Cedar Park Sunday Sermons

Cedar Park Sunday Sermons Cedar Park http://www.cedarpark.org Cedar Park Sunday Sermons Cedar Park Sunday Sermons Cedar Park Sunday Sermons en-us © Copyright PHP/5.1.4 Cedar Park it@cedarpark.org Cedar Park http://www.cedarpark.org/style/images/cedarpark.jpg http://www.cedarpark.org/ no 20080511 Honor Your Mother! http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten  Honor your Father and Mother is one of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:12-16 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” The command relating to one’s parents is right up there with murder, adultery, stealing, and perjury. Why would God put your parents into that unique list? Why does he promise you long life if you do so?   We honor our mother because life comes from her. Without that life you would never have been. The sheer gift of life is of ultimate worth in and of itself. We appreciate people who gave us chances in life: The boss who hired you in your first job; The person who took a chance and gave you a big assignment that allowed you to shine. You never forget those people because without them you wouldn’t be anywhere near where you are today. Your mother is that person in the ultimate sense. My parents like to tell the story of their first three children, born one right after the other like stair-steps. They had enne, menne, and minee, and didn’t want no mo’. Well, that was their plan. But in the providence of God, and the result of inadequate planning, I was born. I suppose I could suffer from low self-esteem knowing that I am an accident. But they say it is not what happens to you that determines self-esteem but how you think about it. Instead of being an accident I prefer to think of it as being unstoppable. Do you remember the child-hood game of drop the handkerchief? The one who was “it” would go around the circle and drop the handkerchief behind someone who would pick it up and run around the circle. Well, first my brother got to run, then my sister, and finally my other sister. After that, month after month, year after year, they walked around and around. Eventually, being very tired, they stuffed the handkerchief into their pocket. But while they weren’t looking, it fell out and landed near me. I quickly grabbed it before they knew they dropped it and started to run. For nine months, it was hard to stretch out my legs and lungs, but after that it got a lot easier. Now I love running. Linda and I dropped the handkerchief a few times ourselves, now we’ve got four that are running.   Once we cross that threshold, there are lots of challenges with a day like today. I definitely feel for people. Some of you have laid your mothers to rest in the last while and you feel the loss and loneliness of that. In the presence of the Lord we find rest and peace for our souls. I hope you will say that it is good to be in God’s house on this day. Early in the week a couple asked if they could come by to talk about the terrible experience of thinking they had a baby they could adopt. They even held the baby and had it for a very short time before she was suddenly taken away and their hopes were dashed. By weeks end, in a sudden reversal, they had the baby. Somewhere a birth mother’s life had careened out of control while another woman had joyfully become that child’s mother. In it all, the church is the house of God where those who are full of joy can rejoice and those who are broken-hearted can find peace for their souls. Such is the comfort of the Holy Spirit. By the way, one thing I hope to get established this year is an embryo adoption and donation program here at Cedar Park. There is a tremendous need which I believe we could help fill. In the middle of the week a grandmother called. Her grandson was being born way too soon. They had him for only 8 hours before he slipped into heaven. What we learn is that church is where we find comfort in the Lord. Some don’t look back with much fondness on their experiences as a child and they find fault with mom. If you are here and your family either was not or is not what it should be then you are in the right place. I think it is helpful to be in a place like this where right standards are held up. In this kind of place we get to measure ourselves and our experiences. We do discover that we ourselves are not, nor have we been, all that we should be. We receive the grace of God and extend it to others. There is great power in understanding that people did what made sense to them at the time. Later we can find all sorts of fault with what happened, but it seemed to make sense to people at the time. Even things like drug use fall into that category. Why would anybody take drugs? It seems like such a disaster. Yet people convince themselves that it is a good idea at the time. A few years ago my father took me back to his Wisconsin farm town and showed me around where he grew up. This summer I hope to get to Ione, Oregon where my mother pastored in the 1930’s. It has always been a tiny place. When she was there the church was just a few feet from the railroad tracks. She lived in the back room of the church for a while until a family took pity on her and took her in. The amount of struggle that must have involved I can’t even imagine. Friedel Votava told a story of her mother in our Thursday morning prayer group the other day. They were refugees in WWII. They were sleeping out in the open field at night, without a place to stay, but her mother spoke of the stars overhead as belonging to them. When they passed by homes where people actually lived, that hungry and homeless mother told her daughter that it was theirs but somebody else was just living there for now. I think you will find it a lot easier to forgive the past if you will just recognize that people sometimes make bad decisions, and for the wrong reasons, but for reasons they could justify or rationalize at the time. This is why mother’s need to pray for themselves and for their children. As a mother, you need the wisdom to do as you should and to see the consequences of what you do. If you are a step mother raising children you know how much you need the wisdom of God to navigate all those issues. The point of all this, is that Mother’s Day is not simple anymore. When we talk like this I suppose some people would answer the way the disciples did when Jesus talked about divorce. The disciples said it must be better not to marry at all. I suppose some would say, it is better not to have kids today. The mandate to be fruitful and multiply has not changed. The world’s attitude toward children has changed. They are increasingly being seen as consumers of limited resources. Some years ago, I was teaching a class to ministry students in the Philippines. Students were there from all over Asia. I was talking about children and the Biblical viewpoint. They really had a hard time with it because so much emphasis was being given to smaller families by their governments that they were absorbing those attitudes for themselves. It strikes me that we also are being pressed into a mold different from what God desires for us. Marriage and children is God’s idea. God has in mind that we would raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The world wants to live in child-free, adults-only condominiums. The only time some people wish they had more kids is when the government gives economy-stimulating payments. Part of the process of valuing children is to honor mothers. When you honor your mother, you fulfill God’s command. You show respect for life itself. You show respect for yourself when you honor your mother. You are valuable and the one who gave you life is honored for that. If you love yourself, you will love your mother.   Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080504 Christ In Pentecost http://www.cedarpark.org David Brickner Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080427 Preparing for Pentecost http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten <h2>Acts 2:1-8 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?</h2> The Jews have emphasized Law. Pentecost is one of the seven Biblical holidays. In Hebrew it is Shavout. Originally it was an agricultural feast but already by the time of Jesus it had changed into a celebration of the giving of the Ten Commandments. The Jews understood Pentecost to be about law, but God had a change in mind. When God gave the Ten Commandments, several of the same signs were present then as in New Testament Pentecost. The cloven tongues of fire reminded them of Sinai where the words of God divided into 70 tongues of fire, representing the tongues of the 70 nations. In Jewish thought, the world is divided into Jews and 70 Gentile nations. According to the tradition there were literally tongues of fire at Sinai which sat upon the people of Israel like a diadem or crown.<a name="_ftnref1" href="#_ftn1" title="_ftnref1">[1]</a> On the day of Pentecost, when the tongues of fire sat upon the 120,<a name="_ftnref2" href="#_ftn2" title="_ftnref2">[2]</a> this came as no particular surprise to those present. Israel had seen it before. By seeing it again, they clearly made the connection that what God had done at Sinai, he was doing again. God had made a covenant with Israel at Sinai. Now he was communicating the new covenant with Israel and those who would believe, the Covenant that Ezekiel and Jeremiah had foreseen. The sound of the rushing mighty wind reminded them of the growing sound of the trumpet on Sinai.<a name="_ftnref3" href="#_ftn3" title="_ftnref3">[3]</a> The great sound that accompanied God’s speaking at Sinai was echoed at Zion. Again, it was not just that a sound was present, but it was a sound that reminded them of God’s presence on Sinai and communicated that this was an event of equal significance. The speaking in tongues reminded them that at Sinai, God’s words came first as flames of fire which then became words and voice. When God spoke, they could both see and hear his words. They could see them in stone, but also hear God speak in their language. At Zion, this was how God manifested himself. First came the sound, then the fire, then his Spirit speaking through the believers in words which could be heard. The glory of God has spoken by the Spirit in the tongues of those who were present to listen. The spoken languages were a physical evidence that God had spoken. God spoke to Israel on Sinai with physical evidences. Now he speaks to the world, also accompanied by evidence that it is God and not another who is speaking.<a name="_ftnref4" href="#_ftn4" title="_ftnref4">[4]</a> <a name="_ftnref5" href="#_ftn5" title="_ftnref5">[5]</a> <a name="_ftnref6" href="#_ftn6" title="_ftnref6">[6]</a> For the Jew, Pentecost was the receiving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. But Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled when God wrote his law upon their hearts. (Jeremiah 31:31-33) "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” It would be good if Legislatures were to discover that the answer is not more laws but a change of heart. Every time there is a problem, someone proposes a new law. We are being buried in well meaning laws, but the problems are not being solved because the problem is in the heart. Some Groups have emphasized Holiness. This is the part the Methodists, Nazarenes, and CMA, have emphasized. I have an old book from 1880 titled, The Offices of the Holy Spirit. What a great book! Typical of the late 1800’s, it had a strong emphasis upon holiness. For them, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, was to emphasize the “Holy” in Holy Spirit. In those days the church was aflame with the fire of Pentecost as a holy fire. Their passion was, “God, touch my life with the coals off the altar and purify me.” The fire of the Holy Spirit is the refiner’s fire that burns away the impurities. Those kind of Churches were called Holiness Churches. The Assemblies of God were part of that movement. It seems to me we could use a revival of that spirit again Other groups see the baptism of the Holy Spirit as having to do with Salvation Church of England, Episcopalians, and Lutherans would be in this category. For them, Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit entering at the moment of salvation, which is also related to Baptism. In fact, in a Lutheran Church they call it Whitsunday. This alludes to wearing white and being baptized in water. (Hence whitsunday). The founder of the Lutheran Church, Martin Luther wrote in his great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” these words, “The Spirit and the Gifts are ours.” Emphasizing the Spirit and the gifts is a good thing on this day. Catholics take a similar view. They see the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as taking place in water Baptism. Since most Catholics are baptized as infants, it is difficult to see the gifts of the Spirit in operation at such a young age. Unless we called baby talk speaking in tongues, there is no evidence of salvation at that time. Catholic theologians such as Fr. Kelian McDonnell recognize the problem and urge Catholics to pray for the actualization of the Spirit’s work which they received in water baptism. In their way of thinking, the gifts of the Spirit have laid dormant all those years and need to be fanned into flame. The Holy Spirit certainly has a hand in us being saved. No one comes unless they are drawn. <h1 style="text-indent: 0.5in">For other groups, Pentecost is about us ceasing to work and God working. The Kestwickians say its about more of God and nothing of you. The idea that we become passive and just let God work is their idea. Like all the above, there is something to be said for that.</h1> Still other groups think Pentecost is about speaking in Tongues. This was certainly the unmistakable sign that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit has occurred in our text and elsewhere in the Scripture, but it is not really what it is about. It is my experience that people will speak in tongues, especially when they realize it is still for today, but that is not the goal. Jesus himself said what this was about in Acts 1:8.<a name="_ftnref7" href="#_ftn7" title="_ftnref7">[7]</a> It is about the power to be a witness in allthe world. There are two dimensions: receiving power and being a witness. There is some kind of necessary and causal link between the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and doing the work of Missions. This is why Jesus told them to wait. They had great worship, the last part of Luke’s Gospel is clear enough about that. They had great Bible Study, the last part of Luke also tells us that. They already had the Holy Spirit, John’s Gospel makes that clear in John 20:22. What they did not have was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The subsequent nature of the Baptism of the Spirit is the critical part. That is, it is subsequent to salvation. It’s what Jesus did not have before the Spirit came upon him on the banks of the Jordan. It’s what the disciples did not have, even after Jesus breathed his spirit into them on Easter night. It is what the church is so lacking in today. We need the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is the same as the ancient Church. In “The Divine Liturgy of James, the Holy Apostle and Brother of the Lord,” written, as to its main fabric, before AD 200 they prayed like we do. Three times in the liturgy there is a prayer for the gifts of the Spirit. In the third prayer, which comes as part of the lengthy communion, the liturgist prays for the Holy Spirit to come. He prays for the Spirit who is described as the one,   that descended in the form of a dove on our Lord Jesus Christ at the river Jordan, and abode on Him; that descended on Thy apostles in the form of tongues of fire in the upper room of the holy and glorious Zion on the day of Pentecost; this Thine all-holy Spirit, send down, O Lord, upon us, and upon these offered holy gifts. <a name="_ftnref8" href="#_ftn8" title="_ftnref8">[8]</a>   Enshrined in the divine liturgy, the analogy takes on enormous theological force. It is not incidental or secondary. The analogy is firmly within the mainstream of early church belief. What the early Christians hoped to receive was compared to what Jesus and the disciples had received. It short, what was hoped for was analogous to what their predecessors had received. Our prayer is the same. We want to win our world for Jesus and we need his spiritual baptism to accomplish. I am asking you to open your heart to his spiritual baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.    <hr />  <a name="_ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" title="_ftn1">[1]</a> Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture XVII.8, p. 126-128. See also the following footnotes. He said, “He sat upon them in the form of fiery tongues, that they might crown themselves with new and spiritual diadems by fiery tongues upon their heads.” <div id="ftn2"> <a name="_ftn2" href="#_ftnref2" title="_ftn2">[2]</a> Chrysostom in Homily IV on The Acts of the Apostles, (Vol 11, p 25) says that it was not upon the 12 but the 120 that the Spirit came, otherwise the prophecy regarding all flesh, including sons, daughters, and young and old men could not have been fulfilled as Peter preached. </div> <a name="_ftn3" href="#_ftnref3" title="_ftn3">[3]</a> Exodus 19:16-19. On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him <a name="_ftn4" href="#_ftnref4" title="_ftn4">[4]</a> Kvarme, page 10 writes: “Aramaic Targums of the Tanach and the Jewish Hellenistic writer Philo explain that God’s words at Sinai came first as flames which then became words and voices [Texts 2 & 3]. The rabbinic tradition also mentions that the words from God were divided into seventy tongues of flames--i.e. the tongues of the 70 nations. The same rabbinic tradition also explains that the glory of God descended upon the heads of the Israelites as divine diadems when they received the Torah at Sinai [Text 4].” Note: A Targum is an Aramaic translation or paraphrase of an OT book. The Tanach is the Hebrew word for the Old Testament taken as a whole. It has three divisions: Pentateuch or Torah, Prophets or Nebiim, and the Hagiographa or Ketubim. <a name="_ftn5" href="#_ftnref5" title="_ftn5">[5]</a> Philo, The Decalogue, 45-46: “They had cleansed themselves with ablutions and lustrations for three days past, and moreover had washed their clothes. So in the whitest of raiment they stood on tiptoe with ears pricked up in obedience to the warning of Moses to prepare themselves for a congregation which he knew would be held from the oracular advice he received when he was summoned up by himself. Then from the midst of the fire that streamed from heaven there sounded forth to their utter amazement a voice, for the flame became articulate speech in the language familiar to the audience, and so clearly and distinctly were the words formed by it that they seemed to see rather than hear them.” <a name="_ftn6" href="#_ftnref6" title="_ftn6">[6]</a> Fragment-Targum (from the Cairo Geniza) to Exodus 20:2 said, “I am the Lord: The first commandment, when it left the mouth of the Holy One Blessed be He,...as meteors and lightening and as torches of fire; a fiery torch to its right and a fiery torch to its left, which burst forth and flew in the air of the heavenly expanse; it proceeded to circle around the camp of Israel; and then was engraved upon the tablets of the covenant.” <a name="_ftn7" href="#_ftnref7" title="_ftn7">[7]</a> But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. <a name="_ftn8" href="#_ftnref8" title="_ftn8">[8]</a> General Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, p. 319, cited on p. 553, Vol. 7 Ante-Nicene Fathers. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080420 Faith and Frustration http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten Hebrews 11:1-12:211:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age - and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. 23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  Hebrews 12 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NIV Hebrews 11 has rightly been called the Hall of Faith. The luminaries mentioned are among the greatest of all time. The chapter could just as easily be called the Hall of Frustration. Almost every one lived lives of at least periodic frustration. I do believe the ideas in this section will help us deal with our various frustrations. This was the passage that Augustine used in City of God to explain to a newly Christian population in Rome how that city, that had already lasted over 1000 years, could fall to the Visigoths in 410 AD. Pagans were saying that Christianity was a weak religion that is unable to preserve a city like the old Roman gods of paganism. The challenge of Augustine is not too dissimilar to challenges being offered to Christianity with people like the Dalai Lama. Secularists and anti-Christians are basically saying that Christianity is not adequate to the building and protection of a city or a culture so we need to find alternative worldviews for the future. Augustine answered the pagans pretty well on a point by point basis. However, in the end, he concluded that the frustrations were just part of life in the city of man. Christianity is really more concerned with the heavenly city rather than the earthly city. Augustine was drawing upon Hebrews 11 for that logic. There is a City of God which is yet unrealized. Verse 13 tells us that we are "aliens and strangers" on this earth; and we have "opportunity to return" to our life before Christ. When trouble comes, you always have the option of going back into your ways of sin, a return to paganism, drugs, alcohol, pleasure, or whatever the methods of self-medication. The person of faith, however, does not go back to the old ways. Instead, we are "longing for a better country - a heavenly one."Many have marched toward that City of God, acting in various ways to achieve it. Hebrews 11 gives us examples. What exactly did they do?<ol><li> <ul><li>Abel offered an obedient sacrifice rather than a man-created one.</li><li>Enoch pleased God and walked with him.</li><li>Noah built an ark and preached judgment to the world.</li><li>Abraham followed God without knowing the destination, lived in a foreign country, and lived in tents. He overcame infertility in the birth of Isaac yet was willing to offer him as a sacrifice when asked to do so.</li><li>Isaac blessed his children, as Jacob did.</li><li>Jacob's son Joseph acted to preserve his bones so he could participate in a future he would not live to see.</li><li>The parents of Moses saw great potential in Moses and defied the King.</li><li>Moses himself was willing to identify with God's people rather than enjoy the money that came with being Pharaoh's son, or the temporary pleasures of sin.</li></ul></li></ol> In each case, their operative mechanism was faith. The writer defined faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." How important is it to have such hope and certainty? Verse 6 answers "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."Just take one on the list as an example. Joseph became second in command in Egypt and literally saved the nation and the region with the economic plan that God showed him. If he second in command kind of power at the start of the 14 year run, you can imagine the power he had when the Pharaoh owned all the wealth of Egypt because of Joseph. When Joseph was ready to die, a very elaborate tomb had been prepared for him that archaeologists believe they have found. What did Joseph really want? When you leave, take my bones to the land of promise. I won't make it with you, but I am so certain of what God has promised that I want my bones to go to share in the joy. The activity of faith spanned a wide range of human activity: <ul><li>1. Understanding God's creation of the world. "3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."</li><li>2. They Crossed the Red Sea and literally saw Jericho fall.</li><li>3. They were powerful in battle, routing foreign armies and conquering kingdoms. </li><li>4. They administered justice, while still others withstood imprisonment and torture even to the point of painful death.</li><li>5. Others endured discrimination and poverty. Some were homeless and mistreated.</li></ul>In this long struggle called life, the faithful do not always go from victory to victory and many will breathe their last in apparent dismay and disaster. Some of the promises of God will not be received as we think they should be. But those for whom the earthly clock runs out before the heavenly city is realized still have a hope. They knew that "40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." I'm glad God told us about the full range of people of faith. There were the successful ones like Joseph, the almost successful ones like Moses, and those who were sawed in half. But they were all the people of faith who will inherit the City of God some day. If it is all in the future, how does God help us now? We are not left to make it on our own. Ephesians 1:13-14 indicates "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory." We get a little bit of God now, in assurance of his fullness later on.   Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080413 Seeds of Compassion or Seeds of Deception http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten The arrival of the Dalai Lama to Seattle has been greeted with considerable fanfare. As head of the Tibetan Buddhist religion, it seems to me, his visit has been received with insufficient objectivity. We continue the naïve idealization of Tibetan religion and history. I certainly understand why many want to support him. I do as well. After all, he is one of the few that is standing up to the Chinese Communists. From my perspective, he can be supported from a strategic point of view, just as we supported Joseph Stalin against Adolf Hitler in WWII. The ongoing treatment of the Tibetans by the Chinese has been subject to the world’s condemnation. I do not understand how political support for Tibetan independence translates into the present appearance of the Dalai Lama in Seattle for the so-called “Seeds of Compassion” conference. I understand and support the idea of compassion. It is the second core idea of Christianity behind loving God with all your heart. What I don’t get is why the Dalai Lama, or the Tibetan Buddhist religion he leads, represents any of those ideals. It is not plain to me that the legacy of Tibetan Buddhism is compassion to any comparable extent with Christianity. It is also not clear why the media in Washington State has been doing such a poor job of investigative reporting. If the Dalai Lama is going to come to Seattle to talk about compassion, surely one reporter among hundreds in the Northwest will investigate the level of compassion in those areas where Tibetan Buddhism has governed for centuries. Indeed, if I got a package of seeds with the Dalai Lama’s picture on it labeled “seeds of compassion” and I planted them, I wonder what would come up. We have to look at the flowering of his seeds of compassion where they have had time to grow. It is good to talk compassion. But when the Dalai Lama was in charge of Tibet, 95% of the Tibetans were slaves to the 5% of Tibetans who owned all the means of production and wealth. Over 85% of the people lived in dire poverty.<a name="_ftnref1" href="#_ftn1" title="_ftnref1">[1]</a> How can the Dalai Lama come here and talk to us about compassion for people when his own record in Tibet showed so little regard for the personal and economic well-being of his country. According to the Buddha Dharma Education Association “various forms of the caste system are practiced in several Buddhist countries, mainly in Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Japan where butchers, leather and metal workers and janitors are sometimes regarded as being impure.<a name="_ftnref2" href="#_ftn2" title="_ftnref2">[2]</a> If you were going to drop a seed of compassion, one would think that one of those seeds should go to the 95% who were slaves. One would think another seed of compassion might go to the leather or metal workers, or butchers, and to the local janitor who cleans your office. The Dalai Lama wants us to have compassion for children in Foster Care here in America. Maybe some reporter will go to the orphanages of Lhasa to see whether they are run by foreigners from Western and Christian countries rather than by people from Buddhist countries or by his own monks. If his holiness is going to be dropping seeds of compassion here in Seattle, one would have hoped that a few might have been dropped earlier in his own capital city. I am still waiting for that report. I know that Christians operate orphanages in his countries mostly because those Buddhist seeds of compassion are not sufficiently in evidence to take care of the need locally. I know that two days ago I buried Dorothy Nelson who had spent over 25 years as a Sunday School teacher and Missionette leader and had cared for over 100 Foster children in her home over a 30 year period. I know about that kind of compassion expressed in deeds. Compassion that is only words is less impressive. The Dalai Lama wants children to be cared for. Jesus blessed and welcomed children. His harshest criticism was against those who harmed children. (It would be better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck and be dropped into the sea.) In Buddhism, we learn that everywhere that Buddha went, his footprints were swastikas. What kind of footprints are left behind His Holiness? How many hospitals have sprung up to care for the sick? If you believe that suffering is caused by bad Karma, do your “seeds of compassion” include building hospitals to care for the sick? Does medical care cure bad Karma? Is there any point in trying to find help for a person whose problem really is bad Karma? Does that Buddhist idea motivate anyone into the helping professions? I know that this church, by ourselves, built a hospital to care for the sick in one of his Buddhist countries. How many hospitals has his government built? Surely one Northwest reporter will want to know the answer to that question. I considered called this sermon “My Dogma is chasing your Karma” but thought better of it. I read all the time about the greatness of Eastern medicine. No doubt they have learned things. I just wonder how it is applied. In Christianity, ever since Jesus taught about the Good Samaritan, we believe in helping those who are wounded. That’s why the world’s first hospital was a Christian hospital. That is why Christians have led the way ever since in health care and medicine. What is the record of His Holiness in health care? For His Holiness, each person who now lives has also lived in past lives. There is no soul. There are only Karmic elements that endure from reincarnation to reincarnation. If I do not obtain enlightenment or Nirvana, then I cannot escape the endless cycle of death and rebirth. Even so, I should not even possess the desire for Nirvana. I should empty myself of all desire. This is quite different from what the Dalai Lama thinks of Jesus. He thinks of Jesus as a fully enlightened master who has been through all those stages, suffering again and again as he progressed to Nirvana. The Bible has quite a different picture in Hebrews 9:24-28. “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once , and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” James A. Beverley interviewed the Dalai Lama in 2001 for Christianity Today. He asked how Jesus could be “Enlightened” and teach falsehood according to Buddhist teaching. Here is a bit from that article:   I reminded him of his belief that Jesus is "a fully enlightened being" and asked, "If Jesus is fully enlightened, wouldn't he be teaching the truth about himself? Therefore, if he is teaching the truth, then he is the Son of God, and there is a God, and Jesus is the Savior. If he is fully enlightened, he should teach the truth. If he is not teaching the truth, he is not that enlightened."……..As the Dalai Lama felt the momentum of the question, he laughed more than at any other time in the interview. He obviously understood the argument, borrowed from C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity………."This is a very good question," he said. "This is very, very important, very important." Even in Buddha's case, he said, a distinction must always be made between teachings that "always remain valid" and others that "we have the liberty to reject."…….He argued that the Buddha knew people were not always ready for the higher truth because it "wouldn't suit, wouldn't help." Therefore, lesser truths are sometimes taught because of the person's ignorance or condition. This is known in Buddhist dharma as the doctrine of uppayah, or skillful means. The Dalai Lama then applied this to the question about Jesus……."Jesus Christ also lived previous lives," he said. "So, you see, he reached a high state, either as a Bodhisattva, or an enlightened person, through Buddhist practice or something like that. Then, at a certain period, certain era, he appeared as a new master, and then because of circumstances, he taught certain views different from Buddhism, but he also taught the same religious values as I mentioned earlier: Be patient, tolerant, compassionate. This is, you see, the real message in order to become a better human being." He said that there was absolutely no lying involved since Jesus' motivation was to help people.<a name="_ftnref3" href="#_ftn3" title="_ftnref3">[3]</a><a href="http://www.truthnet.org/Christianity/Cults/Buddhism12/#_ftn9#_ftn9">[9]</a>   I want to come back to the political for a moment. I am sure that a great part of the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle is political. Apparently he is going to make a political statement today about China. I want to say a few words about the spiritual dimension of political decision-making in the Tibetan government. They operate with an Oracle. The following paragraphs are from the official website of the Tibetan government in exile in a section called “Nechung - The State Oracle of Tibet.” It reads “Like many ancient civilizations of the world, the phenomenon of oracles remains an important part of the Tibetan way of life. Tibetans rely on oracles for various reasons. The purpose of the oracles is not just to foretell the future. They are called upon as protectors and sometimes used as healers. However, their primary function is to protect the Buddha Dharma and its practitioners. “In the Tibetan tradition, the word oracle is used for a spirit which enters those men and women who act as mediums between the natural and the spiritual realms. The mediums are, therefore, known as kuten, which literally means, "the physical basis."” “Of these, the principal one is the Nechung oracle. Through him manifests Dorje Drak-den (Nechung), the principal protector divinity of the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama. It is because of this that Nechung Kuten is given the rank of a deputy minister in the exiled Tibetan government hierarchy. “In his autobiography, Freedom in Exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes: "For hundreds of years now, it has been traditional for the Dalai Lama, and the Government, to consult Nechung during the New Year festivals. In addition, he might well be called upon at other times if either have specific queries. I myself have dealings with him several times a year. This may sound far-fetched to twentieth-century western readers. Even some Tibetans, mostly those who consider themselves 'progressive', have misgivings about my continued use of this ancient method of intelligence gathering. But I do so for the simple reason that as I look back over the many occasions when I have asked questions of the oracle, on each one of them time has proved that his answer was correct. This is not to say that I rely solely on the oracle's advice. I do not. I seek his opinion in the same way as I seek the opinion of my Cabinet and just as 1 seek the opinion of my own conscience. I consider the gods to be my 'upper house'. The Kashag constitutes my lower house. Like any other leader, I consult both before making a decision on affairs of state. And sometimes, in addition to Nechung's counsel, I also take into consideration certain prophecies. The official website goes on to describe the demonic possession of this government oracle in the course of these consultations: "Now the kuten's face transforms, becoming rather wild before puffing up to give him an altogether strange appearance, with bulging eyes and swollen cheeks. His breathing begins to shorten and he starts to hiss violently. Then, momentarily, his respiration stops. At this point the helmet is tied in place with a knot so tight that it would undoubtedly strangle the Kuten if something very real were not happening. The possession is now complete and the mortal frame of the medium expands visibly.” There can be little doubt that the governmental affairs of the Tibetan government in exile belong to the realm of the demonic rather than the democratic. This whole propagandizing in Seattle about “seeds of compassion” is nothing more than a demonic strategy to appeal to Westerners who have been raised in the Christian tradition, a tradition that follows genuine compassion. Both the spiritual and physical reality of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama are quite different. We are in the days described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”    <hr />  <a name="_ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" title="_ftn1">[1]</a> http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200105/18/eng20010518_70297.html <a name="_ftn2" href="#_ftnref2" title="_ftn2">[2]</a> http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd53.htm <a name="_ftn3" href="#_ftnref3" title="_ftn3">[3]</a> http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/008/15.64.html Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080406 People do Change! http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost are to teach us how to release the Spirit of God in our lives. It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. I have always been impressed by how much the disciples changed. The change was both dramatic and progressive. They started out as ordinary people. Under the influence of Jesus the change began little by little but it took a quantum leap in Luke 9:1-2 when Jesus sent out the disciples to heal the sick and to cast out demons in (Luke 9:1-2) “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” They borrowed the power and authority of Jesus and it made a difference But the crucifixion was serious, not only for Jesus, but also traumatic for his disciples. It impacted their outlook on life, and the future, and they became very fearful. Traumatic events are like that. They shape the way we think about even unrelated things. We noted last week that Jesus spoke his peace into their lives twice in their first meeting that resurrection night. He had to do that to get them out of the past and into the present. That Easter night was the next significant milestone in their personal progress and change. John 20:19-22 “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. This was a dramatic change. Now the power and authority was not external, it resided within them. Luke gives us the third step in their progress. (Luke 24:44-53) “44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” The fourth step in that progress is what Jesus promised in Acts1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." We could say the fifth step was after Pentecost in Acts 4:31 “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” I am not going to give it to you verbally here this morning but in my sermon notes on the web I give you the perspective of Gregory Nazianzen on this progress nature of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gregory Nazianzen identifies three phases of encounter with the Holy Spirit. These are during the ministry of Jesus, at the in-breathing, and at Pentecost. Here is his argument: If the disciples did miracles, they must have had the Holy Spirit since only the Spirit can give such power. There is no doubt that he believed the disciples received the in-breathing of the Spirit on Easter night.   ...the disciples of Christ...(received the Holy Spirit) in three ways, as they were able to receive him, and on three occasions; before Christ was glorified by the passion, and after he was glorified by the Resurrection; and after His ascension…to heaven. Now the first of these manifest Him—the healing of the sick and casting out of evil spirits, which could not be apart from the Spirit; and so does that breathing upon them after the Resurrection, which we are now commemorating. <a name="_ftnref1" href="#_ftn1" title="_ftnref1">[1]</a>   Furthermore, Gregory viewed each of these experiences as progressive. The second was more than the first, and the third was more than the second. In another of his sermons he shows that it was progressive and each one was more substantial than the next.   . . . by gradual additions, and, as David says, Goings up, and advances and progress from glory to glory, the Light of the Trinity might shine upon the more illuminated. For this reason it was, I think, that He gradually came to dwell in the Disciples, measuring Himself out to them according to their capacity to receive Him, at the beginning of the Gospel, after the Passion, after the Ascension, making perfect their powers, being breathed upon them, and appearing in fiery tongues.<a name="_ftnref2" href="#_ftn2" title="_ftnref2">[2]</a>   They changed during the discipleship period when Jesus sent them out two by two. They changed when he appeared to them on the night of the resurrection. They changed even more when he blessed them as he was ascending into heaven 40 days after Easter. They changed even more dramatically after Pentecost. That kind of progress is impressive. I wish the Bible gave formulas for that kind of change because it is what we all want. We should note several things about this. For the disciples, the external circumstances did not change. They Romans would still kill you and the Religious Jews tried to find ways to do you in. They had as much reason to fear after Pentecost as they did at the time of the crucifixion. It is not usually the external circumstances that make the difference. What makes the difference is the Spirit of God within you. The progressive work of the Spirit infused those disciples with victory all through the years. They were able to pass it on to others so they also could endure centuries of persecution. The Christian sense of victory was so great that the phoenix, a mythical bird that rose from the ashes of its demise to a new life, became a Christian symbol.<a name="_ftnref3" href="#_ftn3" title="_ftnref3">[3]</a> That is pretty impressive. Your religion is so substantial on the subject of recovery from death or disaster that the very symbols of the religion deal with resurrection. It reminds me of the sermon a preached on the last Sunday night of November 1975. Later that night a fire broke out that destroyed the Sanctuary of Life Center in Tacoma. The next morning that 1200 seat Sanctuary lay smoldering in a blackened heap of twisted metal and charred wood. I will never forget Pastor Buntain, cap in hand, declaring that the church would rise again by the same power that built it the first time. My lot fell to motivating the youth choir to sing every Sunday morning at the 8 AM service. Even so, it was an inspiring time. It set the tone for that congregation for at least a decade. I still keep a charred piece of the brass trim off the pulpit from that church to remind me of it. I love the examples of faith in the midst of trial. The Communion Cloth on the table before me I bought in Damascus, Syria. I found it walking along a side street just off the “street called Straight” mentioned in the Bible, and not far from where Paul probably was let down over the wall so he could escape from those who wanted to kill him. There in the midst of what is now a largely Moslem city, is this guy we makes beautiful cloth with crosses and Christian symbols. In his own way he keeps the faith alive and visible. I appreciated his work but also the attitude that kept him there when many others like him have long since fled. The point that I am making is that the Holy Spirit will change you into that kind of person. There are times you can’t do much about the world around you but the Holy Spirit can make you a very different person. He will do so gradually, but it comes in spurts. There are significant moments when Jesus breathes into your life, or when he lifts his hands and blesses you, or when he baptizes you with his Holy Spirit, or when he fills you anew with his Spirit. I suspect some here have accepted yourself as you are. You have put a limit upon the Holy Spirit. You have accepted the viewpoint that people pretty much don’t change after the age of 27. By that time, they are what they are. You have accepted that the way you relate to other people was set long ago through some traumatic event and it is not going to change. You take away the power of the Holy Spirit. If in the Bible he turned scared disciples into joyful people who praise God and stand up to bullies, he can do the same for you.    <hr />  <a name="_ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" title="_ftn1">[1]</a> “Gregory Nazianzen, On Pentecost,” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers; vol. 7. p. 382-383. <a name="_ftn2" href="#_ftnref2" title="_ftn2">[2]</a>Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., “Gregory Nazianzen, On the Holy Spirit,” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers; vol. 7 (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995) 326. <a name="_ftn3" href="#_ftnref3" title="_ftn3">[3]</a> I refer to the bird which is peculiar to the East, famous for its singularity, marvelous from its posthumous life, which renews its life in a voluntary death; its dying day is its birthday, for on it it departs and returns; once more a phoenix where just now there was none; once more himself, but just now out of existence; another, yet the same. What can be more express and more significant for our subject; or to what other thing can such a phenomenon bear witness? God even in His own Scripture says: “The righteous shall flourish like the phoenix;” that is, shall flourish or revive, from death, from the grave--to teach you to believe that a bodily substance may be recovered even from the fire. Our Lord has declared that we are “better than many sparrows:” well, if not better than many a phoenix too, it were no great thing. But must men die once for all, while birds in Arabia are sure of a resurrection? [Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., “On the Resurrection of the Flesh,” Ante-Nicene Fathers; Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian; vol 3 (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994) 554.]   Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080330 Walking with Jesus (On the Road to Emmaus) http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten Luke 24:13-49   13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept<a name="_ftnref1" href="#_ftn1" title="_ftnref1">[1]</a> from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." NIV   Before we get too deep, how about seven quick pictures from my most recent visit to Emmaus, at least one of the better contenders for the actual place? This passage takes place on the day of the resurrection of Jesus. It is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it is one of many appearances of Jesus to crowds large and small after the resurrection. His resurrection was never meant to be something which took place in a corner and was only mystically known to his followers. Second, the appearance is physical not just mystical. Here he wants them to feel his wounds and he even ate fish with them as a way of making a physical connection with them. Third, even though Jesus would reveal himself physically, it would appear that he could also be overlooked. The text here might indicate that Jesus somehow hid himself from them. In the NIV we read “they were kept from recognizing him.” The old King James similarly implied it when it said, “But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” If the Mark 16:12 passage refers to this incident, and not another, then the Lord himself had something to do with their failure to recognize him: “Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.” I would like to use the appearance of Jesus to these two disciples on the road to Emmaus as a metaphor for your walk with Jesus. You are traveling today. If you are on the road to Emmaus, what else aren’t you seeing? Much later, Paul would worry that too much was not being seen. They needed to have their eyes opened. Jenna Jo Duffy will recite Ephesians 1 as Paul says that. (Eph 1:17-23) “17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” In our text, Jesus appeared to them differently that they would have expected. My simple question is “are you missing Jesus on your journey?” He has been walking beside you. What has he been saying this past week that you have not heard or understood? What keeps you from hearing him? From the text it is clear that the two disciples were emotionally spent and distracted. When Jesus approached them, “He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast.” For them, the crucifixion was still the dominant reality. This is even after they had heard reports that Jesus had arisen. Luke 24:9-11 indicates these disciples may have been there with the Eleven: “9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” They had heard the report but discounted its reality. I wonder to what extent you are discounting what God is already doing. God has already done his part but you are still laboring under the past because you discount God’s reality. Are you still laboring under guilt because you will not truly accept the report of salvation and forgiveness of sins? Do you feel worthless because you have discounted how God has already worked in your life? Has God accomplished nothing in your life over these last years? In your mind, are you still the person of yesterday who did all that other stuff? Are you holding on to the wrong reality? Fear will do that to you. Pain can do that to you. Anxiety can do that to you. I can preach the resurrected Savior to you but you are all caught up in your pain to such a degree that it seems like nonsense to you. You rule out the truth because you hang on to things in the past. I am not saying nothing happened to you, both negatively and positively in the past. Wouldn’t you admit that watching the crucifixion live is even worse then watching it in a movie? Wouldn’t those disciples have residual issues to resolve from all that. Maybe that is why Jesus met with his disciples on that first Easter night and spoke peace to them twice. We see that recorded again here in Luke 24:36 “Peace be with you.” The reality is what Jesus said in (Rev 3:20) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” You can hear the words of the Lord’s love for you if you will listen. You will hear him express that he desires to be with you. It will be like going to lunch with a good friend or having dinner together.                    <hr />  <a name="_ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" title="_ftn1">[1]</a> Mark 16:12 “Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.” Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080330 Climate Change http://www.cedarpark.org John Mackay Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080323 Easter 2008 - Parable of the Ugly Seed http://www.cedarpark.org Dr. Joseph Fuiten 1 Corinthians 153 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 35 But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.  42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.   Paul describes the resurrection as being like planting. We don't put the body of the plant in the ground. We put in the seed. The plant is different from the seed yet it springs from it. Like Paul here in Corinthians, Jesus often used parables to illustrate spiritual points. I would like to follow that style with my message this morning, "The parable of the ugly seed." As you leave today please take one of my packets of ugly seeds. As you take home and plant those ugly seeds, something beautiful will emerge. My hope and prayer is that Easter this year will be a time for you to plant both physical and spiritual seeds that will bring forth real beauty.All the seeds I am offering have a history. A few years ago, I was traveling in Oregon. We stopped at the church where my Father had Pastored in Turner, Oregon. While he went in, I wandered the grounds. I noticed that a beautiful row of marigolds were growing along the church sidewalk. They had been planted there by a Spanish lady who was a member of the Church. She had labored to make her church beautiful. It was a labor of love that I enjoyed that day. As I am inclined to do, I harvested a few seeds for my own garden. I have some marigold seeds that have descended from those plants. I have two other varieties of marigolds as well. The pom pom varieties I originally harvested from the very southern tip of Jerusalem overlooking Bethlehem. I saw them in a garden and helped myself to some seeds from a dried up plant. I don't know the name of this marigold but I first saw this flower in a flowerbox in Snohomish and thought it was beautiful. I came home but couldn't forget about that marigold so a few weeks later I told Linda we were going back to Snohomish to see if I could capture a seed pod from that plant. I was dismayed to find that the pot was empty of plants including that unusual marigold. Only dry dirt remained. While she went into the store I decided to rummage through the dirt and see if I could find a few loose seeds. I lovingly brought them home and planted them the next year. What it produced was a magnificent lanky marigold suitable as a cut flower. I call it Snohomish Marigold after the place where I first saw it. (It is similar to Mr. Majestic only larger.) I also have a couple of varieties of zinnias, including the dahlia zinnia, and some calendula.  When you come to church we ask you to believe in God and what he does. The faith that we propose is not without basis however. It is not blind faith.These seeds illustrate the faithfulness of God. If God has done it before we can count on him to do it again. How do I know that if I plant these seeds they will come up? I know it because God's Creation is orderly because God is orderly. There are laws because God has an orderly mind and has created an orderly universe. What if it was random? What if seeds grew backwards and what I planted came up in China? The Scripture itself teaches me this in Psalm 85:10-13 "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps." These seeds also cause us to recognize that our relationship with God involves me as well. I have a part of play. If I do my part, God will do his. We believe God rewards labor. We believe those who go to the trouble of planting seeds will enjoy the fruits of their labors.A man said to a farmer with a beautiful farm: "That sure is a beautiful farm you and God have there" Yes, but you should have seen it when God had it by himself." The Scriptures teaches the importance of labor for beautiful things to come about. In 1 Corinthians 3:8 "The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." God both requires labor and rewards labor. It has been that way since the beginning. At the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2:15 "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." I think it is notable that man's labor was even before sin entered the world. It was made difficult after sin which we read about in Genesis 3:17-19 "To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Investment, education, punctuality, effort.....these things do make a difference.We believe that not every good deed has immediate results. Some deeds take a week, some a month, some a lifetime, and some require eternity for their blossom to be seen. Even so, your future is being planted today.The transforming power of God takes ugly little things to produce beautiful big things. Manure, dirt, and a skinny seed.....produce something beautiful. A cross is not beautiful. It is horrible and painful, but it bought your forgiveness. 35 But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.Without burial, there is no ultimate beauty. These seeds that I am giving you today are a statement of the spiritual life that Easter also pictures. Think of it as a kind of faith capsule. When we wanted to acquire the property to the south where the High School now stands we didn't have the money to buy the land let alone do anything with it. One Sunday night I had the congregation go with me out onto that ballfield and we planted a faith capsule. In it was $1 to signify the money we needed. I put a small Bible to represent what God would do. Then people wrote prayers and statements of what we wanted God to do. It took a while but today that High School is an accomplished reality and it is blessing many families.Would you believe with me today for transformation of what goes into the ground? <ul><li>The ugly thing we put in is physical sickness even to the point of death? Ask God for his touch to give life to that body. </li><li>We put in human relationships that have been killed. The love that once was is now dead and there is no hope.</li><li>Our inability to sell a house or property with the resultant financial losses.</li><li>Mental distortion of situations and people.</li></ul>On this Resurrection Sunday call upon God that his power might bring life to that which has died in your circumstances. When you go home, write a prayer and bury it along with the seeds and believe God for a beautiful result. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080316 Hope is on its way! http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten Mark 11:1-11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. NIVLet me begin by walking with you down the Mount of Olives along the route that Jesus surely walked on this day long ago. The trip begins on the top of the mount of olives where you will be met by Shu Shu the kissing camel and his Arab owner who hopes to make a few dollars off you. Beyond one of the ugliest scenes soon you will see some of the most inspiring from the golden domes of the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene to the place where Jesus wept over the city. The mosaic floor of Dominus Flevit I had copied and it now graces the front of the Chapel of the Resurrection here on the Bothell campus. From inside the Chapel you look at eye level with Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock now gleaming a few hundred yards away. We pause in the Garden of Gethsemane for a few minutes to reflect and to pray where Jesus prayed. Then we head toward those ancient walls and the now sealed gates that once led directly into the temple area. God willing both the choir as part of Generations, and my bi-annual tour a bit later will walk down that very path.The scene then as now represented misplaced faith. There is such a thing as misplaced faith. It happens all the time both inside and outside the church. It has also happened in the Bible. I say that their faith was misplaced because what they wanted out of that moment and what Jesus intended to provide were two very different things. It was Passover. The City was filling up with tens of thousands of people for Passover. The incoming crowd was bringing incredible reports about Jesus. Reports of miracles, demons being driven out, the crippled walking. Even the dead were raised. The prophet of Nazareth was increasingly viewed as the Messiah. For a Jew, the dream of the Messiah stirred his very soul like nothing else. His religious passions were stirred, because God was visiting his people. His political and nationalistic feelings also rose. After 700 years of oppression by one group of foreigners after another, they were ready for a change. It was time for change. If this was the Messiah, this meant the House of David would rise again. It reminded them of the day when Israel was free; its borders wide; its armies feared; when kings begged for mercy; and queens traveled to its wisdom. When Messiah came, there would be no Roman troops in Antonia fortress overlooking the Temple. There would be no Roman tax collector. The wretched Greek gym with its naked competitors would no longer corrupt the youth. At once, he would overthrow Roman occupation AND Greek culture. It would be Israel's day. The problem was that Jesus had in mind to establish a kingdom of the heart at that point in history, not an earthly kingdom. They were right that Jesus would be the king, but their faith was misplaced on that day. As evidence of their misplaced faith, probably some of the very same people turned on Jesus when he did not meet their expectations. You can put your faith in a girlfriend to make you happy. You can put your faith in a politician to really change things. You can put your faith in a man who will make the church everything that it needs to be. It seems that God has not destined things to work that way at this point in time. There is a lot of misplaced faith in relationships. If you aren't happy before you meet that special someone, you won't be happy for long after you meet them. No one truly has the power to make you happy. It is too much of a burden for anyone to carry for long. The more you place on them, the less likely they will be to satisfy your lack on inner happiness. You can put your faith in a politician to solve all your troubles and make the world a safe place, but it will be a misplace faith. Funny how they make John Kennedy out to be a popular American hero but I remember the reality. In fact, before he was assassinated his popularity rating was below 50%. More people disapproved of him than approved of him. There is no politician who has the answer for this world because this world's problems are not fundamentally political. Everybody, even Democrats, like to talk about how great Ronald Reagan was but at the time he had plenty of critics all over the world. The truth is, there are a lot of ways to govern and God has not set very many of those ways in stone. Societies have the opportunity to try to apply the principles of the faith in a variety of ways. Rather than look for the answer, look for people who will look to God for the answer. The answer is in the questioning of God for his purposes at any given moment. Sometimes people want to church to tell them how to raise their kids or how to get along with their spouse. The fact is, the Bible is famously thin on that kind of advice. Those who write their books and do their seminars are largely taking cultural norms and trying to shoe horn them into Bible verses. Children are to obey their parents and husbands are to love their wives and wives to respect their husbands. Beyond that, God gives a lot of latitude The people of Jesus day expected a political solution to their problems. But they had been drawn to Jesus was the compassion for the sick and the evidence of the hand of God upon his life and ministry. He represented a future with God. 10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" They anticipated that this was the one who would relieve them of the drudgery of work. He would be for the guy who worked hard but never seemed to get ahead. No matter how much he tried, there was never quite enough. They hoped this would be the call written in Isaiah 55:1-3. "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. They hoped he would be the one who would rescue them from the ever present dangers and trials of life as Isaiah 43:2-3 had promised. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; They already had seen that he was the one who would heal them. It seemed to be what God himself had promised to their forefathers in Exodus 15:26 "He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you ." Even though their motivations might have been misplaced and their timing was certainly off, Hope was on his way! Jesus is the one who makes our labors meaningful. He is the one who goes with us through the deep waters. He is the one who "forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's," as Psalm 103 tells us. Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus is coming again. This time, the glory, honor, and power will all be his. He will enter in triumph and he will reign in triumph. Everything the Jews of the first century hoped for and more will come as a result of the earthly rule of Jesus. National Israel will be restored. Peace and justice will finally come to the earth.   Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 0:00 20080309 Anger! http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten Quite a number of people indicated on their prayer card that they were dealing with anger as a life-controlling issue. This is not surprising since a Harvard University study put Intermittent Explosive Disorder at 7.3% and a Rhode Island study put that number at 6%. Intermittent explosive disorder is the name given by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to a behavioral disorder characterized by extreme expressions of anger, often to the point of uncontrollable rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. The DSM calls it an impulse control disorder. In the Harvard study there was an average of $1359 in property damage.[3] The study did not measure emotional damage to others. I would not characterize every angry outburst as Intermittent explosive disorder under the DSM definition but the fact that it has a diagnosis is clearly an indication of the prevalence of anger problems. I appreciated the fact that a number of people indicated that they felt anger was a life controlling issue for them. Frequently, angry people prefer to justify their anger, blaming it on the people around them. If other people weren't such idiots, I would not have to be angry so often. The frequency of comments in the Bible on this topic would indicate that the extent of anger today is not so different from 2,000 years ago. Indeed, Psalm 37:8 says "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil." The chance of doing evil while you are angry is very high.Certainly anger is not always bad. There is such a thing as righteous anger. It is an emotion which Jesus himself showed. One time Jesus healed a man as an expression of his anger. Mark 3:1-6 tells that story. Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, but some were looking to find fault. In verse 5 "He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored." Martin Luther once famously said that he couldn't do anything really well unless he was angry. Aristotle said "Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way... that is not easy." There are plenty of examples in Scripture where a person is told to avoid anger. The Bible would suggest that anger is only one letter short of danger. Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32). A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered (Proverbs 17:27). A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11). An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins (Proverbs 29:22). My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:19-20). I would like to turn to Ephesians 4 to take a deeper look at the subject. First it is worth noting that Paul was writing from prison. He was unjustly there. His only crime was the preach the Gospel and try to rescue people from hell. If anybody had the right to be angry, Paul was that man. Yet Paul begins Ephesians 4 like this: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." His writing from prison gave him authority to write to others. He urged them to be humble. When we become angry, what percentage of the time is it related to our pride being offended? Probably pretty high. Jesus was able to humble himself and forgive his tormentors from the cross itself. This is the model that Paul is emulating for our benefit. He next urges gentleness. Just like a quiet answer diffuses anger, so a gentle action also reduces anger. The term that Paul uses is "bear with one another." This is the same idea from the love chapter of the Bible as well as the gifts of the Spirit. It is longsuffering. It is patience that keeps on going. When you are married, you soon know the other person's weakness just as they know yours. Continuing to patiently live with an imperfect person is what Paul is urging here. This results in the bond of peace being established. Paul then takes a brief detour into the topic of spiritual gifts as he always does when the topic of unity comes up. That is, we appreciate how God works through the other person which results in peace. In verse 25 he returns to the topic of people not getting along with each other. He offers a powerful word that applies here: 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. NIVThe distinction he makes is between anger and sin. It is theoretically possible to be angry without sinning. It just doesn't happen all that often. Don't let the sun go down while you are angry. That is, live in day tight compartments. There was a guy telling his friend that he and his wife had a serious argument the night before. "But it ended," he said, "when she came crawling to me on her hands and knees." "What did she say?" asked the friend. The husband replied, "She said, 'Come out from under that bed, you coward!'" Whatever it takes, bring it to an end. Marcus Aurelius said "How much more grevious are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." Whatever it was that made you angry, it is nothing compared to what will happen if you let your anger run. It's embarrassing to get angry and blast someone only to discover that you were wrong. Never write a letter when you are angry. Or if you do, don't send it. I do think it is good to write it down. It clears the mind. Otherwise you tend to keep going over the same material in your mind without the benefit of anyone commenting on it. Paul's statement that holding anger inside of you is that it opens you up to all sorts of evil. It gives the devil an opening. In the last part of this chapter he urges us to get a hold of our mouths. You know you have an anger problem if you launch into a verbal tirade that includes swearing when you are hurt either physically or emotionally. Paul's statement to that would be 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Paul then finishes this section with a summary statement: 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. His final word deals with forgiveness. I don't doubt that a great part of the rage and anger of life comes from a lack of forgiveness. We get hurt almost inevitably. It is part of life. When you forgive, you get rid of your own anger because you take charge of yourself. You are no longer at the mercy of others and how they act or talk. No matter what they do, you are still in charge. You have the power to forgive. This takes great grace from the Lord but it is what we receive when we pray.   Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800 0:00 20080302 Fear Not! http://www.cedarpark.org Pastor Joe Fuiten Last Sunday we had our freedom from life-controlling habits prayer service. After going home and reading all the needs expressed, and praying about them, one is inclined toward doubting one’s effectiveness in ministry. We seem to have a church full of human beings. There was the usual assortment of tobacco, alcohol, illicit and prescription drug issues, food, and sexual issues. I think we will want to take some of those issues on in future weeks. For these two remaining Sundays in the Lenten Season, I want to cover two life-controlling habits of the mind which quite a number of you mentioned as issues with which you are dealing. Next Sunday I will take on the subject of anger. Today, I want to speak to something which many mentioned. Fear! Fear is understandably a major life-controlling issue. There are threats to our lives such as disasters. If you have no fear, it is more of a problem. When the Columbus Day Hurricane of 1962 hit I was a teenager out in the yard trying to catch tree branches before they hit the ground. I had no fear because I had never before been in a storm like that. Friday I was over at the Gorc’s house in a slight breeze and I was fearfully studying the Maple tree over our heads to see if there were any dead branches that might come down. That’s a reasonable fear which is not life-controlling but life-enabling. Many people fear being a victim of crime or accidents or disaster. Within reasonable bounds that is helpful. However, we can even go too far is concern for those kinds of things. I remember waking up at night in a sweat having dreamed that one of our children had fallen out of an airplane or similar kinds of tragedies. I never became obsessed by it but twenty years later I can still remember the dream. I also remember the fear I had about my ability to succeed in the real world as I came to the end of my undergraduate education. Several students worried about their future in school and in life. As it turns out, their parents can sometimes become fearful as well. When my kids were in Junior High one of them had a teacher who tried to convince them that they would never own a home. He was instilling fear. We have the fear of terrorism or of war. Many people fear demons. We live in strange times. We have a great deal of security, but almost none at all. The American economy is by far the most powerful in the world but everyone worries about recession. We have the best medicine in history, but we worry about bugs that are immune to antibiotics. We have the cleanest air and water in a long time, but people are consumed by pollution fears. People know that the works of man can fail. The planet is secure, but people fear the asteroid that is right now bearing down upon us.   What does the Bible say about this subject? One of the great, recurrent themes of the Bible is the tendency to fear and God’s assurances in those fears. Isaiah 51:12-15 has one of those exchanges: “Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, 13 that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? 14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. 15 For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar — the LORD Almighty is his name.” David, the Psalmist of Israel wrote words that I quote often: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Jesus was talking to his disciples in Matthew 10 as he was sending them out on their early mission. (Matt 10:26, 28-31) Three times he told them not to be afraid: 26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. In Romans 8:15 Paul tells us “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." In Hebrews 2:15 Jesus came to “…free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” 1 John 4:18 shows the connection between love, punishment and fear. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 2 Timothy 1:7 draws the comparison with fear and what God does for us. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”   How do we implement these biblical answers? <p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="