IBC Bremen Sermons

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV)

We have come to a new year - 2006. I don't know about you, but for me, a new year is a time in which I think about making a new start. I make promises to myself of what I am going to do for the coming year. Because the year is new, I naturally look forward to what the year has in store for me.

However, there are times, when I think about how things were - maybe in the last year for example. Perhaps you have done the same. You look back at the past and you compare it to now. You start to get nostalgic over things you really enjoyed. It is very easy to think about the "good 'ol times."

You see signs of this "looking back" in many ways. There are advertisements all over town for these "Over 30", "Over 40", "Over 50" parties. These advertisements want you to come and listen to music you enjoyed when you were young. You also see it in the trend to look back in the past of the national history. Shows like "The DDR Show", and music shows about a certain era of music are very popular.

You hear it when people talk too. They say things like this:

"I remember when..."
"When I was young...(single, married, etc."

This is acting in nostalgia. This is looking back. You know, looking back is ok sometimes. There is nothing wrong with it. But for the Christian, and for the church, looking back needs to take a back seat to looking forward.

You can't keep looking back and grow as a Christian. You can't continue to look back and grow as a church. Paul knew this and that is why he says this. While it is ok to think about the past, every once in a while, there comes a time when we need to say: The past was the past and the present is the present, and I want to go to the future.

Now, you can keep thinking about the past, but let me illustrate what will happen.

ILLUSTRATION:

Here are two people, in a race to go to the other side of the room. They will walk to their "goal", just as Paul says he will run to his goal. One looks forward and the other looks back.

Notice what happens when you move forward, but you keep looking back. You can't see the obstacles in the future, so you fall over them. You make mistakes. You hurt yourself. This is what you do when you keep looking back, while running forward. You hurt yourself because you can't see th challenges and the hurdles ahead of you.

You know what Christians and churches do when they run like this? You know what they do to protect themselves? They simply stop. They are still looking back, but they can't see the hurdles. They know the hurdles are there. But they can't see them. So, it is safer to stop, then to go forward. And it is safer to stop so that I can think about the past. I stay like this because I like the past.

Here is the challenge for us as Christians, and as churches. Turn your head around. Start looking forward. Run the race that God has for you by looking forward. This means a couple of things:

FOUR THINGS TO HELP YOU TURN YOUR HEAD AND LOOK FORWARD

1. You will only grow if you keep looking forward. You can't say - "I want it like it was before." Growth means that you change some things. For Christians, it may be some habits. For churches, it may be some methods and traditions.

2. You will only win the race when you look forward to Jesus. You can't say - "I can do this all by myself." Winning the race means that you work in a team with Jesus. Jesus is there to coach you. He is your cheerleader. He will help you win the race. But you have to keep looking to Him - not to anyone else, or anything else. Jesus needs to be your Source. This takes prayer. You have to be praying and listening to Jesus to move forward.

3. You have to believe that the future is brighter than the past. You can't say - "It can't get any better." The truth is: Yes - it will get better. You have to take all of your negative thoughts and submit them to Christ. Christians need to think forward because God thinks forward. God doesn't stay in the past. You shouldn't either. God doesn't stay in the past. Your church shouldn't stay in the past.

4. You have to know that God's love for you didn't end when you accepted Jesus. You can't say - "God doesn't love me any more." God still loves you right where you are. He just doesn't want you to stay right where you are. God's love for you grows just as you decide to look forward and grow. God wants to help you with your future. Why? Because He wants you to reach the goal - eternal life with Him in heaven. You can't there by looking back to your past here on earth. Nothing will seperate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ, not even your past. There is much more ahead of you in God's love than behind you.

So keep looking forward. God has big plans for you - for you as a Christian, as father, as mother, as a student, as a couple, as a church. God has big plans for you. Keep your head up and keep looking forward. There will be much more for you with God's love this year. Look forward to it.

Posted by Unknown at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments

Is He Your King?
What Is Christmas? - Part 2
John 18:37-38

Today we are here to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas Day because it is a holiday (or more precisely a holy day) is a day that we as Christians set aside to think about Jesus Christ.

So why is the birth of Jesus Christ so important? Why is it a holy day? Why do we celebrate it like we do? I would submit to you that Jesus tells us why we should celebrate Christmas.

We celebrate Christmas so that the world may find the truth.

People are seeking truth. People are seeking meaning, and they want to find that meaning in a way that makes sense to them. Does the life I have lead to a logical conclusion? This is one way of asking the question: "What is truth?"

While the question that Pilate posed to Jesus may seem to be a philosophical question, it is in reality a fundamental question.

Then Pilate said to him, Are you then a king? Jesus made answer, You say that I am a king. For this purpose was I given birth, and for this purpose I came into the world, that I might give witness to what is true. Every lover of what is true gives ear to my voice.
(John 18:37 BBE)

What Pilate is really asking is this: Is what Jesus claims to be a true statement? Is Jesus really a king? Pilate may even have been thinking: Is Jesus a King that I need to be dealing with, or should I still stay loyal to Rome.

Pilate apparently struggled with this question. We know this for a couple of reasons. First of all, the opening question that Pilate asked Jesus is: "Are you King of the Jews?" Jesus's reply was: Is this your question, or are other people making you ask for them? So either Pilate really was interested to know, or he was asking on behalf of someone else. It is entirely possible that Pilate was curious, and not just for political reasons. Second of all, it was Pilate's wife who had the dream. I believe that this was God's way of speaking to Pilate. I think God was telling Pilate: You need to be thinking more than just your loyalty to Rome. I am bringing someone your way who is a higher authority.

So if our life is without meaning, and if we need someone to help us find that meaning, who can help us make our life count? Pilate was trying to find it in political manuevers, but we all try it in different ways. Who is going to lead our lives? Who will direct me in my life? Who can I trust to help me in this world I live in?

Jesus said in John 14:6

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.

In other words, Jesus says: You can trust Me. I can help you. I know God and I can help you. Which brings us back to Pilate and the question that he asks:

Are You a King, then?

Jesus says: Yep, Pilate - I am a king. But don't worry about me messing up your political life. I want to help you with your entire life. My sphere of influence is not political, but relational. I don't want you to just change political preferences, but your entire life.

Needless to say, Pilate was not in the mood to listen. But apperently Jesus got Pilate thinking. We know this because of what Pilate says and what Pilate does. Pilate says:

This guy is ok. There is nothing wrong with Him. He is exactly as He claims. The problem with Pilate's judgement was that it had no power. Pilate realized immediately that his political power could not stand up the power He just saw in Jesus.

We know this because Pilate struggles with that very problem in John 19:10-12.

Pilate orders Jesus to be whipped and then brings Jesus back in for a talk. Jesus, cane-whipped, bleeding and skin-shredded comes back to Pilate. Pilate states that he has the power to release Jesus or kill him. Jesus says: You don't have the power. God has the power. You can't kill me. God let it happen. Think on that.

Look at the next question that Pilate encounters from the Jews: If you release Jesus, you are no friend to Ceaser. You let Jesus go, and you are not true to Rome. Pilate failed this test.

Of course, it is just theological speculation if we guess what could have happened. But we do know that while He let Jesus die, He did come to accept some truth. He accepted that Jesus was king of the Jews. But Pilate never came to say publicly that Jesus is his king.

Do you struggle with the same stuff that Pilate dealt with? Do you have people who say: You don't need to follow Jesus. Live your own life. You can have religion, just don't it out.

Perhaps you want to make to follow Jesus, you know you need Jesus, you know you need someone to help you with your life. Jesus is the only One who can really help you. This is why He was born. He came to bring us to God.

God loves you. But God knows that He can't you because you love yourself and your ways that are not His. This is called sin. When you live your life outside of God's plans and purposes, it is sin. God wants you to change your way. But He knows that you can't do it alone. Your sin will separate you from God. You need a Savior. You need someone to bridge the gap between you and God. That someone is Jesus. You can make the decision to let Jesus lead your life. We call that being born again. You change your life direction, from doing your own thing to doing God's thing. When you accept Jesus, you can come to God, and He will accept you. God will give you the Holy Spirit to help you in your life - to do things the way that God wants you to do them. To help you find meaning in life. Because your life matters, and it has meaning with God.

It has so much meaning that God will let you overcome death and have that meaning forever in a place called heaven. The best Christmas gift you can give yourself is to accept Jesus.

Is He your King? Will you follow Him? That is the question that Pilate was asked and the same question God asks you now. Pilate never made the stand to follow Jesus. You can. Do so today.

Posted by Unknown at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

Matthew 2:11-12 What Should We Do for Christmas?

On Christmas Eve, we may all come together and prepare for the "Big Day". The "Big Day" of course is Christmas, a holiday we have been preparing for since October. We know that on Christmas, we go to church, we visit family, we share a big meal, and we exchange gifts. This is what all of our busyness is all about. We are intent on "getting everything done" by Christmas. We are going to send out those cards and we are going to get those gifts in the mail.

It is as if we consider the gift-giving part the only part. There is the gift-giving part. The Wise Men came and they gave gifts to Jesus of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But the gift-giving part only happens because there is a worshiping part. Look at how many times worship is the theme in Matthew 2:

Matthew 2:2 - The Wise Men left their home country intending to worship Christ.
Matthew 2:8 - The Wise Men notified Herod of their intent to worship Christ as King.
Matthew 2:10 - The Wise Men were filled with joy because they found whom they wanted to worship.
Matthew 2:11 - The Wise Men came to the house and their first act was to worship.

So you see an emphasis on the part of the Wise Men to worship Jesus. But is that what we do? Will you and I go home and think about worshiping Jesus? Frankly, I don't think so. Many of you when you leave this room will have considered worship here in this building as enough for today. You have come to the church building and you have done your duty. Now it is time to go to the house and eat some cookies and open some gifts.

But in the house where Jesus was, the Wise Men made gift-giving an expression of the worship that they intended to give Jesus. The gifts because they were given to Him, were gifts of worship.

Christmas is not about us. It is about Him. What Should We Do for Christmas? We should worship our Saviour Jesus. How are you going to do it tonight?

You can sing songs together as a family, when you get together and eat those cookies. You can read the "real" Christmas story that we just read here, not just the others - which are just fairy tales.

You can spend time in prayer thanking Jesus that because He came into the world, you can go out of the world in security. Because He was born, you are born again. Because He died and was raised to life, you can have eternal life. This is the gift of Christmas that Jesus gave you.

Christmas is not about us. It is about Him. Take some time tonight and worship your Saviour. Make that your gift to Him.

Posted by Unknown at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

What Do You Do for Christmas?
What is Christmas – Part 1
Luke 2:8-20

I have entitled my sermon “What Do You Do for Christmas?”. This will be a question that every one of us will receive during this holiday season. You and I as Christians need to be prepared to answer this question. I submit to you that we can answer this question and help other learn the true meaning of Christmas – the fact that there is a God and He has sent His Son Jesus and that we need Jesus.
As we come closer to Christmas time, many people are making plans. They ask the question: “What will I do for Christmas?” Most people who ask this question answer it with a couple of answers like this:
I am going to go home to see my parents.
We are going to have Christmas dinner with some friends.
My husband is getting off work and so we plan to spend Christmas together.
My children are in town and so we will get together.

Answers usually don't get much deeper than this. People have the expectation that at Christmas, what we do is spend time with family and friends. We celebrate what we think is Christmas by giving gifts to one another. You may hear it said this way:
I can't wait to see what Santa will give me under the tree this year.
I wonder what gifts I will get from my husband or wife.
I wonder how we are going to pay for the gifts that we just bought for everyone.

Is this Christmas? Is this what is expected out of what we call the holiday season. This is interesting because the word holiday is an Old English word that means holy day. So our language defines what Christmas is, but we have changed the meaning. What should you and I be doing for Christmas? Is it more than just giving gifts (or expecting gifts?) Is it more than spending time and money going places so that we can say that we visited important people? Is this Christmas?

I don't think so. As a matter of fact, while I think it is good to visit family and friends and give and receive gifts, I believe Christmas is much more. We are acting in the imitation of the substance of Christmas. Here is a bottle of Dr. Pepper. This is a drink from Texas. This is the real thing.

I mean the real thing because it is the original non-fruit flavored soft drink. Soft drinks were called soft because they did not contain alcohol. You may have thought that Coca-Cola was the first. No, it was invented in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Pepper was invented in 1885 in Waco, Texas at the Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store. Here is a brief history:

Most agree that either Robert Lazenby, a chemist, Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist and Wade Morrison, the pharmacy owner, created the drink. Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist educated in England, worked at Wade Morrison's store, where he also served carbonated soft drinks at the soda fountain. He had noted that customers soon tired of drinking the same old fruit flavors. The inventive Alderton decided to make something new by blending several fruit-based flavors. After numerous experiments, he finally created one he liked. He named the drink Dr. Pepper. The name allegedly comes from Confederate Army doctor Charles Pepper, a Virginia doctor who gave Wade Morrison his first job. Dr. Pepper was also the same man who refused to permit Morrison to marry his daughter, Miss Pepper. (You can learn more about Dr. Pepper here.)

Now, there are substitutes out there. There is Mr. Pibb, Pepsi and Coca-Cola in the US. There is a “Mezzo-Mix” here in Germany. They taste similar, but they are just not the same. While there may competitors that try to act like this soft-drink brand, no one can compare. The same is true for Christmas. We try to do things that come close to the real substance of Christmas. But they are just imitations. So what is the substance of Christmas?

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. While the celebration of the birth of Christ is not an ordinance. It is not even what Jesus said we should celebrate. Jesus said to remember His death, not His birth. Yet we do it in this gift-giving and family-visiting way. Is this really Christmas?

Let us look at the Scriptures and see what God says Christmas is.

You have a simple drama laid out here, once in which the shepherds go and visit the Savior of the world. Let us look at the shepherds and see what Christmas is.

These shepherds were special shepherds. What is so special about these shepherds?

There was near Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, a tower known as Migdal Eder, or the watch-tower of the flock. Here was the station where shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrifice in the temple. Animals straying from Jerusalem on any side, as far as from Jerusalem to Migdal Eder, were offered in sacrifice. It was a settled conviction among the Jews that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and equally that he was to be revealed from Migdal Eder. There is a beautiful significance of the revelation of the infant Christ to shepherds watching the flocks destined for sacrifice. (Vincent's Word Studies from e-Sword).

By revealing the fact that the shepherds watched the flocks at night, Dr. Luke shows that the birth of Jesus Christ did not happen in the winter. It is more likely that Jesus was born in the early fall. This may lead to another reason why Jesus said to remember His death and not His birth.
Symbolically, the shepherd represents the servant of God. David and Moses were both shepherds before they were called into God's service, as was Abraham and Jacob. These shepherds would have the same privilege of service as the shepherds in the Old Testament. So the shepherds themselves give us a clue as to what Christmas is.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A CALL TO SERVICE

Christmas is not about getting gifts, but about giving gifts. Just the shepherds took care of sheep and were called out by the angels to visit the Savior, so you and I are called out to serve. We need to take the time of Christmas and serve others. How do you do that?
You can do that by simply offering a place for others who have nothing. You can do that by inviting people to your home and celebrating Christmas together.

Notice also that while the shepherds were invited to visit the Christ child, they took up on the invitation. They could have said no. But of course they said yes. This leads us to another clue about Christmas:

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A VISIT WITH GOD

When was the last time you visited with God? How long has it been since you took up an invitation to meet with Him in prayer? I hope it has not been last year at this time? I hope that your visit with God is not just an annual ritual. Christmas is about visiting God. We need to take time to get to know Him and celebrating Him.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A CONSERVATION WITH OTHERS

Notice what the shepherds do after they visit God. They go tell someone else. This is what the changed life in Jesus Christ does for you. When you become a Christian, you follow Christ. When you visit God and realize the good things He has in store for you through His Son Jesus, you want to naturally tell someone else?
Some versions say that the shepherds made it “widely” known. How many people know that you celebrate Christmas by celebrating your relationship with Jesus? Have you told someone - “Yeah, I follow Christ and I am going to celebrate that this month.” Have you told people that you have met the Savior?
Have you struck up a conversation with someone this month about Christmas? Did that conversation include telling them that you follow Jesus? Did that conversation come to a point of inviting others to visit with Jesus? This is part of what Christmas is about.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A DESIRE TO WORSHIP

The shepherds showed a call to service, had a visit with God and shared a conversation with others. They also expressed a desire to worship. The shepherds went back to work worshiping and praising God. They praised God because they had the privilege of meeting the Messiah of the world. They met Him, but we have Him.
You and I should spend some time thanking God about His gift to us – His Son Jesus Christ. There are many ways you and I can do this. We can worship in song. We can worship by reading the story. We can worship by just spending time with our family thanking God for giving us Jesus. Many times we thank God for the physical food that keeps us alive at Christmas time. However, we can also thank God for the spiritual gift that will keep us eternally alive – namely His Son Jesus Christ.
No matter how you celebrate Christmas this year, spend that time focusing not on the material gains in gifts, or the requirements of family expectations. Instead, focus this year on Jesus – He is the reason for Christmas. As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ is Christmas. Everything else is just a poor substitute.

Posted by Unknown at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Our Community in Our Intimacy
Unity, Harmony, and Community – Part 4
John 17:20-26

We have been talking about unity, and harmony for the last couple of weeks. We discovered that we must be in unity in our belief. This means that we all believe not just in God, but also in His Son Jesus Christ – to whom God has delegated all authority.
We talked about harmony and the fact that harmony is important because it displays our differences. When we discover our differences and then share them with one another, it can be like a song that other people want to hear.
Today I want to talk to you about community. Jesus expected us to act in community. Just like I said last week, we need to go from being single as Christians to acting and living in the plural. This means that we need to learn to grow and be with one another.
Community is made up of two words come and unity. When we come together in unity, we can be in community. But community also sounds likes this phrase: Come, you need me. You need me, and I need you. We need each other.
In these verses today, we see that the key ingredient for community is one word: love. The verses 23 and 26 form a book-end to the concept of community. This is not the only place where love take the most important role in our relationships.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, I can have all kinds of spirituality, and I can try to be in harmony with others, but it I don't do it with love, I sound like a clanging bell. Love is the defining value for community. You can act alone without love. You can work with other people on a superficial basis without love as well. You can come in and say hello with you co-workers. You can finish your job and go home. You can sit in front of the TV or on your chair and read the newspaper. You can find yourself very alone even in your most intimate relationships. You can do that. But that is not community. Community demands that we love one another. Loving one another demands that we get closer to one another. Love demands intimacy.

“In an effort to get the work of the Lord done we often lose contact with the Lord of the work.” A. W. Tozer

Community means contact, and contact requires intimacy. Intimacy means connection from the innermost areas. You need community and contact with others and with God. You need intimacy with others and with God.

FIVE TESTS OF INTIMACY

I know I am intimate with the Lord when.....

1. I fearlessly worship Him.
Worship is a lack of self-awareness in God’s presence
1)expressed love
2) sacrifice
3)confession
4)surrender

2. I instinctively understand His heart.
Because I spend time in the Word
Because I spend time in prayer

3. I honestly communicate with Him.
About my sins
About my needs
About my doubts

4. I selflessly pursue His priorities.
1)Worship
2)Evangelism
3)Fellowship
4)Discipleship
5)Service

5. I constantly experience His ....
Presence
“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:20

Peace
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.” John 16:33

Power
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” Acts 1:8

Perhaps you need to ask yourselves these questions. Then you can see if you are experiencing real community.

Let me give you a simple illustration:

Someone has drawn a helpful analogy about the importance of unity and community in the church to the life of a honeybee. As I understand it, honeybees cannot live in isolation. You always keep bees (plural), you never keep a single bee. If you isolate a bee, you can give it the most favorable temperature, you can give it plenty of water and plenty of food ... but the bee will die within two to three days. There is something about the community of bees that keeps individual bees alive. You can keep bees, but you cannot keep a bee.

In a sense that is also true of the church. One of the chief sources of our strength is our unity. If we are not as vital in our witness as we might be, it is probably because our bonds of love are not as strong as they might be. The church at Pentecost had an intense fellowship.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:44-47 NKJV)

You need contact and community with God and with other Christians. Christians in this sense are like bees. You cannot be a Christian and try to do it alone. You need other Christians. Jesus knew this and that is why He started the church. Christians can't make in this world alone. They need the bond of love with other Christians to help them through their difficult times. This is why we have house groups. Our IBC Bremen house groups are the way in which you can build community. Our IBC Bremen house groups are the way in which you can learn to love.
God loved Jesus with enormous love. Jesus knew this. Jesus wants you to begin to take steps to intimacy. When you have learned to become intimate with your love to God, you can share that same intimacy with others. This is what our house groups are meant to teach – get you closer to one another.

THE STEPS TO INTIMACY

1.Begin with Jesus (17:20)

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
(John 17:20 NKJV)
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
(John 17:3 NKJV)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
(John 1:12 NKJV)

The first and most essential step to intimacy with God is to accept His Son Jesus Christ. You cannot get closer to God if you have not decided to accept and follow His Son Jesus Christ.

2.Commitment brings Connection (17:21)

that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
(John 17:21 NKJV)

Baptism is the first step of obedience in following the Lord.

Membership allows you to connect with God's people.

Ministry allows you the opportunity to give to others what you have been given.

One of the reasons that Christians don't know how to love is because they have not learned to grow. One of the reasons that Christians don't grow and therefore have difficulty in relationships is because they have not learned to be in community. So if you want to learn to love, if you want to learn to grow, you are going to have be in contact with other people. Now, our house groups can provide that safe contact.
Some people in this room have problems understanding the love of God. Jesus prayed right here that you would understand the love of God. However, Jesus expected the context of learning the love of God would come in community with others.

“they may be perfect in one”
“the world may know that You loved them”

3.Involvement in the Big Picture (17:23)

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
(John 17:23 NKJV)

There are two major goals described here: Maturity and Mission. God expects us to grow up and to set aside our differences because His plan is much bigger than ourselves. God wants us to let the world know about Him. This is bigger than any church building plans or any programs that we may think are important to us. Everything we do must be for God's glory and for His plans. That ultimately means to help bring more people into His kingdom. But in order to do that, we have to see the big picture. In order to see the big picture, we have to quit looking at the little things that bother us between ourselves.

4.Allow God to love you. (17:26)

And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
(John 17:26 NKJV)

God loves you. That is a fact. It is just as much a fact in life as gravity. It is just as much a fact in life as day and night. God loves you. You just have to allow God to love you. You can't do the other three steps to intimacy without this one. You don't decide to become a Christian because someone makes you do it. You do it because you know that God loves you. You don't decide to be obedient to God's commands and become baptized because someone makes you do it. You don't become baptized because you are forced to. You do it because you know God loves you. You don't get involved in growing up and telling others about Jesus because you are told to. It is not like a law that says you have to do it. You do it because you know that God loves you. I encourage you to take the steps that are necessary for you to grow in intimacy with God. He really loves you and He wants to do lots of good stuff in your life. But you need to draw closer to Him to do that.

Posted by Unknown at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

Our Harmony in Our Style
Unity, Harmony, and Community – Part 3
John 17:20-23

Have you ever heard a quartet sing? I know you have heard all kinds of quartets. You have heard barbershop quartets, gospel quartets, or even pop-band quartets. You can hear good ones on the radio, and you can see them on the television.
I was watching TV one evening and saw an interview with “US5”. This is another one of those boy-bands. US5, the German American group from Pop Mogul Lou Pearlman, was formed from the hit TV reality show “Big in America.” The series narrowed down a list of young men by sending them through a mini music industry boot camp to develop their talent. They were broadcast on one of the biggest networks in Germany. They hit No. 1 on the German Billboard Charts with their debut single “Maria” and received the German Radio Music Award for “Best Newcomer 2005.”
They each had a separate musical part, and they each dressed in a style that was meant to attract a certain girl audience. If you separated them you would think they would not fit. However, when they were put together in a boy band, and pow – you have harmony. I am not saying that they sing the best harmony. I think some other groups probably are better at it. They come from so many different backgrounds and have so many different interests. They are so different from each other. Yet, they can come together and make music. US5 consists of Michael and Chris, both German, Jay, who’s British, and two Americans, Izzy and Richie. Although they are international, they work together to form music.
In these verses, Jesus challenges us to do the same. He is praying that we can work in harmony to fulfill God's purpose. So Jesus prays for others. He knows that this mission is going worldwide. It will be united in faith, but diverse in its membership. He knows that there will need to be harmony. They will need to be united in purpose, but harmonious in their tasks and style. The purpose for every Christian is that the world may believe. Jesus makes this clear.

that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
(John 17:21 NKJV)

Jesus tells us in two verses the purpose of being in harmony. He says that the world may believe. What would they believe? The world will believe in Jesus and follow Him. What will the world know? The world will know that God sent Jesus ans that God loves them. If the world knows that God loves them and that God sent Jesus for them, then the world will believe in God. Yet the way that God chose to let the world know is through the actions of His people – the church. God used Adam, and then used the nation of Israel, but with the advent of His Son, God chose to use the church.
If the purpose of our actions is clearly that the world will get to know God. The way God wants us to act is in harmony. Let me put it to you this way:

We have to go as Christians from singular to plural.

Unity is something that can be accomplished by anyone alone. You can be in unity with yourself. Harmony by its very nature requires that you work with someone else. If you look in these verses, you will see a lots of nouns. You and Me. I and You. These are singular words. Two singulars coming together form a plural. You and Me = We. I and You = We. Notice that Jesus says later – They in Us.

that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
(John 17:21-23 NKJV)

When Jesus says that they are in Us, He knows that we are plural. We may be individuals, but we must come together.
Let me share with you a couple of examples of how this works:

1.A man and a woman are singular individuals. A husband and wife are plural – they form one family.
2.God and Jesus are singular individuals of the Godhead. Yet, together they are plural – they form one Trinity (with the Holy Spirit).
3.The world is made up of individuals. They world comes individually to be a Christian. A Christian is an individual follower of Jesus Christ. Yet, together with other Christians, they form the church. This church, the plural of Christian, they form a harmony.

Let me give you musical illustration to show the difference between being in the singular and the plural.

ILLUSTRATION: Piano

When we come together as Christians and try to do things as individuals, we are operating in the singular. It would sound like this: (Play the keyboard at random with other keys). It essence, you can easily create chaos.

But when you learn to do things in the plural, you learn to create harmony. (Play the keyboard with chords.) The forms of harmony may be different, but they sound a lot better than the individual chaos.

When you start to work together in love, it will be a song that the world wants to hear. (Play a Christmas song.) Then the world will want to know:

That God loves them
That God sent Jesus
That God wants them to believe in Jesus so that they can become part of God's family.

You will see a process in these verses of developing harmony. You will notice that Jesus prays for believers (which is plural) and yet He expects us to be one in Him.

DEVELOPING HARMONY IN THE CHURCH

1. Jesus wants us to believe in Him through our word.

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
(John 17:20 NKJV)

This means that Jesus expects each individual who hears about Him to make a decision. Everyone of us hears about Jesus and we will all individually be held in account. In the Last Judgement, Jesus judges us individually for our choice to follow Him.
This means that the Christian life begins with an individual choice to follow Jesus.

2. Jesus wants us to be „one“ in „Us“.

that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
(John 17:21 NKJV)


There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 3:28 NKJV)

Jesus expects us to be “one” as He puts it, or to be in unity. When He uses the word one, it is simply the number one. He is talking about a singular thing. To be one is to have the same purpose. But how can you have people (plural) who become one?
Paul comments on the idea that we are “one in Christ Jesus” as Christians. He makes it clear that Christianity is not an exclusive club. It is not made up of just one type of people. Christians are not Jews, nor Greeks, nor Germans, nor Africans, nor Asians, nor Americans. Paul uses other categories. He says Christianity crosses ethnic barriers, economic barriers, and gender barriers. Christianity is an equal-opportunity relationship. Yet because it is international in scope, and because it crosses so many barriers to reach people, Christianity demands that we become one – in harmony.
The Bible never Christians that every Christian must act like a Jew. We are not called to act like an ethnic group, nor like a certain economic group, nor like a certain gender. There are many different ways of expressing our Christian faith. Therefore, we have to learn to work in harmony with one another.
Now, let me emphasize, what we believe should be the same. There are some basics that are fundamental that everyone has to agree upon. However, after these basics, the church will function in a way that works in harmony with those who come together.

3. Jesus wants us to be “one” by following the example of the Godhead.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
(John 17:22 NKJV)

By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles. His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
(Ephesians 2:15-16 NLT)

So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 CEV)

Jesus wants us to be in harmony because we will have the same glory as He had with God. What does it mean for us to have to same glory. Based on our definition from two weeks ago about glory, Jesus is saying this:

As Christians, we are called to glorify God by learning to praise and honor God and acknowledge God's love in the good things He does. When we praise and honor God and acknowledge God's love in the good things He does in our lives, we are following the example of being in harmony. We are reflecting the same harmony that exists between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus wants us to follow their example.

4. Jesus wants us to be “made perfect” in one.

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
(John 17:23 NKJV)

What does Jesus mean by that? To be made perfect means to reach the intended goal. What is the intended goal – to be completely in unity. To be completely in agreement with God's plan for eternity. God wants everyone to get to know Him and therefore we have to be prepared to let others know that. Therefore, God has to prepare us. To be made perfect requires maturity. It requires growing up.
Someone once told me that marriage is two selfish people learning to live together to be one unselfish person. The church is a whole group of selfish Christians learning to be completely in agreement with God and His mission.
This takes work. It takes growing up. It takes learning. It takes saying “No” to a lot of things you used to like doing. It takes saying “Yes” to some new things that God wants you to do. God will change you and He will continue to change you so that you can help Him tell the world that God loves them and wants to know them.

This leads me to the last way that Jesus expects us to develop harmony.

5. Jesus wants us to be one in witness.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
(John 17:20 NKJV)

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
(John 17:23 NKJV)

There are many reasons that Jesus wants us to develop harmony. He wants to work along with one another. He wants us to go from singular to plural. But the most important reason is because He want everyone to get to know Him. Jesus wants us to develop harmony while we are united in faith so that the world will get to know Him. It is as simple as that.

These are important reasons. Jesus expects us to follow Him. But you may be asking: How can I learn to harmonize with other people? I want to work with other people. I want to get to know others. I do have a desire to share with others my faith. But I seem to have to do it alone. For some reason, Christians keep this singular mentality. Christians tend to think that Christianity happens to individuals, who just happen to meet together from time to time. But in fact, Jesus says that we need to be one. We need to go from thinking as individuals to thinking in harmony.

HOW TO LEARN TO HARMONIZE WITH OTHERS

1. Learn to stay in tune with others.

When it comes to Christianity, we have to accept that we are all going to sing the same tune. Like we learned a couple of weeks ago, we all sing the same song of faith. Some people want to sing that song off-key. But we should all agree to sing the song of God in the key of Jesus Christ.
This is best shown in the Revelation. God wants to get as many people from here to heaven singing in the key of Jesus Christ. We are not singing about Muhammad or Moses. We will be singing about Jesus Christ. He is the reason why we live and He is the way to God.

2. Accept the differences of each other.

Each musician can play a different instrument. Each one can sing a different part. Each one can make a different contribution. The same is true as Christians. We each individually have different spiritual gifts. We each have different talents and treasures that they can devote to the church. Each of us can do some of the same things a different way. Our different approaches don't make it wrong. They can bring a harmony that makes the whole approach to the world very lively and exciting.
Many times we tend to downplay our differences. We say that we don't like it when someone plays the same tune a different way, or with a different beat. Jesus says to learn to accept that and start to incorporate it so that we can make music that the world wants and needs to hear.
How do you start to make the music?

3. Work at getting together often with others

You make good music only when you practice. Practice, practice, and practice is what is necessary to make good music. As you practice, you correct your flaws, you improve your methods, you learn and you grow. When a music group gets ready to perform, they spend hours practicing their music. There is the warm-up before the performance. But behind the performance are lots of group time together.
If you want to grow as a Christian, if you want to get better at some things, you are going to have to get together often. Once a week on Sunday for the service is not enough. You have to learn to spend time together. Let me tell you something interesting about this harmony thing:
God Himself is a “small group”. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit formed the first small group in history. When you read the first 16 chapters of Genesis, God is addressed in the plural form. It says God in English, but the Hebrew is Elohim – which is plural. God has never operated in the singular. He has been together with His Son and His Spirit making harmony.
God expects us to follow His example. We said a couple of weeks ago that God has been enjoying the praise and honor coming from His Son and the Holy Spirit forever. God wants us to begin to enjoy the company of each other as Christians.

4. Enjoy making music with one another.

Have you ever seen a quartet that didn't enjoy singing together? Have you ever seen a music group in a bad mood when they came together to sing? I haven't. As Christians, we need to take the time to really enjoy one another.
You know, the Christian life is not always about talking about our problems and helping with each other. Christianity includes this, because we are called to help each other with the help that God provides. But Christians need to go from accepting help and overcoming problems to enjoying one another and sharing this joy that we have with the world that needs that joy.

We can easily learn the doctrines of our faith. We can easily agree to the basics of our faith. We can be united in what we believe. Yet harmony is where we can really learn to grow. We can learn to show the world that Jesus is really worth following. Learning to be in harmony as a church is the essential style that God wants us to use. I challenge you to go from being a single musician in the name of Jesus to a part of the body of Christ ready to make music that the world will want and needs to hear.

Posted by Unknown at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments

Our Unity in Our Faith
Unity, Harmony, and Community – Part 2
John 17:6-19

For the past couple of months, there has been this new advertising campaign entitled “Du bist Deutschland” (You are Germany). It has been a cooperative public service campaign that was designed to inspire confidence in the German people about their country. It was to be used as a way of describing a new unity in this country that could help the people while they were encountering high unemployment, loss of wages and new jobs, slow economic growth and hard times. You would see famous actors, and familiar faces of people across the spectrum of Germany. From Michael Shumacher to Albert Einstein, Germans were seeing a propaganda campaign that many hoped would help the national self-esteem of the country.

But then just this week, it has been discovered that the Nazis used the same type of campaign with the phrase “Denn, du bist Deutschland” (Because you are Germany). A photo in a book entitled A Century of Pictures shows a group of people in Ludwigshafen during a march in 1933, with the picture of Adolph Hitler above the slogan “Denn, du bist Deutschland.” Apparently, the Nazis used the same idea for a short time to encourage national unity. Of course, I am not saying that Germans today are Nazis. What I am saying, is that this illustration represents the fact that no matter how good our intentions, unity is hard to get right.

As we can see, we can't get this unity thing right all the time. Only the church of Jesus Christ can experience one body – the essence of true unity. While nations may attempt to help their citizens deal with their insecurities, only Christ can bring us real security In this passage, we read about our security that comes from God. We also read about how our security keeps us in unity as Christians.

The security that Jesus talks about keeps us in unity.

You learn unity when you are secure in your faith

Being secure in our faith is like two sides of the unity coin. There are two sides to this unity that comes from our security:

On the one side of the unity coin there is Jesus.

God kept them before Christ came. (17:6)
Jesus kept them while He was on the earth. (17:12)
Jesus tells God to keep these people. (17:11)
Jesus prays that God will keep these people when Jesus is back in heaven. (17:15)
Jesus sets us apart and then sends us out. (17:18)

God declares our faith to us. Then He gives us our faith to us, and then He secures our faith for us. If you look at the process, Jesus is describing the unity that we have in our faith in Jesus Christ. He is the point of unity for Christians. Jesus also shares how God keeps us united. We alone cannot stay united. We can be in union, but still not in unity.

Dr. Jimmy Martin, General-Secretary of the International Baptist Convention once said – If you tie a cat and dog together by their tails and throw them over a line, they will be in union, but not in unity.

Christian denominations prove that we can be in union, but not in unity. If we tried to create unity, we would fail. But if we work at keeping the unity that God has already created, God will help us. God works at keeps us in union with Him and in unity with one another.

On the other side of the unity coin there is us:

We keep Jesus' words (17:6)
We know things come from God (17:7)
We receive those words (17:8)
We believe the words – that God sent Jesus (17:9)

So our unity is kept secure by us and God. Sometimes we fail, but we can take strength in the fact that God will keep us secure. We may not listen to Jesus words and keep them – that is our fault. We have to learn to repent and change our attitude. We have to learn to listen to God and start obeying Him.

It is like keeping a pet safe. The pet is in the world with people, but the pet is kept safe on a leash by the owner. Pets can still walk around, but the owner's boundaries are set. The pet's boundaries are set by the words of the owner. The actions are limited by the leash. When the pet knows to stay with the owner, then the pet knows it doesn't need the leash. He's free but he's kept safe by the words of the owner.

So when we understand that our faith is tied to the fact that God keeps us, then we learn to be secure in our faith. He holds, He owns us. We are His. And we want to be His. We want to listen to His words. We want to obey Him, and we want to love God, then we learn to be secure in our faith.

As another example, we can imagine God who is holding out His hand to us and keeping us safe. But for us to continue in our Christian life, we have to grab onto God and stay in union with Him. This is what it means to have personal security with God in your faith. You learn your security is in God when you stay united with Him.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
(Philippians 3:12 NKJV)

Insecure people are people who don't know themselves very well. Insecure Christians don't know their Savior very well. So in order for us to learn unity with others, we have to start to be secure in what we believe about our faith. That means that we learn to trust God's word when it says that “If we believe in Him, we will have eternal life.” That means that we must say no to folks and others who tell us that God's word is a lie.

When you accept Jesus Christ, you become a Christian. You change your direction and your new director for life is Christ. You give Christ the keys to your life-house. You never lose the keys because you gave them to Christ. As a result, no one can break in and rob your new house. Christ has the key and He built in a spiritual security system that keeps your new life-house safe.

Now Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. How does he do that? He sends robbers to make you think that your house will get robbed. You see those robbers outside and you think that they will break in. But remember, Christ has the key. No one can take your life away from you. No one can take your salvation away because you gave it to Christ.

You have to believe this because the next step of unity that comes from our security is when God starts to set you apart.

You start to grow in unity when you are set apart in your faith

As God changes you, He is going to start to set you apart from the world. You will no longer be allowed to be united with the world. You have to change that so that God can use you. So Christian unity means that you start to go from union with the world to union with God.

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
(John 17:14-16 NKJV)

When we discover our security in Christ, we begin to learn that because we are His, we don't belong to the world anymore. God starts to show us that we are different, that we are special, that we are unique, and that we don't belong to what we thought we belonged to before. This is why Jesus talks about the contrast between His disciples and the world. When we take our security from the Word of God, we begin to learn that we don't belong to the world. We are a different people.

Now, when we learn that we are a different people, the thing that Christians do is they learn to isolate themselves away from the world. They begin to say: We will not hang with the heathens. We won't get to know people who don't know Jesus. We stay together in our Christian clubs, with people whom we consider safe.

But that is not the point about being set apart. Jesus sets us apart so that we can continue to grow and change. Jesus wants us to change for a reason. He means this when He says that God should keep us from the evil one. If we were to be totally isolated from the world, then Jesus could have simply taken us away from this world. But Jesus did not do that. Why?

Jesus sets us apart and then sends us out. There is a purpose to your security in Christ, and a purpose to you being set apart. Jesus wants to use you to help those who do not know Him to come to know Him.

You display your unity as a Christian when you are sent out for your faith.

Jesus sends us out to do what? We are sent out into the world to share with others what God has done. You are not expected to save the world. However, you are expected to share with the world what has happened to you.

What do we share? You share what God has done to you. Jesus was sent by God to give eternal life to people who accept Jesus.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
(John 17:3 NKJV)

Because God sent Jesus out into the world, Jesus will now send us out into the world.

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
(John 17:18 NKJV)

So, God keeps us secure in our faith through His power. God sets you apart in our faith through His Word. Jesus send us out to share our faith with the world.

You share what God has done for you. But then the question becomes, when do I share?

You share when you see someone needs to hear about Jesus. You have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit about this. You don't share with every person because you were not sent to every person. Even Jesus was not meant to share with everyone. He spent His time with two guys and focused his energy on these twelve. Then, as He was going about His business with the disciples, other people became interested. As they became interested, then He shared with them what they could handle.

You will read many times that Jesus tells something to the crowd, and then turn to His disciples and says: There is more to this and here it is. Jesus knew the interest level of the people around Him. So the key to sharing our message is to share with those who will be interested.

You can ask questions that probe this interest. For example:

I have found purpose in life. Do you want to know how?

Are you looking for meaning?

Sometimes, people will ask me about religion. When asked what I think, I make it clear. I say that everyone needs Jesus. They may think that they can find God, but they need Jesus. That is my first statement. I need Jesus, you need Jesus, everyone needs Jesus. I know it is a strange way to talk about God, but I have no time for debates. I have no time to skip the issue. I let God use that statement to get them thinking about spiritual matters. If they want to know about Jesus, they know who to come to. Of course you may be the type that does not like rejection. You may say: You know, I can't handle what other people will say when I bring up the subject about Jesus. Well, you can take comfort in the fact that when Jesus was rejected – and He got the ultimate rejection, He was nailed on a cross. What did He do? Jesus got back up. Of course, it took three days, and it took some help from His Father. But Jesus did get back up. He overcame the rejection to His message. You can too.

Let me share with you five different methods of sharing Jesus with your world.

FIVE DIFFERENT METHODS OF SHARING JESUS WITH YOUR WORLD

1. Transition – FORM

F - Family

O - Occupation

R - Relationships

M – Message

This is a casual approach. You talk about familiar interests, but you gradually move to the message of Jesus. It can happen in one setting. It can take place over a couple of weeks. But the point is to draw them to the message. The question that makes them think about Jesus as the message is this: Would you like to have a personal relationship with God?

2. Thinking – Diagnostic questions

You can also make a diagnosis. You can ask two simple questions that test whether someone has been thinking about Jesus.

1. If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?

2. If you did go to Heaven, and God were to ask you: “Why should I let you in?” How would you answer?

These are canned questions, I know. But they reveal the level of interest in God and they also pinpoint where a person is on their journey in their faith. If they can't answer the first question, you know that they need Jesus. If they say Heaven, but can't answer that Jesus is the reason, then you know more as well. It gives you a spiritual diagnosis.

3. Theological – Roman Road

Some people, when they are asked about God, need to see from the Bible what God says about Himself. A simple way of sharing the Gospel is known as the Roman Road. The point is that by using just verses in Romans, you can share with others about Jesus.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 NKJV)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 NKJV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 NKJV)

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9 NKJV)

For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
(Romans 10:13 NKJV)

4. Testimonial – Your story

Perhaps you are not the type to whip out a Bible and thump it over someone's head. Perhaps you can't remember Bible verses and present a logical presentation. Then perhaps you can give your testimony. When someone asks about God or religion, or spiritual matters, just simply ask if you can share something special that happened to you.

You can open it up like this: You know, I had a very personal spiritual experience. Would you like to hear about it? If they say yes, then just describe how you came to know Jesus. You don't have to make a speech or say a lecture. You just briefly talk about the circumstances of your life and how you came to know Jesus. Then you describe what kind of difference it made in your life. Many of you have heard these stories in our church. You don't just tell your story in this church. You are also supposed to tell your story with others out there. They need to hear it just as much as we do. Your story is very important because God uses stories to teach the world about Him and His Son.

5. Tag-along – Come and see

Perhaps you are not good at explaining. Perhaps you don't think your testimony is so great. Perhaps you are shy and you don't know how to approach someone. Well, you can always invite. You can tell someone when they ask you about your faith, or what you do on Sunday that you come to an international church. You can say about all the exciting things that happen at your church. You can say that you meet with people from around the whole world each Sunday. You can suggest to them that they come and see.

Then when they come, they will hear about Jesus from this podium. They will be presented with the good news of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are passing the hard part to the speaker, but that is just fine. You are still doing your part in sharing with others about Jesus. This was the method that Andrew used to bring his brother Simon to hear about a man named Jesus.

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.[9] You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
(John 1:41-42 NKJV)

Philip did the same thing with His brother Nathanael.

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
(John 1:45-46 NKJV)

It doesn't matter what method you use. It matters more that you start sharing with the world about Jesus.

When we share with others about Jesus, we are displaying the unity that God keeps in us through His Son Jesus. We share this unity with the world. We encourage this unity with one another. We grow in unity in ourselves, and we display it in our faith. Our unity is one witness that shows the unity between God the Father and Jesus the Son.

Our unity tells the world that God exists. Our unity tells the world that God sent His Son Jesus. Our unity tells the world that they need Jesus. God wants unity on earth. But He also wants as many people as possible to be in union with Him.

Posted by Unknown at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

God's Unity in His Glory
Unity, Harmony, and Community – Part 1
John 17:1-5

In the beginning of eternity (if you could say that), there was God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit – the Trinity. They enjoyed perfect community. They reflected each other's glory. Let me tell you something – something really amazing:

God never had an argument. God never had a disagreement with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. No conflict. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit never had conflict. In these verses in John 17, we see the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. While the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in this chapter, He is mentioned in the previous chapter and therefore we know that He exists as a member of the Divine Team.
God gave Jesus power – authority. Jesus took that power and gives it to us in the form of eternal life. Because God delegated authority to Jesus, you have to accept that authority. If you ask God for eternal life, He will say: “Talk to my Son about it. He is the One who knows all about that. He handles the Eternal Life Department.” God says: “I could give eternal life to you. But I am going to make you ask my Son. You accept Jesus and you get life. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to God.
God does not say: Go to Mohammad, or go to Buddha, or go to someone else who thinks they have eternal life. God says if you want eternal life, go talk to my Son. Ask Him and He will give you the access key.
Why does God say that? Because Jesus gives God glory when Jesus does what God asks Him to do. God says that He will not share His glory with another.

I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
(Isaiah 42:8 NKJV)

He will only share it with Jesus.

God will not allow someone else to come in and try to tear the unity He has with Jesus. That's why God says:
“You want eternal life? Then come to Jesus My Son.”
“You want unity? Get to know Jesus.”

Whatever comes through Jesus, gives Me glory, God says. God says that when you know Jesus, you will glorify Me.
Let us first define the word glory. You hear it every time you say the word “doxology.” Here is the theological definition: The glory of God is the revelation and manifestation of all that God has and is. It is His Self-revelation in which God manifests all the goodness that is His. God is honored when He gives all of Himself. God is praised when He gives all of Himself. God is acknowledged as God when He gives all of Himself. This revealing of the glory of God is in all of the good that He is. The source of this good comes from His love.
Now if that did not put you to sleep, here is a simpler explanation. Because God is at His foundational quality love, Jesus is said to glorify God by praising and honoring God and acknowledging God's love in the good things He does. This is what it means to glorify God. So here is a definition:

To glorify God is to praise and honor God and acknowledge God's love in the good things He does.

Jesus asks for God to do the same thing. He wants God to praise and honor Jesus and acknowledge Jesus' love in the good thing He is going to do. Jesus is going to the cross to die as an act of love for GOD – so that God can step in and be with His children.
Without the death of Christ, God cannot reach us. But with the death of Christ, God can truly love us. But the love is first between God and Christ.
Jesus looks forward to the time when He and God can continue sharing in the love and unity that They both had before Jesus came to earth. This is why He says for God to glorify Jesus with God Himself as the Father.
Jesus looks forward to the day when He is back up in heaven, hanging out with God the father, enjoying perfect community. He wants to enjoy the happy times He has had with God before He was on earth.

I don't think that Jesus is talking about community like the way we may see it on television, or the way we influenced to have community. There is a commercial that has two guys sitting around having a beer and saying: “It doesn't get any better than this.”
Jesus and God sitting around and enjoying one another is much more. They have been praising, honoring, and acknowledging each other's love (along with the Holy Spirit) for a long time – actually longer than time in fact.
Is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit sitting around having a beer watching the angels play football? No, I don't think so. I think they are doing something better. I think that this is a primitive comparison. It is like trying to draw the murals of the Sistine Chapel with a crayon on a piece of paper. We are not masters at this art of unity, harmony, and community. We are just school children learning from the Master.
Now if you are trying to picture the community and unity of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and you can't grasp it – well, I don't have a complete answer. But I do have an illustration that may help.
I could sing a song. I could have all of you sing it with just my voice. It would be like having 100 people like me singing the same song the same way. That would be nice. But it could be better.
Let us all try to sing together in unison. We will sing the song Amazing Grace – a famous hymn, but we will just sing the melody. Let us all sing the same notes the same way. This is when we sing together.
Now, let's sing it with parts – tenor, bass, alto, and soprano. Let's sing it in harmony. Which one sounds better to you? Why does it sound better to sing in harmony? Because you are putting your own personal voice. With the tune that you are enjoying with others.
No one can sing it exactly the same way. But it sounds much better in harmony, why? Because we are united, but at the same time we are sharing our diversity.
We are united with the same song. We are diverse in our contribution to that song. We are sharing community in that song.
God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in the same Trinity relationship. They are all part of the triune Godhead. They are One God with Three personalities.
They are diverse in their each separate contribution to that relationship of divinity. They are sharing full community in that relationship. They will enjoy doing that forever. They give us an example to live as Christians. We should be praising, honoring God and acknowledging His love for us.
We should be more united in the God that we believe as Christians. We don't believe in just any god. We don't believe in a God that is representative of every god in all religions. We can't group God with other deities in the world's beliefs. We can't say that the God of a Muslim is a the same as the God of a Christian. Our God is exclusive in that sense. He is separate and unique. We believe in a God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth to save us. That is why we don't have much in common when it comes to the word God when it is spoken by Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and every other religion. Our God is unique and the only way to Him is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is our point of unity as Christians. But Jesus will separate us from other religions.
We should be diverse in the contribution to the God we believe in. Every Christian should serve God. We have different gifts, talents, abilities, treasures, and passions. We come from different backgrounds, different nations and different families. So our contribution will be unique.
We should be sharing community for the God we believe in. You are not alone. You are not meant to be alone. You were hard-wired for communion, community, fellowship, and friendship with other Christians. You can't do everything alone and you weren't supposed to. Jesus didn't raise Himself from the grave of death. He had help from His Father. You need help too.
God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit represent a perfect family. You can share in a church family here at IBC Bremen. We have house groups where you can begin to go from drawing with crayons to painting Sistine chapels in the art form of getting to know God. God wants every person to praise and honor God, and acknowledge His love in the good things He will do for you.

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How to CLIMB Out of Debt
Building Blocks of Financial Freedom – Part 2
Psalm 37:3-26

We continue our series on Financial Freedom today. Last week, we talked about the importance of giving to God. We talked about how giving first to Him, and giving it regularly will bring financial freedom in your lives. Giving your money to Him is the only place where God says to test Him. He will give back more than what you can give.

Today, I want to talk about the flip-side of giving. I want to talk to you about how to get out of debt. You know, many people think about debt today. I should say they worry about debt. It is a big concern among people. This is especially true in a materialistic society like the one we live in.

I was reading in the German magazine “Stern” about a report concerning the German government and its budget. They keep talking about a huge hole that is in the budget. They show all of kinds of details about where the money is coming from and where it is going. One simple statement stuck in my mind. People like to blame the government for the way it spends its money. But have you thought why it is happening? I suggest to you that one of the reasons that the government is in debt is because its citizens are in debt. So goes the people, so goes the nation, as the saying says. The government budget and its related debt is a reflection of the people and their budgets and debt.

Many people want to blame the government for their own woes. When it comes to finances, it is important that the individual person take responsibility. That means that if you are in debt, you don't look to the government to get you out. But what can you do about the situation you are in? We can listen to many stories about how a person got into debt, but the important question is: How do I climb out of debt?

Before I answer that question, I need to clarify what I mean by debt. A debt is not an investment. Debts are things you bought that you are no longer using for which you still do not own. Debt is owing to anyone that which you cannot righteously repay without undue hardship to yourself. In other words, you shouldn't be paying on something you're not using productively. If you bought a house, or a computer, or a car, and you are using it while you are repaying it, then it is an investment. When you have paid it, it becomes an asset which has value. As long as it is usable, it is an asset. But when you have it, and you don't use it, and you have to repay it, then it is good debt. If you have bought something – something you don't need, and you are still repaying it, then it is bad debt. If you buy something that you can't pay back for whatever reason, that is also bad debt. Debt can be that huge television you bought on credit for €2000, when a small €200 TV would do. Webster's dictionary defines debt as:

DEBT, n. det. [L. debitum, contracted.]

1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay or perform to another; as the debts of a bankrupt

When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty.

But more than that, debt can be a lifestyle for most people. Some people go from one credit card to the other. Some people buy and buy and buy until they are overloaded with bills and repayments that they cannot reasonable repay. Some people live today with all kinds of debt. Debt is a human problem, not a divine misstep. God did not put you in debt. You put yourself in debt. Just like any other sin, you didn't follow God's plan and so there are difficult consequences.

Categories of Debt

There are two different categories of debt you can accumulate:

1. Personal Debt

Personal debt, often called "bad debt", results from the purchase of an asset that will likely depreciate in value over time. This includes borrowing for such items as a new car, clothes, or furniture. Going into debt to finance a vacation or go out to eat are other examples of personal debt. Bad debt offers short-term pleasure in place of long-term anguish. It really is as simple as that.

Note: With personal debt, it's important to note why you have it in the first place and to what degree it's necessary. Financing a car because it gets you to work or school may be an acceptable form of personal debt. Purchasing a new car on a moment's notice is not. Each situation should be weighed differently.

2. Investment Debt

Investment debt, often called "good debt", results from the purchase of an asset that will likely appreciate in value over time. This includes borrowing for an education, the purchase of a new home, or even starting a new business. The tax deduction alone on mortgage interest makes investment debt one of the more acceptable types of debt.

That means there are good debts and bad debts. There are debts that come from making poor decisions and debts that come from making good decisions. But all debts have to be paid.

3. Debt Payments

When it comes to making debt payments, some debts are more essential than others. Sometimes we get into debts because we have to. We get into debt to pay for items that we know we can use.

Essential (must pay)
Mortgage payments
Car payments
School loans
Secured loan payments
Income Taxes
Medical bills
Utility bills Health Insurance

These are debts that we enter because we know the long term value is bigger than the immediate costs. We plan to pay them off because we are going to get a benefit.

Nonessential debt – or debt that you should not get into.

Credit cards
Subscriptions
Personal loans
Unsecured loan payments
Charge cards
Membership dues

Your financial situation must not be plagued with high personal debt.

Since most people have come into debt for different reasons, it is important to discover how you can get out of debt.

Five Effective Ways to Climb Out of Debt

1. Commit your cash to God (37:3-5)

Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
(Psalms 37:3-5 NLT)

Three times in these two verses, the psalmist insist to trust God. He says to commit everything you have and He will help you. So in the principle of money management, when you trust God with your money, He will help you.

This is the principle of the tithe. As we said last week, God wants you to give to Him. He wants your best and He wants it first. But this verse tells us that when we do this, God will help us. God said the same thing in Malachi.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,"
Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
(Malachi 3:10 NKJV)

God says: Test me and I will prove it with the money. Jesus said the same thing:

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
(Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV)

The principle is clear. When it comes to money management, God wants you to trust Him first. Your ten percent does not come at the end of the bills, but it should be the first of the bills you pay after you are paid. You have to change your priorities to do this. Many people think to wait until the end and then pay the tithe. Then they complain that they cannot pay it. But if you reverse the order, God honors it and helps you.

When it comes to debt, you can't stop giving to God because you made stupid decisions. You can't replace your tithe with debt payments until you are in the clear. You can't rob Peter to pay Paul. You can't rob God to pay for your debts.

IBC Bremen does not need your money. God will take care of our needs. Each member commits to give the tithe, and all of our bills and plans are paid by the members. We make it a priority to follow God in our lives. However, if you are not a member, and you are a Christian and you want to give to where God is working, IBC Bremen is an excellent place to invest financially.

2. Live on what you earn. (37:7, 11, 16, 18-19)

This is the principle of self-control.

In many verses in this psalm, David tells people not to worry about money. He gives clear advice related to the proper standard of living we should have. God says this:

1. Don't worry about how much the other person makes (37:7)

Many people worry about how much the other person makes in life. They compare themselves to others and say that they themselves should have the same. They say: “Look at this person – see what he has got. I want that. I need that. I need that because he has that.” God says: Don't worry about that. Don't compare yourself. Don't think you need what someone else has. This can lead you into a debt-staying-mentality.

2. Don't get greedy. (37:11)

Jesus repeated this phrase in Matthew 5. His point, and the point that David is trying to make is this:

Be content with what God gives you. Be satisfied with what money God gives to you. You don't need more. You need to live on what you have. God has given you enough money to live on right now. Debt is man's way of saying I want more. If you can't pay it back, you should not have it. If it costs too much and you want it now, maybe you need to wait.

Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
(Proverbs 23:4-5 NKJV)

The little that a good person owns is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked, because the LORD will take away the strength of the wicked, but protect those who are good.
(Psalms 37:16-17 GNB)

Less is more and more is less. One righteous will outclass fifty wicked, For the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are GOD-strong.
(Psalms 37:16-17 MSG)

You aren't as rich as someone else. So what? You have God, and He will give you the strength to handle everything that comes your way. God is better than money. Don't get me wrong, it is nice to have money. But it is better to have God. Think about this. Because many people put their strength in their money and not in God. They strive very hard to get richer so that they can place their security in money. But money brings its own problems.

J.D. Rockefeller was asked, "How much money is enough?" and he said, "Just a little bit more."

But when you are poor and you have to ask God for help, He provides all the time. Look at the next verses with me:

3. Don't worry about where the money will come from. (37:18-20)

Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive a reward that lasts forever.
They will survive through hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
But the wicked will perish. The LORD's enemies are like flowers in a field--they will disappear like smoke.
(Psalms 37:18-20 NLT)

3. Investigate where your money goes.

This is the principle of research.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
(Luke 14:28-30 NKJV)

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
(Proverbs 27:23 NKJV)

You need to know where your money goes. If you are in debt, you need to find out where your money is spent. You have to find out how much things cost, and where you spent the money.

4. Make a plan.

This is the principle of the budget.

A budget is a simple plan of how much comes into your home and how much you will spend. Without a budget, you will never exactly know where your money is coming and going. With a budget, you can plan ways to get out of debt. You plan where you are going to spend and where you are going to save. A budget is necessary for you to get out of debt.

Get your fields ready and plant your crops before starting a home.
(Proverbs 24:27 CEV)

This verse shows that you should have an income first. When you know what money you have, then you plan your way of spending the money. A farmer had to go out and plant crops – do the work that was necessary to have the money that he needed. He receives an income and then he plans to build a house. But notice the order – give to God, start living on what you earn, know where your money comes from, and then plan. But most people plan and spend without any knowledge of how they are going to pay for it. This is how most people get into debt in the first place. Don't spend money until you know where it is coming from and you know how you are going to pay for it.

5. Build up a reserve. (37:21, 26)

This is the principle of saving and investing.

The purpose of building up a reserve is so that you can give. You want go from being a borrower to a lender. You want to go from a debt-death-style to a lending-lifestyle. Jesus said this:

Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
(Matthew 5:42 NKJV)

You can see that in the Old Testament, people who had money were expected to be able to live debt-free. They were able to build a reserve in such a way that they could give to God and to other people in need.

Exodus 22:25-27, Deuteronomy 24:10-13

So as Christians, we need to get to the point where we can give. If you are not giving to God and His kingdom because you are in debt, then you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
(Proverbs 21:5 NKJV)

There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it.
(Proverbs 21:20 NKJV)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
(Matthew 6:19-20 NKJV)

Jesus states very clearly why we should save and invest. He wants us to use our reserves for His kingdom. This will take a change in our priorities. Many people think today: I will save for retirement and then enjoy my money the way I like it. But what God wants you to do is to save and invest so o that you can give to His kingdom. He wants you to switch from thinking about your interests and start thinking about His interests. One of the most essential places to switch your thinking is in the way you spend. We as Christians need to set the example of going from a debt-death-style to a lending-lifestyle. We need to be givers and not borrowers. We need to have financial freedom so that we can be free to give to what God wants us to give.

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