Tag Archives: Jesus

Foundations

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One of the things I’ll never forget was when I was preaching in the delta. When I was there, at night, you’d see people outside watering their yards.

Nothing unusual about that.

But you’d see them after they finished watering their yards; they’d take the water and start watering their houses. I thought to myself, ok, this is an odd place.

I asked one of my members what they were doing, and they said that they kept the ground around their houses moist so that the ground wouldn’t settle and destroy their foundations.

So, to keep their foundations of the house strong, they literally watered their house.

Foundations are important. They keep us stable, they keep us safe in storms. They give us something to rely upon in times of trouble.

So, the question for us is this, what is the foundation of our lives. Is it Jesus? Or is it something else.  Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7: 24-27

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In this passage, Jesus warms us that storms are coming. The wise one builds their house upon Him. And when the storm comes, they will be ok.

The foolish builds their house upon something else. And when the storm comes, they are blown away.

Storms will come in our lives. Troubles will come. What is your life built upon? It it’s upon Jesus, it might not be fun, but you’ll be ok.

If not, the storm will cause great harm.

Today, what is your foundation?

Questions

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We should live our lives in a way that raise questions.

We should live our lives in a way that people that aren’t Christian wonder, what’s the deal with them? Why do they live the way that they live? Why do they do what they do? Why do they act the way that they act?

Today, in 1 Peter 3:15, we are told that our lives should raise these questions in others:

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

The light of Jesus should shine though us in such a way that it makes a difference. The grace of Jesus should just radiate out of us. The power of God should be apparent in our lives for all to see.

We shouldn’t have to go around announcing to people that we are Christians.

Our clothes shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian. Our music shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian. The symbols on our cars shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian.

Our lives must proclaim that we are Christians.

Our lives must produce questions in others.

And, we should always be ready to answer these questions; with hope, with gentleness; with respect.

Today, may our lives raise questions in others. And may give an answer to those questions – Jesus.

What Do We Lift Up?

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One of the things that I most dearly believe is this – it all comes down to Jesus. Everything. Everything n the church, everything in our lives, everything in our ministries. It all comes down to Him.  He is the center of it all, the cornerstone of it all, the foundation of it all.

It’s all about Jesus.

I had a professor in seminary that used to say that eventually every problem in our lives can be traced back to our walk with Jesus. I think that there is some real truth in that.  Everything comes back to our relationship with Him.

Listen to what Our Lord tells us today in  John 3: 13-16

No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Of course, we are always drawn to John 3:16, which is one of the key verses for Christian hope and eternity. But, look before that.  In that Jesus references something that happens in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament, when to save the lives of the people being bitten by snakes, God instructs Moses to make a snake and attach it to a pole.  In doing this, all that looked at the snake would live.

And He says that when He is lifted up, just as the snake was, all that look to Him will be saved.

He says later in John 12, when He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Him.

When we life Him up, with our words, with our lives, with our actions, with all that we are, people are drawn to Him. People are drawn to the hope and salvation in Jesus. He’s at the center, He is the heart, He is it all.

When He is lifted up, all people are drawn to Him.

So, today, a question. What do we lift up in our lives?  Are we lifting up Jesus? Do our lives point to Him?

It’s all about Him.  He is hope, life, and salvation.  And all are drawn to Him.

Today, as we live our lives, are we lifting Him up?

That’s our mission today.

 

Follow Me – Outreach Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 28, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the next sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It is about following Jesus to a life of outreach, and yes, giving witness to our faith and to the power of Jesus Christ. The text is Acts 16: 6-10.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Follow Me – Hope and Change Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 21, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the second sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It is about following Jesus to a life of hope and change. It deals with the life of Matthew and the text is Matthew 9: 9-13.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Do Something

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I tell folks that I’m not particularly useful in life. I’m a preacher!  There’s not much I can do in life that’s actually helpful! 🙂

I say that jokingly, but as someone who really does spend a lot of time preaching and counseling and preparing our church for what God has called us to do and to be, one of the things that I really enjoy, when I get the chance, is the opportunity to do mission work. It’s a neat thing to be able to “do” something like fix, or rebuild, or work in some fashion.

I remember once taking a group of youth to build a habitat house in Lauderdale County, MS, and it was a great joy to be able to “do” something, but just as importantly, see these kids learn to “do” something as well. To be the hands and feet of Jesus in this day.

Today, God is going to give you the chance to “do” something for Him.  It may be something in your eyes that is “big,” it may be something in your eyes that is “small.” But, both of these, the big and the small, they are something that you can do for His glory.

Listen to the words of one of my favorite passages, Colossians 3:17:

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Everything you do today, you do it for God. Everything. From the biggest task, to the smallest errand. Everything you do today, you do it to glorify Him and to be an ambassador for Him.

You can influence many with your words, your actions, your heart, your smile, your attitude, your very being.

Everything you do today, everything, is done for God.

Today, you have the chance to “do’ something for God.

Don’t miss that chance. Don’t miss that moment. God has given it to you. Today, may we do what God is calling us to do.

And may we do it for His glory and for His purpose.

Follow Me – Intro Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 14, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the first sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It reflects upon many of the passages of scripture where Jesus called folks to lay everything down and follow Him.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Help my Unbelief

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Yesterday I reflected a little on worry.  Worry is something that I deal with A LOT myself. I spent most of yesterday worrying and fretting over a bunch of stuff when the Lord reminded me, hey dude, you need to listen to the things that you tell other folks.

I’m the kind of guy that Lord doesn’t always whisper to. Sometimes He has to smack me on the head.

And today, the Lord maybe continuing His smacking on the head, to me, if to no one else. I was reading today in Mark, and I read this passage:

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

Worry, to me, is so closely tied to doubt.  I worry when I doubt something will work out ok. I worry when I feel like a situation is out of my control and I doubt that anything can be done about it.

Worry seems to thrive off of doubt. Doubt seems to the oxygen to worry’s fire.  Worry seems to be fed and driven by doubt.

When there is no doubt, through, there would not be as much worry. Without that doubt, worry would become less.

So, what is the opposite of doubt?  Faith.  Faith drives out doubt. Faith drives out worry.

And so, look at this passage today, with a verse that I love. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.  None of us have as much faith as we ought to have. None of us are exactly where we ought to be in our walk.  None of us are perfect.  That’s ok.

Lord we do believe.  Help our unbelief.  Help us have more faith.  More trust.  More confidence in your plan.

Today, we believe.  We have faith. We have trust. Today, may we have MORE faith and trust.

Today, we believe.  Today, may the Lord help our unbelief.

Jesus Saves

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Jesus saves!

That’s a statement you have probably heard a million times.  You’ve seen on signs.  You’ve heard it in sermons.   You’ve seen it on bumper stickers.  You know the phrase.

I remember one of the first times I read the phrase was when I was a kid and my parents were driving down to New Orleans to see family, I remember seeing where someone had spray painted the phrase “Jesus Saves” on one of the legs of a bridge crossing the interstate.  I remember seeing that a lot of bridges when I was a kid.

That’s one of the things that we believe as Christians.  Jesus saves. Jesus saves for eternity, and Jesus saves now. In John 17, Jesus prays that His followers would have eternal life, and that eternal life is found in knowing God the Father through Jesus the Son. And that eternal life begins now.

Life is not something we have to wait until heaven to receive.  Life begins now.

Jesus saves.

But, what does that mean?  Listen to what Jesus says in Mark 8 today:

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Jesus promises us life.  He promises to save our lives. But, the only way that we can know that life and live in that life is to lay down our life.

Wait, what?  What does that mean?

The only way that we can truly find that life is to realize that we weren’t put upon the earth to live for ourselves. We weren’t put here for our “stuff.”  We were put here for Him.

It’s not about us.

And as long as we are living for ourselves and for what we want and for our will, we’ll never know life.

But, when we lay down our lives and follow Him, we will know life.

Jesus saves.  In stopping living for we want, and starting to live for what He wants, we find life.  To save our life, we must lose it. To know the life we are desperate for, we must stop living for ourselves.

Jesus saves.  In laying down everything to Him and for Him, we find life.  In holding onto it, we will never know it.  It laying it down, we find more life than possible.

Today, may we lay down our lives and follow Him. And in following Him, may we find the life we seek.

Lists

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This morning as I was reading in Mark, I noticed Jesus do something that I seem to only catch in Paul. I’m sure Jesus did it quiet often, but something about it caught my eye today.

He gave a list.

Jesus was teaching about things that make one “clean” or ‘unclean.”  His disciples had been fussed at because they were “unclean.” They hadn’t washed their hands and the religious leaders said – hey, they are unclean!  Jesus did some teaching on the truth of what makes someone unclean. He said what makes you unclean isn’t what’s on your hands, but what’s in your heart.

And then, He lists off some of this things.  Listen to what He says in Mark 7:

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

And what always sticks out to me is this. It’s the same thing that Paul does a lot. He says the unclean things like sexual immorality, theft, murder, things like this and folks are thinking, yeah God!  Get ’em!

Get those evil, immoral people! They deserve to be smited!  They deserve your judgement!  Get ’em!

But the list doesn’t stop there. It keeps going.  He gets to envy. . . . pride. . . . . foolishness. . . . . gulp.  Suddenly our judgement is gone.  Jesus has gone from preaching to meddling.  It’s not just “them” who are sinful.  It’s us too.

And that’s the problem with lists. That’s the problem with any of us thinking we are better than anyone else. We are all lacking somewhere. We are have some fault, somewhere. We all miss the mark somewhere.

That’s why it’s called grace. That’s why we can’t earn it. That’s why we all are saved by faith, not by works.

If we are saved by works, then we’d all end up on the “naughty” list.

So today, let’s not keep lists.  Let’s not keep a list of “their” sin.  Or “our” sin.  Let’s just love.  Love as we’ve been loved.  Forgive as we’ve been forgiven.  And know that God wants our heart, above all else. And if He has our heart, He’ll take care of the rest.

Today, may we give Him our total hearts.