Sermon nuggets Fri Sept 19
Theme Our Special Counselor
Verses John 14:16-17
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:25-26 "All this I have spoken while still with you.26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
The Part the Spirit Plays
We are living in the church age. This is the age of grace and begins at the end of the gospels and continues to the end of time until Jesus returns from Heaven. Today God is with us and within us as inspiration, instructor, as energy, strength and power. This explains Jesus' concern on explaining the role of the Holy Spirit in the last hours of his life with his disciples in the upper room.
v.16 The Holy Spirit is described as a Counselor. I think the KJV uses the term, Comforter. The word actually means strengthener or fortify, or helper. It is a legal term, but with a broader meaning than counsel for the defense. It referred to any person who helped someone in trouble with the law. The Spirit will always stand by Christ's people. He is described as being with us forever. He will never leave us. I do not have to hunt and search for him for He dwells within. And He will never lead as astray.
What a joy to know that God never leaves us. He never forsakes us. He is constantly with us and within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, with all who accept Christ to save them. God is not far away. He is much closer than any can imagine. Remind yourself today that your body is the temple, the dwelling place, of the most high and holy God in the Spirit. Live in the way that honors that temple.
v. 17 He is the spirit of Truth. He brings home the truth of the Gospel. Do we accept it or not? All three persons of the Trinity are linked with truth. But when God is rejected, so is His message. The Holy Spirit cannot be part of us if we fail to believe and obey. Therefore, He is described as rejected by the world as unseen and unknown. Indeed, the world that refuses to acknowledge Jesus Christ will never accept or receive the Holy Spirit. It cannot, for the only way to have the Spirit is to respond in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have heard Christians say often, "I don’t know how people can get along without the Lord.” When we lean, learn and are guided by the truth of the Bible in our already upside down world, no wonder those without the Spirit seem lost and without hope. Yet they haven’t experienced the more excellent way.
v.25,26 The Holy Spirit is also our teacher, teaching us all things. I was the job of the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance the words of Jesus to the Apostles. Now let me add that it is through this process that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures moving within men to put the words and stories down that the Lord desired to be preserved. This is done innumerous ways.
The Holy Spirit is the avenue through which we respond to the Son and the Son is the avenue through which we respond to the Father. The Spirit convicts of sin, and moves in our hearts to say yes to Jesus, and applies the truths to our understanding. He is an active force within the life of the believer. He is God.
I pray every Sunday morning that the Word of God preached would be by the power of the Holy Spirit, illuminated by the Spirit as He teaches us truth. But the same is also truth thorugh our daily lives as we becomes students and meditate and pray on the Scriptures. For the heart ready to receive the Holy Spirit takes what is painfully human and in a mysterious way with people taps on their hearts to encourage, excite, rebuke, train, guide, empower and correct our minds that we might live to the glory of God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What a marvelous privilege we have.
Pastor Dale.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Part Jesus' Plays John 14:16-31
Sermon nuggets Thurs Sept 18
Theme: Our Special Counselor
Verses Selected verses - John 14:16-31
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave. (NIV)
The Part Jesus’ Plays
We have been speaking much of the work of Jesus. Our relationship to God depends on what we do with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the gift of the Father to the world. He came to speak the words of His Father and carry out the work for our salvation.
v.16 Jesus also carries out the work of intercession. He is praying to the Heavenly Father. He is asking the Father to give to us the Holy Spirit. As we saw also earlier in verse 13,14 The Spirit takes the prayers to Jesus who in turn intercedes for us before the Father. Prayer itself is the work of the Trinity.
v.18-19 Jesus promises never to leave us. He wants the disciples to know this, and us too, that He is coming again. He is not forgetting us. There is the great promise of the second coming of Jesus. He is returning to the earth for the prime purpose of getting us so that we will be with Him physically, not just spiritually. He it is who sets us right before his Father in holiness, and in the power of His name. We have the hope of seeing Jesus, He is returning.
27-28, Jesus is the giver of peace. It is a peace far better than the world has to offer. It is the opposite of fear and trouble. The presence and peace of Jesus is something He desires to give to us. Will we receive it? The Bible says, "having made peace through the blood of his cross,: our reconciliation with the Father is already accomplished. Faith has only to accept it and rest in it as a part of the Redeemer's finished work. Jesus also reminds us that He is returning to His Father and it is for our benefit, for the Holy Spirit will then do His work within us in a greater way that we have had contact with the divine before. But Jesus is coming again. I would not like to live in any other age than the one we're in. The way in which God worked with the people under the law would have been a burden. I am not sure I would have understood and accepted Christ in the first Century. But with the coming of the Holy Spirit where God dwells within us and the centuries of the witness of the church is absolutely fantastic.
Jesus last part is to do battle with the prince of this world in death on the cross. Satan has no hold on Jesus, but the world must know how much Jesus is honoring the Father in obedience. and if this is the command of the Father to the Son then He does what He is called to do and it is to His glory and our benefit and salvation.
Is there any wonder He is the giver of peace? Peace because of salvation, because of His presence, because of His victory.
Pastor Dale
Theme: Our Special Counselor
Verses Selected verses - John 14:16-31
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave. (NIV)
The Part Jesus’ Plays
We have been speaking much of the work of Jesus. Our relationship to God depends on what we do with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the gift of the Father to the world. He came to speak the words of His Father and carry out the work for our salvation.
v.16 Jesus also carries out the work of intercession. He is praying to the Heavenly Father. He is asking the Father to give to us the Holy Spirit. As we saw also earlier in verse 13,14 The Spirit takes the prayers to Jesus who in turn intercedes for us before the Father. Prayer itself is the work of the Trinity.
v.18-19 Jesus promises never to leave us. He wants the disciples to know this, and us too, that He is coming again. He is not forgetting us. There is the great promise of the second coming of Jesus. He is returning to the earth for the prime purpose of getting us so that we will be with Him physically, not just spiritually. He it is who sets us right before his Father in holiness, and in the power of His name. We have the hope of seeing Jesus, He is returning.
27-28, Jesus is the giver of peace. It is a peace far better than the world has to offer. It is the opposite of fear and trouble. The presence and peace of Jesus is something He desires to give to us. Will we receive it? The Bible says, "having made peace through the blood of his cross,: our reconciliation with the Father is already accomplished. Faith has only to accept it and rest in it as a part of the Redeemer's finished work. Jesus also reminds us that He is returning to His Father and it is for our benefit, for the Holy Spirit will then do His work within us in a greater way that we have had contact with the divine before. But Jesus is coming again. I would not like to live in any other age than the one we're in. The way in which God worked with the people under the law would have been a burden. I am not sure I would have understood and accepted Christ in the first Century. But with the coming of the Holy Spirit where God dwells within us and the centuries of the witness of the church is absolutely fantastic.
Jesus last part is to do battle with the prince of this world in death on the cross. Satan has no hold on Jesus, but the world must know how much Jesus is honoring the Father in obedience. and if this is the command of the Father to the Son then He does what He is called to do and it is to His glory and our benefit and salvation.
Is there any wonder He is the giver of peace? Peace because of salvation, because of His presence, because of His victory.
Pastor Dale
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Part the Father Plays. John 14:16-31
Sermon nuggets Weds Sept 17
Theme- Our Special Counselor
Verses- John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
John 14:21-24 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 14:26&28 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
John 14:31…but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.
The Part the Father’s Plays
As I pick the verses that specifically mention God the Father I am seeking to point out the work of the Trinity in our blessing, salvation and relationship with God. It is so hard to fully understand the intermingling of the workings of the Trinity. Frankly I do not think it is an accident that Scripture sometimes moves mid-sentence in describing and overlapping responsibility, because He is three in one. Yet each person of the Trinity is revealed to us as distinct. I like to think of myself as a trinity having a body, soul, and spirit-yet one.
In the passage we see the central plan and purpose comes from God, the Father. Jesus prays to the Father that the Father would send the Holy Spirit, the special comforter, or counselor to us. The Spirit is also under the authority of the Father. In the hierarchy of the Trinity we see the Father is supreme. Both the Spirit and the Son desire to please the Father and move in his wisdom. vs.20 Jesus acknowledges that he is in the Father. vs.21 If we love Jesus we will be loved by the Father.
Part of understanding the relationship between God the Father and the Son is to recognize the importance of unity, cooperation, love, and like mindedness. There is never any thought of jealousy, or competition. There is never any thought of competition between my right leg and my left leg. They like each other. However, my brain tells them both what to do. They are not in competition to the brain either, they love the brain. They are glad to carry out what the brain wants to the best of their ability. The brain does not tell them to play the piano. But to run, stand, sit, walk. The legs do very nicely. Of course the analogy breaks down since each leg does not have it’s own independent personality.
If you reject the Son, you reject the Father. If you love the Son, you love the Father, If you receive the Son you receive the Father. When someone loves Jesus, the Love of the Father is in him. Isn't that great? Not only that but (v.23-4), The Father and the Son come to us and make their home within us. That is why we are called tabernacles of God. Our bodies become the temple of God.
v. 24 tells us that Jesus is only passing on the information that the Father has given to him. We are hearing only that which the Father wants us toknow. Jesus tells us that the Father is greater than he is.
I have never understood this, but apparently I've read it enough to know there are people who picture the Father as stern and unloving and full of wrath and Jesus came to earth in the New Testament and is the God of love and forgiveness. Friends, God is always the God of love. His character does not change, He is also the God of vengeance for unrighteousness and His character never changes. It was the very plan of the Father that brought us through Jesus is revealed. It is tremendous. All that we understand comes from God. The words of Jesus are the words of His Father.
O how great the Father’s love for us.
Pastor Dale
Theme- Our Special Counselor
Verses- John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
John 14:21-24 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 14:26&28 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
John 14:31…but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.
The Part the Father’s Plays
As I pick the verses that specifically mention God the Father I am seeking to point out the work of the Trinity in our blessing, salvation and relationship with God. It is so hard to fully understand the intermingling of the workings of the Trinity. Frankly I do not think it is an accident that Scripture sometimes moves mid-sentence in describing and overlapping responsibility, because He is three in one. Yet each person of the Trinity is revealed to us as distinct. I like to think of myself as a trinity having a body, soul, and spirit-yet one.
In the passage we see the central plan and purpose comes from God, the Father. Jesus prays to the Father that the Father would send the Holy Spirit, the special comforter, or counselor to us. The Spirit is also under the authority of the Father. In the hierarchy of the Trinity we see the Father is supreme. Both the Spirit and the Son desire to please the Father and move in his wisdom. vs.20 Jesus acknowledges that he is in the Father. vs.21 If we love Jesus we will be loved by the Father.
Part of understanding the relationship between God the Father and the Son is to recognize the importance of unity, cooperation, love, and like mindedness. There is never any thought of jealousy, or competition. There is never any thought of competition between my right leg and my left leg. They like each other. However, my brain tells them both what to do. They are not in competition to the brain either, they love the brain. They are glad to carry out what the brain wants to the best of their ability. The brain does not tell them to play the piano. But to run, stand, sit, walk. The legs do very nicely. Of course the analogy breaks down since each leg does not have it’s own independent personality.
If you reject the Son, you reject the Father. If you love the Son, you love the Father, If you receive the Son you receive the Father. When someone loves Jesus, the Love of the Father is in him. Isn't that great? Not only that but (v.23-4), The Father and the Son come to us and make their home within us. That is why we are called tabernacles of God. Our bodies become the temple of God.
v. 24 tells us that Jesus is only passing on the information that the Father has given to him. We are hearing only that which the Father wants us toknow. Jesus tells us that the Father is greater than he is.
I have never understood this, but apparently I've read it enough to know there are people who picture the Father as stern and unloving and full of wrath and Jesus came to earth in the New Testament and is the God of love and forgiveness. Friends, God is always the God of love. His character does not change, He is also the God of vengeance for unrighteousness and His character never changes. It was the very plan of the Father that brought us through Jesus is revealed. It is tremendous. All that we understand comes from God. The words of Jesus are the words of His Father.
O how great the Father’s love for us.
Pastor Dale
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Part We Play John 14:15, 21-24
Sermon Nuggets Tues Sept 16 2008
Theme- Our Special Counselor.
Verses John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
21-24 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
The Part We Play.
Do we have any part in receiving Spiritual blessings? Jesus puts Spiritual relationship not in works of men, but in the grace of God. When Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey me”, does this describe the true Christian, or does it challenge the Christian? I think it does both. We are in the process of being like Jesus. Let’s not make mistakes about that. We are growing. If we do not grow then we are dead.
Jesus teaches us that we need to continue to put in practice His teachings. He also makes it clear this is the will of God for each follower. Of course, "if we don't use it we lose it." I'm speaking also of spiritual vitality.
I played the drums growing up. My high school had 3,000 students in 3 grades. The competition in all activities was very strong including among the drummers in the band and orchestra. I worked hard and grew in my proficiency for concert percussion. However, when I went to Bethel College, there really wasn't that much competition even though it was on a college level. I did continue, but I wasn't pushed. I took band more as recreational activity not serious student of music or percussion. My abilities diminished. I had other demands then.
I never practice any more. Now, in fact, when I pick up the drum sticks I find I am rather rusty. They don’t do what they once did. I also never learned on a drum set, just the individual percussion instruments. Practice keeps us growing. Lack of practice and commitment results in diminished proficiency.
How does this principle carry over into Christ’s teaching? The more we commit to spiritual disciples the greater the intimacy and spiritual comfort we experience. Maybe there is a reason why some older saints exhibit a spiritual vitaity. They have through the years not only learned lifes lessons, but have dialy walked with the Lord in devotion. II Cor. 4:16 "Though our outward nature is wasting away, our inward nature isbeing renewed day by day."
One older saint wrote to me, "Dear Pastor, Related to our previous discussion, when I said I felt closer to God, what I meant is that as I am free from responsibilities of work and family, He has been especially close to me. We spend times together throughout the day talking about everything and everyone His word seems to come alive in a greater way than before. When he take my memory I think of the people that I should pray for, write, or visit. So often it is just at a time when they need it. Yes I have a newness Spiritually that I have not known before and to God be the glory."
Don't you desire that closeness and expression of intimacy in love with God? With love comes obedience, with obedience also grows love. One does not live under the rules if they love someone, they are free to be who they are and desire to please the other. The sign of maturity in the Christian is whether they do what they do because of command, or because of love. There are times I do things out of obligation. But with repeated obedience comes joy in being in the will of God. He changes our desires.
There are many believers that have a misunderstanding thinking there is nothing wrong with carnal Christianity. They are saved and going to heaven and that is all they care about. There is no love for the Lord, or for other believers, or for the lost, or for anyone but themselves. Jesus is saying if you do not have love you will not obey. If you do not love or obey my Father's love is not in you.
Some obey because their religion teaches it. Others obey because the relationship is enhanced and they are the one’s who understand spiritual comfort.
Pastor Dale
Theme- Our Special Counselor.
Verses John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
21-24 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
The Part We Play.
Do we have any part in receiving Spiritual blessings? Jesus puts Spiritual relationship not in works of men, but in the grace of God. When Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey me”, does this describe the true Christian, or does it challenge the Christian? I think it does both. We are in the process of being like Jesus. Let’s not make mistakes about that. We are growing. If we do not grow then we are dead.
Jesus teaches us that we need to continue to put in practice His teachings. He also makes it clear this is the will of God for each follower. Of course, "if we don't use it we lose it." I'm speaking also of spiritual vitality.
I played the drums growing up. My high school had 3,000 students in 3 grades. The competition in all activities was very strong including among the drummers in the band and orchestra. I worked hard and grew in my proficiency for concert percussion. However, when I went to Bethel College, there really wasn't that much competition even though it was on a college level. I did continue, but I wasn't pushed. I took band more as recreational activity not serious student of music or percussion. My abilities diminished. I had other demands then.
I never practice any more. Now, in fact, when I pick up the drum sticks I find I am rather rusty. They don’t do what they once did. I also never learned on a drum set, just the individual percussion instruments. Practice keeps us growing. Lack of practice and commitment results in diminished proficiency.
How does this principle carry over into Christ’s teaching? The more we commit to spiritual disciples the greater the intimacy and spiritual comfort we experience. Maybe there is a reason why some older saints exhibit a spiritual vitaity. They have through the years not only learned lifes lessons, but have dialy walked with the Lord in devotion. II Cor. 4:16 "Though our outward nature is wasting away, our inward nature isbeing renewed day by day."
One older saint wrote to me, "Dear Pastor, Related to our previous discussion, when I said I felt closer to God, what I meant is that as I am free from responsibilities of work and family, He has been especially close to me. We spend times together throughout the day talking about everything and everyone His word seems to come alive in a greater way than before. When he take my memory I think of the people that I should pray for, write, or visit. So often it is just at a time when they need it. Yes I have a newness Spiritually that I have not known before and to God be the glory."
Don't you desire that closeness and expression of intimacy in love with God? With love comes obedience, with obedience also grows love. One does not live under the rules if they love someone, they are free to be who they are and desire to please the other. The sign of maturity in the Christian is whether they do what they do because of command, or because of love. There are times I do things out of obligation. But with repeated obedience comes joy in being in the will of God. He changes our desires.
There are many believers that have a misunderstanding thinking there is nothing wrong with carnal Christianity. They are saved and going to heaven and that is all they care about. There is no love for the Lord, or for other believers, or for the lost, or for anyone but themselves. Jesus is saying if you do not have love you will not obey. If you do not love or obey my Father's love is not in you.
Some obey because their religion teaches it. Others obey because the relationship is enhanced and they are the one’s who understand spiritual comfort.
Pastor Dale
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Counselor John 14:13,14
Sermon Nuggets Mon Sept 15 2008
Theme Our Special Counselor.
Verses-John 14:13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
The Part Prayer Plays.
Dr. Charles Swindoll, in his book, "Dropping Your Guard", tells of a man in the south who was looking for a restaurant in the yellow pages and ran across the name, "The Church of God Inn". Out of curiosity he called the number and a cheery voice answered at the other end of the line. He could not resist asking the obvious question, namely, how the restaurant got its unusual name. The man replied that the Inn had started out first of all as a Church that served chicken dinners after services on Sunday mornings. It seems the people like the chicken dinners better than the services, so the Sunday services gradually died out but they kept on serving their chicken dinners. When the church died they merely kept the name -hence- "The Church of God Inn".
Giving people what they want an what they pray for isn't necessarily what God wants. We discussed this in the sermon yesterday that Christ challenges us to take up our cross and follow Him. Today Christian consumer mentality supersedes the Christian commitment and that spills over into our prayers. The idea is illustrated by the restaurant, "If people want chicken, give them chicken and keep the name of Jesus mixed up in it and then you are ministering in His name." Or the idea is pray for what you want and include Jesus name in it and it is a sure deal because it is a promise in the Bible. That is not necessarily true. What we need is Jesus, on Jesus' terms. If people like love without obedience, then you give them love. But let’s not fool ourselves, we do not have Jesus, we have created a religion of our own making. And we are not praying in the name of Jesus if we seek our own lusts and wants. James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
If we listen to our prayers how might the Son of God be glorified if they are answered? We glorify our parents for buying what we want as we run off and play with our toys without regard to anyone else unless we need them for our own pleasures.
In the verses that we will look at this week we see more clearly the work of the Trinity and the responsibility each member of the Trinity has in our guidance. These verses which begin with our prayers continue with the part each on has in responding to prayer and in spiritual relationship.
Pastor Dale.
Theme Our Special Counselor.
Verses-John 14:13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
The Part Prayer Plays.
Dr. Charles Swindoll, in his book, "Dropping Your Guard", tells of a man in the south who was looking for a restaurant in the yellow pages and ran across the name, "The Church of God Inn". Out of curiosity he called the number and a cheery voice answered at the other end of the line. He could not resist asking the obvious question, namely, how the restaurant got its unusual name. The man replied that the Inn had started out first of all as a Church that served chicken dinners after services on Sunday mornings. It seems the people like the chicken dinners better than the services, so the Sunday services gradually died out but they kept on serving their chicken dinners. When the church died they merely kept the name -hence- "The Church of God Inn".
Giving people what they want an what they pray for isn't necessarily what God wants. We discussed this in the sermon yesterday that Christ challenges us to take up our cross and follow Him. Today Christian consumer mentality supersedes the Christian commitment and that spills over into our prayers. The idea is illustrated by the restaurant, "If people want chicken, give them chicken and keep the name of Jesus mixed up in it and then you are ministering in His name." Or the idea is pray for what you want and include Jesus name in it and it is a sure deal because it is a promise in the Bible. That is not necessarily true. What we need is Jesus, on Jesus' terms. If people like love without obedience, then you give them love. But let’s not fool ourselves, we do not have Jesus, we have created a religion of our own making. And we are not praying in the name of Jesus if we seek our own lusts and wants. James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
If we listen to our prayers how might the Son of God be glorified if they are answered? We glorify our parents for buying what we want as we run off and play with our toys without regard to anyone else unless we need them for our own pleasures.
In the verses that we will look at this week we see more clearly the work of the Trinity and the responsibility each member of the Trinity has in our guidance. These verses which begin with our prayers continue with the part each on has in responding to prayer and in spiritual relationship.
Pastor Dale.
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