Dare to Be Different

Posted on April 22, 2016 by dkoop

Dare to Be Differnt

When I look back to the first significant portion of my life, I was driven to be like everyone else; especially those I thought were cool or popular.  If you looked at the way I lived, I was really striving to try to fit in, to try to be like other people. If you would have called me different, that would have been an insult, because I didn’t want to be different.  And so, I did what normal people did, lived how normal people live, and I ended up where normal people end up, which was in the middle of a life that was really hurting.  When I was sixteen years old I had the courage to do something that was different, because normal was hurting. I decided to pick up the bible and started to read it.

What I found was that the teachings of Jesus were so different than the normal life that I was used to, that it hooked me. There was like this spiritual force drawing me toward God, which I later found out was called The Holy Spirit.  And I struggled to follow God.  But some days, I still tried to fit in with others around me.   But when I was serious about following God, people thought I was different!

Do you know someone that is different in a good way?  It’s refreshing to be around them.  Do you know somebody who is different in an odd way?  Those who are just strange or annoying?  What I want to share is about being different in a God way.

Here’s what Jesus said, that captured my heart in Matthew 7:13-14,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (NIV)

Think about this; wide is the road which the majority of the people travel. Unfortunately, in the crowd, that’s where I often find comfort. I’ll think, “Look at all of the people doing what we are doing, going where we are going, living how we’re living; we’re normal!  We must be good because this is what the majority of the crowd is doing and the majority of the people are going.”

Unfortunately though, Jesus said, “Many (the normal) are on the road that leads to destruction.”

I discovered that if my life looks like everybody else’s life, if I’m doing what everyone else is doing that may not be a good thing.  I may be on the broad road that leads to destruction.  Which road are you on?  When you leave the normal road to get on the narrow road where the few are, the normal people will think you’re different.  As you follow Christ you will be different.

I want to invite you to follow the teachings of Jesus and lead a different life. Because even if we take the Bible aside and just look at this practically, wouldn’t you agree that normal is not working? Think about it, what is normal in your schedules today? Overwhelmed, rushed, stressed, panicked, never enough time for what’s truly important because we’re overwhelmed with the urgent and missing out on the quality.

What is normal when it comes to money today?  It’s the pursuit of material things which never makes us happy. Normal is broke, debt and financial fear.  Normal is fighting about money.

What’s normal when it comes to work? Working for a paycheck, doing something you don’t really like just to get by. Normal is feeling like there’s got to be something more but you just can’t quite find what it is.

What is normal in relationships?  Hopping from bed to bed with different people until you finally do get married. And then, seven years into marriage, since things aren’t going along well, normal for more than half of the people in our country today is divorce. Normal is not working.

If you really believe there is something different and better than the normal life where the majority of the people are traveling, you’ll have to leave the broad road and get onto the narrow road where people will call you different.  Like me you can decide to follow Jesus and live for him.  It’s different, but you will have what few have; peace, joy, security, a sense of fulfillment and an eternal destiny.  Will you join me?

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Posted in Dare to Be Different | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Reply if you Please

Posted on March 23, 2016 by dkoop

RSVPjpgImagine that your dad is rich, fabulously rich. He’s hosting a Superbowl party at his house. The food will be awesome.  Steak, lobster, and a full buffet. He has a mega family room with two giant screen TVs – one on each end of the room. In case the game is boring, your dad’s pool, jacuzzi, and pool table in the rec room will be available. This is a party you won’t want to miss. Question? If it was OK with your dad, would you invite a friend?

Now some of you wouldn’t ever want your fabulously rich dad to throw a Superbowl party. Instead, the idea of a great party for you would be a cookout on a private beach or in your beautiful backyard garden. Or maybe your idea of a great party would be a formal wedding reception with a band and an exquisite meal. You design your party! The point is that your dad throws it and it’s the best party you could ever imagine. Question? If it was OK with your dad, would you invite a friend?

Inviting people to a party is a no-brainer if it’s a great party. And that’s exactly what God is asking us to do with our non-Christian friends. He’s throwing a big party for His Son. You are invited. And you’re invited to invite others, too!

Let me set the stage for this scripture. It’s toward the end of Jesus’ ministry on this earth. For three years, He had been in public ministry. Yet, during this time few Jewish people had accepted Him. In fact, the religious leaders challenged Jesus. “You’re not who you say You are.” Jesus told this story to warn these religious leaders of the judgment to come if they would not honor the Son of God. Matthew 22:1-2.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

The King? God the Father. The son? God the Son, Jesus. The wedding? God’s Son, Jesus, the Bridegroom, being fully and finally united with His Bride, the Church. That will be a party that you don’t want to miss!

Many people totally misunderstand what it’s going to be like with God in the life to come. It’s not going to be boring. God likes parties! He’s throwing a party in honor of his Son. God is happy and proud of His Son. Remember when Jesus was baptized? The Father’s voice came out of heaven and said, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” The Father’s pleasure continued when Jesus died and rose again to purchase His Bride, the Church, for Himself. One day, as it says in Revelation 19, there will be a marriage supper in heaven. The Father is so proud that He’s going to throw a party to celebrate His Son’s marriage to the Church – to all believers everywhere! Yes. There’s a time for reverence and silence before God. But there will be lots of joy when God throws a party for His Son. Be there!

Every Christ follower has the incredible privilege and responsibility to invite your family and friends to that unimaginable party! If you do, one day, they’ll walk up to you with a huge smile and a heart filled with gratitude and say, “Thanks. This is awesome!”

This story teaches us some important truths about inviting people to that party.

When inviting people to the party…

As we invite others we will experience some rejection.  

There will be some stubbornness. Look at v. 3.

3  When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

His servants are witnesses, people like you and me who are called, equipped, and qualified by God to invite our family members and friends to the party. But many people we know are unwilling. They’re stubborn.

These verses are teaching us that the Jewish people were the first to be invited. Christ came to this earth as a Jew. John 1:11 says that Jesus came to His own people, but His own people did not receive Him. A few did, of course. But the Jewish people as a whole rejected Christ and His message of grace.

It’s the same today. Why won’t our friends come to Christ? Often, it’s self-righteousness, and religious pride. By nature, we think too highly of ourselves. That’s why we tend to devalue Christ and His cross. This is why God by His power must break our stubbornness.

Invite people to the party and you’ll know rejection in the form of stubbornness.  Also there’s busy-ness. Others have been too busy to come. Look at vv. 4-5.

4  “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’
5  But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 

Again he sent out other servants saying, “come the the banquet!”

Notice what these servants were to tell those who were invited. “Everything is ready.”

We don’t have to make ourselves ready for the party. We don’t have to get busy trying to establish our own righteousness to earn our salvation and rewards from God. In fact, God’s Word forbids this. It tells us that our salvation and everything that comes with it is already prepared and ready because Christ has done it all. He met every condition for our salvation. IN fact, on the cross He said, “It is finished!” All we have to do is come.

But some don’t come, do they? Many would rather chase after the things of this life. They are indifferent. The wedding is no big deal. The farm and business demand attention. These people were preoccupied with their profits. In other words, they were willing to give up the beauty, grandeur, and honor of being invited to this party for the sake of their everyday, mundane, self-serving lives. They were not concerned about the king’s desires, but only about what they thought was in their own best interests.

That’s the way it with people today. They think, “How’s that Jesus stuff going to help me in the here and now? I have kids to raise! I have a degree to earn! I have a business to run! I have a movie to watch! Don’t bother me with an invitation to a party that isn’t going to happen for a long, long time – if it’s going to happen at all!”

Invite people to the party and you’ll know rejection in the form of busy-ness.

Thirdly, there is abusiveness. Some have persecuted those who have invited them to come. Consider v. 6

6  Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

This was aimed right at the Jewish religious leaders. Prophets had been persecuted and killed for their message of repentance to the Jewish people. Telling people to repent and get ready for the party is never a popular message. And Jesus is looking into His own future here, too. He knew that a cross was coming. He knew that the religious leaders would mistreat Him and, with the Romans, kill Him.

The result? God’s wrath poured out. You won’t come to the party honoring My Son? You dare dishonor Me and My Son that way? Destruction’s coming!

7  “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.

Jesus’ words were prophetic. In AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. The Temple was demolished. More than 1,000,000 Jews who had crowded into the city died. As a political entity, Israel ceased to exist.

If you’re here today and you have rejected the invitation to the party – if you are not a passionate follower of Christ – then you have to know that there is a limit to God’s patience. There will be dreadful destruction of those who do not honor the King’s Son, Jesus!

Now, if you’re headed to the party and you’re inviting others, there’s a possibility that abuse will come.

I was reading this past week about a young Pakistani girl named Saleema. She a Christian who was arrested for inviting a friend to the party. Her friend trusted Christ, converting to Christianity. After that friend started following Jesus, she was killed by her own family for her faith in Jesus Christ. Because Saleema had shared her faith with that friend, she was also charged with the death of her friend.

Saleema is now 18 years old and has been passed from court to court – going higher each time in the Pakistani judicial system. She has been in a care facility for some time, and a recent report said she is in great pain. Saleema has unable to attend court because of health problems due to police beating and torture.  She is unable to stand and walk. Her back, hip and ankles are sore and full of pain. Pray for her and others all over the world who are suffering abuse simply for inviting people to the party.

This is very rare in our culture. What’s the worst thing that happens when we start sharing our faith? Someone might decline your efforts or even raise their voice at you. Is that so tragic? Is that a soul-shattering event for you? In our area, the worst case scenario is that someone will say, “Go away.”

Some of us are so paralyzed by rejection that we aren’t even trying. Some of us are just cowards when it comes to thinking of new ways of reaching people. Don’t ever give up on inviting people to the party! If a teenage girl in Pakistan is willing to go to prison for inviting people to the party, then surely we can face a little rejection here, can’t we?

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad. For great is your reward in heaven.”

When inviting people to the party…
We will experience some rejection.

Everything is ready. Everyone is invited, and some will respond!

8  And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor.
9  Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10  So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

The Jews for the most part rejected Jesus. So, God sent the good news out to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Other people were brought in. This is great news for most of us here! We who were not God’s chosen people became God’s chosen people and were invited to the party! This was God’s purpose from the beginning. God is calling out a people from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.

Notice who comes to the party: people both evil and good. God is making no distinction between open “sinners” and the “morally correct.” Everyone is invited. It does not make any difference whether people have a respectable reputation or are a dishonorable one. No matter who they are, if people have a need, whether they are of good reputation or not, they are invited. “Whosoever will may come,” says God’s word.

We are to go to the highways, to find people, and to invite them to the celebration. If we keep inviting, people will respond.

The reason that some will respond is because the gospel – the good news about Jesus – has power. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

I recently heard Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham talk about outreach. He says he’s fascinated with power – with motorcycles and guns. He said, ” I love anything that is loud and blows smoke.” He went on: “But nothing has power like the gospel. There is no greater high than to lead a man or woman, a boy or a girl to Jesus.”

Our responsibility? You can see it in verse 9.

NOW GO….

Wherever people are, that’s where we are to go. We don’t wait for people to come to us. We go to them. When we wake up, we think, “I’m on mission. I’m going out to school, to work, to play. I wonder who needs to be invited to the party today? Lord, show me. I’m a missionary cleverly disguised as a student, cleverly disguised as a homemaker, cleverly disguised as a businessman.”

“Go.” Sounds like the great commission, doesn’t it? Matthew 28:19 says, ” Go and make disciples of all nations.” That command is for every disciple. Are you doing something to obey that command from Jesus? Is He the Lord of that part of your life? When was the last time you talked to someone about their need for Christ? Our responsibility? To go…

To INVITE.

Find the people who will come. Don’t give up! Don’t call yourself a passionate follower of Jesus unless you are seeking to find the lost! Every believer at The Ridge Fellowship ought to be living an intentionally contagious Christian life – building authentic relationships with people outside the family of God and communicating our faith to them. You haven’t found someone who will say “yes” to the invitation? Find someone who will! Don’t quit!

If you consider the percentages in the parable of the sower, 1 out of 4 will respond. But keep this in mind. Some leaders say that it takes seven hearings of the gospel before someone responds. Some math person can help me with the math on this. If 1 of 4 responds and it takes 7 hearings for that 1 to respond, then I shouldn’t get discouraged. People will come if we just looking for the responsive ones. My responsibility? To go. To Invite.

I love what football great Reggie White said, “I’m just a nobody tellin’ everybody about Somebody who can save anybody!” Go! Invite!

When inviting people to the party… We will see some respond. We must also….

 We must help people dress rightly. vv. 11-12

11  “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.
12  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.

This person was not a party crasher. He was one of the many who were invited. He came. However, he was not dressed appropriately – he wasn’t wearing the right clothes!

You might be wondering, “How could the king expect these people from the byways and highways to come properly dressed? They had been rounded up from everywhere. Many had come from the streets. They wouldn’t have had the clothes for a royal wedding.” But think with me. The rest of the dinner guests were dressed in the right clothes. A possibility… the king himself had made provision for the wedding clothes.

History confirms it. In Christ’s day, to enter into the presence of a king, you were sometimes supplies with the clothes from the king himself. People who wished to be in the King’s presence were often required to wear a robe sent to him by the monarch. So, in this story, the wedding outfit was available to everyone.  But one CHOSE to not wear it.

Here’s the point. Spiritually speaking, if we want to be dressed for this heavenly party we must put on some new clothes. Isaiah 64:6 says that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. But God knows that we won’t be able to come to His party clothed that way. We need forgiveness and a righteousness that isn’t our own. He provides it. When Christ died on the cross, He took our sin, our rebellion, our dirt and gave us His holiness, His submission, His clean-ness.

The old hymn says, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” To be dressed rightly means that we are covered by His blood! When that happens, it’s joy! we’re ready for the wedding! It’s party time!

Listen to Isaiah 61:10. “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness.”

When we are covered by His blood, we are made righteous in God’s sight. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

One day, when our family members and our friends and our co-workers are standing before the King, if they are not covered by the blood, if they are not clothed in His righteousness, they’ll hear something like, “How did you get in here?” And they’ll be speechless.

Most everyone here knows people who are thinking that they are going to the party one day because they are good people. “I believe in God. I say my prayers. I go to church. I do good deeds. I give money to help people.” But on that day, those clothes will be seen for what they are – filthy rags. Don’t let your family members, your friends, your co-workers die dressed wrongly!

Do we do good works? You bet! But our good works are merely evidences of the fact that we are saved, kept, blessed, and qualified for Heaven based on the righteousness of Christ. God says that we must have a righteousness that we cannot produce. He tells us that our works are not good enough to save us, keep us, make us holy, or earn His favor. We need Christ!

We must help people be dressed rightly!  How? By the righteousness of Christ.

We must remember that the stakes are high. vv. 13-14

13  Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This is a terrible picture. This man, clothed in the wrong garments, was tied up so tightly that he couldn’t even offer any resistance. And then he was thrown into hell.

Three images of hell are used here: Outer darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Outer darkness – outside the party, away from the brightness and the glory and the joy and the presence of God forever. Weeping – forever sorrowful about rejecting Christ. Gnashing of teeth – eternal regret: “Oh… wish I’d given my life to Jesus!” This is the future of everyone who will not be clothed in the righteousness of Christ!

The stakes are high! Everyone you know is going to spend eternity in either heaven or hell.

Look at the next phrase. “Many are called.” The general call of the good news goes out to the many. That means that everyone who hears the good news is responsible to come to God seeking to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. All who refuse shall perish, and they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Last phrase. “But few are chosen.” I want my friends, my relatives to be part of the few. Out of this mass of fallen people God has sovereignly and graciously chosen His own. He sent Christ to die for them and secure their salvation. He sends His Holy Spirit to give them spiritual life and bring them by our witness to faith. All who flee to Christ do so because God has sovereignly called them and given them life. These are the chosen.

When inviting people to the party… We must remember that the stakes are high.

The Titanic disaster is a tragic story with a sobering application for us today. What would you have done if you had been in a lifeboat?
Like some of you, I am concerned about the spiritual temperature in our church. This is the constant concern of any church leader. What can we ask God to do and what can we join Him in doing that will ignite a fire in our church? Go deeper? Have more worship? Less Worship? More Communion? More fellowships? Quit talking about money?  What can we do for renewal?

Churches do all kinds of things to renew themselves. Most don’t work well. I’ve seen what works. My life has revolved around Christ and His Church since He called me to ministry in 1991. I’ve been active in churches since my youth. I read about churches. I get involved in coaching and talk to pastors about churches.  Churches that are on fire – that are experiencing renewal – are churches where people are being invited to the party. When we reach those who are outside Christ, then dusty old saints start asking the question, “What are we going to do to help these people grow?” A batch of freshly redeemed people gives a spiritual energy injection to any church. There’ll be too much work to do to fight over internal issues and petty stuff.

That’s why we want to identify, equip and train people to invite others to the party. Our dream is that we will see a growing number of new Christ followers coming into this family of faith. If you’re heart is beating just a little bit faster because of what you’ve read today, then join me and pray.  Invite some friends, family or neighbors for Easter at The Ridge Fellowship.

Darrell

http://www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Our Invitation from God

Posted on March 19, 2016 by dkoop

RSVPjpgYou’re invited!  God has extended to you an invitation know Him and be a part of something bigger than yourself.  Will you respond or RSVP? RSVP is derived from the French phrase “Répondez s’il vous plait” literally “Reply if you please.” Today we will examine a parable or story that Jesus told just days before he would die on the cross and rise from the dead.  This parable describes how God has invited his people to experience Him.  It’s found in Matthew 21.

On the Sunday before the crucifixion, Jesus was welcomed by the cheers of the people. As He entered Jerusalem He paused and sobbed bitter tears over how the people of Israel had rejected Him. Over the next few days, He taught openly in the temple courts. The religious leaders tried unsuccessfully to entrap Him with trick questions. In the midst of these questions, He shared a parable that contained a scathing indictment against the failure of the Jewish people to accept Him and His invitation of salvation and eternal life.

He went on to tell the people this parable: 33  “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.
34  When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35  “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36  Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
37  Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38  “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’
39  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40  “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41  “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42  Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
44  He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Matthew 21:33-44 (NIV)

When Jesus finished telling this parable, the people were shocked. They were astonished because Jesus disrupted their nice, neat understanding of God. Their view of God had become so skewed they thought God existed for the sake of their religious practices.  Not them for God.

Over 90 percent of Americans claim to believe in God–but what kind of God do they trust? For some, He is the nice, neat God they salute for an hour a week and then live the rest of their lives as if He doesn’t exist. For others, their religious rules and rituals have become a substitute for knowing God. Jesus Christ visited planet earth 2,000 years ago to teach us about God’s invitation to each of us. In this parable, He reveals four foundational aspects of the nature of God and we are invited to respond.

GOD IS GOOD – He Blesses Us With Good Things. (Creation, Health, Family, Jobs, and Recreation)

Do you know that God is good?  He gives us so many blessings! Like the owner of the vineyard, God created this world. He is the owner of this place called “Planet Earth.” He has placed us here to manage it, enjoy it and give back to Him.  We don’t own anything, we’re just the tenants. The Psalmist proclaimed, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” (Psalm 24:1)

During creation, God was like a master architect and craftsman.  He created something, and stepped back and said, “That’s good!” In Genesis 1, the phrase “and God saw that it was good” is repeated six times. When He finished, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Then Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 1:31; 2:18)  After He created Adam, He saw He was alone. God’s nature is to create and seek good. When He sees something that is not good, He corrects it. That’s why God gave Adam a wife, because He knew she would be good for him!

I like the funny story of God saying to Adam, “Adam, I’ve got just the woman for you. She will never complain or nag you. She’ll be a perfect cook and she’ll always look great. She’ll adore you and follow any instructions you give her.” Adam said, “Sounds good, Lord. How much will this cost me?” God said, “It’ll cost you an arm and a leg–but she’ll be worth it.” Adam said, “I don’t know. What can you give me for just a rib?”

When Adam first saw Eve, most of our English translations have him saying something profound like, “This is bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh.” But in the original Hebrew text, he uttered an interjection of surprise. He said something like, “Whoa! Man!” That’s why we call them women. God gave a wife to Adam because she was good for Him. Everything good in our lives comes from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes down from above from the Father.”

God is good. Things may not look too good in your world right now. You think for things to be good, there must be the absence of problems or pain. When you hear someone say, “God is good,” you may want to argue, “If God is good, how could He allow this war to happen? If God is good, why do bad things happen?” Look at the parable again. The bad things that happened in the vineyard were not caused by the owner, the tenants messed up a good thing. That’s what has happened in our world today. We live in a fallen, sinful world, and our sin has messed it up. When someone complains to me that life isn’t fair, I sometimes say, “You’re right, life isn’t fair–but God is good.”  Our response to God’s goodness is gratitude.

GOD IS PATIENT – HE SENDS US MESSENGERS (prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors)

In the parable, the owner, who represents God, sent a servant to the vineyard when the grapes were ready to harvest. The tenants were like share-croppers. The owner didn’t demand all of the grapes, just a portion of them. But the tenants rejected the servant and beat him up and kicked him out. The essence of sin is declaring independence from your Creator–refusing to acknowledge God’s ownership of this world and rejecting His claim on your life. Sin is always first an attitude that says, “I don’t need God. I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul.”

The tenants insulted the owner by rejecting his servant. What would you do if you were the landlord of a rental house and you sent an employee to collect the rent and instead of paying, the renter beat up your employee and said, “This is MY house. I’m not paying a dime!”? God would have been legally and morally justified to instantly reclaim the vineyard from sinful mankind and punish us immediately. But at this point in the parable, we learn the shocking truth that God is not only good, He is patient. Instead of punishing the farmers, he sends another servant, and another–and they are all rejected.

In the Old Testament, God sent many prophets to Israel to warn them of the dangers of rejecting God. Most of the prophets were abused and scorned when they were alive. Elijah was pursued by a wicked queen, Jeremiah was thrown into a pit to die, and Amos was scorned and ridiculed. The messages of the prophets were never valued until years after they died. Someone once said prophets and pigs have one thing in common–they aren’t truly appreciated until they’re dead.

Today he sends us evangelists, teachers and pastors.  Ephesians 4:11-12 “It was Him who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service so the body of Christ may be built up.  Do we ignore the teachers and pastors God has sent us?
As this relates to us as believers today in the church, God calls us to make disciples.  Yes we enjoy some fellowship and worship, but we must produce a harvest, fruit or disciples.  A vineyard that doesn’t produce fruit is broken, a church that doesn’t produce disciples is also sick or broken.  We have a job to do.

God owns this world, and He owns your life. Have you rejected His claim? If you have, you should be thankful God is patient. He keeps on sending you messengers to patiently request you surrender to Him what is rightfully His. If you are rejecting your pastor’s or teachers plea to surrender to Christ and serve him with your life, in a sense you are really rejecting the one who sent them.  God has promised He will punish sin. You may think you are getting away with your sin–no, God is just being patient with you. The Bible says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) He is giving you another chance right now as you read these words. Patience is not weakness or unconcern, patience is strength under control.

In the 19th century, before radio or television, people in America found entertainment by listening to orators. One of the most infamous was a gifted atheist by the name of Robert Ingersol. He traveled around the country delivering eloquent speeches on the irrationality of believing in God. He was the Madalyn Murray O’Hair of his generation. One of his most dramatic methods was to stand on stage and shake his fist toward heaven and say, “If there is a God, I dare Him to strike me dead in 10 seconds!” Then he slowly counted to ten. Women fainted, and God-fearing people rushed for the exits, fully expecting God to send a fireball and consume Robert Ingersol. Of course, nothing happened. After completing his count, Ingersol challenged anyone in the audience to refute his logic. It is reported in one small Midwestern town, an old, godly woman laughed out loud and said, “Mr. Ingersol, do you think you can exhaust God’s wonderful patience in just 10 seconds?” God is patient, but as we will see, His patience will run out one day.  Our response to God’s messengers is obedience.

GOD IS LOVING – HE SENT HIS ONLY SON (Jesus)

God is inviting us to respond to His goodness, His patience and his Love. In the parable, after his servants had been rejected and abused, He takes an unprecedented, astonishing step–he sent his son. Jesus called him “the beloved son.” In Mark’s version of the story, the owner sends his only Son. The words “beloved son” are the same words heard when Jesus was baptized. A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved son.”

An amazing verse and probably the most important statement about God’s love found in the Bible is this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Can you comprehend that? There is only one God and He has only one Son, and He loves us so much He sent that only son to reconcile our differences with Him. So what did we do? Did we run out to meet God’s Son and fall at His feet in surrender? No, like the tenants in the parable, we crucified the Son of God.

This parable not only highlights the shocking truth about the character of God, it reveals the shocking truth about the utter wickedness of the human heart. The tenants of vineyard didn’t kill the owner’s son in the spontaneous heat of emotion; they made a calculated decision. They thought by killing the son, they could claim ownership of the vineyard.

That’s what so amazing about God’s love. I am a sinner by nature and by choice, but God still loves me, in spite of my sin. He loves you enough that He sent His only Son to die for you. The Bible says, “but God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

How can you resist that kind of love? Years ago in the early days of computers, the publishers of Time magazine were concerned about their declining circulation, so they designed a campaign to send out thousands of letters making an emotional appeal to potential subscribers. In the past, such mailings had been done manually, at a great cost in human resources. IBM made a proposal to install a fully automated system that would write the letters, seal the envelopes, address them according to a selected database, stamp them and send them into the postal system without the letters ever being touched by a human hand. The huge computer was installed with much fanfare and anticipation. However, as is still the case with computers, there was a glitch, and as a result a poor sheepherder in Wyoming received 12,634 letters appealing to him to subscribe to Time magazine. The surprised sheepherder, who didn’t ordinarily get much mail, opened the mail bags and started reading the letters. After reading a few dozen, he sent in a subscription order with a note that said, “I give up.” That’s the kind of persuasion that’s hard to resist!

God has written thousands of letters to you–and each one of them says, “I love you.” The reason some people don’t understand the Bible is because they try to study it like they study other literature. Instead, the Bible is one long love letter. On every page, God is expressing His love to you.  Our response to God’s son is acceptance.

The owner of the vineyard was good, patient, and loving, but he couldn’t allow the wickedness of the tenants to go unnoticed or unpunished. Notice one final shocking truth about God.

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS- HE REQUIRES OBEDIENCE (Salvation, Discipleship, Evangelism)

After Jesus spoke of the tenants killing the owner’s son, He paused and asked, “

40  “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41  “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

Don’t confuse love with syrupy sentimentality. Because He is holy, He cannot tolerate sin. When I was a kid back in the olden days, school teachers and principles still paddled us if we misbehaved. I’m not proud of the fact I got a few in my time. I always got the two-for-one special because whenever I got a paddling at school, my parents always learned about it, and I got another one when I got home!  A friend of mine had a coach and teacher that had a big paddle he kept in his desk drawer. He had written the word “patience” on his paddle. Whenever someone misbehaved he would pull the paddle out and say, “You’re getting close to the end of my patience.” He always warned a student before he executed judgement. If the warning was ignored, the student got a paddling.  The coach would said, “You’ve reached the end of my patience, now the end of my patience is going to reach you.”

On the other hand, whenever we had substitute teacher, we could cut up and misbehave, because substitute teachers seldom punished us. Some people think God is like some half-witted, permissive substitute teacher who looks at the world of misbehaving sinners and says, “Now, now boys and girls, please sit down and be quiet!” No, God is Holy and like the owner of the vineyard, there will be a day of judgement for those who reject His Son.

In the book of Revelation, there is a great deal written about God’s ultimate judgement against those who reject His love.  In the middle of these future judgements, an angel says to God, “You are just in these judgements, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged.” (Revelation 16:5) Because God is Holy, He will punish sin. And because He is Holy, He is right and just in His judgements.

What was true of the nation of Israel historically is true of us personally. God sent prophets and angels to Israel, and finally He sent His son. Because the nation of Israel rejected God’s son, they suffered the consequence of losing the vineyard. For almost 1,900 years Israel passed out of existence, and only since 1948 have they had a nation again.  God sends us Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are we listening, are we responding or do we ignore and plot against them? Again, this relates to us as believers today in HIS church, Christ calls us to make disciples.  We must produce a harvest, fruit or disciples.  A vineyard that doesn’t produce fruit is not healthy and a church that doesn’t produce disciples is also unhealthy.

As he wrapped up this story, Jesus infuriated the Jewish leaders because He claimed to be the “stone which the builders rejected.” This is a metaphor rich with meaning! In the building of Solomon’s Temple, it took 30,000 workmen over seven years to complete the temple. According to I Kings 6 all the stones were quarried far away from the building site, so there was no sound of hammering heard there. Jewish tradition says one day the building superintendent saw an unusual stone being delivered. Because it was cut in an odd shape, he thought it was flawed. He had it rolled away into the Kidron Valley where it lay untouched and unnoticed. Years later, the builder sent word to the quarry that he was ready for the main corner stone. The quarry master came and reported, “Why, I had that stone delivered years ago. When they began to search they discovered the discarded stone in the valley was the main cornerstone. It was covered with debris and moss. It took many men working hard to raise the massive stone out of the valley. When they raised it and set it, it fit perfectly! The chief cornerstone was the very rock they rejected.

Jesus is that Rock. The Jews were on the verge of rejecting God’s chief cornerstone–they would crucify Him. But God was going to exalt Jesus by raising Him from the dead.

A few months after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John were arrested for healing a paralyzed man. They were summoned before the same Jewish council who sentenced Jesus to die. Instead of pleading for mercy, Peter used the opportunity to repeat these words of Jesus right in their faces. In Acts 4:10-12 he said, “Know this, you and all the people of Israel: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is the ‘stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

For some of you today, this is your next step, Commit your life to Christ.  Pray, Jesus come in my life, I’m a sinner in need of a savior.  I commit my life to you.” Amen.

For others, you KNOW Christ but need to GROW more by inviting others. God is calling you to help produce fruit in His Vineyard or in other words to “go makes disciples.” (Matthew 28:18)

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-frontWe have our INVEST & INVITE cards.  Pick one up Sunday! Who are you praying for?  Who are you inviting to Easter services?  People are more interested in coming to church at Easter than any other time of the year.  Lets be businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-frontobedient and Invite people.

What is God’s invitation? He Invites You to KNOW Him. Accept him and be baptized. He invites you to GROW in obedience, to serve in his vineyard the Church, to help produce his fruit: other disciples. He is good, He is patient, and He is loving. He invites you to serve with him in producing fruit or disciples. We need to serve out of love.

Will you SERVE Him?  Pray for and invite others, help serve in the vineyard His church tending the young believers, welcoming the new people, serving others, inviting others, praying for others.  Today is the day to respond. What is your RSVP?

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Healthy Marriage – Song of Solomon Ch 2:8 – Ch 3:11

Posted on February 19, 2016 by dkoop

RPM-Poster copyLast week we began looking at the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament.  The Song of Solomon is a Cinderella story.  It’s a story about King Solomon and the girl he fell in love with who was a common laborer.  We read how they meet, date, court, marry, have sex, and fight.  This is a song of all songs.  It’s a song that was told in a couple different voices, her voice and his voice as they express their love towards one another.  It’s like snapshots throughout the book.  We are able to take those pictures and look at them and get principles for our relationships as they tell us about the different seasons in their relationship.

Today we are looking at “How to Have a Healthy Marriage.”

Too often after couples make their commitments, the romance and communication are reduced, we settle into the grind of life and the relationship can get boring.

The first principle for a Healthy Marriage from the Song of Songs is simply this,

  1. Quality Time Together

10 My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. 11 See! The winter is past…12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.” Song of Songs 2:8-13

Solomon wants to go out on a walk.  The winter is past, the rains are over and gone. Flowers are here. The season of singing has come.   Spring is here – life is abounding everywhere.  Just as springtime is a representation of life, so too, time together as a couple should produce life.  Twice he says, “come with me”  “Come with me!”  Lets spend time together, let’s do something.  Time is the most valuable resource I have and I am going to invest it in you!

Quality time together is not just for single people.  Too often what happens is that we get married, we exchange vows then the time spent together changes.  Guys are pursuers by nature.  We pursue.  We go after a prize. Then we win her and she takes the ring.  The prize is won!  Then we move on to the next thing.  We can’t stop spending time together.  We have to continue to have fun.  She needs to be pursued.  Ask most guys what the most creative date they’ve ever done is.  They will tell you it was the night they asked their wife to marry them.  It ends then.  “You know that time I asked her to marry me, forty years ago, that was awesome.”  She still needs to be pursued today.

 Niki and I set a time together each week.  Both of us take Thursday off and we will just spend the day together.  We may go see a movie, go eat somewhere, sometimes we will just stay in our pajamas and watch movies or read.    We turn off our phones.  That’s right, turn off your phone and spend time together.  Now, you may not have that much time, but take a night, one night a week, or a night every other week, drop off the kids at a baby sitter.  Or find a couple to trade off with, watch their kids while they go on a date, next week, they watch your kids while you go on a date.  We book it on our calendar.  We lock it in.  It’s in concrete.  It’s an appointment that I have that’s not movable.  That’s my time with Niki.  It’s important that we have quality time together.  It’s important for all couples.  Secondly we need a…

 2. Willingness to Solve Problems

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

This woman is an innocent dove up in the cleft of the rocks giving the idea of being hidden from all who would cause harm. In a relationship between a male and female, there are hidden deep things that you will not share with anyone, but as your relationship deepens, it’s like the dove coming out of its cleft.   Leaving its protection to come out and fly.  This is what God has intended for marriage – to know the deep things of one another, to help each other to grow as one and ultimately to become one.  As we find out more there is the reality of differences of opinion, differences in feelings, male and female differences.  Conflict is normal!  Conflict will happen. We will look at this in depth in two weeks.  We have to be willing to face these differences.

15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:14-15 (NIV)

Catch the foxes.  In Israel there were actual foxes that would make their way into the vineyards and cause destruction.  These little foxes were seldom more than 15 inches tall; and in digging their holes and passages, they loosen the soil so the vines do not grow.  They would also eat the blossoms; therefore, it would never bud to produce the fruit.   The fruit would never come to maturity because something would eat it.  This business of keeping foxes out of vineyards is more difficult than it sounds. Vineyards in Palestine were surrounded by stonewalls topped by a hedge. The families stayed in villages in the middle of the vineyards to protect them from wild animals. This demanded much perseverance; if the people failed to watch, the foxes would begin their work of destruction.  It’s the same in a relationship; unresolved conflict will destroy a relationship.

 Paul Myer says, “Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.”   Have you quit trying?  God is a God of second chances.  If you are feeling, “I have allowed those little miserable foxes to destroy my vineyard that God has given me.”  The Bible tells us that God can restore what the locusts have eaten.  Jesus first miracle was turning water into wine.  He is in the business of recreating.  Recreating death into life, sinners to become righteous.  Don’t quit. Try a different approach and ask God to change you.   God is in the business of restoration.   If you are successful at catching or keeping the little foxes out of your vineyard  here is what takes place (v. 16-17)  “My beloved is mine”  I trust him, I belong to him, safety and security.   Its an environment to grow trust, admiration and passion.   That is how chapter two ends.

We want to encourage everyone to get in a Growth Group: We have a Love & Respect Group, a Top Ten Relational Needs Group, Healthy Marriage Seminars that are on Saturdays (one each month this semester) and Pre Marital sessions that give couples in Texas $65 off their marriage certificate.

In Chapter 3, verse 6 the woman describes her wedding day.

6 Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, 8 all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night. 9 King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior lovingly inlaid by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced. Song of Songs 3:6-11 (NIV)

Now you may read that and think, “Well, that’s interesting.”  That’s not exactly how you think of a wedding, but in the ancient world, they did it different.

Notice in chapter 3:6 she says, “Who is this that comes like a cloud of smoke out of the desert.”  I think that’s an interesting choice of words.  As you look back at the early chapters in the book of Exodus in the Bible, how did God led the people of Israel into the Promise Land?  As a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.  This was very important in their culture.  They would talk about this.  It was part of who they were.  She’s saying, “Solomon, I see you coming.  You are coming as if you are being led by God himself to come and take me in this processional to be your wife.”  God was in charge.

 That’s what we do when we exchange vows.  Marriages are done by mostly by clergy: pastors, priests, rabbis or a justice of the peace who also is supposed to act on the behalf of God.  Vows are conducted before couple, before some witnesses but most importantly before God.

I think about all the couples that I’ve married over the years.   I do about 4-6 weddings a year on average.  As I stand at the altar and look into their eyes, there is love in their eyes.   Then at some point the conflict, differences and selfishness drive a wedge in the love.  Relationships get hard.  Relationships take work.  I have a news flash for you:  It’s not easy to be married.  It’s just not.  People think, and I’ve heard this all the time, if you are in a relationship with your soul mate, with the one and only, then it wont take any work.  Repeat after me…”relationships take work.”  When you look at a couple with a good marriage and it seems that the grass is greener with them, the truth that the grass is greener where you water and fertilize!

Too often we base our actions in a relationship on our feelings.  Feelings are fickle. Here’s what I propose to you…  your feelings can literally be shaped by your actions.    What were the things that you did when you had all those feelings of love and excitement?  Think back to it.  What did you do for her?  What did you do for him?  What were those actions?  Start doing those actions again.  Feelings can follow actions.  Do the actions like you are head over heels in love.

If you think, “That feels hypocritical.  If I feel like I don’t I love him/her as I used to, how am I supposed to get giddy about that?”    Here’s what you do:  You realize that you aren’t being hypocritical.  You are honoring the marriage vow that you already took.  The marriage vow was not a vow to say, “I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife when I feel like it.”  It was, “I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife.”  That’s an action that I’m going to involve myself in.  It can take your relationship to a whole new level.  Do the things that you would do when you were head over heels in love.  Feelings can follow actions.

We are going to have a time to renew our vows for all of our married couples at the end of the message on March 6th.   We will give each couple a certificate. Think through with me what those vows really mean and let’s learn how we can recapture some of those first feelings we had when we stood there and you were head over heels in love with this other individual.

We take these vows in sickness and in health.  We take them in prosperity and in need.  We take them till death do us part.  That’s a tough issue.  You look around our culture.  Over half of marriages end in divorce.  People who stood there and said till death do us part.  There are people who would tell you in their marriages and in their relationships when they stood beside that altar and lit the unity candle that what they didn’t know was they were actually lighting a time bomb.  It was just a matter of time before the thing went off in their lives.  I understand that it’s complicated.  I will tell you this; marriages are micro pictures of God’s desire of our relationship with him.  I think that’s one of the reasons why God’s ideal is for us to be in one relationship through the course of our lifetime.  So that’s the third aspect of a healthy marriage…

3  Lifetime Commitment

The Bible says God says in Malachi, “I hate divorce.”  I quickly want you to hear this.  It doesn’t say I hate divorced people.  Big difference there, isn’t it?  He says He hates divorce.  God hates what divorce does in people’s lives.  It rips families apart.  It rips homes apart.  I think most of us are in agreement with God on that point.  God wants marriage to be a picture of our relationship with Him.  That’s why you read through the Bible and God is the groom.  The church is the bride of Christ.  In Revelation 19:7, on the final day we will have a wedding celebration. They call it the “Wedding Celebration of the Lamb.”  We are going to be there together.  Our hearts are bound together.  God’s going to do it because He loves us and cares for us.

We take these vows, “till death do us part.”  While in our own earthly relationships, those vows don’t always remain.  Here is what’s true…no matter how well or poorly you’ve done in your relational past, there is one relationship that will not disappoint.  There is one relationship where He will always be faithful.  That is your relationship with God.  No matter where your relationships are today; whether they are going well or terribly, maybe you are barely hanging on.  I want to challenge you to get one relationship right before you leave.  All of us some day will die.  All of us will face that moment of death.  The promise of the Bible is that we can be in a relationship with God because He sent His son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, for our forgiveness and we can be with Him for eternity.  That is an awesome promise. It’s a picture of a marriage between God and His people.

I believe God can do more to help you and your relationship more than anything else I could offer you.  He can do more than a self-help book more than marriage principles, more than anything else to help you.  What I’ve learned is that when you grow like Christ and your spouse grows like Christ you will begin to grow closer together spiritually.

Next week is racy and steamy.   In chapter 4 the couple enjoys their honey moon and we read as they have sex.   Until then!

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