It is for Freedom that Christ set us Free

I had the opportunity to share the message at New Hope Maui on 12/4/11 ... If I get any audio I will post it later.

The message was on Galatians 5:  It is for Freedom that Christ set us Free.

The illustration was that sometimes how we see the world is impaired by our bondage.

Galatians 5

 ¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

 ² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

 ⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

 ¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

 ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Participating With God

I had the opportunity to share the sermon message at New Hope Maui on 8.21.11.

I spoke about God's challenge to me to become more intimate with Him.

The Parable of the Sower can be found in ...
     Matthew, Chapter 13; 
     Mark, Chapter 4; 
     and Luke, Chapter 8.

I also shared from 2 Peter 1:3-9

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Click here if you would like to download this message.

When The Past Catches Up With You ...

Have you ever been on a long road trip?  Cruising in the fast lane, "going with the flow of traffic", making good time? Then realize it would be nice to stretch your legs, maybe use the bathroom or get something to eat, so you find a good place to stop?  Then, after you are back on the road, back in the fast lane, you catch up and pass the same car you passed 50 miles ago?

Then that car becomes your highway arch-nemesis?  Where it seems for the entire length of the freeway through the next state, you are ever "leapfrogging" with this clever rival?  Your bladder gets a little fuller as you try to hold off as long as possible to make your next stop, knowing you will lose the valuable lead you have attained.  Your stomach growls a little louder in protest to your oversight of the last 6 food signs.  Your travel-mates grow restless unaware of the highway battle that is ensuing.

My past is like that.  There is a period of my life (of which the time frame is kind of hazy) in 1994/1995 where my decision making skills were, shall we say, being challenged.  And there have been many times where there has been something, sometime, somewhere, that has reminded me of those days.  And then I get on with my life and leave those memories behind.

However, the problem is, that many of my guilt and shame issues come directly from that time period.  Mainly around sex.  So, "getting on with my life", has really been more along the lines of, "stuffing these emotions and memories in a box and trying to leave it behind and never think of it again".

Recently, via Facebook, someone "found" me from the era of my life, which in turn has become other people finding me.  Which in turn has become being tagged in a picture or two.

My sister (who has her own blog) can confirm or deny if she is in this photo

So now, it feels like instead of "leapfrogging" my Highway adversary, they have pulled into the same resaurant I have stopped at and are walking through the front doors.  Our eyes lock onto each other with an unspoken understanding.  

Perhaps it's time I introduce myself.

Don't Judge Me

I had the opportunity to share the sermon message at New Hope Maui on 3.13.11.

I spoke from Romans 14:1 thru 15:7, "Weak Faith"



Click here to download the message.

Who told you that you were naked?

I told myself I wasn't going to write another blog post until I finished the Freedom story.  But alas, though I know a few aspects of the next couple parts, the flow of how do get there is not forthcoming.

So, since October, when I've had the thought, "I should write about [insert clever, witty or thought provoking post title here]" ... I would reply, "Not until you finish the story ... "  Self-conversation aside, I have come to realize that the story will finish when it "needs" to (for me), but in the mean time, writing is a very good outlet to express and grasp some of the swirling thoughts in my head ... both trivial and spiritual.  To muse upon my ruminations, so to speak.

At the core of the Freedom story are my struggles with guilt and shame.  I think these are familiar feelings we all experience and they hinder us in experiencing the fullness of our lives.  As God has been helping me along in this struggle, I have become very aware of the effects of guilt and shame in my own kids.  It is heartbreaking to watch them lose their innocence and I find myself exasperated sometimes and at a loss of what I can do to protect them.  I am also aware that I, myself, am a contributor.

That is hard to admit.  However, the confession in itself brings freedom; the admission brings about a desire to become better; the awareness looks for opportunities to build up instead of knock down.

When my son pees his pants because he was distracting playing, I can encourage him to remember when his body is telling him to go potty, instead of suggesting he's not a baby anymore.

When my daughter flies into a dramatic fit because she doesn't remember I already kissed her goodnight, I can kiss and hug her again, instead of saying, "Just because you don't remember it, doesn't mean it didn't happen."

When I come home exhausted from work and I just want to rest, but my daughter says, "I want to spend time with you."  Instead of demanding "me" time, I can swoop them up and ask, "What would you like to do?"

When my son comes to me deflating because his friend got in his face and kept yelling that he is a "F**king B**ch" for accidentally hitting another kid while playing basketball, I can give him a giant hug and suggest playing Minecraft, instead of "forcing" him to resolve the conflict.

I heard someone say once, "Hurt people hurt people."  That is so true.  Guilt and shame make us feel naked and because we feel naked we want others to feel naked too.  Sometimes, our response (even to our own children) when they say to us, "I've been beaten and stripped.  I am naked," is to agree with them and say, "Yes, you are."

Who told you that you were naked? - God, Genesis 3:11

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness ... - You, Isaiah 61:10.