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The 3rd Commandment is “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” While most of the commandments speak about what God forbids, the 3rd Commandment is about what God calls us to honor and hold sacred. Ulitimately the Sabbath is about more than a day of the week, it points us to Jesus (see Colossians 2:16-17). The reading is from Deuteronomy 5:6-15.
Today is Ash Wednesday. It begins the 40 day journey through the season of Lent. Sackcloth and ashes were an ancient symbol of sorrow. On Ash Wednesday we receive the mark of Ashes upon our foreheads to remind us of our sinfulness and mortality. Both Ash Wednesday and Lent are about taking a good hard look in the mirror to remind us of where we stand before God. We are sinners. We are just beggars before his throne of grace. But the astounding thing is that as we come to a greater realization of our depravity, we come to a greater realization of how amazing his love and grace is. In the words of the Apostle Paul we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
As we begin the Lenten journey I want to invite you to come out tonight at 7pm for our Ash Wednesday worship at Lord of Life. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and together with the traditional imposition of Ashes where the worshippers will receive the mark of the cross in ashes upon their foreheads. The Ashes serve as a reminder of our mortality and our need for Jesus.
Another opportunity I would like to extend an invitation to you is for our Morning Prayer services at Lord of Life each weekday at 6:30am and 11:30am and on Saturdays at 9am. These are opportunities to come together during Lent as the people of God and to offer our common prayers before the Lord. It is an opportunity to seek greater intimacy with the Lord.
You should also know that this is the very last Sunday, February 26, to get your tickets for the Seder Dinner. Because the Seder Dinner is so early this year it may have snuck up on you. If you have been to the Seder Dinner in the past, it will be a little different this year. Greg Savitt of Chosen People Ministries will be our special guest. He will be leading the presentation called Messiah in the Passover. The Messiah in the Passover presentation is a powerful visual message no only of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt, but of the redemption of individuals from the bondage of sin through the atoning work of Jesus. The presentation is designed to give participants a deeper understanding both of the Passover and of the Lord’s Supper.
It is my prayer that through your participation in the Seder Dinner you will develop a greater understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross and the Lord’s Supper we receive each Sunday at Lord of Life. It was during a Passover Seder that Jesus instituted this meal where we receive his body and blood in the bread and the wine.
I pray for God’s blessings upon your Lent journey. We humble ourselves these next 40 days, but it is not without hope. We expectantly anticipate the coming celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. As you humble yourself these next 6 weeks in prayer and fasting, think about how wonderful it will be to burst with joy on that most blessed day.
We are less than a week away from Lent. There are a few peculiar practices within the church during this time of the year and I wanted to use this email to address some of these practices that go back centuries. These are traditions that have been practice over the years to help people develop a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord. We would do well to make use of these practices as there is good reason they have stood the test of time.
The first is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season of Lent. This year it Wednesday, February 22. This is next Wednesday. Worship at Lord of Life will be at 7pm. During the worship we practice what is called the Imposition of Ashes. Ashes are placed upon the heads of worshippers in the sign of the cross. In the Old Testament, ashes were a symbol of mourning and sorrow. People would put on sackcloth and ashes in the event of a tragedy, a death, or the revelation of a great sin. The season of Lent is a season of sorrow. We mourn over our sin and our waywardness. We grieve that Jesus had to die because we are sinners. So the mark of the ashes signal the beginning of this season of sorrow.
Another thing that happens during the season of Lent is that people will often give something up. Some might give up chocolate and others might give up television. Some might give up alcohol and others might give up soda. The idea of giving something up is a form of fasting. Fasting is an ancient spiritual discipline. Fasting typically involved the abstaining from food. This is a discipline that has largely been lost on most Americans. We do not do well with the idea of depriving ourselves of anything when we live in a culture of excess. We talk about the disciplines of prayer, worship, studying the Bible, and tithing. However, we don’t talk very often about the discipline of fasting. When we do talk about fasting, we miss often miss the main point of what fasting is all about. We focus on what is given up rather than on what is gained. The idea of fasting from food is to gain extra time to feast upon the Word of God. Fasting is about eliminating distractions that hinder our relationship with God.
So if you consider giving something up for Lent, consider doing it for more than the sake of just giving something up. Do it with purpose. Eliminate the television to open up the Bible or eliminate your lunch to spend time in prayer.
During this season of Lent I plan to practice fasting on Wednesdays. I plan to take that time I would have spent eating my lunch and use it in prayer for our church that we would see God more and more every day and every week. I would invite you to consider doing the same. Pray for the most incredible Easter as we come out of the season of sorrow and into a season of grasping the victory, know we are more than conquerors.
One final thing! Please note that during the season of Lent, Lord of Life will offer services of Morning Prayer every weekday morning at 6:30am and 11:30am. Services will also be at 9am on Saturday morning. These services will be a half hour or less. We want to encourage you to come out and join together for God to move among us.
Maybe one of the most telling statements David ever made was at the beginning of Psalm 22. He asks God, “why have you abandoned me?” Hundreds of years later Jesus would quote these same words on the cross. Can your relate? Have you had times in your life that you may felt as if God abandoned you? Was there a time when you cried out and called out but it seems as if no one was listening?
It is in these moments we learn from Jesus. In Luke 11 he instructs his disciples how to pray and tells the following story starting in verse 5.
Luke 11:5–8 (NLT) 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
Jesus tells us to come to God with shameless persistence. I find Jesus’ choice of words to be very curious. Shamelessness often has a negative connotation. but that is exactly how God wants us to come to him. When I make a request and the answer is “no,” I will often give up and throw in the towel. I am not the type of person who will not take “no” for an answer. But Jesus is telling us here not to take “no” for an answer. He goes on further to say:
Luke 11:9-12 (NLT) 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
When God’s child makes a request, God responds. God is not in the business of giving snakes and scorpions. He gives you what is good for you in the right time and the right place. You have not received a snake from God. You have not received a scorpion from God. It is hard to believe that sometimes. It is by faith we receive that is true. We often think we know what is better than God. But God is the Father and we are his children.
Many times the answer to our prayer is just part of a puzzle. It may feel as if God abandoned you because he is up to a greater work than we can imagine but may not be able to fully see right now. He is putting all the pieces of the puzzle into place. The answer to our prayer is a piece at the very center of the puzzle and before it will fit all the other pieces need to get into place.
So don’t give up hope. Keep praying. Keep listening to him through the Word. God does hear and God is up to something really great.
Today’s reading is from 1 Chronicles 28-29. We read about David’s last days. In these chapters are recorded his final prayers and words.
This reading begins with David reflecting on an unfulfilled dream – the building of the temple in Jerusalem. How does David deal with this unfulfilled dream (38:4-7)? How do you deal with unfulfilled dreams?
He remembers what God had done for him and all the blessings. David had much to be thankful for. Sure, he was not going to build the temple, but God had given him an amazing life.
It is easy to focus on what we don’t have or are not able to do. But God has given you so much . The evil one will magnify what you don’t have and make you forget what God has done and continues to do. When you are disappointed, give thanks to the Lord.
How does David work to insure the success of his Son (28:9-21)? What is the greatest legacy we can leave behind? In our family? In our work? In our church?
He first instructs him to worship and to serve the Lord. Second he gives to Solomon the plans to build the temple. He also reminds Solomon of the people who are given to help him in the task of building the temple.
The greatest legacy we can leave behind is to give our children everything they need to know Jesus, follow him, and live for him. Anything we can leave behind to help people experience Jesus is worth it.
More than anything else, what did David want Solomon to know (29:19)? Why is this important?
God wanted to give Solomon a wholehearted desire to obey the commands of the Lord. David knew that unless Solomon lived obediently he would not succeed as king. David wanted his son to succeed and even surpass his own success.
David provided much for Solomon. How do we honor the generations that have gone before us and provided us much?
To honor the generations that have come before us we pass down to the next generations what previous generations gave to us. This is the way we honor them to not let their wisdom and faith die with our generation.
Characterize David’s Prayer before God in 29:10-19? What things does David give God thanks for? What things does David ask for?
It is a prayer of thanksgiving. It is a prayer of praise. God is the first thing and the main thing in this prayer. David thanks God for who he is. He thanks him for his power and wealth. He recognizes that everything he has comes from the Lord. He thanks God for blessing him even in his humbleness. He thanks God for the provisions for building the temple and for the people’s willingness to contribute. He knows God is an awesome God.
In the end David asks that he, Solomon, and the people would love, honor, and obey the Lord.
Today’s readings come from the New Testament. We first hear Jesus teachings on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:5-15 and 7:7-12. A third reading is from James 1:1-18
What do we learn about prayer in Matthew 6?
We are not to pray for show. Prayer is not about impressing others. Prayer is about our relationship with God. The reward with prayer is to know God and to be known by him.
We also learn the Lord’s Prayer. This is not a prayer Jesus teaches us to pray word for word. It is a template for our prayer so that we know how to pray.
What does it mean to ask for God’s kingdom to come and for his will to be done (6:10)?
It means for heaven to come to earth. It means that God’s authority and dominion would be ushered in. That his will would be done is that what God desires for his creature and creation would become a reality.
What does it mean to ask for daily bread (6:11)? What does Jesus teach us to ask for ourselves 6:12-13)?
To ask for daily bread is to ask for daily provision. That God would give us everything we need to live. He does not teach us to ask for more. “God, just give me enough!”
Jesus teaches us to ask for these things which we need. We need forgiveness. We need God’s guidance in our lives as to how to live. We need his divine protection.
Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given you.” Why then does God sometimes say, “no!” (7:7-8)? What does Matthew 7 say that God will give us?
We don’t have because we don’t ask. God will give us every good gift we need and more. We sometimes do not have because what we ask from God is not good even though we may think it is good.
According to the book of James, how are we to ask God when we are lacking (1:1-7)?
We must ask with faith, believing God will answer. We must ask and not doubt. We ask in humility recognizing God is not obligated to answer our prayer. His only obligation is the obligation he puts on himself because of his grace.
What happens to earthly treasure which we often ask God for (1:9-12)?
It does not last. We leave this earth and our possessions are given to someone else. God wants us to have treasure that we can hold in eternity and not what will be thrown away.
Are there times in your life where you received something good that was not good? Opposite that have you ever received something that you did not think was good, but was good? Who knows better than you what you need?
There have been more than a few times when what I thought I was receiving was a blessing, but it was actually a curse. What we think is good is not always good for us. There are other times I have received that which I did not want to receive, but it turned out to be a great blessing. God know what we really want and need better than we do. The hard thing is to believe that and live in trust.
Today’s reading is from Luke 18:1-8. In this reading Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow. It is a story of how God desires us to come to him persistently. Sometimes God will delay an answer to our prayer just so that we will learn to rely upon him and go to him in our time of need.
How does Jesus say we should pray (18:1)?
We should pray with out giving up. Pray persistently!
What does the widow do in this story (18:3)? Why should we be able to count on God more so than the judge in this story (18:2)?
She repeatedly came to the judge asking for justice to be served. While this judge did not fear God, he still offered justice to this women because of her persistence. God will give justice to us, not because we are persistent, but because he is a just God.
Why does the judge grant the widows request (18:4-5)? Why does God grant our requests?
The judge grants the widows request because he is annoyed with her. God grants our requests because he loves us.
Why do you think God desires we call out to him day and night? How do you call out to God day and night?
God wants us to call out to him because he wants a relationship with us. We call out to God day and night when we pray to him and when we seek him in his Word. We call out to God when we fast and set aside worldly pleasure in order to hear from him more clearly.
What is the difference between worry and prayer? What is the role of faith in prayer (18:8)?
Worry is when we stew about something but we just constantly rehearse it in our mind. We wonder what might happen. We stress about what we might have done differently.
Prayer is when we talk to God about it our concerns and we give it over to him. We ask him to act and to provide. We trust in his ability to see us through.
We are going to go back to a reading from two weeks ago. This reading is extremely important to understanding the relationship between David and Jesus. The reading is 2 Samuel 7:1-29. In this reading God makes a promise to David. The fulfillment of this promise is found in Jesus.
What did David want to build (7:2)? Why do you think Nathan originally told David to go ahead with his plan (7:3)? Have you ever had plans that seemed good, but were not God’s plan?
David wanted to build a temple for God. This was to be the dwelling place. In the Book of Exodus God instructed the people to build a tabernacle. This was a tent that would go wherever the people of God went. Now that they were established and settled in the nation, David want to build a permanent place. They no loner needed a tent they could pick up and move.
Nathan probably thought this was a good idea. David had good intentions to do this. There was no reason in his mind that he could come up with to tell David not to do this.
Often times we have plans that we think are best. But are not necessarily what God would have us do. Good intentions are not always God intentions. It is important that we listen to what God tells us, not what we think is best.
Did God ask David to build a temple (7:7)?
No, God never asked David to build a temple. Sometimes we put upon ourselves things that we think we should do for God, even though God has not told us to do so. This leads to feelings of frustration.
Could David ever do anything for God that would compare to what God did for David (7:8-11)?
No, it is impossible to ever come close to repaying God for the blessings he pours into our lives.
How does God offset David’s disappointment in not being able to build the temple (7:11-16)?
God promises that he will build a dynasty for David. He tells David his son would build the temple. Finally, he tells David he will establish his throne forever.
Often times God says no to our plan, because he has a greater thing in mind than what we planned.
Is there a time in your life when God said no to your dream so his greater plan could be accomplished? Why is it easy to loose focus when God says “no!”? What is the role of trust when God says “no!”!
It is hard when God says no to something we have set our heart and mind towards. We can really begin to covet our plans. When God says no we think he is rejecting us. We are tempted to believe that God does not have our best interest at heart or that God does not know what he is doing. When God says “no” that is when we need faith to know that God is God and that he knows what is best.
Describe David’s response to Nathan’s revelation (18-29)?
David’s response is one of humility. It is a response of gratitude. It is a response of worship and praise. It is a response of awe!
Happy Reformation Day! Today we celebrate the reformation which was a rediscovery of God’s grace. It is not about what we do for God. It is about what God has done for us.
In this message we look at God’s grace in the Old Testament. It was not about what David accomplished for God. It was about what God did for David. The story is found in 2 Samuel 7:4-16.
Often times we work hard to try to do great things for God, but we end up spinning our wheels. When it comes to our relationship with God it is not about being more accomplished, but more surrendered.
An extraordinary promise of God. It was not because of anything David had done. It was simply out of the grace of God. God speaks this undeserved promise to David found in 2 Samuel 7.
God speaks undeserved promises to us as well. It is the promise of salvation. It is the promise of life. It is the promise of provision. None of these promises do we deserve. We are sinful human beings. But God in his mercy and love has compassion upon us and gives us these gifts. Amazing!
What promises does God give to David (7:9-16)?
God promises to make David’s name famous. He will provide a homeland for his people. He promises they will be safe and secure. They will not be oppressed and will be given rest from their enemies. God tells David he will establish a dynasty among his family and his kingdom will be strong. One of David’s offspring will will build the temple. God also says he will correct and discipline David’s offspring when they are out of line. Finally, God says David’s kingdom will endure forever.
What made David so worthy of this honor (7:18)?
Nothing!
Why is God’s way of dealing with David (and us) so unusual (7:19)?
God does not treat us as we deserve. Our unfaithfulness is matched by his faithfulness. We continually let him down. He never lets us down.
Who redeems God’s people (7:23)? Who makes God’s people to be God’s people (7:24)?
God redeems his own people. God makes his own people to be his people. It is all him!
Why does David want God to keep his promise forever (7:25-26)?
Because we need God each and every moment. The air we breath is from him. The food we eat is from him. Our salvation is from him. There is nothing we have that does not come from him. We could not live apart from him for even one second.
What does it mean that God’s words are trustworthy (7:28)?
God’s words are the most reliable thing there are. We can put our trust in many things. But anything else will eventually at some point in time let us down. Jesus says the one who hears and obeys God’s word is like the wise man who built his house on the rock. Anything else we put our trust in is like sinking sand.