Identity Theft: Finding Our True Identity in Christ

Melmore United Methodist Church

June 19, 2016, Fathers' Day

by Duane Weaver

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Many of you already know me, as I grew up in this church, but really, “Who Am I?”  I think at some point in our lives, everyone has asked or will ask that question.  It is inherent along with wanting to know why we exist, what is our purpose, why are we here?  Our view on how we came to be shapes most everything we come to believe in about ourselves and about the world in which we live.  This we call your worldview.  If you believe in a creator, you more than likely believe you are His creation (Psalm 139) and that you are part of His creation.  How do you know this?  You have come to believe this through faith in God’s Holy Word.  You more than likely view everything in this world through the lens of the Scriptures.  If this describes you, then one can say you have a Biblical world view, but if you say “well, I may believe in God, but I don’t know how much He had to do with my creation or the world, for all that matter.”  I am just a product of procreation and live in a world that just came to be. This line of thinking is what we call a secular worldview.   Unfortunately, this view is becoming more pervasive as our culture becomes more postmodern in its thinking.  Postmodernism distrusts or even rejects the idea of absolute truth.  All truth is relative to each individual’s experiences or perspective.  So there exist many truths for which we derive the term “pluralism.”  The trouble with pluralism is there is no consistency and it becomes difficult to relate to one another.  So communities are formed of people who are likeminded on a particular set of beliefs.  However, what happens when communities with contrary beliefs collide?  ……You have the world in which we live.  This is why God the Father came to earth in the flesh as His Son Jesus, the Christ.  When Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, do you remember His reply?  He said “You are right in saying I am a king.  In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  John 18:37

God’s Word warns us in Romans 12:2 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.  The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:33 our God is not a God of confusion but of peace.  And in his letter to the Ephesians he writes, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

IDENTITY THEFT

Knowing our identity is important.  It is important to us individually.  We have an innate desire to belong. We use titles, names or labels to identify to which  group, organization or a family we belong to.  It is important to community.  Our identity helps us function efficiently and appropriately in our interactions with others.  (Which restroom to use, who’s the boss, etc) Our identity is important to God, the one who created us.  Now God certainly knows who we are, but it is important for Him for us to know who we are in relation to Him.  Do we belong to Him?  Are we one of His children?  Knowing this will help us respond to Him appropriately and accordingly.

So, if knowing our identity is important to us, important to others and important to God, who do you think would be most interested in distorting or stealing our identity to create havoc, confusion, and division?  I would say it would be the “Father of Lies,” the “Great Deceiver,”  “The Destroyer,” or as Jesus called him, “The Ruler of this World.” 

CREATED IN HIS IMAGE

 “So God created them in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Gen. 1:27  And God gave them purpose, to be fruitful and to multiply and enjoy the world He created.  In short, the Westminster Statement of Faith summarizes that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”  But then sin entered the world, and the fall from perfectionism began.  God’s word tells us in Romans 3:23, because of Adams sin, “ all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Humankind fell from the glory God’s original creation and to this day, try as we might, we all miss the mark and fall short.   But John 1:12-13 tells us, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”   While every person regardless of gender, race or religion, is created by God in His image, not all, according to Scripture, have been given the right to become His child, only those who believe in His Name.

 

What does it mean “we were created in His image?”  Isn’t God invisible?  By image, the text means God gave us the same attributes He has 1) a will to decide on our own 2) intellect to grow in knowledge and understanding so that we might apply it to righteous living.  This is called wisdom and 3) emotion to govern our decisions with a sense of right and wrong; good and evil.

What does it mean to receive Him?  To receive Christ is to not only believe He existed but to believe He is who He said He was….the Son of God, that He was equal with God and to receive His message; the Good News; the Gospel; that while we were yet sinners, God loved us.  He loved us so much He gave His one and only Son to die for our sin for Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of our sin or the consequence is death.  So Christ willingly went to the cross to pay our debt.

WHO AM I?

So to begin with, I am not perfect.  I fall short of God’s glory and always will.  I need to be made right with God, but my righteousness is only made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ…..the perfect substitute, perfect in that He was without sin, but bled and died on a cross so that my sins would be forgiven….that I could be made right.  By accepting this free gift, God the Father now looks upon me with the righteousness of His Son and I know have the assurance, the confidence that I will live eternally with my Father in Heaven.  In gratitude, I have chosen to follow Christ’s example and to live as He demonstrated, knowing I will often fall short and mess up, but know too, forgiveness is offered for all that I repent of. 

So, we all know, I am not perfect and last I checked I am still a male –created in the image of God, adopted into His family.  I am a child of God, a Christ follower.  How about you friend, have you ever accepted the free gift of being saved from your sins by faith.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Later in the same letter, Paul exhorts us to be imitators of Christ Jesus and goes on to describe what a husband would look like, what a wife would look like, what a father and mother would look like and finally what their children would look like – if all were followers of Christ.  Let’s take a quick look that in Ephesians 5 and 6.

Husbands.  God’s word tells us you are to love your wife as you love your own body.  You might think, well I hate my body, but the meaning is this; husbands are to be selfless, putting the needs of their wives before their own.  They are to recognize and appreciate their wives just as a valuable treasure, someone to be cherished.  Men, you are to love your wives as Christ loves or cherishes the church.  And wives, do you know what will help your husbands cherish you?  Give them what they want more than anything else…..no, I am not talking about that….RESPECT.  What a man needs and wants, more than anything is respect from his wife.  In return, he will cherish you and the more he cherishes you the more you will come to respect him.

Fathers.  You know I have often heard it said that a child will most often look upon their Father in Heaven as they have seen or experienced their Father on earth.  God’s word exhorts fathers “not to provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4   Notice here, God’s word does not prohibit but encourages parents to discipline the children, for a parent who fails to discipline, fails to love their children.  The goal for proper discipline is correction, and is administered with love while punishment is administered oftentimes out of anger and that is exactly what it provokes in a child.  And mothers, the best thing you can do for your children outside of nurturing them, is to show love and respect to their father.

Finally, children, young and old…..you are to “honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.”Eph. 6:2-3.  How do you do that?  It tells us in verse one, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.”  Keep their trust.  Earn their respect.  Provide support and love for them in their old age.

This is what a family looks like from a Biblical worldview.  And you know what is the glue that holds it all together?  The church, for we are held accountable by are brothers and sisters in the Lord, our church family.  Not in a legalistic or judgmental way, but in love. 

CONCLUSION

 John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”  Jesus is speaking in the context of a shepherd guarding His sheep.  He goes on to say that His sheep know his voice, and He calls them by name and they follow Him.  They know the direction they are to go because they trust the one they follow.  The sheep know who they are by the one they follow.  Who are you following….the one who knows you and calls you by name or the thief who only comes to steal you away so that he might kill and destroy you?  What I am asking you is what is your worldview?

My challenge to you today is found in the Scripture I read to you earlier found in Romans 12:2 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.

My prayer for you will continue to be that of Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians.  I pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened.  That you will be enlightened so you may know and understand what God has called you to and that you will experience the riches of his glorious inheritance.

James 2:14-26
New Living Translation
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by our actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone?  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing and you say"Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"-but then you don't give that person any food or clothing.  What good does that do?  So you see, faith by itself isn't enough.  Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

What Would Jesus Do?

Places I would like to see Jesus: 

1. In the 10 item express checkout line at Walmart with one item waiting behind a lady with 12 items while she scans a competitors flyer for discounts.
2. Waiting at a traffic light that changes from red to green behind a young lady texting.
3. Somewhere when he stubs his toe on something or smashes his finger with a hammer.

Why Does God Mess With My Dreams?

The Christmas season is full of hopes and dreams. Some even sing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” This song captures the idea many have of Christmas…that everything is suppose to be perfect. We have the perfect Christmas tree, the perfect lights and decorations, we are going to have the perfect meal, we are going to give and receive the perfect gifts and we are going to be surrounded with perfect people, those we love, our family.

But rarely is this how Christmas is. It may be good but rarely perfect and the higher your expectations are the greater your disappointments will be. Many of us have the same view of our God or of our faith…that once we became a Christian everything is suppose to be perfect. God is on our side. How can we lose? Right? The great evangelist Billy Graham said “Becoming a Christian is not the end of all your problems, just the beginning of facing up to them.” So living the Christian life isn’t living a life of perfection, a life without trials. The Beatle, John Lennon, once said “Life is what happens to you when you‘re busy making other plans.” Phyllis Diller said, “If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.”

So what am I saying? Am I saying that God is not on our side, that He isn’t really interested in our plans or dreams or that He just likes to mess with us to test our faith? Have you ever shared those same thoughts as I have, where there are those moments we just want to say to God, “C’mon man!!!” and ask yourself “Why does God mess with my dreams?”

We often get this idea from scripture that God is always in control and not to say He is not but we think that the people in the Bible had it made because God or an angel would speak to them and give them the 411. Like the nativity story… think of it, we tell this story like a fairytale, how the angels appeared to Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, the Wiseman and laid it all out to them; “And they all lived happily ever after.” But Mary did you know? The question asked in a popular Christmas and Easter song, your son would die on a cross. Mary and Joseph had a dream. A dream of a quiet life together raising a family and along came God and a baby changed everything. (Check out Faith Hill’s “A Baby Changes Everything” video on YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw)

Our thoughts are often not God’s thoughts. Our obedience to God is important to Him but does not alter His plan. A favorite segment of mine on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning is called “C’mon Man!” where they deride certain athletes for poor performance or bad behavior or sometimes just unfortunate circumstances that occur. Using that theme, let’s get up close and personal with the people from the Bible involved in the Nativity Story. Below is an outline of a message I prepared for a Christmas devotion a few years ago. The Nativity Story is full of surprises and "C'mon man" moments.


I. Begin in Luke

a. Zechariah the priest and Elizabeth
i. Good people
ii. Obeyed God
iii. But no children – “C’Mon Man”

b. Angel appears in their old age
i. Zechariah just going about His business as priest
ii. Alarmed and afraid - “C’Mon Man”
iii. Elizabeth is going to have a child - “C’Mon Man”
iv. For unbelief, Zechariah would not be able to speak - “C’Mon Man”
v. v.20 people were waiting and wondering what was taking so long - “C’Mon Man”

c. Angel appears to Mary
i. Deeply troubled by angel’s message to have child - “C’Mon Man”
ii. Had not known a man
iii. Was engaged - “C’Mon Man”


II. Go to Matthew 1
a. Mary and Joseph engaged, made plans

b. Angel explains going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit
i. Joseph finds out, “C’Mon Man”
ii. Going to break the engagement

c. Angel visits
i. Instructs Joseph to marry
ii. Mary’s son will be Jesus (that’s hard to compete with) - “C’Mon Man”


III. Go back to Luke 2

a. A census to be taken- “C’Mon Man”
i. Must travel with a pregnant women 60-65 miles over rocky terrain in winter to go to Bethlehem from Galilee
ii. Get there and there is no room in the inn - “C’Mon Man”

b. Angels appear to shepherds
i. Terribly afraid - “C’Mon Man”
ii. Told Mary things they heard from the angels
iii. Mary pondered, thought deeply - “C’Mon Man”
IV. Matthew Chapter 2 Jesus was born

a. Wisemen from the East, studied the stars
i. Began to follow the star at birth
ii. Disappeared by the time they got to Jerusalem - “C’Mon Man”
iii. Had to stop and ask Herod for directions once in Jerusalem

b. King Herod’s secret meeting
i. King Herod learns of the birth of a King- “C’Mon Man”
ii. Meets with Wismen
iii. Calls for priest to meet and tell of prophecy
iv. Instructs them to go to Bethlehem and return to him

c. Flee to Egypt
i. Angel appears to Wisemen telling them not to return the way they came
ii. Herod learns he has been deceived by the wiseman - “C’Mon Man”
iii. Herod decrees to kill new born Israelite babies
iv. Angel appears to warn Joseph and instruct them to go to Egypt – “C’Mon Man”
v. While waiting in Egypt waiting for a time to return - “C’Mon Man”

d. After Herod dies
i. Instructs Joseph go back to Israel- “C’Mon Man”
ii. Learns that Herod successor even more ruthless- “C’Mon Man”
iii. Instructed to go to Galilee - “C’Mon Man”


V. So why did God mess with their plans?

a. Mt. 1:22 Now all this happened in order to make true what the Lord had said
i. A son was to be born to a virgin and he will be called “Immanuel”
ii. God is with us

b. Mt. 2:15 Took the Child to Egypt
i. This was done to make come true what the lord had said through the prophet “I called my son out of Egypt.”

c. Mt. 2:17 Killing of the children
i. Prophet Jeremiah foretold it
ii. Sound of weeping, Rachel crying for her children

d. Mt. 2:23 A Nazarene
i. Told to go to Galilee to the town of Nazareth to be safe
ii. So what the prophets had said would come true
iii. “He will be called a Nazarene.”


VI. Take Away

a. God uses what we give him, but he is still in control
i. What we do with our lives is like one strand on a spider’s web
ii. Web may look different but it is still God’s web

b. Remember when the “C’mon man!” moments happen, God is in control

c. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

R & R in Jerusalem

Message by Duane Weaver

Presented March 20, 2005

John Chapter 12

Introduction

I would like begin by playing a word game with you. I will say a word and you see what first comes to your mind. What do you first think of when I say the word “flip-flop?” How many of you thought of this (show picture of a thong). When I was growing up, we called these thongs, but I would get some pretty strange looks if I were to go into a department store today and ask to see some thongs. Having just completed an election year, how many of you thought of a political figure? (show picture of John Kerry) Now I show you this picture, not to make any political statement other than this, political analyst would agree that what cost Senator Kerry the election was the success his opponent had in labeling him a “flip-flopper.” However, one of the newest definitions added to the dictionary does not refer to either of these, but this…(show picture of a schematic of a flip-flop). Here is what it says:

n. (n.) Also referred to as a bistable gate, a type of circuit that is interconnected with like circuits to form logic gates in digital integrated circuits, such as memory chips and microprocessors. The name “flip-flop” comes from the circuit’s nature of alternating between two states when a current is applied to the circuit (for example, 1 to 0 or 0 to 1). A flip-flop will maintain its state indefinitely until it receives an input pulse, called a trigger, which forces it to alternate its state. Once the circuit changes state it remains in that state until another trigger is received So essentially, this is a product working in conjunction with and in continuity with other components and takes on one nature and characteristic until a trigger causes it to alter it’s nature and characteristic and will stay in that state until another trigger forces it back to it’s original state.

Does this remind you of some Christians you know? They walk and talk one way in a particular setting but act and speak in an entirely different way in a different environment. Have you ever wondered how the people in Jerusalem who hailed Jesus as their Savior one day could flip-flop and cry out for His crucifixion several days later? That has always puzzled me. How could one of the disciples who heard Jesus’ words and saw his works, turn around and sell him out for thirty pieces of silver. But the greatest of all of the flip-floppers were the Jewish leaders. Most all of them had their doubts that Christ was the Messiah at first. But in John chapter 12 we learn that some had come to believe that he truly was the Messiah but yet they did not stop those who wanted Him crucified.

But wait, before we condemn them to the point where we might be accused of being anti-Semitic as was Mel Gibson, the director of The Passion of Christ, let us revisit Jerusalem. Let’s go with Jesus for a little R & R. Not for some rest and relaxation but to gain some understanding of the reception and rejection of Christ from John chapter 12.

A Picture of the Church

The opening scene in John 12 is a dinner reception in Bethany in honor of Jesus. A compilation of the gospel accounts of this event would lead one to believe the whole town was there. It was a celebration of those who witnessed the resurrection of their friend Lazarus from the dead. This was a banquet to pay tribute to Jesus, their guest of honor.

What a picture we have here! There is Lazarus alive from the dead and in fellowship with Christ. Then we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Then, thirdly, we see Martha serving, putting on a meal. That is her gift and she is exercising it. These are the three essentials in the church today: new life in Christ, worship and adoration, and service. This home at Bethany is a picture of what every church should be.

An old time Methodist evangelist and educator, Samuel Chadwick once said, “If God is at work week by week raising men from the dead, there will always be people coming to see how it is done. You cannot find an empty church that has conversion for its leading feature. Do you want to know how to fill empty chapels? Here is the answer: Get your Lazarus.” Samuel Chadwick, Methodist evangelist and educator (1860–1932) Fragrance (vv 1-11)

Unfortunately, amidst a beautiful setting as this, sin rears its ugly head. We read that Judas takes exception to the Mary’s lovely act of worship as she anoints Christ’s feet with an expensive perfume commonly used for burial, perhaps her own and wipes His feet with her hair. We are told the expense would be equivalent to a year’s wage. Perhaps now, Mary doesn’t concern herself with death since she witnessed the resurrection of her brother and now sits at the feet of her Savior. Each time we meet Mary, she is at the feet of Jesus. Here she is wiping His feet with her hair. Since a woman’s hair is her glory, she was laying her glory, as it were, at His feet. Needless to say, Mary herself would have carried the fragrance of the perfume for some time after this. Thus when Christ is worshiped, the worshipers themselves carry away something of the fragrance of that moment. No house is so filled with pleasant aroma as the house where Jesus is given His rightful place. (Insert antidote of North Dakota candlemaker who has captured the fragrance of Christ from the spices mentioned in Ps. 45:8, myrrh, ales, and cassia)

My question to you is, “Are the places where you go filled with Christ’s fragrance because of you? Read 2 Cor. 2:15-16 15

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

Perhaps you have followed the story of the incredible events that took place just a week ago when a man, named Brian Nichols, overpowered a guard on the way to the court room. He took the guard’s pistol and entered the judge’s chamber killing him and two other before escaping the court house. Later in an attempt to hijack a truck, he killed a federal agent. The largest man-hunt in Atlanta history ensued, as they desperately tried to bring this extremely dangerous fugitive back into custody. Remarkably, after holding Ashley Smith hostage for seven hours, he released her unharmed, she calls the police, they surround the grounds and he turns himself in without incident.

Peggy Noonon, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, tells the amazing story of how Ashley Smith stopped Brian Nichol’s killing spree. She begins her column with two short sentences; “Something happened. Something changed,” and she includes these two photos of Nichols; the mug shot you probably have seen frequently on your television screen and this photo, immediately after he gave himself over to police. Can you see a difference? How would you describe it? He had been in the presence of Christ’s fragrance for seven hours.

From a transcript of Smith’s testimony, we learn that after she had earned Nichol’s trust, he allowed her to read to him from the Purpose Driven Life and she shared her testimony and they read from the Bible. Here is a short excerpt from that transcript: But after I started to read to him, he saw--I guess he saw my faith and what I really believed in. And I told him I was a child of God and that I wanted to do God's will. I guess he began to want that to. That's what I think. Now I don’t know much about Ashley Smith; whether she is a role-model Christian or not and I really have not heard much of the impact she had on Brian Nichols after he turned himself in, but I do know this…it is our testimony that is the fragrance of life to those who are being saved and the smell of death to those who are perishing. She talked to him about a purpose for living and the option he had to choose death. He chose to live.

Festival (vv 12-19)

Jesus took advantage of the large Passover crowd to present Himself as King as prophesized in Zech. 9:9. He was forcing the Jewish leaders to act, for it was the Father’s will that Jesus die on Passover. We read accounts earlier in the the gospel of John where the Pharisees tried to lay their hands on Christ but he eluded them (10:39) for the time had not come.

But now “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” 12The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna![c]” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[d] “Blessed is the King of Israel!” 14Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.”

Who were they that paid Him respect? The commentator Matthew Henry suggests three sorts: 1. Those who came up to feast; not the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but the country people that came from remote parts to worship at the feast; the nearer the temple of the Lord, the further from the Lord of the temple the people were. 2. Perhaps they had been Christ’s hearers in the country, and great admirers of him there, and therefore came to give their respect to him at Jerusalem, where they knew he had many enemies. 3. Perhaps they were those more devout Jews that came up to the feast some time before, to purify themselves, that were more inclined to religion than their neighbors, and these were they that were so came to honor Christ. 4. They were not the rulers, nor the great men, that went out to meet Christ, but the commonalty; some would have called them a mob, a rabble: but Christ has chosen the weak and foolish things (1 Co. 1:27), and is honoured more by the multitude than by the magnificence of his followers; for he values men by their souls, not their names and titles of honour.

So we do not know for sure as to whether these were the same to call for Christ’s crucifixion but we have to ask, “Where were they when Pilate asked what he should do with Christ?”. Why didn’t they speak up? It is easier to shout in a parade than to stand at a cross. It is easier to sing praises to Him than it is to bear scorn.

Fruitfulness (vv 20-36)

Jesus looked upon His death as an opportunity to glorify God ( 23, 28)., Some Greeks were among those who were going up to worship and since they did not have access to the inner courts being gentiles they inquired of Phillip to ask Jesus if they may see him. It is interesting to note that they Greeks were there to worship but they were not fully committed to the Jewish law (circumcision, in particular). They most likely were “God-fearers,” who were attracted to the Jewish faith by its monotheism and morality. They worshipped in their synagogues but did not become proselytes. They would only go so far in their faith. They had their limits. They had their understanding of the Scriptures (that Christ would remain forever) and did not want to depart from it, therefore, Jesus could not be the Messiah. Jesus answers them with an illustration of a seed that must die to produce fruit. He is not exclusively speaking of needing to become a martyr but of dying to self. He saw Himself as a seed that would die and produce fruit and as a conqueror who would defeat Satan (v. 31) ). The Cross would open the way of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles. So Jesus looked upon His death as an opportunity to glorify God. Do you take that attitude when you face a time of trial?

Faithlessness (vv 37-50)

In His words and works, Jesus showed Israel the light, but they chose to walk in darkness. In verse 42 we see that even many of the rulers believed in Him , but because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. Just as it was prophesized by Isaiah and John reminds of us of that in verses 37-40. Jesus made it clear in vv. 44-50. He was God and He came to shed light upon the world. He did not come to judge for that time is reserved for another day, but He gives this warning in verse 48. He who rejects me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. There is no room for confusion; there is no room to flip-flop. Be careful what you do with His words because you will hear them again when you see the Savior (v. 48).

Conclusion: Lessons We Can Learn From A Mule

This animal can teach us a lot, because she is the creature who carries Christ into the world. And that’s what it’s all about. Carrying Christ into the world. The donkey was a Christ-bearer, or a Christopher (derived from the Greek Christos combined with pherein “to bear, to carry”). Will you be a flip-flopper or a Christopher?

Today is an opportunity to take the name Christopher (Christophera, feminine) as our own. By doing so, we commit to bearing Christ to the world. Being Christopher means:

• Serving Christ. Being a faithful servant can be a burden.

• Serving Christ humbly without caring who gets the glory.

• Following Christ’s direction; being willing to go where he wants to go, not where we want to go.

• Not getting spooked by the crowds, the noise, the attention.

• Taking Christ into enemy territory.

• Never asking Christ to “get off our backs.”

• Being willing to shed the “hero” image people wanted to pin on Jesus.

• Being obedient to the will of the One who holds the reins. As we carry Christ into the world, we are challenged to do a particular kind of work, and to show a distinctively Christian lifestyle.

There is no room for flip-flops

Does Jesus Command Passivity?

I am reading the second time through David Murrow's book entitled "Why Men Hate Going to Church." It has had a profound effect on me when pondering the minimal effectiveness of Christ's Church today, here in America. He explains most men believe they must check their masculinity at the door when attending most church services. Burrow contends that when Christ was on this earth, He lived a manly life, demonstrating much masculinity. He blames the modern church today for emasculating men and becoming feminized. This caused me to ponder the question, did Jesus teach and command passivity as emphasized by most churches today? When we read of Jesus' teaching in Luke 6 about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and giving a bully your suit jacket when he takes your coat, it would appear so. It has much with the way you interpret being passive. Some would say Jesus was teaching that we should not have a retaliatory spirit, that we should sit back and just take it. This way of thinking leads one to believe being passive means to avoid acting on injustice or brutality. But upon further review and study on the matter, I have come to realize that Jesus is not teaching an inactive form of passiveness, but an active form. One that would require great restraint from our natural tendencies as men. In fact, I believe it requires greater strength to restrain ourselves then to act in a retaliatory matter. I am a football coach and we teach our players to walk away when an opposing teams player starts trash talking. We show them on film how silly it makes the trash talker look when he is talking at the back of our player's helmet. Does that make our player look weak or meek? To the contrary, I think a demonstration of restraint shows great strength and maturity...attributes I think are consistent with a manly type of man. But here's the thing, Jesus wasn't saying we should just back away and do nothing when we are a party to injustice, cruelty or brutality. He was saying we need to muster courage and strength to act in away that would confound the aggressor. The secret, is to show him love. Now, I will be the first to admit, this does not seem to be a manly thing to do, but a man can and should show love in a masculine way and that is to show restraint from retaliation, show compassion on the aggressor's ignorance of knowing God's ways and to act on the offense in a positive way as Christ would. For example, when an aggressor shows me cruelty I am to show him kindness. If he shows be harshness, I am to respond with gentleness. I am to return hate with love. One of Newton's Laws of Thermodynamics states that where there is an action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are to react, but not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but in an equal and opposite way. I don't know about you but I am going to need some help acting in this manner. Fortunately, by the grace of God, He has provided us with that help through the person of the Holy Spirit, from which we receive the attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. We can only receive this "fruit of the Spirit" by recognizing and submitting to a Higher Power; our Creater; our Redeemer; our Rock and our Fortress. Now this is something I can respect as a man.

Elias Lee Finnegan Dedication

Elias Lee Finnegan was dedicated to the Lord by his parents Erica and Cody Finnegan on Sunday, June 12, 2010, at Grace Community Church in Lima, Ohio. Grandparents, great parents, aunts and uncles and great aunts and great uncles all attended the service and celebrated together with a meal at the Old Barn Out Back in Lima. Oh, I must not forget cousin Zachary. He was in attendance as well.