Biddeford Church of Christ

In last week’s lesson, I used an example of how God “does His work” at a time when man is abiding in God’s will.  Do you remember what it was?  It was marriage, the time when God has “joined together” (Matthew 19:5) a man and a woman.  History is filled with such examples that show God fulfilling a promise as man acts in obedient faith:  the priests who “stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan” as all Israel crossed (Joshua 3), the defeat of Jericho in Joshua 6 as God caused the walls to collapse, the blind man healed by Jesus (John 9) as he “went and washed” in the pool of Siloam.  God does some of His most amazing work, during times of seemingly odd and insignificant acts of faith.  That being said, I would be remiss not to take a moment and talk about the act of faith driven baptism as it relates further to the amazing work that God at the time of conversion.

Since Christ came to save sinners (1^st Timothy 1:15), we will start there.  In Acts 2 we find the gospel being preached for the first time after Christ’s resurrection.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, the apostles preached the Word causing some to ask, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).  The answer was simple, yet life changing, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38).  Remission (i.e., forgiveness) would start at repentance and baptism.  Or how about what we learn in Galatians 3:27 where Paul talks to Christians saying, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  What does it mean to put on Christ?  In part, it has something to do with the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9).  Part of that has to do with righteousness; that is, “the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).  Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2^nd Corinthians 5:21).  When we put on Christ, we put on His righteousness!  Finally, there is a bigger picture that is attached to the act of baptism.  Up to this point, the things spoken of are personal in nature, but should not be left there.  Paul writes, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1^st Corinthians 12:13).  We read in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  Faith driven baptism not only saves the sinner (1^st Peter 3:21), it also places them in the greatest community ever established on earth and it is called the church…the called out!

It is true that man is required to respond to the gospel and that the Lord has revealed in His word what such a response should be, something He has done over and over again.  But never, in any of those instances, could man take credit for God’s marvelous work, even though they needed to obey and so it is with faith driven baptism.  God does the forgiving!  God does the clothing!  God gives us new citizenship in His church!  It is His work that we should marvel at and praise Him for it.

Dennis

I don’t know about you, but the last couple of lessons from 1^st John have been running through my mind.  As a Christian, to grasp the ”love the Father has bestowed (NIV, lavished) on us, that we should be called children of God” (1^st John 3:1) can be truly life changing.  The fact that this love, given to us through Christ’s sufficient work on the cross, can enable us “to have boldness in the day of judgment” (1^st John 4:17), casting “out fear” regarding His return, is equally comforting.  Those who are in Christ should walk with confidence and hope because of Christ’s amazing redemptive work.

We know that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), opening the opportunity for sinful mankind to benefit from that perfect love.  The question is, “When does sinful man begin to reap the benefits of God’s love so he can walk in that confidence and hope?”  It would seem reasonable that God would establish a point where man could reflect and remind him or her self when they became a child of God.  Consider the following verse which most will be familiar with.

There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the

removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good

conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…

                                                                                                                                    1^st Peter 3:21

The role of baptism in God’s redemptive plan has been a point of contention in the religious world.  Some religious groups make it more symbolic and thus, empty it of any real significance.  Sadly, others elevate it so much that it blurs the work of the cross, something I have been guilty of in times past.  But extremes cannot negate the true nature of this act of genuine belief.  Peter makes it clear, baptism is fundamentally important to salvation!  It is, as the bible clearly teaches, the moment in time when we are “buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).  In this seemingly simple act of faith, we connect with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and reckon ourselves “to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11).  With a heart sensitive to one’s sinful past, the believer seeks change (repentance) and is “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).  There is a point of reference clearly revealed in God’s word that shows us when sinful man can know confidently that he or she is His child, purchased by the blood of His Son and our Savior.

One may ask the question, “Does baptism save sinners?”  The verse in 1^st Peter mentioned above is a verse where one would go to, to answer that question with an emphatic yes.  In times past, I would seek to empathize the act of baptism, but not anymore.  You see, although baptism is essential to salvation, it is not more essential than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  There can be no confidence and hope without Jesus!

Dennis

I begin with a verse found in Proverbs 3:25 which says, “Do not be afraid of the sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes…”  Fear can be defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.  Fear can stop you dead in your tracks.  When Saul and all Israel saw and heard Goliath’s challenge, “they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1^st Samuel 17:11).  In spite of who they were and who was on their side (God), fear paralyzed them…causing them to feel defeated.  Have you, as a follower of Christ, ever felt defeated in your walk with Christ?

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we

may have boldness in the day of judgment…

                                                                                                                        1^st John 4:17

How has love been perfected?  One person writes, suggesting that love is perfected “when we have full faith in the love of God.”  For the Christian who has come to know the love of God found in Christ Jesus and understands His redemptive work to rescue sinners from death, they should not fear judgment.  If there has ever been a time where defining a word is critical, this is one.  Boldness, here means free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage.  “Hold on,” you say, “I still struggle with sin.  How can I be so certain?”  1^st John 1:8-9, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Our confidence is not in my ability to walk perfectly, to love perfectly; but rather, I place my faith in His perfect and sufficient redemptive work.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear

involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

                                                                                                             1^st John 4:18

Fears what?  Judgment!  Think about it for a moment.  If I say Jesus can save, yet wonder whether I will make it to heaven at judgment, where is my hope?  Listen to 1^st John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”  CONFIDENCE!!!  If you are in Christ Jesus and although there is need for Christian maturity, your confidence is in Him, not you.  There is so much more to say, so let me leave you with what I began with, the very next verse found in Proverbs 3:26, which says, “For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.”  That is what God’s love can do for us all.

Dennis

As I thought about this article, I realized I could have entitled it, “What motivates you.”  Either way, the fact of the matter is this, something causes us to move forward, to become engaged, or simply remain stagnant and apathetic in life.  For the bulk of this year, the attention from the pulpit has been that of spiritual growth.  The verses that speak to this need are plentiful and here are a couple.  2^nd Timothy 2:15 begins with “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…”  1^st Peter 1:5 exhorts us, saying “giving all diligence, add to your faith…”  Jesus Himself would exhort His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).  God yearns for, and yes, expects us, to grow spiritually, for we “are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).  But I am again drawn back to the question, “What drives or motivates you…us?”

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all,

then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for

themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

                                                                                                         2^nd Corinthians 5:14-15

In a world of expectations, goals to achieve and objectives to accomplish, we wrestle, at times, with the reason behind it all, and so it is with our Christian walk.  As much as God yearns for us to grow in Christ, He doesn’t want us to lose sight of the reason for that growth.  One could say the reason for spiritual growth is that they desire to be like Christ.  True, but that is more like a goal than a reason…right?  Paul says that his awareness of Christ’s love for him, compels or drives him in life.  You can have all the goals you want, work efficiently and diligently towards them, systematically accomplishing one after another, only to find out that with each accomplishment there is a void, an emptiness.  The goal was never intended to be the reason for joy and contentment; that is, to fill the void.  Rather, the love of Christ is what is intended to fill it.  Christ is the reason for all the things we do; and more importantly, for all that we are right now!  So, what are you right now?

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed

on us, that we should be called children of God!

                                                                                                                          1^st John 3:1

Here is a challenging question, “When you look in the mirror, what do you think of first and foremost?”  Is it the flaws in your life?  The imperfections that so often rise to the top?  Is it the objectives of the day and the things you need to accomplish?  Such reflection is needed, I know, especially if growth is to take place.  Still, when was the last time you meditated on how much the Father loves YOU!  Flaws and all!  That regardless of those very things, He graciously sought after you because he loves YOU just as you are.  If you are in Christ, He wants you to know you’re his child completely and absolutely.

We work hard to earn our boss’s approval.  We strive to make our parents proud and receive their love.  This is often the way of the world around us.  What if we instead, thought about the incredible love the Father has for mankind…for me.  What if, before I pick up my cross each day, that I first look to His cross?  What if that was the driving force behind the things I do: Being part of His church, reaching out to serve those around me, growing in Christ.  What if I daily took hold of the Father’s love for me through Christ?  What drives YOU?

Dennis

It’s early in the morning and so, not to wake anyone, you try to make it to the rest room without the lights on.  Darkness is not only scary at times, it is often hazardous in the physical world.  In the spiritual world, darkness is always disastrous.   In our first reading today, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).  Paul would teach us that it was Jesus who “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).  As you read continue to read in John chapter 8, you realize that His listeners could not, or would not, grasp the truth of what Jesus was saying about Himself.  Truth can set man free, and it begins with believing in who Jesus claimed to be.  He is the Light of the world.

Our second reading, found in John 10:1-10, begins by Jesus trying to illustrate that claim He is about to make concerning Himself; that is, that He is the good shepherd (v11).  In the days of Jesus, a shepherd would come to a pen where his sheep, along with sheep belonging to other shepherds, were being held together.  By the mere voice of the shepherd, his sheep would recognize him and follow that him.  Not only that, but the shepherd, unlike the hireling, would sacrifice himself for his sheep’s wellbeing.  Jesus, our good shepherd proclaimed boldly, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15).  Pulled from darkness and into the care of the only true Good Shepherd, Jesus states, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).  Oh what confidence we can and should have in the work of Christ!

This brings us to our final reading found in 1^st Peter 1:1-23, which has to do in part with hope.  Someone once said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”  In a dark world, it is sometimes difficult to remain focused, holding tightly to the abundant life that Jesus has given to us (John 10:10).  Still, Peter writes of “a living hope” (v3) “that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (v4).  This hope is not rooted in my efforts; but rather, in His victory over death (v3).  Victory is ours through Christ!  Such victory needs our continuous attention, for the darkness lurks about us, wanting once again consume us (1^st Peter 5:8).  So, we seek to “rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1^st Peter 1:13).  With our hope in Him and anticipating the grace that will be revealed at His return, we seek to be like Him; that is, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1^st Peter 1:16).

I am thankful for the selection of scriptures today, because they seek to draw my attention to where victory truly resides; that is, in the Light of the world, our true Good Shepherd, who is and will always be, our only true Hope.  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name for giving us the gift of your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Dennis

Did you know that in a Pew Research Center Report done in 2014 on Attitudes about Aging, that the population of those 65 and older is expected to triple to 1.5 billion.  That is staggering!  Consider this stat that suggests that “an estimated 60 percent of nursing home residents never have visitors.”  As Christians, how we embrace those aged speaks to the faith we hold so dear.  Proverbs 23:22, “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”  The value of people, at all times of life, is important to God; thus, it should be important to us.

They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,

                                                                                                                           Psalm 92:14

It was George Burns who once said, “You can’t help getting older…but you don’t have to get old.”  Here is a question, “Who among you is getting older?”  You may think that it is a ridiculous question, but how many of us have given any thought to it.  Like so many things in life, we shoot from the hip and hope for the best.  Consider this scripture, “O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.  Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” (Psalm 71:17-18)   Or how about this verse, “Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.” (Job 12:12)   Within our midst we have people who “have been there and done that” so to speak and have invested years in walking with the Lord.  Time doesn’t assure wisdom, but it truly presents the opportunity for it to grow and it would be to the benefit of many if we sought to tap into it.

You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of

an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.

                                                                                                        Leviticus 19:32

On Sunday, October 7^th, after services, we are replacing our scheduled day of life groups with a special day of both honoring and seeking wisdom from two couples who have walked with the Lord in marriage for years.  Lunch will be provided and so will child care.  You are encouraged to write down questions and place them the box in the auditorium for them to consider.  All we need to do is commit some time to visiting with them to glean from their experiences, helping us to prepare for what many never consider, aging.  Thank You Lord for blessing us with those who have walked with You faithfully.  Humble us to see the genuine need for them in our lives.

Dennis

When it comes to disciplining people, the topic of prayer, being so personal and intimate, can be viewed as something one simply does, rather than something one is taught.  As I mentioned last Sunday, I have been deeply challenged about this recently and want to take this time to share it with you.  Most of us are familiar with Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-4 which are often given the title of the Lord’s Prayer.  In these texts, Jesus, after sharing some “don’ts” when it comes to prayer (only in Matthew 6:5-8), sought to teach his disciples some simple, yet profound things about prayer.  Although the whole prayer is rich with insight, I wish only to consider it’s beginning.

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be Your name…

                                                                                                                                    Matthew 6:9

As most of you know, our youngest son made some choices some time back which has resulted in us not hearing from him for a very long time.   I intellectually understand that we are to “count it all joy” (James 1:2) when faced with difficult times, realizing that such times, with a God centered attitude, can be beneficial in helping us to grow in Christ: so, it is with this situation.  If you were to ask me, “What do you yearn for the most when it comes to your son?” My answer is simple, “I yearn to hear from him.”  His father wants to hear from his son whom he loves so desperately.  Now let’s step away and consider the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples, which begins with “Our Father.”  The Father who put redemption in motion “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4) with the intent of offering “His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) that would usher in sinful man’s opportunity to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16), yearns for us to talk with Him.  The exhortation for God’s children to “pray without ceasing” (1^st Thessalonians 5:17) is the Father’s way of saying, I am always here to listen and help.  Even though He knows what we need before we even ask (Matthew 6:8), He still wants to hear from us.  The Father yearns to hear from His children!

If that wasn’t enough, I was confronted with another thought, equally challenging.  You see, I thought, “My son should reach out to me because…well…I am his father.”   Notice that father is not capitalized, nor should it be.  I was, and still remain, an imperfect father, giving reason to why my son may struggle to communicate with me.  Okay, what about God the Father?  He is perfect!  He is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2^nd Corinthians 1:3) who is ready to “comfort us in all our tribulation” (2^nd Corinthians 1:4).  Much like my son’s perception of me may hinder him, so it is with my perception of my heavenly Father.  “Hallowed be Your name,” Jesus says.  This word hallowed speaks to man’s perception of the Father.  It means to render or acknowledge to be venerable.  Simply put, “God the Father deserves and yes, commands great respect.”  The ETRV reads in part, “…we pray that your name will always be kept holy.”  By who?  By me, the petitioner!

As much as I yearn to hear from my son, how much more does our Father, who is in heaven, yearns to hear from us…from me?  If, by virtue of being his father, I should anticipate, even expect to hear from him.  How much more should my heavenly Father expect to hear from me.  God, so gracious and patient, is teaching me to reach out to Him in good times and bad, for He is worthy of my attention.  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name!

Dennis