Biddeford Church of Christ

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

In just a little less than two months, we will be hosting an area wide seminar entitled, Dynamic Deacons.  Don’t let the title confuse you, this seminar is for men and women, young and old, ministry leaders, those who might consider a leadership role, and yes, of course, deacons.  The design of the Lord’s church should reveal to us that leadership, and those who are led, play a pivotal role in our well-being and growth.  The simple fact is this, we all are critical parts of God’s redemptive team called the church.  We are “His own special people” (1^st Peter 2:9)!

Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste

and its gates are burned with fire.  Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem,

that we may no longer be a reproach.

                                                                    Nehemiah 2:17

It is the year 586 B.C., and Jerusalem has been decimated and God’s people taken into Babylonian captivity.  Years go by and the reestablishing of this iconic city begins with a proclamation from Cyrus king of Persia, who released the Jews to go back and rebuild.  Called by God, Nehemiah comes of the scene, with some of the work already done, but the great wall around the city, with it majestic gates, remains in rubble.  After years in captivity and some progress made after their release, things are not yet finished.  Nehemiah exhorts the Jewish people, “Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem.”  If you were to read through this letter, you would find the nay-sayers of course, but don’t get distracted by them.  As you read through chapter 3, time and time again, you read of those who took on the task of rebuilding various gates.  Adversity came knocking, as chapters 4-6 reveals, but God’s people remained focused and the wall was rebuilt.  What an amazing story of resilience and faith in the midst of such hardship.

…according to the effective working by which every part does its share,

causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

                                                                                                              Ephesians 4:16

So, why the seminar?  It is simple, we are God’s elect who have been called to help build, only this time it is not a wall, it is His church which He made us a part of.  We all have something to offer!  All of us have a “share” to contribute to this objective.  The seminar is but one building block to help us understand, not only what my share may be, but also the role of others that God has put in place by design.  Make plans now to attend and be a part of building the Lord’s church here in Biddeford!

Dennis

So, of all the topics I have talked about this year pertaining to spiritual growth, I have yet to talk about one of great importance; that is, our attitude.  One person writes, “We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”  Like so many areas of our lives, attitudes are cultivated and nurtured through our thought life.  Our ability let alone willingness, to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2^nd Corinthians 10:5) is inextricably linked to the conditioning of the mind.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless

and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and

perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…

                                                                                                                 Philippians 2:14-15

What is interesting to me about the verses above, is that they follow the exhortation given by Paul to the Philippian church to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).  Matthew Henry writes, “Those who complain most are most to be complained of.”  Ouch!  If there is a battlefield in my mind at times, it is this fight against complaining.  God wants me to “do all things without it”!  In the Greek Old Testament, this word is used to describe Israel’s attitude as they journeyed toward the promised land (Numbers 11:1).  Paul, using the events of Israel of old as “our examples” (1^st Corinthians 10:6), encourages the Corinthian church to avoid complaining because it doesn’t end well (1^st Corinthians 10:10).  Whether intentional or not, the word that follows seems only reasonable; that is, disputing.  People who are not content, who are caught in this vicious cycle called complaining, tend to be contentious.  I know this to be true personally.

…holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ

that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

                                                                  Philippians 2:16

Our attitude towards our daily walk as Christians is not always easy…right?  We live in a “crooked and perverse” world that is constantly knocking on the door of compromise.  But we choose to hold “fast the word of life,” enabling us to “shine as lights in the world,” all for the glory of Christ our Lord and Savior.  So today, maybe it’s time for an attitude check: I know it is for me.  As one person put it, “The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.  That’s the day we truly grow up.”  I hate to admit it, but sometimes I simply need to grow up.

Dennis

If you are like me, it is difficult to know who needs to hear about Jesus, because so many around talk about him in some fashion or attend a “church” of some kind.  Others, who seem to be great people, linger in our minds as we ask the question, “Who needs to hear about Jesus and the salvation He offers?”  Well, that latter is for another lesson, my focus today in on those who are churched, you know, believers.  Did you know that people can believe (have faith in) Christ and who He is, and still not be right with God?  We know the “demons believed and trembled” (James 2:19).  But people are not demons.  We know that some, after hearing Jesus Himself, “believed in Him,” yet because of their concern for earthly things, “they did not confess Him” (John 12:42).  My point is simple, there is more to salvation then simply believing in who Jesus is.  A great story of this truth is found in Acts 18:24-28.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos,

born at Alexandria, an eloquent

man and mighty in the Scriptures,

came to Ephesus.

Acts 18:24

What an amazing description of this man of God, words I would like to have said about me.  It did not stop there, for he was “fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord” (Acts 18:25).  These words of acknowledgment caused me to think of Cornelius in Acts 10, who was described as “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2).  In each of these settings, the people being talked about love God.  So many around us, those in various religious groups, love God, something that should not be questioned.

When Aquila and Priscilla heard him,

they took him aside and explained to

him the way of God more accurately.

Acts 18:26

I believe one of the obstacles to sharing the accurate hope of Christ with others is to not get caught up in the passion that someone has in their lives.  Just the other day I passed a man at an intersection holding a bible in one hand and a sign in the other which said, “Repent and believe in Jesus.”  He was passionate about what he believed, like Cornelius and also Apollos.  In his passion for God, Apollos was lacking some truth…he was not as accurate as he convincingly spoke, for he knew only the “baptism of John” (Acts 18:25).  He, like those spoken of in the very next chapter of Acts, lacked the awareness that Christ had come and thus, was not “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” and thus, had not yet become a citizen in the Lord’s church, through the work of the Spirit (1^st Corinthians 12:13).

As the story of Apollos closes, we find that he “greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27) and “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:28).  Clearly, he acknowledged his lack of understanding, better learning the Word of the Lord, and obeyed that gospel, much like those in Acts 19:5.

So, who needs to hear it?  Everyone!  Even those passionate about what they already understand to be true, for some have a love for God, but what they believe is not quite accurate.  We, as members of the Lord’s church, have the task to try and reveal God’s plan to them more accurately.  Do you know someone who needs to hear it?

Dennis

A couple weeks ago, the focus of the lesson was rooted in Hebrews 12:28-29, with our attention being on the idea of “reverence and godly fear.”  The text read just before the lesson was Philippians 2:12-13 where Paul exhorts his readers, which includes us, to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  So much emphasis has been given to our responsibility to grow in Christ, pursuing His likeness in all that we say and do.  Although I don’t want to detract from that reality in the Christian’s walk, I don’t want to make it seem that it is all about what I do, leaving God to ask the question, “What about Me?”  The fact of the matter is that God is hard at work in us as well.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

For those who are in Christ Jesus, we are there for a reason; that is, for good works.  Those “good works” don’t always come naturally; thus, we need to work out our salvation…but not alone!  Paul informs us in Philippians 2:13 that “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  The word work means, to effect.  God is intimately involved in the Christian’s life to effect change.  This caused me to think about Paul’s initial words to the church in Philippi, where he says, “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6).  God is on a mission, and if you are in Christ Jesus, you are part of His project.

For the church in Philippi, the “good works” was in part their effort in helping Paul spread the gospel, or as Paul writes, “your fellowship in the gospel.”  I mention this for a reason.  God’s efforts in our lives are simply for us to grow as individuals, although that is part of the process.  He is also actively involved in our efforts to further His kingdom and spread the hope of Christ.   This caused me to stop and think about my maturity or personal growth and ask myself a question, “Is my pursuit to grow simply about me?”  What about Him?

Dennis