Friday, May 15, 2015

Stability in uncertain times - a Rock you can count on


This message is, like our ministry and radio program, for the greater Canton area and yet for everyone no matter where they are, because Matthew 28:18-20 commands us to go into all the world, and in this day and age, this message could go anywhere.


Timken High School students may be especially interested, though. Whatever feelings may be on the subject, after this spring, Canton will have only two high schools, McKinley and Timken Early College, which will at least keep the Timken name prominent in the Canton City Schools, after the great history it has in the area.

Our show on Jesus as the rock discussed more than salvation, though. The storms of life pound at us so hard sometimes, it is important to know there is certainty in this world. Some young people deal with many diverse problems, some right in their families. It is vital for them to realize there is a rock they can count on.

There is an interesting quote which may feel appropriate for those rebuilding their lives, such as with the horrible earthquake in Nepal or the recent train accident in Philadelphia. “Yesterday, I was president of a college. Today, I am president of a hole in the ground.” These were the words of Louis Holden, president of the College of Wooster in nearby Wooster, Ohio, in 1901. A terrible fire had destroyed their one academic building, known as Old Main. Oh, some books and other small items were saved. But, as far anything important, nothing was left after the loss of Old Main. Present and former students suddenly found nothing but ruins. Nothing, that is, except...a rock.


This heavy rock was dragged and placed near its present site by the Class of 1874, with their year carved into its side. (It still stands, you can see it here.) Students and alumni were displaced, their school in ruins, and yet that rock stood fast, reminding them there was a college there, promising the chance for something better. And there that rock stands today, unchanged for well over a century, despite the incredible changes in the college and its students.Timken students are surely wishing that they had such certainty. But, they - and everyone - can be certain of the love of Jesus Christ.

Such a foundation is important, even necessary, in our lives as well. We often find the Old Mains of our lives in tatters. So many things change, and we ask ourselves, isn’t there some rock that we can build on that will remain no matter what? Jesus promises there is, in Luke 6:47-49.
        Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Jesus is not speaking of actual men in this parable. He often used stories to demonstrate an important truth, but only some concerned actual people. These begin with phrases such as “a certain man,” like in the well known parable of the Good Samaritan. Here, however, Jesus is making a comparison. He’s speaking of the importance of hearing and doing his Word. This, then, is that rock on which we can build our lives.

I. The house upon the rock.
            A. The building of the dwelling.
            Let’s look at how this first building was built. We see right away that Jesus says the first man built a house. If this were just about buildings, He could have had the man in this parable build a barn or an office. But, Jesus used a house for a reason. Our homes are more than just shelters. Our homes are places to return to, to welcome in friends and family, to celebrate. It’s like John Denver sang, in his song “Back Home Again,” it’s the little things that make a house a home. That fire in the fireplace, a well cooked meal on the stove, and the light in the eyes of your loved ones. And, I'm sure Timken students fondly remember those things, and will for years to come. The wonderful thing about reunions is that we can return, year after year, and celebrate such things. Family, love, great memories, all of these things are connected to the home.
            But, note that this house is built on a rock. A rock is something that will not be moved, it is steadfast. Many times in the Bible, a rock is used as a description of the Lord and His Word. No matter what happens, Jesus can provide that certainty. His Word can give us that certainty that no matter what happens, there will always be one constant. He says in Malachi, “I am the Lord, I change not.”
            However, our world is always chainging, and sadly we say goodbye to things like schools. However, the Lord promises that He will always be there for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. If we follow the principles in His Word, first of all by coming to Him, and trusting Him for forgiveness, then by following the principles of absolute right and wrong that He established, we can be certain of surviving the storms of life.

            B.. The power of the storms.
            That last promise is vital because of the power of those storms. Things change from year to year,. That’s where our Lord is coming from when He mentions this flood. It arose suddenly, with no warning, and the waves came crashing against that house. Perhaps, to some of you, like the Timken closing, perhaps to others family tragedy. Please know that God made this world sinless, but by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. He gives us free will to choose and gets us through it when things go badly. "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) This is how He can give us life everlasting but also life more abundantly(John 10:10) here on earth.
             If we didn’t have storms in life, it would be so wonderful. When our astronauts planted Old Glory on the moon in 1969, they knew it would remain in place till the Lord returned. There was no wind up there, nothing to shake it. It looks now the same as it did many years ago.
            Down here, however, our lives are shaken. Loved ones die, people disappoint us, we get sick, so many things happen that shake us to the core. The problems of life come like a gentle spring shower at times, but at others, they batter us like a powerful thunderstorm, with booming thunder and cracks of lightning.
            It is these storms to which Jesus refers, that His Word can shelter us from, his Word can be that rock. Oh, we will surely face them, but the way we face them is different. Those storms of life beat vehemently at us, as the Scripture says, and sometimes we just want to crawl into God’s outstretched arms and let Him cuddle us. And yet, we can move forward successfully, because of God’s promise, leading to the saving of the home in this parable.

            C. The saving of the house.
            This house could not be shaken, according to verse 8, because it was founded upon a rock. When the storms of life pound at us, and leave the inevitable scars, we can be certain that there is something better ahead. You who have suffered this past year, with the loss of Timken High School, are you certain you will go to God's perfect heaven when you die? Where there is no pain, no suffering, no tears, where we can't even imagine the wonders that await us?
            Through the ages, those who have seen friends, money, jobs, homes, vanish have been able to turn to Jesus for comfort. Others look at us and say, “How can you possibly have happy moments when all around you is crashing down.” And we can proudly say, “Because of Jesus.” People can’t understand unless they have Him as the rock at the center of their lives, this is why the Bible call it the “peace that passeth understanding.”(Phil.4:6-7)
            We can’t be mere hearers of the Word, though. We must be doers, that is the whole point of this parable, as you see back in verse 7. It is he that does what Jesus commands. Otherwise, we just sit around knowing a bunch of facts. We must do something with Jesus, that is, receive him and trust Him to give us that peace. That might mean dedication; that might mean getting saved for some of you. Whichever it is, though, it’s vital, because otherwise, you are only building your homes on shifting sand.

II. The house upon the earth.
            A. The building of the dwelling.
            Have you ever stood in the water, and let the tide take the sand out from under your feet? Do that for long enough, and you eventually fall over.
            That’s what the man did who failed to lay a foundation, in verse 9, he built his house upon the earth. He fell prey to every little shift in the earth, as those things he relied on were pulled out from under him.
            Of course, some things are important. We can’t live without money for instance. But, anytime we rely on something that can change, and place that above Jesus in our lives, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. Jobs come and go, people are born, live, and die, and the things that were certain one year are so uncertain the next.
            What Jesus is saying is that the house upon the earth was built without the proper foundation. Without the certainty and peace of that relationship with Jesus. A person who builds without that foundation will be okay for a while, like a child who can successfully imitate a home or a work situation (like cooking dinner). However, just as that child couldn’t deal with many of the most complex problems of life (the dinner catches fire, for instance), so the one without a foundation built on Jesus finds himself or herself much more troubled than they need to be about the storms of life.

            B.. The power of the storms.
            They find only worry and anxiety instead of that calming, tender voice inside saying, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will take care of this, in My own time.” It’s like a fellow I know who was then a junior in high school. His dad got hurt early one evening. At about eight o’clock, an uncle came to stay with him while his parents rushed to the hospital. This fellow was worried; his dad had never been sick a day in his life. What could be the problem, why had there been no phone call? Four, five hours, and he finally went to bed, exhausted with worry. (His Asperger's Syndrome likely made it worse.)
            Finally, at about four in the morning, he heard a sound in the dark, and it was so sudden, he was sure there was a robber in the house. Awakened from his deep sleep, he couldn’t stop thinking that first the one man he relied on to protect him was nowhere to be found, and now this strange noise was in his house.
            Well, thankfully, that noise was just his parents returning, but his father did need a hernia operation. It wasn’t a heart attack or anything, but to this young man it still caused great worry.
            Now, worry and concern over our loved ones is certainly warranted at times. And, there are times, because of our fleshly nature, when we get more anxious than we should. However, the point is, this young man lacked the ability to rely on God to give him peace, he lacked the ability to pray and ask God for help for his parents and himself. He lacked that firm foundation that Jesus promises, and so worked himself into a frenzy, not thinking that the Lord would work all things together for good to them that love God, no matter how tough it is at the time.
            He knows Jesus as his personal Saviouir now, thankfully, and can go to Him for that peace anytime.
            C. The ruin of the house.
            Life storms like that are why the ruin of the house was so great. Look back in verse 9; the house fell. It didn’t just lose a piece or two at a time, it went splat! It all came tumbling down at once. This is what happens when people do not have God at the center of their lives. They survive for a while, but when some storm comes, they suddenly feel devastated. Their world has been changed with no hope of going back. Things on which they relied suddenly are no more, and they don’t know where to turn. While we adults may think that Timken's closing will be something easy to get over, i know for teenagers it may seem a lot harder.
            What’s worse is, it’s not only life that’s like that without that foundation. In presenting the wonderful truth of God’s grace, the Bible clearly states that we are once to die, and then the judgment. We don’t get a second chance. Old Main went up in an instant back in 1901, and each of our lives could, too. There was no warning, before fire destroyed it. In the same way, each of us could go without warning, too, to meet Jesus.

            Thankfully, we have the opportunity to know Him and call on Him if we trust Him. However,
we have a problem 

            We have seen two very different houses, representing two very different lives. They finish with two very different ends. If I may transpose the stories for a moment, their ends are shown well in Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
            The house upon the earth is certain to end in failure. All that was built upon was destroyed. Like Old Main, at the end, the only thing left was a hole in the ground. The wages of sin, all we say, think, and do to displease God, no matter how small, is death, separation from God forever in a place meant only for the devil and his fallen angels. Because, God cannot allow sin into His perfect Heaven. Heaven is a perfect place, with no pain, no suffering, no tears, none of the things that haunt us here.
            The house built upon the rock is certain to end in success. That one who built his house on the rock came to Jesus. He received that gift of God, which is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. His house withstood incredible trauma, and yet it could not be shaken. No matter what happened, the storms of life could not destroy it.
            Thankfully, if you have built on the earth, without a foundation, you have lived to this day. Now, you can easily start building on the rock today. It simply requires a conscious decision. It means recognizing that you’re building on something that is going to change over time, and deciding to build your life on God instead.
            If you're reading this and have never built on that foundation, if you have never called on Jesus Christ, God in flesh, to save you from your sins, you must be more than a hearer of the Word, you must be a doer of it. He commands that to see Heaven, we must be born again. That means you must repent and receive Him. Repent means to change your heart attitude toward sin. Decide that you don’t want to displease God anymore. Then, receive Him as your Savior. Believe that Jesus Christ is God, and that His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection were for you, personally.

Admit, Believe, and Call/Choose. You're a single sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life, and from starting to build upon that rock, so you can know for sure whatever life brings, you can go to teh Rock, Jesus Christ, and He'll get you through it.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Call to prayer

     You've likely heard quite a bit on prayer lately - or I hope you have - with the National Day of Prayer coming Thursday. Whether it's about missions like at our church (with the missions conference the weekend before last) or for our nation, we need to recall how wonderful it is to pray and use that opportunity.

     Prayer is so easy, unlike the Internet - I (Doug) am still presently the only one of our staff savvy enough with this to blog effectively, but e-mail us and check out our website with your questions and we're all good enough at e-mail to reply. :-)






     The simple explanation we give in our Sunday School and AWANA - you can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything - is  easy enough for children to learn, yet so amazing. God isn't like the false gods whose systems require such precision - He is a personal God who inhabits each believer. Sure, there are times we pray amiss, but that doesn't mean we can't do it, it's just that He's going to say "no" or flat out not hear us if we're harboring sin as we pray.

     Prayer is about letting God change us on the inside, but it's also about fighting a spiritual battle. It's about interceding for others, for his will of course but also for needs that are so personal and can be so small in some eyes. But, that bus kids who 10-12 years ago asked to pray for a lost puppy or kitten, I forget which, needed their faith to be built somewhere, and it may be that they were able to pray for something a lot bigger because God used that one smaller incident to work them up to something great. Just like He used a lion and a bear threatening the flock to prepare David to slay Goliath.

     That personal relationship with God is so awesome, it's something our contacts so often need, becasue some have let religion chase them away when in fact it's *never* been about religion, but always been about a relationship with Jesus Christ.
     It can be great to ask someone if they would like you to pray with them as a means of witnessing, too! Of course, some will know you are just joining them in prayer - I had one in my online missions program, in fact, who just had what seemed like the start of a possible major positive answer, though it will still be a difficult road. But, for others, we need to help them realize that they can speak with their Creator and Saviour themselves, and He will hear them.

     I hope you will recall the National Day of Prayer and get out and seek God's face for all the many needs in our communities and especially in our nation. We are in great need of repentance revival, but where there is life, there is still hope, till God calls us home. And, till we see Him face to face, we can always go to Him in prayer.