Tuesday, September 28, 2010

A Man's Man Part 2

A man after God’s own heart is impulsive.  Really???  Picture David on the hillside watching his father’s sheep and a lion comes out of nowhere and begins to run off with a lamb in his mouth.  David doesn’t have time to think, or plan a strategy, he reacts.  Impulsively he protects those he loves, and he loves the sheep because they belong to his father.  Now picture David bringing lunch to his brothers and while he is there listening to a giant named Goliath screaming insults against God and God’s people.  David’s impulse is not to let someone else handle it, or go back to his job, David’s heart for God causes him to act.
When you have a heart for God, you will impulsively give to someone in need, say a kind word to someone, do a good deed without even thinking about it, and spread the message of Jesus even without a 3 point sermon outline.  A man after God’s own heart will impulsively love his wife, his children, and his neighbor as himself, without having to be asked, poked or prodded.  The question you must ask yourself is, are you impulsively selfish, angry, loving, neighborly, etc. and when you answer that question it will allow you to see inside your heart. 
In second Samuel David who should have been at war with his soldiers acted on several impulses that got him into trouble.  He looked, he asked, he brought her to him, and he acted.  When you aren’t focused on the spiritual battle you are in it’s easy to allow things to distract you from your purpose in life.  David’s impulses weren’t at fault as much as his heart.  Where is your heart today?
The second thing that defines a man after God’s own heart is his imperfections.  David did it, hid it, and wouldn’t admit it.  But when brought to light David repented and turned his life around.  Instead of hiding from our imperfections we must recognize them and use them as learning tools.  There are few things that make a bigger impact in a child’s life than a genuine apology from a father. 
Finally we all know that even when we ask forgiveness it sometimes doesn’t change the fact that there are consequences.  David is told that he will lose his son because of his unfaithfulness and he begs, prays, pleads, and fasts, but God’s answer was no.  The last thing that defines a man after God’s own heart is that he is imperishable.  David loved his newborn son, and did not want him to die but David also knew that this life is only the beginning of greater things.  He and his son were both imperishable souls that would live forever.  I will use David’s words to end this article. 
2 Sam 12:22-23 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.
David’s response, yes even his impulse once he found out that his son was dead was to go to the house of the Lord and worship.   This then is how to be a man after God’s own heart; 1) follow your Godly impulses, 2) correct and learn from your imperfections, and 3) remember that you are imperishable.  Your body will die, but your soul will not.

Friday, September 24, 2010

A Man's Man (Part 1)

A nine year old boy was asked the secret to a perfect marriage.  His answer?  “You tell your wife she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.”

This Sunday’s message is “A Man’s Man” and it brings to mind pictures of John Wayne, or others that have been held up through the years as being manly men.  God’s definition of a man’s man is a little different. 

Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'  

Of course all the ladies are zooming in on that last part of the verse – He will do everything I want him to do, right?  That’s God talking remember?  David: hero of many battles, overlooked by his family, his father, his contemporaries, and his brothers.  In fact David was overlooked by everyone except God.  A man after God’s own heart!

Even the prophet of God Samuel was convinced that David’s oldest brother would be the one chosen to lead Israel.  1 Samuel 16:6-7.  But when God looked at David’s heart, he saw a heart that was devoted fully to Him. Cf. 1 Kings 11:4

What kind of a man are you?  Or if you are a woman reading this, what kind of a man do you expect the men in your life to be?  All men are simply fathers, sons, and brothers, men who have been hurt, men who have rejoiced, men who have had successes and failures in this life, but the point of this message has nothing to do with your circumstances, but everything to do with your heart.
David, a man after God’s own heart was
Impulsive
Imperfect &
Imperishable
I’ll explain in greater detail (in part 2) after the message on Sunday.  Thanks for reading.
Lance

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Foundational Words

Matt 7:24-25  "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. THE MESSAGE

Once the Blueprint has been drawn up, it's time to start thinking about building permits.  This series of home improvement is so much more than just trying to fix small things, or improve things that may or may not have an impact on our lives, it's about allowing the foundational words of Jesus to build our lives.  This story Jesus told about the wise and foolish builders, (yes the same story we sang about in Sunday School) is the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount.  This week at TSCC we will be looking at foundational words from this powerful sermon.

These words are the building permits in our lives.  Words like, "Judge not, or you too will be judged", "You cannot serve both God and money", "Do to others what you would have them do to you", "You are the light of the world", and so on.

Jesus is not asking for bits and pieces of our lives, He is asking that we build our entire life on His Words.  How we treat our spouses, our neighbors, our children, our co-workers should not be dependant upon how good we are, it should be dependant upon how much we are letting the Words of Jesus be the foundation of our lives.

May God Bless you as you consider these words.

 

Saturday, September 4, 2010