REIGNITING YOUR PASSION FOR GOD

Mark 12:30 (ESV) 30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’


One day a man walks up to Jesus and he says, "Lord, what’s the most important thing in the Bible?" And you know what the Great Commandment is. Jesus said, "I want you to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Nothing matters more than that. That’s the number one thing in life. I want you to love Me passionately."

Nothing else matters in life if you don’t love God passionately. God doesn’t want you to love Him half-heartedly. He wants you to love Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.

I love the paraphrase of that verse, Mark 12:30, from The Message "Jesus said, ’Love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy."

The  word passion in Greek, is the word "heart." God is saying I want you to put some muscle into it, put some energy, put some emotion into your relationship with Me. Don’t be a wimp about your relationship with Me. Don’t be namby-pamby. Don’t be half-hearted. Give it all you’ve got. 

Jesus is saying, "If you’re going to follow Me, you’ve got to go it with passion. You’ve got to give it some oomph, some spark, some zip, some enthusiasm, some zest. I want you to live passionately."

In fact, this truth is all through the Bible. The Bible tells us that we’re to seek God passionately. We’re to love God passionately. The Bible says that we’re to serve and obey God passionately. We’re to trust God passionately. 

Then as if you didn’t get the message, in Colossians 3:23 He says "Whatever you do, do it with all of your heart as unto the Lord and not unto men." 

He says I want you to do everything passionately when it comes to loving Me, serving Me, living for Me. 

Here’s the amazing thing. In America it’s ok to be passionate about anything except God. That is not politically correct -- to be passionate about God. I can be passionate about movies. I can be passionate about sports. I can be passionate about politics. I can be passionate about fashions and clothes. I can be passionate about restaurants (and some of us really are). But I cannot be passionate about God. That’s a no-no. 



Romans 12:1 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor."

Keep the fires going in your life. Notice, it’s not automatic. It’s a choice. It’s a discipline. It’s something you must maintain. You are not by nature passionate about God. It’s something that you must choose to do. You get distracted and everything in life conspires to keep you from being passionate about God.

So He says keep your passion going. Keep the fires going. It’s a discipline. It’s not just automatic.



Rick Warren gives SEVEN PASSION KILLERS and what keeps you from having that constant passion for the Lord.



1. An Unbalanced Schedule



That means either if you’re overworked or you are under worked you’re going to lose your passion for life and lose your passion for God.

2. An Unused Talent



An unused talent will cause you to lose your passion for life and your passion for God.

1 Peter 4:10 says "Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gifts well."

3. An Unconfessed Sin



This is a big one. Few things rob us of joy, rob your confidence, rob your passion, more quickly than guilt.

1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins He [God] can be trusted to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 



4. An Unresolved Conflict



Conflict just drains the passion right out of you. Do you ever start a day and it’s going to be a great day -- you know it.

Job 5:2 "Resentment destroys the fool and jealousy kills the simple."


Job 18:4 "You are only hurting yourself with your anger." 



5. An Unsupported Lifestyle



Sometimes you lose passion for God because you’re not spending time around other people who have a passion for God. You’re not spending time around other Christians. You’re not getting any fellowship.

I love this incredibly practical verse in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, just common sense from the Bible. "Two are better than one... because if one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

We need each other. We all fall sometimes. We all stumble at times. So we all need people to help us up in our lives.




6. An Unclear Purpose



When you forget the purpose of your life that is a sure way to kill your passion for life and for God. If you don’t know the purpose for life, why bother? Why get up in the morning? Why put forth the effort? Why get out of bed? Life without purpose is activity without direction. It’s motion without meaning. Life without purpose is trivial, petty, and pointless. 

Passion and purpose go together. When you have a clear purpose it’s going to give you a lot of passion. But it’s got to be God’s purposes for your life. If you’re only living for yourself, that’s a pretty dinky purpose. That isn’t going to make you very passionate.

7. An Undernourished Spirit Will Kill Your Passion.



Every day you face all kinds of circumstances that conspire to shrink your spirit and shrivel your heart. You’re going to get up tomorrow morning. You’re going to have distractions and disappointments. You’re going to have conflicts and you’re going to have changes and challenges. You’re going to have problems and pressures. You’re going to have frustrations and fears and failures and fatigue. All of these things fall in on you to shrivel your heart and shrink your spirit. So you must intentionally nourish your spirit. If you don’t do it nobody else is going to do it for you. Nobody else is going to nourish your spirit. So if you don’t take the time and trouble to do it, it’s going to shrivel up.

I pray that your passion for God will increase today and that you will fall in love with Him over and over with a fresh and new love.

FAITH TO MOVE MOUNTAINS

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:22-24 ESV)

As I write this blog this morning there are three things on my heart in prayer: 1- A 5 year old boy who is undergoing heart surgery this morning 2- A middle aged man who is undergoing a total hip replacement this morning also, and 3- Therer are some financial needs at the church that need an immediate answer to prayer.

There is no one that doesn't need a little faith once in a while in their life.  We are always faced with challenges that cause us to seek God in prayer and even fasting.

A man in Memphis Tennessee lost his wife to the age old enemy, death. It almost killed him, but he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee and lived on Lookout mountain where he met another lady and finally married her. When taking her back to Memphis he thought he would change the inscription on his first wife’s tombstone. It was "The light of my life has gone out." He had it changed to, "The light of my life has gone out, But I struck another match."

Today I am striking another match for you.  I'm praying that God would increase your faith today for whatever you might be going through.

I've been around for a long time and I've seen the up's and down's of life.  It's so important that we are grounded in faith that no matter what comes our way - we will put our trust in God.

Evangelist Gary Huckabee gives some great thoughts on faith:

1- Faith In God Always Wins

Faith is a winning attitude, Faith is positive, doubt is negative. Faith is the one thing that is necessary for life in this evil world. With Faith in God we are on the winning side.

Like the apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12; "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

There are some thirty two thousand promises in the Bible, and by Faith you can have any of them. A Christian can walk the life of Faith, believe God, trust Him, so don’t be a loser! Be a winner! Life is lonely, pitiful, and miserable without Christ. Faith in the Lord changes everything, and makes us winners.

2- Faith In God Gives Peace

Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, John, Paul and others had their troubles in life, but they had peace of heart.

Jesus said; "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27. 

There is peace in times of affliction, when the body may be weak. Paul had a thorn in the flesh, but had Faith in God. There are tragedies all around us, but Faith in God will bring one through, no matter what the sorrow may be.

3- Faith In God Gives Inspiration

Psalms 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." 

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose."

Faith in God gives inspiration. One can not recite the above verses without a surge of encouragement. Some hours are dark and sad. We all have them. Faith in God inspires us. When the body is weak, or in the hour of temptation, or when all men forsake us, we look to God for inspiration.

4- Faith In God Moves Me To Obedience

1 Samuel 15:22, says, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

My faith and love will move me to obedience. It is not true to say we have faith in God and then to not listen to Him or obey Him.

Faith moves us to obedience.

5- Faith In God Can Change Any Situation

It was an impossible situation for Moses and Israel when at the Red sea they seemed trapped. Pharaoh and his army was approaching, mountains on both sides of them, and the Red sea before them, yet God opened the sea and they walked through on dry ground, but the Egyptians were swallowed up in the waters. All things are possible with God when we walk with faith.

Elijah when contesting with the false prophets on MT. Carmel, soaked the sacrifice and the altar with much water, and when God answered his prayer, the people cried out, "The LORD He is the God!"

Faith in God can change any situation and give new hope in times of trouble.

In Acts 16, there was a revival in the jail. Faith can change a whole city, read Jonah if you do not think so.

Faith can change a lions den into a bedroom of rest. faith can change a slimy pit into an easy chair, read Jeremiah.

Faith will change your home, your business, your attitude, and your Church. Have faith in God!

6- Faith In God Gives Compassion

Our God is a God of compassion. Take a long look at Jesus Christ and you see compassion. From Genesis to Revelation we have one great theme-a God of Love. He has compassion, He gave His Son to die for us. The world is crying; "No one really cares for me."

Many are wondering what is going on today, but no one will help them to understand.

May God give us (by faith) compassion for a sick and dying world.

If you have a mountain to move today - ask God for faith.  Ask Him to fill your life with the promises of His Word and the hope that He fully understands and wants to work on your behalf.

THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

Luke 18:27 (ESV) ²⁷  But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.  He prayed fervently for God to rescue him.  Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but no hope in sight.  Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.  One day, after scavenging for food, he arrive home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.  The worst had happened - everything was lost.  He was stunned with grief and anger.  "God, how could you do this to me," he cried.  Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.  It had come to rescue him.  He asked, "How did you know I was here?"  The rescuers replied, "We saw the smoke coming from your island."

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly. But we should not lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.  Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground; it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Yesterday, I prayed with a young lady who explained that her life was in ruins and wondered why God had allowed her to go through this great trial.  I explained to her that God was allowing this to happen to get her attention and that He wanted to be the first person that she went to and not the last resort.

I often am asked the question of “why” things are happening the way that they do.  And, to be honest,I don’t always have the answers for them or even for myself.

My problem is this; I only see the right now.  I only see my current circumstances and not the big picture.  I don’t have God eyes.  I can’t see the bigger scheme of things.

But years of experience have taught me this – God hasn’t written the last line in regards to my life.  The “situations” or the “problems” that I face are under the blood and grace of the Lord Jesus.  He knows what is best and knows the timing of things.  He knows when to turn it around.

I look back on some of those hard places in my past and realize that even now God is using it for His greater glory.

Earlier in the Book of Luke – Mary, the mother of Jesus was approached by an angel  that she would be the mother of Jesus – God’s son.  Her first response was “No way, how could that happen? I’m still a virgin.”

Notice how the angel responded to her…

Luke 1:37 (ESV) ³⁷  For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Often we are faced with insurmountable circumstances and decisions that lay before us.  We cry out to God only to hear our own voice in return.  God always waits for the right time to intervene.

When the friend of Jesus, Lazarus died – the Bible states that they waited two days to go.  Why - because God wanted this to be a miracle that would ultimately glorify God.  Lazarus wasn’t just dead – he was DEAD.  When Jesus brought him back to life – people knew it was a miracle.

No matter what you are facing today – ask God to help you see through His eyes and to trust Him that He knows the right time and place for your deliverance.  God still sees.  

God still hears.  He hasn’t forgotten you.  And yes, God is still the God of the impossible.

GETTING FREE FROM THE PAST

In this award winning film called “The Mission,” Robert DeNiro plays a mercenary who has taken asylum in the local church after killing his brother in a fit of jealous rage. He eventually leaves the church and heads to a mission post located above the waterfalls in a South American jungle. Because of what he has done, and how bad he feels, he ties himself to a several-hundred pound net of items that represents his sinful life. He feels compelled to drag this sack of sin around with him as a way to do penance for what he has done.

As you watch this clip you’ll see him slip under the burden of his past, with the rope choking the very life out of him. He feels terrible and yet doesn’t know what to do with his sin and the shame that comes with it.

Have you ever felt like that? I suspect that some of you are tethered to some transgressions this morning. Others of you are gasping under the guilt of things you did several years ago. What do you do when you realize that you’ve messed up? How do you stabilize your life when you experience more ups and downs than the stock market? Where do you go when you’ve failed? Where do you turn when you’ve hurt those closest to you? Do you grab some rope and hitch it up to your sin pile and start dragging? Or, is there something better?

Jeff Seaman gives some insights about guilt and forgiveness that are worthy or our attention today.

1. Guilt destroys our confidence.

Guilt can make us feel insecure because we’re always worried that someone is going to find out what we’re really like, or what we’ve really done.

Many years ago, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes novels, played a prank on five of the most prominent men in England. He sent an anonymous note to each one that simply said this, “All is found out, flee at once.” Within 24 hours all five men had left the country.

That’s exactly the picture described in Proverbs 28:1: “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

Is guilt destroying your confidence today?

2. Guilt damages our relationships.

When we live with unconfessed sin we can respond to people in wrong ways. Are you impatient with others? Do you find yourself reacting in anger? Are you pulling back from those you love? If so, there may be some guilt in your gut somewhere.

3. Guilt keeps us stuck in the past.

Do you continuously replay your sins over and over and over in your mind? Someone has said, “Guilt cannot change the past just like worry cannot change the future. But it can make you miserable today.” Have you ever noticed how your stomach keeps score when you swallow your sins?

While many of us wrestle with false guilt, too few of us take our real guilt seriously. Instead of confessing our sins, we often bury them or just try to ignore them.

The Bible calls us back to the truth that we are sinners who have missed the mark of God’s perfection. Our own death warrants have been written into our birth certificates. In short, we struggle with guilt because we’re guilty.

Ecclesiastes 7:20: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”

Go to Psalm 32. 

The great theologian Augustine said that the beginning of knowledge is to know oneself to be a sinner. In order to be reminded of his depraved sinfulness and God’s gracious forgiveness, he had this psalm engraved on his bedroom wall as he lay dying in his bed. He read it all the time and when he was too sick, he instructed others to recite it for him.

Read this Psalm slowly and take in the words that are written.

Psalm 32:1-11 (ESV) ¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ²  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah ⁵  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁶  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. ⁷  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah ⁸  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ⁹  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. ¹⁰  Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. ¹¹  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

“May God breathe on you and your life today.  May His Holy Spirit fill you with a sense of freedom and forgiveness.  I pray that guilt would go away and that your heart would rejoice and shout for joy at the freedom that you sense and feel.  May your past be your past and may you move forward to a new sense of peace and confidence in your faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

I’ve been sitting at my desk this morning thinking about what it really cost to be a disciple of Christ. Over the years I’ve seen many people put their toes into the stream of Christianity and never really fully immerse themselves.  Then, on the other hand – I see those accept Christ and who are willing to jump fully into the stream of discipleship and become everything that God intends for them to have.  The distinguishing factor:  One was willing to count the cost of being a Christian, and the other was willing to taste it but not stick with it when things got hard.

Notice what Jesus says in the following verses…

Luke 14:28-33 (ESV) ²⁸  For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰  saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹  Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²  And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³  So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV) ²⁴  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

What is a disciple?

Greek:

·         Used for soldiers who followed their leader

·         Used for slaves who followed their master

·         Used for someone who follows or obeys someone else’s advice

·         Used for someone who obeys the laws

Basically – A disciple is a learner but it will cost everything you have.

Jesus said in Matthew 13 that the Kingdom of God was like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When this man found a pearl of great price, he sold everything he had to buy it.

When you and find Jesus – it is going to cost us everything.

Let’s imagine how it might have sounded when this man tried to buy that pearl of great price….

(The pearl is reflective of the most important thing in your life right now…  “I’ve got to have it.”

You go to the seller and  say… “I want this pearl.  How much is it?

“Well.. the seller says, “its very expensive.”

“But… how much?”

“Well…, a very large amount.”

“Do you think I could buy it?”

“Oh, of course. Everyone can buy it.”

“But didn’t you say that it was very expensive?”

“Yes.”

“Well… how much is it?”

“Everything you have,”  says the seller.

You think about it and tell the seller… “All right, I’ll buy it.”

He says to us… “Well, how much do you have?  Let’s write it down.

“Well… I have $10,000.00 in the bank”  (Just imagine you are rich).

“Good.  $10,000.00.  What else do you have?

“That’s all.  That’s all I have.”

“Nothing more?”

“Well… I have few dollars here in my pocket.”

“How much?”

You start digging.  “Well… let’s see - $16., $17., $18.”

“That’s fine.  What else do you have?”

“Well, nothing.  That’s all.”

“Where do you live?”  He’s still probing.

“In my house.  Yes… I have a house.”

“The house, too, then.”  He writes that down.

“You mean I have to live in my RV?”

“You have a RV?  That too.  What else?”

“Then I’ll have to sleep in my car!”

“You have a car?”

“Two of them.”

“Both become mine, both cars.  What else?”

“Well… you already have my money, my house, my RV and my cars.  What more do you want?”

“Are you alone in this world?”

“No… I have a wife and two children.”

“Oh, yes, your wife and children, too.  What else?”

“I have nothing left!  I am left alone now.”

Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot!  You yourself, too!  Everything becomes mine – wife, children, house, money, cars – and you too.”

Then he goes on.  “Now listen… I will allow you to use all these things for the time being.  But don’t forget that they are mind, just as you are.  And whenever I need any of them, you must give them up, because now I am the owner.”

That’s how it is when you are under the ownership of Jesus Christ.

A young man once came up to Socrates and asked him if he could be his disciple.  Socrates said nothing and began to walk in the ocean. The young man kept following him and asking him if he could be his disciple. When Socrates got out to about his neck – he turned to the young man, grabbed his head and held him under the water for a long time. When he finally let the young man up for air – he was gasping for air. Socrates said… “When you want to be my disciple as bad as you want air then you be my disciple.”

Ask yourself the question today – Am I really a disciple of Christ or am I just a distant follower? Are you a Christian in name only or are you a fully developed follower of Christ?  Is Jesus Lord of every part of your life or are you a Sunday Christian?

May God help us all to go deeper with Him and to experience Him in the fullest way possible!

THE DAY MY JOY CAME BACK - A Short Story

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. (‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭1-3, 5-15‬ ESV)

THE DAY MY JOY CAME BACK - A Short Story

My name is Yaacov, born and raised in Nazareth. I was just like any boy - curious, mischievous, and into a lot of things.  I loved to play and explore and I got into a fair amount of trouble.  I enjoyed life and couldn't wait for every day to come about to get up and see what adventures that would come my way.  

My parents were strict religious Jews. Every morning and evening we would recite the "SHEMA" prayer "Hear, O Israel: The LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might..."

Every day, except for the Sabbath, I attended a Jewish school for boys and was taught the scriptures and the basics of life.  My parents had great hopes for me and my Abba was expecting me to take over his business of making candles.

When I was 12, I began to prepare for my Bar Mitzvah after my 13th birthday.  This is when I was to become a man.

But then everything changed.  That dreadful day is still etched on my mind.  I came home from school and my Ima (mother) told me to do my chores.  Being the boy I was, I ended up going down at the creek and climbed an olive tree with my friends.  On a dare, I went further than I should and the limb broke.

That's when life for me changed.

I landed on my neck and immediately heard a crack.  I couldn't move anything below my neck.  I was forever a cripple - an invalid.  I would no longer be able to walk or run or play.  I would forever be dependent on other people for my survival.

My friends ran to the house and got my Ima.  Upon seeing me she sent one of my friends to my Abba's workplace that he might help.  When Abba arrived, he lifted me up and carried me to the house.  I could see the terror in his eyes and in my Ima's as they looked at me and my condition.  They called the village doctor but there was little he could do.

That began the day of routines.  People had to bath me, clean me, feed me and help me with everything about life.  I could see, hear and talk - but that was about it.  I had no life anymore.  My life was filled with despondency and despair. My parents tried everything they could - remedies, medications and even prayers.  When I wanted or needed to go somewhere - I had to be carried on a stretcher by four different people - each holding one of the ends of the poles that held my bed together.

It was humiliating.  It was worst feeling to see my friends going to school and playing and all I could do is lay there and watch.

That's when we heard about this pool in Jerusalem called Bethsaida. Supposedly, an angel, unannounced would come and stir the waters.  The first person to touch the waters after the angel was healed.

Desperate for me to be healed, my Abba and Ima packed up their business and house and moved to Jerusalem to take me to the Pool of Bethsaida.  

Everyday, on the way to work, my father and brothers would carry me to the pool and I would lay there.  Blind people, deaf people, sick people and even other invalids - we all laid under the portals, hoping to experience an angel's touch of the water.

I laid there everyday for 38 years.  Hopeless, depressed, lifeless and empty. When anyone thought that the waters had been stirred - people would hobble down, drag themselves down (as I did) to touch the waters.

This is how life went day after day after day.

But then he showed up - Jesus.  I didn't know him but he acted as if he knew me and my situation. 

He came through the crowd and came straight toward me.  He looked at me and said, "Yaacov, do you want to be healed?" I told him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 

Jesus looked at me and said, "Yaacov, Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

I did just that.  I got up and started walking and running and screaming.  People were asking me who did this - and to be honest - I wasn't really sure at that point who he was and where he was from. I later found out that He was from my hometown of Nazareth and was much younger than I.  I didn't know much about him other than the fact that his family were carpenters in Nazareth.

Some of the religious leaders came over to me and declared that I couldn't be healed on the Sabbath day.  I just looked at them and just laughed and laughed.  

And, I've been laughing ever since.  I get up everyday with much joy  and say, "Thank you God.  I once was an invalid and now I'm am healed. I once had no life but now I am healed."

I don't think the laughter will ever go away.  People can criticize me all they want but I know what took place that day - the day that my joy came back!

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28-30‬ ESV)

We live in a very tense, uptight and fast paced world filled with hurry...

A Tacoma, Washington newspaper carried the story of Tattoo the basset hound a while back. Tattoo didn’t intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut the dog’s leash in the car door and took off for a drive – with Tattoo still outside the vehicle, he had no choice. Motorcycle officer Terry Filbert notice a passing vehicle with something dragging behind it. He commented that the poor basset hound was, “picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could.” He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued. But not before the dog had reached a top speed of 25 miles per hour, falling down and rolling over several times.

Too many of us are living our lives like Tattoo, picking them up and putting them down as fast as we can – rolling around & feeling dragged through life.

Time magazine noted that back in the 60’s, expert testimony was given to a Senate sub-committee on time management. They predicted that advances in technology would radically change how many hours a week people worked. They forecasted that the average American would be working 22 hours a week within 20 years. “The great challenge,” the experts said, “would be figuring out what to do with all the excess time.” Over 50 years later, after major advances in technology – how many of us are wondering what to do with all the excess time on our hands?

Our world has become the world of the Red Queen of Alice and Wonderland: “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”

How many of us feel like that? Let’s take a group quiz to see how many of us are being dragged through life. Fill in the blanks:

I’m ready to throw in the…
I’m at the end of my…
I’m just a bundle of…
My life is falling…
I’m at my wit’s…
I feel like resigning from the human…

Apparently we’re all experiencing the rat race. Just when you thought you were getting ahead, along come faster rats. But remember, he who wins the rat race is still a rat.

We need to learn how to experience rest. If all we needed was physical rest we can always take a nap. If we needed only emotional rest, we can always take a vacation. But where can we find spiritual rest? How can we obtain relief regarding the deepest issues of life at the deepest level of our hearts.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Jesus spoke to this very issue 2000 years ago in Matthew 11:28-30. This passage contains 3 commands from Jesus that lead to rest.

I will experience rest for my soul as I obey Jesus’ command of…

1. COME TO ME “Come…all…and I will give…”

Jesus regularly invited people to come to Him to meet their needs.

NOTICE: What Jesus did NOT say, “Come to church to find rest." Christianity begins with meeting Christ personally. Going to McDonalds does not make you a hamburger. Going into a garage doesn’t make you a car. Going to church does not make you a Christian (you must meet Christ personally).

I will experience rest for my soul as I also obey Jesus’ command of…

2. TAKE MY YOKE (upon you)

YOKE: “a type of harness that connects a pair of oxen.” A pair of connected oxen was typically called a yoke of oxen.

Used metaphorically to refer to submission to a teacher. In NT times the phrase, “to take the yoke of” was used by rabbi’s to refer to “becoming a submitted pupil of a teacher”

Jesus said that His yoke is easy “well fitted.” It fits the need. Rules and religion don’t fit the need for personal relationship. His yoke is easy compared to man made religious yokes. His burden is light compared to the burden of human effort. Jesus’ sign outside his carpenter shop, “My yokes fit well!”

I will experience rest for my soul as I also obey Jesus’ command of…

3. LEARN FROM ME

His third command is to learn from Him (are you open to learn?).

All of us are ignorant, just on different subjects. We come, take up His yoke, the process of learning begins.

1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you (NCV).

One day a man went by to see a farmer who was plowing his field with a team of oxen. The man noticed that one of the animals was seemingly a little bigger than the other so he asked him about it. The response from the farmer was very interesting. He said that the big animal was an older animal that was well trained and the smaller one was a young animal that was new to the yoke. The man went on to inquire as to why he put them together and this is the answer that He got,

“Well you see, it’s like this. That older ox is the best ox that I have ever had; he knows his way around the field. The reason I put the younger one with him is so the older, more knowledgeable ox could teach him how to plow. If I never put them together the younger one would never learn. By himself the younger ox would pull himself to death, but together he learns to cooperate with and rest in the strength of the older ox.”

Does your life feel like the ox whose pulling himself to death. Rest comes from obedience to Jesus’ commands. COME to Me, TAKE My yoke upon you, LEARN from Me.

Hebrews 4: 11 So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey. (GWT).

WHEN LIFE DUMPS ON YOU

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1-2‬ NLT)

I read this story last week and thought it to be a humorous way to look at the problems we all encounter.

“One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a Well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the donkey was old, and the Well, needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.

Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He shook it off and took a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

A number of years ago, someone gave me this poem that I have kept close to my desk as a reminder about the difficulties that we all have in life.  It is called "Don't Quit."

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse, that you must not quit.

Author Unknown

Sermon - Believe Series - PERSONAL GOD

Something to think about: Is God a 1- Question Mark 2- Exclamation Point or a 3- period in your life?

3 Sections of Believe (10 Weeks Each)

Think -  What Do I Believe?
Act – What Should I do?
Be – Who Am I Becoming?

Key Idea:

I believe God is involved in and cares about my daily life.

Key Verse:

Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV) 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 2  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

We know that God created the heavens and the earth – but does God care about the affairs of my life?  Does He love us?  Does He have a plan for our lives?  Is He interceding and intervening to move the events of our life and world toward his intended purpose?

The BIGNESS Of Our God

Psalm 8:1-9 (NIV) 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4  what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7  all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8  the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9  O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Think about this…God created the heavens with the span of his hand.

Nobody knows just how big the universe is.  Scientist can only see so far.

The Whirlpool Galaxy - get picture - Called the Darling Of Astronomy.  The reason why is that is sitting completely perpendicular to us on earth.  When you look up - you get this great view.

It is 31 million light years from where you are sitting right now.  So... travel 186,000 miles per second for 31 million years and you can reach this.

Genesis 1:1-3 (ESV) 1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Light came out of the mouth of God travelling 186,000 miles per second.  That's how fast light is travelling through the universe.

A light year is how far light travels in a year - it is 5.88 trillion miles

So... multiply 5.88 trillion miles times 31 million light years - and that's the distance you've got to cover to get to this galaxy.

It contains 300 billion stars in that one galaxy.  It is one of hundreds of billions of other galaxies in the universe.

Our God is big.

Here’s another thing – The Hubble satellite is circling earth at 360 miles above the earth taking all sorts of images.

As they looked into this light - they found a dark hole. Here’s the picture that NASA uncovered...

LET ME TALK ABOUT FOUR STARS

1ST STAR - there is only one star in our solar system - it is called THE SUN

10,000 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface.

It is 93 million miles away.  It only takes light 8 minutes to reach the earth.

It's a million times the size of earth.

Think about this – Going at the speed of sound (767 mph) it would take us almost 14 years to reach the sun – which is 93 million miles away from the earth.

With the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) – it would only take 8.3 minutes to reach the sun.

Sizes: If the sun was an orange:
The earth would be a piece of sand 30 feet away,
Pluto would be a piece of sand 10 blocks away,
The closest stars would be oranges about 1,000 miles away 

Distances: The earth travels around the Sun at an average distance of 93 million miles
(It would take 163 years to get there at 65 miles per hour)

The Solar system is about 8 billion miles in diameter (It would take 6857 years to reach Pluto at 65mph).

If the earth is traveling at the speed of light – 186,000,000 miles per sec – it would take 100,000 years to reach the other side of our solar system.  There are an estimated 10 billion galaxies all separated by at least 100,00 light years.

Psalm 33:6 (ESV) 6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

God just spoke it into being.

If we were any closer than 93 million miles away - we'd burn up. If it were further away than 93 million miles – we would freeze.

If the earth was a size of a golf ball - the sun would be 15 feet in diameter.  You could put 960,000 earths inside the sun.

2ND STAR – Betelgeuse  or  Beetlejuice - 427 light years away.

It is twice the size of the earth's orbit around the sun.

If the earth was a golf ball - Beetlejuice would be the height of 6 Empire State buildings on top of each other.

You could put 262 trillion earths inside of Beetlejuice.

I dare you to go to the bottom of the Empire State building an put a golf ball on the side walk and then go to top of the Empire State Building and look down and see if you can see your ball.

3rd Star - Herchels Garnet Star or  Mu cephi

If the earth is a golf ball - this planet would be the size of two golden gate brides.

It's so big that you could put 2.7 quadrillion earths inside this star.

Perspective - 1 million seconds ago - 12 days ago.

Billion seconds ago - May 1975

Trillion seconds ago - 29,700 b.c.

Quadrillion seconds ago - (30 million, 800 years ago)

You could put 2.7 quadrillions earths in this one star.

4th star - Canis majores

Biggest star that has just been found. We could say that it is the “big dog” in the sky.

If the earth was a golf ball - Canis Majores would be the height of Mt. Everest.

6 miles above sea level.  Get that high and see if you can see the earth down below.

You could put 7 quadrillion earths inside Canis Majores.

That's enough golf balls that you could cover the entire state of texas in golf balls 22" deep.

Show pictures of the different planets and their sizes in our galaxy.

Are you starting to feel a little small right now?

But here's the thing - sin brings God down to our size and puffs us up.

But our God is big and there is none like him in all creation.

Here's the big miracle - though we are as vapour - tiny and frail - we are marked by majesty.  We have been created in the very image of the God who breathes and put the stars and universe in place.

You and I are fashioned and formed by the God of all creation.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made - you and I.

We are all miracles today.

Isaiah 40:25-26 (NIV) 25  "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26  Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

The Smallness Of Our God

Five Miracles Of The Atom

Miracle of Minute Size - Everything we observe is made up of atoms.

Example – One grain of sand – take all of the atoms in that grain and expand them to the size of that grain.  It would then be an amount to fill one cubic square.

Suppose you string atoms like pearls. If a someone strung a 25 inch string at 1 atom per second – it would take her over 200 years.

Miracle of Tremendous speed – The speed of electrons around the nucleus. The actual material (electrons, protons, etc.) take up only 1 trillionth of the atoms volume.

Bohr estimates that the electrons move around the nucleus at the rate of 7 million billion times per second.

Miracle of empty space – This is the distance represented between the nucleus and the orbit of electrons.

Example – have 2” diameter object – the nearest object would be 2 miles away (meaning everything is empty space).  It’s kind of like a propeller.  It goes so fast that it looks like something solid.

If the motion of the electrons stopped then we would be able to go through solids.

I think of the story of the upper room where Jesus just walked through the walls and showed up.  He has that type of power in him.

Hebrews 11:3 (ESV) 3  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

If you were to take 5,000 battle ships and carriers and took all the emptiness out of the – it would fill the space of a baseball and weigh the same.

Miracle of electronic charge – there is always the same amount of negative charge as positive charge.

Miracle of immense cohesive force in the nucleus of each atom – unlike charges are held together.

Example of a magnet.  Opposite sides close together whereas same sides repel against one another.

In the atom – when the positive is together or the negative is together – it should repel but it doesn’t.

Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV) 15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Everything is held together by Christ and the Word of His power.

But Is God Personal? Does God Care For Me?

Philippians 2:13 (AMP) 13  [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

One of the names given to Jesus is Immanuel – “God with us.”

Psalm 145:20 (NIV) 20  The LORD watches over all who love him…

Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV) 28  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 33:6-9 (ESV) 6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7  He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8  Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Psalm 33:13-15 (ESV) 13  The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14  from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15  he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

Psalm 33:18-22 (ESV) 18  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19  that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20  Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21  For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Albert Einstein (one of the smartest men in the universe) was quoted over and over – “I have no need for a personal God.”

I contend that it is just the opposite.  When we look at How Big God Is And How Small God is – how can I not say that I need Him in my life.

I cannot reduce God down to my size. That’s what sin does to us.

When I get Christ in my heart – I can’t help but worship Him in all His glory and splendor – that He is Big and in charge.

Someone might say, But… Do I Need God To Be Happy?

Someone else might say, “I’ve already found happiness in my life – why do I need a personal Savior?”

Yes, you might find happiness in life without having a need of God in your life.  Many people enjoy financial wealth, a loving family, and just a few problems in life.

However, no matter how much happiness you have right now, your life would be so much more fulfilling with God in it.

Look at this sacrifice God made for each of you today…

John 3:16 (ESV) 16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God Reveals Himself Personally In How He Named Himself
Psalm 145:1-2 (NIV) 1  I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2  Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

Jehovah-Raah is 'the Lord my shepherd'.  What is a shepherd, but someone who looks after and protects the flock?  God is always watching over us.
Jehovah-Jireh is 'the Lord that sees and provides'.
Jehovah-Rapha is 'the Lord that heals', and restores our soul.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu is 'the Lord our righteousness'.\Jehovah-Shalom is 'the Lord my Peace'.  If we have peace, we will never fear any evil.
Jehovah-Shammah is 'the Lord is Present' ('for thou art with me').
Jehovah-Nissi is 'the Lord my Banner” (canopy)

God has a plan for your life today.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 11  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Israel was in Babylonian captivity for 70 years for their rebellion toward God.  It was bleak.  It was dismal.  In the midst of this – God speaks to Jeremiah about the fact that God has a great plan for them.

Notice the promise from God…

Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIV) 12  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

God not only knows us but we can come to know Him.

When God gets a hold of our hearts – He changes us.  Abram became Abraham.  Cephas became Peter., etc.

God changes us.  He gives us a new purpose.

Example of Zacchaeus  NT –Zacchaeus  was a scoundrel, a thief, etc.  But when God got a hold of his heart – he became to a child of God.

You and I need a personal God.  You and I need to accept Him into our hearts today.