Do you love God? It seems like a silly question to ask people in a church doesn’t it? The truth of the matter is that it is not silly at all. It is a serious question that demands a serious answer. The world is filled with people that would give a wholehearted answer of YES to the question. There is nothing required for someone to simply say that they love God. The question gets very serious when we apply it to what God tells us about love for Him. It is never enough to just say it when it comes to love for God. A true love for God involves little words if any. Listen to some of the “qualifications” for the one to be able to say they love God.

1 John 5:3- “This is love for God: to obey His commands”

1 John 4:21- “he who loves God must love his brother also”.

With just these two passages out of an entire bible filled with so many others we should see that just saying we love God does not mean we truly do love God.

If we truly love God then our lives should be the only thing doing all the talking. God says if you love Him then you will do what He says. What does God say we should do? Well, the bible is filled with the things God wants us to do because we love Him. Number one on the list is that we must love one another. If we say we love God but have hatred for somebody else then the bible says we are liars.

True love for God is revealed in the lives we live. True love for God is revealed as we love one another and care for another. True love for God is revealed as we carry the burdens of one another and encourage and support one another. The bible also tells us that true love for God is when we lovingly admonish one another,(emphasis on the word “lovingly”). True love for God is revealed as we forgive one another. True love for God is revealed as we confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. True love for God is revealed as we care for the widows and the orphans of the world. The bottom line is that true love for God is much more than just saying the words. 1 John 3:18- “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

In Acts 17:1ff we have the story of Paul in Thessalonica. The bible says that Paul went into the Synagogue, as was his custom, and tried to reason with them from the Scriptures. Paul explained and proved that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. Verse 4 says that some of the Jews believed but others were jealous. The jealous Jews rounded up some bad characters, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They began searching for Paul and Silas but could not find them. They rushed into the house of a man named Jason and when their search failed again they took Jason and some other brothers and forced them in front of the city officials. I love the accusation leveled at the small group of Christians from the jealous Jews. In the New King James Version we are told they cried out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too!”

What an incredible testimony of the power of faith as small as a mustard seed. Let’s not forget, as the church began there were no bibles with the New Testament in them like we have today. Every one of those brand new Christians had to step out on faith to proclaim what God wanted them to proclaim. The greatest testimony to that faith is revealed in the charge leveled at the Christians by the Jews. “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too!”

I pray we will all grow in our understanding that this is the same accusation the world should be leveling at us as Christians today. Are we “turning the world upside down” with our love for Christ and His church? Are we “turning the world upside down” with the compassion and the helping hands for those in our community needing assistance? Are we “turning the world upside down” with our commitment and dedication in preaching the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord?

I challenge and encourage each of us to consider the charge of “turning the world upside down for God”. Perhaps the world is too big a piece to contemplate. How about we start with baby steps? Step out on complete faith and make a commitment to turn our surrounding communities upside down!

Are you willing to step out on faith in this goal? It is what God has called us to do as His church.

How perfect are you today? I find myself struggling continuously in this area except for some occasional moments of perfection. There have been some monumental achievements made just recently in the area of perfection for me personally. Just this past week alone I have been “perfectly” annoyed, “perfectly frustrated, “perfectly worn out, and “perfectly” confused. It hasn’t all been bad. I have also been “perfectly” satisfied with a “perfectly” cooked steak at the Outback Steakhouse. To me it doesn’t get more” perfect” than that!

Unfortunately, we live in a world that is becoming more and more “perfection” driven. How we do our jobs, how we drive on the highways, how we do on the test at school, how we perform in athletics, and the list goes on and on. I still remember vividly one of my coaches in High School shouting at us that practice does NOT make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect! As a result of all this it seems that people are becoming more and more critical and more unhappy than ever before. As the country song revealed years ago, “O Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way”.

God’s church has certainly not been spared from this mind set. Remember what Paul told the church in Corinth in his second letter to them? Paul gave his final warnings to the church telling them he was coming to visit for the third time and this time he would not spare those who sinned earlier. He then closes with his final greetings and his final command to the church. 2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us those words when Paul says, “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Aim for perfection? What a charge to be given to the church! It is amazing what many of us do today in the way of “translation gymnastics” to twist and turn and flip the actual meaning of words like “perfection” so we can be more comfortable with our “imperfections”. One glimpse at what Jesus commands from Matthew 5:48 is enough to bring on anxiety attacks even to the strong in faith. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

With this in mind it is obvious there is lots of room for us to grow in our understanding of “perfection”. I hope to address this topic in the next two sermons. We begin today with “The Perfect Sermon”.

I love the stories about how Jesus walked along and chose His disciples. I wonder how much interest would have been generated if Jesus would have chosen to take out an ad seeking His disciples instead of hand selecting them. Jesus would never lie so can you imagine the “job description” for being a disciple?

In Matthew 10:16-31, Jesus gives some of the details of what His disciples were called to do. It starts off quite seriously with the description that they would be “sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves”. I have a difficult time picturing the looks on the faces of the disciples in hearing this first detail of their job description. Jesus is basically saying, “Okay, you will be working as sheep amongst wolves. I would have a hard time not looking for the nearest exit if I were there!

As we continue to read the details of the job description it certainly doesn’t get any easier. Verse 17 reveals that they must beware of men for they would deliver them up to be scourged in their synagogue. I wonder if the disciples started to have some doubts as these details were given to them.

They are told of upcoming family conflict in verse 21 and how about the grand finale of the details in verse 22? They are told, “You will be hated by all on my account of My name.”

I can’t imagine much response given to these kinds of details if they would have been posted in the want ads. There is something that I pray we all grow in our understanding of today. The disciple did have a choice. They could have turned and ran away and never looked back. They were not forced to participate in any of the details that were being revealed to them on that day. The disciples stayed and followed Jesus every step of the way because they had faith in Him. One of the most encouraging details of the job description for following Jesus would be given in Matthew 11:29. Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls, For my yoke is easy, and my load is light.”

What Jesus told His disciples is what Jesus tells us today. Yes, it is difficult being a disciple. Yes, it is tough to continuously pick up our crosses and follow after Christ. Our assurance and confidence to press on comes from the truth that Jesus tells us about. Jesus comes up “alongside us” as we journey through life. He is there for support and He never leaves our side. May we continue to follow Him!

As I write this article I am scratching my head in wonderment concerning the month ahead. I made the mistake of glancing at my calendar for June and had to sit down for a minute to catch my breath. This week was a blur of activity including putting all the registration and insurance info together for 29 people to attend Soul Quest in York, NE the week of June 14^th. Also included in that event is preparing a one hour class to present three times every day to different groups for the week. Skipping ahead to the last week of June I see it blacked out for Vacation Bible School. No need to even attempt to describe all the requirements involved from so many great people to present such an incredible event. It is mind boggling! Even adding a challenge from my brothers to block out a few days for a family retreat, which should offer instant relief, instead just seems to add to the “blur”. Summer is a busy time! I actually did find some relief in a thought from scripture as I took a moment to let the world go by. In Luke 10:38 we’re told Jesus entered a certain village and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Martha had a sister named Mary who sat down at the feet of Jesus and listened as He talked. Martha was busy with preparations and getting things ready to serve. She was upset and told Jesus He needed to tell Mary to help her. Jesus told Martha, “You are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one.” Jesus told Martha that her sister was the one who was doing the “necessary” thing which was simply sitting and listening. Now let me tell you I am actually a Martha supporter! I’m the guy pointing out that if Martha had not done her part there would have been NOTHING to serve! I know too many folks that take the Mary approach to serving- simply sitting and watching as someone else does the work. But at the same time I am humbled by the wisdom of our Lord and His response to “busyness”. Jesus was not condemning the fact that Martha was so busy. Jesus was reminding her that in all the busyness we must never forget what is most important. What is most important is that even in our most hectic times we always sit at the feet of the Master and are always attentive to what He says.

This week I was given a very intense lesson on how technology has changed over the past few years. I was unpacking some office stuff from our last move. Yes it has been two years in the box! I found a stack of 3 ¼” floppy disks. I needed to get some of the files off of those disks, so I went in search of an external floppy drive. If you find yourself in that situation prepare yourself for a long search. I finally booted up my antique computer and completed the task, though it took a long time. The challenge was in finding the equipment specifically designed to complete the task.

This major search and struggle reminded me of what Christians are designed to do. Christians are specifically designed to live the life of Christ. The gospels were written to show us, teach us, and reveal to us what our attitudes are to be like, what our choices are to be, and what our perspective is to be in life. God has created us with a very specific design on how to treat one another, how to raise our families, how to work in our jobs, how to protect our marriages and how to simply face each day. In my search for the relic of a floppy drive I was told many times that it was not designed to read floppy disks. The same truth applies to God’s creation; no one has EVER been designed by God to sin. Sin occurs when we choose to do the things we were not designed to do. Failing to live the life of Christ is a sin. We are given this specific truth in Galatians 2:20. Paul is teaching about the life Christians are designed to live and we need to use the same teaching as it applies to us today. We have been “crucified with Christ, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. The life we live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.”

I pray we grow in our understanding of living the lives we were designed to live and understanding the lives we were designed to live are according to the life Christ lived. We are designed to love one another. We are designed to forgive one another. We are designed to bear one another’s burdens. May we ever strive to live the life of Christ.

I am amazed by many things. The arrival of a newborn baby. The stars in the galaxy. How they get the creamy filling in the middle of every Twinkie.

Another area of amazement for me is in the fact that we are all still here on this earth. Have you ever given thought to the idea of why there is still a world in existence with all the terrible things that occur on a daily basis?

I have read the story of creation many times and each time I am always drawn back to the same question, “Why didn’t God just destroy everything and start over?”
And that was just the beginning of events that ask the same question over and over.

How about before the flood? Genesis 6:5ff says “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth…” and yet we are still here living on the very same earth.

Remember the golden calf incident? God told Moses to get out of His sight so that His anger could burn against the people and He could destroy them….and yet they survived and continued on to break God’s heart again and again.

Do we really think we are different than any of these people before us? The greatest difference for us is the knowledge we have been blessed with concerning Jesus Christ and yet…. we are no different when it comes to sin and disappointing our Creator. So why are we still here? God has certainly had more than His fair share of heartbreak and disappointment. God could whisper one small word and all that He created could be permanently deleted from existence and yet…..He doesn’t. I will attempt to answer the question of why we are still here this morning. Everything hinges on a small yet powerful word known as “intimacy”. God desires nothing more than for His creation, us, to be in an “intimate” relationship with Him. We are still here because of this incredible truth. The question we should grow in our understanding of is “Just how deep is your relationship with God?”

“The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you”. I’m sure most of us have heard this statement. The challenge from this truth comes in allowing ourselves to be completely open and receptive to the will of God. God does in fact have a plan for each and every one of us. His will is that we will be open and receptive and allow His will to become our will. I find myself often thinking about the Israelites as they reached the border of the land of Canaan. God had promised them the land. The bible tells us that Moses sent some men to explore the land and come back with a report. He wanted them to report on what the land was like. He wanted to know about the people, soil and if there were trees or not. The men went in and were amazed at what they saw. They came back with a single cluster of grapes so big that it took two men with a pole to carry. It should have been a slam dunk for God’s people to shout for joy and celebrate knowing they had finally arrived at the land they were being given by God. However, we know the story did not end well as the report turned negative. The men told of how powerful the people were in the land and how fortified the cities were. This was all it took. One negative statement and God’s people were terrified. They forgot everything God had said and done for them to get to the point where they were. God’s will was for them to enter the land and possess it. Unfortunately, God’s will was not their will. They understood God wanted them to have the land but they refused to accept that God’s grace and His mighty power would keep them there. They doubted and they failed. As a result an entire generation died homeless.

There is lots of room for us to grow in our understanding of God’s will for us today. God is alive and well and is working continuously to include us in His work for bringing people to salvation. God’s will is to lead us into the paths of people who have yet to realize and acknowledge that He is God and there is no other. Only one question needs answered. Have we truly made God’s will our will? Are we open and receptive to allow God’s will to lead us wherever He wants us to go? Never forget; the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

God certainly knew what He was doing when He created moms! What an incredible creation! Today is a day in which mothers across the country are being honored. It is an honor that should go on each and every day. I can’t imagine my life without the blessing of my mom. As I will say in the sermon this morning, “Moms are made with the right stuff”. When I look to powerful examples of moms with the right stuff I think about the mother of Jesus. Mary is a figure that has been overestimated by many that have placed her as “co-redeemer” and she has been an underestimated figure by many because of fear of placing too much attention on her. I try to do neither and instead acknowledge her place in biblical history for the incredible mother that she was. Think about it. Mary was a teenager. She was poor. She had a powerful devotion to God. And she was in love with a guy named Joseph. Mary was in the official “engagement” process with Joseph. It was a very special time when the young woman would be filled with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming wedding day. There would be a wonderful wedding feast and banquet filled with celebration with family and friends. But the fairytale wedding in Mary’s dreams would not become reality for her. According to Luke 1:26-38, God sent His angel Gabriel to Nazareth to break the news to Mary. “Don’t be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God”. The details of “finding favor with God” would reveal that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother to the Savior of the world. I pray we grow in our understanding of the cost of motherhood. Have you ever considered what Mary sacrificed? Let’s start with the fairytale wedding. The celebration and rejoicing would be replaced with shame and humiliation from rumors and gossip. Even Joseph would struggle with the decision of “putting her away secretly”. Do you suppose Mary felt a bit uncomfortable after Jesus was born with people saying, “He looks just like his daddy”? And yet, Mary was obviously a mom with the “right stuff”, handpicked by God. I believe it is a thought that should be pondered and presented still today to all “future moms”. If God desired to perform some similar event in our world today, would you be the “right stuff”? I pray that this would be the goal of every single one of us.

Spring is certainly a very busy time of year. Kids start getting very excited at the thought of summer vacation. Parents start getting stressed at how to organize all the summer activities for their kids. There are many things happening including the graduation ceremonies for Seniors. There is a celebration gathering planned for later today to honor all of our graduates here at Tri-Lakes. With the graduation of our children we are also filled with lots of emotions. Tears of joy and tears of sadness. Joy in celebrating the fact that our kids “made it”! And sadness in realizing they are about to venture out into the unchartered waters of their new life and surroundings in college. Many questions and concerns sometimes overwhelm parents. Will my child succeed in the next step of their life? Will they be okay? Will I be okay with them so far away? I love the passage from Psalm 127 concerning the parenting process. We are told starting in verse 3, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”

This is such a powerful passage because it reminds us of the incredible blessing our kids are to us. I love the illustration of the arrows in the hands of the warrior. The arrows were the complete determining factor of how successful the warrior would be in battle. The arrow must be straight and uniform and put together in a solid fashion. One small defect and the arrow would not shoot straight and it would miss the target completely. I want to say personally to every parent of our graduates here at Tri-Lakes, WELL DONE! I am so impressed with the outcome of the parenting for these amazing young men and women. They are like perfect arrows in the hands of a warrior. I have no doubt that they will fly straight and true. You have equipped them with everything they need to succeed at the next level. There will be many challenges and perhaps some obstacles but I am confident in what I know of each one that they will succeed. The number one truth that I base that statement on is the amount of love I see for each one of them. God bless all our graduates and their parents!