Inconvenient and outrageous - an old truth

(**Go here to hear the sermon in full. You will be blessed.)

Bible reading: Luke 16:19-31 (The Message)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

^19-21"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

^22-24"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'

^25-26"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'

^27-28"The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'

²⁹"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.' ³⁰"'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.' ³¹"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"

Just what is this truth that in our pluralistic times is considered not merely inconvenient, but outright outrageous and hateful? This is what our guest speaker, Dale Losch, addressed in last Sunday's sermon. In one word, it is hell.
Did you know that...
-10% of Americans believe their financial well-being is a reflection of what God thinks of them.
-60% of Americans believe in a place called hell.
-only 4% think they'll go there.
-78% think they have an excellent chance of going to heaven.
We as a culture and even as Christians have become 'caught up' in the politically correct times, afraid to sound offensive, and wanting to believe that there could be different ways to God. Have we forgotten His Word stands eternal, unchanging and true? What was true in the days of Lazarus stands true today. What is the truth about hell?

1.The world will be engulfed in a firestorm of God's wrath in hell, a real place.
-hell is real.
-hell is horrible.
-hell is absolute darkness.
-hell is forever.
The rich man was in agony. Being burnt alive has to be the most horrible death. Just think of the picture of the people in 9/11 throwing themselves out of windows 90 stories high. For them, it was preferable to being consumed by fire.

2. Hell will be full of the world's brightest and best.
-Have you ever seen Larry King interview Christians? His most common question is, "Do you mean to say that all people who are not 'saved' or believe in Jesus as His Saviour will go to hell?" His tone suggests he expects an answer to reveal how hateful and narrow-minded such an absolute truth could be. Come on, there are many good people who are not Christians. Will they go to hell? The philanthropists? The humanitarians? The wonderful stay-at-home mom next door? According to God, apparently so, for wide is the gate that leads to destruction and it is full of the majority of humanity.

3. God has only one remedy for humanity's sin problem: Jesus
-John 14:6 (NIV) says, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Think about it, if there were other ways to get to God, would He have sacrificed His only Son in such a horrible way?

I remember as a child how the graphic picture of hell's fire put a holy fear in me and I sure did not want to go there. Thus was my start on my journey to faith, a desire to go the preferable place, heaven, a fear of hell and fire. It was also a time of my life where I was consumed with care that the people I love not go to hell and I shared the gospel without embarassment.

How times have changed. When I worked for the city, you were forbidden to talk about your faith in the workplace, although this rule usually applied to Christians. The atmosphere around me has become distinctly anti-Christian. I don't want to be labelled as narrow-minded, hateful or even stupid for believing that there is a hell or that a loving God would send 'good' people there just for believing the 'wrong' thing. I needed to be reminded of this truth that indeed there are people I love who will experience eternal agony unless they hear and accept the Truth. But herein lies the key which has not been practiced by many Christians, the Truth must be spoken in love. God's grace has been conspicuously absent from some aggressive evangelistic techniques. The God I have come to know however, is an absolute Gentleman.

As Dale puts it,
God does not send people to hell, He simply honors their choice.
The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich and did not care about Lazarus. Lazarus did not got to heaven because he was poor. Look at what the rich man says about his brothers, he wants them to 'change their ways'. In other translations, the word repent is used. The prophets and Moses spoke of the Messiah to come, they spoke of repentance.

It is your choice. What do you choose?

John 3:16 (The Message)

^16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

I am entranced!

July 13, 1993

Proverbs 3:1-2 (Amplified Bible)

1MY SON, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
2For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.

Last Thursday I went to the presentation evening for the Daycamp where my son is a leader. I remembered how when he was a camper how I would run to get a front seat to watch him sing or whatever. Today, he is a 16-yr-old and suddenly I realized I was still doing the exact same thing, straining to watch every movement, every expression, or hear every word.
My goodness, is everyone seeing the same thing I am..he is soooo amazing...and wow, look at him move to that beat...that child's got rhythm--that Trini blood, no doubt...and so good to look at too..yikes...did anyone else notice how well he did that? Wow!
I came to the realization that I was totally entranced by my son. Amazed at seeing him in kingdom mode, investing in the lives of children, using the way God had created him, an extrovert, a lover of life lived enthusiastically.

Thank you, God, for a glimpse into my son's life in a different window.

Be pleased, O God, to continue to sow into his life, his spirit, your good and perfect gifts.

Guard and protect him from situations or people that would crush his spirit in any way. Bring into his life those who would edify him and lead him on higher ground.

Grant him a humble and contrite spirit, for that You will not despise.

Give him and those who influence his life daily, like us, his parents, his teachers, his youth leaders, a glimpse of Your purpose for him and grant us all the wisdom to encourage him along.

Grant to him a fear, a holy reverence for You so that he will have wisdom to make the right choices.

And, God, did I say thank you for all You have done for him? For I know I have been a most imperfect mother, yet as I gaze upon him, all I see is Your stamp, and it is so beautiful, I am entranced and cannot take my gaze away from his countenance.

He is Yours and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I know this is one of your favorite songs and as I look at the lyrics, I realize it is so YOU!

VERSE 1:
The future comes alive
You speak Your word and I
Im running into Your hope
Because Ive seen Your light
You bring my world to life
Im coming after Your love

PRE CHORUS:
Im not shaken
Im not letting go

CHORUS:
And everything comes alive
In my life as we lift You higher
Let Your freedom arise
In our lives as we lift You up
Sing it out
Sing it out
Your freedom is here

VERSE 2:
So take the limits off
No matter what the cost
Im running after Your call
And I will run this race
See You face to face
So let Your power overflow

BRIDGE:
I will not fear
I will not hide Your love
Your love
All of my life
I cannot deny Your love
Your love

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

This is my prayer today....

Lord, open my eyes to the work of Your Hand in my life...
In my life, Your will be done...
Part the oceans in my life...


Please pop by Amy's to hear more songs that minister.

I had to add this because it tickled my funny bone. You should never treat a man's Taylor guitar with disrespect. It will come back to you...well...to United Airlines...in a song... By the way, they have since decided to look into the situation and use his video as training on how to treat customers with complaints. (-;

Have you let go before you should?

^{Genesis 32:23-30 (The Amplified Bible)
23}And he took them and sent them across the brook; also he sent over all that he had. ²⁴And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵And when [the Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. ²⁶Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me. ²⁷[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]! ²⁸And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed. ²⁹Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away.


Well, I just 'happened' to look at James Robison last night where Beth Moore was speaking about wrestling with God. She noted the Greek words for embrace "habaq" and for wrestle "abaq". They obviously share the same root. I have 2 boys and I know how much they love to wrestle, play rough. I remember when they were smaller how my 2 boys would throw themselves on their dad and the 3 of them would just have a great 'rough' time. That was how they connected or embraced physically. The Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says, "Nothing requires more vigour and unceasing exertion than wrestling. It is an emblem of the true spirit of faith and prayer."

Beth talked about times in our lives when we absolutely need to wrestle with God. I am at such a point right now. Past circumstances have left devastation in certain areas of my life that make me feel 'useless', like the branch that has been pruned and discarded because it bears no fruit. I have pain and anger that needs to be wrestled through with God whom I know has always been lovingly sovereign in my life. And yes, I have made a couple of attempts to wrestle, but I let go when I got tired.

Recently, a blogging friend, Val, told me she came across my name in her Bible, right next to Jeremiah 29:12-13: ¹²Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. ¹³Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

And I remembered that I started this a couple of months ago, but perhaps I was a bit half-hearted, and lost heart much too soon when I 'saw' nothing. Unlike Jacob, I let go. So I need to return to wrestle with all of my heart, inquire of, require His answer, His blessing as a vital necessity. I want Him to change my name, my identity as a discarded branch, to His new name, identity for me. I want to wrestle with God:
-to a new kind of courage
-to a new kind of intimacy
-to a new kind of identity

How about you? Do you have an honest relationship with God?
Have you wrestled with Him about circumstances that make no earthly sense?
He is waiting.

Here is a wonderful commentary on that passage (Genesis 32:24-32) from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

Verses 24-32 A great while before day, Jacob being alone, more fully spread his fears before God in prayer. While thus employed, One in the likeness of a man wrestled with him. When the spirit helpeth our infirmities, and our earnest and vast desires can scarcely find words to utter them, and we still mean more than we can express, then prayer is indeed wrestling with God. However tried or discouraged, we shall prevail; and prevailing with Him in prayer, we shall prevail against all enemies that strive with us. Nothing requires more vigour and unceasing exertion than wrestling. It is an emblem of the true spirit of faith and prayer. Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long, this did not shake his faith, nor silence his prayer. He will have a blessing, and had rather have all his bone put out of joint than go away without one. Those who would have the blessing of Christ, must resolve to take no denial. The fervent prayer is the effectual prayer. The Angel puts a lasting mark of honour upon him, by changing his name. Jacob signifies a supplanter. From henceforth he shall be celebrated, not for craft and artful management, but for true valour. Thou shalt be called Israel, a prince with God, a name greater than those of the great men of the earth. He is a prince indeed that is a prince with God; those are truly honourable that are mighty in prayer. Having power with God, he shall have power with men too; he shall prevail, and gain Esau's favour. Jacob gives a new name to the place. He calls it Peniel, the face of God, because there he had seen the appearance of God, and obtained the favour of God. It becomes those whom God honours, to admire his grace towards them. The Angel who wrestled with Jacob was the second Person in the sacred Trinity, who was afterwards God manifest in the flesh, and who, dwelling in human nature, is called Immanuel, hosea 12:4,5. Jacob halted on his thigh. It might serve to keep him from being lifted up with the abundance of the revelations. The sun rose on Jacob: it is sun-rise with that soul, which has had communion with God.

May we who choose to prevail know that sun-rise with our souls.
Amen!

Will you buy Evian water after seeing...

...this? This is so cute, people!