Hippie Sunday

What a hippie party we had yesterday! Cooking out, playing games, listening to 60's music. It was a blast from the past. I had hoped a few of you would wear tie dye, but that crowd of red, blue, and yellow made me feel like we were at a Christian Woodstock. It was 'groovy man.' Thanks to all of you that came, cleaned up, brought food, and planned a great day.

Well, my summer Tie Dye Series has ended. It is always bittersweet ending a sermon series. I am ready to move to a new subject but I wonder if anyone has learned anything. Is there something else I should have covered or maybe I covered too much. It is one of the hard things to know as a pastor. How much is too much? I could second guess myself every day if I allowed it but the series is over and it is time to move on; or is it?

I tried to answer all your questions, but there were some that were short answers and not a full sermon. So I thought I would take the next few blogs and pick up on some of the subjects that just were not quite long enough for a full messages. Let's take a quick look this morning.

One of the questions I received was about Jesus staying at the temple while his parents left. The story is in Luke 2:41-52. If you remember, Jesus' parents went to celebrate the passover in Jerusalem. They were there with a bunch of friends and family. When time came for them to leave, Jesus did not go with them. After a day of travel, they found out that Jesus was not with them; Panic! They returned to Jerusalem and spent three days looking for their 12 year old boy. They finally found Jesus in the temple. The question was this, "If Jeremy was missing three days, how could you not consider that being disobedient. Doesn't that mean that Jesus was disobedient (As is every child). But that would mean that Jesus was not without sin." Great question. Let me begin with this; yes, if Jeremy is gone for three days and did not tell us where he was he would have been disobedient and will probably be grounded until his 33rd birthday. But if Peggy and I left him some place that would be a whole different story.

The story of Jesus goes a little deeper. Families traveled in packs back in the first century for safety. The men traveled in the front group and the women brought up the rear. Boys 13 and up traveled with the father and boys 12 and under traveled with the mother. That was just the custom of the times. It is interesting that Luke points out that Jesus is 12. He is between the age of being with his mother or his father. It was a time of transition. Jesus is becoming an adult in the Jewish world. So the group leaves and Joseph thought Jesus was with Mary and Mary thought Jesus was with Joseph. Now, I am sure that Joseph and Mary felt that Jesus had been disobedient. You know this state parents get in, It is called worried mad; worried about their safety and mad as a hornet. Mary says, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." Jesus responds, "Didn't you know that I would be in my father's house?" (Aaron's rendition) They left him behind and he went to the best place of safety; His father's house.

Do you need to run to a place of safety? When you feel lost and alone there is one place that is always your home. It is your father's house. You are always welcome, Dad has invited you to return, there is someone to greet you, and a family that loves you. If you find yourself lost and in need of some direction, come to the Father's house this Sunday. God is waiting for you and your family would love to see you there.

Crack Open a Fortune Cookie

My kids were watching a television show the other day that caught my attention. It is about a bunch of teenagers who are on a comedy show. The star of the show was having a difficult time making decisions. When someone asked him a question, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a fortune cookie, and did whatever the fortune said. It was a cute story line that led to a lot of laughs.

What if it was that easy to get the answers to life? All you had to do was crack open a fortune cookie, read the answer, and do what it said. Think about it for a moment. If you were deciding on whether you should buy a new car or not. Open the cookie and it says, "Red is your lucky color." The car is red, it must be a sign from God. Should you propose to your girlfriend or not? Open a fortune cookie and it says, "It is time to start training for a marathon." Buddy, run for your life. Or maybe you wonder if it is time to quit your job and retire. Open the fortune cookie and it says, "Take some time to relax, you deserve it." Cash in your Roth IRA and move to Florida.

I read a story about a young man that used his bible much like the guy in the television show used fortune cookies. He was wanting some direction in life and wondered what God wanted him to do. So he decided to use the "flop your bible open and stick your finger on a verse" method of discernment. He flopped the bible open and it fell to Matthew. He stuck his finger on a verse and it was Matthew 27:5, "Judas threw his money in the temple, went away and hanged himself." "What does that mean?" the young man said. So he decided to try again. The bible fell open to Luke and he stuck his finger on verse 10:37 and read, "Jesus said, 'Go and do likewise.'" Surely this couldn't be. So the young man decided to try this once again. The bible fell open to the book of John. They young man put his finger on a passage from John 13:27 which read, "What you are about to do, do quickly."

It's funny, the bible has so many verses that you can make the bible say about anything you want if you try hard enough. It is called proof texting; taking a verse out of context so you can do what you want. Jesus says in John 10:16 that he has sheep that are not of this sheep pen. One fellow argued with me that this text tells us that there is life on other planets. That's out there, no pun intended. I also had a debate over the same verse with my great cousin who said Jesus was speaking of the Muslims, Buddhists, and all other world religions with this statement. It just makes more sense to me that Jesus was talking about gentiles, who were not included under the old covenant, and who needed a Savior, too.

So, how do you decide what God wants you to do if you can't flop your bible open or just pick a verse? Good question! I'm so glad you asked it. There are some verses that are a little more cut and dry. "Thou shall not kill" is kind of hard to get around. It is impossible to find a verse that condones adultery. And as for those little white lies that really don't hurt anyone, well, I think God says that liars go to the lake of fire. It's in Revelation 21:8 and lumps liars with those who practice magic arts and idolaters. Cut and dry things in the bible are still cut and dry. Even in an age of gray areas, the bible is still the heart of God for His people. But there are other issues that are not quite so easy. So let me give you some helpful steps in the process of discernment.

1. Find out what the bible says: You can know this, God does not change. If God didn't like a man coveting his neighbor's wife two thousand years ago, He still doesn't like it today. The principles in scripture are for your benefit, not so God can get what he wants. Divide the bible into sections. What does Jesus say about your situation? What does Paul say about your situation? What does the rest of the New Testament say about your situation? What does the Old Testament say about your situation? The Old Testament tells us to kill a son or daughter that is disobedient. If we did that, we would all be dead. But Jesus, Paul, and the New Testament have something to say about that and killing the kid is not it. (Even though you may want to at times.) Find a consensus in scripture on any situation you find yourself in.

2. Look for the Principles in Scripture: You will not find the answer to which car you should buy or if you should move into a different house; it just isn't there. But you may find some principles as to which car you should buy, how much you should spend, and if what you have is good enough for you. The bible may not tell you who you should marry, but it will tell you what kind of man or woman to look for in a mate. These are the principles in the scriptures that help to govern our lives. There are wonderful principles in Jesus' teachings and the book of Proverbs to live the best life now.

3. Ask for wisdom: James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault." God wants to give you wisdom in the decisions you are making. If you don't know what to do, just ask and God will reveal it to you in time. Now, let me say this, if God has already spoken, then don't expect him to speak again or to change his mind. Too often we know what God wants and we are looking for another way. Just do what God wants and life will get better.

4. Get Godly advice: This is a big one for me. I believe that God has put a number of people in our lives that can help us to make good decisions. My dad and mom have helped me so many times in life. I have had godly men and women instruct me time and time again. Professors, teachers, and friends have all been there with wisdom and guidance. BUT!!! Don't expect godly advise from ungodly people. They may have wisdom from past experience but that doesn't mean that their help will lead you to make a good, biblical decision.

I was out with my family the other day eating Chinese and opened a fortune cookie. I like what it said so well that I put it in my billfold for safe keeping. It read, "Happiness is not a reward, it's a consequence." When we make good, godly choices it sure helps us to be happy. So, quit making decisions based on your horoscope, fortune cookie, or friend at the bar and begin to seek Godly advice through God, His Word and His servants.