How God Helps You Overcome Fear
Psalm 46:1-11

History of this Psalm

This hymn is one of the most significant in church history. It was written by Martin Luther on his way to the Diet of Worms. He was invited to this meeting by the Holy Roman Emperor and the pope under the guise that they were interested in hearing his views that conflicted with the objectives of the religious establishment of his day. Actually the counsel was set up as a trap. First it was their intention to humiliate Luther and then murder him on his way home.

Luther knew his life and reputation were at risk, but he went nonetheless. On the way, he was comforted by the words of Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1-3) It was then that Luther penned this famous hymn.

As it turned out, Luther was craftier than his adversaries and defended his cause in the meeting with authority and eloquence. On the way home, as he was traveling in his carriage in the forest, friendly Prince Philip “kidnapped” Luther and kept him in his castle, protecting him from eminent harm.

THEME #1 – God is my strength. I must have courage.

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.Selah
(Psalms 46:1-3 NKJV)

God is my strength, or more precisely my source of strength. He is where I can find strength when things are hard. Even though:

Circumstances trouble me.

Some things or people are removed from me.

Some things has cast away from me.

Problems and people shake me up.

Have you ever felt bothered and scared by someone or something. Were you ever in a situation where you felt that your life was at risk? Did you fear someone else or something else in your life?

God wants you to know that He is your strength. He will give you the courage that you need. You need courage to face the fears in your life.

Mark Twain once said: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.”

Eddie Rickenbacker once said: “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

During the time of the exodus, the people of Israel were moving around in the desert. Moses asked 12 spies to go out and check the Promised Land. You remember the story. Ten came back and said that the place was too scary. Two came back and said that we should have the courage to take the challenge. Notice what one of them said:

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
(Numbers 13:30 NKJV)

There was another spy. His name was Joshua. Look at what God says to Joshua before the people of Israel actually do enter the land. The people entered the land 40 years after they should have conquered it. Caleb was ready to go. But when Joshua actually does lead the people, God tells him three times to have courage. Why?

Because Joshua still has some fears. Even after all this time, Joshua has some fear. Of what exactly we don't know. But God says: Have courage. I am with you.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 1:9 NKJV)

Just as Joshua had to learn, and just as Martin Luther had to learn, we have to learn. We have to learn to hold on to God as our strength and have courage.

But courage will come from the strength of God, only after we have placed our trust in Him. We must trust Him as the only place of security.

THEME #2 – God is my security. I must trust Him.

God is not only your strength, He is also your source.

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah
(Psalms 46:4-7 NKJV)

The Bible talks about in these verses the city of God. It describes a holy place, and a tabernacle. The picture in these verses is security. God is even described as the LORD of Hosts. This title refers to God's attribute of security in times of war. God is in charge of a whole range of angels and He will fight for you and me. Everything about this scene describes a scene of security.

PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION: We visited the place where Martin Luther was taken by Prince Phillip right after the trail of the Diet of Worms. Heike and I visited the cathedral in Wittemberg, where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis on the door. The door actually has the 95 Thesis inscribed in metal. Inside the cathedral you will find the gravestones of Luther and his associate Philip Melancthon. The first line of the hymn is inscribed on Luther's tomb.

The river flows through the city. This is a picture of goodness and graciousness of God. These verses speak about the contrast between the insecurities of the world and the securities in God. While the world may be raging, the kingdoms are moving and shuffling, it can make us feel insecure. This past week was the 20^th anniversary of the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl – a very timely reminder of how insecure our world may seem. This past week, we have seen countries boast of nuclear power and its use, and the world seems to be an insecure place. The financial markets change so often that it may seem that we can never truly be financially secure.

I cannnot place trust in governments. I cannot place my trust in systems. I cannot place my trust in someone else's power. I can only place my trust in God.

Martin Luther said in a letter to his collegue Philip Melancthon:
“God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners.
Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger,
and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.” 

But courage will come from the strength of God, only after we have placed our trust in Him. We must trust Him as the only place of security. But trust will come from the security we place in God onlya after we have discovered God. God wants us to come to Him and discover Him.

THEME #3 – God is my sanctuary. I must let go, relax and discover Him.

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah
(Psalms 46:8-11 NKJV)

The only way that I can learn to overcome the fears that I have about myself, about this world, about my troubles – the only way is to discover God. Many times you and I strive to make things happen and to make things go right. We defend ourselves against what we fear. We work either by worrying or by acting out our fears. The Psalm tells us here that when I encounter a fear, my first response should be to come to God and know Him. What does that mean?

You know as well as I do that we try in our own strength to make everything happen. We see problems, we see things that scare us, and we start to find the solutions. We see wars and we start consulting politicians and military leaders. We see national problems and we start to consult experts. We see problems in our own families, and we consult everyone else. We consult idols. We consult mediums. We consult astrologers. We consult other people. We consult what everyone is saying on the Internet. We talk to everone else first. Why?

Because God has not become my sanctuary. I don't know God well enough. If I knew God well enough, I would consult Him first. But I don't. That has to change. If I really want to see myself overcome the fears, the trials, the troubles, then I will really need to start getting to know God.

How many in here don't know God very well. How many of you would say: No I don't consult God first. I don't think about Him when I get into trouble. Let's be honest. Even as Christians, we don't ask God for help. Why?

Because we have not taken the time to get to know God when there is trouble in our path.

How am I going to get to know God better when the trouble comes? Two ways:

1. Worship Him more.

2. Pray to Him more.

This is what we need to do. We need to pray to God and ask Him to help me when I run into trouble. We need to worship Him more when we are in the midst of the trouble.

Posted by Unknown at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

How God Helps You Overcome Depression
Psalm 42:1-43:5

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
(Psalms 42:5 ESV)

In everyday language "depression" refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. This is differentiated from Clinical depression which is marked by symptoms that last two weeks or more and are so severe that they interfere with daily living. This definition is taken from this website. A mental state of a depressed mood is characterized by feelings of sadness, despair and discouragement.

Many people in the Bible suffered through depression. Naomi, Job, Jeremiah, and even Jesus encountered times of depression. Some of the most famous Christian ministers encountered times of depression. Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, John Knox, John Bunyan, Lottie Moon, and even Rick Warren have mentioned specific times in their ministries when they encountered depression.

While some Christians will want to deny that they can go through depression, it does happen. And it happens quite often. Since this can be the case, I want to share with you steps that contribute to depression and then steps that you can take to help yourself when you get depressed.

Going through depression is a little like walking down a staircase into a hole. When a person walks down each step in a staircase, it brings them lower and lower. Many times we don't realize that we have walked down the staircase of depression until it starts to affect us in physical ways. Even then, it may be hard to understand what is going on.

Here are some steps that take us down to depression:

STEP DOWN #1 - Difficult changes in life

The author of this psalm was most likely David. The psalm was written when David was driven out of Jerusalem to the Jordan river. He was run out of Jerusalem during a rebellion. His son Absalom tried to take his throne. This was a difficult change in King David's life.

In the same way, many of us have had times in our lives when life seems to be changing so fast. You get married, you move, you change jobs. You try to adapt to the changes and sometimes it is very hard. This can cause you to step down a bit.

STEP DOWN #2 - Someone's negative words

Needless to say, David is going through a difficult time in his life. He is also hearing a few people who are making accusations against him.

I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
(Psalms 42:9-10 ESV)

Perhaps you know people who taunt you, or speak only negative words against you. If you are feeling like you are depressed, you may be listening to the oppression of other people. Some people can really be insulting, and unhelpful to you. These words add to the feeling of depression.

STEP DOWN #3 - My own emotional insecurities

The psalm starts with the statement:

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
(Psalms 42:2 ESV)

As you read through this psalm, and even in many other psalms, you find that King David is quite emotionally insecure. He admits that he is not strong enough to handle the challenges that come his way. Some of his most famous psalms are expression of his emotional insecurities.

First, you can notice that this person is apparently exhausted. The psalmist is so tired and worn out that he is thirsty.

Second, you can notice that this person has other emotional insecurities.

My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
(Psalms 42:3 ESV)

This is a poetic way of saying that his emotions are getting out of control. Sometimes, you feel the effects of depression, you feel so alone. This loneliness causes you to just simply weep. Sometimes you can't control it. You just start to weep. Many times the source of this weeping is related to the first step down. You have encountered so much stress that the only release that helps is to just cry.

I remember when I conducted my first funeral. It was very overwhelming. Watching a funeral is one thing. Being related to the deceased is another. And it is still another unique exprience to pastor and lead a funeral.

The funeral was for a man in the church I pastored. I was asked to officiate with another pastor over this funeral. I was asked to prepare the eulogy. I remember that all was fine until an hour before the funeral. I visited with the family one last time, and made corrections to my text. At the end we prayed, then the family left. I was so overcome with emotion that I began to weep.

STEP DOWN #4 - Satan's accusations

Of course, Satan is going to use the opportunity to attack you. He knows that when you are down, it is hard to get back up. He will just take a simple thing and use to bring you one step lower than before.

STEP DOWN #5 - My own thoughts

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
(Psalms 42:5 ESV)

On top of the stresses of changes, the negative words of others, your own emotional insecurities, and Satan's accusations, you even bring yourself down by the way you talk to yourself.

Notice that King David realizes that his own soul is in turmoil within. David has thoughts that seem to betray him, and he knows it. You know, you can talk yourself into more depression.

Walking yourself into depression can feel like walking into a hole so large that you cannot get yourself out. But the Bible does show ways to get out of this hole of depression.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
(Psalms 43:1-5 ESV)


What are some steps that we can take to bring us back out of the hole of depression?

For each step that took you into the hole, there are step that brings you out of depression. So, in a sense, these steps parallel one another. These steps may sound simple, but they have a powerful effect on your life.

You stepped down into depression because of the stress related to your circumstances. These stresses added up on top of you and they pressed you down. You encountered so many changes that it became difficult to adjust.

The fact is, you can adjust. Many scholars agree that Psalm 43 is a continuation of Psalm 42. That means that Psalm 42 and 43 are essentially one psalm. If this is true, then some of the solutions in Psalm 43 will help you when you are in Psalm 42. For example:

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!
(Psalms 43:3 ESV)

You know when you step into a hole, there is a bottom to the hole. When you reach the bottom, the only way to look is up. Now many people, when they are feeling depressed, they keep looking and talking down. But that will not help you. When you are in a hole, the first thing that you do is start to look up. You look so that you can find a way out. The same is true with depression. You can adjust, and it requires that you begin to start looking up. How do you do that? How do you start to look up out of the hole and then climb out?

Before we talk about the first step, let me say something that God will do. I don't know about you, but with me, when I start to get myself down, God starts to show me that my problems are really not that bad. Sometimes he brings to me a person that is in a harder situation than myself. Many times he opens my eyes to the world around me, so that I am not focused on me and my problems.

I have to start saying to myself that my problems are not that bad. Yesterday we went to a concentration camp in Bergen-Belzen. After you have seen this, your present problems are nothing in comparison. God will show you that your situation is really not that bad. But not just this, you have to write down positive words that you see good about yourself. This is part of the first step out.

STEP UP #1 - Wisdom and words of help to adjust

David is asking for God to send some wisdom and help his way. David is asking God for help. David is asking God to draw him out of his hole of depression. God's light and truth will help David adjust to his situation. This wisdom will help David deal with the problem that he is in. The same can be true for you. God can lead you in your decisions. He wants to share with you ways to adjust. He wants to be a "light in your path". He wants to be the "way, truth, and life" for you.

God leads us up out of our hole of depression, and He does it with His light and truth. God leads us out. One of the ways to let God show you is to see what is good and true about yourself. Ask God to show you what is good about yourself. Then write it down. Don't concentrate on the negative. Ask God in prayer and then make a list of what you know is good. For example: You have a roof over your head, you have food in the refrigerator, you have your family, money in the bank, whatever you can say that is good. You need to start looking at the good in your life, not the bad.

But God also has given wisdom to other people - people who have been in similar situations that you are now in. God also wants you to ask from others wisdom.

STEP UP #2 - Comforting words by others

Paul says that we should ask from others who have been in our situation. This is why in Titus 2, he instructs the older men to teach the younger men, and older women to teach the younger women.

When you have been hurt by others, you will want to receive comfort from other people. This is why the Bible says that as believers, we should comfort others. We should comfort others because at one time we have been comforted.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

God comforts you and you comfort other people when they go through a difficult time. This is especially true when you have been walking down the staircase to depression. When you feel depressed, you need to hear more encouraging words. Scientists says that for it can take 10 encouraging and positive words to overcome 1 discouraging and hurting word. Now, imagine that. If this is in any way true, then we should think more, and speak less. And when we speak, we need to speak more words of encouraging.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!
(Psalms 43:1 ESV)

It also means that if you are receiving negative, discouraging words, you need to get away from that. It is as if this person is pushing you down the steps. You are being pushed down the steps of depression.

STEP UP #3 - Worship (Focus on the securities in God)

We all have emotional insecurities. For someone to say that they have NO emotional insecurities is someone who is saying that they have it completely together all the time. No one is completely together all the time. All of us encounter challenges and changes that make us insecure. All of us deal with other individuals. Relationships magnify your emotional insecurity. Husbands, you can lie to everyone else about how you are, but your wife knows it all. Parents may not know all of their children's insecurites, but someone does. We all rely on someone else to help us when we feel down.

But there is a problem with laying all of my emotional insecurities on my best friend. It brings my best friend down. There is a problem with laying all of my emotional insecurities on all of my friends. Everyone starts to feel it and it will put a strain on your friendships.

So what are you going to do? David shows us that you can take your insecurities to God and focus on the securities that come from God.

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
(Psalms 43:4 ESV)

When you are feeling no joy, go to God, who will release to you His joy. This can be done in worship. Music has an amazing power on people who are sick and especially on people who are depressed. The Bible has examples of Saul going to David and asking him to play the harp. It soothed Saul's soul. Worship will soothe your soul as well.

I have found that many times, when I feel insecure, when I can't go on, worship lifts me up. Worship in the church is one time, but I am often so nervous that I cannot focus on worship as I often should. So I spend some time in worship at home. I put in a CD and just start to listen. At times of my greatest grief, I cry. A song touches me and the emotions come up. Then when it is over, I am relieved.

And worship is more than just an emotional cleansing for me. Worship affects me deeply. God soothes me more in worship than in any other way. I can see God and His power, His joy, and His love. I am visualize the hope that I have in Christ when I listen or sing praises to Him.

STEP UP #4 - Spiritual comfort through prayer

Related to worship is the spiritual comfort that comes through prayer. Many times we have to come to God in prayer for comfort. This is especially true when we going down the staircase of depression. When we start to get really down, Satan will try to really keep us down. He starts to make more accusations - none of which are true.

Do you know that everything that Satan tells you is a lie? Satan never tells the truth. He doesn't know how to tell the truth. He spits out lies like a gun that spits out bullets. Each lie hurts, causes pain, and makes you want to end it all. But God can give you comfort and help you overcome the attacks of Satan.

During Jesus' most intense time of difficulty, angels came and comforted Him.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
(Psalms 43:5 ESV)

Salvation in this verse, which is repeated two other times in Psalm 42, does not mean eternal salvation. The word means deliverance, or the sense of helping someone out of their difficulty. This is what God does during times of depression. He will deliver you. You have to hope in Him, and decide that God can help you. He will, but you have to be willing to take His hand.

This leads to the last step:

STEP UP #5 - Getting help

If there is any way to deal with being in the hole of depression, you have to get help. Depression feeds on loneliness. You have to starve that depression by asking for help. Some people are not so far in depression and they can come back up with worship, encouraging words and adjustment. But the further depressed you are, the more help you need.

There is nothing wrong with asking for that help. Let me share with you my experience. When I went to my first pastorate, I left seminary, my family moved, my friends were all gone, and I went to a church in the middle of no-where. The people were as old as my grandparents, and while they were lovely folks, I really started to have problems the second year of my pastorate.

I went to a doctor to tell him my symptoms. They were severe enough that he wanted to send me to a psychologist for "shock therapy." Well, I did not think you needed to use 12th century methods to handle a 21st century problem. So I got a second opinion. This person recommended a Christian counselor some two hours away. I went to this therapist for about 8 weeks. It was the best money I spent to help myself.

God has gifted these people to help people with these special difficulties. Not everyone needs to go to a specialist. But some do. For these that do need to go, they should take the time and effort. It will help them tremendously.

I refer people whom I think need more specialized help. I can't help everyone nor do I think it is my job to help everyone. But you can get help from someone. I have found most people don't go to get help for whatever problem they have because they either don't think it is important, they don't want to be open about their problems and solve it, or they don't want to pay for it.

I will tell you it is irresponsible for you if you have problems and you don't go get help. If these first four steps don't help, it is worth your money to go talk to a Christian counselor.

Depression is hard, and it a deep hole that is hard to overcome. But God is bigger than any depression we may be feeling. Knowing what steps takes us down, and what steps will bring us back up can be invaluable when we encounter difficulties that can get us down.

Posted by Unknown at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
(Romans 8:31-32 NKJV)

Easter is the beginning of God handing out His love to you.

When the grandchildren visit their grandparents during Christmas, Granddad would be waiting on the chair with arms open wide with love. Sometimes he would take money out of His pocket and hand it out to the grandchildren. Would the grandchildren say: "No, I don't want what you are giving me"? Of course not. When Granddad reaches out in his pocket, the grandkids start taking their hands out. They know that something good is coming their way. We call what these kids are getting a "hand-out".

When a person takes a "hand-out", they are receiving freely something that someone else is giving to them. God is giving us His love as a free "hand-out". God wants us, no He desires that we take His love freely.

When God says in this verse that He did not spare His own Son, He means that He did not stop giving His Son to us. Another verse in the Bible says the same thing like this:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16 NKJV)

The Bible says here that God gave His only begotten Son. In Romans 8:32, God did not stop from giving His Son. It says: but delivered Him up for us all.

God did not spare His Son because it was the only way God could spare us.

God did not prevent His Son from going to the cross. God handed His Son over as God's judgment for sin. God did not prevent from giving His love. God showed that He loves by handing His Son over for the judgment you and I deserve. God demonstrated His love by giving us something good - freedom from sin. God demonstrated His love by giving us eternal life. But this one-time act of God's love is not the end of God's love for you. God still loves you, and still wants to hand out His love to you.

In essence, God keeps giving and giving and giving. God God keeps giving His hand out to you to help you in your time of need.

God handed Jesus over to die as a way to hand out His love to us. God will keep handing out His love to us. God wants to continue to give us His love.

This is what God means when the Bible says in Romans 8:32: how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

What does the Bible mean when it says all things?

The argument of this verse is from the greatest to the least. The greatest act of God's love was to let His Son die on the cross for us. There is no other act of love that is greater. I mean, can you imagine a father letting His son die for other people? Yet, God let His Son die for me and you. Why? So that God could spend His love on us.

If letting His Son die was the hardest thing for God to do, then anything by comparison is simple. God said: "OK, I don't like it, but I have to let My Son pay for the sin that separates Me from my children." This sounds like an impossible thing for God to do. Murder His Son? Allow His own Son to die on the cross? How could God do that? It seems so impossible.

God allowed His Son to go through spitting, and beating, and a crown of thorns, and insults, and then horrible cruel march down the streets of Jerusalem to a public humiliating death. God allowed Jesus to marched to His death on a cross.

God watched as His own Son's clothes were used for the gambling pleasure of a couple of grumbling Roman soldiers.
God watched as His own Son's best friends left Him alone to be beaten and tried.
God watched as His own Son was nailed to the cross.
God watched as His own Son was breathing and losing His breath every second.
God watched as His own Son died.

But God didn't let His Son stay there. God lifted Jesus Christ up out of the grave to display His love to the world.

After the resurrection, God said: "Now that that act of love is done, I can spend my love on my children. I can hand-out to them whatever they need."

God spared His Son no pain that He might spare His saints no pleasure.

God shows us His commitment to us by not sparing His Son. When God let Jesus fulfill the requirement that we ourselves should have done, God is saying in essence: "I am making a pledge and a promise to you. Here is the proof of that commitment. Look at Jesus, My Son. Believe on Him, and I promise to be with you and help you." God knows that I have needs as His child. As my father, He is willing and able to provide for those needs when they come up.

Whatever I need. This is what the Bible means when it says all things. It does not mean that I get what I always think is best for me. What I think is best to meet my needs is not necessarily the way that God would like to meet my needs. But God's way is always better.

Easter is just the beginning of God's love for you. God loves you so much that He will keep making pledges and promises to you. He will keep handing out good things to you. He will not stop loving you.

Of course, you may be thinking: What do I need to do? You need to get your hands out of your pockets, and ask God to begin handing out His love to you.

Perhaps you know Christ, and you follow Him. You may be thinking today, I haven't seen God give me anything lately. Then perhaps you have forgotten your relationship to God. God is still there. He is willing to hand-out His love to you in many ways. Perhaps some of these ways are different than you would think. But God is still waiting for you to hand out His love to you.

If you are a Christian and you think that God has not handed out His love to you lately, perhaps it is because you stopped asking your Heavenly Father. Many times as children of God, we go somewhere else to ask for a hand-out. It is the same when a child goes to another grandfather and asks for a hand-out. Of course that doesn't work. The child is not related. So as Christians, it is not smart to try to ask someone else for help. God is our Father. God is the One we should be asking for help. God is still standing there waiting for you to ask Him.

If you don't know God, perhaps it is time to begin asking Him. Let God show you His power, His strength, His abilities, and His love. He wants toshow you best through His Son.

So, if you are ready, get your hands out, and look forward to receiving from God everything you need, and more than you ever wanted.


Easter can be a new beginning of God handing out His love to you.

Posted by Unknown at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

When we speak about demonstrations, we usually talk about showing our view or opinion AGAINST a thing, a person, or an idea. Demonstrations can be a public display that shows others what we believe. Demonstrate can also mean to show evidence of about something.



We hear about demonstrations quite often. We have heard of people who demonstrated against immigration policies in the US. We have heard of many German workers who have demonstrated against their present working conditions. We have also heard of French workers demonstrating against an extension of their work week.

Heike and I participated in a demonstration last week. We walked with others to demonstrate AGAINST a new entrance fee in the beautiful Rhododendron Park in the Botanika Garden in Horne.

In the past, it was free for anyone who wanted to come to the Rhododendron Park and walk. While it may have cost money to visit the Botanika Garden, Rhododendron Park stayed free. Then the politicians wanted to charge a fee to just enter the park, an €8 entrance fee. They wanted to use it to pay for a new restaurant in the park. They wanted to put up a big fence and make everyone go through one main entrance. Needless to say, the people were upset. So a group of interested persons set up a demonstration for April 1st.

They chose April 1st as the date for the demonstration because the new entrance fee was planned to begin on April 1st. So Heike and I got up on Saturday, and in the afternoon we walked to Horner Mühle.

There were about 200-300 people gathered there. There were many people holding a green sheet of paper with songs and other information about the demonstration. A few people were holding up signs that said:

"Wir wollen in den Rhodo rein, und sollen bezahlen, dass kann nicht sein!"
"We want to go in the Rhodo Park, and we have to pay, that cannot be!"

"Eintritt für Rhodo, 8 Euro? Dass ist für mir zu teuer!"
"Entrance fee for Rhodo is 8 Euro" That is to expensive for me!"

So we started to walk down the street with all of these people. We walked down one street for about a kilometer until we reached the Botanika garden. Along the way, one man would cheer us on. He would say that if we wanted the Rhododendron Park to stay free, we should whistle. So Heike and I are walking down this street and we were talking with someone next to us about many things.

We turned and gathered at the main entrance to the Rhododendron park. Once there, the leader thanked everyone who organized the protest. Then he introduced someone from the government. The representative said that they had read the articles in the newspapers and had listened to all the people. The evening before, someone decided to donate the amount of money necessary to keep the park open for another year.

At this point, I was quite happy. No entrance fee for another year! But what I did not know (because my wife and I had not read the newspaper that morning) was that this demonstration was announced as a demonstration of joy. People were demonstrating joyfully about the fact that there would not be an entrance fee.

If you had read your newspaper and had come to the demonstration, you were demonstrating for joy! You knew that on Friday, you were helpless. Going into the park was going to cost you money. But by Saturday, someone gave so that you could go in free.

This is the kind of demonstration that the people in Israel gave to Jesus on Palm Sunday. They demonstrated FOR Him. They knew that He could do something for them. They were helpless people and they demonstrated for the person who could help them.

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
(Matthew 21:8-11 ESV)

Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people demonstrated before Him. They used palm branches instead of political signs. They sang songs about Jesus. It was the equivalent of a political demonstration. They were saying that they wanted to follow Jesus' leadership.

Just as these people did in Matthew, and just Heike and I did last Saturday, you and I can demonstrate for joy about something or someone.

But did you know that Jesus demonstrated for us with joy? The cross was Jesus' demonstration of joy.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
(John 3:14-15 ESV)

Jesus refers to a time when the people of Israel were helpless. The people were complaining to God about the food. As a result, God let snakes spread through the camp and bite people. If they were bit, they died.

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
(Numbers 21:5-6 ESV)

People were dying left and right. So the people changed their attitude real quick. They came to Moses and asked him to ask God for help. So God told Moses to take a bronze serpent and put it on a pole.

And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
(Numbers 21:8-9 ESV)

This image of a snake on a pole is the symbol widely used by the medical profession. The sign of a stick with a serpent wrapped around it is a sign of healing. You will usually see it in front of doctor's offices. When you look to the doctor for help, you would be expected to be healed and live.



The same is true eternally with Jesus. Jesus demonstrated His love to us by dying on the cross. He took away our sin so that we may have eternal life. But Jesus did this act of going to the cross based on joy.

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(Hebrews 12:2-3 ESV)

Jesus saw the joy that would come AFTER the cross, and so He took on all of the problems that came with it - the shame, the hostility, even the cruel death. He went to the cross happily for me and you, and for His Father. Jesus saw joy in returning to His Father. Jesus knew that going through such a hard thing as the cross would be the only way He could come to that joy. Jesus made His demonstration of joy for you and I. He carried His demonstration sign on His back. Then He was nailed on it, as a demonstration sign to the world of God's love.

So when Jesus died on the cross, He joyfully made a public demonstration to the world of God's love.

God made this demonstration sign for you and I because we are helpless.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
(Romans 5:6 NLT)

We need God. You and I cannot live this life without God's help.

God continues to show that demonstration sign of His love for us. The cross reminds us that God will keep demonstrating for us. He demonstrates because He wants us to come to Him. He wants our lives to be free just like the entrance to the park should be free.

While we were God's enemies, he made friends with us through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son's life.
(Romans 5:10 NCV)

Have you considered how you will demonstrate your love and joy for God?

In addition, our Lord Jesus Christ lets us continue to brag about God. After all, it is through Christ that we now have this restored relationship with God.
(Romans 5:11 GW)

Maybe you don't know love and joy. Maybe you feel helpless in this life that you live. Perhaps you are asking yourself if you can get help somewhere from someone. God is ready for you. You can turn from your helplessness and come to Him. You can look to Jesus and ask for forgiveness. You can demonstrate your desire to come to Jesus and make a life change.

Perhaps you are a Christian. You follow Jesus you say. Then you can demonstrate to the world about your Lord, Master, King, and Leader. You can make a joy demonstration to the world about whom you follow. You can show others what kind of God you have by the life you lead. You can tell other people to come to God's love.