How Have I Sinned (2006 March 21-28)
March 21, 2006
Exodus 20:1-11
John Milgate, A Community of Grace
Father, allow me to gaze upon Jesus today.
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. To whom are these commands given? (vs. 2)
2. How many times are the words “God” or “Lord” used in these verses?
3. Can you summarize the commands given here?
If we are to consider “how have I sinned” there is no better place to look than the Law of Moses. Sin – “falling short of the mark” – is made known through the Law (consider Rm. 7:7, 8) . Like using a mirror to see a blemish on our face, the law shows us our faults but can’t remove them.
These first four commandments focus on the relationship between the Israelites and God: Give Me first place, make no image of Me, never use My name frivolously, and observe the Sabbath. The Israelites, confident in their ability to obey, thought they could establish their own righteousness by following rules (Ex. 24:3, Rm. 10:3). This same approach to righteousness was proposed by some in the early church – “command them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).
How have I sinned? Maybe instead of allowing the Law to do its fault finding, you have tried to follow it as the way to righteous living. Perhaps you are “testing God” in a way the Apostle Peter warned against (Acts 15:10). If the Spirit convicts, confess and be restored; but don’t change your conduct without His leading – because even following sound teaching is a “falling short” if it is not done by faith (Rm. 14:23)!
God’s words from Sinai terrified the Israelites (Ex. 19:16, 20:18). Today His Spirit prompts us to call to Him with the closest of family terms – “Papa” or “Daddy” (Rm. 8:15, Gal. 4:6). To be prompted by Him to such intimacy, but to insist instead on formality, may be another “falling short.” I know many older people for whom I express respect by calling them “Mr.” or “Mrs.”. But when one of them asks me to call them by their first name, I show disrespect if I continue with the formalities. I invite you to “draw near” to “Papa” today, receive His expressions of love to you, and respond from your heart. “In this is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us, and gave His Son to wash away our sins and give us His blessings” (1 Jn. 4:10).
May our thoughts and words about Him be pure.
Prayer
Daddy, I draw near to you today and desire to honor You in all I think, do and say.
March 22, 2006
Exodus 20:12-17
Mike McCoy, Hills Vineyard (Concord)
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. Which of these commands is a challenge for you to obey?
2. Why do you think God cares so much about how we treat each other?
3. How do you need to be changed so you can love your neighbor as you love yourself?
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge attempts to extinguish the light of truth that is in the spirit of Christmas past. Even though he makes her disappear, her words echo in his room, ‘Truth lives.’ God spoke the truth, the Torah, to Moses on Mount Sinai. Like Scrooge, many of us have tried to extinguish these words of life giving truth, jokingly calling these commands of God the ‘ten suggestions.’ More seriously, many have claimed that these commands are ‘old fashioned’ and ‘out of date,’ meant for people of another time and culture. Even the morally thoughtful may question whether these commands are relevant to the complex issues we face today.
When does human life begin? Is the use of embryonic stem cells killing a human being? How will we know if we go too far with genetic engineering?
Has the possibility of a ‘just war’ become impossible in an age of ‘weapons of mass destruction’? When is divorce permitted? Is cosmetic plastic surgery coveting? How do we relate to those who are struggling with sexual identity issues? Do we stone them or condone them? How do we honor parents who raised us in such a dysfunctional way that we have serious ‘family of origin’ issues that may never be completely healed? As you reflect for a moment, you will probably think of your own questions. These dilemmas are important because they deal with the big question - what is sin? What breaks our relationship with God and each other? When God gave the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai His voice sounded like thunder and it shook the very mountain. God spoke and His truth cannot be silenced.
So what is the Lord saying to us? Our neighbors matter to God. He is telling us how to treat people because He loves them. He wants us to love them just as He loves them. All of our moral and ethical quandaries involve people and how we are to relate to them. If we ask the Lord to show us how to love our neighbors, if we listen to His Word with a desire to obey, He will lead us through the toughest dilemmas our world faces by writing His law upon our hearts and giving us a Spirit to obey Him.
Prayer
Pray today that this would be true for you, your church, and your world. Ask God to show you a specific way that you can love your neighbor today.
March 23, 2006
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Ron Musch, Lighthouse Regional Church (Concord)
It is my desire that today, through some reflective questions, this passage might be used by the Spirit of the Lord to minister to you. I hope you will see how much you are loved by your Father in heaven, and to walk more deeply in His love for others.
Have you read the passage? Good. Now let me ask you this; are you patient? As you more fully understand how patient God is towards you it will produce a freedom in you to begin to be patient to others. I invite you to pray this prayer, “Father, forgive me for the lack of patience I have displayed to (name). I ask you to show me how patient you are towards me, then help me to reflect your patient love to others. Thank you, Amen.”
Take some time to reflect on His patience towards you. Once you begin to understand that you have been loved in this way, then you are set free to begin to love others the same way.
Are you kind? If not, is it that you have not fully understood the kindness of God to you? Are you jealous of what others have? Is it because you doubt how deeply the Father desires to give all good things to you? Continue to read this passage asking similar questions and praying that the Lord will reveal to you how deeply he loves you.
I invite to do another simple exercise. Since 1 John 4:8 states that God is love, insert the name of God every place the word love appears. You may want to do this three times. The first time I invite you to do so using the phrase “The Father in Heaven”, the second time “Jesus” and third time “The Holy Spirit”. For example; starting in verse 4, “The Father in heaven is patient towards me.” Take a moment and think about that…wow, even when we do not deserve such patience. It is really true! Now do that with the whole passage.
The exercise does not really work with “… love is not jealous and does not brag…”, without some deeper explanations, but you will get the idea. Suffice it to say that the sense of jealous and brag in this passage are self-centered and self-promoting, whereas God’s jealously over you desires your best and that He brags about you as a parent would their child, and in that you can take great delight.
May the Spirit of Truth set you free to know His love and to be empowered to love others.
March 24, 2006
Colossians 3:12-17
Sean Blomquist, Shelter (Concord)
The first word is “therefore,” which means, as pastors often explain, you need to know what it is there for. Verses 1-11 set up the context for verses 12-17. Paul has laid out a way we can “work out our salvation in fear and trembling” (as he says in Phil. 1:12). Whether new or established Jesus-followers, we all have to continue to work out our relationship with Jesus. In Col. 3 we see the vision, intention and means Paul has laid out for this process.¼br /> VISION: What is God’s vision for us? Check out verses1,4, 10, and 12. See God’s great vision for who we are suppose to become!
INTENTION: Do we really intend to become this person? If Col. 3 is simply a list of dos and don’ts and our motives don’t resonate from the great vision of the kingdom of God, then true change is impossible. In verses 1-2, Paul lets us know where our intentions begin. This takes great effort on our part because as we know our thoughts and feelings are quite contrary to Gods perspective.
MEANS: How do we participate in change? In verses 9, 10, and 12, Paul has a simple, yet profound means for transformation. Take any area of your life that you struggle with and use the tool below. Remember we are “working out our salvation” in cooperation with God, “who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
* Resist – (take off). We can’t begin to change without an intent to stop/resist what we are doing, which we know is bringing death to us and others. Is there an area in your life you know needs to be resisted?
* Replace – (put on—clothe yourself). We must replace the old with the new. For example, my judgmentalism needs to be replaced with kindness, humility, and gentleness. Those are hard for me, and that’s why traditionally they are called disciplines, because they don’t come naturally. What might you need to replace so you’re not just saying ‘no’?
* Embrace – (take off) When we take off something, there is a nakedness. We are exposed. Often our sins are old clothes hiding shame and other deeper areas of our life. We need to own this in ourselves. Do you see any of these areas in your life?
* Engage – (put on—clothe yourself)f. As you reflect on verses 12-17 how often is “one another” is used? We need to engage in this journey with each other. Who might you engage with about this in your life?
Prayer
Lord, sustain your godly vision for my life, help me want to follow you, and give me the handles I need to grab hold of your changes you want to make in me.
March 25, 2006
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Dean Honnette, Hope Center (Pleasant Hill)
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. How many commands appear in this passage? Arrange them by category.
2. If you were to obey these admonitions faithfully, what area(s) of your life would be most affected?
What a great passage! Paul starts with these rapid-fire commands addressing the wide-ranging areas of our lives—from internal attitudes to church activities to our moral behavior. If we could take a day of so to consider each command perhaps we could absorb them, but taken in altogether we can be left feeling quite overwhelmed. One unconscious response we might have to reduce that feeling is to pick a couple of commands to take seriously and shelve the others as too much to carry. Another escape route is to start thinking about people in my life who need to obey one of these instructions “more than I do” – “Sally should just pray more consistently”; “Joe needs to ‘test everything’ and not be so gullible.” Then I can conclude—since they need this command more than I do—I don’t need to worry about applying it to myself. Or we could simply lie to ourselves and tell ourselves that we are doing really well in all of them and go blindly on our way.
The truth is that none of us can keep all these spiritual plates spinning consistently on our own. Perhaps the healthiest response to these machine-gunned commands is to be overwhelmed and to throw up our hands in surrender. But in order to move forward on the road of discipleship we need to be embracing all eight of these instructions. In order to progress toward the lofty goal Paul places before us in verse 23 – “That our whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” obeying three or four or even five of these eight won’t do. We need to obey all eight so we need help.
That’s why the last phrase in this text is such very good news – “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” Jesus has called us on the wonderful and difficult path to wholeness of “spirit, soul and body”. But He does not intend for us to try to walk that path alone or by our own strength. We can only move forward in obedience to these eight life giving instructions by His strength working in and through us. He obeyed these commands completely when he walked this planet so He can surely help us to move in that direction today.
So, which of these eight commands do you find easiest to embrace? the hardest? By identifying these as one or the other, what temptation must you avoid?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I long to be whole in spirit, soul and body, so I declare my dependency on your faithfulness today to call me, and move me forward in blessed obedience. Amen.
March 26, 2006
Matthew 25:31-46
Mary Naegeli, First Presbyterian Church of Concord
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. What is the scene described here, and when does it occur?
2. How are the people divided, and what happens to them?
3. What questions does this account raise for you, at this point in your Christian life?
A person living as a citizen of a Kingdom is going to live somehow according to the laws of that Kingdom. You’re going to speak the language (even if with the accent of your mother tongue), adopt the customs, and relate in the society of that Kingdom in some way defined as “normal.” In Christ’s Kingdom, those who are citizens of God’s realm will be identified by their manner of life. There’s no way—according to God’s economy—for people to say they believe, but then not do what is expected of a person of faith. Jesus’ frustration came out one day with the crowds when he said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Good question!
So here at the End of life’s journey, the Moment of Truth, Jesus is going to be looking at your passport to see if your travels lined up with the itinerary he designed for his citizens. Stops along the way include where the hungry congregate, where the sick suffer, and where the convicted are imprisoned. Were you there? Were you alleviating suffering? Were you willing to give and to serve the people everybody else overlooks? Jesus said, “Hey, this is a test of how you feel about me!” How we feel about Jesus, our willingness to live our lives for him and identify with his Kingdom—that is, faith—is the basis of our salvation. Jesus says faith expresses itself in real, tangible ways consistent with Kingdom values. Faith acts. Faith responds to the helpless. Faith believes that our Savior takes special care of the weak, through us. Jesus is so definite about this, he says, “What you do for the lowly, you do directly for me.” Whew
So here’s a good test of how you are doing in this area of obedience. Observe your instincts and notice where you gravitate the next time you walk into a crowded room, or step off BART at Union Square, or attend a meeting. To whom are you drawn? Whom do you see in the room, and whom do you overlook? With whom do you feel most comfortable, and to whom do you speak? I realized, when challenged with this question, that I gravitated toward the friendliest, cleanest-looking, and most powerful person. What would it take for me to look consciously for the wall-flower? the meekest? the needy one? or the one who doesn’t fit in? It would take new eyes and a new heart, which Christ wants to give me (and you!) for a transformation of attitude and action required of Kingdom citizenship.
Prayer
Lord, give me eyes to see the needy around me and a generous heart to serve them in your name.
March 27, 2006
James 1:19-26
Kurt Holm, The Creek Covenant Church (Walnut Creek)
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. What does this passage say about following Christ’s teaching?
2. After reading it a second time, what does it mean for the follower?
3. And lastly, here’s the clincher, how are you going to change because of this teaching? Don’t skip ahead without applying the truth!
There was a talk show host who was so baffled that he had to ask his body builder guest what he used all his muscles for. The guest answered by flexing his oiled muscles in one of those body building poses. The host interrupted him and asked the question again. The guest said he’d show him and repositioned himself in another flexing pose. The host was not getting through to the guy so he said Read my lips. What do you use your muscles for? The body builder posed again.
Ironic, we say, but aren’t we a little like that? We have so much knowledge stored up about what it means to follow Jesus and yet it can often be just for show. We keep building up spiritual muscle but it’s rarely put to use. Information but no transformation. It’s as if we looked into a mirror to see our reflection, but then made no attempt to make needed changes. Let’s not fool ourselves. God wants to see our lives changing and not just our information accumulating.
James says to look intently into God’s Word to see what it will reflect back. If I look earnestly I will see myself in the light of truth. I would do well to reflect on these possible questions: Is there sin I must confess? Is there a promise to claim? Is there an attitude to change? Is there an example to follow? Is there something to thank God for? Take the time to reflect on God’s Word.
Secondly, James says I must do something about it, act on it, live it, and practice it. What good is a mirror if you look at it and don’t do anything? Knowledge alone is not enough. Put into practice what God’s Word is pointing out to you. Take courage (the bridge between a needed idea and it becoming reality) and ruthlessly make it happen in your life. Flex your spiritual muscle in a new way.
Hear the promise: “But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it – not forgetting what they heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:25).
Prayer
Help me, Lord, to put my faith into action, by Your strength and for Your glory.
March 28, 2006
Hebrews 12:1-13
Kevin Murphy, St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Walnut Creek)
Read the passage and respond to these questions:
1. How is God available to help us resist sin?
2. How do you sense that God is disciplining you spiritually? Are you yielding or resisting?
3. What fruit will discipline bear in your life?
“…for the sake of the joy set before him [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame…” (Hebrews 12:2, nrsv). Our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, we think, consider the saints too much. We probably consider them too little. The writer of Hebrews asks us to consider the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. Look at the prices they paid. Look at the suffering they were willing to endure. She (Priscilla?) uses their example to encourage us to “lay aside every sin and weight” that keeps us from the running the race.
But among this great cloud of witnesses there is none to compare with Jesus, the first witness (literally “martyr,” Revelation 1:5). If you are like me, you have wondered how Jesus was able to face and endure the unspeakable passion and suffering of the cross. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “for the sake of the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus kept a picture of his own resurrection in his mind while he was on the cross. He knew he would hear the Father’s voice again, “This is my Son, my Beloved, in Him I am well pleased.”
I also believe Jesus had our salvation in his mind – yours and mine. We saw that great cloud of witnesses that had gone before and he knew he would “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). “For I know you had me on your mind, when you climbed up on that hill…”
After all that Jesus has done (and endured) for us, there is only one fitting response, that we give all of our lives to Him!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that you did not shrink from the cross and its shame. But having us on your mind, gave your life for us. Give us the grace to daily give our lives to you. Amen.