Lest We Forget

The other day I was sharing with the youth about liking symbols, pictures, objects that help me remember stuff.  I am kind of famous for forgetting things, so any help in remembering is a great benefit to me.  God also likes to provide memorials and reminders for his people.  Just read through the Old Testament and find all the times God told the people to build something, stack rocks, write down, etc. all to remember what He had done.  Today I was reading in 1 Corinthians and Paul uses a lot of these memorials to paint a picture of God working through time to show us His plan of salvation.  Read the following text and think back to your Old Testament memory bank to find the stories Paul is referring to.

1 Corinthians 10:1-17

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, ² and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” ⁸ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. ⁹ We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, ¹⁰ nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. ¹¹ Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. ¹² Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Things to think about:

·         How many Old Testament stories did you find referenced in this passage?

·         Paul says these things served as examples for us.  What was the example? See verse 6

·         You could almost simplify it to say that if you pursue evil and abandon God it will not go well for you, but if you faithfully pursue Christ God will not destroy you.  Notice I didn’t say everything will go well for you.  We still live in a world of sin and brokenness, but if God is on our side we know no matter what is happening in our current situation we win in the end.

·         Verse 13 talks about temptations – what are your temptations?  How do you take the advice of Paul and look to the past examples to help you fight against those temptations?

·         I think the last memorial Paul mentions is probably the greatest.  He is speaking about our practice of communion and remembering the body and blood of Jesus that was given for us so that we might be saved.  May we look to that reminder every time we take it and give praise to God for what He has done.  He gave his life so that you could be forgiven.  Let us never forget that!

Overwhelmed and Overcome

Have you ever been overwhelmed?  I think the obvious answer to that question is yes…everyone has been overwhelmed at one point or another.  Work can frustrate us, our families can sadden us, our lives can go spiraling out of control.  But, what are we supposed to do when we are overwhelmed?  How can we go back to just being “whelmed?”  I think our first answer to this question would be to try and fix everything that surrounds me.  Change my circumstances and life will be less overwhelming, right?  Well, that may work, but how is it going so far changing all the circumstances around you?  Doesn’t it seem that whenever one overwhelming thing wraps up in life another one pops up out of nowhere?  So, we could work our entire lives trying to clear up the overwhelming situations in life.  Maybe there is another answer?  Maybe there is something we can do in ourselves that can protect us from the overwhelming world around us.  Let’s read this short Psalm and see if we can learn a thing or two…

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me. ² But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³ O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Things to think about:

·         3 simple lines in this Psalm.  Verse one is a humble look at my situation.  A recognition that I just don’t understand everything, I don’t have the strength for everything, I don’t know all that is happening, nor do I.  There are things that I do not understand, there are things that are too lofty for me, too great, too marvelous…possibly too tragic, too difficult.  There are situations and stories that I just have to trust into the hands of God.

·         Verse two takes us to the Lord.  The metaphor is used of a weaned child and it’s mother.  God is the “mother” or protector, guide, parental figure that watches over us and understands.  We are a child, barely able to walk or talk.  What hope do we have of understanding all that God knows? 

Romans 11:33-35

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?” ³⁵ “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?

·         May the wisdom of God and the understanding that even if you don’t get it, God does, even if you don’t see the point, God does, even if you don’t know the answer to your “why” questions, God does.  Calm and quiet your soul – Lay in the lap of your Lord and trust in him. 

·         Verse three then is the command.  Hope in the Lord!  When all is tumultuous, when all seems lost, when all feels overwhelming – humble yourself and sit in the arms of God like a child sits in the arms of its mother and have Hope!  Hope in the Lord forevermore for God understands all and He has never been overwhelmed, not even once. 

May we all rest securely in the arms of our Savior as we put our eternal hope in him.

Fire, Fire, and More Fire

                So this past week was pretty eventful here at Overland Hills Church.  Don’t worry, nobody was hurt.  Tuesday instead of typing up my Bible Time with Josh I was carrying children from our preschool & childcare down the hill to a neighboring school.  We had to evacuate because one of our heat pump motors was smoking and filling classrooms with a toxic smell and smoke.  The fire truck came, checked everything out and we were up and running later in the day, but still exciting.  On the same day down the street there is a house that caught fire with much of the garage gone and parts of the house completely destroyed.  It was in that very house that Overland Hills Church got its start.  To some of you out there you remember those days with the offices in that house, small group meetings, counseling, all happening in a neighborhood house down the street.  That was before my time, but I have been told those were some great years of ministry.  How strange that OHC has a fire, and old OHC house has a fire on the same day?  Must be a God thing.  That got me thinking, and to be honest, not very positive thinking…one day OHC, old OHC house, your house, your work, your school, your neighborhood, your world will be on fire.  Not a very pleasant thought, but true.  Let’s look at one Bible passage that gives us that very warning.

2 Peter 3:1-13

 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,² that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. ⁷ But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Things to think about:

·         What a great phrase in verse one…”stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder…”  Isn't it easy to get sidetracked by this world and all the bright shiny things that occupy our time.  We get busy thinking about the temporal, the here and now, and lose sight of what will truly last forever.  Build a giant building with your name on it – it will burn.  Own a country – it will burn.  Be the greatest football player ever and have your name written in the Hall of Fame – it will burn.  Yikes!

·         But, what will last?  What will continue on after everything we see burns with fire?  Your soul, your neighbors soul, the Word of God, and your relationship with the creator of the New Heaven and New Earth.  May we focus our time on those things instead of on the kindling that will spark God final BBQ.

·         Why do you think God will destroy everything with fire?  Why not water like he did once before?  See verses 5-6

·         This passage says Jesus will come back like a thief…meaning we will not know when, he will not announce it, or give any further warnings except those already given.  The question is; are you ready?  God does not wish you to perish, I do not wish you to perish.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who through His death and resurrection has the power to make you righteous so that you can wait in joyful anticipation of the new heaven and new earth!

·         Head this warning from the Apostle Peter and believe today.  If you are a believer, you too, should head this warning and live as if you knew this world and all that it has to offer will one day be destroyed.  Let’s live in such a way that shows we believe that to be true.  What does that look like for you?