Sometimes life is just plain HARD! And yet difficulties in life also seem to be universal. Not that we all suffer from the same things, but that we all suffer and struggle seems to be the lot of the human race.

So what distinguishes human beings is not whether they have difficulties or not; but indeed, how they handle difficulties when they come? In fact that question is at the core of our study on Heroes.

When the going gets tough –whether it is self inflicted or out of personal control---the hero—finds a way to not only endure but to thrive in the end.

This past Sunday I shared with you about Joseph and his odyssey to a position of power where countless lives were saved. It was a story of tragedy upon painful tragedy. Parts of it self inflicted, other situations totally out of his control and fully unjust. Yet in the midst of the turmoil, Joseph utilized his relationship with God and just kept plugging away, seeking to be faithful and useful wherever (including slavery and prison) he found himself.

It is in the context of Joseph's story that I find myself attracted to and admiring both Brandon Scarth and my son Mark Thorson. Brandon found himself engulfed by tragedy, Mark brought part of his on himself. Yet I have been struck by the power of their lives in the midst of their difficulties. Each one has, like Joseph, found themselves in difficult times and yet have sought the Lord and then tried to make a difference where they were. Each has affected lives in the midst of their troubles and has become men that by their example lift each of us with new strength and vigor. They are heroes.

And as your Pastor, I must (and I want to) commend this congregation for your extraordinary support and help for these two men. The energy and care that has been expressed for Brandon over these past three years is unbelievable. The letters and prayers for Mark have been life filler for him. You too, have been a huge part of these men being able to persevere and thrive in difficult environments.

So on behalf of the Scarth family and the Thorson family, our deepest thanks and profound humbling that you would care so deeply for us and invest so widely.

The dividends of your care are already paying huge returns!

God is alive and thriving through these young men!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom. 15:13

Here are a few more thoughts about 'joy'. It's got to be different than happiness. We intuitively know that while related, they are not the same thing. Happiness is this internal feeling or sense that we have that may spill over or not. It is not dependent on others nor does it necessarily involve others. Now joy is something different. I do not, nor can I have joy--just by myself. Here is a thought provoker I used this past weekend:

"joy is an internal response to an external reality
that produces a connection between both---
which uncovers a depth of reality that----
catapults us out of ourselves towards the other."

I cannot sit here and conjure up---joy. Its stimulus does not dwell in me. My experinece of joy is a reaction to something that has presented itself that is external to me. A creation experience that takes your breath away. The beauty and peacefulness of a newborn baby. A bride as she walks down the aisle. These things produce a response of joy. But it goes beyond just a stimulus--response. IN the moment of joy I have within me uncovered a fresh experience of a depth of reality I don't always acknowledge. It's because joy connects us to something outside of ourselves. My resources, my limitations, my small universe is exploded by joy because it connects me to the world, the resources, the possibilities, presented by what has brought me joy. It opens up for me a whole new world. Perhaps that is one reason that C. S. Lewis says that, 'joy is the serious business of heaven.' Joy is all about connecting us to something--someone greater than our own tiny world.

A corollary that goes along with this is:

The repetitiveness of joy is-----
dependent on the external source
and the attitude or expectation of the internal.

In other words, whatever brings you joy--can it keep producing? The answer is no----if it is finite. If it is God who is filling you with all joy--then the answer is Yes becuase God is unlimited and does not, nor can He run out, of the ability to produce Joy in you.
The only thing that may thwart the experience of joy that God seeks to fill us with is our attitude and lack of expectation. We may dim the response or miss see the stimilus. For instance, for one the beauty of a baby becomes the fear of its crying or the anger of its bills. The joy of a bride may deteriorate to fear or, 'oh my gosh, what have I done?' In other words, the central insertion in the middle of our memory verse (Rom. 15:13) is huge---'as you trust in Him'. God can and is able to continue to fill us with all joy BUT our attitudes and expectations in relationship to Him
are an integral to our experience of that joy.

If this is so, how then do we come to experience joy? Think about it!

ROMANS 15:7

The depth of the Scriptures cannot be covered in one sermon over an entire chaptrer--at least not by me. So here are some thoughts about what I will not be preaching about on this weekend but are yet excellent admonitions for us to dwell on.

"Accept one another, then just as "Christ accepted you.." I was intrigued by this verse because a different word is used in King James and in Revised Standard version. King James---'receive one another', RSV 'welcome one another' and here in NIV it says 'accept one another'. Now each of these words in English holds a little different nuance to me. So wanting clarification I went to the Greek to check it out. Lo and behold, the primary English equivalent to the actual word in Greek is 'welcome, accept, receive'. So obviously each of the translation teams chose a different word--all were accurate and yet for us English readers, the nuances still beg clarification. For instance, I can receive someone into my home and not accept them at all. I can accept someone with their differences in religion or world view or personal taste and yet not truly welcome them into my personal sphere. It is also possible to welcome someone without accepting them. For instance nations at meetings of their leaders, do this sort of thing all the time. Graciously formal and correct in etiquette but not accepting or welcoming into personal spheres of affection.

So what are we to make of this usage and how is God directing us to act and feel towards 'one another'(which in the New Testament is a technical term for believers--those in Christ)?

Here is my take on this. See if it makes some sense and respond if you desire.
I believe that the english usage of all three words is the intent of Paul in this verse. I am called to 'accept'--every believer in Christ. I am not their judge nor am I to set their course of corrections before they are acceptable to our fellowship. If God has accepted them--so must I. But this call is more than just to 'accept' (in that sense) It is also to 'receive' them. Open the doors, make a space for them, help them be at home. This goes beyond our understanding of 'accept' and now includes 'receiving'. But in my understanding, I believe that this verse goes way beyond just our understanding of 'accept' and 'receive'. Now add to these meanings the addition of 'welcome!. I can 'accept' you yet hold you at arms length. I may 'receive' you yet physically, emotionally and spiritually still hold you at arms length. But 'welcoming' in this sense can not truly be done at arms length. By its very nature it is to actively bring one in. It is to reach out and draw, it is to seek to create an atmosphere that draws another in, that sets another at ease, that communicates--you are at home!

So the admonition of our Lord is for us to ACTIVELY seek to create a physical, emotional, social and spiritual dynamic that shouts that each is welcomed (eagerly desired) as we recieve them (make a place for them) and accept them--just as Christ has accepted us.

AND this is not just one person's responsibility, nor only those who are 'gifted'
at it, but it is directed at each and every one of us. For as you know, it only takes one voice to destroy welcomeness, but an entire family to truly welcome.

Notice the finish then of Rom. 15:7---when we do this, when as an entire Body we truly accept, receive and welcome----THEN this brings praise to God!!!!!

Let's make God happy--together!

p.s. Here is something further to chew on: the term 'one another' is inclusive of all in the Body of Christ which includes yourself. What effect would it have on you and your ability to accept, receive and welcome others if we could truly accept, receive and welcome (embrace) ourselves---JUST AS CHRIST HAS!

Advent Tidbits

Did you know that according to Canon Liddon there are 332 distinct Old Testament predictions about the Messiah that have been literally fulfilled in Christ.

Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, pg. 175.

Sermon Notes--Give Thanks 1 Thess. 5:18

What is the difference between the concepts of Give Thanks (thanksgiving), Being Thankful, Being a Thankskeeper and one who Counts Their Blessings?

The command of God--to 'give thanks' is the only one of these very good concepts, that forces us to move out of ourselves. Each of the other words defines an internal process, that while good, doesn't have to go anywhere outside of ourselves. Of course, sometimes it--spills over and that is a positive thing, but only the concept of 'giving thanks' has as its core--going beyond the self.

What aspects are necessary to actually 'give thanks'? Wrestle with these thoughts and see if they don't fit your experiences of giving thanks.
1. sense of blessedness--something has been bestowed upon me from without and it was not necessary nor did I earn it or deserve it.
2. realization of obligation--debt of gratitude-an oughtness that I need to respond--- to complete the act and to define the act.
3. expressing of thanks--GIVE IT--give it up! just do it! say it or write it--simply to be thankful is NOT the same thing as giving thanks.

Teaching kids to say please and thank you teaches them to :
1. not expect you to serve them
2. reminds them that your serving is a gfit from you--not a requirement
3. keeps from developing a false sense of importance
4. helps keep from a superiority complex

Giving thanks pulls us out of ourselves--expresses our interdependence and acknowldeges the gift AND the giver.

1 Thess. 5:18 reminds us that 'giving thanks' IS God's will for us.
Here are some of the benefits that come from practicing this admonition:
1. Awareness--makes me aware that there are people, there is a God, there is power at work in my circumstances---I am not alone!
2. Direction--giving thanks catapults us toward other people--out of ourselves. towards people, towards God--There is a way to go to get outside of ourselves!
3. Connects us---to other people, to God and to the power of God at work in our lives--We walk together!
4. Helps complete us--it helps make us whole people--not black holes that absorb but never give out. interdependent.
5. It helps produce wholesomeness--there is something in the process of giving thanks that brings a sense of goodness, of completion, of fullness that is radically different than not giving thanks.
6. Obeying God bring honor to God--in obedience we not only acknowledge God but we affirm the terms of our relationship with Him--He is in charge and we are His children.

Conclusion: What then shall we DO?

Why not take some time right now to find ways to give thanks and to seek to develop a continual lifestyle of giving thanks. Be specific--how and what shall you do?

sermon notes on Romans 9-11WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?

WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?
Romans 9-11

Intro. Use this outline in conjunction with your study of Romans 9-11. Often these chapters are used as the primary text to argue predestination vs. man’s choice. The fact of the matter is that these chapters were not intended to be about those issues but rather they are addressing the question raised by Paul’s assertions and demonstrations in the first 8 chapters of Romans that the basis of Law, works and choseness are out the window and in truth any are children of Abraham who have placed their faith in the God of Abraham. If these be true then---what about the Jews?

1. Chapter 9:1-29 God’s choice
a. The Jews are recipients of special revelations and privileges vs. 4-5
b. Not all who descended from Israel are Israel, not by blood but by faith
c. God Himself decides whom He shall bless vs. 10-18
d. God’s mercy, not man’s effort is paramount vs. 16-18
e. Yet man is still held accountable for his choices

2. Chap. 9:30-10:21 Man’s choice
a. Israel pursued righteousness wrongly—by works vs. 30-32
b. Zealousness does not equal nor produce righteousness vs. 2-4
c. Righteousness by faith is a matter of the internal belief –believe in your heart and external expression—confess with your mouth
d. There is now no difference between Jew and Gentile—both are made righteous by the same thing—faith in what God has promised—Christ!
e. This faith comes from hearing
f. And Israel is without excuse—they have heard and were vs. 21 disobedient and obstinate

Illustration: example of a family
A child has nothing to do with their birth—it’s their parents
yet every child at some point makes decisions that affect
their experience of ‘family’—they can stay or run away. Trust or disobey

3. Israel and Gentiles chap. 11:1-29—this is not about individuals but about the entire grouping—remember there are only two groups of people—Jews and Gentiles
a. eldest runs away (the Jewish people as a whole)
b. creates opportunity for adoption
c. grafted in (Gentiles—us)
d. doesn’t mean the runaway can’t be reintroduced—in fact the eldest WILL be grafted back in at God’s timing
e. vs. 26—all Israel does not refer to each and every Jew but rather to Israel as a nation—who now turns away from faith in Christ but one day shall turn ‘as a nation’ to Christ just as the Gentiles have turned to Christ—but certainly not every Gentile. These Scriptures are speaking about people groupings, not individuals.
f. no boasting either way—but great sorrow


g. 11:30-32
a. all have fallen short-consigned to disobedience
b. that God may have mercy on them all
c. c. God will restore His family -- Jew and Gentile
d. in reality God demonstrates that He deals with both Jew and Gentile in the same way—He reveals that both have been disobedient and have fallen short of His glory AND then He showers mercy on both of them based on the same love and same actions through Jesus Christ and culminating in the gift of the Holy Spirit to BOTH groups of people.


Conclusion: 11:33-36 Doxology—what God has done for both the Jew and Gentile is fantastic but it is too much for us to completely grasp. Thank God—who would want to worship a God they could totally understand and comprehend? We have all the information, revelation and understanding we need to live life as followers of Christ through faith.

Jim Swanson shared this little poem with me:

“How odd of God to choose the Jew
not as odd as those of you;
who choose the Jewish God
and hate the Jew.”

We cannot hate the Jew, feel superior nor gloat or be boastful over their misfortune.
They are our sibling. They are before us in the family. We are united with them in the same Promise, we fail as they do through the same sin of Adam repeated in every life through our own trust in ourselves versus trust in God and we are brought back to God through the same Christ, sacrificed on the cross and we share in the same Holy Spirit poured out into our hearts. We have the same Father who has made us both His children.

Romans 8:19-24

I love Romans 8. The chapter is rich and varied and reveals the mystery of God held secret for so long which is...."Christ in you, the hope of Glory."
But I am also intrigued by this passage from verse 19-24 and while I can come up with no definitive explanation, the speculations of theology can be very interesting. So please accept these rumblings as only Greg's thoughts. Try them on and see how they fit. Here goes:

vs. 19,"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

What an intriguing concept. Some how, someway, Creation has been forced to a lower state than before, a place of decay and in the RSV death as well.In fact Creation's fortunes have been intricately linked with the place of man.
Now what can we be sure of from the text? 1. Creation has been frustrated and lowered. It is not allowed to be what it once was and in fact has been brought to a place where it will run down (decay) and die. 2. This is not the picture we receive of Creation in the Garden in Genesis. 3.No where in this passage nor in Genesis do we catch even a hint that Creation is at fault or particiapted in the slighest in Man's rebellion and disobedience of God. 4. It appears that Creation's subjection is nearly identical to Man's, at least in its effect. Frustration, decay and death.
5. So if Creation has no fault, no sin no trespass, why has it been subjected to the same 'curse' as man?

Here is another thing we know. The One who subjected Creation to this aspect of the curse is----God Himself. This is not the desire of Creation but a decision of God's and further more, He links the well being and restoration of Creation with the redemption of Man. Creation cannot and will not be restored in and of itself. The freedom and wholeness of Creation will find its fulfillment only in the wholeness of Man. So "we know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

The things I have just shared above are clearly indicated in this Scripture. These truths have been revealed to us. What is not clear and I cannot find overtly in Scripture is, "why did God subject the Creation to the curse of Man when in fact it has no guilt?
This is my speculation: God created Creation and then He made Man and He put Man in charge of Creation as His caretaker. Man was to name the animals and to care for the well-being of all of Creation. Man was the head steward tasked by God, in charge if you will. Then when Man rebelled, was kicked out of the Garden and subjected to decay and death, a fracture in the economy of God could have been created. Now Man who was the pinnacle of His Creation has been marred and brought low, producing a state where Creation which was 'under' Man would have been more glorious, more beautiful, more alive and more eternal than Man in his fallen state. So then does Creation rule over Man? One explanation that I offer for what happened is this: God's ultimate will will not be thwarted by Man's disobedience. God decided that Creation, which was created to be in relationship with Man would remain in the same relationship EVEN though they were not guilty as to rebellion. So when Man fell by his own disobeience, God cabled Creations' existence and state directly into an unchangeable situation where--whatever befalls Man befalls Creation. As Man suffers and dies so does Creation and conversley, as Man is redeemed and restored so will Creation.
If this is true it at least answers some of our questions. Who subjected Creation to decay and death if it did nothing wrong. Why is its welfare linked with the welfare of Man? Why does Creation eagerly wait and deeply groan for Man to be redeemed and restored?
A further corollary to Man's rebellion and sin is that the effects of our decisions in Adam have impacted negatively--the entire cosmos. But fortunately, the decision and acts of the one Man Christ--has brought and is bringing redemption--for all the cosmos!

One last bit of speculative theology comes out of this passage. If the magnificent Creation we see today is a mere shadow of its former self; if the world has been lowered and frustrated and made to decay; what must of it been like before the Fall? And what might it look like when it is restored?

When the Scriptures say that the 'trees clap their hands in joy' I'm sure it doesn't mean that trees have hands, but can it mean that even now trees have a hidden consciousness that would be openly seen in the Garden? When Jesus says that 'these very rocks would cry out' is this hyperbole or is their some underlying reality that we have lost out on? Have you ever looked at your dog, looked into their eyes and there seems to be this desire to communicate, to speak and yet there is chasm between their desire and their ability to speak. Could this be an example of Creation being frustrated and lowered in its experience so that it might maintain its postion in relationship to fallen Man? I am intrigued by C. S. Lewis' view of Narnia and the creatures who inhabit it. They talk, they live but they are always in the best way when there is a son and daughter (Mankind)of Aslan (Jesus Christ) on the throne (in charge) of the Kingdom.

For sure, I do not know what Creation was like nor what it will be like in the restored Kingdom. I know that the Bible tells us that the lion will play with the lamb and the child with the asp and it will be good! If this broken, fallen world can be so achingly beautiful and yet beset by horrilbe pain and decay, I can't wait to see what a Creation (and Mankind) will look like when the frustration is gone, the decay is arrested and death is defeated. That Day is coming!