Once Every Seven Years!

Guest Sermon Series
Rev Robert D. Shofner, Jr.
St. John's UCC Boonville

Merry Christmas! Now that is finally here, let’s look back over the past few weeks. Think about it ... did the thought of Christmas ... and all the parties, and shopping, and cooking, and wrapping up presents, and setting up the decorations ... and everything else that just had to get done ... did the thought of Christmas make us feel humbug-ish ... or humdrum-ish ... or humbled?

The way we answer that has a lot to do about we feel about the different gifts that are a part of Christmas. When we focus on the gifts we have to give, a lot of times we feel pretty humbug-ish. (All that time and money and the kids went through their presents in 12 seconds flat!) When we focus on the gifts we hoped to receive from other people, then maybe we're going to feel pretty humdrum-ish. (We opened them up and thought, "Is that all there is?") But when we focus on the gifts that God has given to us ... because there really is a reason to the season ... when we focus on God's great gifts to us, then we can truly feel humbled. There's a humbling awe that God could love us that much.

The good news is that no one gives us greater presents than God. In fact, it says in James 1:17, "Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows." God gives perfect gifts. Ever receive a gift and we open it up and say, "Wow! This is perfect!"? The Bible says all of God's gifts are like that. And He just keeps on giving. Romans 8:32, "He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things." The sacrificial and generous giving that God has shown us when He gave His only Son for us ... the Bible says God wants to show us that same giving each and every day.

Now, should we have to sum up God's giving nature, His ability to give and give what no one else can ... we can sum that up with one word, "grace." In fact, the word "grace" and the word "gift" or "give" in the New Testament are the same words. God's gift to us is grace, and God's grace to us is His gift. And there's no better gift than God's grace. John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." This is what Christmas is all about! What a perfect gift. And when we open it up, some of the most awesome things happen in our life. So this morning we're going to look at God's great gift in our lives.

Number one - we are lavished with grace. That's one thing we really want to understand. The Bible says we are lavished with grace! And that means we can make the choice to live abundantly. To live abundantly. Ephesians 1:8, " ... the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." We probably don't experience that too often. The idea of something just being poured out on us, more than we can ever fully understand. It's a quintuple scoop cone of gourmet ice cream, okay? That's being lavished ... it's more than we can imagine, or eat. But with God's grace, we can never get too much of it. When something is lavished on us it means we're given something more than what we could ever dream of, but what we've always wanted. And God's says, "I want to give my grace, that gift of myself, to you." In abundance.

Now, oftentimes when somebody offers us a gift unbelievably large, we're unbelieving about it. The offer of a big gift can really make us doubt. Got a card for my birthday that said, "For your birthday I decided to get you a million dollars." I knew I wasn't going to open it up and find a check for a million dollars ... darn it all! But God has this lavish gift of grace ready to pour out on us, and we think, "Could that really be for me?" Yes, it is. Yes, it is! And when we finally accept God's gift, it changes the way we look at life. That's the real gift this year, a different way of looking at life, based on the grace that God has given us.

We can live life fearfully, we can live it selfishly, or we can live it abundantly. We can look at the world around us and what we don't have, and live our lives fearfully. Pulling in, living in fear of what we might lose. We can listen to the desires of our heart and mind and begin to live selfishly. Or we can focus on God's gift, and discover the joy of living abundantly. No longer pulling back because of our fear, or overreaching wildly to fulfill every desire, but abundant life. It's a new way of living!

John 10:10, Jesus said, "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." We don't want to live fearfully or selfishly. Jesus came so that we could live abundantly.

Now, let's look at how to turn this into more than just "positive thinking" rhetoric. Let's look at how to do this ... how to live abundantly. There's a principle we want to understand. There's no such thing as abundant living without abundant supply. Just won't work. For instance, should I say, "Go ahead and spend as much as you want at the mall today," ... you'd think I was crazy, or just got a new credit card! ... because you know there's not an inexhaustible supply behind all that spending. The ability to live an abundant life comes from the abundant grace of God. When we realize how abundantly He has supplied His grace to us, we can live an abundant life, because His grace supply never runs out! 2 Peter 1:2 (NIV), "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." It comes from knowing Him and who He is. We're lavished with grace ... so go ahead, live abundantly.

Number 2 - we're saved by grace, so live eternally. Live eternally. Ephesians 2:8, "I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God." We've been saved by God's grace, so we can live eternally. What's that mean ... "saved"? It means three things ... it means to be forgiven, to be fulfilled, and to be set free. And God doesn't save us for a few moments or days or weeks. The salvation He gives to us is eternal. We were headed for certain death and separation from Him for eternity, and because of His great love for us, He came to us and forgave us, fulfilled us, and set us free ... for eternity. That's a great gift!

How do we begin to enjoy that gift? Notice this principle. For a gift to be enjoyed, it must be received. Pretty simple. For us to enjoy a gift, we want to first receive it. And for some of us, this Christmas will be the best ever, because we'll receive the best gift ever. God's gift of eternal life. Just ask Him for it.

When we do start enjoying His great gift? Many people think we only get to enjoy it after we die. That's just not true. 1 Timothy 6:12 says, "Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you ..." Notice the words "has given." Not "will give you someday," but "has given" you right now. It says to hold tightly to it ... enjoy it ... live it right now … celebrate our new life!

In my first church, working as a student pastor, there was this little guy who cornered me during Coffee Hour, and he said, "Bob, Bob, Bob! Are you coming to my birthday party?" I didn't have anything lined up for the afternoon, so I said, "Sure, I don't have any plans for today. What time is it?" He said, "No, no, no. It's not today. It's in 5 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days." "Okay, let me write that down. I'll be there. Thanks for telling me." The next Sunday, during Coffee Hour, "Bob, Bob, Bob! Are you coming to my birthday party?" "Yes, I am. In 5 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days. I'm going. Let me erase the pencil, and write it in pen. It's a for sure." The next Sunday, during Coffee Hour, "Bob, Bob, Bob! Are you coming to my birthday party?" Well, I knew this was going to happen. I brought a birthday hat and a party horn. I whipped them out of my briefcase and said, "Look! I'm ready! I can't wait!"

Then I asked his mom, "Hey, what's the deal? I've never seen anything like this. I've never seen anybody this excited over celebrating a birthday." And she told me something I'll never forget. She said, "Mark is a foster child. And Mark has never, ever had a birthday party."

And I think of Mark when I look around and see Christians who don't celebrate. Friends, we've got reasons to celebrate. We want to quit acting like spiritual foster children, and claim the heritage we have in God and celebrate our inheritance of eternal life.

Question. Can knowing what's in our future change the way we feel and act today? Of course it can! Let's suppose you haven't had a job in 6 months, and the unemployment insurance is running out. But just last week you sat down and signed a contract to start a new job the first of the year. Now, do you think you'd wait until January to celebrate the new job? No way! It's party time, right now! And the fact that we know we have an eternity secure in God changes the way we feel and act today. Or, at least it should! The fact that we have eternal life ... does that mean we have to wait to get there to celebrate it? No way! We want to celebrate it today, and every day, right now. It changes the way we look at life.

Here's something we can do to help reinforce this point. Take a 3x5 card, and on one side of it, write the word "today" and on the other side write the word "eternity." Put it in your purse or wallet or pocket ... and any time you face a worry or a problem, take out the card. First, look at the side that says "today." Think about that problem and how terrible it is in the light of today. Really make yourself miserable! Have fun with it, okay? Then after you've done that for five or ten minutes, turn the card over, and think about that problem you're facing in the light of eternity, and see how it changes your attitude. The truth is, when we look at a lot of our worries even in the light of next week it would change our attitude. And when we begin to look at them in the light of eternity ... what a difference it makes! Live eternally.

Number three, we are molded by grace ... and so live responsibly. Some of us may be thinking, "Great! Don't talk to me about responsibilities! I'm overwhelmed by responsibilities!" Maybe you're a single parent. Maybe you're struggling to hold down two jobs ... or keep a business going. Ever feel like ... "I'm just trying to do what's right!"

Reminds me of the story about the Kindergarten teacher who loved to help her little students get all bundled up to go out into the snow and cold at the end of the school day. One day she sat down in front of one of her students, pulled out a pair of boots ... the kind with laces all the way up! ... and started to diligently lace up the boots ... about a ten minute job, struggling with this squirmy little girl. She finally got them all laced up ... the little girl hopped to her feet and announced to the teacher, "These aren't my boots." So the teacher unlaced them and pulled them off and put them back in the closet. Then her little student looks up at her and says, "Those are my big sister's boots, but my Mommy makes me wear them!" Ever feel like that? Just trying to do the right thing?

Want some new energy for that worn-out life? Look at Ephesians 2:10 (NIV), "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We are created, molded by God's grace in Christ Jesus, to do good works. But sometimes we just get so tired. That's because we're doing everything on our own. We want to learn to relax and let God's grace mold us to live responsibly. We want to learn to quit trying so hard and start trusting in God's grace.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV), "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was within me." Paul found a new energy working within him. God's grace. And God's grace is meant to be the creating, energizing, directing influence of our lives. We don't want to be self-made men and women ... we want to be grace-molded persons.

How do we motivate ourselves to get things done? Well, we can use guilt ... or grace. Under guilt, responsibilities seem like terrible burdens. Yet under grace, responsibilities seem like wonderful opportunities. It's the difference between, "I have to do that to get God to love me." and "I want to do that because God loves me!" And grace is a much better motivator than guilt, because it won't wear us out!

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV), "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

God's grace abounds ... and that means we live in a new kind of way ... responsibly. There's a principle here that we want to notice. The key to living responsibly is living responsively. Got that? The key to living responsibly is living responsively. Hebrews 10:24 says, "In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good ..."

God will never love us any more or any less than He loves us right now. And so what we do in life isn't to get Him to love us, because He does love us, but what we do in life is simply in response for the love, the grace, He already has for us.

How important is this grace, this gift, from God? Our last verse this morning, which also happens to be the last verse in the Bible. Revelation 22:21 (NIV), "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." It ends with grace. What a great gift!

Christmas reminds us that we are lavished with grace ... so we want to live abundantly. We are saved by grace, so we want to live eternally. And we are molded by grace, so we can live responsibly. God's grace. What a great gift!

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the greatest Christmas gift we could ever imagine, Your lavish grace. Help us to receive it, that we may live abundantly, eternally, and responsibly.

And the people said, “Amen.

"To Care is to Do!

Guest Sermon Series

Rev. Robert D. Shofner, Jr.

St. John's UCC Boonville

Over the past few weeks, we’ve spent time together imagining what this world would look like if God really did bring “up there down here.” And we looked at ways we can start working together to help bring that about, remembering that God is close than we think.

Today is what is known as “Christ the King” Sunday. This Sunday tries to focus our worship on the cosmic character of Christ’s reign over the world. It is a celebration of the kingdom of God.

In the 13th chapter of Matthew, our Lord gives us some very powerful descriptions of what the kingdom of God is really like. He tells us about a man who, plowing in a rented field one day, uncovered a tremendous treasure. He quickly covered it up and gathered everything that he possessed and sold it, so that he could buy that field where the treasure was. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is so wonderful, so attractive, so inspiring, that those who discover it give up everything else to keep it.

Jesus went on to tell the tale of the merchant who dealt in precious jewels. All through his life he kept looking for that one, perfect, gem, valued above all others. Finally, he comes across a pearl, a perfect pearl, a pearl of great price. He is so excited that he sells his entire inventory … sells everything he possesses so he could buy that one pearl.

That, Jesus says, is the Kingdom of God.

The point is ….. Jesus told us that we are worried about too many things. We worry about what we’ll be having for lunch after church … will Mr. Gatti’s be too crowded and run out of barbeque chicken pizza? We worry about the quality of our tap water … and buy bottled water from somebody else’s tap and pay more for it than a gallon of gas. We worry about what we’re going to wear to that big party … and will someone notice our shirt came from WalMart? We worry about the stock market … will the endowment run out? Will we have enough to retire on? Will we be healthy, wealthy and wise?

Jesus says, “Enough worry! God knows what you need. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness … and He’ll give you everything else.”

For those who’ve experienced just that … they know it’s true. Just ask the man who bought the field … ask the man who sold everything to buy that one pearl. Ask me! I’ve learned that God is completely faithful and true. I’ve learned that when I seek His kingdom and His righteousness He adds everything I need. I don’t need to worry about anything else. You don’t either. Everything that’s really needful …. anything that’s really worthwhile … God adds to our lives.

That’s a basic rearrangement of all our values, isn’t it? And that happens to us when we give ourselves completely to His kingdom … when we make it our first and top value. And we’ve said before, many times, that what we value determines the course of our life. What happens when we value God’s kingdom and righteousness above all else is that we discover, first hand, the love and grace of God. We come to know that there is not one thing you or I could do to ever make God stop loving us. And how do we respond to that certain knowledge? We love God.

Years ago, the United Church of Christ had a saying that was much better than the recent, “Never place a period where God has put a comma.” To me, that’s theological nonsense. No, years ago the UCC had a saying that was much more appropriate. It was, “To love is to care, to care is to do.” When we love, we care. And when we care, we serve.

There’s a story in the seventh chapter of Luke that makes this point. Our Lord is invited to dinner at the home of Simon, the Pharisee. Jesus rarely socialized with a Pharisee … but it was a free meal, so what the heck! Anyway, they had reclined around the low dinner table in the usual fashion, and as they were eating a woman, a prostitute actually, walked into the room. She came up behind Jesus and bent over His feet. She held those dirty, calloused feet in her hands and wept. She wept tears of remorse and shame. And her tears washed the dirt from His feet. She let loose her long hair and bent over His feet again and dried them with that hair. She brushed her hair back and tied it. She took a small bottle of perfume from under her sash. It was probably the same scent she would wear to entice her customers … and it wouldn’t have been cheap. She bent over His feet once again and began kissing them … kissing them as she poured that little bottle of perfume over the arch of His foot, spilling out between His toes.

Can we imagine the reaction of that stodgy, self-righteous Pharisee? He thought to himself, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner!” (Luke 7:39).

And Jesus, who knows our thoughts and hearts and minds, said to His host: “Simon, I have something to tell you.” Simon said: “Say on, Lord.” “Simon, a certain banker had two debtors, one owed him five hundred dollars and one owed him five thousand. One day, he called them in and told them that both debts were forgiven and forgotten. Now, I ask you, Simon, which one of these two men responded with more gratitude?”

Simon said: “I assume the one who was forgiven the greater debt.” Jesus said: “You have spoken correctly.”

He then said: “Look at this woman. She has sinned much, but she loves more. When I came into your house, Simon, you offered me no water to wash my feet, which is just common courtesy. You brought no ointment with which to anoint my hair, which, as a good host, you should have. You gave me no kiss of peace when I entered your house, as you should have. This poor woman has washed my feet, has anointed me, and has not stopped kissing my feet since she came.”

And He looked down at the woman at his feet and said to her, “You faith” – really, her love – “your faith has saved you. You are forgiven. Peace be with you.”

That’s the Gospel. The greater the knowledge of our sin, the more gratitude for the forgiveness of that sin, the more love for our Lord. How do we express that love? To love is to care … to care is to do.

You may remember that in the final chapters of John’s gospel we read of how our Lord Jesus, risen from the dead, made His way about the country-side, and His own disciples – Peter among them – had seen Him risen, glorified, victorious over death – and yet, did nothing about it! They simply went back to Galilee and took up their fishing. One night, just at dawn, after an entire night of fishing, they were coming into shore when they saw a man standing by a fire on the beach.

Peter recognized Him, threw on some clothes, leaped into the surf and waded up to greet his Lord. They sat down and ate breakfast together, and as they were eating, Jesus looked at Peter … Peter who three times – even though he had been warned, cautioned against it – three times had denied his Lord.

Jesus looked across the fire at Peter and spoke. He didn’t use the nickname which Peter loved because the Lord had given it to him – Peter, Petros, the Rock – instead He said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter bowed his head in shame and said, “Yes, Lord, I love You.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my lambs.”

After a moment, Jesus said with more emphasis, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord, You know I love You!”

“Then tend my sheep.”

And then a third time – and I’m sure Peter, by that time, realized it must be three times, since his denial had been thrice.

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

“Lord, You know all things. You know the thoughts of men’s hearts. You know that I love You!”

“Then feed my sheep.”

That’s the job, little man. What are you doing here fishing? If you love, then you must do. You have a job.

In the 25^th chapter of Matthew, Jesus is speaking about the end of times. He says;

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

You and I know that there are many hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, sick lambs of God around this world. How can we witness to them? How can we reach them all? The truth of the matter is, we can’t reach them all. But we can touch the lives of many.

This is where the Church of Jesus Christ, this is where St. John’s United Church of Christ gives each of us the opportunity to serve. The long arms of the Church can reach into every corner of the world and feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, minister to the sick, visit the imprisoned. And all that witnesses to our love for Christ. The money I give to this church helps me carry out the command given to Peter … and to all who love the Lord … “Feed my sheep. If you love me, then feed my sheep.”

On the other hand, if we don’t love Him, I could stand up here and preach stewardship until I’m blue in the face. I could point out the reasonableness of the whole thing, and it will run off us like water off the beard of a left-handed goat. It would mean nothing.

But when we love the Lord, as many of us do in gratitude for the love and forgiveness and grace He has given us, then we have the opportunity of showing that love through our good works … our stewardship … ministering to the lowliest and neediest of His children.

I, for myself, think of the words of that old hymn:

Where the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a tribute far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Let’s pray.

Lord of all creation, the sacrifice You made for us is so amazing, so divine. When we think on how wretched we are without You, it brings us to our knees in gratitude and love. And because we love You, we care about your brothers and sisters. And because we care, we serve. May our service bring honor and glory unto You. For that is our purpose, to know You and bring honor to You.

And the people said, “Amen.”

Seeing the Positive in our Problems

Guest Sermon Series

Rev. Robert D. Shofner, Jr.

St. John's UCC Boonville

Many people think that when they have problems, God is angry with them. And that's just not true. Many think that when they're having problems, they're out of God's will. And that's not necessarily true.

There are preachers on the TV and radio today that preach that God wants everybody to be healthy and wealthy. And when we're not healthy and wealthy, then they say we must be out of God's will. There’s a theological term for that way of thinking; “Baloney.”

1 Peter 4:12,19: "Don't be surprised at the painful trials you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. . . . Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." Notice that phrase, "those who suffer according to God's will." Problems are sometimes God's will for our lives. Yeah. That's right. So today we want to look at seeing the positive in our problems. We don't want to try to explain suffering, because there's no way that we could. But we want to learn to look at our problems from a new perspective.

How many of us had a problem this past week? All right. God uses that problem you're going through in five ways.

#1 - God uses problems to direct us. He often uses problems to point us in a new direction. To motivate us to change. To get our attention.

The frustrated teacher brought the little boy into the principal's office. "This boy is absolutely impossible!" she exclaimed. "I can no longer manage him. He is constantly causing trouble with the other kids; he doesn't pay attention; he gets into fights; and he constantly talks back to me. There must be some way to help him change his ways, but I just don't know what to do."

"Now, now, Miss Higgins," the principal replied. "You must remember that each child is a precious gift from God. We must practice love, patience, and understanding."

At that moment the errant young lad grabbed a book off the principal's desk which caused a potted plant to fall off onto the floor which set up a chain reaction that ended with the principal slipping in the mud and falling on his behind.

The boy started laughing at all the trouble he had set in motion as the principal got up and seized the child. He put the boy across his knees and paddled him.

The teacher gasped, "But you just told me that we must show children love, patience and understanding."

"How right you are, Miss Higgins," replied the principal. "But first you must get their attention!"

Proverbs 20:30 (GN), "Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways." How many would agree with that verse? Usually we change, not when we see the light, but when we feel the heat. C.S. Lewis once said, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain." He gets our attention real quick when problems come upon us.

There are many example of this in the Bible. Take Elijah. One time Elijah was hiding out in the desert. He had everything he needed. Fresh water from a brook, birds bringing him food. He was safe and content and not about to leave. But then ... one day the brook dried up! Ever have a brook dry up in your life? All our resources dry up? Elijah thought, "What gives? God's been taking care of me, and all of a sudden the resources aren't there. God must not love me anymore." And God answered him, "No, that's not it at all. I just want your attention here. I don't want you to stay where the brook is. It's time to move on. And as long as you are comfortable in that situation, you're not going to change." The brook dried up so that God could direct Elijah to a new situation.

Sometimes a job dries up, a relationship dries up, a situation dries up ... why? God says, "Because I don't want you hanging around there anymore. I want you trying something new."

Remember the story of Jonah? God told Jonah to go to Ninevah. That way. He went to Tarshish ... as far that way as you could go. So God arranged a little Mediterranean cruise for Jonah. In the belly of a fish. Fish says, "Jonah, you're going in the wrong direction." And when the fish spits him out, guess which way he's headed?

God uses problems to direct us. To prod us, to push us. We would rarely change if we didn't have any problems. So we want to ask the question: "Where is this problem leading me?" Because problems never leave you where they found you. When we go through a problem we always end up someplace different from where we started off. God uses problems to direct us.

#2 - God uses problems to inspect us. To check us out, to see what we're like on the inside. To test us. Somebody once said that people are like tea bags. You never know what's really inside them until you drop them in hot water.

Deuteronomy 8:2, "The Lord God led you all the way into the desert these 40 years ... to test you in order to know what was in your heart ..." Notice that word "test." The Bible says that when Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea , they were to stop at Mt. Sinai , then move on to the Promised Land. Now, the walk from Egypt to Israel really shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. But it took them 40 years! Why? God wanted them to wander around for a while so that He could test them. Seven times God tested them to see what was inside of them. Remember that story about Marah? That was one of the 7 tests. And every time they blew it, God said, "Okay, one more lap around the desert!"

Has God ever tested you? You bet He has. And we want to ask the question, "What does this problem reveal about me?" James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance ... so you may be mature and complete ..."

The Bible often compares suffering to a refining fire. You take silver and heat it up to burn off the impurities. God does that with people ... through problems. Isaiah 48:10, "I (God) have tested you in the fire of suffering, as silver is refined in a furnace." God uses problems to burn off the excess in our lives, the stuff that's not needed, to purify us. Asked a silversmith once, "How do you know when silver's pure?" He answered, "When I can see my reflection in it." When God sees His reflection in our lives, He knows that He's burned off the impurities.

#3 - God uses problems to correct us. Psalm 119:71, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your statutes." Hear that word "learn." He's saying that life is a school and our problems are the curriculum. Now why is it that some lessons we only learn through failure? Some things we only learn by blowing it. I remember being a kid and having mom say, "Now, Bobby, don't touch that hot stove." Do you think I touched it? Count on it. Did I ever touch it again? Nope. I learned by being burned.

Have you ever learned by being burned? Ever get burned in a relationship? Financially? Ever get burned by a bad decision? God uses problems to correct us when we're going off in the wrong direction. Living Bible paraphrase of that verse from the Psalms: "... it was the best thing that could happen to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws!" It seems that it's just human nature that we have to learn through pain.

Hebrews 12:7 (LB), "Let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected?" Do we discipline our kids? Yeah, sure we do. Why? Because we love them. This verse tells us that God's discipline of us is proof that He loves us. (God knows He must love me a lot, right?) Problems don't mean that God hates us, problems mean that God loves us! He allows the circumstances that are the natural consequence of our behavior to occur.

Now we want to get this above anything else this morning. Many people say, "I made a bad decision, I blew it. So I'll just confess my sin to God and ask Him to forgive me." Does God forgive me? Yes! Instantly, I'm forgiven. It's wiped out. No condemnation.

But that does not mean that God cancels out the cause and effect of that situation. We are forgiven, but He doesn't withdraw all of the circumstances. I could go out and recklessly race my Corvette down Main Street , crash into a car, hurt someone else and break my own arm. When I ask God to forgive me, He would forgive me ... but I'd still have a broken arm and a lawsuit. See what I'm saying?

God forgives us, but He often allows the effects of our sin to stay in order to teach us not to do it again. If every time we did something bad, and we could get away with it by just saying, "God, forgive me. " ... we'd keep right on doing it! But the Bible says we reap what we sow. And God allows that to happen, we reap what we sow, not because He hates us but because He loves us. He wants us to learn. "... it was the best thing that could happen to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws!" God's discipline proves that we are His children.

So when problems come, we don't want to ask "why." We want to ask, "what?" What does God want to teach us? God uses problems in our lives to teach us about Himself ... His power, His love, His grace. The fact that He can handle anything, that He knows everything about us ... the good, the bad and the ugly, and He still loves us. He also uses our problems to teach us something about ourselves. God may use a situation to reveal a weakness, to show up a blind spot, a character fault. So He uses these problems to correct us.

#4 - sometimes God uses problems to protect us. Sometimes God allows problems in our lives for our own benefit. Many times a problem is actually a blessing in disguise. It may prevent us from getting involved in something more harmful. 1 Peter 3:17, "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil." He says, "You're going to have problems in life. So you might as well have problems for doing the right thing, rather than problems for doing the wrong thing." He's saying that it's safer doing what's right, what's honest, and suffer for it ... than to compromise our values, do what's wrong, and suffer for that.

When I think of this verse, "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil." I think of Joseph. We've talked about his story before. Remember how his master's wife accuses him of rape because he won't sleep with her? And he gets put into prison for doing good. I'm sure Joseph sat in that prison and thought, "What gives, God? What are you doing?" Sometimes you do the right thing and everything falls apart. Joseph was in prison for doing the right thing. But if he wasn't in prison, he wouldn't have met the men who introduced him to the Pharaoh who eventually put Joseph in charge of the whole country! And two nations were saved from seven years of famine because he ended up in jail. God knew what He was doing, even if Joseph didn't. So remember, we don't see the whole picture, but God does. And He's faithful to us.

So we want to ask, "What is it about this problem that's protecting me? How is this helping me to trust God?"

#5 - Last one - sometimes God uses problems to perfect us. To develop us. Romans 5:3-4 (LB), "We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials (I'm kidding, right?) for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it ..." It's like the old illustration about the uncut diamond. We are an uncut diamond. And God wants to chip off our rough edges, to polish us up and make us a beautiful gem that glistens and reflects His glory. And so He uses problems to chip off the rough edges in our lives. He comes along with a little chisel and hammer, and sees that rough edge, and goes "chink." Then He sees another rough edge, and "chink." Sometimes there's a great big rough edge, and He gets out a bigger chisel and hammer and goes, "CHINK!" Sometimes He may have to use dynamite ... because it takes different kinds of things to get our attention. But God is trying to shape us into something for His glory and use.

God wants to make us like Jesus Christ. And He does that two ways. Through the Bible, and through circumstances. When we read the Bible, He helps make us like Christ. As we go through circumstances, He forces us to become more like Christ. You see, the easy way is this. God says in the Bible, "Be patient." And we're patient.

But when we don't learn it that way, God will just put us in a traffic jam, force us to learn patience. We read the Bible and it tells us, "Be humble." So we can do it the easy way and just do what God wants. But if we don't, that's okay, because God will teach us the hard way. He'll humiliate us. God will get His message across.

Paul learned that lesson. He talks about his thorn in the flesh. We don't know what it was. It was some type of irritation, maybe physical, maybe emotional. It says three times he prayed desperately, "God, take this situation out of my life." And God said, "No way, Jose." Why? Because the purpose of the problem is greater than the pain of the problem. If God took it out of the way, Paul wouldn't learn the lesson that God wanted him to learn. So God sometimes says "no" to the removal of a problem, because He wants us to learn something first.

In Hebrews it says that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. How do we think we're going to be made perfect? The same way. 1 Peter talks about how there are seasons in life. In life we have good times and bad, things change. There are springs and summers and falls and winters. All sunshine and no rain makes a desert. All rain and no sunshine ... you need an ark. We want balance in our lives. We want seasons in our lives to season us, to prepare us to be what God wants us to be.

Now, the question we ask for this is, "How can I grow from the problem? How does God want to perfect me through this problem?"

Let's wrap up. Our problems are not the problem. The problem is the way we respond to our problems. When do problems become real problems? They become real problems when we get a bad attitude about them. When we lose our perspective, when we let go of our values. They become real problems when we lose our sense of humor, when we start holding pity parties. When we start blaming other people for our circumstances.

(Saw a bumper sticker that said, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you place the blame.")

I was teaching a class once and we talked about our problems in life, and I explained that God always gives us the strength to bear any burden He may place upon us. And He gives us the grace to overcome all evil with His help.

And I asked, "Are there any comments?" A hand slowly rose in the back of the room, and the person said, "Pastor, I know that God doesn't cause us evil. And I understand that He only tests our faith to give us a chance to grow stronger as His children. But, you know, I still think that sometimes He overdoes it."

What do you think? I think this. Romans 8:28. "We know that in everything God works for good with those that love Him, who are called according to His purpose." In everything, even our problems.

Let's pray:

Now, let's think about these questions as we pray. Just ask, Lord, are you using this problem to direct me? If so, which way do you want me to go? Lord, are you using this problem to inspect me? If so, what does it reveal about me? Lord, are you using this problem to correct me? If so, what should I change? Father, are you using this problem to protect me? You know what's best. God, are you using this problem to perfect me? If so, chip away, Lord! Make us more and more like your son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Help us to see that the pain of the problem is a lot less than the purpose, that you are teaching us and perfecting us and that in all things you work for our eventual good. And for that we give you praise and call you good.

And the people said, “Amen.”

"God Is Enough!"

Condensed Sermon Series #2
By Reverend D. Edson Ames
Senior Pastor
Boonville Wesleyan Church

Introduction: I’m a hunter; but only in my mind. I watched a program about a young man who wanted to hunt a certain kind of deer in the Scottish Highlands. He hired a man who had lived and hunted the deer all his life. They went into the mountains and finally saw the deer very far away. He put his rifle on the ground with a tripod and killed the deer when all he could see is the silhouette against the sky. I was reminded of 2 things:

1. If you’re hunting for big game don’t use a shotgun

2. To bag a trophy may require extra effort and sacrifice

I have had a vision of being a great hunter so I bought a wii game at Bass Pro Shop. I don’t expect I’ll hang any trophies, but it’s the closest I’ll come. It’s not the real way it’s just a substitute.

Through the records of man and God it is a repeated fact that people are always leaving the ways of God and going their own way. We often try to substitute the easy false way for the more strenuous right way.

I want to give us some ammunition for our hunt for the hearts and minds of those who have tried to substitute the false gods for the Real God.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:35-39 NKJV)

Let’s bag a “trophy” for Jesus this week with 1 shot: GOD IS ENOUGH!

1. It is human nature for people to get bored and restless with routine.

-Moses had gone up the mountain to receive the commandments and the people got tired of waiting for God to do something, so they made a golden calf.

- While Israel was in the wilderness, God fed them manna from heaven but they got tired of that, even though it had everything they needed to live on, so they demanded

something else. God sent them quail (birds) until they grew sick of them.

- People find God's goodness boring. After a while they get tired of it so they mix something with it.

2. For many Christians God is not enough.

- They want what the SALVATION the cross of Jesus provides, but not what it demands.

- They want God's protection while living their worldly ways. God's ways become boring

so they want more.

- They invent "religious" entertainment" to "pep" up their "worship" services, God is not enough.

- They want physical healing more than spiritual healing.

3. The Christian won't be where he/she ought to be until he/she gets to a place where God is enough.

- Those who desire and pursue the presence of the Holy God and stand in awed silence are satisfied.

- Those who are obedient and seek only God's will are satisfied with what God does.

- We have to live here in this world but we don't have to be like it.

- Many take the things of the world and "sanctify" them saying those things are necessary for spiritual happiness.

- The presence of God brings more delight and satisfaction than all the invented gadgets, things and programs of the entire world.

4. "Stand in the way, and see for yourselves, and ask for the old paths, the good way, and you shall find rest to your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)

- They are ancient and eternal with no time quality attached to them.

- God's creation, our response and relation to God, human sin, human redemption, the incarnation, the indwelling Christ, the union of the soul with God.

- We will never be where we ought to be until these things become to us the source of

excitement and satisfaction.

- We will not be bored with God.

- We will not make God's redemptive plan merely an escape from Hell.

- We will center our affections upon God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

5. The person who is where he/she should be with God will require very little from the world.

- It is amazing how much God will meet one's needs.

- It will not be God plus something else.

- It will be God - everything.

- In the world, yes, but that person's anchor will be God and if cut off from all the comforts and things the world provides, he/she will still be perfectly at rest for God will

be enough.

CONCLUSION:

1. Can you say that through the difficult times that God has been enough?

2. Are you confident that in the days ahead GOD IS ENOUGH?

3. Will you tell someone this week that you have experienced through your trials and heartaches — GOD IS ENOUGH?