Ramblings from Retirement – Jesus and Freedom of Speech

Ramblings from Retirement – Jesus and Freedom of Speech
By Pastor (retired) Lee Hemen
April 14, 2022

My father would remind us that “Words mean things”, usually when my brother and I were in the midst of calling one another morons or some other teenage moniker. Words are important.

Many in today’s America have forgotten a fundamental right that is guaranteed by our Constitution: Freedom of speech. This is a core right that should be protected at all costs. You may not like or agree with what someone else says, writes, or films but you can turn it off, not read it, or respond to it. It is your freedom to do so. Lease we forget this is why Jesus was persecuted as he was. He openly proclaimed the truth of God which stood in stark contrast to the false narrative of the religious leaders of his day. Over and over, we hear Jesus telling his detractors, “You say” and then telling them the truth. Using his free speech eventually cost him his life.

In Matthew’s gospel we find a perfect example of this when Jesus tells these hypocritical religious leaders, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:1-6 NIV84)”

Sadly far too many think that if you make them feel bad about themselves, you are evil, horrible, and should not be allowed to speak or share freely. They immediately judge and want to muzzle anyone who might disagree with their particular perverted proclivity. We see it occurring on social media sights like Twitter, Facebook, TicTok, and others when they self-righteously silence anyone or anything they find disagreeable. Often they use terms like “hate speech” or “false information” and have made themselves the final arbitrators of what should be read or heard.

The Jewish leaders beat, mocked, and then drug Jesus before Roman authorities with a false narrative hoping Pilate would execute Jesus for them so that they could sit back and tell the crowds it was not their fault but Rome’s. They did not like what Jesus was telling the crowds that they had controlled with their corrupt faith. Then, interestingly when Jesus stands before the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, Pilate asks him, “What is truth?” right after Jesus tells him what it is, that namely he had come “to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Only freedom of speech can allow for the truth to be disseminated and thereby be understood. You cannot stifle the truth even if you have it nailed to a cross. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32 NIV84)”

As believers in Christ we cannot allow the world to restrict our freedom of speech, to do so would allow the gospel to be silenced. This is why as a pastor I never felt threatened when I was confronted by false biblical teaching. For me it never made any sense. Freedom of speech does not just mean allowing the gospel to be freely shared. As a Christian never give up your freedom of speech, even if it means you have to listen others who seem offensive or ungodly. I believe the reason so many find the gospel offensive is because of the truth it contains. Only the truth will set them free and only if you can freely share it. Words do mean things so do not give up your right to free speech.

This article is copyrighted © 2022 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Ramblings from Retirement – Get Out There and Disciple Someone

Ramblings from Retirement – Get Out There and Disciple Someone
By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen
July 17, 2021

I’m a big fan of the verses I’m going to share with you today but not in the Billy Graham-guilt trip kind of way where you’re left wondering if your Christianity is real. You know what I mean, because you don’t corner every living soul you meet with a black Bible in hand and demand to know if they are going to heaven or hell. Not that Billy Graham did this but I use this in jest.

Some of the last words Jesus spoke to his crew before he ascended back to his heavenly abode were these words recorded by Matthew: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)”

As a preacher for the past 35 plus years and a believer for a bit longer than that I have heard these verses used ad nauseam to the point of spiritual distraction. The Great Commission it is called by many. Let’s kind of break it down a bit and try to understand why Jesus gave them this bit of godly wisdom shall we? He first of all reminds them that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to him alone. He is large and in charge. This means he knows all that is taken place yesterday, today, and tomorrow both where he is and also where we are right now. Now if you truly believe the words of the Lord then this should free your mind and any anxiety you might be having not only of what is going on in the world but also as far as your witnessing is concerned. Why would I say that? Because Jesus is totally and completely in charge — all authority means all authority; not some part of it or what you’re trying to feel guilty over, he means all of it.

So, therefore, because Jesus is in charge completely we are to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Notice he said “make disciples” not get as many people baptized as we possibly can, increase our numbers through a myriad of revivals, renewals, or televangelists but we are to be making disciples. Now let me ask you: How does one make anything? You begin with a plan, recipe, or blueprint and begin to put together what you need to and then you go about putting whatever you’re going to make together, right? So what’s your plan to make disciples? It is not a hit or miss thing because you’re supposed to be making disciples not converts. There is a difference.

A convert just comes to the realization that they need whatever you’re offering them and they agree to whatever it is you’re offering; whereas a disciple is a long term proposition. Making a disciple takes time, effort, and will on your part. You tell them about Jesus until they are ready to commit then you are to “baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” So he means you are to bring them to the point whereby they want to commit to being baptized, immersed in water, to commit themselves to dying in Christ and raising with him to live their lives walking in him. But it does not end there because the next thing is to begin “teaching them to obey everything (Jesus) commanded” which begins with “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV)”

Now I do not know about you but I am still learning how to love God in this way and my neighbors are not always the kind of people I want to love like I do myself. So if you’re honest you will admit this is a process, a commitment, a life-long journey and not just some wham bam and riding off into the sunset kind of thing. We are not to be hit and run, meme regurgitating, pithy pronouncement, counting the spiritual bodies we’ve racked up evangelists many have lead you to believe. We are to share our faith as we go through our lives with those that we meet who God seems to have laid in the path of our lives. Taking them from point “A” of knowing about Jesus and who he is to point “B” of being baptized and teaching them “everything” he commanded of loving God completely and others like we do ourselves. We are to form relationships whereby we disciple individuals into being disciples of God. Jesus is sharing that as we go through life we are to share our life in Christ with others by teaching them the commands of God to love him completely and others. Now get out there and start discipling someone.

This article is copyrighted © 2021 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Rambling from Retirement – Join the Flock

Rambling from Retirement – Join the Flock
By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen
April 28, 2021

Today as I came home from our Men’s Prayer the birds in my front yard trees were singing so loudly you could hardly hear anything else. They seemed to be just full of the joy of being alive, free, and just being birds. Even though they were not all in sync or in harmony it was wonderful to hear and it got me to thinking about the Psalm we had just read and prayed about as a group of men.

The Psalmist writes his listeners to “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:1-3 NIV)” He invited others to join him in a cacophony of singing praises to God simply because He is God. The birds in my trees reminded me of the Psalmist’s words for us to join him in song.

Like those birds who sing simply because they are birds God desires that we sing as well to Him simply because we too are the work of His hands. In fact if you read further you discover that indeed He “is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care”! Therefore His people should sing His praises no matter where they are from. All races, nations, and all peoples who love God should be willing to join with one another in singing God’s wonderful praises in the spiritual harmony of one spirit and one mind yet from different backgrounds.

In our world today we are encouraged to be divisive. Some raise their fists in anger and see it as a badge of honor yet it is pride-filled and selfish. The world desires that we segregate ourselves into “camps” in an “us versus them” separation in order for us to continue to be suspicious, angry, or hateful towards one another. Yet we learn that God does not see us as the world does nor does He desire that we respond as the world would. How wonderful to be invited by Him to join with others no matter whom they are together in one song of praise and worship of Him! Can you imagine the noise that God hears each day when we come together wherever we are, whoever we are, and whenever we can to sing the joy of being His? I am sure it is noisier than those birds in the trees in my yard!

Dear child of God do not get caught up in the world’s anger, myopic view of mankind, or their divisiveness, instead join with fellow believers and be like the birds on a fine spring day and become part of the cacophony of believers singing the praises of our God. Join the flock today.

This article is copyrighted © 2021 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Christ’s church is not confused! – Galatians 5:6-16

Christ’s church is not confused! – Galatians 5:6-16
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 8, 2020

Have you ever thought you were doing the right thing but in reality it was for the wrong reasons? We can fool ourselves into thinking that God’s will is what we like or what we want and when we do we might be guilty of trying to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. As we search for a new pastor we want to make sure that we are not trying to get our way instead of seeking the Lord’s will for our church. We should not be confused in doing what God desires.

The church in Galatia had gotten itself all tied up in what they thought was the correct way of living for the Lord but in reality it was from the wrong reasons. They were confused and not doing what the Lord desired. Paul wanted them to come together in the Lord to do the will of God, let’s see how Paul clarified their confusion…

READ: Galatians 5:6-16

Paul understood that all believers were God’s children “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26) and in fact now there was “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female” for all believers are “all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 NIV)” Therefore there should be no confusion in the church because…

I. The love of Jesus is all we need! (Vv. 6-9)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

  1. As we have learned before, Paul had grown up in a religion that had a whole lot of rules and regulations. And now these same folks who acknowledged Jesus wanted to bring back the old way of doing things. It was Jesus plus doing things. Paul would have none of it because he understood that when Jesus hung on the cross and said, “It is finished!” he had meant the entire law and God’s perfect plan. Everything God had been doing was completed in Jesus! So Paul bluntly tells these religious compromisers that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value”! Their old ways were done! Paul reminded them that “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” That love, as we learned last week, is the sacrificial love of Jesus! Paul was a tad bit angry because these people had placed their faith and trust in Jesus but were now heading back into a way that would require them to try again to earn their salvation. He tells them, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” I betcha they were embarrassed like little kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Paul understood quite well what was going on here and he tells them, “That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” Any faith that requires Jesus plus something else is not faith alone in Christ alone! Paul quotes Proverbs to them: “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough”, reminding them of what a small thing can do to adversely influence their faith. The love of Jesus is all we need!

  EXAMPLE: When I was little we owned a boxer dog named Duke who diligently followed me everywhere. From the time I was four-years-old right up until I went to elementary school Duke was my constant loving companion. My mother never worry about where I was or what I was doing, unlike today, where parents are arrested for letting their kids play at the neighborhood park by themselves! The believer’s and the church’s constant companion is Jesus. Therefore isn’t it great to know that the love of Jesus is all we need!

Paul understood that the only one who wanted to throw Jesus’ church into confusion was Satan. After all he was a Father of Lies and a deceiver from the beginning. So Paul knew that…

II. Following Jesus does not bring chaos! (Vv. 10-12)

I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

  1. Such false teaching as the Galatians was beginning to embrace of Jesus plus something else did not originate in the God who had called them. Paul wanted them to have a firm foundation in what they believed so that they would not be easily uprooted into false teaching about Jesus. So he writes, “I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.” By showing his confidence in them he hoped they would develop confidence again in their faith in Jesus alone. He was confident the Galatians would share his views and that the false teacher would suffer judgment: “The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.” Paul did not know who it was that was throwing them into confusion but it did not matter, he was wrong and they needed to understand this. Paul therefore appeals to them as “Brothers” in Christ. Fellow believers should understand and come alongside one another to walk together in their faith. In fact, Paul rhetorically asks, “if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted” by those who still do believe in the false teaching of following Old Testament laws! Paul retorts that “In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.” In other words Jesus did not have to die an ignoble death but he did in order to do away with obedience to set of rules and laws that could never save anyone! It did not make sense. Paul is furious, and rightly so. By their false teaching they were throwing new believers into confusion about the saving grace of God! Paul angrily remarks, “As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” Wow, pretty harsh words but they were needed because Paul knew that following Jesus does not bring chaos!

  EXAMPLE: When the world seems to want to spiral away I remember Jesus in the midst of the storm telling the wind and waves, “Quite! Be still!” (Mark 4:39) and when he calmly told his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1) Paul wrote: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV)” As we look for a new pastor we should remain calm and realize God is in control because following Jesus does not bring chaos!

Paul knew that the presence of Jesus should influence his body the church and even though we are set free from our sin we are to live for him. The church for Paul should be resolute and we see that…

III. We live by the Spirit’s freedom!  (Vv. 13-16)

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

  1. The Old Testament laws had become chains that had enslaved God’s people. They never were meant to do so but they had become this very thing. They were given to Israel in order for them to show the rest of the world what it meant to walk with God by faith. They were never meant to be a strict set of rules that one had to robotically follow in order to garner God’s grace. Now that Jesus had come, their faith set them free from these chains! Paul reminds them, “You, my brothers, were called to be free.” So why were they willingly being enslaved again? To willingly go back was inconceivable to Paul and he saw it as a sin. To be so spiritually insecure was sinful because they willingly tossed aside faith in Jesus alone for works! Therefore Paul writes that they should not use their “freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” They were to love God by giving their selves to Jesus by faith and they were to love one another. If they wanted any kind of “work” to do Paul tells them that “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” It could never save them but at least their focus would not be on following a set of laws which led to disputes among them. Paul warned that “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” The cause of Christ would be ruined. Instead they needed to do like we need to do and “live by the Spirit” and they would “not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Paul knew we live by the Spirit’s freedom!

  EXAMPLE: The world does not understand how the church is the body of Christ. But we do. We can walk in faith and be assured that God is in the details; he is in control. As we pray together and stay unified encouraging one another we can know without a doubt that we are walking in the Spirit of God. As believers we can be excited and full of joy knowing that we live by the Spirit’s freedom!

Conclusion:

The love of Jesus is all we need! Following Jesus does not bring chaos! We live by the Spirit’s freedom!
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This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

The cost of sacrifice! – Matthew 10:34-42

The cost of sacrifice! – Matthew 10:34-42
By Pastor Lee Hemen
November 17, 2019

When I was a teenager taking on my first regular job opportunity my father knew it would require that I give up a lot of my morning free time during the summer. I sold Spudnuts, a doughnut made from potato flour, door-to-door. I had to get up before sunrise, head down to the bakery, and purchase my allotment of Spudnuts, balance them on my bicycle and then go door-to-door selling these warm delicious treats. I earned good money because I was willing to count the cost.

Counting the cost of something does not come easy in our day and age where we have been told that we must have what we want when we want it and not wait for anything. The term comes from Luke’s gospel whereby Jesus tells his disciples that “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it” (Luke 14:28 MKJV). The wording used denotes the idea of not just the financial investment but the time and personal ability to finish the task considered. The cost of being a disciple can demand a lot. Let’s discover what Jesus teaches us about the cost of sacrifice…

READ: Matthew 10:34-42

Jesus was not going to leave his followers in a lurch. After promising them his presence through the Holy Spirit he told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27 NIV)” We often forget the caveat that Jesus’ promised peace is not the peace of the world. In fact we learn that…

I. The cost of sacrifice brings enemies! (Vv. 34-36)

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

  1. Whether we like it or not we become enemies of the old corrupt world order when we come to Christ. Like the old Negro spiritual that related: “This word is not my home” we become part of a different culture, a new family, when we come to Jesus. We live in a violent world whereby we often long for peace. Whether it is peace within a family, peace within a neighborhood, or peace between nations! The Apostle Paul who led a very aggressive campaign against Christians before he became one would write that “The Lord is near” to all who trust him always and that his followers did not need to be “anxious about anything” because he was near – in fact only a prayer away. Paul knew that if we fully understood this then “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NIV)! However Jesus did not want his listeners to have any disillusions as to who he was and what following him required. He tells them: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The “sword” here is the truth of God that not everyone wants to hear because it tears away the false fabric of our lives! It rips away our phony façade and exposes us for what we truly are – sinners in need of a loving God! Hebrews tells us that “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)” This is why Jesus goes on to relate, “For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” The truth of the gospel, the sword of the Spirit, will rend any filthy carcass asunder! It tears away the sin of our lives and cleanses us completely. And when it does it exposes us as brand new to the sinful filthy world and thereby the cost of sacrifice brings enemies!

  EXAMPLE: I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen wives pray for their husbands to come to Christ. They weep, pray, and desperately ask others to pray as well. They witness and try to use any one and any means for their loved one to come to Jesus. Yet when their hubby finally succumbs to the Spirit’s nudging and the change occurs, the wives are now exposed. If they are not really believers themselves the husband is changed and they are not. Or if they are weak in their faith and their spouse becomes a vibrant believer they become threatened by their new-found faith! And unbelieving children now have two parents who are on the same spiritual wavelength! It can create tension in the home and with relatives. The cost of sacrifice brings enemies!

Jem, a young boy in Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” relates that “You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ‘em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.” However family can betray you and Jesus bluntly teaches his listeners that…

II. The cost of sacrifice can be family! (Vv. 37-39)

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

  1. Jesus is not teaching we should give up on our families nor is he saying that we should leave them or separate ourselves from them when we come to him. What Jesus is teaching here is the cost involved and where our heart truly is! Do you remember when Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him or not and Peter kind of gets desperate and cries out “Yes Lord, you know I love you!” But the third time after Jesus asks him again Peter finally declares, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” And there it is. Jesus God knows all things about us — all things. Jesus knows if we truly have given him our lives as a personal sacrifice to follow him wherever he leads us. A believer cannot have one foot in the world and another in the world of Jesus! This is why Jesus reiterates the truth that “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” He is referring to the personal relationship involved. Jesus knew that the family relationship is a strong one. It is not to be taken lightly. Blood is thicker than water, so-to-speak. Yet when we come to Jesus we become “children of God” and part of his family and the blood involved here would be far greater than any earthly family! John would write that “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1 NIV)” Jesus therefore fully understood that cost of following him and tells his disciples, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” In other words whoever finds eternal life in him will lose their earthly life as they knew it because it is now a sacrifice to him and they will actually find what real life is all about! And our earthly family bond is not to take precedence over our relationship with Jesus! It does not mean we no longer love our family or that we no longer have a relationship with our family but our new relationship with Jesus may require a personal sacrifice whereby we leave our family to follow him! The cost of sacrifice can be family!

  EXAMPLE: The soldier, the fireman, and the policeman are all taught to not be concerned for their own safety and to run toward danger. This is why so many died when the Twin Towers collapsed in New York. This view of personal sacrifice can cause a great amount of stress on a family. But did you know that Christians are asked to do the very same thing? We are to run toward the purpose for which Christ has called us! Paul would say “I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ! (Philippians 3:8 NIV)” And like Jesus, Paul knew that the cost of sacrifice can be family!

In Jesus’ day as well as ours there are those who see Jesus only as a good man, a fine teacher, or just a myth made up by desperate men. None of these are ultimately true because Jesus was way more than any of these views of him. In fact Jesus bluntly tells his disciples that…

III. The cost of sacrifice demands we see Jesus as he is! (Vv. 40-42)

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

  1. When we become believers by faith we become family members and ambassadors! We are representatives of the Kingdom of God with an important message! Paul would remind us “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NIV)” This is why Jesus tells his disciples, “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” When we received Jesus as Savior and Lord we received God because Jesus is God. Jesus knew there would be those who only would think of him in human terms. They would get hung up on titles or trying to place him in the scheme of things they wanted and so he tells his followers that “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.” How do you see Jesus this morning? Your answers shares a lot about what you believe concerning him. If you see Jesus only as a good person then that is as far as your eternal reward will go, and it isn’t much. Jesus is so much more than a good man preaching good truths to a impoverished crowd. Jesus wasn’t about social change; he was about the eternal truth of loving God completely and loving others as you do yourself! Jesus related: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward” as his disciple, not as you think of him as a nice individual who goes about doing good things. Discipleship carries with it responsibility of following your master’s teaching. Jesus would declare, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12 NIV)” God is love, Jesus is God, and we are to love God (Jesus) and one another! The cost of sacrifice demands we see Jesus as he is!

  EXAMPLE: We as Christians are often accused of seeing the world through “rose-colored glasses” a term that may have come from romantic imagery in artwork from the Victorian era that inspired viewers to associate optimism with the deep reds of rose gardens. Victorians certainly were familiar with the idea of a “rosy glow” or “painting a rosy picture.” Others think it was from the thin film of cheap wine left in the bottom of a drunk’s glass or the rosy glow from being drunk. We are not to see Jesus through anything but the truth of who he is and the cost of sacrifice demands we see Jesus as he is!

Conclusion:

The cost of sacrifice brings enemies! The cost of sacrifice can be family! The cost of sacrifice demands we see Jesus as he is!
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This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Follow me! — Matthew 8:18-22

Follow me! — Matthew 8:18-22
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 28, 2019

Who or what you follow says a lot about what you believe in life. I’ve always found it humorous when folks tell me that they go to a “nondenominational” church because there is no such thing. If you have a pastor who preaches and is your church’s leader you follow a specific “denomination” or theology whether you want to admit to it or not. Pastors are trained by someone and that someone was trained or trains in a particular denominational bent.

When Jesus called his disciples he did not give them any false pretenses and in fact often went out of the way to teach them exactly who they followed and why. While some of the gospel writers do not necessarily focus on those who were outside of the inner circle of disciples they do touch on the fact that there were many who did indeed follow Jesus even if they were not part of the core group he specifically chose. And it is here that Matthew focuses us this morning as we take a look at those who wanted to “follow” Jesus. Let’s take a look at what it meant when Jesus said, “Follow me!”

READ: Matthew 8:18-22

In this section Matthew gave a couple of illustrations to demonstrate the right Jesus had to ask who he desired to follow him and to deny requests from those who were motivated improperly. In this first example we discover…

I. Following Jesus requires hardship! (Vv. 18-20)

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

  1. We find Jesus’ compassion often displayed by what he does or how he responds to certain situations. Evidently the crowds were becoming increasingly large and therefore probably more aggressive and perhaps even inconsiderate of Jesus’ time. Matthew writes that “When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.” We had previously learned that “When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.” (v. 8:1) and so it had become increasingly difficult to go from one place to the next so Jesus decides to cross the lake, the Sea of Galilee, and preach there. In one instance John relates that the people wanted to forcefully make Jesus their king, but he would have none of it and used the lake as a means to get away. However, as Jesus evidently lands on the far shore “a teacher of the law came to him” declaring “Teacher I will follow you wherever you go.” Instead of Jesus choosing him this man had decided for himself and we discover his impulsiveness isn’t what Jesus was looking for. Jesus replies, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” God has created a place for every living thing he has created but in his ministry and mission to the world he would not have a place of his own and this young man had to realize that the hardship he was asking for might be more then he could bear. Jesus had no permanent home. Perhaps Jesus saw that this young man desired more than just following him to be his disciple. Some think he wanted fame and fortune but Jesus desired neither and in fact had already flatly turned them down when Satan tried to tempt him in his humanity with such enticements. Creation is not Satan’s to give and God has no need of such things. In fact when “large crowds” were following Jesus, he turned to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-27 NIV)” The road of being a disciple of Jesus is not an easy well paved path like that broad way the world offers. Following Jesus requires hardship!

  EXAMPLE: Many families that started out on the Oregon Trail did not finish it intact; disease, accidents, starvation, wild animals, and attacks placed a huge hardship on early pioneers. We have no idea the dangers they faced and yet they did in order to find a new life in a new land. One of their favorite hymns they sang around campfires was On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand and yet nowadays many refuse to come to the land that is fairer than day and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hardship for us is misplacing our cell phone, not having free Wi-Fi or a fast food restaurant every 25 feet. Here in Matthew we discover that following Jesus requires hardship!

In our lives we can begin to place the improper focus on things that may not matter as far as eternity is concerned. Friends, jobs, school, finances, or even family can blur our vision as to what truly matters in life especially where it concerns following Jesus. In the second example we discover…

II. Following Jesus requires knowing what is vital in life! (Vv. 21-22)

Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

  1. At first glance we might think Jesus was uncaring in his next response to the second man but he was not. The wording in the original language teaches us what is happening here. We often get so caught up in this life we forget there is another one waiting for us. Our world has become so cynical that there are those who try to ignore life after death. Jesus made no illusions to the fact that once you pass from this existence you will either be in the presence of God or separated from him for eternity. Jesus absolutely knew what he was talking about because he is God! Matthew related that “Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’” Luke tells us it was just “another man” and not one of the inner twelve so here disciple is used for a close follower. And like I said before we tend to forget that there is more to life than just this life! When Peter complained that he and his fellow disciples had “left everything” to follow Jesus, he told Peter, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” However this promise of a wonderful future was not just reserved for the inner twelve disciples! Jesus continued by relating, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Now Jesus is not teaching some name-it-and-claim-it heresy but rather that there is more to living for him than we know. If we follow him we will be wonderfully rewarded. In fact Paul would write, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him! (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV)” Matthew related therefore, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Jesus wasn’t uncaring but the man wanted to go back home and wait until his father got older, he buried him, and then he would follow Jesus! Jesus desires you make the decision to follow him today, not later. Paul would state that “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV)” Make no mistake that following Jesus requires knowing what is vital in life!

  EXAMPLE: What we consider vital in life is far different than what was considered essential when I was a child. Children can live without cell phones, video games, or the latest clothing fad. In Walt Disney’s classic The Jungle Book based on Kipling’s book of the same title the bear Baloo sings a song called The Bare Necessities in which he encourages his young protégée to go after the simple bare necessities of life. Baloo finds everything he needs from the forest around him. We live in a time when even the poorest among us has more than most of the rest of the world. Following Jesus requires knowing what is vital in life!

Conclusion:

Following Jesus requires hardship! Following Jesus requires knowing what is vital in life!
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This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Where is your heart? – Matthew 6:19-24

Where is your heart? – Matthew 6:19-24
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 28, 2019

When I was going to seminary one of things we were told to look at very closely was the reason why we wanted to be a pastor in the first place. And one of my instructors bluntly told us that if we could not confidently say we were called of God we should go do something else. He continued by relating that our calling was what would keep us grounded during tough or good times because it came from the Lord. Ministering was not a “job” but when it became one, and it would sometimes, we could rely on our calling from God to strengthen us. It would show us where our heart truly was.

Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that following God was more than following a set of rules. After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead everything would change concerning an individual’s relationship with God. What became important was not past history or one’s heritage but rather if you could confidently say you trusted the Messiah with your life. It would be a matter of one’s heart, what made one truly a follower of Jesus would be their faith. Let’s discover what Jesus taught about one’s heart…

READ: Matthew 6:19-24

So many things that we think are important in life are not as vital as we think. In fact we could get along without a lot of things we have. Jesus taught that…

I. We need to be sure of where our heart resides! (Vv. 19-21)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

  1. We use all kinds of equipment to measure the weather: Rain gauges, thermometers, wind gauges, and barometers to measure the barometric pressure. A multitude of computer models make predictions as to what might occur in the future concerning the weather. We are given spiritual equipment as well that measures our commitment to the Lord; he’s called the Holy Spirit. One such measurement the Spirit uses is how much importance we place on things in our life and if these “things” are more important than people or God. Jesus bluntly tells his audience, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Jesus knew that the Pharisees put a huge stock in personal wealth and prestige. Mankind had forgotten that this world is not all there is to life. Life is eternal and we will either spend it with God in his presence or separated from him forever. Storing up things that are here today and worthless tomorrow makes no sense in a life led by the Spirit. Now Jesus is not telling his disciples to not prepare for the future or that savings are bad. What Jesus is sharing is the fact of what is important for the disciple of Christ. Instead you should “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Jesus also is not referring to having more good deeds as compared to bad actions. Our lives are not weighed between the good and bad we do. It is a matter of the heart, of who you are as a believer. What is your focus in life? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Far too many are focused on their job, their income, their family, or having fun, fun, fun! If this is your focus in life that is where your heart will be and one has to remember that age will take away your good looks and your health; politicians will rob you of your hard earned money; and your education is only good for the time when you can use it. Your life is eternal and how you store things up that matter there now shows God where your heart is for eternity. Jesus taught that we need to be sure of where our heart resides!

  EXAMPLE: “Do you know where your children are?” was a question used as a public service announcement for parents on American television especially from the late 1960s through the late 1980s. One of the first adopters of the phrase was Mel Epstein, the Director of On-Air Promotions at New York’s WNEW-TV, who began using the phrase in 1967 in response to rising crime in the city. With how believers are not held accountable for their actions or attitudes and have begun to have the heretical notion that it doesn’t matter how they act or what they do outside of church perhaps we need to ask the question: “Do you know where your heart is?” Jesus taught his listeners that we need to be sure of where our heart resides!

What we focus on in life shows what we care about most. Jesus did not say we could never have fun, watch our health, or save for the future but rather if we do anything to the exclusion of living for God we are failing for eternity. It is a matter of who we trust and have faith in. Jesus taught that…

II. We need to be aware if our heart sees the light! (Vv. 22-23)

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

  1. There is a term that I find kind of irritating that a lot of the world uses when it is mystified by someone’s, especially a child’s, faith, kindness, compassion, wisdom or spirituality they often say that they are “an old soul”. What in the world does that even mean? That they are a piece of wore out old shoe leather with a hole in the bottom? Actually, the term comes from the feeling that someone is spiritually wiser than their actual age. It is tied up in Buddhist and Hindu idea of reincarnation or metempsychosis. Metempsychosis is a philosophical term referring to the transmigration of the soul after death into a human or animal. It does not occur and is a complete misunderstanding of the concept of the human soul. All of this to say that there are those who misconstrue what Jesus taught about being the light of the world. Jesus was not and is not the reincarnation of anyone. He is God. And being God he is totally holy without any sin. Light represented the holiness and purity of God for the Jew. If we place our faith and trust in the Messiah Jesus we will have the light of God in our lives! John reminds us that “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12 NIV), meaning the holiness of God! Jesus had just gotten through telling his followers that they were “the light of the world”, having the gospel message, and that they were to “let their light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14,16 NIV)” Our relationship with Jesus makes us the light of the world and when we allow the shadows and darkness of the world to rob us of his light we dim the light of him in our lives. Therefore what we focus on in life matters. Jesus reminds us that “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” When we place our faith and trust in Jesus we are given everything we need to live for him but we still make life choices on how we will live our lives. Believers cannot keep one foot in the world and then go to church on Sundays thinking that this is good enough. Jesus bluntly related that “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” We need to be aware if our heart sees the light!

  EXAMPLE: What we watch on TV, what we read in books or view on the Internet, and what movies we go to all influence how we relate to our world. This is why pornography has such an impact on people and men especially. Men are hands on and sight oriented. Jesus was teaching his listeners that what they fill their eyes with will influence their lives for God. There is an old children’s song that goes: “O be careful little eyes what you see. O be careful little eyes what you see. There’s a Father up above. And He’s looking down in love. So, be careful little eyes what you see.” We need to be aware if our heart sees the light!

The folk singer Bob Dylan wrote a song where he related that no matter who you are in life or where you live “you’re gonna have to serve somebody… it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody”! He was reiterating what Jesus spoke about here in Matthew’s gospel. It all boils down to who you give your life’s allegiance to. Jesus taught that…

III. We need to know who our heart serves! (v. 24)

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

  1. The Old Testament prophets Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, and Ezekiel all warned the Israelites over and over that they would need to choose who they were going to serve. The words of Joshua to the Israelites still stand as a challenge for all generations when he admonished them: “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)” While his challenge was to the Hebrews to throw away their false worship of manmade idols his warning is a reminder for believers today to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. And after teaching about what their life focus should be Jesus admonishes his listeners by reminding them, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Actually Jesus uses the term “mammon” which comes from a Greek word. Similar root words exist in Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic, Chaldean and Syrian. All are translated “money, wealth, and material possessions.” Some think that it comes from the name of a Chaldean or Syrian God. Paul wrote that “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” And that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. (1 Timothy 6:6-10 NIV)” Luke related that when Jesus taught what he did “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’ (Luke 16:14-15 NIV)” Jesus knew we need to know who our heart serves!

  EXAMPLE: Duke University there is a story about a fraternity hazing prank. A pledge was kidnapped from his dorm, took 30 miles out into the North Carolina woods wearing nothing but the Duke Blue Devil mascot outfit. He trudged through the night, calculating how long it would take him to walk back to campus. After an hour or so, he saw the lights and heard music and singing coming from an old country church in the midst of a revival meeting. He thought to himself, “Church people are good people. Surely someone will give me a ride back to Duke.” So he walked across the parking lot and in the front door wearing his Blue Devil costume. The preacher stopped his preaching and stared. Everyone else turned to look at what the preacher was looking at. Suddenly, the preacher dove out the window. The other folk began diving out windows too, until there was only one person left. She was too old and too frail to dive out the window, and the devil was standing between her and the church’s only door. She began to plead in a soft voice, “Mr. Devil, my husband, bless his heart, was a deacon in this church for almost 40 years, one of my sons is a missionary, and my daughter is married to a pastor, and I was president of the Women’s Missionary Society for 20 years, but I just want you to know—I’ve been on your side all along!” We need to know who our heart serves!

Conclusion:

We need to be sure of where our heart resides! We need to be aware if our heart sees the light! We need to know who our heart serves!
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This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Trapped by sin! — 2 Kings 17:5-12, 16-20

Trapped by sin! — 2 Kings 17:5-12, 16-20
By Pastor Lee Hemen
November 4, 2018

Two men were members of the same church. Both were active and were positive witnesses to the presence of God. One grew as a Christian vividly. God gave him victory over various sins committed before becoming a Christian. He became a strong, positive Christian influence in his workplace and community. The other man did not make worshiping and serving God his highest priority. Instead, he began giving into temptations seeking pleasure and possessions instead of a relationship with the Lord. Eventually, he gave up any visible identification with believers and the Lord.

All 20 kings who ruled northern Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. None of them worshiped God only. None were descendants of David to whom God promised his family would always rule over God’s people. Ahab and Jezebel made Baal worship legal. God disciplined his people, but nothing turned them to the Lord. God sent prophets Elisha, Amos, and Hosea to warn Israel of its sin and call the nation back to him. Israel continued to sin and fall deeper into bondage. Finally, God sent Assyria to destroy Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell. Israel was trapped by sin, let’s see how…

READ: 2 Kings 17:5-12, 16-20

When Shalmaneser succeeded Tiglath-pileser as king of Assyria, he attacked Hoshea the king of Israel and made him pay tribute. When Hoshea turned to the king of Egypt for help, Shalmaneser invaded Israel, and captured Samaria. Samaria fell because of the people’s sin against the Lord.

I. The downfall of sin is bondage! (2 Kings 17:5-6)

The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

1. During the time Ahaz was king of Judah and Hoshea king of Israel, Shalmaneser was king of Assyria. Shalmaneser invaded Israel, which eventually fell into Assyrian bondage. Before this time, Israel had been progressively losing its freedom. Israel’s government was highly unstable. After Jeroboam II’s reign of approximately 40 years, five kings followed him in rapid succession. When Hoshea became king at first he paid Assyria tribute (bribe) money. Then he rebelled, quit paying what amounted to “protection money” to Assyria, and turned to Egypt for help — big mistake! Considering Hoshea to be a traitor, Shalmaneser (who succeeded Tiglath-pileser as king of Assyria) invaded the whole land of Israel. Israel’s fall had been slow but sure in coming. “The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria (Northern Israel’s capital) and laid siege to it for three years.” The downfall of personal or national sin is bondage; bondage to one’s sin, bondage to others who begin to control you because of your sin. Jesus related the same thing when he taught about how a rich man’s money keeps them in bondage just like sin in that “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (your sin). (Matthew 6:24 NIV)” There is always consequences for one’s sin. When we try to say we honor God but keep part of our lives in sin we suffer. Sadly, when nations or leaders of nations do this it can affect a lot of folks! “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.” The Northern Kingdom became captive slaves because of their leaders past sins! The downfall of sin is bondage!

EXAMPLE: This past week we have seen how sin can enslave people and be used as an excuse to do horrendous acts. Murdering people because of who they are, firebombing buildings because of politics, or trying to blame others for people’s actions are feeble attempts to excuse sin. Like chains that enslave us, sin is just as binding. Peter wrote that “by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” He goes on to write that if one has escaped the corruption of the world by faith in Jesus but then returns to it they are like a dog returning to its vomit or a sow that is washed and goes back to her wallowing in the mud. (2 Peter 2:18-22 NIV) The downfall of sin is bondage!

Israel’s downward slide to bondage moved from being made a vassal nation that paid tribute (bribe) money to Assyria to its people’s being exiled. The slaves who were once set free from Pharaoh are enslaved again! People who fail to obey God will experience spiritual bondage. We discover that…

II. Believers can suffer because of their disobedience! (2 Kings 17:7-12)

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, “You shall not do this.”

1. We discover that “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.” Some of those “practices” included sacrificing their children by burning them alive in fire; practicing divination, witchcraft, and sorcery; interpreting omens; casting spells; and going to mediums or spiritists to try to contact the dead. Do any of these practices ring a bell when you observe the practices of people today, even some who are professing Christians? Walking spiritual mazes, speaking in tongues, chanting certain phrases over and over, being superstitious, worshipping nature or the environment are just some ways folks have diluted their faith. Believers can suffer because their disobedience! Not all of Israel’s sins were public sins. “The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done.” Families had begun to make their own backyard altars to any deity or dead relative! They had sexual relations with cultic prostitutes to honor fertility gods and goddesses! These horrible practices, done in the name of worship and in the name of God, “provoked the LORD to anger”! Like many Christians today “They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, ‘You shall not do this.’” We often think we have the right to do whatever we want whenever we want as long as it makes us feel good about ourselves, and nothing could be further from the truth! Believers can suffer because of their disobedience!

EXAMPLE: “The data suggests this is the fastest growing religious group in America, are people who don’t hold any firm religious beliefs,” Teixeira, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Teixeira was discussing a recent Pew Research Center poll that found 62 percent of Americans hold New Age beliefs, such as astrology and the presence of spiritual energy in trees or mountains. The survey also found that those who identify as Christian were more likely than atheists and agnostics to hold at least one New Age belief. Sixty-one percent of respondents who identified as Christian said they held at least one New Age belief, compared with 22 percent of atheists and 56 percent of agnostics who said the same. Sixty-seven percent of mainline Protestants, 47 percent of evangelicals and 70 percent of Catholics said they believed in a New Age belief. And we wonder why churches are not growing. We learn here that believers can suffer because of their disobedience!

God has commanded his people to worship only him. Not trees,, mountains, or images we have made. These commandments are stressed repeatedly throughout Scripture. But people refuse to listen or obey. Disobedience was the reason God brought judgment on the Israelites and allowed Assyria to conquer their nation; therefore we should learn…

III. The lesson is to worship God only! (2 Kings 17:16-20)

They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

1. Again we discover that the Israelites “forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire.” God has terms about how we are to worship him. It is to be centered on him and not ourselves! When we make it about ourselves then worship begins to be about how we feel. Our worship becomes syncretism: the combination of different systems of philosophical or religious belief or practices! We see this with roadside altars to those who were killed or the belief in ghosts. Other pagan practices were widespread throughout Israel. Some parents sacrificed their sons and daughters by fire! They practiced divination and interpreted omens. The practice of divination and omens involved efforts to know and thus manipulate the future by human means instead of trusting the God of history. The practice astrology by bowing down to the “starry hosts” and it included such pagan activities as seeking omens or signs, telling fortunes, forecasting the future by examining animal organs, and trying to communicate with the dead. Does any of this sound familiar? People without God can only use human means to try to understand what’s going on in the world and in their lives. The people of Israel had God, but they ignored him and turned from him to the futile means that pagans used. In doing so they “sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger”! Even though the people did not care, God did! “So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.” The only group that was left was Judah to the south “and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.” Wow! The lesson is to worship God only!

EXAMPLE: God’s evaluation of Israel was that they sold themselves to do what was evil, thus provoking the Lord to anger. Instead of dedicating themselves wholly to the Lord, they gave themselves to practices that were characteristic of the people around them but were evil in God’s sight. God did not ignore his people’s pagan worship or practices. God’s anger is not a selfish anger. His discipline operates in our best interests. It is designed to bring us back to him because he desperately loves us. Remember, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)” God would provide a way back to him and he still does! The lesson is to worship God only!

Conclusion:
The downfall of sin is bondage! Believers can suffer because of their disobedience! The lesson is to worship God only!
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This article is copyrighted © 2018 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

What’s important? – Philippians 3:1-11

What’s important? – Philippians 3:1-11
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 29, 2018

When you’re single what is important changes dramatically after you get married and have kids. And it should. Sadly there are a few men and women who seem not to mature into the role of spouse and parent. They seem to think that life still should revolve around their needs, desires, and wants. This simply is not true. One who lives selfishly this way never seems to ask “What’s important?”

A faithful follower of Jesus has to constantly ask themselves what is important in order to maintain spiritual focus for their lives. Christianity is not a momentary thing. It does not just happen once a week on Sundays. If we do not take seriously our walk with the Lord we will fall prey to the whims of the ungodly world around us. Paul knew this to be true and teaches the Philippians what’s important. Let’s find out what he writes…

READ: Philippians 3:1-11

There were those who were called “Judaizers” Judaizers is a term for Christians who insisted that their fellow Christians should follow the Old Covenant laws. This term is most widely known from its single use in the Greek New Testament (Galatians 2:14) where Paul publicly challenges Peter for compelling gentile converts to early Christianity to “judaize” their faith instead of relying on faith alone in Christ alone. We discover that what is important for Paul is that…

I. Christians should never live a life of works! (Vv. 1-4)

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh–though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

1. Some call it “sacraments” as if there is something sacred in making people earn their salvation by doing certain manmade requirements instead of placing their faith and trust in Jesus. Evangelicals can be guilty of the same thing when we begin to swallow the lie of the world that if we are good enough, nice enough, or do simple acts of kindness then God will wink at our putrid sin and let us into heaven. Paul feared that the Philippians were allowing themselves to swallow the same lie and so begins this section by telling them “my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!” That was to be their focus, not rituals. If Paul had to repeat himself he would because he cared about their faith, so he writes, “It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” He bluntly tells them to “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.” There were those who were whispering in the unsuspecting ears of the Philippians that they needed to go back to following Old Testament rules of circumcision. Jesus totally did away with such a view. Paul knew what he was speaking about here and tells them, “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh–though I myself have reasons for such confidence.” He had been one! A “mutilator of the flesh”! But now Paul had trust Jesus and “put no confidence in the flesh”. In fact “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, [Paul had] more”! Christians should never live a life of works!

EXAMPLE: Trail Life for boys is a group that was founded upon certain principles and one of them is that it isn’t awards focused. Some boys’ programs are very focused on helping a boy achieve as many awards as he can in the shortest period of time. In contrast, Trail Life is more concerned with building character than with earning badges and ranks. Trail Life has a robust and prominent ranking and awards structure; however, this is not the focus of the program. The focus is on building character over merely earning awards. I like this because it supports that our lives in Jesus should never be focused on doing things in order to be saved. Paul teaches us what is important in that Christians should never live a life of works!

Far too many people try to placate God instead of living their lives for him. We tend to forget that if God did not love us he would not have come to die for us! In fact this notion was a completely new concept during Paul’s day that a deity would not require pacification in some way. Paul reminds us here in these verses what’s important in that…

II. Christians should never try to appease God! (Vv. 5-7)

circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

1. Paul absolutely understood what he was talking about because his whole life up until he laid aside his pride and came to Christ had also been “circumcised on the eighth day”. He had been changed by his faith in Jesus and because of that change Paul realized that coming to God no longer took a plethora of requirements and crossing off the deeds you did. Paul was “of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin” and quite literally “a Hebrew of Hebrews”. No one could outdo Paul in his strict adherence to following a set of commands, regulations, and manmade requirements. By Paul’s day there were over 600 volumes written by the Jews in order to try as hard as they might to follow the legalistic manmade requirements they self-imposed on one another. Paul would call them “fools” because these people were foolish for spiritually enslaving people. To the church at Corinth he wrote, “You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to boast about–I am speaking as a fool–I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. (2 Corinthians 11:19-22 NIV)” Paul understood and was angered this kind of enslavement because he had followed it himself and “in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” Paul had blindly believed the fallacy of trying to do one more “good thing” in order to be loved by God and he knew it was ungodly thinking! Paul’s way of thinking changed because he had changed and so he writes, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss (literally damaged goods or a detriment) for the sake of Christ.” Paul knew what’s important for faith and the fact was that Christians should never try to appease God!

EXAMPLE: I will never forget going to the bedside of a beautiful Christian woman who was dying of cancer and her only thought was: “Have I done enough good things for God to love me?” She was part of a Christian denomination that places part of the burden of grace on the believer. So those who belong to it think they have to do a certain amount of good works in their livers in order to offset any unpaid for sin. This is faulty theology. Jesus paid it all on the cross. Paul teaches us what is important in that Christians should never try to appease God!

If something or someone is important in your life you do not treat them as second class, you do not take them for granted, and you never place yourself first. Your relationship would end quickly if you did! In fact, Jesus taught that if you wanted to be great in his kingdom we had to learn to be servants. We discover what’s important when Paul teaches us that…

III. Christians should sacrifice themselves to the Lord first! (Vv. 8-11)

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

1. Paul had come to the right attitude that every believer should. He tells the Philippians, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” I firmly believe that if even just 10% of believers truly believed and practiced Paul’s attitude here in these verses the world would be changed! Paul in fact “consider(ed) them rubbish (quite literally human waste), that [he might] gain Christ and be found in him”. But notice Paul never wanted the focus on himself. Paul truly wanted to “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from following” dead laws that did not matter anymore “but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Why was this so important to Paul and why should it be important for us as Christians in our day and age? Faith is the most important thing for the believer. Paul would tell the Romans “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ (Romans 1:17 NIV)” For Paul Jesus was everything and he writes, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” In every phrase of this we discover what Paul thought it was important, namely that Christians should sacrifice themselves to the Lord first!

EXAMPLE: The other night on America’s Got Talent a “man” came out and sang and danced and was a complete freak show. The only reason the audience liked him was because he was sadly so outlandish and perverted. It is evident he has given himself to the lowest form of hedonism. Much of the world is like this. It demands that it be allowed to do anything or live anyway it wants to without any repercussion. It has perverted such organizations as the Boy Scouts and even some churches. I believe the world needs to see Christians living like Christ in order to turn the spiritual tide. What’s important? I believe that Christians should sacrifice themselves to the Lord first!

Conclusion:

Christians should never live a life of works! Christians should never try to appease God! Christians should sacrifice themselves to the Lord first!
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This article is copyrighted © 2018 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

Slaves and masters! – Ephesians 6:5-9

Slaves and masters! – Ephesians 6:5-9
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 2, 2017

There are times when employees may feel they are slaves or just a cog in one big giant machine only good for what they can turn out for the “man” but to equate our boredom or nasty bosses to actual slavery is a bit much. Real slavery is no laughing matter and it still exists in many countries of the world today; most notably within those that are predominately Muslim or socialist. While slavery was the predominate thinking for much of the world’s history Christianity has played a huge role in ending this horrendous system of slaves and masters.

Jesus taught that God views all people equal and while Paul and others addressed slaves and masters they knew that God so loved the whole world and that Jesus came to save all mankind. Within those nations who were influenced by Christianity the ungodly system of slavery would eventually be done away with. We can find the seeds to its destruction in how Paul addresses the attitudes of slaves and masters here in Ephesians. Let’s take a look at what Paul wrote and how it should affect our lives today…

READ: Ephesians 6:5-9

So should people view Paul’s statements here in Ephesians as an endorsement of slavery? Absolutely not! Instead we can discover that what mattered most to Paul was how one conducted themselves as a believer. And here in this truth Christians can find that…

I. No matter their position in life believers are to consider themselves as servants of Christ! (Vv. 5-6)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

1. Slaves in Paul’s day had a harsh existence. They were property considered a thing that could be bought, sold, or destroyed at a whim. Yes, some slaves who served well could become part of a family and in fact receive the same rights and privileges as their masters if the master decided to give them their family’s name. In fact some slaves rose in rank and advantage even higher in society than their own masters! Yet we must look at the deeper truth Paul was trying to give his readers here. We must remember that both slave and master would hear his words. And so Paul began by telling them, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart”. He knew that slavery was harsh but he also knew that people could serve outwardly yet harbor hatred toward those who are over them. So again he mentions “respect” (literally trembling) and “fear” and “sincerity (single-mindedness) of heart”. We forget in our day and age because we put a deeper emphasis on personal fulfillment rather than being called by God. Paul wrote the Roman church that “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son… And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30 NIV) This is why Paul told slaves to obey their masters “just as you would obey Christ”. Paul was not endorsing slavery but rather teaching new believers how live their faith in difficult circumstances. They were to “Obey” their masters “not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” This is a good truth for all Christians because no matter what their position in life is believers are to consider themselves as servants of Christ!

EXAMPLE: When my father had to leave for weeks and sometimes months in order to earn a living for our family he would remind us kids, “Mind your mother just as if I were here while I am gone.” We knew that no matter whether he was home or away we had to be obedient to our Mom just as if he were home. Slaves in Paul’s day could have seen their newfound faith and freedom in Christ as an excuse to be disobedient to either their believing or non-believing masters. But Paul reminds them that no matter their position in life believers are to consider themselves as servants of Christ!

Some folks see their job as something they have to do in order to pay the bills but this attitude can make your work drudgery for you. The same is true when one is saved by faith and called to serve the Lord. We can begin to see our service as drudgery; however Paul reminds us that…

II. No matter our position in life Christians are to serve enthusiastically! (Vv. 7-8)

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

1. Enthusiastically is a word that comes from several Greek words that literally mean “in God’s essence” and was originally used by the Greeks to describe manifestations of divine possession but was later used to describe the believer’s life in Christ. Paul writes that new believers were to “serve wholeheartedly” literally from their very beings that now had been changed by their faith in Jesus! In his letter to the Colossian church Paul would remind them to put off any evil in their lives by remembering to put “off your old self with its practices” and instead “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:8-10) And remember he had just taught them that “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV) The reason for Paul was obvious because when the believer served their masters, bosses, parents or others this way it was as “if you were serving the Lord”! It is easy to go through the motions of just doing your job or your chores but when one does this it is only because they do it as if they were serving “men” and not Jesus. For the believer serving Jesus should never be a chore. The Christian’s attitude should be changed because of their faith in Jesus. We are to live our lives by a different set of values and attitudes because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) And we know “that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” Paul is not enforcing a “works” mentality but rather reminding them that our final reward is different than what the world gives. The world rewards us by our status but God sees us as his new creation. No matter our position in life Christians are to serve enthusiastically!

EXAMPLE: One of the best pieces of advice my father imparted to me in the last days of his life had to do with how I did my work whether it was at school, home, or a job earning money. He related that I would probably do a lot of different things in life just as he had but in all those jobs he learned that if one wants to be successful in life you have to have the right attitude. He related, “Go to work, do your best, do more than what is expected of you, be honest and trustworthy and don’t get involved in gossip.” A believer’s motivation in life is not to be money, prestige, power, or position. Paul would say that no matter our position in life Christians are to serve enthusiastically!

We see that Paul’s view on how Christian slaves were to conduct themselves was radical. It was radical because of the change that occurred in the life of a believer when God comes to reside in them through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore those in charge who were saved were to be radically different as well. We discover that…

III. Christians in charge are not to be prejudice in any way! (v. 9)

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

1. Equality between sexes, races, or ages is not found in baseless reparations, false apologies, or in making idiotic excuses. You cannot force someone to not be racist, xenophobic, or chauvinistic. Sure you can legislate, make laws, and try to teach social justice but that will never change the inner person who is evil in nature. Paul intrinsically understood this because he had experienced it himself. In fact he had been an evil “enforcer” for his mentors to try and stamp out the early Christian faith. In the Book of Acts we learn that while the followers of Jesus were preaching and teaching others about the love of God expressed in Jesus, Paul “was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2 NIV) However Paul was changed “As he neared Damascus on his journey” when “suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.” (Acts 9:3) Paul would later say that Jesus “appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15:8) and he would confess “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10 NIV) Just as Paul had been changed he now says, “And masters, treat your slaves in the same way” as they had been treated by God. They were placed in charge for a reason just as they had come to faith for a reason and so they were told “Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” Jesus saw both slave and master as the same. Paul would write, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28 NIV) Christians in charge are not to be prejudice in any way!

EXAMPLE: Atheism is the antithesis of faith. We see its outcome in socialism and communism where mankind is exemplified and faith in God is disdained. Hundreds of millions have been murdered by the atheistic movements found in the Nazism of Germany, the communism of the Soviet Union, China, North Korean, Cambodia, Vietnam, Venezuela, Cuba, and other nations. Atheists believe morality is derived from the social norm but if the social norm is already inwardly and utterly corrupt and evil then your morality will be corrupted as well. This is why many in our day think that society needs to change its moral core from one influenced by faith in God to one based on faith in mankind. We see its outcome. Morality is in a constant state of flux and depends upon how one feels about their self in the moment. Paul says believers are to be influenced by the change that God has done in their very beings; their souls. Christians in charge are not to be prejudice in any way!

Conclusion:

No matter their position in life believers are to consider themselves as servants of Christ! No matter our position in life Christians are to serve enthusiastically! Christians in charge are not to be prejudice in any way!
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This article is copyrighted © 2017 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.