Senior Night

Tonight is a night we honor the Senior class of 2015. I look forward to this night as I get to sit back and listen to what God has done in their lives over the past several years. It’s a time when they challenge the younger students to continue on the course they have set.

It is a bit risky, too. I’m not telling them what to say. I’m letting them share from the heart. I trust them. I trust them because they have been faithful and committed to Christ, youth group and church.

This year I have 5 graduates. The Fab Five: Brooke, Abby, Shaq, Shane and Bobby. Each one has played a significant role in our youth group. Brooke and Abby stepped up to be small group leaders this past year. Shane, Shaq, Bobby and Brooke have been in the youth praise team for the past few years. Each one has grown tremendously and have been anchors in our group. They are dependable and trustworthy.

It’s exciting because it’s a time to listen to their heart and see their growth.

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  (2 Timothy 2:2 ESV)

Paul challenged young Timothy to learn from him and pass on the knowledge of the Gospel to others who will continue to teach others. These Fab Five have been sharing their faith and I believe will continue to share their faith. Tonight they challenge the younger students to do the same.

It’s also a sad night. It’s sad because the realization that my time with them is coming to an end. They will move on in a few months. Some will be going to college out of town. Some will be attending the college group on Thursdays instead of youth group on Wednesday. Yet I am confident with this group that they will continue to pursue Christ and make Him known.

 I don’t want to dwell on the sad part. Instead, I am going to rejoice in the time we have right now. I am excited to hear them share. I know they will be a blessing to our group.

Facing the Impossible

“I can’t do it!”

We’ve all said it, felt it and have been overwhelmed with it. Defeat. Small or big, we hate failure. It is disheartening and discouraging.

What makes matters worse, is that we aren’t prepared for failure. From a very young age, we are taught the axiom, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” We are told, “you can be and do anything you want.” “Pick yourself up by the bootstraps” and “get ‘er done!”

We think we are being trained to be self-reliant, but find ourselves ill equipped when we fail. It’s part of being human, to fail. It’s human pride to think we can do everything on our own. But sooner or later, we will be faced with something immense, to big for us to handle. It’s in these moments that prove the manner of person we are.

Facing the Impossible

Consider Joshua in the Old Testament (Joshua 5:13-6:27). Joshua was one of two spies who went into the Promised Land and believed God would deliver on His promise (Numbers 13). Because of his faithfulness to God and support of Moses, God chose Joshua to be Moses’s successor in leading the nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 31). 

The conquest of the Promised Land requires that Israel has to encounter the city of Jericho. Jericho was one of the oldest and largest cities in the world. It had the strongest fortifications and a large army gearing up for a fight against Israel. Destroying this city was Joshua’s objective. This task would be like getting a peewee football team to beat the defending Superbowl Champions, the New England Patriots.

Not only is the task before him huge, the provisions have dried up. For forty years in the wilderness, God had provided manna each morning for food. Yet as they approached Jericho, the manna stopped coming (Joshua 5:12). They couldn’t go back or just wait, because there was no more manna. They had to control the land. Joshua faced an impossible task with one option, go forward or die.  

Personal Encounter

The text doesn’t give an abundance of details about what happens next, but it is my opinion that Joshua was alone on a walk trying to figure things out. He was after all the general, possibly surveying the lay of the land and considering his attack strategy. Maybe he was struggling with worry or anxiety. Probably was thinking, “why me?” or “I’m not the right guy for this task!”

He looks up and sees a man with a drawn sword. This was not just any man, as we read later, this was the pre-incarnate Christ. This was an appearing of Jesus, the Son of God, in the Old Testament before He came as a baby. He is the commander of the army of the Lord.

Joshua asks, “are you on my side?” Jesus’ response was simply, “No.”

Submission, the Posture of Success

Joshua fell on his face before Jesus and worshipped Him.

This is so critical for Joshua’s success. God does not pick sides. He does not play favorites. The question is, are you on God’s side. It’s not about your agenda; it’s about God’s agenda. Will you be faithful to your call?

As Joshua realizes that he is not the one in control, but Jesus is; he falls down and worships. He spends time with Jesus. Before engaging in the impossible task, Joshua has a personal encounter with Jesus. This is huge. He is now in the place to hear directly from God what he is supposed to do.

Radical Obedience

Jesus’ strategy made no sense from a military strategists perspective. “You will march around the city, blowing trumpets and singing praises. I will give you victory.”

No supply of weapons. No military tanks or trebuchets. No atomic bomb. Just marching and signing orders. And the seventh day, do it seven times.

What went through the minds of the people when Joshua stood up and said, “thus says the Lord…we are going to march in circles and sing!”

Yet Joshua did march around. He led the people and they followed him. Their obedient march of praise and worship to God resulted in the crumbling of the walls of Jericho. God won the victory.

Joshua’s encounter with God, surrender of his will and obedience led to one of the most powerful statements in Scripture: “So the Lord was with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27). No task is impossible when you are with Jesus.

How About You?

Today you might be facing an impossible task. It could be school, exams, job, finances, relationship, future…you name it. You might be tempted to give up. You might not feel qualified. You might feel trapped.

Learn from Joshua.

Seek a personal encounter with Jesus. John 15 tells us that Jesus want to spend time with you. He wants an intimate friendship with you. Think about it…God Almighty wants to spend time with you! Seek His face and ask Him to move in your situation.

Surrender your will to His. Let go of your worry, anxiety and frustrations. Lay them at cross and trust His plan for your life. Trust that He knows better then you do. Even when it doesn’t seem to make sense, God’s way is better.

Obey what He tells you through His Word, through prayer and through other godly people. Obedience leads to victory and overcoming the impossible. You CAN do ALL THINGS through Jesus Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13).

What if Joshua disobeyed? What if he decided to try human wisdom and do it his own way? Jericho may never have been defeated, Rahab may never have been rescued, and the line of Jesus would have been radically different.

Yet he did obey. He showed us a pattern to follow. Will you follow it? What will God do through your obedience? 

Bookends: a conclusion to our study on dating in 2 Timothy

This week we are concluding our series on Dating Warfare. Just some concluding thoughts to wrap up a series on Honor, Courage, Commitment and Example. We too often consider the dating scene and romance as flippantly as the culture does. Yet as followers of Jesus Christ we are called to a much fuller life then what the world or media displays.

Do you ever look around from the celebrity break ups to the divorce of family friends, or even your parents, and think that there must be more to romance then this? I do.

As a pastor I struggle so much with seeing the pain and destruction of lives all around me. I want to fix every brokenness I encounter, but I can’t. I can see the brokenness, but I can’t repair it. Neither can you. Only Jesus can.

I can tell people what the Word of God says, but I cannot make them obey it. I can preach the Gospel, but I cannot make someone believe it. I can tell you what the Creator says about love, sex and romance, but I can’t make you follow His path.

Each person must encounter Christ and choose to follow Him. As you choose to follow Christ, you will appreciate the encouragement of other believers who all seeking to walk with Jesus together. Yet it starts with a repentant heart and desire for Christ.

Yes I just slipped into an apologetic for the Gospel at the beginning of a lesson on dating. Dating is broken. It is two sinners, to very selfish people trying to fulfill longings and desires as best they can with competing views about sex, intimacy and love all jumbled up in their heads. The Gospel is the only answer to give to help people navigate the war within.  The Gospel promises life, life to the full.

The Promise of Life

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:1-2 ESV)

Paul tells Timothy that the reason he is an apostle is by the will of God according to the promise of life in Christ. He is saying, “I do what I do because there is true life, a life worth living, a life that is fulfilling, a life the way it is meant to be that can only be found in Jesus.”

We are encountered again with a choice we have to make: do we trust God, or do we trust man? The promise that we find in Christ, when we follow Him, is that our relationships will be fulfilling and wonderful. This implies that there is a belief and a way of living that will lead to this.

The world teaches that God’s way is prude and ridiculous. Sex is no big deal and a lasting marriage is only for the fairy tales. Relationships are about the feelings, when they are gone move on. Pursue happiness above all else, be true to yourself and do what you want, after all you only live once. 

The Proverbs remind us that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 14:12 ESV).

What is God’s way?

Pursue of Purity

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22 ESV)

Paul tells us that we are to flee from the worldly teachings, the fleshly lusts and the immature views of relationship. We all go through phases of incorrect thinking as we mature. The question is, are you maturing?

In short, love Jesus with all you are and He will work out the details. Or put another way, in life, run toward Christ with all you got. Establish your pace. Then look around and see who is running with you.

Practically this is seen by putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Become more like Jesus. God says to be “holy as I am holy.” So we ask the question, “how pure can I be” not, “how far is too far”?

When we pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace we begin to see that life is about bringing glory to God, not our personal happiness. You begin to see that true joy and happiness abound when you glorify God with your life. You realize what you thought was fulfilling and made you happy was actually slowly destroying you and robbing you of joy.

Make a pure heart your goal in relationships and see how God blesses you.

Rescue and Safety

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18 ESV)

We must be reminded though, that we do live in a broken and sinful world. What this means is that you have or will encounter sin in your relationships. Maybe someone has already sinned against you and abused you relationally, emotionally, physically or sexually. If you have been abused, it’s not your fault. Jesus wants to bring healing and hope. God in heaven has not forgotten about you and He loves you. Though this world is full of fear and uncertainties, God promises that we do not have to fear our eternity! He is loving rescue.

Maybe you have committed sin in your relationships. If you have looked at porn, fooled around sexually, had sex or mistreated people, this verse promises that Jesus will rescue you and bring you to safety. He will forgive you and restore purity. When you trust Christ, He makes you brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The moment you trust Him and walk in His way, you can have confidence that He will guide you into a fuller life.

Never Alone

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. (2 Timothy 4:22 ESV)

Doing the right thing, following Jesus, can feel lonely at times. Every movie and TV show you watch seem to be telling you things in opposition to God’s Word. Your friends at school are all living differently then what you know God wants you to do. Sometimes even your family doesn’t support God’s view of relationships.

When it seems like everything is against you, remember that Jesus is with you. He is walking this path with you. He promises that He will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Hold fast to His Words and you will reap your reward. Don’t settle for the cheap imitation this world has to offer, but strive for and wait for the real thing.

I know the promises of God are true. I cling to them everyday. When I fail, I run to Him for forgiveness. When I am lonely, I seek His presence. When I am confused, I read His Word for guidance. My desire is to live every part of my life in such a way that brings glory to Jesus. My hope is that my relational pursuits are done in such a way that God is glorified and each of us encouraged no matter what the outcome is.

For me when I date, I seek to encourage the girl I date in her walk with God. I seek to treat her the way God would want me to treat His daughter. I seek to help her see that she is created in the image of God and is beautiful the way she is and is loved by her Creator. In doing these things, I hope that she will have a better understanding of what God wants for her, whether we get married or not. Because it’s not about me, it’s not about her, it is about Jesus.

A Tale of Two Friends

Paul writes a very impassioned and poignant treaties to young Timothy. He gave a charge for his ministry, a warning about the times and a reminder of his example to him. These are profound, direct and urgent.

Yet there is a subtle illustration left for him. I almost missed it. Read 2 Timothy 4:9-22 under the heading “Personal Instructions.” Did you catch it?

You may not at first. If you are like me, you get to a list of names and kind of go “blah, blah, blah,” and wonder why God didn’t give these guys good American names that are easy to pronounce. Then I look between the names to see if there is anything there for me so I can say I didn’t miss it. Yet sometimes its in the very names themselves that we see what is being given.

Each name is a real person. A REAL person, meaning they had doubts, worries, and fears. They had passions, joys and feelings. They were very much like you and I. Sure a different time and different country. But very much like us.

A Tale of Two Friends

What I never caught before was two guys on Paul’s list. They appear here, in Paul’s final written greeting recorded. What a list to be on! The greatest missionary of all time, writer of 2/3 of the New Testament and an apostle of Jesus Christ writes your name in a final greeting, I couldn’t imagine!

Paul records two guys with two very different statements describing them. Both of them had similar opportunities at the beginning. They both were companions with Paul and had traveled across the world for the sake of the Gospel. Yet their stories become very different.

Are you in or out?

John was selected early to be an assistant to Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. Man they had a time of it. John heard some amazing sermons and saw some crazy things. Perhaps the intensity of the trip and confrontations with magicians were a bit to much for him, and John packed his bags and went back to Jerusalem (Acts 12-13). Paul didn’t seem to care much for quitters, so he “shook the dust” from his feet and kept moving on for the Gospel.

Some time later, Barnabas wanted give John another opportunity, but Paul forbid it (Acts 15). Have you ever been in an argument with your best friend? An argument with such harsh disagreement that you parted ways? It is something very significant. Paul had given John a chance and he failed, so he was done. Barnabas, the encourager, saw potential in John and chose to disciple him at great cost. The team split up, Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John and they went their separate ways.

Things are not always as they appear

Somewhere on his journey’s Paul encountered Demas. Not much is known about him, but he is seen as a companion and close confidant of Paul’s. He too had the privilege of traveling city to city, hearing Paul defend the faith in synagogues across the land. He is included in Paul’s list of close friends in a letter to the Colossians and to Philemon.

Interesting enough, we see Mark listed with Demas in both of these places. Paul had at some point allowed Mark, also known as John, back on his team. Demas and John traveled together under the discipleship of the apostle Paul. What an amazing opportunity.

It’s not how you begin but how you end

Once again, we are back in 2 Timothy 4, the end of Paul’s life and the concluding remarks we know about these two friends. Paul is transparent in his hurt, his pain and his love.

Demas has abandoned Paul, but not only Paul. Demas was once part of the inner circle and now it says, “in love with this present world.” At some point, though he was close to an amazing teacher of the Bible and had amazing Christian friends, Demas chose to love the world over God. Jesus told us that we cannot love this world and God, we must choose. Demas chose poorly. Demas had a great start, but his end is heartbreaking.

John had a rocky start. He quite and Paul saw him as useless. Paul even divided from his best friend because he felt John was a loser. Yet, Paul changed his mind. He tells his young disciple Timothy to bring John with him. In his last days, Paul wanted John close to him because he saw he was useful.

Your story

What can we learn from John and Demas? Especially as we are concluding our Dating Warfare series?

Demas was the guy who looked like he had it all together. He hung out with the right people and he talked the talk. Yet his heart was drawn away by the enticements of this world. He stopped believing the truth and he bought into the lies. He allowed the love for pleasure and this life to consume him and he departed from those who he trusted.

The Proverbs say “he that thinks he stands, beware lest he falls.” Or put another way, “pride comes before the fall.” When you think you got it all together, that you are different or special and that you can bend/break rules and it will work out, watch out. It only takes a moment of weakness to give into the lies, but if you continue to follow the lies you will begin to believe them. Remember “sin takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer then you want to stay, and will cost you more then you want to pay.”

John got off to a rocky start. He joined up and gave it a shot, but felt like it was too much for him. He turned back. Yet he saw the errors of his ways, sought out his cousin Barnabas and asked him to mentor him. Before too long he was hanging out with the right crowd and learning to be faithful to his call. He followed the truth and God blessed him for it. Paul recognized the change and trusted him.

In your life, you may make mistakes…you will make mistakes. But it does not have to end there. Never give up. Surround yourself with godly Christian influences. Enlist a mentor who can help you make good decisions. Allow the truth of God’s Word to defeat the lies. Become a John and not a Demas.

Maybe you have messed up. Maybe you messed up big time. Maybe you are dating the wrong guy, or you have had sex, or you have a broken heart. It is not too late. God is a forgiving God who can bring healing to your heart. Turn to Him, trust Him and ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9). He will never turn you away and He will make you new (2 Corinthians 5:17).