Being Thankful in Stressful Times

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“Being Thankful in Stressful Times”

Pastor Jerry

Philippians 4:4-8

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The past two years has been the cause of so much stress in the lives of so many people. More than a year and a half ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Millions went home to shelter in place for what they thought would be a few weeks.

But, after continuing for a year, more than 500,000 U.S. residents died from the  coronavirus.  While at the same time, the nation also grappled with racial injustice, a brutal election cycle and civil unrest. The doors were once again opened and we began to believe that the pandemic was over. But that was not the truth.

In the summer of this year the American Psychological Association issued a warning about the impact of the stressful events of the pandemic. They warned that Americans faced a second pandemic — one that would persist even after the physical threat of the virus has been addressed. Most adults have indicated that their physical health is declining due to the stresses of the pandemic. These health stressors will likely lead to societal consequences, chronic illness & additional strain on the nation’s health care system.

Now, after more than 18 months of the pandemic there have been 765,320 deaths in the US. In fact, until the vaccinated numbers rise, there seems to be no real indication that the pandemic will end. In the midst of this uncertainty—fighting and unbelievable unrest is rampant.

So, how do we maintain mental and spiritual well-being in this stressful, unpredictable time?  I want to talk about that this morning.

There’s a well known stress scale called the Holmes Stress Scale which lists the 100 most stressful events you can have in life.  On the scale they have discovered that the single most stressful time of the year is the period between Thanksgiving and New Years. You worry about all kinds of problems that happen with shopping, and gifts, and money. And now with the complications of the pandemic the stress level this year goes through the roof.  Stress is a real serious concern in our world and in our lives today.

This week is Thanksgiving. How do you be thankful in stressful times?

In Philippians 4, Paul says, “May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord.” Is that possible? Is it possible always to be joyful, no matter what the circumstance? Yes it is.

Today I want to share with you a strategy for surviving stress. It’s found in our Scripture reading today. In that very short passage we have the four keys to surviving stress.

Step One:  Worry about nothing

Step Two:  Pray about everything

Step Three:  Thank God in all things

Step Four:  Think about the right things

  1. WORRY ABOUT NOTHING

V. 6 “Don’t be anxious about anything.” That’s easier said than done. We not only have pandemic worries, but we’re confronted with global worries. On the TV news we hear the headlines shouting details of shootings, climate changes, hospital crisis, nuclear weapons, worker shortages and price increases! It’s no wonder you’re stressed out.

But the Bible says, you need to “worry about nothing.”  Here are some facts about worry:

a study discovered that 40% of your worries never happen. 30% of your worries concern the past.  So you can’t control the past and 40% aren’t even going to happen so 70% of your worries are worthless. 12% of your worries are needless health concerns. 10% of your worries are insignificant and petty issues.  Only 8% of your worries are actual, legitimate concerns (according to the study).

What I suggest you do for those 8% is do what Jesus said do.  Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough troubles of its own.”  The key to reducing stress in your life is live one day at a time.  Live today by giving your day over to Jesus. Just focus on Him. Worry about nothing.

It’s interesting that when Paul wrote this scripture he was in prison saying, “Don’t worry about anything.”  Anytime God says “eliminate this from your life,” He adds something in and that’s the second step.

  1. STEP TWO: PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.

“In everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  You say, “I don’t have time to pray.” If you have time to worry then you’d have the time to pray.

Paul says “in everything.” Not just some things but everything. Some people think God only cares about religious things. God is interested in every detail of your life. Pray about everything! There is nothing insignificant to God.  1 Peter 5:7 “Unload all your worries on Him since He is looking after you.” We have to learn to unload our problems instead of worrying. Prayer is a tremendous release valve. “How do you handle stress?” Turn it over to the Lord. Let God have your worries. Learn to unload your stress through prayer. Paul says if you want to relieve stress here’s what you do: Worry about nothing and pray about everything.  Simple, but it’s something that you have to learn over and over.

  1. THIRD STEP: THANK GOD IN ALL THINGS

Paul says, “When you pray, pray with thanksgiving.” … “Always asking Him with a thankful heart.” Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving. Do you know that the healthiest human emotion is gratitude. Gratitude actually makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. It’s the healthiest emotion. People who are grateful are happier. So if you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, it reduces stress in your life. That’s why the old song, “Count Your Blessing, Name Them One By One” is such an encouragement to people.

Be thankful in all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  It’s most important to keep from misinterpreting this verse. It does not say “Give thanks for every circumstance.”  It says give thanks in every circumstance. Not for every circumstance. What’s the difference? Even out of bad, God can bring good. In every circumstance, no matter how bad it is, you can give thanks to God because (1) I know He has a purpose bigger than the problem and (2) He will give me the power to overcome the problem, and (3) I will grow through the experience if I allow it to help me grow. In every circumstance! Even in the evil that happens in the world I can be thankful because I know God is greater than the problem.

In everything give thanks. Gratitude is a stress reliever because it gets your eyes off the problem and puts it on the positive things in your life. This is what the Bible teaches:  I worry about nothing. I pray about everything. I give thanks for all things. 

  1. STEP FOUR: I THINK ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS

“Finally brothers, whatever I true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”  The fourth point is this: If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think.

Whatever you put in your brain is what’s going to come out. It’s like a computer. Garbage in, garbage out! The way you think determines the way you feel. And the way you feel determines the way you act. So if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about. If you’re watching television more than you’re reading the Bible, then what’s going into your mind?

The Bible says think about the things that are true, noble, right, lovely, admirable. Does that describe the typical movie? No! It involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the channels. You choose to think about the right things. Focus on the positive and on God’s word. Why? Because the root cause of stress is the way I choose to think.

Why is it that you can take two people, put them in the exact same circumstance? One of them is blown away and they fall apart, collapse emotionally. The other handles it with no problem, unruffled feathers. Obviously, the problem is not the circumstance. It’s one’s response. If you want to become like Christ, you think about Him.  Fill your mind with good things.

What is the result of doing these things? What is the results if you: Worry about nothing, pray about everything, thank God in all things, keep my mind on the right things.

What’s the result?  V. 7 “If you do this you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” What a guarantee–peace of mind. That’s what everybody is looking for? Peace!

It’s amazing the things people will try in order to find peace of mind. They run from one thing to the next, looking for peace of mind. The Bible says that God’s peace is a gift to you. And it can’t be explained and it can’t be duplicated and it can’t be fabricated. It’s a gift. How do I get that kind of peace?

The key is the last phrase of that verse. “As you trust in Christ Jesus.” It’s a relationship.

The Bible says it’s only for those who have a relationship with Christ, who put their faith and trust in Him. If you haven’t done that yet, I would encourage you to do so today.

What’s got you worried this morning? The pandemic? Your health? Your finances? Your situation? If you’ll take the steps we just talked about this morning and let Jesus Christ become the center of your mind and the center of your life, He will change your life …and you will find a peace you could not imagine possible. Come to Jesus now …with Thankfulness!

Guilty-Be Set Free in Jesus1

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“Guilty–Be Set Free in Jesus!”

Pastor Jerry

John 8:1-11; Ephesians 7:1

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There are many who are discouraged, lonely, ashamed, waiting for a light to shine… (Max Lucado was the inspiration for this sermon after reading his book: He Still Moves Stones).

Rebecca Thompson fell twice from the Fremont Canyon Bridge. She died both times. The first fall broke her heart; the second broke her neck. She was only eighteen years of age when she and her eleven­ year-old sister were abducted by a pair of hoodlums near a store in Casper, Wyoming. They drove the girls forty miles southwest to the Fremont Canyon Bridge, a one-lane, steel-beamed structure rising 112 feet above the North Platte River.

The men brutally beat and raped Rebecca. She somehow con­vinced them not to do the same to her sister Amy. Both were thrown over the bridge into the narrow gorge. Amy died when she landed on a rock near the river, but Rebecca slammed into a ledge and was ricocheted into deeper water. With a hip fractured in five places, she struggled to the shore. She wedged herself between two rocks and waited until the dawn.

But the dawn never came for Rebecca. Oh, the sun came up, and she was found. The physicians treated her wounds, and the courts imprisoned her attackers. Life continued, but the dawn never came.

The blackness of her night of horrors lingered. She was never able to climb out of the canyon. So in September 1992, nineteen years later, she returned to the bridge. Against her boyfriend’s pleadings, she drove seventy miles-per-hour to the North Platte River. With her two-year-old daughter and boyfriend at her side, she sat on the edge of the Fremont Canyon Bridge and wept. Through her tears she retold the story of that terrible night. The boyfriend didn’t want the child to see her mother cry, so he carried the toddler to the car.

That’s when he heard her body hit the water. And that’s when Rebecca Thompson died her second death. The sun never dawned on Rebecca’s dark night. Why? What took the light from her world?

Fear? Perhaps. She had testified against the men, pointing them out in the courtroom. One of the murderers had taunted her by smirking and sliding his finger across his throat. On the day of her death, the two had been up for parole. Perhaps the fear of a second encounter was too great.

Was it anger? Anger at her rapists? Anger at the parole board? Anger at herself for the thousand falls in the thousand nightmares that followed? Or anger at God for a canyon that grew ever deeper and a night that grew ever blacker and a dawn that never came?

Was it guilt? Some think so. Despite Rebecca’s attractive smile and appealing personality, friends say that she struggled with the ugly fact that she had survived and her little sister had not.

Was it shame? Everyone she knew and thousands she didn’t had heard the humiliating details of her tragedy. The stigma was tattooed deeper with the newspaper ink of every headline. She had been raped. She had been violated. She had been shamed. And try as she might to outlive and outrun the memory…she never could.

So nineteen years later she went back to the bridge.

Canyons of shame run deep. Gorges of never-ending guilt. Walls ribboned with the greens and grays of death. Unending echoes screams. Put your hands over your ears. Splash water on your face. Stop looking over your shoulder. Try as you might to outrun yes­terday’s tragedies—their tentacles are longer than your hope. They draw you back to the bridge of sorrows to be shamed again and again and again.

If it was your fault, it would be different. If you were to blame, you could apologize. If the tumble into the canyon was your mistake, you could respond. But you weren’t a volunteer. You were a victim. Sometimes your shame is private. No one else knows. But you know.

Sometimes it’s public. Told to others in a way you didn’t want. Communicated through others you never expected. And whether it’s actually in their eyes or just in your imagination, you have to deal with it—you are marked.

Whether private or public, shame is always painful. And unless you deal with it, it is permanent. Unless you get help the dawn will never come.

You’re not surprised when I say there are Rebecca Thompson’s in every city and Fremont Bridges in every town. And there are many Rebecca Thompsons in the Bible. You’ve met many in this book. Each acquainted with the hard floor of the canyon of shame. But there is one woman whose story embodies them all. A story of failure. A Story of abuse. A story of shame.

And a story of miracle – a story of being set free!

Can you see her, the woman standing in the center of the circle? The men around her are religious leaders. Pharisees, they are called. Self-appointed custodians of conduct. And the other man, the one in the simple clothes, the one sitting on the ground, the one look­ing at the face of the woman, that’s Jesus.

Jesus has been teaching. The woman has been cheating. And the Pharisees are out to stop them both. “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery” (John 8:4 NIV). The accusation rings off the stone walls. “Caught in the act of adultery.” The words alone are enough to make you blush. Doors shammed open. “In the act.” In the arms. In the moment. In the embrace. “Caught.” Aha! What have we here? This man is not your husband. Put on some clothes! We know what to do with women like you!

In an instant she is yanked from a private space to public spec­tacle. Heads poke out of windows as the posse pushes her through the streets. Dogs bark. Neighbors stare. The city sees. Clutching a thin robe around her shoulders, she hides her nakedness. But nothing can hide her shame.

From this second on, she’ll be known as an adulteress. When she goes to the market, women will whisper. When she passes, heads will turn. When her name is mentioned, the people will remember. Moral failure finds easy recall.

The greater abuse, however, goes unnoticed. What the woman did is shameful, but what the Pharisees did is despicable. Accord­ing to the law, adultery was punishable by death, but only if two people witnessed the act. There had to be two eyewitnesses.

Question: “How likely is two people to be eyewitnesses to adul­tery?” What are the chances of two people stumbling upon this forbidden embrace? Unlikely. But if you do, odds are it’s not a coincidence. So we wonder. How long did the men peer through tile window before they barged in? How long did they lurk behind the curtain before they stepped out?

And what of the man? Adultery requires two participants. What happened to him? Could it be that he slipped out? The evidence leaves little doubt. It was a trap. She’s been caught. But she’ll soon see that she is not the catch—she’s only the bait.

“The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this. What do you say we should do?” (v. 5). Pretty cocky, this committee of high ethics. Pretty proud of them­selves, these agents of righteousness. This will be a moment they long remember the morning they foil and snag the mighty Nazarene.

As for the woman? Why, she’s immaterial. Merely a pawn in their game. Her future? It’s unimportant. Her reputation? Who cares if it’s ruined? She is a necessary, yet dispensable, part of their plan.

The woman stares at the ground. Her sweaty hair dangles. Her tears drip hot with hurt. Her lips are tight, her jaw is clenched. She knows she’s been framed. No need to look up. She’ll find no kind­ness. She looks at the stones in their hands. Squeezed so tightly that fingertips turn white. She thinks of running. But where? She could claim mistreat­ment. But to whom? She could deny the act, but she was seen. She could beg for mercy, but these men offer none.

The woman has nowhere to turn.

You’d expect Jesus to stand and proclaim judgment on the hyp­ocrites. He doesn’t. You’d hope that he would snatch the woman and the two would he beamed to Galilee. That’s not what happens either. You’d imagine that an angel would descend or heaven would speak or the earth would shake. No, none of that.

Once again, Jesus is still. But, once again, his message is unmistakable. What does Jesus do?  (If you already know, pretend you don’t and feel the surprise.) Jesus writes in the sand. He stoops down and draws in the dirt. The same finger that engraved the 10 commandments on Mt. Sinai and painted the warning on Belshazzar’s wall now scribbles in the courtyard floor. And as he writes, he speaks: “Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her” (v. 7).

The young people look to the old people. The old look in their hearts. They are the first to drop their stones. And as they turn to leave, the young do the same. The only sound is the thud of rocks and the shuffle of feet.

Jesus and the woman are left alone. And the woman awaits his verdict. Surely, a sermon is coming. No doubt, he’s going to demand that she apologize. But he doesn’t speak. His head is down, perhaps he’s still writing in the sand. He seems surprised when he realizes that she is still there.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one judged you guilty?” She answers, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus says, “I also don’t judge you guilty. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore” (10-11). If you have ever wondered how God reacts when you fail, frame these words and hang them on the wall. Read them. Pon­der them. Drink from them. Stand below them and let them wash over your soul: “In Jesus you are set free!”

Or better still; take him with you to your canyon. Your canyon of shame. Invite Christ to journey with you back to the Fremont Bridge of your world. Let him stand beside you as you retell the events of the dark­est nights of your soul.

And then listen. Listen carefully. He’s speaking. “I don’t judge you guilty.”

And watch. Watch carefully. He’s writing. He’s leaving a mes­sage. Not in the sand, but on a cross. Not with his hand, but with his blood.

His message has two words: Not guilty. He has set you free!

It’s a miracle!  You can be pronounced not guilty and set free!

Why?  Because God loves you!

He sent Jesus as the Light to show you the way!

How can you be set free? By giving your life to Christ! Let Him Change You!

How to Recognize God’s Voice

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Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 4

“How to Recognize God’s Voice”

Pastor Jerry

1 John 4:1-6

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We’re going to conclude the sermon series today, “Be Still & Hear God!” We’ve been looking at how to hear God’s voice.  All around you there are sounds going on. There are sound waves going through this building right now. You can’t see them. You can’t hear them unless you’re tuned in.

The same is true with God. God is trying to speak to you. But unless you’re tuned in, you’re not going to hear Him. So how do you know when an idea is from God? How do you know when an idea is from Satan? How do you know when an idea is your own idea?

If you confuse your desires with what God wants you to do the results can be fatal. “What you think is the right road may lead to death.”  Proverbs14:12 (GN) It’s very important to know when it’s God talking to you.

The fact is one moment it could be the devil talking to you, one moment it could be God talking to you, one minute it could be you just talking to yourself. The Bible says this in 1 John 4:1 “Don’t believe everything you hear just because somebody says it’s a message from God. Test it first to see if it really is.” 

If you want a good example of how quickly we can flip flop, look at Matthew 16, the story of Jesus talking to Peter. Jesus says to Peter, “Peter, who do you say that I am.” Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus says to Peter, “You’re right, Peter. That idea didn’t come from human wisdom. God gave you that idea.” Now a few minutes later Jesus says to Peter, “You know I’m going to have to go to Jerusalem and I’m going to have to die on the cross for the sins of people.” Peter goes, “Wait a minute, Lord! You don’t want to do that. Jesus says, “That idea is from the devil! Get behind me, Satan.” Same guy. Two different impressions within just a matter of minutes. It could happen to you and me. One minute you’re listening to God. One minute you’re listening to yourself. One minute you‘re listening to the devil. So how do you know if it’s God talking to you?

Jesus said in John 7:17 “Anyone who wants to do God’s will can test this teaching and know whether it is from God or whether I’m making it up.” Today we’re going to look at five ways to know if an idea in your mind is from God or not. All five of these tests form a very strong filter. You can’t pick and choose. No. It takes all 5, or, it’s not God talking to you. If an idea passes all five of these tests you can know with confidence that you have heard from God. So let’s look at these five ways to test an idea from God. 

  1. Does it agree with the Bible?

God will never contradict what He’s already said in His word.  Luke 21, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away.”  Truth stands the test of time. The truth of God never changes. The vast majority of God’s will for your life is right here in the Bible. All you’re got to do is read it. So the better you know God’s word the more God will be able to talk to you.

  1. Does it make me more like Christ?

God’s number one goal is to make us like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.” God obviously would not put an impression in our lives that would lead us in a direction opposite the major goal He has for our lives. So how do you know it’s not an impression from God? Jam. 3:17 “The wisdom that comes from God is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere.”  

God’s going to give impressions that promote harmony and not conflict. When God gives you an impression, He is concerned about the impact that impression is going to have on somebody else. Is it going to hurt somebody else’s life? If you really hear from God it makes you full of mercy.

  1. 3. Does my church family confirm it?

You need the wisdom and counsel and advice of other godly people in your life to help you stay on track. God never meant for you to go through life as a Lone Ranger, on your own. That’s why He created the church family because we need each other. We need spiritually mature friends to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from.

Ephesians 3:10 says this “God’s intent is that through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” God shares His wisdom with His body and if God has genuinely spoken to you, then other mature believers will confirm it. God wants us to learn from each other, to share with each other, to get the wise counsel of each other.

  1. Is it convicting rather than condemning?

Let me explain the difference. Conviction comes from God. Condemnation comes from the devil.  The purpose of conviction is to correct something that’s out of whack in your life. The purpose of condemnation is just to put you down.

Notice what the Bible says, Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” God never attacks your value. Condemnation comes from the devil. The devil is the one who wants to make you miserable. So what is conviction? The Bible tells us in Revelation 3. God says “Those whom I dearly and tenderly love I tell their faults and convict and discipline.  So, be earnest and repent.” God tells you what’s wrong in your life. He tells you the solution.

 

Condemnation doesn’t go away. It just stays there.  If you still feel guilty after you’ve confessed a sin, that guilt is not from God. It’s from the devil. Too many people mistake their own low self-esteem for the voice of God. They think that it’s God saying, “You’re worthless. Nobody likes you.”  That’s not God. That’s Your own voice. Or it is the devil. It is not God. The Bible says in Rev.12:10 “Satan is the accuser of believers.” Not God.

  1. Do I sense God’s peace about it?

If you get an impression and it makes you feel overwhelmed, you ought to question whether that impression is from God. Because God wants us to sense His peace, not live under stress.  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:33 “God’s not the author of confusion.” He wants to make sense in our lives. The only time pressure is legitimate for us as believers is when God has told us to do something specifically and we haven’t done it yet.  

God wants to encourage us. There is a word for something in our lives that drives us away from God’s peace. And that word is “worry.” The Bible talks about the difference between our worries and God’s peace in Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything.  Instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He’s done. If you do this you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and your minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

One of the clearest signs of impression from God is when all of a sudden you sense peace – God’s peace – in the midst of the storms of difficulty in your life.

These five ways are ways to test an impression from God. They are:  Number 1, does it agree with the Bible?  Number 2, does it make me more like Christ?  Number 3, does my church family confirm it?  Number 4, is it convicting rather than condemning.  And number 5, do I sense God’s peace about it?

If you use these filters you will know whether you’re hearing from God or not.  Learning to hear God speak is more than hearing God’s word. You must also act on what you hear. Be still & Hear God! But when you hear God speak …you must obey!

Homecoming 2021

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“Homecoming 2021”

Pastor Jerry

Acts 14:21-28

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One of the most wonderful and fascinating features of God’s creation is that God created animals with an incredible sense of direction called “the homing instinct.”

Against all odds, wild animals swim and fly home from the sea and lakes to the place of their birth.

Even domesticated animals have shown a remarkable instinct to “go home. There are documented cases of dogs and cats traveling hundreds even thousands of until they find their way home.

Did God create humans with a similar “homing instinct?”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He (God) has set eternity in the hearts of men. The apostle Paul states it this way in II Corinthians 5:1-2… “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (now listen carefully to this second verse) Meanwhile we GROAN, LONGING to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.”

 That’s why we sing about…“Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away.” Or “When we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be.” Or “When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.”

 You see, “God has set eternity in our hearts.” And no matter how comfortable we may be in this world, our hearts are continually drawing us homeward and heavenward. But while we are in this world there is something that draws us back to our earthly home.

Renowned Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is host on a PBS TV SHOW, called “Finding Your Roots.” The core of the program is built upon the basic drive of humans to discover who we are and where we come from.

So, each year at this same time we are drawn back to Boones Mill Church of the Brethren to celebrate A HOMECOMING. Today is a special day for all of us.

In many ways, PAUL and BARNABAS looked upon the Church at Antioch as their “home church.” We learn in ACTS that it was from the Church at Antioch Paul and Barnabas were sent off on their first of three missionary journeys through the region of Asia Minor.

In our scripture text in ACTS 14,  PAUL and BARNABAS have just returned home after their two year missionary journey. The first thing they did was gather all the Church together for a big HOMECOMING CELEBRATION. As we reflect on what that HOMECOMING meant to the Church in Antioch, we gain some insight on what HOMECOMING means to us today.

  1. Homecoming Is A Time To Reflect on Where We Have Been. vs. 26, 27

At the Homecoming at the Antioch Church with Paul and Barnabas, they talked about all the places they had been. Their journey had started on the Isle of Cyprus, which is where Barnabas called home. They traveled to several cities on that island preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While in the city of PAPHOS, they encountered a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. Paul and Barnabas went on to tell about preaching in the city of PERGA. It was there young John Mark left them and returned home. After leaving the Island of Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch of Pisidia where Paul came down with a bad case of malaria. It was through their preaching of the gospel many Gentiles came to accept Jesus Christ. But the JEWS who lived in that region stirred up a riot against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. Paul nearly lost his life when the people stoned him and drug him outside the city and left him for dead.

Don’t you know the people gathered at that great Homecoming that day were glued to the edges of their seats as they listened to Paul and Barnabas tell of all these experiences in the places they had been.

Let’s reflect for a moment on WHERE Boones Mill Church of the Brethren has been.

Many of you are much more familiar with this Church’s history than I, but let me briefly sketch where this Church has been since her humble beginnings.

As far back as 1860, (at the beginning of the Civil War) services were held in schoolhouses and homes in and near Boones Mill. By the early 1900s the meetings that were being held in different homes, had grown too large for the homes, so plans were made for a church house to be built in Boones Mill. After WW1, the lot on which the church now stands was purchased from George Angell in 1924 and construction began that same year.

In 1925, the Boones mill Church was built and dedicated with J.A. Naff (one of my ancestors) bringing the message. In 1928, the Boones Mill congregation petitioned the Bethlehem Church for organizational status and it was granted.

At the beginning of WW2, Guy Wampler, Sr. was secured as the first full time pastor of the Boones Mill Church in 1939 while he gave pastoral support to the Cedar Bluff and Red Hill Congregations as well. Following Guy Wampler’s pastorate, there were Oscar Fike, Robert Lloyd, the home ministers, James Flora, Grant Simmons, William Puffenburger, Donald Clay, Jimmy Robinson, Robert Miller, then Harry Shelton—and I have been serving as pastor since 2019.

The Boones Mill Church of the Brethren is today celebrating its 96th Homecoming since its beginning.

And so today as WE THINK ABOUT WHERE WE HAVE BEEN may we not forget those who founded this Church long ago and those who faithfully served her in years gone by.

  1. Homecoming Is A Time to Reflect On Where We Are. vs. 28

We know from historical records that Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey covered a two year period during 48 and 49 A.D.  And we know the second missionary journey did not begin until early 50 A.D. During that “season of refreshment” Paul and Barnabas had time to reflect on WHERE THEY’D BEEN and WHERE THEY WERE NOW as they made their preparations for a second missionary journey.

So, let’s ask, Where is Boones Mill Church of the Brethren right now?

I believe that is all a matter of perspective. Those of you who have a broader history in this Church may see things one way, whereas those who are relatively new to Boones Mill Church of the Brethren may see things in a different way. Having been here just a little over two years, can I tell you what I see as the “new kid on the block?”

I see Boones Mill Church of the Brethren as a Church that has had many ups and downs over the years. This Church has had some days of great glory where she was thriving and growing and these Church pews were filled.

And this Church has seen her share of some “not-so-glorious” days. But I truly believe the Church that endured those difficult times is a much more loving, more caring and more united Church. I see a genuine hunger on the part of many of you to learn the scriptures.

I see Boones Mill Church of the Brethren as a hopeful looking Church for a new future. We have come through almost two years of a pandemic with many great challenges and yet have not simply survived, but have actually, thrived. I see a Church that is on her way UP, not on her way DOWN. Do we still have lots of room for improvement?  Yes we do! Do we need more work in a lot of areas? Yes we do! But as we look at where we are right now, I believe all the ingredients are here for GOD to breathe brand new life into Boones Mill Church of the Brethren!

  1. Homecoming is a time to reflect on where we have been.
  2. Homecoming is a time to reflect on where we are.

And finally……

III.  Homecoming Is A Time To Reflect on Where We Are Going.    

The Church at Antioch was perhaps one of, if not the most vibrant Church in the New Testament. It is from this Church we learn a very valuable truth and that is this: In order for a Church to maintain her vitality and stay healthy, she must never become satisfied with status quo.

Having sent Paul and Barnabas on that first missionary journey, it would have been very easy for the Church at Antioch to become very self-satisfied that they had done all they needed to do. But instead, this Church focused on doing even more in the future. Paul’s second missionary journey took him into new places, resulting in the winning of many more lost souls and the establishment of many new Churches in places where the gospel had never been preached. And the Church at Antioch played a key role in that.

The Antioch Church partnered with Paul on his third and final missionary journey as well. The Antioch Church as constantly striving toward a better future!

What is the future of Boones Mill Church of the Brethren? Where do we go from here? Are the Boones Mill Church’s best days behind her or ahead of her? I believe the Boones Mill Church can learn a very valuable lesson from the Church at Antioch. And that is if we are to be a strong, vibrant, healthy Church 10-20 years from now, should the Lord tarry, we must strive to be a strong, vibrant, healthy Church today.

Brothers and sisters, it is up to you and me to build the bridge to the next generation of the Boones Mill Church of the Brethren. Our goal is not to become the biggest Church in this  area. Our goal is not to offer more and better programs than other Churches. Our greatest goal is to become the kind of Church Jesus Christ would have us to be. A Church that LOVES GOD and LOVES PEOPLE!  Everything else is secondary in importance!

And so as we set our sights for the future of Boones Mill Church of the Brethren, …“let us fix our eyes on Jesus, …the author and finisher of our faith.” God is calling us to come home… home to the Boones Mill Church … and calling us to come home to a life with Jesus Christ… please, come home!

How to Get Guidance from God

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Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 3

“How to Get Guidance from God”

Pastor Jerry

Habakkak 2:1-2

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I received an e-mail some time ago with the following story called “Imagine if God had voice mail.” It goes something like this, “Thank you for calling heaven. Press one for Guidance, two for Requests, three for Thanksgiving, and (so forth)…”

Three weeks ago we talked about six ways that God speaks to us. He speaks to us through the Bible; through gifted teachers; through godly friends and family; through impressions, through pain, and through silence.

Today, I want us to go back and look at that fourth way, how God speaks through impressions. There’s a lot of confusion about “How God Speaks” but fortunately there is a six step process found in the Bible, in an Old Testament book called Habakkuk. In chapter one Habakkuk asks six questions of God. He’s asking God for guidance. In chapter two he does six things to prepare himself to hear God’s answer. If you’ll do those same six things you’ll find God speaking to you in your own life. In chapter three he gets the answers from God.

Let’s get right into these six steps of how to hear from God. In the scripture lesson we read: Chapter 2:1-2, Habakkuk …In these two verses we have the six steps on how to hear from God.

  1. Want. I must want to hear God.

I must be willing to listen. It all starts with desire, wanting to hear God. Habakkuk begins with these words “I will.” “I will climb up into my watchtower.” In other words he’s saying, I’m deciding to be still. It’s a choice.

The point is you’re never going to hear God unless you want to hear God. So it starts with your own desires. King David wrote in the Psalm 85:8 “I want to hear what God, the Lord, says.” Psalm 40:8 “My God I want to do what You want.” He says I don’t want to just hear, I want to do what You want me to do. I want to obey.

God speaks to people who decide in advance that they’re going to do whatever God tells them to do before He even tells them.  How serious are you about wanting to hear from God?  God called David in the Bible, “A man after My own heart.”  Why? Because he was so good? No. Far from it. Why? Because David was passionate about wanting to hear from God.

This is the first step to getting guidance from God.  I must want it. The second step is… 

  1. Decide. You decide to withdraw

That means you get alone in a quiet place. Habakkuk said, “I’ll climb up into my watchtower.”  That’s a Hebrew expression that means I’m going to get alone in a quiet place.  The point here is you cannot hear God’s voice if you’re surrounded by noise. In Luke 5:16 “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Jesus knew He needed this to be a regular part of His life if He was going to sense God’s voice and hear God’s voice.

Do you ever realize the amount of noise in your life? It’s everywhere. So in order to get away from the noise we have to intentionally decide to withdraw. That’s why it’s so important to decide to remove as many distractions as possible so that you can be quiet and hear God’s voice.

The truth is God is far more willing to talk to you or I than we are to talk to Him. It’s one thing to hear God speak and if withdrawing to a quiet place was all you needed to hear God it would be a snap. But (1) wanting and (2) deciding are just the first two of six steps to hearing God. The next thing you do is …

  1. Wait. I calm my thoughts and emotions.

First, I want to hear God. Second, I withdraw to a quiet place. Then Third, I wait by settling down on the inside. In Habakkuk 2:1 he says, “…and I will wait.” In other words, I’m going to wait to hear God. You have to take the time to listen.

What do you do while you wait?  Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”  Everything in the world tries to keep you from listening to God. Especially the devil. He will remind you of all your weaknesses, all your sins, and all your mistakes. “What are you doing praying to God with your life messed up like this?” That’s not the voice of God.  The Bible says if you are a believer “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  So focus on God’s love for you. That is something you can build your life on. These are the steps to hearing from God. First you (1) want to hear God. (2) Next you withdraw. (3) Then, in a quiet place, undistracted, you wait.  The fourth step is…

  1. Watch. I let God give me a mental picture.

Watching for Habakkuk is, “I will look to see what He will say to me.”  Why does he say I’m going to look at what God says?  Doesn’t it make more sense to say I will listen to what God says? Sure it does. So why does he say, “I’m going to look to see what God says…”

The Bible Psalm 119:18 says “Open my eyes so that I may see the wonderful truths in Your word.”  Here’s a very important point. God’s voice is often visual. What do I mean by that? I mean that sometimes God speaks to you by putting a mental picture in your mind. He will give you an image, a picture, i.e. the Good Samaritan; the prodigal son; & the cross.

 The Bible is full of examples of God giving people a mental picture, a mental image while they were praying. In the Bible it’s called a vision.

If there’s anything that you need in your life more than almost anything else, you need perspective. Because most of the time you go through life with a little tiny narrow vision of life.  When you see the big perspective, all of a sudden your problems seem a whole lot smaller in the whole scheme of things. So how do you get perspective from God? Let Him give you a picture.

Remember Jesus said, “watch and pray,” not “listen and pray.” God wants you to expect an answer when you pray. That’s what it means to watch and pray.

These are the steps to hearing from God. First you (1) want to hear, (2) Next you withdraw, (3) you wait undistracted, (4) watch and pray, then (5) you

  1. Write. Record the ideas that you receive.

Habakkuk says, “The Lord gave me this answer. ‘Write down clearly what I’ve revealed to you.’” Because Habakkuk wrote it down we have the book called Habakkuk. He asked God a question, God gave Him an answer, he writes it down. If your prayer life is stuck in a rut, one of the things you can do as a solution is begin to write down your prayers. It helps you to see what you’re praying.

This by the way is called spiritual journalizing. It’s a habit that many, many great Christians had for centuries. You simply write down what you’re saying to God and you write down what God’s saying to you. Some people think praying should be more spontaneous? If David didn’t write down his prayers we wouldn’t have the book of Psalms. It’s a spiritually healthy thing to do.

God tries to teach us lessons through what happens in our life. I miss them all the time and I’ll bet you do too. We get so busy we rush right past them. Take some time just to set down and write out what lesson was God trying to teach you in your life through what happens.

These are the steps: (1) I want, (2) I withdraw, (3) I wait, (4) I watch, (5) I write and the last step…

  1. I worship. I thank God for speaking to me.

This is the natural response of hearing from God: To worship. This is what Habakkuk did in chapter 3:2 he says “Oh Lord, now I have heard Your report, and I worship You in awe.”  When you receive God’s response to a prayer or to a question it makes you love Him more.

The other week I said, sometimes God speaks through silence. Why is God silent sometimes? There’s a lot of different reasons. God may be saying, “I’m not ready to tell you.” He may be saying, “You’re not ready to hear it.” He may be saying, “I want you to trust Me.”   

 Taking these steps that we talked about today will revolutionize your prayer life if you do it. It’s one thing for you to sit here and listen to this. It’s another thing to practice it.

However, for you to hear God, you have to “Be Still…and Listen…”

How God Talks to You

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Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 2

“How God Talks to You”

Pastor Jerry

2 Timothy 3:14-17

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We started a new series called “Be Still & Hear God.” It’s about hearing God speak.  We talked about four attitudes that can make or break whether you hear God or not. The four attitudes were: a closed mind, a shallow mind, a preoccupied mind, and a willing mind.

God tells us that He wants to talk to us. In fact the Bible is full of examples, hundreds of examples of God talking to people. In the Bible, God uses many, many different ways to communicate. God can communicate any way He wants. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush, to Jacob through an angel, to the entire nation of Israel through a cloud, and to a man named Balaam through a donkey.

What is God using to try to talk to you?

In Job 33 it says, “God speaks in different ways but we don’t always recognize His voice.”  God has many, many different ways that He speaks to us. The problem is we often don’t recognize it. This morning we’re going to look at six of the ways that God wants to speak to you. These are not the only ways. But these are six very, very common ways that God speaks to us. 

  1. God speaks to us through the Bible.

The number one way that God speaks to us – is through His word. There are a lot of people who say, “I want God to tell me what He wants me to do.”  However, God is not going to write it in the sky. He’s already written it in a book, the Bible. The reason we have the Bible is because God has already spoken over thousands of years and to thousands of people who wrote down what God said. If you’re never opening the Bible, God isn’t talking to you very much.  Because the number one way He speaks to us is through this book.

2 Timothy 3:16 “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.”  God gave us the Bible: to teach us, to help us, to correct us, and to show us how to live. It says everything in the Bible is God’s word and all of it is useful.

This is why a daily time with God is so important. If every day you would take five minutes and say, I’m going to read the Bible, I’m going to let it speak to me, it would impact your life. Just stop and think about it and pray each day.  Let God speak to you.” 

 Why is that important? “Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.”  The Bible says that it is a light for life. It shows you the next step in life. You read today and take one step. Then you take another step. He gives you just enough light for each day. That’s what the Bible’s for. What you need to do is read a little bit of the Bible every day. Why? Because it’s the first way God speaks. Through His word.

  1. The Bible tells us that God speaks to us through gifted teachers.

That’s what the Bible talks about over in Ephesians 4:11-12 when it says, “Christ gifted some to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors and teachers.” And look at why: “So that His people would learn to serve & His body would grow strong.” 

 How do you know if when somebody’s talking they have this gift from God to be a teacher? Here’s how you know. If when that person is teaching there comes a moment when you feel like, “God is speaking directly to me.” You know because God is, in that moment, saying something to you. There is a test for the gift of teaching in Romans 12:6. The Bible talks to teachers and says, “God in His kindness gave each of us different gifts. If your gift is speaking God’s word make sure that what you say agrees with the faith.”  If somebody’s got the gift of teaching it’s going to agree with the Bible.

1 Corinthians 2:13 says, “We don’t speak in words taught by human wisdom.  This is something different. We speak in words taught by the Spirit as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.” The truth is it’s about God speaking to us, not about what some human being is saying. God will use people who teach the Bible to help us to understand His truth.

  1. God speaks through godly friends and family

This one we often discount, because often we ignore those who are closest to us. We don’t realize that God actually puts people around you and then through them says things to you all the time. Proverbs 12:26, “The godly give wise advice to their friends. The wicked lead them astray.”

We all have blind spots. God puts people around you to tell you the truth. Everybody needs

somebody in their life who loves them enough to tell them the truth. Do you have anybody like that in your life? They don’t just tell you what you want to hear. But they love you enough to level with you.

This is why God hates pride so much. The worst sin is pride. One of the reasons its bad is it makes one defensive and un-teachable. A person doesn’t have to have their life perfect for them to point out something in your life. When we’re prideful we build up these walls, we keep people far away. Then we can’t hear God’s voice speaking through these other people. Proverbs 12:15 “Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advise.”

  1. The fourth way God speaks is through impressions or ideas from the Holy Spirit.

He gives you thoughts. Actually when God talks to you in your mind we call that inspiration. When the devil talks to you we call that temptation. They are both the same method. It’s just a suggestion. 

John 14:26 says this “The Holy Spirit will be your teacher and will bring to your mind all I have said to you.”  This is Jesus talking. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit our teacher, our counselor. “The Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our heart and tells us that we are God’s children.”  God makes impressions on our minds through the Holy Spirit.

I want to tell you. You don’t just get impressions from God. You get impressions from all different kinds of things. So you have to be very careful.

  1. God speaks through pain.

Sometime pain is the only way God can get our attention in a circumstance. I’m not saying that all the pain in our lives is God trying to speak to us. But God uses pain when He can’t get us to slow down and listen.  The verse about this in the Bible is in Proverbs 20:30. “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.”  We know that’s true. We’ve all seen the truth of that verse in our lives. We change when we get desperate. It’s when we hit the bottom, often when we look up.  God wants to let you know that He loves you more than you could imagine. “Be still & and Hear God!”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:71 “The suffering You sent was good for me. For it taught me to pay attention to Your principles.” God speaks to us through our pain.

  1. God speaks through silence.

Sometimes God speaks by saying nothing. Sometimes God speaks by remaining quiet. This is extremely frustrating to us. But God has His reasons when He’s quiet and silent. You’d better just wait and trust Him. When you run ahead of God you’re going to regret it.

What do you do when God is silent? You need to do two things. First thing you do: Remember God is in control! God may not share His plan with you but it doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan. He is in charge and you’re not. Number two: you trust Him.  I think God is asking that question of you today.  God is asking you, “Will you trust Me? Will you trust Me with your problem? Will you trust Me with your dream? Will you trust Me with that ache in your heart? Will you trust Me with your loneliness? Will you trust Me with that health issue? Will you trust me with your life? Will you? Will you trust Me?” 

God is asking, “Do You hear Me now?” “Be sill & hear God!”

God Wants to Talk to You

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Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 1

“God Wants to Talk to You”

Pastor Jerry

Luke 8:4-15

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We’re beginning a new series today. It’s about hearing God when He speaks to you.  In this series we’re going to look at how do you know when it’s God talking to you? How do you hear God?

I often listen to Christian music on the radio. But I have to tune it in to a certain station, if I’m still going to hear anything. You’ve got to be tuned in. 

The point is God has given you the capacity to hear Him. All the equipment that you already need to hear God you’re got. You just have to learn how to tune God in. That’s what we’re going to learn about in this series.

Some of you may be too young to remember this but back in the 70s before cell phones there was a fad called CB radios. They were saying things like “10-4 good buddy… Put the pedal to the metal… Smoky the Bear is in the woods…”  One of the phrases was “Got your ears on?” That meant “Are you tuned in to hear me?”  That phrase wasn’t original with CB radios. Actually Jesus said it 2000 years ago.  Jesus says “He who has ears to hear let him hear.”  He’s talking about the fact that: Jesus says.  I’ve already given you the ability to hear Me. But you need to tune into Me.” 

Jesus told the story about how to tune in. It’s called the Parable of the Sower.

Fortunately Jesus explains the story and tells us the meaning of all the parts. He says this: The farmer represents God. And the seed represents God wanting to talk to you – God’s word to you. The soil represents four different attitudes that you can have toward hearing from God. Now let’s look at how to prepare to hear God’s voice. There’s 4 things in this story.

  1. If you want to hear God speak you must first cultivate an open mind.

What does that mean? It means you’ve got to be receptive. You’ve got to be willing. Many people don’t believe God will speak to people.” It is amazing to me how many people in this world are not even open to the possibility that God will speak to them.

This is what Jesus talked about in the first kind of soil – the footpath soil. Luke 8:5 He says, “A farmer went out to sow his seed and as he was scattering the seed some fell along the path and the birds of the air ate it up.”  On a farm there are footpaths where workers trampled down the soil and it becomes really hard. And if some of that seed that the farmer’s throwing out happens to land on the hard compacted soil of the footpath there’s no way it’s going to take root. It just lays on top until a bird comes along and eats it.

Jesus gives us the meaning of this in verse 12.  He says “Those along the footpath are the ones who hear. And then the devil comes along and takes away the word from their heart so that they cannot believe and be saved.”

Do you know any anyone who have a closed mind or a hard heart. They act as if they don’t need God. This first kind of soil, the hard soil represents a closed mind. 

If you want to hear God speak to you, first you need to cultivate an open mind.

  1. You’ve got to allocate time to listen.

That means you’ve got to be still …slow down. You’ve got to make time to be quiet. You’ve got to put it in your schedule so you have time to hear God speak.

The second barrier to hearing God speak is being too busy. We say, “God, I want to hear from You. Speak, God.  But I’ve only got five minutes. So make it Quick!” God wants more than your spare moments. God wants to be the center of your life.

Here’s the second kind of soil that Jesus talks about.  Luke 8:6 He says “Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.  This seed began to grow but it soon withered and died for lack of moisture.” 

 In verse 13 He tells what it represents, “The rocky soil represents those who hear the message with joy but like young plants in such soil their roots don’t go very deep.  They believe for a while but they wilt when the hot winds of testing blow.” Jesus says the shallow soil represents a shallow mind. We get excited. We react emotionally. But we don’t let God’s word sink into the depth of our being.

Notice it says that these people have shallow roots. How do you get spiritual depth in your life? One, schedule a daily time with God. In a quiet time you sit down, you read the Bible and you listen to God speak. If you want to hear God’s voice you have to cultivate an open mind. You have to allocate time to listen.

  1. You must eliminate the distractions.

You can’t hear God when your mind is crowded with other thoughts, when your mind is crowded with worries and concerns and anxieties. You can’t hear God when your mind is filled with your dreams, your plans, filled with television, with your cell phone. When all this noise is going on you’re not going to hear God.

This is the third kind of soil. Jesus calls it the soil with weeds. In Luke 8:7 He says “Other seed fell in the weeds and the weeds grew with it and strangled it.”  Notice the seed sprout and actually starts growing but after a while it gets choked by the weeds so it never bares fruit.

In verse 14 Jesus tells us the meaning of this “The seed that fell among the weeds stands for those who hear but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries and riches and pleasures and they don’t mature.” 

 You can be always on the go but going in circles. There’s no fruit in your life. The Bible says these people are choked. Jesus says the distractions are like weeds that grow up in your life and choke out the ability for you to hear God. A weed is anything you allow to choke God out of your schedule. It could be a very good thing. But if it chokes God out of your life and robs you of time to hear God, it is a weed.

The first barrier to hearing God is resistance. The second is no time. The third is busyness.  You can get so distracted and so busy you don’t have time to hear God.

So this soil with weeds represents a crowded mind.

The fourth thing you have to do to prepare to hear God speaking is…

  1. Cooperate with what He says.

First, cultivate an open mind; next, allocate time to listen; then, eliminate the distractions; and finally, cooperate with whatever He says.

God speaks to the person who says, “Before You even talk to me, God, I’m telling You ok. God whatever You tell me, I’m going to do it.” God doesn’t speak to the person who says, “God, tell me what You want to say and I’ll decide if it’s a good idea or not.” God speaks to the person who says, “God, tell me what You want me to do, and before I even know, the answer is already YES!” 

 This is what the Bible calls the good soil. Verse 15 “The seed that fell in the good soil stands for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart and they persist until they bear fruit.” How do you bear fruit? One way is pass it on. God says, “I’ll talk to you and you talk to others. You pass it on and you’ll be My voice to other people.”  That is bearing fruit. This is the good soil we call this a willing mind.

 The four things you have to do to prepare to hear God speaking is: First, cultivate an open mind—expect God to speak; next, allocate time to listen—be still and schedule a devotion time each day; then, eliminate the distractions—pull the weeds of noise that are chocking you; and finally, cooperate with whatever God says—be eager to say yes to tell others there is a God…His name is Jesus!

Jesus is asking… “do you hear me now?” “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Trust the Right Person

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“Trust the Right Person”

Pastor Jerry

Psalm 23

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Many people get excited about the idea of traveling the world. So, imagine yourself on such a trip in a jungle. Your friends convinced you it was time and here you are. And you ventured into the thick, strange world of the jungle.

Sound interesting? Imagine that you are in the jungle, but lost and alone. You paused to lace your boot, and when you looked up, no one was near. And you have been alone for a long time. Your watch was attached to your pack, and your pack is on the shoulder of another traveler who volunteered to hold it. So, here you are, stuck in the middle of nowhere.

You have a problem. You are out of your element. What’s worse, you aren’t equipped. And now you are trapped-and you haven’t a clue how to get out.  

Sound like fun to you? Let me ask how would you feel? Fear? Of course. Anxiety? Sure. Anger? Yes. (You’d like to get your hands on those folks who convinced you to take this trip.)

But most of all –you feel hopelessness? No idea where to turn. No hunch what to do. Who could blame you for burying your face in your hands & thinking, I’ll never get out of here? You have no direction, no equipment, no hope.

Can you sense how it feels to be out of your element? Out of solutions? Out of ideas and energy? Can you imagine how it feels to be out of hope? If you can, you can relate to many people in this world.

For many people life is—a jungle. Not a jungle of trees and beasts. But our jungles are composed of something different, that of contagious diseases, broken hearts, and empty wallets. We don’t hear the screeching of birds or the roaring of lions, but we do hear the complaints of politicians and the demands of bosses. Our predators are our creditors, and the brush that surrounds us is the uncertainty that terrifies us.

It’s a jungle out there. And for many, hope is in short supply.

Not a very pretty picture, is it? Let’s see if we can brighten it up. How would it feel to be rescued? What would it take to restore your hope? Though the answers are abundant, I want to give three.

(1) The first would be you need a person you can trust.

Not just any person. You need someone who knows the jungle. Someone you can trust.

(2) Second you need a person with some vision about what to do.

You need someone to look you in the face and say, “This isn’t the end. There is a better place than this waiting for you.”

(3) And of most importance you need a person who has direction.

If you have a person who has direction—who can take you from this place to the right place—you have one who can restore your hope.

Or, to use David’s words, “He restores my soul” (Ps. 23:3 NKJV). Such a person is One who is able to restore hope to the soul. Everything changes when your rescuer appears.  Your loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship. Your despair decreases because you have vision. Your confusion begins to lift because you have direction.

Please note: you haven’t left the jungle. The jungle is still a jungle. It hasn’t changed, but you have. You have changed because your hope has been restored. And you have hope because you have met someone who can lead you out.

Jesus, who is a Good Shepherd, knows that you were not made for this place. So he has come to guide you out. He is the only one who can do so.

He has the right vision. He reminds you that “you are like foreigners and strangers in this world” (1 Peter 2:11 NCV). And he urges you to lift your eyes from the jungle around you to see the heaven above you. “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ …. See things from his perspective” (Col. 3:2 THE MESSAGE).

David said it this way: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber…. The LORD watches over you … the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life” (Ps. 121:1-3, 5-7).

God, your rescuer, has the right vision. He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of humanity when he declared, “I am the way” (John 14:6). People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their questions by cutting a path through the underbrush of sin and death … and escaping alive. He’s the only One who ever did. And he is the only One who can help you and me do the same.

He has the right vision: he has seen the heavenly home. He has the right directions: he has cut the path. But most of all he is the right person, because he is our God. Who knows the jungle better than the One who made it? And who knows the pitfalls of the path better than the One who has walked it?

A man on an African safari deep in the jungle asked his guide ahead of him “Where are we? Where is the path?” The stopped and looked back at the man and replied, “I am the path.”

We ask the same questions, don’t we? We ask God, “Where are you taking me? Where is the path?” And he, like the guide, doesn’t tell us. Oh, he may give us a hint or two, but that’s all. If he did tell us, would we understand? Would we comprehend our location? No, like the traveler, we are unacquainted with this jungle. So rather than give us an answer, Jesus gives us a far greater gift. He gives us himself.

Does he remove the jungle? No. Does he purge the predators? No. Jesus doesn’t give hope by changing the jungle; he restores our hope by giving us himself And he has promised to stay until the very end. “I Am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

We need that reminder. We all need that reminder. For all of us need hope.

Perhaps you don’t need it right now. But remember, we do not know what tomorrow holds. We do not know where this road will lead. You may be one turn from a cemetery, from a virus, from a broken house. You may be entering a jungle.

And though you don’t need your hope restored today, you may tomorrow. And you need to know to whom to turn. Or perhaps you do need hope today. You know you were not made for what you are going through. You want someone to lead you out.

If so, put your trust in the right person. Many in the world are calling you to follow. They say they know what will make you happy! But it all leads you to a dead end.

You need to put your trust in Jesus! He is the Good Shepherd! He knows the path that leads you out of your jungle. He knows what you need. You can gain the whole world, and still lose your soul. What would you give in exchange for your soul? Would you give your all to Jesus?

He’s waiting for you!

Seeing With Eyes Closed

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“Seeing With Eyes Closed”

Pastor Jerry

Mark 5:22-24, 35-42

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Faith means … knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. -Hebrews 11:1 (NCV)

I would love to do an experiment this morning to teach you to see with your eyes closed. What I would do is I would ask you to get out of your vehicle, close your eyes and listen to my voice and my directions as I talk you safely through the maze of cars as you walk toward me with eyes closed.

After it was over and we processed the experiment, I would expect to hear some of you say, “I didn’t like it.”

I can appreciate that because we don’t like the dark. But we walk in a kind of darkness every day. We often complain about how scary it is to walk when we can’t see where we are going. We are blind. We can’t see the future. We have absolutely no vision beyond the present.

It’s one limitation we all share. None of us know how our future will turn out. None of us know the day we will die. None of us know if another pandemic is on the way. We are all like a person with eyes shut, groping through the darkness, listening for a familiar voice. Our worst fear is the unknown, the pandemic, cancer, divorce, loneliness, senseless shootings and death.

And try as we might to walk as straight as we can, chances are we are going to stumble.

Just ask Jairus. He is a man who has tried to walk as straight as he could. But Jairus is a man whose path took a sudden turn into unfamiliar territory—a new darkness. And he doesn’t want to enter it alone.

Jairus is the leader of the synagogue. That may not mean much to you and me, but in the days of Christ, the leader of the synagogue was the most important man in the community. The leader of the synagogue was the senior religious leader, the highest-ranking professor, the mayor, and the best-known citizen all in one.

Jairus has it all. Job security. A pension plan. An annual all-expenses-paid trip to the national convention. Who could ask for more? Yet, Jairus does. He has to ask for more. In fact, he would trade the whole thing for just one assurance–that his daughter will live.

The Jairus we see in this story is not the clear-sighted, nicely dressed civic leader. He is instead a blind man begging for a gift. He falls at Jesus’ feet, “saying again and again, ‘My daughter is dying. Please come … so she will be healed and will live.” (Mark 5:23 NCV)

He doesn’t barter with Jesus. He doesn’t negotiate with Jesus. He doesn’t make excuses. He just pleads. That’s all he can do! Plead!

There are times in life when everything you have to offer is nothing compared to what you are asking to receive. Jairus is at such a point. What could a man offer in exchange for his child’s life?  Jairus is blind to the future, and Jesus knows the future. So Jairus asks for his help.

And Jesus, who loves to change situations and to change lives, is there to help. And God, who knows what it is like to lose a child, empowers his Son to be able to help. But before Jesus and Jairus get very far, they are interrupted by servants from his house. “Your daughter is dead. There is no need to bother the teacher anymore” (v, 35 NCV).

Get ready. Things are going to change. Here’s where the story gets moving. Jesus goes from being led to leading, from being convinced by Jairus to convincing Jairus.

Here is where Jesus takes control.  “But Jesus paid no attention to what they said … “ (v 36, NCV). That remark is incredible! It describes the critical principle for seeing the unseen: in ignoring false and misinformation. Block them out. Turn them off. Close your ears. Instead, listen to truth!  

Faith sometimes begins by stop listening to the voices of the world. Jesus turns immediately to Jairus and pleads: “Don’t be afraid; just believe” (v. 36 NCV).

Jesus compels Jairus to see the unseen. When Jesus says, “Just believe … ,” he is imploring, “Don’t limit your possibilities to the visible. Believe there is more to life than meets the eye!”

Jesus is saying…close your eyes…I have provided this cure for you, for your daughter, for your protection. “Trust me,” Jesus is pleading. “Don’t be afraid; just trust.”

A father cried out the same plea to his young son who was trapped in a burning house. His father, outside, shouted to him: “Jump, Son, jump! I’ll catch you.” The boy cried: “But, Daddy, I can’t see you.” “I know,” his father called, “but I can see you.” The father could see, even though the son could not.

There is only one answer: eyes that chose to see the unseen. As Paul wrote: “We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever” (2 Cor. 4:18 NCV).

Jesus is asking Jairus to see the unseen with his eyes shut. To make a choice. Either to live by the confusion of the visible or to see by faith. When tragedy strikes, we, too, are left to choose what we see. We can see either the problem or the Healer.  The choice is ours. Jairus makes his choice. He opts for faith and Jesus, … and faith in Jesus leads him to the truth.

At the house Jesus and Jairus encounter a group of mourners. Jesus is troubled by their wailing. It bothers him that they express such anxiety over death. “Why are you crying and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep” (Mark 5:39 NCV).

From Jesus’ perspective the girl is not dead—she is only asleep. From God’s viewpoint death is not permanent. It is a necessary step for passing from this world to the next. It’s not an end; it’s a beginning. When we see death, we see disaster. When Jesus sees death, he sees deliverance.  That’s too much for the people in Jairus’ house to take in. “They laughed at him” (v, 40).

Now look closely because you aren’t going to believe what Jesus does next. He throws the mourners out! That’s what the text says: “after throwing them out of the house … “ (v, 40 NCV). He doesn’t just ask them to leave. He throws them out. Jesus’ response is decisive and strong. In the original text the word used here is the same word used to describe what Jesus did to the money changers in the temple. It’s the same verb used thirty-eight times to describe what Jesus did to the demons.

Why? Why such force? Why such intolerance? He wanted to rid those who were giving false information. He wanted you to see with your eyes closed, what you couldn’t see with them open.

And God doesn’t want to let the voice of public opinion and misinformation and your own self-delusions distract you from the truth. He’s still busy casting out the critics, shutting down false information, and silencing the voices that could deter you. Only when you get home (get to heaven), will you know how many times God has protected you from disastrous decisions or a deadly illness.

Mark it down: God knows you and I are blind. He knows living by faith and not by sight doesn’t come naturally. And I think that’s one reason he raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Not for her sake. She was better off in heaven. But for our sake—to teach us that heaven notices when we trust.

So, Jesus is saying to you right now…close your eyes…listen to my voice…trust me…take a step straight forward…come …come to me…don’t you see…with eyes closed…that… “I am the way and the truth and the life.”