DEALING WITH OFFENSES

I'm sitting in my office this Thanksgiving morning and thinking about an area in my life that I've had to deal with over and over - that of offenses.  It is one of the things that will keep me from enjoying the full spirit of Thanksgiving Day.

John Bevere wrote a book called "The Bait Of Satan" that has ministered mightily to me over the years on the sin of offense and what we need to do to keep our spirits free from this terrible sin.  I would like to give you some of those thoughts this morning so you can enjoy a Day of Thanksgiving.

There is a deceptive, deadly trap that imprisons countless Christians, severs relationships and widens breaches between us. 

It is the snare of offense, and many believers are unable to function in their calling because of these wounds and hurts they have received. 

They are handicapped and hindered from fulfilling their God-given potential. Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended (see Luke 17:1). 

If you breathe air and walk this earth, you will have a chance to become offended—guaranteed. Therefore, it is important for us to be prepared and armed, for our response to offense determines our future.


The Greek word for offend in Luke 17:1 comes from the word skandalon. This word originally referred to the part of a trap to which the bait was attached. In the New Testament it often describes an entrapment by the enemy. 

A trap needs one of two things in order to be successful. Either it must be hidden, in the hope that an animal will stumble upon it, or it must be baited to lure the animal into the trap’s deadly jaws. 

Satan incorporates both of these strategies as he lays out his traps. They’re hidden and baited. If we’re not trained by the Word of God to rightly divide between good and evil, we won’t recognize his traps for what they are.


The enemy uses offense to bring people into captivity. 

Paul says, And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition…so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26 NKJV). 

Wow! 

Those in quarrels or opposition fall into a trap and are held prisoner to do the devil’s bidding. They are unaware of their captivity and don’t realize their hearts are spewing out bitter waters rather than pure. When people are deceived, they believe they are right even though they aren’t.


The truth of offense is this: Those you care about the most can offend or hurt you the most. You expect more of those you care about, and the higher the expectations, the greater the opportunity to be offended and fall into the devil’s trap. 

In Psalm 55:12-14 David laments, For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. …But it was you, a man my equal, my companion, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng (NKJV).

Most often it is a fellow believer who has hurt you, and this causes the offense to go deeper; it feels like a betrayal.


When Jesus spoke of our day, He warned us to take heed that we are not deceived (see Matthew 24:4). 

He then went on to say, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another,” (Matthew 24:10 NKJV). 

This shows us a progression: an offended person will eventually betray the person who offended them, and if the betrayal is not dealt with, it will ultimately lead to hatred.


Why do the offended eventually betray? Because according to Proverbs 18:19 an offended person is harder to win than a strong city. 

Strong cities in the days of Solomon had walls around them for protection. 

Likewise, an offended person builds walls—not physical walls, but walls in the soul. The New Testament calls these walls strongholds (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). 

These strongholds are thought processes that are developed deep within the soul that are contrary to the Word of God. God’s Word is rooted in His very character, which is love. Love is an outflow that always seeks to give. 

An offendedbeliever seeks protection; they’ve been hurt and don’t want to experience it again. Their focus is protection rather than release.


Thoughts of self-protection ultimately lead to betrayal. A betrayal is when we seek to protect or benefit ourselves at the expense of those with whom we have a relationship. 

If our focus turns within, when pressure comes we’ll seek our own selfish interest and betray if necessary. 

This behavior  will eventually lead to hatred, and if hatred is allowed to  thrive, it alienates its victim from eternal life (see 1 John 3:15).


The other plague that results from offense is the sin of lawlessness, which, simply put, is disobedience to authority. A person who has been offended by an authority figure will shy away from authority to avoid being hurt again. This is the reason Jesus says that in our day lawlessness will abound, and as a result the love of God in the hearts of believers will grow cold; but he who endures to the end will be saved (see Matthew 24:12,13).


After ministering in thousands of churches, I have had the opportunity to see the direct correlation between lawlessness and offense. 

One of three things happens when a person is offended by someone in authority. 

First, they’ll avoid all forms of authority. This often comes in the form of leaving churches, marriages or places of employment in order to escape the chance of being hurt again. 

Second, they become spiritual vagabonds or wanderers. They will stay as long as those in authority behave exactly as they desire, but if they don't, they  run again to the next relationship or organization. 

The third behavior of those who will not let go of an offense is that they become spiritual zombies. 

They may stay in the place where the hurt occurred, but they never reach their potential because they refuse to forgive and release the person who hurt them. 

This is tragic because life holds so little joy for them, and others miss the blessing that their lives were intended to bring.


Offense is a serious issue, and many are held in its death grip. But the love of God is the key to freedom from this trap. 
This is an abounding love that is developed over time and continually grows stronger in our hearts. 

This love will keep us from stumbling and enable us to lay down our lives selflessly—even for the good of an enemy. 

When we walk in this kind of love, we cannot be seduced into taking the bait of Satan.

Have a great day!

THE TRUE STORY OF THANKSGIVING

Come Thanksgiving Day each year, many of us give the nod to Pilgrims and Indians and talk of making ready for a harsh first winter in the New World. But for the Christian, the deepest roots of our thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a story as old as creation, with a two-millennia-old climax.

It’s a story that keeps going right on into the present and gives meaning to our little lives, even when we’re half a globe removed from history’s ground zero at a place called Golgotha. You could call it the true story of thanksgiving—or you could call it the Christian gospel viewed through the lens of that often undervalued virtue known as “gratitude.” It opens up a few biblical texts we otherwise may be prone to downplay.

Here’s the true story of thanksgiving in four stages.

Created for Thanksgiving 

First, God created humanity for gratitude. You exist to appreciate God. He created you to honor him by giving him thanks. Appreciating both who God is and his actions for us—in creating us and sustaining our lives—is fundamental to proper human life in God’s created world.

As he describes in Romans 1 what’s gone wrong with the world, the apostle Paul gives us this glimpse of the place of appreciation in the created order: Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Part of what the first man and woman were created to do is honor God by being thankful. And part of what we exist to do is honor God by being thankful—and thus the numerous biblical commands enjoining gratitude. Humanity was created to appreciate God.

But as we’ve already seen from Romans 1, ingratitude wasn’t far away.

Fallen From Thanksgiving 

Second, we all have failed miserably in appreciating God as we should. In her book on gratitude, Ann Voskamp gives memorable expression to the failure of the first man and woman—and the devil before them—to rightly experience and express gratitude.

From all of our beginnings, we keep reliving the Garden story. Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden.

Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully, ungrateful for what God gave. Isn’t that the catalyst of all my sin?

Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives.

We hunger for something more, something other. Satan the ingrate spawns unthankfulness in Adam and Eve, who pass it along to all of us.

Both before our conversion and after, we are unthankful people. This is so painfully true. And we not only fail to be thankful like we ought, but we also fail to get the balance right between physical and spiritual.

Two obstacles often stand in our way to God-exalting gratitude. You could call them “hyperspirituality” and “hyperphysicality.” 

Perhaps hyperphysicality is all too well-known in 21st-century western society at large. A milieu of materialists is so unaware of spiritual reality that even when there is gratitude for the physical, the spiritual is neglected, if not outright rejected. We can be thankful for the temporal, even while we couldn’t care less about the eternal.

 But hyperspirituality is often particularly dangerous among the so-called “spiritual” types, even in the church. We can be prone to mute God’s physical goodness to us out of fear that appreciation for such would somehow detract from our thanksgiving for spiritual blessings.

In our sin, we fail again and again to get the proportions right. Only with divine redemption are we able to grow toward a balance that goes something like this: Christians are thankful for all of God’s gifts, especially his eternal gifts, and especially the surpassing value of knowing his Son (Philippians 3:8), the Spirit-become-physical.

Redeemed by Thanksgiving

Third, God himself, in the person of his Son, Jesus, entered into our thankless world, lived in flawless appreciation of his Father, and died on our behalf for our chronic ingratitude. It is Jesus, the God-man, who has manifested the perfect life of thankfulness. 

If you’ve ever tracked the texts where Jesus gives his Father thanks, you’ll know it’s quite an impressive list.

Matthew 11:25 [also Luke 10:21]: “At that time [note the context of unrepentant and unthankful “cities where most of his mighty works had been done,” verse 20] Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.’” 

John 11:41: “They took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me.’” [Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead.]

Matthew 15:36 [also Mark 8:6]: Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples.” [See also John 6:11 and John 6:23, which refer to the location as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”] 

Luke 22:17–20 [also Matthew 26:27 and Mark 14:23]: “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they hd eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” 

[And so following Jesus’ pattern, Paul in Acts 27:35 “took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it.”]

1 Corinthians 11:23–24: Our “Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it.”

Jesus is not only God himself but also the quintessentially thankful human. The God-man not only died to forgive our failures in giving God the thanks he’s due, but also lived the perfect life of appreciation on our behalf toward his Father.

Freed for Thanksgiving

Finally, by faith in Jesus, we are redeemed from ingratitude, and its just eternal penalty in hell, and freed to enjoy the pleasure of being doubly thankful for God’s favor toward us—not only as his creatures, but also as his redeemed.

It is fitting for a creature to be in a continuous posture of gratitude toward his creator. And it is even more fitting for a redeemed rebel to be in an ongoing posture of gratitude toward his redeemer. The kind of life that flows from such amazing grace is the life of continual thankfulness. This is the kind of life in which the born-again Christian is being continually renewed, progressively being made more like Jesus.

And so the apostle Paul encourages Christians to have lives characterized by thanksgiving.

Colossians 1:11–12: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” 

Colossians 2:6–7: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” 

Colossians 3:15–17  “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

Ephesians 5:20: “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Only in Jesus, the paragon of creaturely appreciation, are we able to become the kind of persistently thankful people God created us to be and fulfill the human destiny of thanksgiving. For the Christian, with both feet standing firmly in the good news of Jesus, there are possibilities for a true thanksgiving which we otherwise would never know. 

Written by David Mathis

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

I'm reading a book by John Bevere  called THE HOLY SPIRIT - An Introduction.  I would highly recommend the reading of this book.  (You can pick it up on CBD.com)

Quite honestly, I'm reading it with a much conviction as the Holy Spirit is speaking some very important truths into my life that I've put to the side or have neglected in my life.

One of the things that has awakened in my soul is how dependent the early church was upon the Holy Spirit for all their decisions about the church. What was common with them - is very uncommon with many of us today.

Look at the references to the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts:

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? (‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ESV)

But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” (‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ESV)

And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭32‬ ESV)

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. (‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭51‬ ESV)

And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. (‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭12‬ ESV)

And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). (‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ ESV)

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (‭Acts‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ESV)

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: (‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭28‬ ESV)

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. (‭Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬ ESV)

And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. (‭Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ESV)

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭2‬ ESV)

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” (‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ESV)

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, (‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ESV)

except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. (‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭23‬ ESV)

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ ESV)

The problem with mentioning the Holy Spirit - people start thinking about tongues and gifts, etc.

In life, it's important that we discover who is a person is before we see what they do.  It is the same with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a person.  This is important.  He is not a it.

He has a mind

He has a will

He has emotions

He comforts

He speaks

He teaches

He can be grieved

He can be insulted

He can be resisted

Notice what this verse teaches us about the Holy Spirit...

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion/ fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬ ESV)

The word "communion" - (Greek word - Koinonia) - 3 Definitions:

1. Fellowship

2. Partnership

3. Intimacy

1. Fellowship - "may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you."

(defintition): companionship, sharing

We need to talk/ communicate with the Holy Spirit.

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. (‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭22-23‬ ESV)

This was an ongoing conversation.  We need to have companionship with the Holy Spirit.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. (‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ESV)

Notice that the angel "SPOKE" to Philip.

And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” (‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ESV)

Notice... they knew they Holy Spirit so well - they could distinguish between an "angel" and the "Holy Spirit."

You need to know the "voice" of the Holy Spirit.

What was common with them is NOT  so common with us today.

2. Partnership

For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ESV)

We need to be working togetther with the Holy Spirit.

Partnership goes a little deeper.  It is a close mutual association.

John Bevere gives an example of picking up Dr. Youngi Cho from Korea in his car from the airport. His pastor had warned him to not talk to "Don't talk to Dr. Cho."  John just drove and cried. He felt the presence of God strongly.  He finally turns to Dr. Cho and says - "God is in the car."  Dr. Cho... "I know."

He had a close mutual association with God.

Some churches - the Holy Spirit shows up out of obligation.  But there are some churches that actually love the Holy Spirit's presence.  I want to be that pastor.  I want to be that church.

3. Intimacy

It is fellowship - but deeper.

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬ MSG)

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? (‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ NKJV)

The Holy Spirit "yearns" for you - consistently.

Human beings can be fickle.  I can wake up my wife at 2:30 and guarantee that she is not yearning with me.  The same goes with me.

The Holy Spirit yearns for me with jealousy. If I was to be unfaithful to my wife - she would be jealous.  It is the same with the Holy Spirit.

Look at the previous verse.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ NKJV)

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: (‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭28‬ ESV)

In order to have intimacy with someone - you need to seek the personality of those you want to get to know.

Example - our kids have differently personalities.  We have to adjust the way we communicate in order to get somewhere with them.

You need to get to know the personality of the Holy Spirit.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭30‬ ESV)

Grieve (gr. luprete) - you only grieve when you are deeply in love.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29-31‬ ESV)

We grieve the Holy Spirit in so many way like - speaking harshly to a son or daughter that the Holy Spirit love's deeply.

And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭32‬ ESV)

Why would the Father feel this way?  Because He is tender and sensitive.

If there is a person in the OT that reminds us of the Holy Spirit - it has to be King David.  There is no man that was feared as much as David on the battlefield.

But... when you look at him personally - he was filled with tenderness and emotions.  He cried all the time.

It seems that women are more sensitive to the Holy Spirit then men.  The reason... they are more like the Holy Spirit. We as men dwell with him with understanding.

I've been around the church for a long time - and I have to be honest - there is a lot of wierdness out there in regards to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not wierd.  People are wierd.

We can't misrepresent the Holy Spirit.  We need to reintroduce the Holy Spirit to our lives and to our churches.

What are your thoughts?

JESUS AND LOST THINGS

Luke 15:8-10 (ESV) 8  “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Have you ever lost anything?  I know that I have – plenty of times.  And then, you won’t be at peace until you’ve done everything you can do to find those lost things.  I will tear drawers apart, go through pockets and whatever else I need to do in order to find that which is lost.

This is a parable by Jesus of a man who lost something and did what most of us would do – he searched and searched until he found it.

This is also a parallel to what Christ is doing for those that are lost from Him in relationship.  He will do anything to find “that which is lost.”

A lot of what drives me is the sense of how much God loves me the rest of humanity.  I see people everywhere I go and I’m always reminding myself that this is someone that God loves very much and wants to be in relationship with them.

Shouldn’t we respond to people who are lost in the same way or even a greater way than we would to lost things? Shouldn’t we exhibit the same efforts, and perseverance in searching for them? Shouldn’t we be filled with joy at there being found?

THREE THINGS THAT ARE NEEDED IN REACHING LOST PEOPLE



1. The First Thing Needed For Reaching The Lost Is Compassion. 

Luke 15:1-2 (ESV) 1  Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2  And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 
Jesus had the "tax collectors and sinners" gathering around him. These are lost people who were not running from Jesus but rather running to him. They were not avoiding him, ignoring him, or even hostile towards him. Verse 1 says that they were "gathering around to hear him." 

Why were sinners so willing and even eager to listen to Jesus? It certainly wasn’t because Jesus had an easy message that tickled people’s ears. It wasn’t because Jesus compromised on sin and said that everything they were doing was acceptable.

They weren’t gathering around Jesus because he was putting on some sensationalistic show of signs and wonders. At this point in Luke’s narrative the emphasis is on Jesus’ teaching, miracles are hardly even mentioned.



Why did the "lost" seek out Jesus rather than run from him? I believe the answer is his compassion. Jesus loved them and showed that love with a compassionate instead of condemning attitude. The Bible says in verse 2 that Jesus "welcomes sinners and eats with them."

One of the definitions for the Greek word translated as "welcomes" in this verse is to "receive as a friend."

This was Jesus attitude toward those who were lost in sin. Jesus welcomed them; he was compassionate and accepting of them despite their sins and faults. He was a friend and not a foe.

Jesus had a attitude that lost people were attracted to, do we? For us as individuals and as a church to reach people we are going to have to show and have that same love and acceptance. 



2. The Second Thing Needed For Reaching The Lost Is Effort. 



Luke 15:3-5 (ESV) 3  So he told them this parable: 4  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
In this story, the shepherd did not wait for the lost sheep to wander home and the woman did not wait for the lost coin to turn up. 

In our Christian lives and in the church it sometimes seems that we do the opposite. We tend to wait for the lost to come to us.

We’re passive rather than active. We’re waiting for people to come to Christ instead of putting effort into bringing them to Christ!

I know that I have been guilty of doing this. I want people to be saved but haven’t went out searching for the lost with great effort. This has to change if we’re to reach the lost like Jesus did.



3. The Third Thing Needed To Reach The Lost Its Persistence. 



Luke 15:4-7 (ESV) 4  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

In this story Jesus notes specifically that the person continued seeking after the lost item until he or she found it. In other words, Jesus seems to be pointing out that persistence was a needed quality for success. After all, lost sheep among spacious fields and hills, and lost coins in the dirt floor of the Jewish home would not have been easily or quickly found. 



It’s the same way with reaching the lost. It is not easy to reach people’s hearts so that they receive Jesus. It is not usually the case there our first efforts meet with success. Sometimes it takes years and years of persistence, but we should not be discouraged or give up. If a sheep or coin was valuable enough to persistently search for, then people who are spiritually lost are too valuable to give up on.



Following an exhilarating performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall, celebrated classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma went home, slept, and awoke the next day exhausted and rushed. He called for a cab to take him to a hotel on the other side of Manhattan and placed his cello—hand-crafted in Vienna in 1733 and valued at $2.5 million—in the trunk of the taxi. When he reached his destination, he paid the driver, but forgot to take his cello.

After the cab had disappeared, Ma realized what he had done. He began a desperate search for the missing instrument. Fortunately he had the receipt with the cabby’s ID number. After searching all day the taxi was located in a garage in Queens with the priceless cello still in the trunk. Ma’s smile could not be contained as he spoke to reporters.

Here’s the point, Yo Yo Ma did not quit but persisted because what was lost was too valuable to give up on. The spiritually lost are too valuable for us to quit trying to reach even though our efforts do not pay off quickly.



3. The Third Thing Needed To Reach The Lost Its Persistence. 



Luke 15:5-11 (ESV) 5  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8  “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 11  And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.


The religious leaders of the day had been indifferent toward the lost and even antagonistic toward them coming to Jesus. Jesus uses these two parables to illustrate how wrong their response was, especially when compared to how they would have responded toward recovering something of far less value.

Jesus pointed out how joyful they would have been at the recovery of a lost sheep or lost coin, certainly then they should of been joyous instead of angered at the lost coming to Jesus.



Jesus then pointed out that the one thing that matters most to God is the lost. They matter so much to God that when the lost are found, even one of them, all heaven rejoices and throws a party! There is more joy over one sinner coming to Jesus that over ninety-nine people being right where they’re supposed to be with God.

If lost people matter this much to God, shouldn’t they matter this much to us? Shouldn’t we be willing to give everything needed in order to reach the lost? My answer is "yes" and I hope yours is also. What is needed to reach the lost?

From this passage we discovered at least three things. 

1. The first thing needed for reaching the lost is compassion. 

2. The second thing needed for reaching the lost is effort. 

3. The third thing needed to reach the lost its persistence.

(Sermon originally by Larry Sarver)

HE RESTORES MY SOUL

Psalm 23:1-3 (ESV) 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

It is Monday - the day after a long Sunday of giving out and ministering to people.  My mind and body are tired but I know this – God restores my soul.  It’s not a negative thing but a realization that our bodies and minds have limitations.

My father gave me advice early on in ministry that in order to sustain myself over the long haul – I needed to sit daily at the feet of Jesus to regain my physical and spiritual strength.  In other words – I needed to have my soul restored.

In studying this Psalm, it must always be remembered that it is the sheep under the Good Shepherd’s care who is speaking.

If this is the case, one might ask, “Why this statement... ‘He restores my soul’?”  

It would be assumed that anyone under the Good Shepherd’s care could never become so distressed in soul as to need restoration.

But the fact remains - we all need restoration.

Even David, the author of this Psalm, who was much loved of the Lord, knew what it meant to be cast down and dejected at times.

Psalm 42:11 (ESV) 11  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 

The question before us then is this – “How do we relate to sheep?” What lessons does God intend for us to understand from reading this passage.

“Cast” sheep or “cast down sheep” is an old English Shepherd’s term for sheep who have turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself.

A “cast” sheep is a pathetic sight as it lays on its back with its feet in the air trying frantically to get up without success. The center of gravity goes to its back. If the weather is extreme in any way - the sheep will die in a few short hours.  Predators also take advantage of sheep in this position.

The shepherd must bring restoration to the sheep as soon as possible.

Isn’t it the same with us as Christians?

Psalm 56:13 (ESV) 13  For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

How many of us as Christians often find ourselves cast down and in a place to need restoration.

Interesting Note: It is often the fattest sheep that are the most easily cast down. Often, when we are the most sure of ourselves, we stumble and fall.  Sometimes when we appear to be flourishing in our faith, we find ourselves in a situation of utter frustration and futility.

Paul, in writing to the Christians at Corinth, warned them of this danger. 

1 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV) 12  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

How Are We and Sheep Alike? Philip Yancey gives some great observations from the 23rd Psalm about sheep that I would like to share with you on the parallels between us and sheep.

First, the soft spot

The sheep that choose the comfortable, soft spots in the ground in which to lie down often become cast.

As Christians, are we always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline?

Second, there is the aspect of sheep having too much wool.

Often, when the fleece becomes very long, and is heavily matted with mud, manure, burrs, and other debris, it is much easier for a sheep to become cast, literally weighed down with its own wool.

Wool in the scripture depicts the old self-life in the Christian.  It is the outward expression of an inner attitude. It is the area of my life in which I am continually in contact with the world around me.

Here is where I find the clinging accumulation of things, of possessions, of worldly ideas of which begin to drag me and hold me down.

Significant Point - No high priest was allowed to wear wool in the holy of holies.  It was representative of self, of pride, of personal preference.  God would not tolerate it.

Whenever a shepherd found that his sheep were becoming cast down because of a too long and heavy fleece, he would soon remedy the situation by shearing the wool completely off.

The sheep don’t like it at first but after it is done they feel so much better.  They are glad to be free of that hot and heavy coat often clogged with manure, mud, burrs, sticks and ticks.

(This represents much hard work for the shepherd).

Isn’t it the same with us?  There come a time when our master needs to take the knife to our old life and apply the cutting edge of His Word to our lives.

We may struggle and kick but oh how good it will feel after it is over.

THIS IS RESTORATION!

Thirdly, the sheep are too fat!

It is a well-known fact that over-fat sheep are neither the most healthy or the most productive.  It is the fattest that are most often cast.

Once a shepherd notices that this is the reason his sheep are becoming cast he will take steps to correct the problem.  He will attempt to change their diet to make them strong and healthy.

Revelation 3:17 (ESV) 17  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Material success is not measure of spiritual health. God may well impose on us some “diet” or “discipline” which we may find rough at first but best for us in the long run.

Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves.  The deeper truth is that afterwards it produces.

Lessons to be learned:

-We may rest assured that he will never expect us or ask us to face more than we can stand.  (1 Corinthians 10:13).
-But what He does expose us to will strengthen and fortify ourselves. God knows what is best for me.
-Don’t look for the soft-spot.  
-Remember your wool needs to be sheared every once in a while.
- Don’t get flabby.

As you sit at the feet of Jesus today – I pray that you would be restored in your mind, heart, soul and body.  Receive that prayer in Jesus’ strong name.  Amen.

WHEN WILL CHRIST RETURN

Matthew 24:36 (ESV) 36  “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

If you ever want to create some confusion in a conversation – start talking about prophecy.  People are all over the map when it comes end times and when will Christ return.  With the recent release of the movie by Nicolas Cage “Left Behind” a new debate is arising of whether Christ’s return will be “pre” “mid” or “post.”  The escalating threats in Israel are pushing to the surface that something is about to happen.  Read Mark 13, Matthew 24 and you see that Christians will not escape some of the cataclysmic events that are about to unfold.

On September 15 2001 President George W. Bush Speaking to the Nation from Camp David encouraged the American people to prepare themselves for a prolonged conflict we now know as the war on terror. And to the US armed forces he delivered a blunt, clear message: "Everybody who wears the uniform: Get ready."

As the Lord Jesus Christ prepared to meet the final conflict of his earthly ministry he spoke to his followers about the things that would come in the last days and delivered a similarly clear message: “I am coming at a time you don’t expect, Get Ready.”



In the course of his teaching about that day of return, Jesus makes several important points about "the Day of the Lord" which all of us would do well to understand. 

The first is that it is a day of...



1. Secrecy



Matthew 24:36 tells us that no one knows when the return of the Lord will come – not even Jesus Himself.

In the year 375 AD an early Christian writer proclaimed: "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established in his early years and in a few years will achieve supreme power."



Hippolytus wrote that Christ would come back in the year 500.



The year surrounding the year 1000 were filled with predictions of the coming of Christ… It was recorded that people were so sure of the Lord’s coming that they didn’t even plant their crops.



In the 1500’s Martin Luther wrote, "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world won’t last any longer.



A little know fact was that Christopher Columbus was a student of biblical prophecy. He wrote a volume called "The Book of Prophecies," in, which he predicted that the world would end in 1556. He even wrote, "there is no doubt that the world must end in one hundred fifty five years. 

The year 1666 saw an explosion in end times speculation. One pastor wrote in his journal, "every time a storm has hit this year the church was full of people waiting for Jesus."



In 1800 William Miller predicted the return of Christ in 1844 All over the Northeast, half a million Adventists awaited the end of the world on April 3, 1843. Journalists had a field day. 

Reportedly some disciples were on mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in union with their departed loved ones. Some high society ladies clustered together outside Philadelphia to avoid entering God’s holy kingdom amid the common herd. 



In 1992 Harold Camping predicted the end, again nothing happened and he changed his date to 1993 and then 1994.



All of these people had one thing in common. They must’ve missed the text we read today, that no man knows the day and the hour. Our Lord’s point is simply this: Be ready all the time. Yes, at other times Jesus says to watch for the signs--but not so that we can put off being ready, but so that we will be ever expectant of his return.



At the height of WWII, Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. Yet he continued to urge fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians, believing that Hitler was the Antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, "Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing." Bonhoeffer replied, 

"If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished."

Bonhoefer was right, it is not for us to try to determine the "when" of the Lord’s coming, it is for us to be expectant of his coming that we might be found doing what the Master has called us to do. In fact the verses immediately following our reading make that point exactly: The servants ought to be found serving the master when he returns...at an unknown, secret time. 



The second important thing I note about the day of the Lord is that it will be a day of...



2. Selection



Matthew 24:40-41 (ESV) 40  Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.

The first thing that I note here is that Jesus describes people doing everyday activities--the day of the Lord is apparently an ordinary day--more about that in the final point. The next thing I note though is that the people in question are doing the same activities whether they are taken or left. 

If it was me, I think I would’ve said, "One man was at a prayer meeting and the other was at a casino in Las Vegas" Or, "one woman was home cooking dinner and the other was out on the town."

But Jesus says, here are two outwardly identical people, one is selected the other is rejected. So then what is the selection based upon? Obviously it’s something internal. 

If we look at the remainder of Jesus’ teaching it becomes clear.



John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."



If these words of the Lord are true, then the selection has really already taken place before the day of the Lord arrives, and it was made not by Him, but by each individual. Each who has chosen to put their trust in Christ for salvation has selected Him. If we wish to be one of those selected on that day we must trust with all of our hearts that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is sufficient for our salvation.



Christian Commentator Warren Wiersbe, tells about a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon. The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea: "Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged." 

One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, "During that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have forgiven you. But today I am your Judge."


On that Day that Jesus spoke of in our text today, the Judge will select those who have selected to trust in His marvelous grace.



Finally, Jesus makes it clear that that Day will be a...



3. Surprise



Matthew 24:42-44 (ESV) 42  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Note that he takes it further than just saying we don’t know when, he says that the time will be when we do NOT expect Him. Throughout our text Jesus has taken care to paint the day of the Lord as an ordinary day--not Jan 1, 2000, not a day when his followers are gathered because someone predicted his coming on that day. But a day like the one when Noah got into the ark, when weddings and funerals and family meals and plowing are going on just like usual.



He uses the illustration of being prepared for a thief. When do you prepare for a thief? Well if you’re going to be prepared it has to be always. The point is Jesus wants us to be doing the right thing all the time. 

If you knew this were the day, how would you spend it differently? Would you tell your neighbors about Jesus? Would you change your television viewing? Would you commit yourself fully to the Lord for the first time?

Well then what if it weren’t until tomorrow? Could those things wait then? What if it were next week? Or next year?

Well then let me ask you this then: Why can’t you do those things anyway? Are we really living as if we expect Jesus to be true to His word?

Jesus has promised that he will return. Do we believe Him? Do our lives reflect an expectancy that he will come at a moment that we think--NOT?



Most importantly of all, have you personally made the selection to trust in what he has done to save you from sin? Does your heart cry out, "Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus?"

Endnotes:
Stephen Pace
Daily Bread
Meet Yourself In the Psalms
Guy Caley