01-30-22 HIStory - The Famous One (and the not so famous ones)

Scripture    Isaiah 46:9-10a

           In a conversation with some people at one of the churches I served in the past, I once quoted something from the Old Testament. There was a woman who responded, ”Yeah, but that is from long ago.” I said, “Yes it is, but God’s Word does not change.” Her response, “Yeah, that stuff doesn’t really apply to us today.” A video I remember when people were asked about the bible and someone replied, “Eating bugs out in the desert doesn’t have anything to do with my life today.”
           Let’s assume that the translations of the Bible we have today are accurate portrayals of the original writings. They are…but it would take me weeks of instruction to show you how we know that to be true. For the sake of argument, let’s agree that the Bible we have is what was truly written.
           Next we have to determine if it was inspired by God – all of it. Not some but all. This is where more people have a problem, even people who believe in God, have a hard time accepting that everything in the Bible was inspired by God. For the sake of argument, let’s agree that the Bible we read was inspired by God.
           Now we have one more even bigger hurdle to jump over. That is, believing that what was written by multiple people over many years. OT 1200-165 BC / NT 50-100 AD. What other book are you aware of that took about 1,300 years to complete? That also means it covers a time period of 3200 years ago and ended 2100 years ago. Oh, and it was also all written in a very different part of the world Israel, Egypt, Africa & Asia.
           If it was truly inspired by God and recopied to perfection over all this time, how can anything it says have anything to do with us today? That is a great question that some people here have today. It is also a question we better have a convincing explanation for. If not, the following words have no significance for us and we have all just wasted a year at church and in Community Groups reading “The Story”.

PRAYER

Isaiah 46:9-10a
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
 
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
What do you remember from long ago? I remember playing mother may, red light green light, and red rover red rover two doors down at Becky Haldeman's house. I remember playing hide and go seek across from Matt Miller's house using the fire hydrant as home base. I remember playing kick the can and capture the flag using our yard and the Wallen's yard next door. I remember playing football with all the neighborhood boys between Billy Galiere's house and the donut shop. I remember playing tetherball, four square, hop scotch, and kickball on the playground at Georgian Heights elementary school. I remember everyone wanting to ride my bicycle, especially over in the faraway neighborhood where Karen Cottom, Peggy Kreuger, and Steve Hamm lived, because on my bike, instead of handlebars, it had a car steering wheel. I remember…I could literally go on for hours with names, places, events, moments in time of my life from 50+ years ago. And I would be the only one who would enjoy it…so, I will stop.
           Besides, God is not asking us to remember our personal moments in time. He is asking us to remember His personal moments in time. His time that involved us but where He was always the main character in the story = the real event that was happening. And when he is telling us this, it doesn't mean we had to be there. He is telling us to remember the former things of long ago that he did, for His purposes, with and through His people. In other words, God wants us to remember HIStory!
           We ought to know HIStory - the people, places, events, and moments in time as well or better than we know our own. How can we live His Word if we don’t know His word - HIStory?

 

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
If that were a human talking, would that not be the most egotistical things ever? For God, it is just stating fact to remove any shadow of doubt about who God is.
God has always made it very clear who He is.
READ Genesis 1 – all the times “GOD” is mentioned – he is the center of it all.
EXODUS 3:14 Moses asks, who should I say is sending me to Pharoah? “I AM THAT I AM”
THE GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
John 8:58 “Jesus answered them: ‘I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
Mark 2 Capernaum – hole in the roof – “Only God has the power to forgive sins” Which is easier…?”
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Here is another time we could go on and on and on. God, in Christ reminds us again and again that he alone is God – there is none other like Him!
Colossians 1:15ff     The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
 
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
           There is nothing God does not know in HISTORY, in the PRESENT, or in the FUTURE. He is before all things and in all things.
           I love this phrase – I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. As a director of theater – you have to see the end of the play in your mind, then you back up and show the actors where to stand, when to enter and exit, and add in sets, props, lighting, sound, make up and all the elements that have to come together so that you see the end to be able to start from the beginning. (Many occupations require this kind of foresight)
But, none compares to God’s foresight. He knows the end of the STORY that none of us can see, He has not only read the last chapter, but He wrote it long before we were brought into being. He is simply revealing a chapter at a time till the end of the current book. The end of that book will not be the end of HIStory. HIStory goes on forever and ever.
 
CONCLUSION
If the Bible was truly inspired by God and recopied to perfection over all this time, how can anything it says have anything to do with us today? That is the question we better have a convincing explanation for.
We began with this assumption that many people believe that much of the bible doesn’t apply to us. Here is the thing – even if it doesn’t at first appear to be beneficial for us today, take a closer look, God’s inspired word does not exists to bore us, rather to invigorate our relationship with Him and with one another..
Deuteronomy 23:9-14 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure. ¹⁰ If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. ¹¹ But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.¹² Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. ¹³ As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. ¹⁴ For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.
          It was rules for cleanliness and hygiene. We don’t need those same rules today so God’s word has no meaning for us!     This passage from long ago was about much more than getting rid of the excrement in your life…it was about the sin in your life – the physical waste of the body is like the spiritual waste of your soul. You need to get it outside the camp and bury it. Get rid of it from your life – away from your camp, outside the gate.
          WAIT – How do those words from long ago apply? There is more to this story of taking your waste outside the gate – Hebrews 13:11-14 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
 
This text begins Remember the former things, those of long ago;
Is it really that important to remember God's story from so long ago? Yes! Why? The point is not to remember the story - it is to remember the God of the story.  What was one of Jesus last important instructions to us "As often as you participate in the meal - "REMEMBER ME!"
 
He wants us in his story so much that he offers to write our names in his book – the book of life. Once our name is written in God’s book, His story becomes what? OUR STORY!
SING: Blessed assurance – “This is my story this is my song”

01-23-22 “We use words to preach the Word! We use words to live the Word!”

Scripture    Luke 23:32-46

#1. ANXIETY

Story…
A man named Jack was driving on a dark country road one night when he got a flat tire. He saw a cabin in the woods and began to walk towards it. He told himself that the person who answered the door would be angry and irritated for the interruption. In fact, the person would probably harm him. He was probably a truly terrible person. Who else would live out in the woods away from people? Jack convinced himself that the person who lived in the cabin was a menace to society, so when the door opened, Jack punched the man in the nose and ran away.
Verse…
”All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15)
Point…
We take situations and replay them in our minds. We have conversations in our heads with people, and build a case against them, though we don’t really know what they are thinking. We tend to “nurse, curse, and rehearse” stories like Jack. What things do you play in your heard all day? What are you meditating on? Get rid of the “oppressed and wretched” forecasts!
#2. ACCEPTING OTHERS
Story…
Paul Tournier was a brilliant thinker and writer, and an influential Christian therapist during his time. Doctors from around the world traveled to his home in Switzerland to learn from him. He wrote, “It is a little embarrassing for students to come over and study my ‘techniques.’ They always go away disappointed, because all I do is accept people.”
Verse…
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10)
Point…
Accepting is not the same as approving, condoning, or even tolerating bad behavior. Acceptance is an act of the heart in which we recognize that, despite someone’s behavior, he or she has value in God’s sight, and we honor that. But this can be a hard thing to do! There are many ways to communicate acceptance to people. One of them is to listen to them with patience and compassion and receive them with love in the name of Jesus. Another is to refrain from mental condemnation and judgments, from constantly evaluating and analyzing (those things keep us from loving). We must take captive those thoughts of condemnation toward others, and submit to God. As we draw near to Him, we ask Him to love through us.
#3. KIND WORDS
Story…
Arthur Gordon was cleaning out the family home when he came across something he found to be of great value. It was a trunk full of family letters. They chronicled the events of past generations in expressions of loyalty and affection and delight that were rarely verbalized in his immediate family. One writer said, “Have I told you lately what a wonderful person you are? Never forget how much your friends and family love and admire you.” Another letter said, “You don’t know how much your visit meant to us! When you left, I felt as if the sun had stopped shining.” Gordon said, “I don’t know what generation of my family put a check on the release of such emotions. But I do know that it seriously interferes with one of the deepest of all human needs—the desire for acceptance and approval. Why, then, wanting to hear those words so much ourselves, do we deny them so often to others?”
Verse…
”Pleasant words are a honeycomb; sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24)
Point…
Look at the verse at the top: “Pleasant words… are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” That’s a lot of power, and it doesn’t cost anything. Anybody can give words. Will you try it? Open your mouth and say the positive things you are thinking. Bless someone today. Use your words to bring healing and sweetness. We could all use some of that.
#4. NEGATIVE THINKING
Story…
A Trappist monk was allowed to say only two words every three years. After the first three years, he said to the Brother Superior, “Bad bed.” Three years later he came back to say, “Bad food.” After three more years of silence the monk said, “No TV.” Another three years passed. This time the monk appeared with robes and sandals in hand and announced, “I quit.” The Brother Superior answered, “It’s no wonder. You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here!”
Verse…
”He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3)
Point…
Instead of complaining, you have had to be retrained to think differently. The Bible says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It also says, “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable, think on these things.” It doesn’t say, “Try to think on these things.” Would God tell us to do something that is impossible to do? You can choose what you let your mind dwell on. Battle the thoughts that don’t line up with Scripture through prayer, saying Bible verses instead, and by speaking truth out loud when negativity, lies, and agreements with untruth swirl in your brain. Try it. Don’t let things in your life “come to ruin.” Pray this verse and begin to set up guards.
#5. PASSIONATE LIVING VS. FEAR
Story…
Sarah Ban Breathnach tells of a business trip her husband took to the beach, where she and her daughter enjoyed the mornings while he attended workshops. One afternoon it was announced that there would be elephant rides for the children in the hotel parking lot. Her daughter, Katie, was delirious with excitement. Sarah told her, “Life is always full of wonderful surprises if we’re open to them. Some mornings you get up not knowing what will happen, and you get to ride an elephant that day!” When they got home, there was an invitation for Sarah to join a group of journalists on a trip to Ireland. She was tired of traveling, and not really a spontaneous person, so she told them she would probably not go. Her husband, overhearing her, said, “So, you’re not going to ride the elephant?” She decided to go.
Verse…
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fear (Psalm 34:4).
Point…
Living passionately involves a lot of pressure and risk. I mean, what if you fall off the elephant? A writer named Ambrose Redmoon wrote: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. You might be afraid of all kinds of things, but if one of your kids were in danger, you’d be fearless. Also, don’t you want to live believing that God is bigger than whatever you’re afraid of? You have to make a decision to stop letting fear win: stop holding on to your blanket of insecurity and anxiety. Show up with everything God has given you, and join the battle against whatever opposes the redeeming work of God in this world. Take yourself less seriously and God more seriously!
#6. GRATITUDE
Story…
A few years ago, a commercial on television began with a black and white clip of Lou Gehrig being honored by Yankee fans on his last day of play. His career was shortened by ALS, which is now called Lou Gehrig’s disease, a debilitating muscle disease that eventually stops the heart. What would you have said in the face of this heartbreaking challenge? Amazingly, he begins: Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” How could he say that? Gratitude. Gratitude for all the gifts he had been given, for all the love he had been shown by fans, for all the opportunities he had. He focused on the joys not the losses. That’s cultivating thankfulness!
Verse…
”Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15)
Point…
Being thankful doesn’t come easy for some of us, but God says to cultivate thankfulness. How do you cultivate anything? You work at it. You nourish it. You do whatever it takes to make it thrive. Gratitude comes from humility. “A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves” (Henry Ward Beecher). God is good and merciful. The price that Christ paid so that you could be redeemed is immense. His grace is so amazing. You truly are the luckiest person on the face of the earth!
#7. JOY
Story…
In her book Breaking the Power, author Liberty Savard says that she was pretty rough in her youth, but when she became a Christian, God transformed her and gave her a ministry. So she was excited to give her parents a 50^th anniversary party, because it would be an opportunity to show old friends and family how she had become “an amazing woman of God.” She prayed that this day would reveal to everyone in her family how God can change a life. Although she lived over an hour away from the party venue, she got ready in plenty of time. One last spray to her hair to set it, and she would be off … except that she grabbed bug spray from under her sink instead of hairspray. Quickly she showered again, but now there was no time to do her hair. She hopped in her car, and it wasn’t long before she realized it was overheating. She turned off the air conditioning but still, something was wrong. She had to keep adding transmission fluid every few miles. She got to the party a tiny bit late—frizzy hair, oily hands, red face. She would just take a few moments to freshen up. However, there was a problem! In the heat her large jar of face cream had exploded and everything in her overnight bag, including makeup and hair brush and hair spray, was covered in white goop. Her only option was to just go out and enjoy the party. There was nothing else she could do. She determined to have a great time and laugh anyway! Later she told God she had covered the day with prayer, and it felt like it all had gone terribly wrong. She had wanted to make such a good impression. She felt like God said, “Most of your family and friends remember how angry you used to be. They may never hear your testimony, but they saw living proof today of My power to change a life by the way that you handled this situation with humor and grace. I answered your prayers. Well done, daughter.”
Verse…
“Be joyful always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Point…
Anybody can be joyful when things go well. Sometimes God “stirs things up” so that, through our responses, we can showcase His transforming grace and joy.
#8. DISCIPLESHIP/BELIEVING IN PEOPLE
Story…
Writer Katie McCabe described her mentor, Charles Savedge, as a man “who changed a room simply by walking into it. He believed so completely in his many students and colleagues that we had no choice but to believe in ourselves.” Inspired, encouraged, and challenged by her mentor, McCabe wrote that, even though it was fifteen years later, everything she did was an attempt to find the person he saw in her.
Verse…
”I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae. Receive her in the Lord as saints ought to receive one another. And help her in whatever matter she may require assistance from you, for she has been a helper of many, including myself [shielding us from suffering]” (Romans 16:1-2)
Point…
Open your eyes and look for a person who needs a little time, a little friendship, and a little faith—someone to whom you can give the gift of being a mentor or a supportive friend. Is there a person in your life who would be encouraged if you let them know that you believe in them? It’s easy to get self-consumed and run over by our to-do lists. And it’s easy to make excuses if we feel we aren’t well-versed enough in spiritual matters to mentor others. But in this Scripture, the Apostle Paul commends someone who helped others and gave them hope. All of us are capable of that.
#9. BEING FAITHFUL
Story…
In the book Second Calling, Dale Bourke writes that years ago, she attended a conference. When it was over, her friend Bruce offered her a ride to the airport. As they were about to leave, another man asked if he could join them. As they drove away from the hotel, she and Bruce asked the man where he worked, and he mentioned a Christian organization. Bruce said, “I have fond memories of that group, because I attended a retreat of theirs one time, and that’s where I became a Christian. It was in 1972 in New Hampshire.” Bruce went on to explain that eventually his whole family became Christians and went into Christian work. His sister was a Wycliffe missionary and Bruce himself became publisher of a major Christian publishing house, which brought many significant Christian books to the public. Bruce finished the story with a flourish saying that the retreat had had worldwide impact when you think about it. The man was silent. Dale and Bruce though that maybe they were boring him. Then the stranger quietly said, “I led that retreat. It was my first time as a conference leader, and I felt like a total failure. Until this moment, I have always believed it was one of the biggest failures of my life.” Dale Bourke wrote, “What had seemed like the simple act of offering a ride to a stranger had turned into a powerful reminder that God uses our efforts whether we realize it or not. I may spend the rest of my life doing things that don’t seem at all successful. Yet only God knows the purpose. I am called simply to be faithful.”
Verse…
”It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2)
Point…
Right now, you may feel like a failure in what you’re doing. Just be faithful. It’s not your job to figure out if what you do (or what you did in the past) matters. That’s the work of the Spirit. Your job is to do your part. Doing what we are called to do is the point.
#10. NEGATIVE WORDS
Story…
A young woman confessed to an older man that she had a problem saying too much about people. He told her to go buy a bird and pluck out its feathers one by one as penance for her sin. When she returned and told the man that she had followed his instructions, he said, “Now go back and pick up all the feathers.” “I can’t do that,” said the girl. “The wind has blown them in all directions.” “That is true,” said the wise man. “Neither can you recall the words that you have spoken.” Need an additional picture of how impossible it is to take back something once you’ve said it? Squeeze a tube of toothpaste and then try to put the toothpaste back in. It’s nearly impossible to do. And it’s the same with our negative words once they’ve found their way out of our mouths.
Verse…
”The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4)
Point…
Think before you speak. Always be sincere when giving encouraging words (Your words won’t go far if your actions don’t back them up). Remember, encouragement and advice are not the same thing. And try this: be your best encourager. As the verse says, perverse (or cutting) words crush the spirit. Are you crushing yourself with self-hatred? When you feel discouraged, hand that discouragement over to God. Ask Him to help you. Stop wounding and maiming yourself and others. Words cannot be recaptured once they’ve escaped our lips. Fortunately, the same goes for kind words, too. Ask God for help and try again. By His grace, your words will become “a tree of life.”
TO BE LIKE DR. FRANCIS HITCH
Black Panther - come out of the shadows
Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
____________________________________________________
Picnic with the pastor
Let's spread a little honey.
When we spread words of kindness  - like honey - they stick, When we spread words that are mean they also stick - more like super glue - they are hard to remove.
 
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

01-16-22 “Who was that guy on the cross anyway?”

Scripture     Luke 23:32-46

          Who here is a thief?  Let me rephrase. Who here has ever been a thief = you have stolen something? Have you ever taken a pen from work without permission? Have you ever cheated on your taxes? Have you ever stolen someone's idea? Besides probably being guilty of all of the above - let me share the time I was a thief.
 
My story - I got caught shoplifting, including the penalty. 2 weeks grounded and not allowed to the mall for 6 months and shame before my mother. Oct 23, 1971
 
          What is the very brief but famous story about two thieves in the Bible? The thieves on the cross. It is so short but is included in all four gospels. One who was there, two who were close to the situation and likely wrote from a similar source, and one who had to approach it from an investigative reporter point of view - through the stories of those who were there.
 
John 19:18 (who was there)
Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
 
Matthew 27:38-44  (who were close to the situation - same as Mark - but this end of public ministry disgrace and description somewhat mirrors the beginning of his public ministry)
Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" (Satan in the wilderness at the beginning of Jesus public ministry - "If you are the son of God - turn these stones into bread? "Save yourself")
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. (Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and said cast yourself down and God will save you by sending his angels…"Save yourself, if you are the Son of God/King of Israel") He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" (Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and said, I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me - "If you are the SON of God, let God rescue you.) In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

 

Mark 15:27-32
They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" 
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Luke 23:32-46     (the investigative reporter)
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
          35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
          36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
          38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
          39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
Only Luke records the following:
          40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
          42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
          43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
          44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
 
The Thief on the Cross
We do not know much more about the thief on the cross other than he was:
A criminal
Crucified next to Jesus
Brought into paradise at his death
That's it. We don't know much. Not exactly something to build a whole sermon around - it is what you would call a short story. But maybe not. Like Luke, let's investigate and see if there is more to this story than meets the eye.
 
1)    The death penalty seems extreme for a single act of theft - doesn't it? This would have been a habitual criminal or a thief who caused violence or death - like in the story of the good Samaritan - Luke 10:30-31  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead."
More than thieves after all -
NT:2557  kakourgos kakourgos (kak-oor'-gos); a wrong-doer, i.e. criminal:
NT:4238  prassw prasso (pras'-so); a primary verb; to "practice", i.e. perform repeatedly or habitually.  It was not a single criminal act - but a habit.
By also being crucified with these two, the implication is that Jesus committed a crime or crimes equally as bad or worse than the 2 who know they are getting what they deserve.
2)    That he would defend Jesus, especially to another being crucified for the same crime seems odd, doesn't it? He must have had an encounter or listened to, or seen a miracle or at the very least heard stories about Jesus - this was not his first knowledge of him. Even today, most people need several exposures before putting their faith in Jesus.
3)    He is the perfect example of a foxhole and a deathbed confession.
4)    He knew the other thief - that he was guilty (maybe thieves together).
5)    According to Luke, He had the very last words (conversation) with Jesus before he died.
 
What an incredible story! A man who presumably led his entire life in opposition to God, by the great mercies of God, was able to be saved in his dying moments. This demonstrates that a humble heart that cries out to God for salvation will be heard!
Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (v. 43)
(Romans 10:13)  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
 
Who else do we know was a thief and how was that looked upon? John 12:4-6
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."  He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
 
What was the result of the thief Judas' response to Jesus? Death!
What was the result of the response of the thief on the cross who denied Jesus as Lord? Death!
Who else in the world are thieves and deserve the death penalty for breaking the law - for their sin? Every one of us. (Luke 18:19 Jesus answered. "No one is good — except God alone.)
Romans 6:20-23
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
CONCLUSION
Two very different responses to the Son of God who dies on the cross for us. These two represent every human. You respond to Jesus death in one of two ways. You blaspheme him as the one did. You acknowledge him as the anointed one of God as the other did. What Jesus did on that cross, combined with our response (like one or the other hanging there) determines our eternal fate. The entire gospel is in this single story. The entire reason for the 66 books of the bible being written has its apex in this brief little story in Luke. From creation to the second coming of Christ, everything hinges on this story.
 
You are a thief! You are one of the thieves on the cross that day and you are face to face with Jesus? What is your response to him?

01-09-22 “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin' burnin' burnin'”

Scripture    Revelation 1-4 (Read all of this and have seven lit candles - stand behind a different candle while reading each of the letters to the seven churches.)
 
       The 7 stars are the angels of the 7 churches. We have to consider what that means. On the other hand, the 7 churches is plain, (the literal 7 churches of Western Asia minor- Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.) but they are also symbolic. The church universal. 7 = wholeness of completeness. The whole church of God.
 
Candle sticks KJV vs. Lamp Stands

 
Made of gold - the most precious metal meaning that the church is of incredible worth to God and ought to shine with the purity and holiness of God - like pure gold. 1 Peter 1:15-16  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.
 
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
 

In John’s vision, Jesus Christ stands in the center of the seven lamp stands, in the midst of His people. Christ is always present with His church. A lampstand is not the light itself but the bearer of the light. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12),

and, as lampstands, the church’s mission is to hold that light up for the world to see: “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” Philippians 2:15–16.
 
On top would not be a candle but an oil lamp - depending on the size of the wick, would give more light than a candle - even more important is that the oil would allow it to burn continuously - even refilled while still burning.
 
Among the more than 200 times that oil is mentioned in the Bible, the connection as a metaphor of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action is clear in the ritual of anointing prophets, priests, and kings. For example, when the prophet-judge Samuel anointed David with oil to be the new king of Israel, the next statement is that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam 16:13 nasb).
 
Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
 

THE TEN VIRGINS

Matthew 25:1-13
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
 
The biblical associations of oil with light in oil lamps is a good fit with the Spirit’s work to reveal and illuminate God and his word. This meaning also overlaps with fire, which is another metaphor of the Spirit. If there is no flame - no fire, no light, what is the point of the oil. It is to allow the flame to burn bright and long, even as the Hoy Spirit works in the church to make the light of Christ shine bright and long.