About a month ago our family decided spontaneously to go see a movie one night. Everyone was home together for the first time in several weeks and we wanted to do something as a family. So off to the movie we went.

            Before our feature film started, we were treated as usual, to a number of previews of upcoming movies. One preview in particular, caught my attention. It was for a movie I had not heard of called “2012.” In just a few moments of the preview I got the basic idea behind the film’s plot.

            In a nutshell the plot is something like this: the Mayans, an ancient people, now extinct were well known for their astronomy and calendar creation. Though they lived long ago, they formulated accurate calendars for periods long after their people became extinct. But the Mayan calendars abruptly end on December 21, 2012. According to Mayan belief, the world will enter some type of planetary chaos on that day that will bring the world as we know it to an end.

            Then the movie preview showed a few action scenes of buildings and monuments across the planet falling apart, and mixed in the usual drama of the hero trying to save his family, and…well, you get the idea.

            It looked like quite an action packed film!

            Then, just a few days later I was channel surfing one evening and I came across a show on the History Channel about Nostradamus, the 16th-century French apothecary who, some claim foresaw everything from the rise of Napoleon to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Can you guess what is coming next?

            Yes, that’s right, the show on the History Channel said that Nostradamus predicted that the world will come to a cataclysmic end in the year 2012.

            All of this got me thinking about some questions…Could the world really end on December 21, 2012? What does the Bible say about the end of the world? How do you prepare for the end?

            Jesus talked a lot about His coming again. In fact, each year we celebrate “Advent” a season of 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas. “Advent” is a word that means “coming.” Advent is a time for us to think about, and prepare for, the coming of Jesus Christ.

            This seems like a great time for a series ripped right out of a Hollywood movie script: “Will the world end in 2012? What the Bible really says.”

            If you are interested in learning about this subject, and what the Bible says to do to prepare for “the end” then come be part of our worship services each Sunday during Advent (which begins November 29, 2009).

            I’m looking forward to seeing what Jesus has to say about this subject. Won’t you join me?

  Revelation 1:4-8

4 …Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

            On this Sunday before Thanksgiving, I want to finish our November series with this thought: “Thank You Jesus…For What You Have Done On My Behalf.”

            If someone were to ask you, “What does Jesus Christ mean to you? What has Jesus done for you?” how would you answer?

            The heart of Christianity is that Jesus Christ has done things for humanity that we could never do for ourselves.

            Before we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let’s take a few moments and look at what Jesus has done for us.

            First, we can say,

1) Thank You, Jesus For What You Do For Me In The Present: You Love Me.

Revelation 1:5

5 …Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth…loves us…

            When we were small children we learned to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.”

            I’m not sure we can ever improve on that theology. That’s as clear as it gets!

            Do you know that Jesus loves you?

            When the Bible says that Jesus loves us, the tense used there is continuous. Jesus has loved us in the past, He loves us right now, and He will love us through all eternity.

            Jesus will never stop loving us. No matter what we do, He never will!

            God says to us in Jeremiah 31:3

“ … I have loved you with an everlasting love…”

            What have we done to earn everlasting love from God?

            Nothing.

            Jesus loves us not because we deserve that kind of love, but because we need that kind of love.

            The love that Jesus has for us, not only lasts forever, but it seeks the best for our lives. Sometimes our love is self-centered. We love others for what we get out of the relationship. When we stop getting what we want, we often stop loving. But Jesus’ love is not self-centered. He does not love us for what He can get out of it. Jesus loves us for what He can give to us.

            He wants only God’s best for each of us, and will give that love to us, even to the point of giving His life for us.

            How does it feel to be loved like that?

            Does it make you thankful to Jesus for what He has done on our behalf?

            Secondly, we can say,

2) Thank You, Jesus For What You Have Done For Me In The Past: You Have Freed Me From My Sins.

Revelation 1:5-6

5 …Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth…freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.

            There are three key words in this passage that tell us what Jesus has done for us—“freed,” “kingdom,” and “priests.”

            First, Jesus has freed us from our sins.

            The power of sin has been broken in our lives by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While we once were in bondage to our sins; through the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus we are now set free.

            It is a great feeling to be free.

            To get free from our sins, Jesus paid a high cost.

            Jesus “freed us from our sins by His blood,” the Bible says. To free us from sin, Jesus gave His life for us.

            The tense of this is past. It is a done deal. It is finished. The power of sin is broken by Jesus on the cross. The prison doors are open. We are allowed to walk out free.

            The second word in this passage is “kingdom.”

            Not only are we set free from our sins, but we are invited to become part of God’s kingdom.

            We are not set free to wander through life lonely and isolated, but to belong to God and God’s people.

            Colossians 1:13-14 says that God has

13 …rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

            Not only are we loved by Jesus Christ, but we are wanted by Him as well. He died for us, so that we will live with Him in His kingdom.

            The third word in this passage is “priests.”

            A priest is a person with a calling and a mission in life.

            In the Kingdom of God we are given a role. The Bible says we are “priests.” When Jesus Christ frees us from our sins, we are set free to serve. A priest in the Old Testament was given the responsibility of standing before God, to pray for other people. They were also given the job of standing on behalf of the people to worship God. And they were called to lead the people of God in the worship of God.

            Still today, God is freeing us from our sins so that we will be people of worship, who lead others in worship, and who pray to God on behalf of those who are still living far from God.

            We are called to stand before God on behalf of the people, and we are called to stand before other people on behalf of God.

            We are to be worshipers and witnesses.

            How does it feel to know you are freed from your sins by the blood of Jesus? How does it feel to know you belong to God’s Kingdom? How does feel to know that God has chosen you to serve Him with your life?

            Does it make you thankful to Jesus for what He has done on our behalf?

            Third, we can say,

3) Thank You, Jesus For What You Will Do For Me In The Future: You Will Come Again.

Revelation 1:7-8

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him… 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

            Jesus promises us that we have something to look forward to in the future. His work on our behalf did not end of the cross or Easter Sunday. His love for us is not just for today. He has a plan for our future!

            Jesus tells us that we are to be on the look out because one day He will come with the clouds.

            Throughout the Bible, the cloud has been a symbol of the presence of God. When God led the nation of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, He led them with a cloud. When Jesus ascended into glory He left on the clouds. And when He comes again, He will come with the clouds.

            Jesus also says that we will see Him when He comes. In fact, He says that “every eye will see Him” when He returns.

            Jesus says that many people will “wail” when He comes back. Why weeping and wailing instead of joy and celebration? Because those who wail will be the ones who were not ready for Jesus to return. Those who wail will be those who have ignored Jesus, or rejected Him.

            How does it feel to know that Jesus Christ loves you enough, not only to give His life for you, but to come back for you and take you home?

            Does it make you thankful to Jesus for what He has done on our behalf?

Mark 13:1-8

1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” 3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 ”Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

            There is a line in this Scripture that grabs me. Jesus says, “The end is still to come” (Mark 13:7).

            People have an incredible interest in knowing the “end.”

            People want to know what the future brings. Perhaps that’s why horoscopes, astrology, psychic advisors, and such, are so popular.

            That also explains in part the publishing success of the “Left Behind” book series a few years back.

            Jesus spoke often of “the end.”

            In this phrase, “the end is still to come” Jesus provides both hope and caution.

            We have hope that “the end” is not now, but we have the caution that “the end” will come, and we are to be prepared for it at any time.

            When it comes to the idea of “the end” how do you feel?

            Does it leave you feeling apprehensive and afraid, or confident and expectant?

            When Jesus spoke of the end, He wanted us to understand it as a hopeful beginning, rather than a disappointing conclusion.

            In fact, the teaching of Jesus on “the end” is one of the things this year that we can be thankful for!

            Let’s look and see what He has to tell us about this important subject.

            Jesus tells us in the end:

1) The temporary is replaced by the everlasting.

Mark 13:2

2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

            Jesus taught us not to confuse the temporary with the eternal.

            When Jesus and His disciples left the Jerusalem Temple one day, the disciples said, “Look at this beautiful building. Isn’t it impressive? Just look at the size of the stones used to construct this awesome structure!”

            At this time in history, the Jerusalem Temple was one of the most impressive structures in the world. At the time Jesus and the disciples were there, the temple was in the midst of an eighty-three-year building program, and it still wasn’t finished!

            The disciples commented on the amazing stones used to build the temple. Some of its stones were 12 to 60 feet in long, 7 and a half feet high and 9 feet in wide (Josephus Jewish Wars 5.5.1-2 189-90 gives these measurements in cubits; a cubit is eighteen inches). The Jewish Historian Josephus said the Jerusalem temple loomed over the city like a “snow clad mountain” (Josephus Jewish Wars 5.5.6 223).

            The disciples were right to be impressed!

            But Jesus said to His disciples, “Do you see this building? It will not last. In fact, it will be totally destroyed. Not one of these stones will be left standing on one another.”

            Today, if you go to Jerusalem, you will that the words of Jesus have come true. Only one wall is left of that amazing temple.

            Jesus didn’t want His disciples to confuse the house of God with the God of the house.

            He didn’t want them to confuse the temporary with the eternal.

            We are continually tempted, it seems, to substitute the things of life that don’t last, with the things of life that do last.

            Jesus wants us to live for more than just the temporary things we can see with our eyes, and buy with our money.

            When the world defines success and prosperity, what are the standards?

            Aren’t they things like this?

1) Big house

2) Expensive cars

3) Thousands of dollars in the bank

4) Thousands, even millions of dollars in investments

5) Expensive furniture

6) The ability to regularly eat at expensive restaurants

7) Expensive clothes

8) Fancy jewelry (Bling!)

9) Vacation homes

10) The ability to travel the globe as your heart desires

11) Expensive toys – motorcycles, boats, RVs, etc.

12) The latest and greatest technology – iPhone, iPod, home theater system, HD TV, laptops, etc.

            But you and I both know, that every one of these success indicators are temporary.

            None of them will last.

            Many of these things will not even last throughout our lifetime, let alone, for all eternity.

            Some years back I bought a lap top computer. It was a top of the line, IBM Think Pad. I used it everywhere I went. I even wrote a doctoral dissertation on that computer.

            But time takes its toll on computers.

            One day, a few years later, I asked a couple of guys I knew who were up to date on computers and technology, what I should do with that computer? Should I trade it in, or should I sell it?

            They looked at it, and then one of the guys said in a polite, tactful way, “I think it would make a very nice door stop.”

            In just a few short years, my top of the line lap top had gone from “must have” to door stop!

            I’m sure that Jesus would say to us, “Look at all this that you work so hard for, and spend so much of your time and money acquiring…none of this will last. One day, it will all be gone.”

            If your life were to end today, would you look around and see that you have lived for the eternal, or the temporary?

            If I were to advise you on how to invest for eternity, I would tell you to focus on just a few important areas:

1. Invest in your relationship with God (Daily quiet time, weekly worship, spiritual formation, develop your spiritual gifts).
2. Invest in the Kingdom of God (Tithing, giving to the poor, sacrificial giving)
3. Invest in relationships with others (spouse, family, friends, a spiritual mentor).
4. Invest in yourself with focused thinking. (Spend quality time thinking about your priorities in life!)
5. Invest in financial planning and education. Use the gifts that God gives you in wise ways now, so you will see eternal results later.
6. Invest time in what really matters in life (where are you most fruitful and productive). Don’t let your days on earth be wasted and spent on meaninglessness.

            Hear the words of Jesus: Don’t let the temporary things of life replace the eternal.

            Jesus didn’t want us to consume ourselves living for the temporary, but to find our fulfillment in the eternal.

            Jesus said, “Don’t live for the temporary. Live for the eternal. The temporary never lasts. The eternal never ends.”

            When the end comes for all of us, will we have lived for what matters?

            Secondly, Jesus tells us

2) The end is replaced by a new beginning.

Mark 13:8

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

            Listen to what Jesus says: “The End is the beginning.”

            The end of this is the beginning of that.

            The End of this—wars, death, threats, international conflicts, natural disasters, human suffering, the temporary—signals the beginning of that—peace, life, restoration, no more suffering, pain, and death—the eternal.

            Jesus says, “Don’t be alarmed when it looks like everything is falling apart and coming to an end. It is not. Instead, it is actually coming together for a new beginning.

            Christianity is about turning the expected into the unexpected. Instead of the expected beginning and ending, Christianity says there is ending and then beginning. Instead of the expected life followed by death, Christianity proclaims the unexpected: there is death followed by life.

            Think of this: The defining moment in the Christian faith is the cross of Jesus Christ. All the Gospels spend the majority of their time describing the death of Jesus on the cross.

            When Jesus breathes His last on the cross, He is taken down and laid in a tomb. Then His followers go away, dejected, disappointed, and broken hearted.

            It was over. Jesus’ life, ministry, and mission had come to an end. All their hopes had ended as well. That is the meaning of death—the end of life.

            All of the followers of Jesus went back to life as it was before.

            But then Sunday came—Easter Sunday. The report from the grave was that Jesus had risen. New life had overcome death and the grave.

            What looked on Friday like the end, looked on Easter Sunday like a new beginning.

            Jesus told His disciples not to be alarmed when everything looked like it was falling apart and coming to an end.

            “This is not the end,” Jesus said. “This is just the birth pangs of a new beginning!”

            One translation puts it this way:  “These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born” (Mark 13:8, New Century Version).

            Jesus told us, “Don’t be deceived by those who tell you this is the end.” Instead, Jesus declared, “It is all how you look at it. Some see the end. Others see a new beginning!”

            Jesus did not want His followers going through life, anxiously looking for signs of things ending. He wanted us to go through life looking for signs of new beginnings.

The Parable of the Twins

            Once upon a time, a set of twins were conceived in the same womb.
            Weeks passed, and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy, “Isn’t it great that we were conceived? Isn’t it great to be alive?”
            Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother’s cord that gave them life they sang for joy, “how great is our mother’s love that she shares her own life with us.”
            As the weeks stretched into months the twins noticed how much each was changing.
            “What does this mean?”, asked the one.
            “It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end”, said the other one.
            “But I don’t want to go”, said the one, “I want to stay here always.”
            “We have no choice”, said the other, “but maybe there is life after birth!”
            “But how can it be?” responded the one. “We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us and none of them have returned to tell us that there is life after birth.”
            And so the one fell into deep despair saying, “If conception ends with birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb? It’s meaningless! Maybe there is no mother at all.”
            “But there has to be”, protested the other. “How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?”
            “Have you ever seen our mother?”, said the one. “Maybe she just lives in our minds. Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good.”

            The other said, “Don’t you feel these squeezes every once in a while? They’re quite unpleasant and sometimes even painful.” 

            “Yes,” the one answered. “What’s special about that?” 

            “Well,” the other said, “I think that these squeezes are there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face-to-face. Don’t you think that’s exciting?”

            But the one was too despairing to respond.
            And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear, and then finally, the moment of birth arrived.
            When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried, for what they saw exceeded their wildest dreams.

            That is the promise we have when we trust our lives to Jesus Christ!

            What looks like the end of the road, is just the beginning of a brand new journey!

            The great promises of God are not about the end, though the Bible has much to say about the end. The great promises of God are about new beginnings and everlasting life!

            God says in Isaiah 43: 18-19a: “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening.” (NCV)

            In Revelation 21 God says, “I am making everything new.” (21:5b).

            Jesus wants His disciples to understand two important truths about life.

            The first is that Jesus doesn’t want His disciples to become so focused on the temporary, which will come to an end, that they neglect the eternal, which will never end.

            Secondly, Jesus doesn’t want His disciples to focus so much on the end that they are not prepared for the new beginning.

            So when it all ends, what is it going to be for you… the end, or a new beginning?

Hebrews 9:24-28:

24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

            In the second installment of this series: “Thank You, Jesus!” I want us to focus on one idea… “Thank You Jesus, Your Sacrifice Saves Me!”

            Do you know what that means?

            Do you know that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross has life-altering significance for us?

            If I were to ask you today, “Are you thankful to Jesus Christ for the sacrifice He gave for you?” how would you respond?

            Do you know the cost that Jesus paid to save us from ourselves, and our sins?

            Let me tell you a story…

            Paul had a filthy mouth and it started to become a real problem in his life. In an effort to break his habit of using profanity, Paul started meeting with another guy from his church, and they came up with a plan to help Paul work on changing his vocabulary. Each Sunday, Paul would report to his friend William how many times he cussed during the week, and he’d put $5 in the offering plate for each occurrence.

            The first week cost Paul $100. Although following weeks improved somewhat, he wasn’t having the success he wanted and was going through a lot of hard-earned cash.

            After the fourth week, William told Paul he had decided on his own to change the deal for the coming week, but he wouldn’t tell Paul how. Paul wanted to know, but all William would say was, “Trust me. It will cost you both less, and more.”

            The following Sunday before worship, Paul came into church looking a little down. He had obviously failed again. William put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Paul, this will cost you both less and more. It’s called grace.”  He then took out a check made out to the church, dated and signed by William. Only the amount was blank. “Your sin still costs, but for you it’s free. Just fill in the numbers. And next week there will be more grace.”

            That first week of grace cost William $55, but the second only cost him $20. There was no third week. It cost Paul too much to fill in those checks, so he quit using those costly words and changed his vocabulary.

            What Jesus does for us is simple. We sin, and He pays the price. Our sins are covered from His account.

            That’s the message of grace.

            Grace is amazing, but it is also very costly.

            And Jesus is the One who pays the cost.

            The Bible tells us that Jesus makes three appearances, and each time pays the cost for us.

            When we look at these three appearances in the Bible, I want us to think about what reasons they give us to say, “Thank You, Jesus!”

1) The Present Appearance: Jesus is for me.

Hebrews 9:24b

“…[Jesus] entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

            The first thing we have to be thankful to Jesus for is His present appearance.

            The Bible says, “[Jesus] entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (924c).

            In His present appearance, Jesus is for us.

            In a world where it seems like we all have so much going against us—time, age, health, the economy, conflict, sins and struggles, isn’t it good to know that Jesus is for us? He is on our side!

            Right now, the Bible says, Jesus is in heaven, standing in the presence of God, on our behalf!

            The Apostle Paul asked a great question: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31b).

            The expected answer is, “no one or no thing can stand against us, if God is for us!”

            So we see Jesus, right “now” (Hebrews 9:24) the Bible says, “standing in the presence of God on our behalf.” Jesus is seeking God’s best for our lives. He is serving as a High Priest, standing before God on behalf of sinful, flawed human beings.

            The Old Testament priests had an important job. They stood before God and interceded on behalf of the people. Their job was to stand in the presence of God and pray for God’s forgiveness and blessing to be upon the people who had so often sinned, rebelled, disobeyed, and revolted against God.

            Imagine the stress that came with that job! Standing before a holy and just God and all you have to work with is sinful people!

            The Bible says Jesus is standing before God on our behalf. He represents us with Himself and not our sins and disobedience. Instead of saying, “Look at them, and all their faults,” Jesus says, “Look at Me.”

2) The Past Appearance: Jesus has removed my sin.

Hebrews 9:26b

“…[Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

            We can also thank Jesus for His past appearance. With that appearance, Jesus has removed our sin.

            The Bible tells us that Jesus appeared “once for all…to remove sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26b).

            The power of sin, and the penalty of sin over us have been broken by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

            What does it matter that Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross?

Have you ever asked yourself, “What difference does sin make in my life?”

            The simple answer is that life has a way of making it seem like we get away with sin with little or no consequences, but that is a short sighted view. The truth is, we will be held accountable for all our sins.

            Let me give an example:

            Not long ago, our family went to Blockbuster Video and rented the movie “Rudy.”

            You know the story behind “Rudy” don’t you? It is a movie about a young man who had a dream to play football for the University Of Notre Dame, and all the obstacles he had to overcome to realize his dream. “Rudy” is one of my favorite movies of all time.

            I enjoyed watching “Rudy” that night with my family, but the next week when we got ready to return the movie we could not locate the DVD we rented from Blockbuster.

            We looked everywhere, but no “Rudy.” As we started to reconstruct our movements we came up with a theory…we had placed the movie DVD on the coffee table where it probably got mixed up in the newspaper, then taken out and thrown in the recycling. Unfortunately, by the time we discovered this, the recycling was long gone, and so was “Rudy.”

            At first, we thought Blockbuster would send us a late return notice in the mail…but they didn’t.

            We then decided that the next time we went to Blockbuster they would tell us we owed them for “Rudy” and we had to pay for it before we could rent any more movies…but they didn’t.

            Then we began to wonder if perhaps Blockbuster had overlooked the fact that we hadn’t returned “Rudy”…but they didn’t.

            One day I was going through our bank statement and I noticed an unfamiliar debit withdrawal from our checking account. It read, “Blockbuster Video.” They had withdrawn the full amount of the movie from our checking account. They didn’t call us, mail us, or remind us we hadn’t returned “Rudy”—they just held us accountable for it!

            When we sin, it appears many times like no one notices, and that we have gotten away with it with no consequences—but if you think Blockbuster Video holds us accountable for how we behave, imagine how much more God does!

            The Bible says that Jesus has appeared to remove our sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26b).

            It is as if Jesus would show up at Blockbuster Video and say, “I would like to pay their charges Myself. Even though I don’t owe the debt, I would like to pay the price and remove the charges against them. The next time they come in, their charges will be cleared.”

            The Bible says, “[God] does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as far as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12).

            Here is what God told the prophet Isaiah:

            “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember you sins” (Isaiah 43:25).

            “I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist” (Isaiah 44:22).

            The prophet Micah said, “You [God] will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19b).

            The message of the Gospel is that Jesus has done something for us that we cannot do for ourselves—He has removed our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Nothing we can do, will ever remove our sins ourselves.

            “[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that [we could be] free from [our] sins…” (1 Peter 2:24a).

            Today I am reminded of Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Sgt. Peralta served in the U.S. Marines. He was always known as a soldier who put the interests of other Marines ahead of his own.

            He demonstrated that commitment in Fallujah, Iraq on November 15, 2004, almost 5 years ago today.

            On that day, Sgt. Peralta had volunteered to serve on an assault team. His mission was to be one of the first of the team to enter houses occupied by insurgents. Upon entering one house, Sgt. Peralta was shot and wounded. He fell to the house floor. A few moments later a fragmentation grenade rolled into the room. Two other Marines quickly tried to escape from the house, but the door was locked. They were trapped. Sgt. Peralta, wounded, but still conscious, grabbed the grenade and cradled it into his body before it exploded, ensuring there would be no further loss of life.

            In giving his own life, Sgt. Peralta saved the lives of the others.

            That’s what Jesus did for the world when the Bible says He removed sin from us (Hebrews 9:26). He covered it in His own body on the cross. He took the wound. He paid the penalty with His life. He removed the sin. He let us go free.

            That’s a reason for us to say, “Thank You, Jesus!”

3) The Promised Appearance: Jesus will come again to save me.

Hebrews 9:28

“…[Jesus] will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

            One of the great hopes of the Christian faith is that, just as Jesus came once, born in a manger, died on a cross, rose from the grave, ascended into heaven; He will one day come again, and on that day, He will bring our full salvation!

            In the Old Testament, the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place in the Temple, where He would offer a sacrifice on behalf of the sins of the people.

            It was there, in the Presence of God, that the High Priest dealt with human sin.

            The people would wait anxiously outside in the Temple to see if the High Priest would return. When the High Priest returned to the people it was the sign that God had accepted their sacrifice and their sins were forgiven.

            When Jesus comes again, it will be the final sign that our sins are forgiven, our salvation has come, and we will be fully restored to right relationship with God.

            The Bible puts it this way:

            16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

            Jesus’ first coming was to remove our sin.

            Jesus’ second coming will be to restore us to salvation.

            We can thank Jesus that His past appearance has removed our sin. We can thank Jesus that in His present appearance He is standing before God on our behalf.

            And we can thank Jesus that His promised appearance will bring Him to us, where we will know full salvation, and go to be with Him!

Invitation

            Can you thank Jesus like that today?

            Do you know Jesus this way?

            Have you trusted Jesus to be the sacrifice that removes your sin?

            Is Jesus standing in the presence of God on your behalf today?

            Are you looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ?

            If Jesus were to come today, would He be coming for you?

            Can you say: “Jesus, I trust you as my Savior. I believe Your sacrifice removes my sin. I trust You are right now standing in the presence of God on my behalf. I am waiting for the day when you come and restore me to full salvation.”

            Can you pray that prayer?

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. {Proverbs 6:6-8, NLT}

²⁰ The wise store up choice food and oil, but fools gulp theirs down. {Proverbs 21:20, TNIV}

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. {1 Timothy 6:17}

            Today we continue in a series entitled “Financial Peace In Turbulent Times.”

            These last few weeks we have been looking at some of the commands that God gives us regarding the use of our financial resources.

            God is clear in Scripture how we are to handle the gifts God gives us.

            Let me take just a minute and do a quick review.

            As I read the Bible, God has 5 simple and clear commands for the healthy use of our money:

            First, God commands us to give. In Proverbs 3:9 the Bible tells us we are to:

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops (TNIV).

            Second, God commands us to pay our taxes. In Romans 13:7 the Bible says:

            7 Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor (TNIV).

            Third, God commands us to pay our debts. Psalm 37:21 says,

“The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.” (NLT)

            Fourth, God commands us to provide for the needs of our family. 1 Timothy 5:8 says,

“8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (TNIV)

            Fifth, and finally, God commands us to save for the needs of the future. Proverbs 21:20 says,

“The wise store up choice food and oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” {Proverbs 21:20, TNIV}

            Today I want us to focus on the idea of financial peace through saving.

            How exactly does saving give us financial peace?

            Why does God want us to save?

            How are you when it comes to saving?

            Do you regularly put away funds to help with future expenses?

            Maybe you are like the couple I heard about:

            After years of scrimping and saving, a husband told his wife the good news:          “Honey, we’ve finally saved enough money to buy what we started saving for in 1989.”   
            “You mean a brand-new Cadillac?” she asked eagerly.   
            “No,” he replies, “a 1989 Cadillac.”  
            The typical American spends more each year that they make.

            The average saving rate for an American household is -1% (negative one percent).

            That means that Americans either dipped into their savings or borrowed to finance the things they purchase each year.

            No one can sustain that type of lifestyle indefinitely! Saving -1% a year eventually means you will end up with nothing.

            This level of -1% saving is the lowest in American history since 1933, during the Great Depression. Then the average saving was -1.5%.

            God has given us two clear principles to help us understand the need to save. Let’s look at them.

 (1) God’s plan for God’s people is to save today for future needs (Proverbs 6:7-8, Proverbs 21:20).

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. {Proverbs 6:6-8, NLT}

²⁰ The wise store up choice food and oil, but fools gulp theirs down. {Proverbs 21:20, TNIV}

            The first principle of saving comes from nature. The Bible says, “Take a lesson from the ants! (Proverbs 6:6).

            God’s Word tells us, “Everything you need to know about saving you can discover by looking at an any colony.” God has designed ants so they are able to calculate very accurately what they’ll need to get through the winter; they then gather and store that amount during the summer and autumn.
            In fact, that’s a good description of “saving”: Looking forward to a future need, then putting aside whatever is necessary to meet that upcoming requirement so you won’t have to borrow.
            The most basic type of savings that we need is commonly called an “emergency fund.” It is an amount of money that we save to meet “unexpected needs” in the future.

            Let’s face it. You and I both know we will have unexpected needs in the future. Let’s go ahead and “expect them!”

            The way to prepare for them is to begin to save now the resources that we will need then!

            A good rule of thumb is to have $500 to $1000 set aside in an emergency fund.

            This is the principle of the ant!

            Let’s see how this works.

            Since we know the unexpected will happen, and we are going to expect it to do so, why don’t we generalize…at least once a year you and I are going to have an “unexpected emergency” that will cost us…say, an average of $500 each time.

            What happens if we don’t prepare now for this?

            When it comes and we do not have a $500 emergency fund and we do not have an extra $500 lying around, we will have to borrow $500 from a credit card to pay it.

            This solves the emergency in the short term, but now we have to start making payments to the credit card company.

            Now we still don’t have a $500 emergency fund, we have had emergency #1 and we have the added burden of paying $20 a month to the credit card company (plus interest).

            A year from now emergency #2 comes upon us.

            Now are problem begins to compound itself.

1. We are still trying to pay for Emergency #1 (we will still owe $350)
2. We will still be paying the interest to the credit card for Emergency #1
3. It is probable that we were not able to save up for emergency #2, since they were still spending extra money to pay for emergency #1, therefore they will have to borrow again to pay for Emergency #2
4. Now we are paying back both Emergency #1 and #2 ($850 total), paying interest on both amounts borrowed, and in even a more difficult place to start saving for emergency #3 since their minimum payment increased to $35.

            Do you see the mess we are getting ourselves into? Imagine what this vicious cycle will look like in 5 to 10 years!

            For some, this is the way they live throughout their whole life!

            The Bible tells us there is another way:

            “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” -Proverbs 27:12 (NIV)

            What would this same situation look like if we had a $500 emergency fund?

            You begin today to save $50 a month for the next year…hopefully BEFORE the next “unexpected emergency” arrives…because now you are going to “expect” it!

            12 months later here comes Emergency #1…at a cost of $500.

            (1) The good news is that in the last 12 months you have saved $600 for Emergency #1…you have more than enough!

            (2) Not only that but you have earned some interest on your savings in the last 12 months so you have an extra $15…for a total of $615.

            (3) You can pay Emergency #1 off in full, and have a $115 head start saving for Emergency #2.

            (4) In the meantime you will still be earning some interest on what you have saved already and the amount that you are putting away ($50 a month) for Emergency #2.

            (5) When Emergency #2 rolls around next you will have saved $735 to pay for the $500 emergency. You can pay it in full and have $235 remaining for Emergency #3.

            Now, imagine how that will look in 5 or 10 years!

            That’s the principle of the ant!

            Now you may be thinking just like me, “Where am I going to get an extra $50 a month to save? I am already spending everything I have each month just to pay the bills I have now!”

            Saving is a matter of priority!

            The reason we do not save is because we have higher priorities.

            The pizza we bought is a higher priority than saving.

            The new computer we bought is a higher priority than saving.

            The movie tickets we bought is a higher priority than saving.

            The Starbucks coffee is a higher priority than saving.

            Here is the key biblical principle when it comes to saving…As yourself, “What are my priorities?”

            According to the Bible this is easy.

            When you receive income you

Pay God first. That’s the tithe.

Your pay yourself second. That’s your saving.

You pay your bills third.

            Until you pay God first, yourself second, and then everyone and everything else, you will never save money for the future!

            Now before we leave this subject, let’s ask ourselves, can we really save any money?

            Sure we can…I know where we can get an extra $7,000…even in this economy!

            By eliminating one $2.00 bag of potato chips (not all just 1 bag) from your grocery bill each week you can save $104.00 per year.

            Cutting out one six-pack of soft drinks will save another $104.

            A weekly $4.00 box of cereal adds up to $208 a year.

            If you eat out one less time each week at $30 a meal, you can save $1,560 and ordering one less delivered pizza at $20, can save you $1040 per year.

            Similar annual savings can be realized by cutting out weekly purchases of fruit rolls ($130), daily gourmet coffee at $2.50 per cup ($910), a daily liter of soda ($365), snack cakes ($455), one less bottled water ($455), one cup less juice per person in a family of four ($546), 3 lbs. less red meat a week ($390), and by eliminating a $4.00 lunch five days a week ($1040).

            By themselves, these efforts may seem small–but they add up to over $7,000.

            Saving is a matter of priority. We will never start saving until we make it a top priority in our lives.

            God has another principle for us when it comes to saving:

(2)There is no security in saving…only in God (1 Timothy 6:17).

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. {1 Timothy 6:17, NLT}

            A year ago many of us would have had trouble understanding the idea that to trust in money is to place our confidence and security in a source that is “unreliable.” Before the economic downturn we had a lot of confidence that banks were solvent, the mortgage system was healthy, jobs were secure, and investments were growing.

            But today, just one year later, we know all too well how unreliable money can be.

            The Bible tells us not to put our trust in money, but to put our trust in God, and God alone.

            It is ironic that the currency of the United States contains the phrase, “In God we trust.” It is almost a warning to us from our leaders who came before us to tell us, “Don’t put your trust in these paper bills and coins…you can’t count on them. Put your trust in God alone.”

            Jesus told a story (see Luke 12:16-21) of a man who was a successful businessman. One year his crops were so plentiful that he had nowhere to store his harvest. He said to himself, “I need to tear down my barns and build bigger barns. Then I can sit back, relax, eat, drink, and enjoy my life. I have everything I need.”

            Unfortunately for the man, it was his last day to live. And Jesus ended the story with these words, “So it is with those who are rich in the things of the world, but who are poor in the things of God.”

            The man felt he had everything he needed for success in life. He had enough money and resources that he saw no other need in his life. But his resources were not enough to give him eternal security. In that area, he was very poor.

            His trust was in his resources, instead of in “the Source.”

            Even in this tough economic time, we can trust God. Bank accounts may rise and fall, the stock market may go up or down, unemployment numbers may increase or decrease, but God will remain constant and faithful.

            The only “social security” in this life is found in God.

            God intends for us to be wise in our use of the gifts God gives us, but God does not intend for us to put our trust in those gifts.

            Our trust, in good times or bad, is secure only with God!

            Even the ants, as hard as they work, have to rely on their Creator to sustain their lives and provide for their needs.

            Today is a good day for us to “take a lesson from the ant!”

Haggai 1:5-9

⁵ Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

    ⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁸ Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. ⁹ “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.

Romans 12:2

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

            I heard someone say that in this economy people have been praying more than usual.

            In fact, I heard someone say they had been praying the “shopper’s prayer” a lot lately.

            “The shopper’s prayer?” I said, “What’s the shopper’s prayer?”

            So they said:

The Shoppers Prayer–

“Our cash
Which art on plastic
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Cartier watch
Thy Prada bag
Online
As it is in store
Give us each day our Platinum Visa
And forgive those that stop us spending
And lead us not unto Louis Vuitton
For thine is the Gucci
The Dior and the Armani
For Chanel No.5 and Eternity
AMEX”

            In this series, “Financial Peace In Turbulent Times” I have been confronted with a couple of questions that we rarely ask in church, or in the check out line at Wal-Mart:

            1) Do you think God cares how you spend your money?

            2) Do you think God has any principles to help guide us in how to spend our money?

            Listen to that Old Testament text from Haggai chapter 1 again:

Haggai 1:5-7

⁵ Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

    ⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

            Have you ever been in that situation?

            Have you ever worked out but only took home a little?

            Have you ever looked in the refrigerator and saw how empty the thing looked?

            Have you ever looked in the cupboard and found it was nearly bare?

            Do you ever look in your closet and say, “I don’t have a thing to wear?”

            Have you ever cashed your check on pay day, gone home to a stack of bills, only to emerge an hour later asking, “Where did all the money go?”

            Do you know what it is like to live from paycheck to paycheck?

            God comments on all these situations through the Old Testament prophet Haggai.

            And God bookends His comments on our spending habits with the same questions asked two different times:

“Give careful thought to your ways.” {Haggai 1:5, 7}

            Do you think God is interested in how we spend our money?

            It sounds like, doesn’t it?

            Do you know why God cares about how we spend our money?

            God knows that the financial resources He provides us are to help us meet all our needs, advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and help others who are in need themselves. But God knows much better than we do, that money can be used for good, for evil, or just simply wasted.

            Every day we are bombarded with advertising telling us that our lives will simply not be satisfying and happy unless we spend our money on the latest cell phone, a brand new car, or the latest fashion.

            We are told with a straight face that simply applying body spray will cause members of the opposite sex to chase after us like moths to a flame.

            We are convinced that we have never been warm, and we will never be warm, unless we buy a “Snuggie” and that now they are available in Leopard skin patterns.

            We are told that our lives will never have meaning unless we use the brand of toothpaste that comes with breath freshener and teeth whitener.

            There are thousands of messages every day that clamor for our attention through the press, television, radio, billboards, salespeople, and store displays—all designed to get us to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t know, and to find happiness where it simply cannot be found.

            God understands the seductive power of temptation better than we do.

            And God’s remedy for us is found in Romans 12:2:

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

            God wants us to stop being influenced by the pattern of this world, and instead by transformed in the way we think.

            God says, “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts.”

            God desires for us to stop letting Madison Avenue and TV infomercials pattern our thinking, and instead to let God renew our minds and help us think clearly about how we spend our money.

            This message is called, “Financial Peace In The Check Out Line.”

            I want us to picture a metaphor today. I want us to see God standing with us in the Wal-mart check out line. He is looking in the buggy at the things we are about to purchase. And as we stand there, God begins to ask us some questions.

            What do you think those questions would be?

Here are some questions to ask when standing in the check out line:

(1) Can I pay cash for this purchase or will it put me in debt?

Deuteronomy 28:12

¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

            This is one of life’s simplest principles to understand, and evidently, one of life’s most difficult principles to live out. People in our country are notorious for buying things we can’t afford. Purchasing things we don’t have the money for is almost a right for Americans. If we don’t have the money to pay for something, we can always pull out a piece of plastic and put it on our account.

            Here’s what God says about this behavior in Deuteronomy 28:

“I will open the heavens, the storehouse of my bounty, and I will send rain on your land in season, and I will bless all the work of you hands. You will lend to others but you will not need to borrow from any.”

            God’s Word to us is that if we will follow His principles for our lives, He will bless our work, provide for all of our needs, even to the level where we can help others, and not have to borrow from others.

            Do you believe that is even possible in our world today?

            Have you ever considered that God wants to be involved with us in our spending decisions?

            Have you ever thought that God wants to be the one who supplies all our needs, and not some other source (like Visa, or Master Card)?

            Have you ever thought that when we buy things we cannot afford with money we do not have, we are putting ourselves in bondage to others, and are missing out on opportunities to help others in need?

            Have you ever stopped to think when you are about to buy something you can’t afford that maybe God is trying to tell you, “Instead of relying on someone else to provide this for you, why not wait and let Me provide it for you?”

            “But it’s a good deal, why shouldn’t I spend my money on this? It’s a real bargain; I’m going to save so much money!”

            Have you ever told yourself that?

            I have…a lot of times.

            Let’s think about bargains:

If the house is worth $250,000 and you were able to buy it for $200,000, how much money did you save?

If the sweater originally cost $80 and you got it on sale for $30 how much did you save?

            Now really, tell the truth. If you spent $200,000 on a house and $30 on a sweater, you didn’t actually save anything! You spent $200,030!

            If we keep “saving” like that, we’ll soon be broke!

            And to compound things, if you spent $200,030 that you couldn’t afford, it doesn’t matter how good a deal it is! Nothing is a good deal if we can’t afford it.

            Do you know that God isn’t behind every good deal. Suppose we can afford it. Does that mean we should buy it? Self-control often means turning down good deals on things we really want because God may have better plans for His money.

            Before we spend money we really don’t have we should think that maybe God wants an opportunity either to provide for your needs Himself, or to show you they aren’t needs before you take things into your own hands.

            Just because you can afford something, it doesn’t mean God wants you to get it.

            Increased income isn’t necessarily God saying “Spend more.” More often his real message is “Give more.” (2 Corinthians 8:14;9:10,11)

(2) Do I have peace about making this purchase?

Colossians 3:15

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Proverbs 15:16

¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.

            This one step would save us a lot of “buyer’s remorse in our lives!”

            Have you ever pulled out your check book to make a purchase and you knew that something just didn’t feel right?

            Some years ago, one of our sons wanted to try to buy a vintage guitar on eBay.

            We had never tried to do that before. I still haven’t.

            But he found a guitar that interested him over in Europe somewhere, and he started bidding on it.

            To our surprise his was the highest bid, but the auction remained open for a few more days. His bid stayed at the top of the list for several days. Finally it was the last day for the auction. We watched the countdown of the last few minutes. His bid was still the highest. It looked like he would win the auction. Then at the last minute someone else made a higher bid and he lost the chance to buy this guitar.

            He was disappointed, but in the process, he found another guitar, and this one was for sale in a music store right here in North Carolina. He had enough money to pay for it, so he talked his mom into driving him to the store the next day. Just after he bought that guitar he received word from eBay that the person who had made the winning bid on the first guitar he wanted was unable to fulfill his commitment, and now the second highest bidder had the right to purchase the guitar. Right away our son started thinking of how he could afford to buy both guitars.

            He knew he had enough money, though it would be tight.

            But something just didn’t seem right about that email.

            I couldn’t imagine what had happened at eBay to cause this change overnight.

            Not long after getting that email I talked with a friend of mine who had made a number of purchases on eBay. I told him about our son’s “good fortune” and he immediately told me, “Don’t let him do it. It’s a scam.”

            He explained to me that this was a dummy website that wanted to get our son to send his financial information to them so they could steal his money. There was no guitar for him to buy.

            You know, something just didn’t seem right from the very beginning. If something seems too good to be true, it often is too good to be true.

            We just didn’t have peace about spending that money, and in the end, it saved our son several hundred dollars.

            The Bible tells us to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.” When we don’t have peace about a purchase, it is probably wise for us to hold off on buying it.

(3) Is it a matter of need or of greed?

Luke 12:15

¹⁵ Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

1 Timothy 6:9

⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

1 Corinthians 10:23

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

            We all have needs—food, shelter, utilities, clothes, transportation… but not everything we buy is a “need.”

            While I need food every day, I don’t “need” steak and lobster every day.

            Before we buy some things we should ask ourselves, “Is this something I really need, or is this something that the TV, the magazine, or my next door neighbor tells me I just have to have?”

            If I buy this thing, will it be profitable to my family, my spiritual growth, my health, my ministry, the Lord’s reputation, and will it increase my love for the Lord or could it hinder it?

            One of my neighbors passed away a couple of years ago. Since that time the family has held 3 yard sales and an auction in order to clean out all of the “stuff” that was accumulated over a lifetime of living well.

            3 yard sales and an auction! If you decided to clean out all the things in your life that you really don’t need, or use any more, how many yard sales and auctions would it take? I don’t even want to answer that, do you?

(4) What does this purchase tell me about my priorities in life?

Matthew 6:33

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Proverbs 16:8

⁸ Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.

Mark 8:36

³⁶ What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?

            Where is God’s Kingdom in this purchase?

            Where is my faith in this purchase?

            What does this purchase tell me about what is really important in my life?

            Yesterday as I was on my way to Wal-Mart in a pouring rain, I passed three men walking away from the store with a couple of plastic Wal-mart bags in their hands. When I passed by them they were roughly 2 or 3 blocks from the store. I could see the Wal-mart sign in the distance. Since it was raining so hard, the three men had the hoods on their sweat shirts pulled up, their cap bills pulled down, and they were hunched over, heading into the rain. I thought to myself, “These guys must have seriously felt they needed to make a trip to Wal-Mart, to do so on foot in a driving rain. I wonder what they purchased?”

            As I passed by them I was able to see through their rain soaked plastic Wal-Mart bags and inside were 2 cases of Bud Light.

            Our purchases tell us a lot about what is really important in our lives.

            John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, used to ask himself, and the early Methodist’s 4 questions before deciding to spend money to buy something:

1) In spending this money am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as the Lord’s trustee?

2) What Scripture requires me to spend this money in this way?

3) Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord?

4) Will God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just?

            What do you think would happen if we asked ourselves these questions from John Wesley before we got to the check out line?

            Why don’t we give this a try in the next seven days…before we get to the checkout register, how about asking ourselves these questions:

(1) Can I pay cash for this purchase or will it put me in debt?

(2) Do I have peace about making this purchase?

(3) Is it a matter of need or of greed?

(4) What does this purchase tell me about my priorities in life?

           For many years I have been an avid reader of Dan Reiland’s articles, “The Pastor’s Coach.” Just the title brings back images of my youth when I learned so much about sports skills, strategies, and life, from some great coaches that I had growing up. Reiland always has something to say that I need to hear!

           Reiland recently wrote an article that combined two of my loves into one article, music and ministry. He wrote about his experience at a recent concert featuring Crosby, Stills & Nash more than 40 years after their appearance at Woodstock (in 1969!). His reflections on finishing strong really spoke to me. I hope they will speak to you. Here are Reiland’s comments in full:

“40 Years Later”
by Dan Reiland

They played before an audience for only the second time in 1969, to a crowd of 500,000. Their first song was “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” It was at the Woodstock (Music) Festival near White Lake, New York. This event was held on Max Yasgur’s 600 acre dairy farm! Do you know the group? Crosby, Stills and Nash.

My wife Patti and I recently saw CSN at the Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta, Georgia. Chastain is a great outdoor “rain or shine” venue with a cool tradition of picnicking before and during the concert. The food varies from a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to the finest of wine and cheese over a linen tablecloth, and everything between. The music varies just as much as the food, with talent from James Taylor to the Dobbie Brothers to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

It rained that night, and no one cared. The rain only lasted about 15 minutes and helped to cool things off from what could have been another sweltering summer night in Georgia. They opened with a great acoustic set that showed-off their famous harmonies. That set the stage well for the second set where they kicked in with some of their classic rock numbers.

One thing that couldn’t help but be noticed was the multi-generational crowd. All ages from all backgrounds were there singing every word to every song! Patti and I were part of a group of six. Four were twenty-somethings, and well, let’s just say we are just a bit older!

It was a wonderful night and I couldn’t help but notice a few things that can translate to good questions about leadership.

• Who are your friends?

It’s amazing to consider that David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash have been friends for over 40 years. They’ve had their ups and downs and a few rough patches, but who hasn’t? We live in a day and age when marriage vows are optional, and roughly 50% don’t make it. So when it comes to the commitment of friendship, it is completely up for grabs.

It hasn’t been an easy road. They’ve had to negotiate everything from technical business contracts with all the minutia of royalties, to the artistic side of what notes are in what songs and who sings what part! Most marriages couldn’t survive that!

Pastors move. That’s just part of the calling of ministry, and that can be rough on friendships. Some move often and a few enjoy long tenures. Whether you are long term or short term in your church, it’s critical that you know who your true long term friends are. One of my mentors, Keith Drury, now a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University taught that by 40 years of age, we ought to know who our life-long friends are. I think he’s right.

Some pastors don’t believe it’s wise to have close friends within the church they serve, and others wouldn’t have it any other way. I believe the latter. I have deep and meaningful relationships from the churches I’ve served. The risk is greater when your close friends are in the church, but the potential reward is even greater.

I’ve also been blessed to have established great friendships during the years I served as a church consultant and leadership development coach with John Maxwell and INJOY. Still today there are many pastors who pray for me and I pray for them. We talk church, swap ideas and share some of the rough times together too. If it sounds like I’ve been blessed with friendships, I have. But I will tell you that friendships, especially the meaningful ones that last, don’t happen by themselves. They require intentional effort. I don’t mean mechanical networking. I mean taking the time to keep in touch on a personal level, and staying involved even when it’s not convenient. Genuinely caring about people always makes a difference.

• Are you doing what you love?

Some late night comedians and others like to take shots at old rockers like CSN. The last one I heard said: “Yeah, I saw them last week and they just keep coming back older, fatter and balder!” OK, it’s a little true. Crosby, Stills and Nash are grandfathers! But you just have to watch them play. They absolutely love what they do, and they are good at it! All of us thoroughly enjoyed the concert. It was like the three of them were old friends of ours and we all enjoyed the evening together.

CSN make jokes about themselves being able to remember the words and their hands not being as fast as they once were for those hot licks on lead guitar. But who cares?! Hey, if you and I can lead as well as they can sing and play when we are their age, we’ll be doing great. Let me be blunt. They can still draw thousands of people to a concert! Isn’t that a little like what you are trying to do? You want to draw people to church, and for something much greater than a music concert. The point is that it’s so important to love what you do. I believe that has everything to do with how long you are effective as a pastoral leader. When you stop loving church work, you are done!

So do you still love what you do? Church work can be rough. You serve people who think you work one day a week and have no idea you work 60 or more hours every week! The same people who fuss at you to take a day off, fuss at you if you try to take a day off on the day they want you for something. Living out those tensions isn’t easy, especially in smaller churches. You’ve got to love what you do to stay in the game.

You must also know where you are going to love what you do. I don’t think I’ve ever met a leader who is spinning their wheels without direction who loves what they do. On the other hand, I know many leaders in difficult and stressful situations who absolutely love what they do because they know where they want to go. It makes such a big difference. There are moments when you may not love what you do, but you can always be doing what you love.

• Are you playing new music?

I met Crosby, Stills, and Nash when they played at a cool downtown venue in San Diego. That was a number of years ago and they were more engaged in writing and playing new songs. I could tell they loved playing the new stuff even though the crowd wanted to hear their favored classics.

The new stuff keeps any band energized and in the game. When you write new stuff, you must write from the heart and write what you feel, but you must also write what record publishers will get behind and sell! You must write what radio stations will play. This kind of stress keeps you sharp, and good and in the game.

The best of the best keep writing new songs. I’m a fan of Paul McCartney. He’s 67 and still writing and singing new songs. He too was recently in Atlanta and played to an outdoor crowd of over 40,000 people. Even though all the fans wanted to hear the vintage Beatle songs, I believe the new stuff is what keeps McCartney going.

So how about you as a leader? Are you only playing the same old songs you’ve always played? The people may love some of them, but if you don’t dig in and write some new stuff, the crowds will start to dwindle. You must grow as a leader, listen to new ideas, and learn new ways of doing things. You may think that will drain you of your energy, but in fact, it will energize you.

I have some of my most fun learning from our twenty-somethings on staff. If you think about it, one of the reasons they are so alive and lead well is that all their “songs” are new. Life and leadership is all fresh for them! Keep pressing forward. Keep learning, keep thinking, and may your leadership play out like a new song for the people you lead!

What do you think about people who are all about calling attention to themselves? They are the ones that have to sing the loudest in the choir, or brag the most about their accomplishments. They also seem to be the ones who are always in the midst of one drama after another.

Why do people do that?

Just recently I read something from Craig Groeshcel, the pastor of Lifechurch.tv that helped me with this:

When looking for great leaders, those who are truly great (or potentially great) usually don’t tell you they are great. In fact, they often don’t realize they are exceptionally gifted by God to lead.

With rare exceptions, when someone initially rattles off a resume of success, I find that most of the time these “apparently” great leaders either are:

A) very insecure, or

B) overselling themselves.

Those who are truly the best don’t seem to be driven to convince you they are the best. The most gifted do more than they talk.

I think pastor Groeschel is on to something here. What do you think?

Deuteronomy 10:12-14

¹² And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? ¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

            Just this week we celebrated an ominous anniversary for our country. This past Tuesday (September 15, 2009) we commemorated the one year anniversary of the fall of the Leman Brothers Bank. In many ways, it was the fall of Leman Brothers Bank that became the first domino to down in what was soon an all out financial meltdown in the United States economy. On the day that Leman Brothers filed for bankruptcy the Dow Jones Stock Exchange fell 500 points, the single greatest one day decline since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  And with that, the whole house of cards began to collapse. We find ourselves today, one year later, still impacted by an uncertain economy.

            I want to begin a new series today called “Financial Peace In Turbulent Times.” Over the last year I have been reminded time and time again that the church has done a poor job in teaching people God’s principles of finance and money management. Oh, once a year or so we begrudgingly work in a message or a study on giving, which precipitates comments for the following several weeks about how all the church does is talk about money. Then we shy away for the next 51 weeks.

            I will be the first to tell you, that we have done the church a disservice by omitting the teachings of the Bible, in the areas of money management, and fiscal responsibility.

            Jesus talked about money management more than He talked about heaven. There are more than 1,600 verses in the Bible that speak to the issue of financial management. God filled the Scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament with wise counsel of the proper use of money. And we have virtually overlooked everything that God has tried to teach us.

            The events of the past 12 months have been very revealing to me. So I want to offer this series to help us understand God’s financial principles and in the meantime, hopefully to experience financial peace in these turbulent times.

            Let me tell what got me thinking about this series. As the economic meltdown took place over the past year, I began to notice a pattern in comments that I heard, and situations that I saw. I noticed that the financial strain in our economy was starting to put a strain of marriages, families, and relationships.

            According to a survey asking the question, “Do finances create conflict in your marriage?” 82% of the people responding said “yes.” 11% of the people said “sometimes,” and only 5% said “no.” Do the math on that for a moment. When asked the question, “Do finances create conflict in your marriage?” 93% of those surveyed said, “yes, at least sometimes.”

            93%! That’s an epidemic!

            If 93% of the population came down with the swine flu, our country would be in a panic.

            But here we have 93% of people surveyed declaring that finances create conflict in their marriage.

            Is there any way to find financial peace in those situations?

            Is there a way for us to have financial peace even in the midst of our present economic downturn and an uncertain economic future?

            And one more question…and this is the important one…does the Bible offer us any wisdom to live by, in turbulent economic times?

            That’s what this series for the next few weeks is all about.

            So let’s dive in.

            The first principle that we are going to look at today, is the key to financial peace. Everything else in life is built on this one idea. Here it is:

(1) Everything Belongs To God.

Psalm 24:1-2

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; ² for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

            What belongs to God? “The earth, and everything in it!” When the Bible says “everything belongs to God,” what does that cover? It covers everything!

            The late Bishop Edwin Hughes once delivered a powerful sermon on “God’s Ownership” that got under the skin of a wealthy member of his church. The wealthy man took the Bishop to his elaborate estate for lunch, and then walked him through his elaborate gardens, woodlands, and farm. “Now are you going to tell me,” he demanded when the tour was completed, “that all this land does not belong to me?” Bishop Hughes smiled and suggested, “Ask me that same question a hundred years from now.”

            Someone said, “The surest way to prove that everything belongs to God and not to us, is to die.”

            No one comes into this world wearing diapers, and no one takes anything with them when they leave this world.

            We already know the answer to the question, “How much are they going to leave behind when they die?”

            “All of it!”

            In the Old Testament lesson from Deuteronomy this morning you read these words:

¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. {Deuteronomy 10:14}

            Everything belongs to God, the Bible says. And what does God say we are to do?

Trust God, and obey God. Listen to those words again:

¹² And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? {Deuteronomy 10:12-13}

            Everything belongs to God. All we are asked to do by God is to acknowledge that truth, and to obey Him. He is in charge of all the rest!

(2) Everything I Have Belongs To God.

1 Chronicles 29:11-14

¹¹ Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  ¹² Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. ¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. ¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

Haggai 2:8

⁸ ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

            At dinner one night this week, the discussion turned to one of our sons who had gotten his braces off this week. Family members were commenting on how his teeth looked. I made the comment that they were not “his” teeth. Since I had written the check for the braces, I said I felt like they were “our teeth.” They were in his mouth, but I was the owner of them.

            Then this discussion broke out about who really owned these teeth.

            Finally someone said, “They belong to God. They are God’s teeth.” Someone else said, “The money that paid for those teeth came from God. God is the owner of them.”

            That was a good dinner table discussion!

            Everything in our lives takes on a new appearance when we realize that all we have belongs to God, and is a gift to us from God.

            When we begin to live by that truth, we appreciate what we have much more, and we use the things we have, much differently.

            The Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe is known for their high end, luxury watches. They are also known in Europe for having a catchy advertising slogan: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely take care of it for the next generation.”

            So it is with what we “own”: money, gifts, ministries, time, and our very lives.

 (3) I Belong To God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

            Not only does the Bible tell us that everything we have belongs to God, but clearly we are taught that even our very lives belong to God as well.

            The Bible says we were both made by God, and bought by God.

            Once there was a young boy who spent many hours building a little sailboat, crafting it with care down the smallest detail. He then took it to a nearby river to sail it. When he put it in the water, however, it moved away from him very quickly. Though he chased it along the bank, he couldn’t keep up with it. The strong wind and current carried his boat away. The heartbroken boy knew how hard he would have to work to build another sailboat.

            Farther down the river, a man found that little boat, took it to town, and sold it at a pawn shop. Later that day, as the boy was walking through town, he noticed the boat in the store window.

            He quickly went into the store and told the owner that the boat belonged to him, it had his own little marks on it, but he couldn’t prove to the store owner that the boat was his. The man told him the only way he could get the boat was to buy it. The boy wanted it back so badly that he did exactly that.

            As he took the boat from the hand of the shopkeeper, he looked at it and said, “Little boat, you’re twice mine. I made you and I bought you.”

            All of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are twice God’s! God created us and on the cross, God bought us!

            In Disney’s animated movie Toy Story, Woody (a plush toy cowboy) confronts Buzz Lightyear (a toy astronaut) with the fact that he is only an action figure and not really a space hero. Early in the movie Woody shouts, “You’re not a space ranger! You’re an action figure—a child’s plaything.”

            Only after failing to fly, Buzz realizes the truth of Woody’s statement. Grief-stricken and disillusioned, Buzz hangs his head in resignation, declaring, “I’m just a stupid, little, insignificant toy.”

            Woody later seeks to comfort his friend by underscoring the love of the boy who owns them both. “You must not be thinking clearly. Look, over in that house, there’s a kid who thinks you’re the greatest, and it’s not because you’re a space ranger; it’s because you’re his.”

            As Buzz lifts his foot, he sees a label affixed to the bottom of his little shoe. There in black permanent ink is the name of the little boy to whom he belongs. Seeing the image of his owner, Buzz breaks into a smile and takes on a new determination to save the day.

(4) God Will Use His Resources To Meet All My Needs.

Philippians 4:19

¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

            If you have lived much life at all, you are probably well aware that putting your trust in the economy, your employer, or your bank account is not a good idea. They are all fair-weather friends. They all can be helping you greatly one minute, and then the next everything has changed.

God, however is always faithful. That is why we should always be trust God, and God alone, as our supply! It doesn’t matter if there is a financial crisis, if you get laid off, or your 401k loses 37% – God will still supply all your needs, just like He promised.

            God’s message to us in good times and turbulent times is always the same, “Everything belongs to me…including you and all your needs. I will gladly use some of My riches in glory to take care of everything you will ever need. Can you trust Me to do that?”

            True financial peace comes when we transfer the title deed of all we have, and all we are, back to God who owns it, and who gave it.

            We say to God, “Everything I have belongs to You. I thank You for giving it to me. Today I place it back into Your hand and acknowledge You as the rightful owner, and I am blessed to be Your caretaker. I will trust You to take care of all I have, and all I need. You always have in the past, and You promise You always will in the future.”

            Do you think you could do that today?

            Do you believe if you did you could have financial peace, regardless of whether the stock market is on the way up, or on the way down?

            It is said that Queen Victoria, who reigned over England for over 63 years said, “I wish Jesus would come back in my lifetime. I would lay my crown at his feet.”

Would you be willing to do the same?

Matthew 7:1-5

                ¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye.

            In C.S. Lewis’s, The Chronicles Of Narnia, there is a character named Puddleglum. What a descriptive name! “Puddleglum.” You can almost tell what he is like can’t you?

            According to C.S. Lewis’s imagination, Puddleglum is a Marsh-wiggle who lives in a wigwam in the Eastern Marshes. He is known for expecting the worst possible scenario in every situation. When the children first meet Puddleglum, he is fishing for eels, and he tells them he does not expect to catch any eels, but ends up catching a dozen or so. One of the children described Puddleglum as “a wet blanket.”

            Let me introduce Puddleglum to you in his own words, from the book The Silver Chair, in the Chronicles of Narnia.

            “Puddleglum’s my name. But it doesn’t matter if you forget it. I can always tell you again.” (SC, Ch. 5)

            “Why, it’s not in reason that you should like our sort of [food], though I’ve no doubt you’ll put a bold face on it. All the same, while I am a catching [eels], if you two could try to light the fire—no harm trying—! The wood’s behind the wigwam. It may be wet. You could light it inside the wigwam, and then we’d get all the smoke in our eyes. Or you could light it outside, and then the rain would come and put it out. Here’s my tinder-box. You wouldn’t know how to use it, I expect.” (SC, Ch. 5)

            “Those eels will take a mortal long time to cook, and either of you might faint with hunger before they’re done. I knew a little girl—but I’d better not tell you that story. It might lower your spirits, and that’s a thing I never do.” (SC, Ch. 5)

            “And you must always remember there’s one good thing about being trapped down here: It’ll save funeral expenses.” (SC, Ch. 14)

            C. S. Lewis’ inspiration for Puddleglum came from Fred Paxford (1898 – 1979), who served as a handyman, a gardener, and occasional cook for over 30 years at Lewis’ home (the Kilns) in Oxford. Paxford was described as “a simple and earthy man who might be called a cheerful, eternal pessimist.” If someone said “good morning” to Paxford, he might respond by saying “Ah, looks like rain before lunch though if it doesn’t snow or hail that is.”

            Do you know any Puddleglum’s in your life?

            You know what I’m talking about…people who are quick to criticize, find fault, and complain about everything and everyone.

            They are fun to be around, aren’t they?

            They make life such a joy, don’t they?

            Why do people do that?

            Why are they so quick to judge, find fault, and criticize?

            Are they that much more superior and perfect than everyone else?

            Why is it that some folks are known for nothing more than having a “critical spirit?”

            A “critical spirit,” is an obsessive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which seeks to tear others down.

            A person with a critical spirit usually dwells on the negative, looks for flaws rather than good things. They’re a complainer, usually always upset, and generally have a problem or a complaint about something. They often have little control over their tongue, their temper, and have tendencies for gossip and slander.

            Have you ever wondered what causes people to have a critical spirit?

            For one thing, I think it is insecurity. Criticism is often a subconscious means to “elevate one’s own self image.” We may not think it, but when we tear other people down, it makes us feel like we are raising ourselves up.

            Another reason for a critical spirit is immaturity. People who have not grown spiritually may still act like a child. They may see other people who are growing and developing in their faith and feel threatened by it, due to their lack of growth. This jealousy causes people to focus on the flaws and shortcomings of others, instead of working to deal with their own.

            A third reason for a critical spirit is a mind that has not been renewed by the transforming power of God.

            Romans 12:2 says:

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

            Put-downs, making-fun-of, criticism, sarcasm are the world’s ways of reacting to the faults of people. However, as Christians we don’t behave this way. Our thinking and attitude should be renewed by the Word of God, which teaches us to bear the infirmities of the weak, to love, and show compassion and encouragement (Rom. 12:2).

            And finally, I think a critical spirit is a symptom of evil. In the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, Satan is referred to as “the accuser of our brothers and sisters.”

            Listen to that verse from Revelation 12:10:

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

            Are you an accuser of the brothers and sisters?

            I think we need to remind ourselves that to be overcome by a critical spirit is to be under the influence of evil!

            The Bible tells us how we are to use the words that come out of our mouths. In Ephesians 4:29 the Bible says:

                ²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

            When Jesus was teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount how to get along with others, He spoke about having a “critical spirit.”

            Let’s look at what He had to teach us.

(1) A critical spirit toward others is a sign of a deeper issue within (Matthew 7:3).

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3)

            Jesus describes people who can always find the worst in every person and every situation.

            Do you know people like that?

            They are folks who are quick to spot every thing wrong with others, but they never seem to see anything wrong with themselves.

            I heard a story once about a little boy named Andrew. While visiting a neighbor, five-year-old Andrew pulled out his kindergarten class picture and immediately began describing each classmate. Here is what he said: “This is Robert; he hits everyone. This is Stephen. He never listens to the teacher. This is Mark. He chases us and is very noisy.” Pointing to his own picture, Andrew commented, “And this is me. I’m just sitting here minding my own business.”

            Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout this country on the powerful, and often negative, impact of words. He often asks audiences if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying “yes.” Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, “no!”

The Rabbi responds: “Those who can’t answer ‘yes’ must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go 24 hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go 24 hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue.”

(2) People tend to criticize the worst in others what they hate the most in themselves (Matthew 7:4).

⁴ How can you say, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

            Have you ever thought that maybe what people find most offensive in others is the very thing they are struggling with in their own lives…and maybe at an even greater level?

            In his book Confessions of a Pastor, Craig Groeschel tells a story that happened to him:

            One time I was praying during worship, a few moments before preaching. Eyes closed, focusing on God, I felt someone slip a note into my hand. I never saw who it was, but the note was marked “Personal.” I thought to myself, Someone probably wrote a nice note to encourage me before I preach. A warm, loving feeling settled over me as I unfolded the paper.

A moment later, I lost that loving feeling.

            Evidently, the note was from a woman who had tried to see me on Friday, my day off. She took offense at my absence and blasted me with hateful accusations. This happened literally seconds before I was to stand up to preach. In that moment, I had a choice. I could internalize the offense and become demoralized and discouraged. Or I could ask myself, I wonder what she’s experiencing that caused her to lash out?

            I chose compassion over depression. My heart hurt for her. I knew that such a disproportionate reaction must indicate deep pain, so I didn’t take her note personally.

            Here’s what Groeschel wants us to know from this story:

            It’s a fact that “hurt people hurt people.” They usually dislike themselves and criticize others in a misguided effort to validate themselves. If one of these injured souls lobs a criticism grenade in your direction, defuse it with understanding. Part of considering the source is seeking awareness of what that person may be going through…

Consider the source. And consider the possibility that the jab may have come from an injured heart. Dismiss it and move on. If you don’t, you may become the very thing you despise.

            Pastor Groeschel is right. The next time you are on the receiving end of a critical spirit you might try two responses. First, just say to yourself, “Hello Puddleglum!” Just don’t say it out loud! Secondly, you need to remind yourself that they person spewing out all this hurt is a hurting person and they need help. As Groeschel says, “Consider the source.” Give them the compassion, forgiveness, and grace they need. Then, move on!

            Thomas à Kempis once said:

            Be not angry that you cannot make others as you want them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

(3) It is best to look in the mirror before looking out the window (Matthew 7:5).

⁵ …first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye. (Matthew 7:5)

            Do you see what Jesus means?

            Before we are to look out the window to fix the problems of others, we would be wise to look in the mirror and see our own. Jesus would have us “fix” us, before we try to “fix” others!

            A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

            The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young

woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

            ‘That laundry is not very clean’, she said.

‘She doesn’t know how to wash correctly.

Perhaps she needs better laundry detergent.’

            Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

            Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the

young woman would make the same comments.

            About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a

nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

            ‘Look, our neighbor has finally learned how to wash clothes correctly.

 I wonder who taught her this?’

            The husband said, ‘I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.’

            And so it is with life. What we see when watching others

depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

            In James 2:13 the Bible says, “…mercy triumphs over judgment.”

            When Jesus looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin, though it is abundant. He sees His sacrifice which washes us clean. Instead of judgment, Jesus offers us mercy.

            And He tells us that we are to love others, as He has loved us.

            In this world, there is nothing else but sinful, flawed people.

            Will you allow mercy to triumph over judgment in your dealings with them?

            And may Jesus offer us the same judgment that we offer others!