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People want to feel they belong somewhere, people at work try to belong, they will work hard to prove they are part of the company! In schools, young people often go along with their peers to maintain their sense of belonging. Others, will get involved in groups and committees wanting to be part in something, whether in the Boy Scouts of America, local soccer clubs, PTA associations, Bowling leagues, people want to belong somewhere! Some even “join” churches because they want to belong to a higher cause or even belong to a religious club! Sadly, there are those who feel they just don't belong anywhere. No one calls them, no one pays attention to them, no one seems to care for them, no one says something positive to them, no one compliments them, they will go on in life struggling with a sense of loss, in a sea of social isolation, belonging nowhere!
But wait, it does not have to be this way! God says in His word, “you can belong to Me”, He says, “Let me be your Father”. Could you grasp the thought that God almighty wants you in His heavenly family? You will never be alone in all eternity! Who wouldn't want God in their family?
For the people who feel they don't belong anywhere, the truth is, they can! The Lord's church is not a religious club, the Lord's church is meant to be a spiritual family. God The father calls us "His children!" Galatians 3: 26, 27 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”. (Have clothed yourselves with Christ) Even when we may feel as the odd-fellows, or socially inadequate, or like drama queens, not very rich and not very famous, maybe a little nerdy, a little geeky or a little weird, not everyone in the family of God is very beautiful and handsome, and yet, I believe we can all be very attractive!...."Attractive Christians" are the ones who live according to the “fruit of the Spirit.” They are loving people, joyful people, peaceful, kind, gentle, faithful, and self controlled. These are the characteristics that will make you an attractive Christian!
Remember, as a Christian, you are not a lonely orphan, you have a loving Father, you have a great spiritual family and an amazing future in heaven with our loving God!
Galatians 3: 28, “There is neither Jew, nor Greek, slave or free, male or female,...”, rich or poor, good looking and not so cute...You are all one in Christ.... Galatians 3:29 “heirs according to promise...” God promised!
Have you realized that as a Christian you are an heir of God!
2) God's Transforming Power
We know that Earthly power corrupts, it leads to dominance, it lords over people!
The world's view of power is arrogant, it is about having control! There is another view, power and leadership, according to God, is to reflect the love of Jesus, being servants of God! We must believe in God's power, the right kind of power. Jesus taught a lesson to a couple of His disciples and their mother, they did not know what they were asking of Jesus. James and John and their mother asked Jesus to give to them positions of power, Matthew 20: 20-28 (Notice verse 21), “Command that in your kingdom these two sons of mine, sit next to you, one on the right and one on the left" (22), "Jesus said, you don't know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?" He was referring to the cup of suffering, the same cup He later pleaded with the Father, “let this cup pass from Me”, take it away, but “Not My will but Thy will be done!” (23) Jesus said to James and John, "My cup you shall drink...", He referred to their life of service and sacrifice, later in their ministry, (the apostle James was executed by king Herod, first apostle to die) (24) "And hearing this, the ten became indignant" Who wouldn't? Jesus gathered them all together and taught them a lesson about earthly power, (Vs 25-28) compared to heavenly power! "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant..." God's transforming power made it possible for the apostles, as God's servants, to take the message of the gospel through out the Roman world. In fact we are saved by power! Romans 1: 16. "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the Power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" God's powerful message of salvation can change lives today! How so, through the gospel? What is the gospel?
The apostle Paul explains the gospel message of salvation, 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4 "Now I make known to you the gospel...by which you are also saved....I delivered to you what I received... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures" The apostle Paul was a "changed man" God is the one who changed Saul of Tarsus, a zealous persecutor of Christians and transformed Him in the great apostle Paul, a messenger and deliverer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through out the world!
Believe in God's power!
The God who transforms is the same God who creates! We can observe God's awesome power in creation all around us! Romans 1:20. “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, His eternal power and Divine nature are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse...” God made it all! God's power in creation is beyond comprehension!.
Can you believe this all powerful God, who made the universe, is in fact, your heavenly Father who loves you? Believe in God's transforming power!
3) Live Your Life as a Winner!
Winners are always popular, losers are the just the poor losers. The winning team in the World Series or in the Super Bowl become so admired, they get the prizes. The losers do not win the gold medals. Parades are given honoring the winning team. The same was true in the ancient world. The ancient Greeks raced at the foot of Mount Olympus, the winner received the best treats, he was wined and dined for the whole year. The winner became a national hero. In the New Testament we also read about the recognition given to those who win.
Let me share three passages where we see the Scriptures comparing our Christian life as in a race.
1)In the words of the apostle Paul to the Christians at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27, “Do you not know that those who win in a race all run, but only one receives the price?” then he proceeds to say, “Run as to win, exercise self control, run with aim, bring my body to make it in subjection, don't be disqualified.” Does it sound like a comparison to a race? Are there any more verses that imply the Christian life is a “race”? The answer is yes, It is a race! We are all in the race.
2) Another example to review, Hebrews 12: 1,2 “Seeing we are surrounded with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance,( patience), the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith...” We look at Jesus because He is our champion, our example and our coach.
3)In our last example, the apostle Paul clearly mentioned his own life as being in a race. In 2 Tim 4: 7,8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord , the righteous judge will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
There seems to be a comparison between the Christian life and running a race! Don't you agree? As in any event, there is a need to prepare, to practice and to plan the winning strategy. It would be nice if all we have to do is “nothing” and God does everything for us but the truth is that we are here to serve, we are God's instruments, His servants.
First, (in your marks!), it starts by believing that you can win, yes you can, even when you feel defeated, because you know God will help you through to earn the victory. There are no losers in the Lord's church if you put your faith in the Lord. Second, (get ready!), it follows with a change of heart and mind, a change of attitude. Don't say you can't change. Everyone can and every one does change, for better or for worse. Choose for the better. Third, (set!), changing means eliminating those negative feelings of inability, inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy and insignificance. The way you view yourself will make a difference in your Christian life. Fourth, (Go!!), action, doing the will of the Lord, stay on track by following the words of the Lord!
Proverbs 23: 7 “As a man thinks in his heart so is he”. There are people who shine for the Lord, their lives are so positive, radiant, but there are others, I'm sure you met a few, that are grouchy, you can tell a sour, negative grouchy disposition 20 feet away!
Often times people will try to improve their attitude and their behavior and their way of thinking in order to succeed in society. Individuals may use Psychology, props, people and persistence. These are good tools to use to succeed and win in society but if you add God to the equation, the victory is eternal, forever!
4) The Lost Son
In Luke 15: 1-2 Jesus will begin to teach the Tax collectors the lesson of their lifetime. The religious people of His time, the Pharisees, began to criticize and to grumble against Him saying, (Luke 15: 2) “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Jesus began to teach one of the most life moving, mind changing, heart touching, soul searching parables of His life. “The Lost sheep”, “The lost coin” and The Story of the Lost Son, known as “The Prodigal Son”.
This story provides today practical truths on repentance and love. It is an example of the pain caused to oneself, and others by disobedience, rebellion and unfaithfulness. It is also a story of the joy of forgiveness from a loving father. If you are a parent, this story will give you hope and inspiration.
Notice in Luke 15: 11-13, the foolishness of going away.
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
This young man decided to leave because he believed that the source of his unhappiness was in his father's house. He thought that there were greener pastures on the other side of the fence. He went partying and was saying to himself, “I'm tired and bored of living at home” “I'm tired of my father and my family” “I want to party”, “I want to get out and go to a distant place”. He wasn't even interested in the Lord, all he cared about was his fun and his partying. This is the story of a lot of people today!
I understand the reasons why some people would like to leave their homes today. In some cases the condition of their home is so discouraging, the way someone is treated, the many conflicts people suffer, the fights, negative criticisms, the put downs, the abuse, and the mental distress some people have to go through at home, all these can be very discouraging and difficult to cope. In our story, the young man had a loving home! He demanded His fair share of the estate from his loving father, he promptly converted it into cash! Probably at a considerable loss because of the hasty transaction. You could almost visualize his attitude, “Father, I want to do my own thing, I want no advice, my mind is made up and I'm leaving”
The Lord teaches in the Scriptures that the young man took a journey to a far away land. Noticed his desire to get so far away! In this land, he was living a life without guidance and responsibility, the young man had lost control of himself. Have we ever lost control of our selves? We all have! This young man had a fall! He had a fall because of foolish choices. He ended up working for a farmer who raised pigs! This young man lost his wealth, he was losing his health, and was losing his soul! In the story, he was starving, he did not have this problem when he lived at home. The Bible says that he was so hungry that he would have filled himself with the food the pigs were eating. Can you imagine, the taste, the smell, the mud and the filth?
If you had been passing by the place where he was working, and he asked you for money to buy food? What would you do? Would you have given him money? Our human kindness would say, “I'm a Christian, I should be good and kind to this poor young man and give him money to buy food!” Wait, not so fast! There is a lesson God is teaching us here with the life of this young man! The worst thing one could do to the prodigal son is to give him money to buy food while he was in the pig pen. Why? It would have prevented him to reach the point of repentance. It would have prevented him to go back home to his father. It would also have prevented what the Lord was doing in His heart!
The young man in his desperate situation chose to return to his father.
Notice the attitude of the father in the parable. He did not rebuke his lost son, he did not punish him, he did not make him start all over, and he did not say “I told you not to do that” He did not say those comments to his son because he knew his son had learned his lesson! Instead, he welcomed him with open arms and forgave him! God our Father is giving to us His love and His amazing gift of forgiveness. We have been forgiven, we have been made pure by the blood of Jesus.
In this story of forgiveness, the father represents the nature of God. The young lost Prodigal son represents our sinful nature receiving forgiveness, as we repent. The world needs God's forgiveness to overcome despair, disaster and discouragement. Jesus came to give us forgiveness and eternal victory, would you accept His gift of love?
5) The Good Samaritan
There were many who were interested in listening to the messages of Jesus. I'm sure people had many reasons why they wanted to hear Jesus speak. His messages were about teaching the will of God. Jesus presented a contrast between God's perfect kingdom being different than the ways of men, so He spoke in parables.
A Lawyer asked Jesus this question, “Who is my neighbor?” This lawyer gave room to one of Jesus most moving parables, “The story of the Good Samaritan”
Luke 10: 30-37 (read)
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
In verse 30, a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he felt among the robbers, they stripped him and beat him and left him half dead. I don't know if you have ever been robbed, or beaten, and left half dead, I haven't! We know that there are areas in some cities that are dangerous spots. It can be risky business going across certain communities, whether you are a man or a woman, we are taught to be cautious. “Don't you go over to the other side of the tracks” or “don't catch a ride from strangers!” There is so much crime in the news now days, it leaves you so paranoid that you can actually develop anxiety, sleepless nights, and obsessions. We know we must be careful, there are evil people who do wrong unto others, like the ones who assaulted this traveler in this parable, who was robbed and beaten and left to die on the road, vs 31-33 (read)
It was customary to have travelers go in groups of four down this road to Jericho, for safety. The First traveler, was the victim, obviously a Jew. One may even think it was careless for a fellow traveling alone on this dangerous road. Maybe he was too far ahead of the others, maybe he was in a hurry and took a chance, we don't know. The second traveler was a priest, there were many priests in this time, these priests were to serve in the temple. This holy man took a look at this poor dying man who had been beaten and robbed, and he simply passed on to the other side. The third passer by was a Levite, the Levites claimed to be descendants from the tribe of Levi. They were assistants to the priests in the temple, but like the priest, this Levite looked at the dying man and moved to the other side of the road. These two religious men, claimed to know God, yet in their lives they proved that they did not have any compassion towards helping the helpless! The last man to appear on the road, our fourth traveler, was a Samaritan! The Jews during this time looked at the Samaritans with a sense of inferiority and they were discriminated. Their national strife went a long way, the Samaritans were a mixed race, from the time in 722 BC, when the Assyrians had conquered the Northern tribes of Israel, then the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Samaritans had intermingled with the conquerors. They were a mixed race that the Jews could not accept. In the parable, it was the Samaritan who became the real hero. Notice what the Samaritan did, after having compassion for the injured man, he provided care for him, vs 34, 35 (read)
The Samaritan had no racial ties to this poor victim, he had no family or national obligations to this man. What he had was just plain human kindness and compassion. This parable gets down to the heart of Christianity, compassion. Here we see Jesus leaves no room for pious platitudes, partial performance, and pompous pride. He leaves no room for divisive dogmas, dried up doctrines, deceitful definitions, and denominational dissensions. The world needs that kind of compassion today. What the world needs the most is “big hearts”. We as Christians, should always have hearts of compassion for the helpless. Those who could not help themselves! The Good Samaritan lived by the golden rule. He may have pictured himself in that ditch beaten and almost dead, and was moved with a sense of urgency to help the helpless! We are all travelers on the earth, there are two sides on the road, the unnamed Samaritan traveled the side with the attentive look, the compassionate heart and the helpful hand. He became acceptable to God for eternity! Go and do likewise!
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1) An Amazing Place to Belong!
Great Lessons on Encouragement:
1) An Amazing Place to Belong.
2) God's Transforming Power.
3) Live Your Life as a Winner!
4) The Lost Son
5) The Good Samaritan
