When Life Knocks You Down

Posted on May 18, 2018 by dkoop

Have you ever been coasting along comfortably in life with everything going fairly well, then, without warning, things began to crumble? For months, perhaps years, you had been relatively peaceful, stable, and happy. You were experiencing no major trouble or hardship. When the normal difficulties of everyday life arose, they were easily worked out. Whatever life threw at you was manageable and under control. But then, suddenly, something happened. Some tragedy struck so quickly and unexpectedly that things seemed to come crashing down around you. For years you had been working hard to build a good life for yourself and family, but then, without warning, your good life was threatened, interrupted, and perhaps damaged beyond repair. Think for a minute about these scenarios:

⇒ A good relationship suddenly deteriorates and falls apart.

⇒ A child starts acting up or gets into serious trouble.

⇒ Unexpected bills arise or an investment goes bad.

⇒ You lose your job, home, or a beloved family member.

⇒ You are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

In other words, tragedy strikes and you feel attacked by fate, bad fortune, Satan, or even the Lord. You believe you are doing everything right but, in return, your life begins to unravel around you. On top of that, nothing you do seems to change or improve the situation. Hopelessness sets in and there appears to be no way out of your desperate situation.

This was the position Job found himself in. Job had a good life, in fact, a very successful, satisfying, and happy life. He was a moral and righteous man who loved the Lord with all his heart. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, one tragedy after another bombarded him. Before Job could comprehend what was happening, it was all over. He had lost everything. His ideal life was interrupted by Satanic attacks and horrible suffering.

This is the captivating drama of the book of Job, the real-life story of a godly man under assault by the evil one, Satan himself.

As we read the book of Job, we have information that the characters of the story do not. Job, the main character of the book, lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why all this was happening to him, it became clear that he was not meant to know the reasons. He would have to face life with the answers and explanations held back. Only then would his faith fully develop.

We must experience life as Job did—one day at a time and without complete answers to all of life’s questions. Will we, like Job, trust God no matter what? Or will we give in to the temptation to say that God doesn’t really care?

As we see calamity and suffering in the book of Job, we must remember that we live in a fallen world where good behavior is not always rewarded and bad behavior is not always punished. When we see a notorious criminal prospering or an innocent child in pain, we say, “That’s wrong.” And it is. Sin has twisted justice and made our world unpredictable and ugly.

The book of Job shows a good man suffering for no apparent fault of his own. Sadly, our world is like that. But Job’s story does not end in despair. Through Job’s life we can see that faith in God is justified even when our situations look hopeless. Faith based on rewards or prosperity is hollow. To be unshakable, faith must be built on the confidence that God’s ultimate purpose will come to pass.

I hope you can join us this Sunday or in the upcoming blog posts for the challenging but life applicable truths found in the life and book of Job.

Darrell

Sources: Life Application Study Bible.
Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary – The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Job.

 

 

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What Do We Do Now?

Posted on May 17, 2018 by dkoop

This Sunday we begin the challenging book of Job and examine, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  But first we finish the book of Matthew with, “What do we do now?”

Many of us have faced a death or tragedy and wondered what to do next. This can be especially true when the person who died was the patriarch to whom everyone in the family turned for wisdom.

Prior to His ascension into heaven, Jesus cleared defined what His disciples were to do next. When we look at this passage, our attention immediately goes to the command that Jesus gives to every believer in this verse. Each believer can choose to ignore this command, but no one can deny the fact that we are commanded by God to make disciples.

 How Do We Reach People for Christ and Make Disciples?

  1. Share the Good News

…go and make disciples of all nations (vs. 19a)

The good news about forgiveness, purpose, peace and eternal life needs to be shared!  We need to share with people the good news of Jesus Christ. So the first step in making disciples is recognizing that anyone’s greatest need is Jesus.   One thing we know for certain is that you cannot disciple a follower of Christ until they become a follower of Christ . So the process of discipleship begins by leading a person to give his or her life to Jesus.

We must all be prepared and ready to share God’s plan of salvation with those who are not followers of Jesus. This is the first step in making disciples.  The second step is to…

  1. Baptize Believers

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (vs. 19b)

Baptism is a part of God’s plan for discipleship.  When a person is baptized, he or she is demonstrating to others that he or she has placed faith in Christ for salvation.  Baptism is a picture or a symbol of someone dying to themselves and rising to walk in new life with Jesus! It’s a time of celebration.

Baptism doesn’t save anyone, but it is a part of the discipleship process.  Baptism is not only an act of identification but also an act of obedience.  The third step of discipleship is to…

  1. Teach God’s Word

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (vs. 20 a)

The process of discipleship includes teaching.  What should you teach followers of Jesus? The answer is the Word of God. As Christ followers are taught the Word of God, they learn how to live for Christ and also learn the basics of the faith.

At the heart of discipleship is one Christ follower who teaches another Christ follower the basics of the Christian faith.

What does a mature disciple look like in real life? Listed below are five features of mature disciples[i].

  1. Jesus is at the center of their life. They allow Jesus to control and direct their lives. Also, they factor Jesus into every decision they make. For them, following Christ is not just a Sunday event; it is a lifestyle.
  2. They have a firm grasp on the Word of God. They make it a habit to hear the Word. But they also are diligent in reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, and applying the Word.
  3. Their day is filled with prayer. They realize that both the Word and prayer need to be abundant in their lives. They know that if they are weak in one and strong in the other, their spiritual lives will be unbalanced.
  4. Witnessing to others is a high priority in their lives. A mature disciple knows how to lead someone to Christ and is diligently trying to do so.
  5. They use their spiritual gifts in serving the Lord. Mature disciples put their spiritual gifts to work.

Perhaps one reason so many churches eventually become weak is simply the result of a lack of emphasis on discipleship through the years. A lack of discipleship will lead to shallow followers of Christ and weak churches. What should we do?

  1. Commit to further discipleship. Every Christ follower can grow to be more like Christ. No one is so knowledgeable that they can excuse themselves from the process of discipleship.
  2. Look for someone to disciple. It would be a tremendous legacy to allow God to use us to disciple others.

What do we do now?  Let’s make disciples.

Darrell

[i] LifeWay Christian Resources LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible

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Do I Have the Strength?

Posted on May 17, 2018 by dkoop

When you are all stressed out or facing a major decision to what do you turn?   I often turn to the refrigerator or the pantry or turn to caffeine or sugar.   I should turn to prayer first and often.  When we face challenges in life, we often wonder if we have the strength to endure. Knowing what was ahead, Jesus turned to prayer.

Many things in life test our determination. Family situations, financial strains, and health challenges may make us wonder if we have the ability to go on or to finish.

Minutes before His betrayal, Jesus was preparing to face His biggest challenge. He sat on Gethsemane praying while filled with deep sorrow. As one studies the life of Christ, they will find a pattern of prayer. As Jesus entered into the suffering of betrayal and the cross, He prayed. In this text, there are many lessons for all Christians to learn from the life of Jesus concerning prayer. Let’s look at a few of these lessons.

We Need to Pray for Strength

There is no doubt that God calls upon His children to pray. In Scripture, we often see Jesus in prayer. If Jesus needed to pray, then how much more do we need to be in prayer?

Prayer helps us submit to the will of God. As Jesus submitted to the Father’s redemptive plan, He clearly relied upon prayer. Jesus was not trying to avoid the cross, for He came to do His Father’s will. But the thought of having the sins of the world placed upon Him was something that deeply grieved Him.

Jesus was praying for strength. He needed strength for His arrest, mistreatment, and the events that were about to happen in connection with His crucifixion. Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow. Prayer strengthens us, but prayerlessness leads to spiritual weakness. In our own strength, we will fail.

Prayer strengthens our faith. As we talk to God, we realize we can trust Him as our heavenly Father. Prayer keeps us in close communion with God.

Through prayer, we make our requests know to God. Thank God for the many benefits of prayer.

Our Prayers Can Be Hindered

Apparently, the disciples were hindered from praying by tiredness. Jesus had to awaken them three different times.

The Bible lists other hindrances to our prayer lives. It is certainly helpful to be aware of these hindrances. Some of these can be found in the following verses: 1 Peter 3:7; James 1:6-7; 4:3; Proverbs 21:13; 28:9; and Isaiah 59:1-2.

The devil will always make certain that there are hindrances in a believer’s prayer life. He will interfere with your prayer life in any way that he can.  We shouldn’t be surprised at this, for when we pray, we are invading enemy territory with great power.

Answers to Prayer

We serve a mighty God who has the power to do anything. Luke 1:37 says, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Also, consider the words of Jeremiah 32:27: “Look, I am the LORD, the God over every creature. Is anything too difficult for me?” How wonderful it is that we serve such a powerful God.

In verse 45, we observe Jesus rising up from praying with the strength He needed to face the one who would betray Him. In other words, we watch as God the Father answers the prayer of Jesus the Son. He answered the prayer by giving Jesus the grace and strength needed to face arrest, trials, and crucifixion. God sustained His Son throughout all of it.

Just as God the Father answered Jesus’ prayer, He also answers the prayers of His children. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you.” Also, consider the words of Jesus in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”

In the word of God, prayer is all-important. As you reflect upon Matthew 26:36-46, consider how it applies to your prayer life today. What can we learn about prayer from both this passage and from the life of Christ? Listed below are a few things to consider.

  1. We can follow the example of Jesus.

As we study the life of Jesus, I cannot help but notice the place of prayer in His life. God’s people are commanded many times in the Bible to pray. Additionally, there are a tremendous number of promises in the Bible for the believer concerning prayer.

  1. We can talk to God about our needs.

Jesus talked honestly to God the Father about His needs. Jesus not only modeled this for us, but He also instructed us on how to pray about our needs in the Model Prayer. In Matthew 6:11, Jesus said, “Give us today our daily bread.”

May we, like Jesus, gain strength as we pray,

Darrell

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How Do We Remember?

Posted on May 2, 2018 by dkoop

Raise a glass to Jesus.  Many drink to forget, we drink to remember!

It is an amazing truth that we have been invited to the Lord’s table. The fact that the King of the universe invites us to His table is a humbling thought to me. As we gather around the table, our minds should focus on what it cost the Lord to provide this table. Spend a moment thinking about what it cost Him to take away sin’s curse and to give us access to heaven. It cost Him His very life.  To remember all that Jesus has done here are three things we must do:

  1. Examine My Life and Confess My Sins.

If it is our desire to experience the fullness of His blessing at the Lord’s table, then it will require that we examine our lives.  Later in the New Testament, believers are commanded to examine themselves before they come to the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 11:28).

This examination includes an examination of sin in our lives. We can do several things with sin in our lives: we can hide it, deny it, make excuses for it, or we can confess it. As we confess our sins, the Lord has promised to forgive our sins.

Forgiveness is depicted in the Lord’s Supper. In Matthew 26:28, Jesus said, “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” It is clear that the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin.

2.  Give Thanks for Jesus’ Sacrifice.

 Jesus lifted the cup and gave thanks. We too must be thankful for what we have received.

Just think about where we would be without the blood of Christ. We would be sinners on the way to hell, without any joy in this life. Furthermore, we would miss out on all the benefits of the Christian life.

God wants us to learn to be thankful for everything that He has given to us. The habit of giving thanks reminds us of all that we have. It also keeps us obedient to the many commands of Scripture to give thanks.

 3. Receive Christ for Forgiveness and Eternal Life

The two food items at the Lord’s table remind us that Jesus gave us the greatest gift He could possibly give us: His own body and blood. There is life in blood. In fact, you cannot have life without blood. In every drop of Jesus’ blood there is forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Without physical blood there could be no physical life, and without His blood there could be no eternal life. What a glorious message is proclaimed through the Lord’s Supper.

So what should we do? Each time we participate in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, we must make certain that we give adequate time preparing our hearts, giving thanks for our Savior’s work on the cross, and adequately remembering His great sacrifice.

Will we remember?  Jesus intended that the Lord’s Supper would be a lasting memorial to His redemptive work on the cross.   In order to help us remember, Jesus raised a lasting monument to His death with two basic food items. When Luke records this episode, he records that Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Paul also records that Jesus said, “in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25). Christ knew our human tendency to forget, so He established the ordinance so that we would never forget the work that Christ accomplished on the cross.

Raise a glass to Jesus.  Many drink to forget we drink to remember.

 

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