We have a regular schedule of events this week at First Baptist, including Food Pantry, Bible Study, Adult Sunday School, and Sunday Worship Service. See the calendar for details. We’re hoping to restart Kid’s Sunday School and Sunday Fellowship time later in September — stay tuned. Welcome to church!
Father in Heaven, creator of all that is good and wholesome. Lord today we humbly come to offer thanks manifold for your blessing beyond count. We also ask for Your forgiveness when we have been slow to give You the credit for the good, and our blame for missing the mark. Lord please fill us with your sustaining grace to ensure our growth in you.
Amen!
Message: Once Was Lost, & Now; I’m in Ogden!
I’m not only free I’m in Ogden. Yes, “Once Was Lost, & Now; I’m in Ogden!” …Utah. Today’s title is about our lives, the way we live and how we find freedom by following some of the basics of a Christian life that James spoke of in his letter to the early Church.
I think that all of us have some kind of a compass of notion of right and wrong. But as Americans, we definitely don’t want to be told that we are in error of how we live. Or to be bossed around and lectured to. Well good news, because that’s not on the menu for today. No, my goal is to look at some of those values that we learn from in scripture and then reflect with you how easy it is to sometimes get lost on auto pilot. Only to discover that we have work to do in becoming the people we want to be (regardless of if you are a Christian or not).
Let me emphasis, the person you want to be. I can’t tell you to be anything but what you and your Lord determine is correct in your faithwalk. Suffice to say, I myself along with the rest of you are works in progress, with more to work on.
I think that will always be the case as long as we remain fallen people in a fallen world. The challenge before us is how we approach the day-to-day stuff. James provides helpful instruction in today’s “Call to Worship”.
Reading again from James 1:17-27
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Side Note: James begins by instructing that all the good we have in this life comes from God. The; Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. All else is in flux, shadows in the mist of dinge, but our God is constant and all powerful and has given… you…life. Even in the midst of adversity and challenge we must not lose focus on who God is and what we are not. James continues now by giving us some basics on what a good life can and should be like;
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
This reads like a hike through a canyon starting at what not to do, then what to do, then what not to do again. If I were to outline the instruction of James in this passage, here are the main points that jump out at me;
- Be slow to speak, and slow to anger because anger separates us from God.
- Get rid of your moral filth and evil, because it’s everywhere.
- Humbly listen to the word, and then actually do what it instructs!
- If you do so you will be blessed!
- If you think you are religious but don’t control your mouth, your religion is worthless.
- Religion that is pure and faultless is
- Looking out after orphans and widows in distress (the needy)
- Keeping your self apart from the pollution of the world.
Or:
- Hold your anger and your mouth, don’t be evil.
- Humbly listen and follow the Word, be blessed.
- Hold your tongue, help others, don’t be polluted.
So, if I keep my mouth shut, work on my anger issues, humbly listen to and follow God’s word, and take care of others, I am demonstrating to myself and anyone who is interested, that I love God with all that I am, and I love my neighbor as myself. This is exactly what Jesus instructed in Matthew 22:37-40, and it covers the whole law of the Prophets.
Once again, we see how consistent scripture indeed is in its teaching what a good life is like, and what God requires from us. Regardless of the instructor or in our case the pupil, God is clear about our need for exercising self-control over the fallen natures of ourselves and the world we are living in.
For those of you that might be thinking, I wish so-and-so could hear this message, my answer would be to you, first is I hope you can hear this message. Remember James just said to humbly accept to the word… So many times, I have sat in Church with the attitude that other people needed to hear what was being said, but I was good to go. This pattern usually would continue until God found a large enough two-by-four to finally get my attention.
Regardless of if you are Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, or none of the above, by watching our mouths, our anger, and our desires for sin, and then humbly listening and helping others must be a goal for the human race.
When Christians (active, or in name only) apply the Lord’s instruction a new phenomenon often takes place. We discover that we have been in error; lost, offtrack, or just out-and-out in rebellion, and we begin to seek redress, and forgiveness from God and other people we have hurt.
Often, we find ourselves at this point in an endless cycle of churn. And we don’t quite know why it’s happening or how to deal with the bedlam that is our lives.
Those of you who are in the midst of the living of your life, many if not all of you have experienced hardship, and the stuff you don’t want to go through again. Some of you are stronger now that you and your Lord have surmounted some pretty hard times together. Hopefully wiser now from the growth that comes from the process of living.
Some of you feel like you are being blown in every conceivable direction right now, while stationed on the smallest of vessels. Some of your lives feel like you are riding that perfect storm of oblivion that seems to suck your stomach right up into your throat.
You need the Lord right now by the way, and with him you will see this through.
Some of us have experienced the gentle waters of the stream, enjoying the hands-free ride, only to discover that just ahead are rough waters and culminating in a mammoth waterfall.
As a person who is charged with listening to others, I have come to the conclusion after listening as much as I can for a couple of years now to other people’s challenges. The conclusion is that we all are either going through a hard time, coming out of a challenging situation, or just about to enter a hard row to howe ahead.
Which is why today’s Benediction will contain a profound notion about God and His application to the challenges that exists in our lives. Romans 11:36 states;
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
If this be true (and it is), then all things (including me) are His! Perhaps then;
- As I am about to enter into a time of trial, if I receive from Him my heading, and it will be corrected as I enter the storm.
- When I am in the eye of the cyclones of life, if my strength is through Him who created me, His grace will sustain our way. Through Him we will make it through our challenges!
- And as I rebound from life’s trials, my way is rededicated to a live given for Him who has been faithful to me, as I leave this current challenge behind.
At any time, you or I could very well get lost. Let’s face it, we are all like children at times, who have the ability to lose our way on the fly. Heck I have been lost before, and didn’t even know that I was lost, when I was lost.
And a common denominator of my challenges often was that at the time I didn’t; keep my mouth shut, work on my anger issues, humbly listen to and followed God’s word, and I wasn’t taking care of others, as James instructs. Hence the churn and the cycle would repeat all over again of going into, travelling through, or coming out of challenges without my Lord, my faith, or God’s family. Literally being the guy from IOWA or Idiot Out Wondering Around. Which is who I have been.
I’m reminded of Glynn Smith’s Funeral this last week, in this room we closed with the Praise Voices singing amazing grace. John Newton writes: I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see” … And I started to think about how some times we are so blind to the nonsense that we are immersed in, that we don’t even know we are lost until our Savoir either personally intervenes by sending someone to find us, or allows us to hit low enough (rock bottom sometimes) to listen to reason, then redeem us, and walk with us.
So, what does any of this have to do with being lost and then finding ourselves in Ogden? Well, my thought is that there are so many of us who are out wondering around and we don’t even know we are lost. Hooked on one bad habit after another (you name your poison), and we are so busy being worried about everyone else’s addictions, that we forget that a primary reason to be here in addition to worshipping God, is to get well in this Hospital of the Lord.
If you have no issues, and you are not struggling with any of those burdens, the bad habits, or addictions in this life…stuff like; Coffee, Mountain Dew, Lays Potato Chips (just one?), bragging, gossiping, and Mars Bars (noticed I didn’t use the old stapples of beer, alcohol, nicotine, drugs and more drugs, cheating, judging, and stealing, because those are easy to identify as a caution), if you don’t think you need a doctor, a doctor probably can’t help you.
Why would you come to church to begin with? That’s why Jesus instead of eating at the High Priest’s house, had supper at Matthew the Tax Collectors house with the sinners. Because some of the people there knew they were a mess and were ready for help. And being here today in Ogden ready for help, is a good thing!
This reminds me of today’s “Message Reading” as Jesus teaches us about truth and freedom. For me, getting well and getting through those hard times. Reading again from John 8:31-36;
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Side Bar; If I hold to the Lord’s teaching, and I am loving God with all that I am, and loving my neighbor as myself, demonstrated by controlling my mouth, my anger, my thinking about sin, and working on helping others by humbly following God’s word. I really am one of His! Continuing with verse 33;
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Side Bar Again; this takes us back to square one in today’s message. So many of us believe like the children of Israel in Jesus’ day who thought: “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.” Can be replaced today with; hey I’m a good person, I’m very religious, and people like me. First off, my thought (you must weigh this and think for yourself with the Lord), God is not looking for religious people. Sorry. The people in WACO Texas, Jonestown Guiana, the perpetrators of the 911 massacre, and the suicide bombers of last week were all religious in their own right. So, what!
God is looking for the those willing to listen to Him, the faithful who believe in Him, the humble who follow Him and His word, and realize that they are a work in progress like everyone else. That all of us need a dose of the truth from time to time to wake us up from our sleepwalking through life. To hear His truth, and the truth will set you free! Continuing at verse 34;
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Truth is, we are all slaves to sin, because we all sin. Sorry. We are slaves to sin, when we really should want to be slaves in Christ to really be free from the bondage that holds us prisoners in darkness.
Making all of us works in progress, because; Once we were Lost, & Now; we’re in Ogden!
And that is a very good thing. Because we are here with our Lord and each other, which means we have been given everything by a loving Lord who is ready to claim you, redeem you, and walk faithfully with you as you build and rebuild your lives.
And it begins today for some of us, by dedicating or rededicating ourselves to be His works in progress. That is why this place we call God’s living room, is also the Lord’s Hospital. Where we work on our own special problems with the Lord on our sin.
My hope and prayer for all of you this week is that you take time away from the burdens of the news, and reflect in prayer with your Lord all of the truly good things God makes available in a sea of gloom. May you find your pace with Him this week!
Amen!
Benediction; Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
and Numbers 6:24-26
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’