a liar?
      2. Therefore the following teachings of Jesus are true:
         a. He was from the Father above, and spoke the words of the
            Father - Jn 8:28-29
         b. No one can come to the Father but through Him - Jn 14:6
         c. His blood was shed for the remission of sins - Mt 26:28
         d. He came to offer abundant life - Jn 10:10
         e. He went to prepare a place for us - Jn 14:2
         f. He shall come again - Jn 14:3
         g. There will be a resurrection of the dead and ensuing
            judgment - Jn 5:28-29; 12:48; Ac 17:30-31

[If Jesus was in fact raised from the dead, "The Significance Of The
Resurrection" for the unbeliever is enormous!  It compels unbelievers
to come face to face with reality, and the need to accept the Lordship
of Jesus.  The resurrection of Jesus has even more significance...]

II. FOR THE BELIEVER

   A. IF JESUS HAS NOT BEEN RAISED...
      1. Gospel preaching is vain - 1Co 15:14
         a. The preaching of the apostles is empty, meaningless
         b. There would be no purpose in preaching about a liar, or
            lunatic
      2. Our faith is vain - 1Co 15:14
         a. Our belief in Christ would also be empty, meaningless
         b. For our faith would be in a liar, or lunatic
      3. The apostles were false witnesses - 1Co 15:15
         a. They swore that God raised Jesus from the dead - Ac 2:32
         b. They claimed to spend 40 days with Him after the
            resurrection, eating and drinking with Him - Ac 10:39-41
         c. There is no way they could have been deceived or mistaken;
            either they told the truth or they were deliberate liars,
            deceivers, and frauds!
      4. We are still in our sins - 1Co 15:17
         a. It would have been a liar or lunatic that died on the cross
         b. No such person could have provided a sacrifice that was
            holy and without blemish
      5. Believers have perished at death - 1Co 15:18
         a. Their faith would have been in a false Messiah
         b. They would have had no atonement for their sins
         c. Dying in their sins, there would be no hope
      6. Christians are to be pitied - 1Co 15:19
         a. Because we believe in a false Messiah
         b. Because our faith in Him leads us to refrain from much
            worldly pleasure
         c. Because we are often ridiculed or persecuted for our faith

   B. IF JESUS HAS BEEN RAISED...
      1. It verifies our justification - Ro 4:24-25
         a. Jesus claimed His blood would be adequate - Mt 26:28
         b. By raising Jesus from the dead, God demonstrated His
            acceptance of Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins! - Ro 8:
            33-34
      2. It demonstrates the power available to the Christian - Ep 1:
         18-20
         a. Power available at our conversion - Col 2:11-12; 1Pe 3:21
         b. Power available to live the Christian life - Ro 8:11-13;
            Php 2:12-13; 4:13; Ep 3:20; 6:10
      3. It gives us hope concerning our own resurrection - 1Pe 1:3
         a. His resurrection gives us a living hope! - 1Pe 1:21
         b. Especially concerning the resurrection of believers! - 1 Th 4:13-14
      4. It demands our complete loyalty to Him - Ro 14:9
         a. He was raised and then exalted to become our Lord - Ac 2:
            32-36; Ep 1:20-23
         b. Thus our lives and service belong to Him - Ro 14:7-8; 2 Co 5:15

CONCLUSION

1. The impact of the resurrection of Jesus should not go unfelt in our
   lives...
   a. As a historical event it has everlasting implications
   b. For both the unbeliever and believer

2. The unbeliever needs to examine the evidence for the resurrection
   carefully...
   a. The nature of the testimony provided by the witnesses
   b. The unfeasibility of alternative explanations for the empty tomb
   -- For if Jesus rose from the dead, one must believe in Him! - Jn 8:
      24

3. The believer must never lose sight of the significance of the
   resurrection...
   a. Do our lives demonstrate that we serve a risen Lord and Savior?
   b. Do we possess the hope, peace, and strength that the reality and
      power of His resurrection gives to the Christian?

May we never forget "The Significance Of The Resurrection" of Jesus
Christ in our lives!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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