Remember Me? - The Story Week Four

What is the real meaning behind Communion? 

Christianity grew out of the Jewish religion. To understand the Christian beliefs you have to know their Jewish and Old Testament foundations. In Christian churches we celebrate communion by using a small cup of grape juice and a cracker like wafer. Communion has evolved to this within the church but it is far from the Passover Seder meal that Jesus took part in the night before he died. To understand the meal that Jesus was taking part in you need to go back further to Moses and the Hebrew People living as slaves in Egypt.

God had sent Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt after 430 years. They had gone from honored guest, when Joseph was second in command to Pharaoh, to slaves struggling to survive. Moses confronted Pharaoh and with the directions from God brought the first nine plagues upon Egypt. These included the waters of Egypt being turned into blood, a plague of frogs, gnats, flies, livestock dying, boils, locust, and then darkness over the whole land. Still Pharaoh was unwilling to let the Hebrews leave. God set up one last plague. The first born of each family and the first born of all the livestock were to die when the death angel passed over Egypt during the night. The only way to avoid this was given to the Hebrew families. They were given a fourfold directive to follow.

1. They were to obtain a one year old lamb without spot or blemish. This lamb was to be killed. The lamb was to be cooked and would be eaten at the proper time as part of a special meal. ^{Exodus 12.5}
2. The blood of the sacrificial lamb was to be put on the doorpost with a hyssop branch as a marker to the death angel to pass over that home and not to kill anyone in that house. “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. ^{Exodus 12.12-13}
3. They were to eat a special meal. This included the lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread or cracker wafers. ^{Exodus 12.8-9}
4. They were to be dress and prepared to leave as soon as the command came that Pharaoh had let them go. ^{Exodus 12.11}

 They killed the lamb, put the blood on the doorpost, ate the meal and left rapidly when they got the word to leave. God gave them directions to celebrate this leaving as a festival of remembrance every year. This is done today by Jewish families around the world. The festival of Passover is an eight day festival that commemorates the Hebrews being released by Pharaoh from Egypt. The focal point of the festival is the eating of the Seder meal. This meal is also about the future and the promise of the coming messiah for the Jewish people. There are four elements used in the meal which we will look at one at a time an put them in their place within the meal.

1. The unleavened bread or Matzah. There are three pieces of unleavened bread or crackers on the table. The father takes the center cracker, breaks it into two pieces. One piece he sets aside for the end of the meal and the other part he wraps or hides it in a napkin and sets it aside for later in the meal just before the third cup of wine. The family has prepared for this during the preceding two weeks by removing all yeast products from their home.
2. There are bitter herbs that are prepared to be eaten as part of the meal. These are eaten to remind them of the bitterness of the slavery and all the suffering under the Egyptians.
3. They will drink four cups of wine during the meal. Wine is consider a royal drink and is symbolic of their freedom from slavery. Each cup has a special meaning. (These will be covered shortly.)
4. The reciting of the Haggadah or the telling of the exodus story in detail. This story is told every year so that the Hebrew (Jewish) people do not forget of God's deliverance. This meal is also about the promise of a coming messiah. The Jewish people believe that Elijah will come before the messiah comes to set them completely free. ^{Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6} Jesus spoke about this in reference to John the Baptist. ^{Matthew 11.12-14} The Jewish people do not accept this as having happened and still wait for the coming of Elijah. Each year at the end of the meal they send the youngest child that can open the door to check and see if Elijah has come. When the child returns and says that Elijah was not there then the father says, "Next year in Jerusalem," and everyone replies "Next year in Jerusalem." Their hope is that by next year Elijah will have come and the messiah will be ruling in Jerusalem.

These four parts or elements of the meal have been the same throughout history. As it is today is basically as it was in the time of Jesus. It is how the early church celebrated communion. Well it is how they were supposed to celebrate communion. The church at Corinth was a church full of problems. Ten of them are listed in the book of 1st Corinthians. They 1. ought over their favorite pastor, 2. allowed sexual immoral people to remain in the church (a man was living with his father's wife.) 3. they were suing each other in court 4. they were confused whether Christians should get married or stay single 5. what foods they could eat or not eat 6. did not want to pay their pastor for his services to the church (now that one hits close to home for me) 7. were confused about the place of women in the church (When we take Paul's directions out of context we make a bigger mess of it than they did.) 8. communion was an embarrassing display of hedonistic selflessness 9. they could not agree on what language to hold their services in so they all spoke in their own language even if others did not understand 10. they thought if a person died before Jesus returned they would not go to heaven. They though when the body died the soul died too.

Their approach to communion or the Seder meal was not anything like the Jews did or what Jesus took part in. Paul describes what happened when they came together for the Passover or Seder meal in 1st Corinthians 11.17-22.  Here is a church that Paul describes as “full of divisions.” I would have said they had CDS or church dysfunctional syndrome (this may exist in some churches even to this day). The families would arrive at the church with their Seder meals; their cooked lamb, bitter herbs and bottles of wine. Well, the better off families would show up with these. The poor families would just come with nothing to eat or drink. They called it the Lords' Supper in remembrance of the meaning that Jesus had given it but Paul said it was not. The rich families would set down and start eating their meals right in front of the poor families who had nothing. They would not share with them. So here were the poor members of the church standing around the walls watching the rich people eat this meal. Then to make matter worse some of them were drinking a lot more than the four cups of wine. Paul says some of the church members were getting drunk at the meal in the church. Paul said they were humiliating those who had nothing. I cannot imagine how they even functioned or called themselves a church. Yet from the description Paul gave of them we can determine seven qualities that a church should have by seeing what they were doing wrong.

Seven questions every church should ask to see if they are on the right track:

1. What benefit comes from being together? Paul said that their "meetings do more harm than good." We should not be selfish or self-centered when we meet as a church but the results of our coming together should be positive and not negative.
2. Is the church united or divided? At Corinth Paul said "I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you." The church will and should be made up of a variety of people but they should be united in the Lord and serving Him together. Look at the list of the problems in this church and you see that they were badly divided going so far as to sue each other in the local courts. 
3. Are there both believers and non-believers in the church? Paul knew that "there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval." Paul was trying to tell them that they were outside of God's approval with the way they were living yet we need to know that a church is made up of both believers and non-believes. The believers should be setting an example of the right way to live. That would include sharing meals and not getting drunk at church or anywhere else.
4. Are you there for the Lord? At the church at Corinth they would eat "without waiting on anyone else." They were flaunting what they had in front of those who had nothing. They were showing off. This was not about fellowship or brothers and sisters in the Lord coming together. It was about every person or family for themselves.
5. Is there compassion and caring? How could they eat knowing that even "one remains hungry?" The church needs to be a place where people are cared for and needs are taken care of. (This is not about a social gospel that forgets Jesus or gives without considering the receiver. see Matthew 7.6)
6. Are lives being changed? At Corinth that does not seem to be what was happening. They were getting "drunk" during the Lord's Supper or Seder meal. Nothing had changed except instead of getting drunk at home now they could get drunk at the church too. The church and a relationship with Jesus should change a person's life. They should not be the same. Sinners or non-believers should not feel so comfortable in the church that they openly sin without feeling it is wrong. Getting drunk and living with your father's wife should not be the norm for believers in any age.
7. Is there respect for God's Church? Paul ask what had to be a rhetorical question, "Do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!" Your actions as a believer reflect upon the local church you attend and also reflect on God. If you are living as the Corinthians church was it cannot reflect the grace and forgiveness of God. They were one messed up bunch of people.

The right way to do communion 1st Corinthians 11.23-26

Then Paul reminds the church at Corinth the right reason for communion. It was "the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed." These directions are not from thousands of years in the past or from a rabbi they were given by Jesus himself.  It is Jesus who breaks the bread, or the center cracker of the Seder meal. It is Jesus who at the right time retrieves the hidden piece wrapped in a napkin and says, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” This is not a meal to fill the stomachs as much as it is a meal to remember the body of Jesus stripped and pierced for our sins. Then Jesus reaches for the third cup of wine that has been poured and says, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The third cup of wine is forever changed or clarified in its meaning. Then Paul reminds the Corinthians the two things we are always to remember when we share in communion or the Passover meal. This meal "proclaims the Lord's death." It is a reminder of what he has done for us. It is to be done "until he comes." This meal is a reminder that Jesus will return and gather all living believers to join those who have already died and ascended to live with him. This coming return is to be as much of our lives as his death for our sins.

REMEMBER ME!

The Seder meal that Jesus was at was about Him. He is the sacrificial lamb without blemish or sin, who shed his blood that God would pass over our sins and forgive us. He is the center piece of bread who was pierced and whipped or stripped in our place. He is the center piece of bread who died between two sinners. He was hidden in the grave as the bread is hidden in the napkin to be discovered and to bring life to us by the sacrifice of his body. He is to be shared even as the center piece of bread is shared and eaten. He is the third cup of wine. It is through his death the old covenant of laws and ceremonial regulations are replaced with the New Covenant of grace and forgiveness.

Four Cups of Wine

At the beginning of the Seder meal the first cup of wine is the cup of Sanctification. It is based on the statement, "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians." The word sanctification means to set apart or to free for use. God freed the Hebrews to serve him without the cruel Egyptians. Today through the sacrifice of Jesus we are freed from the power and will of Satan so we can serve God openly and without conflict.

The second cup of wine at the Seder meal is the cup of Deliverance. It is based on the statement, "I will deliver you from slavery to them."  They were set free from being slaves and taking orders from the Egyptians. We are set free from the sinful habits that have controlled and held us captive.

The third cup of wine at the Seder meal is the cup of Redemption. It is based on the statement, "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm." God completely set them free from Pharaoh. The word redeem means to 'pay the full price.' Jesus paid the full price for our sins. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ^{Romans 6.23} This gift is only possible because Jesus died for us. Nothing else is possible of acceptable.

The fourth cup of wine at the Seder meal is the cup of Praise. It is based on the statement, "I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God." This is the new covenant in his blood. It is why we rejoice and what we have to look forward to. We wait Jesus' return, but even if we die before he comes back we will live with him forever. This is something the church at Corinth did not understand. 

 

It is when we become the body of Christ that the church comes alive. It is when those people covered by the blood live their lives as his followers, servants, disciples. It is when they become Christ like in their lives. “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” ^{Acts 11.26} Someone saw how they were living their lives and they said they were just like Jesus, they were Christ like, they were Christians. That others could look at any of us and say they are just like Jesus, they are Christ like, they are Christians should be our goal as followers of our Lord. Either we will be the church at Corinth, divided, despised and doomed or we strive to be like the church at Antioch and be Christ like Christians following our Lord, waiting for his return.

When we share communion we need to Remember Him and set our lives in order.  Corinth or Antioch which church shall we be? 

Finally as we take communion we can ask ourselves which cup we need to drink, the cup of Sanctification showing us the way out of an evil life? The cup of Deliverance, freeing us from our habits and sins? The cup of Redemption, accepting the price Jesus has paid for sins? The cup of Praise, declaring personal commitment and excitement about his immanent return? The next time you share in communion remember he is the center piece of bread. It is his blood we commemorate. He is the Lamb of God without blemish that sets us free. We wait for his return as the Church.

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Defining Moments - The Story Week Three

What is a defining Moment? I wonder if I ask you what is the defining moment in the life of George Washington, what you would say? Would you choose when they tried to make him king and he refused. Or would you choose when he refused to run for a third term because he did not believe in career politicians. You might choose when he orchestrated the compromise that allowed the constitution to replace the failing articles of confederation by helping set up the senate and House of Representatives as we now have them. You could choose the little know confrontation between Washington and his officers at what is known as the Newburgh Conspiracy. The army had not been properly paid for their service. The British were leaving and some in the new government felt that they could skip any final payments to the army. The officers were planning to act against their own government and use force if necessary. The only person standing in their way was George Washington. He stood in the gap between the army and the elected officials and saved the struggling revolution and the new nation at a most critical moment. Yet, in my opinion none of these are the defining moment in the life of George Washington. The defining moment came not during the revolutionary war, or in his service as an officer in the British army when he fought against the French and Indians, the defining moment came on June 12, 1747. George Washington was fifteen years old and had received a royal midshipman's warrant from the British navy. This was before we decided to break away and form a new country they were still our friends then. This would fulfill his lifelong dream. He would escape the drudgery of the family farm and his responsibilities as the oldest male child helping his widowed mother. He arrived at the dock side that day pass his bag along to be put on the ship and waited to say goodbye to his mother, Mary Ball Washington. He told his mother goodbye and turned to board the ship when she spoke to him. It was a plea for him to stay. She said they would not make it without him. Imagine, ready to leave, friends have been told goodbye. His bag is on the ship. What he must have felt as a fifteen year old is beyond imagining. He turned and started up the plank toward the ship. His mother called to him, "George, did you hear me? George where are you going?" He looked back and said he had to get his bags that had already been put on the ship. That is the defining moment. Without it there would be no great general to lead a rag tag army against the greatest military force on the planet at that time. There would be no one to stand in the gap between the army and the foolish civilians that thought they could skip paying the soldiers that had won the war. There would not be the leader who refused to be made king or serve a third term. What if someone else had been there? A Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez or Stalin or any number of men who when faced with power grabbed it and abused it. Washington was a committed man at fifteen and served his mother and his country as a servant of all. Defining moments are usually not great victories or defeats but they are turning points that shape our lives and our destiny.

What does it mean when scripture says, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him?" (Romans 8.28)  When we think of all things that covers a lot of ground, it covers good times and some really bad times. What we need to remember is that it says God works. Sometimes we think it is what we do that makes the difference, it is finally and always in God's hands to determine what he considers good. God does this on his time schedule no matter what we may think. He does it for those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. He does not do this for everyone. So two people may have the exact same thing happen to them and the one who is a believer can know that God will be using all things for good. While the non-believer will have just went through an event that carries only personal pain or joy and has no long term use or significance when put in the light of God's eternal plans. This is about God's purpose for our lives and not about our wants or desires. It is about God who sees in both directions forever working in and through our lives.

Are You Ready For IT?

     "Everything that we do in life - every battle that we fight and every mountain that we climb, no matter how many times that we may fall - may be for no other purpose than to prepare us for that moment when we are called upon to make a difference.

     In fact, every decision that we make, even those that seem small and perhaps irrelevant - may be moving us toward that moment when we can change a life for the better.

     We may only get one change to make a difference. But there is no doubt that such a moment in each of our lives is going to come. The only question that really matters is, Will we be ready for it?"  ^{Glenn Beck in being George Washington (c) 2011}

This is not reserved for great people or famous people or just a selected few. The truth is we all are challenged to make decisions and life choices that make a difference. a difference for us and a difference for others. George Washington made his first such decision at fifteen and made them over and over the rest of his life. This was also true of Joseph the eleventh son of Jacob. He had to make decision over and over and any one could have ruined his life and the lives of so many others. Yet when we look at Joseph's life we see the moment when everything comes to a climax. His brothers are in front of him tears of fear in their eyes. Joseph has the power to destroy them and he says to them, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for Good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." ^{Genesis 50.20} What brought him to this moment? When was Joseph's defining moment?

Joseph's Timeline

When we look at an overview of Joseph's life it give us a glance of the man, but it does not reflect the defining moments clearly. (We will look at them shortly.)

• Born the 11th Son of Jacob and Rachel
• Age 17 receives the coat of many colors from father, beaten up and sold as a slave by his brothers.
• Serve Potiphar and spends time in pharaoh's prison (13 years total)
• Age 30 heads up Pharaoh's save Egypt policy
• Age 37+ his brothers show up to buy food.
• Age 39 Family moves to Egypt to live under his care
• Age 56 his father Jacob dies
• Age 110 Joseph dies

 It's Tebow Time

The 2012 Superbowl will be played this coming weekend and Tim Tebow will not be there. He was world famous and for a short time you could not turn on the news or sports without hearing his name. In 2011 he started twelve games for the Denver Broncos. Ten of these were in the regular season. He won eight of these and lost two. People began to discuss his miracle wins and his relationship with God. He moved on to the playoffs and was expected to lose when he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29 to 23 in one of the most dramatic overtime wins in football history.

Yet why is he world famous? Is it because of his football abilities? I wonder. I live in Olympia WA just 50 miles south of Seattle WA and the home of the Seattle Seahawks. I quit paying attention to them early in the season and only mildly paid any attention to them. I could not even name the quarterback for the team. He was that impressive yet when I compare him to Tim Tebow it sheds some light on the question of how good a quarterback Tebow is. I looked it up and Travaris Jackson was the Seattle QB for the 2011 season. During this past season Tebow had QB rating of 72.9%, Jackson had a QB rating of 79.2%. Tebow threw for just over 1,700 yards, Jackson threw for over 3,000 yards. Tebow completed 46.5% of his passes; Jackson completed 60.2% of his passes. The record says Jackson is a better quarterback, but no one knows who he is, not even a lot of the Seattle fans.

Again why is Tebow so famous? It could be because he is a committed Christian believer. He was a committed believer in high school, in college where he got in trouble for wearing John 3.16 stickers on those dark strips players put under their eyes. When he started winning games this year he gave God the credit. The week after he beat the Steelers a survey was taken that showed that 43% of the people though that God was helping him win games. I wondered if God is helping him win why had he lost any at all? Now I want to give Tim Tebow credit he gave God credit as the guiding force in his life but he does not think God helps him win or lose football games.

This brings me to what I think is a defining moment for Tim Tebow. The Broncos are playing the New England Patriots with Tom Brady. Brady has a QB rating of 105.6 and threw for over 5200 yards so far this season. It is the third quarter and the Pats are leading Denver by 42 to 3. It was hard to watch, when Tebow fell back to pass. He was hit hard and knocked to the ground. The backup QB for Denver put on his helmet and was ready to go in but Tebow went back to the huddle and called the next play. He finished the game with a final score of Patriots 45 Denver 10. 43% of the people must have been shocked that God could not help Tebow win the game.

The following week a medical report was released on the injury suffered by Tebow in the third quarter. Tebow tore cartilage on his fist rib where it attaches to his sternum, bruised his lung and had fluid buildup in his pleural cavity. When he was asked why he stayed in a game he was losing so badly with his injury he said,

"I just wanted to show character. You just continue to fight and it doesn't change who you are, how you play, how you go out there, you should be the same at all times... It does not matter if it was the first play or the last play or if you were down by 42." ^{(Emphasis added)} That makes this a defining moment for Tim Tebow. It was about being consistent in his approach to life no matter what was happening. Anyone can get hurt and play but who plays because "you should be the same at all times." That is the attitude a believer should have about life. Whether Tebow becomes a great QB is will be determine in the future but he has had a defining moment.

Joseph Time (defining moments)

When we look at Joseph we see moments that define him and his relationship with God. Each time he has to determine if he continues with God or quits and becomes bitter.

• There is the day he is thrown into the well. This is not a good day by anyone's standards, but it is one of those all things work for good moments. There is no record what happened at the bottom of the well but the next time we see Joseph he has not stopped serving God. So when he shows up at Potiphar's house he is under the purpose and plans of God. "When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant."
• There is the day he left Potiphar's house. He has to make the decision that no matter what is coming next he will not compromise or give in to evil. Things are bad but he still has God no matter what comes next.
• There is the day he arrives in prison. That morning he was living large and in charge and that night he was in chains completely without any hope. How would he respond? Would he give up, quit? Why should he continue? Talk about getting dealt a bad hand. Where was God anyway? Then again this could be one of those all thing work for good days. "But while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." One thing about Joseph he depended on God and God used him. Things were bad but God was still God and Joseph was going to serve him no matter what happened.
• There is the day his father Jacob dies. ^{(the story page 41)} To understand this let me take you to a scene in a famous movie trilogy about the Godfather. It is a mafia family that is run by Don Corleone. His son Michael has become second in command and wants to deal with people who hurt him or the family but his dad the Godfather will not let him. Then the Don dies and Michael becomes the Godfather. He agrees to become the godfather to his sister’s son. While he is in church he has everyone killed who has ever crossed him. Mobsters, politicians, police, even some family members. Right after the babies baptism he has the baby’s father go on an errand. Now remember this is his brother-in-law. This is his sister’s husband. This is the baby’s father. The errand he goes on is a one way trip that ends in his being killed. Now I don't know if Joseph's brothers ever saw the Godfather but I think they knew what could happen now that their father was dead. Would Joseph get even for the well, the slavery, the time in prison? Would he strike with hate in vengeance? So his brothers send him a message asking for forgiveness. They even use the name of their dead father to touch the heart of Joseph. ^{(the story page 41)}

"When their message came to him, Joseph wept." This is no small moment. In the book of John there is the account of when Jesus is going to see Lazarus who is very sick. When he arrives he knew that Lazarus was dead. He talks with his sisters and then ask, "Where have you laid him?... Come and see, Lord," they replied. Then it says "Jesus Wept." ^{(John 11.35)} He cries his eyes out. His sorrow is so great he weeps. This is no small event. This is not two tears and let’s go raise the guy from the dead. Last year I got a call from my father. My younger brother was in the hospital but it looked like everything was going to be alright. They would run test in the morning and find out why he was feeling so bad. He was in intensive care just as a precaution. I decided it was late and would call him in the morning. Then two hours later my dad called back. He could barely talk. He was weeping. My brother had died. Even as I write this I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. I sat down in my chair and I wept. No words, just weeping. No one could comfort me. It hurt too deep. So when Jesus wept it was an intense moment. When Joseph wept it was intense. No words just a man weeping. This was the moment when the last 39 years came to a climax. This was Joseph’s Godfather moment. This was the moment when everything that had been done could be dealt with. His father was dead there was no one to stop him. So how does he respond? He calls his brothers who show up and throw themselves down on the floor. Joseph says, "You intended to harm me."  His brothers must have thought here it comes, "but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives." Joseph understood the all thing principle. He would not have chosen this path himself but he knew that God had chosen it. He would have liked thing to have gone differently but now he could see that the bottom of the well was used by God for a greater purpose. God's purpose and God's plan were all that really mattered.

Jesus understood the all things principle. "When they came to the place called the skull, there they crucified him...." They intended to harm him. but "Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, For they do not know what they are doing."" ^{(Luke 23.33-34)} Jesus knew that God intended to use this for good to accomplish his purpose and to make his plans come to fulfillment.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." ^{(Romans 8.28)}

Joseph did not allow his circumstances to make him bitter he used them to make him better. George Washington did not become bitter over his early experience and change of direction he became a better man and leader because of it. Tim Tebow was not bitter at losing the big game or even in being injured it appears he is better for the experience and his testimony has not suffered because of it. Except for the 43% of the people who think God is fixing football games. 

Are you allowing life and circumstances to define who you are? Or, are you defining your life by the standards and principles of God's word. No matter what happens, that means all things; God has a purpose and plan that includes you. God has defining moments scheduled for your life. These are not usually reported in the news or observed by the majority of the world. Washington defeats British at Trenton is NOT a defining moment. George goes home with his mother and passes up British navy opportunity that is a defining moment. Tebow wins game in NOT a defining moment. Tebow staying in game while injured and losing that is a defining moment. Joseph saves Egypt is not a defining moment. "Joseph's master took him and put him in prison," ^{(The Story page 32)} that is a defining moment. Not by what is happening but by the way Joseph responds to that moment. Our response is crucial. Will we live for God no matter what is happening or will we give up and grow bitter, angry?

Remember the definition of faith says, "Whether I live or die, God is my God and Jesus is my savior." It is impossible to please God without faith and it is impossible to make it through defining moments without faith in God and the knowledge he know what is intended for evil he will use for his purpose.

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Faith For Daily Living - The Story Week TWO

Do you know what faith is? Many people think faith is what God does for them. That it is about receiving blessings and physical benefits in return for believing. Faith is almost exactly the opposite of that. The first thing you need to know for sure is that FAITH IS NOT ABOUT YOU! Faith is about you and your relationship with God. When you leave God out of your faith equation you end up sinning.

WHAT FAITH IS NOT.......
It may seem like a strange place to start but if we can know what faith is not then we can prepare ourselves for what faith is. When the Devil approached Jesus in the wilderness he tried to get Jesus to use his relationship with God for selfish reasons. The word faith does not appear here but the remarkable part of the exchange between Jesus and the Devil is that everything Jesus is tempted to do is what many today think faith really is. Jesus was hungry after a forty day fast. The Devil wants him to turn some stones into bread. This is about a selfish desire to take care of yourself and use your relationship with God for personal needs and gains. There are a lot of believers today who would see nothing wrong with this. Jesus knew it was wrong and said that the spiritual trumps the physical. "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God." Wow, extreme hunger does not allow a person to use their relationship with God for personal gain. You can pray for healing or jobs or physical needs but you cannot demand or even force God to take care of these. He has a plan for your life and the tough times may be necessary to get you where He needs or wants you to be. (The next chapter deals with this in detail when we look at the life of Joseph and his ultimate understanding of why God allowed him to face such a tough life.) FAITH is not about getting my physical needs taken care of.

Then the Devil wants Jesus to show how powerful he was by throwing himself down from the top of the temple. Because he was God's only son the angels would be sent to catch him. At least that is how the Devil saw it. The Devil wants you to believe you can do things others cannot do because you are a believer. Jesus knew not "to put God to the test." He knew that God's laws apply to everyone equally and to misuse the relationship with God for personal or stupid reasons was not acceptable. The kings of Israel without exception fell prey to this lie. They thought they could do anything as God's representative here on earth and in every case they were punished by God for stepping over this line. When we ignore God's laws we will pay the price. Jesus knew that and it is a lesson we need to remember. FAITH is not about being protected by God when we do something stupid.

The Devil was not done yet. How rich did Jesus want to be? This one is really popular today. All you have to do is bow down and worship the Devil and he will give you riches beyond your imagination. This is exactly what happened to Esau when he gave up his birthright for a bowl of stew. That seems really stupid to me. One passing meal for a lifetime’s birthright that would buy you more stew than anyone could imagine. Hey how much money or gold or land or stocks will you accept in return for submitting to the lies of the Devil? Jesus knew we must "worship and serve God only." To put a price on it was not part of the covenant or contract. How many today are following preachers who tell them that their faith is evident in how richly God rewards them? Nothing could be further from the truth. FAITH is not about how richly God rewards me with earthly treasures.

WHAT FAITH REALLY IS....
If we want to know what faith is we need to remember the four rules of interpreting scripture. 1. Scripture interprets scripture. 2. The easy explains the difficult. 3. Nothing taken out of context. 4. Jesus is Boss!  We learn the story about Abraham and his faith connection in the book of Genesis but we have to go to the New Testament book of Hebrews to learn what faith is. Here is the New Testament interpreting the Old Testament. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is the faith chapter. It is here we learn what faith is. The greatest problem is most people lift a verse or two out of this chapter to prove what they believe instead of learning what the scripture says faith is. So let us take a look and learn what faith really is. There are five things we can learn for sure about faith from this chapter and most of them are directly connected to Abraham and is life of faith.

First faith is always about the FUTURE
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ^{Hebrews 11.1} Faith is not about what I have or where I am, faith is about the future. (We will define the future very shortly.) Faith uses words like hope, and says it is what we cannot and do not see. Now some want you to believe this is about that shiny new car you are hoping for or it is about what you want from God. It could not be further from the truth. This is very important and the scripture will bear this up shortly but remember faith is about the future.
Second faith is always about OBEDIENCE
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." ^{Hebrews 11.8} When God is directing our lives we need to remember he can see more of it than we can. He is looking at the whole life and where he wants us to end up, while we are looking at the immediate circumstances. Abraham had no idea where he was going to end up. He just knew that in order to live a life of faith he had to obey. It believes God has plans that are for the better no matter what is happening right now. Faith is always about obedience.
Third faith is always about PROMISES
"By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." ^{Hebrews 11.9-10} God has made promises to those who believe and obey. The scriptures are full of them. The greatest promise is not for health, or wealth or even our personal happiness. The greatest promise is the one God gives to every believer. Abraham was looking for a city. Not an earthly city but an eternal heavenly one. Every believer is promised an eternity with God. This is why Abraham did not mind living in tents he had a promise of a city built by god where he would live forever. This is the same city that is talked about in Revelation chapter 22. Remember that faith is about the future and it is in our future we will enter that great city. You might even get to live next door to Abraham.
Fourth faith is always about OPTIMISM
"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." ^{Hebrews 11.11-12}  If we are going to have faith we need to be optimistic. I do not know how much more optimistic a person can be than an eighty-five year old man with a seventy-five year old wife believing they are going to be parents. He would have to wait until he was ninety-nine or another fourteen years. Abraham was the most optimistic person who has ever lived. He is not even called by God to follow until he was already seventy-five years old.
Fifth faith is always about RISKS
"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." ^{Hebrews 11.17-19}  We have to be willing to put it all on the line if we are really living a life of faith. We may not be called on to sacrifice (kill) our oldest child but we are called to sacrifice, to make choices that go against the average non-believer's life style. Faith is about risks. It is about putting it all on the line.

EXAMPLES OF FAITH FROM HEBREWS 11
Faith is about the FUTURE "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." ^{Hebrews l1.20}
Faith is about OBEDIENCE: "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family." ^{Hebrews 11.7}
Faith is about PROMISES. "By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." ^{Hebrews 11.21}
Faith is about OPTIMISM: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time." ^{Hebrews 11.24-25}
Faith is about RISKS: "By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born..." ^{Hebrews 11.23}

ONE MORE FAITH FACT
Faith is ALWAYS NECESSARY. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." ^{Hebrews 11.6} As believers we are called to live a life of faith. We are to focus on the future and God's long term plans. We are to be obedient and follow the directions given us by God. We are to focus on the promises and know God rewards those who live in faith. We are to be optimistic and keep a positive attitude even when everything seems to be going against us. God has a master plan and we all win in the end. We also need to remember that living a life of faith comes with risks. The safe road is not the faith road.

DEFINING PERSONAL FAITH
There is so much to learn about faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. There is one verse that expresses faith that is almost always overlooked. Speaking about the ultimate faith and defining faith as clearly as it can be the write says, "Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection." ^{Hebrews 11.35} These were "commended for their faith." ^{Hebrews 11.39} Faith is about life and death. It is about the future and the resurrection of the dead. Let me paraphrase this verse. What it says is 'Whether I live or die I believe God is my God and Jesus is my savior.' That is a perfect definition off faith. Every person who has ever lived their life in faith dies. Along the way there are blessings and opportunities to discover what God has planned for their life. In the end it is not about what we get in this life or how we leave this lie but about what we get in the next life. To live a life of faith you have to be able to say...Whether I live or die I believe God is my God and Jesus is my savior.

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Three Questions - The Story Week ONE

Read Genesis 3.1-14

The garden went from paradise to chaos in a very short period of time. The transition was seamless and almost predictable when we look at it from our point of view. Yet, in the original setting it was anything but preordained. We have the appearance of a completely new set of characters interacting with each other.
 UNANSWERED QUESTION
First there is the man and woman. They are innocent to the dangers that are real and which they have never faced before. They are like small children who are being watched over by their parents who know the danger and want to protect them as long as possible. Then there is the serpent who we later learn is also known as Satan and the Devil. This evil being will remain the protagonist of humanity and God for eternity. Now I want to start with a fact that the Bible DOES NOT tell us. This may seem to be a contradiction of terms to speak of a fact and then say we do not have the information. The popular belief or fact is that the serpent was once a beautiful angel in heaven who rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven with his followers. This is not true. Wait, let me explain. It is the common belief held by many based in most part not on scripture but on the work of John Milton called Paradise Lost. In this epic poem Milton mixes scripture, conjuncture and pure imagination to create a story that is no more Biblical true than an Archie comic book. Here is what you need to know. There never has been sin in heaven. There never will be sin in heaven. Heaven is a perfect place. It there had been sin in heaven it would not be a perfect place and it would be a place where sin could invade again. That is just not the case. So where does the serpent come from? The Bible does not tell us. The only way you get what Milton wrote about is to glue verses from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Thessalonians and Revelation together that have nothing to do with each other. The Bible does not tell us everything but it does tell us what God wants us to know so there are some things that we just don't have the answer to.

THE 'S' WORD
Questions that have answers are easier to deal with. Like the question, what is the definition of SIN? Now here is a question the Bible DOES give us the answer to. In fact even before Eve sinned she knew the answer to this question. When the serpent first approached Eve to eat she said, "but God did say." She had directions from God.
First we learn that SIN IS WHAT GOD SAYS SIN IS!
Eve knew what God had said she now had to choose whether she would obey or disobey. God is the creator, the beginning and the end. We may see ourselves as someplace in the middle but we all will get to the end and then we have to face God. God is the adult in the room. (more on this in a moment)
Second we learn that SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. 1 John 3.4
That means it is breaking the rules. Now let me illustrate this using my grandson. When he comes over to our house he knows the rules. He has always had rules. When he was one and a half he would come over to play. He loved to go into grandma's kitchen and get into the pots and pans cabinet. He would drag them all out on the floor and beat on them, smack them together and when he was done he would crawl into the cabinet and play in there. There is a second half to this. When in the kitchen he was not allowed to get into the drawer that has the sharp knives. He was not to even touch the handle of that drawer. He did not understand the danger but he knew that was a NO TOUCH item. Grandpa, Grandma, mommy and daddy could touch it but not the little grandson. It came with a repeated DANGER warning. Now the tree in the garden came with a NO TOUCH warning. It could hurt them, they would die, whatever that meant. It was for God only because he was the adult in the room or in this case the garden. Why was the tree in the garden where Adam and Eve could touch it? Well why are there knives in a kitchen. They belong there and though we do not understand it the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil belonged in the Garden. It was supposed to be there and we will just have to accept it as so. Let’s go back to my grandson for a second. There were more items in the kitchen he could touch than those he was not to touch. Eve and Adam had more positive choices than negative choices but when they touched and ate they learned the third truth about sin.
Third we learn that SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES.
Fewer and fewer people today believe in sin and that they will pay for the wrong choices. They are denying the creator and his rules for the Garden and the world we live in. The truth of the matter is that sinning leads to death. Death is temporary as long as we are alive and can still change our course but it becomes permanent when we die and have not changed course.

WELL EXCUSE ME!
There are plenty of people who want to say that sin is excusable or that they are not responsible for their actions.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE THEN?
Was it the woman who touched first? Was it the serpent who put her up to it? Was it the man who just stood there and watched not saying anything? Was it God's fault for putting the tree there in the first place? God held Eve and Adam responsible for their actions and he holds us responsible for our actions. I read about a study done on twins. One set was raised in a home where both parents were alcoholics. The one twin was an alcoholic. When they asked him why he was one he blamed his parents. They had been his example. The other twin was a teetotaler. That means he did not drink any alcoholic beverages under any circumstances. When ask why he cited his parents drinking. Here we have two identical twins in the same environment and exactly the opposite results. They made their choice and they would each have to live with the results. The garden was the perfect environment and both of the first two children of God sinned while living there and God held them responsible for their actions. "The soul who sins is the one who will die" Ezekiel 18.4 That was true in the garden, it was true for Ezekiel, it is still true today. You are responsible for your choices.
IS IT SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE?
Today we are being told that standards have changed and that what was a sin in times gone by is no longer a sin. People have progressed and everyone is doing it. Well everyone in the garden had progress to the point of eating from the tree. Literally, everyone was doing it. That did not change the results that God had said would happen if they touched or ate. We need to remember who sets the standards of what is and is not sin. In the kitchen at our house the grandchildren do not set the standards and in the garden and in the world we do not get to set the standards. Remember, God is the adult here when it comes to what is right and wrong.
IS IT A PRIVATE MATTER?
What happens in a person’s home or between consenting adults is different according to the new standards. That means if we hid it then it is ok. Well not according to God. Adam and Eve were hiding and they were consenting adults and they had to pay the price for disobeying God. That has not changed. Everyone who sins in public or private has to deal with it before God.


TEMPTATION EYES 1 John 2.16
 Here is the woman and when she looked at the fruit of the tree she saw "that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom." Genesis 3.6 Now she had her excuses lined up for eating. It was all beneficial and for her good. The truth is "everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world."1 John 2.16 We have to choose between the physical world or the spiritual world. We choose between listening to God and listening to the serpent who still whispers into people’s hearts what they need to touch and eat.
Eve saw it was GOOD FOR FOOD.
These are the CRAVINGS of sinful man justified as needs. This is calling gluttony, eating. This is calling the lust of the flesh, natural desires that should not be denied. This is giving in to the base desires and saying they are necessary and proper.
Eve saw it was PLEASING TO THE EYE.
Greed is the need to own and to control to have more than anyone else. The lust of the eyes is to be controlled by the amount of things you own or the amount of money you have in the bank. This is about power and control. It makes the person important by what they have. Often the opposite is true, it not the person who has the possessions but the person who is possessed by everything they have.
Eve saw it was DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM.
People with worldly wisdom have the ability to think on a higher plane, to be smarter than other people, even being smarter than God. This is boasting that comes through knowledge. This is the modern man who knows so much about creation that he or she denies the creator. The person who is so smart that they refute the wisdom of thousands of years because they have progressed so far in learning they can change God's rules and directions.
Eve was the first one to say this but she was far from the last. Every generation has those who say exactly the same things as they deny God's word and authority as creator to set the rules for his garden, world and kitchen. God is the adult in the room but so few are listening to him.

THREE QUESTIONS?
There are three questions we need to be able to answer. They were first asked to Eve and Adam in the garden but they are just as relevant today as they were then.
Question ONE - WHERE ARE YOU?
God came looking for Eve and Adam. He is looking for everyone and is calling to each person to respond. Are you hiding from God? Living in the trees where you feel safe? Hoping that he does not notice you are not around? You might want to make a personal evaluation of your life. Take stock of where you are in your spiritual relationship with God. Do you have a spiritual life plan or are you just hoping you make it through without being noticed by the creator? He cares and is looking for you.
Question TWO - WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
God ask them, who told you were naked? Who have you been talking to? We are either listening on the Lower Story level where we do not take into account the final outcome of our actions or we are listening on the Upper Story level where we know God knows and sees all and where we trust his judgment. The lower level is about feelings and the upper level is about faith. The lower level is where the serpent operates, the upper level is where God guides and protects.
Question THREE - WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
We will all give an accounting for our lives someday. Getting ready for that moment the believer needs to first acknowledge some things that they need to stop doing. Actions or attitudes that need to be corrected should be corrected. The believer should also look at the things in life that need to be repeated. Things that need to become life habits. These actions and attitudes are the way a person should live their life. There are things you need to stop doing and things you need to start doing.
Here is the challenge. You need to answer these three questions honestly. You need to know that excuses or hiding out will not get you past God. You have choices to make and if you are reading this it is not too late.

Where are you? God wants to know.
Who are you listening to? God wants it to be him.
What have you done? God will ask you that question face to face sooner than you think and you better be ready.

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