Our Father in Heaven

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." (Matthew 6:9)

What is God like? Is He distant? Is He unapproachable and aloof? Is He too busy to talk? Does He really care about the things that I care about?

Jesus begins this prayer that He's just taught His disciples addressing God as "Father." What kind of a father is He? In the news recently has been the story of a father in Merritt, BC who brutally killed his three children to get back at his wife. Is God that kind of a father that can't be trusted? One minute you think He's ok and the next thing you know He's snuffed out your life for no apparent reason except to further His agenda? What is He really like?

Well, depending on what sort of relationship you had with your earthly father you may view Him in different ways. We tend to relate to God is a similar way that we relate to our earthly father. Hence, if your father was not affectionate and caring, or if he was downright mean and vindictive, you may think that God is that way too and you could have a difficult time trusting Him enough to believe that He has your best in mind. If, on the other hand, your father was nurturing, approachable, kind, and affectionate, you will likely have an easier time building intimacy with Him and believing that He has a good future for you.

God does have a good future for you. He is the perfect Father. No matter how good your earthly father is or was, he was not perfect. But, God the Father is, and He has your best in mind.

While the Jews were being taken into captivity by the Babylonians God through the prophet Jeremiah said this:

Jeremiah 29

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

So, no matter what you're going through right now God has a good future in mind for you. Your situation may not seem like it, but it is true. God never wastes pain. He takes it and turns it into something good. Why not trust Him today knowing that He is the perfect Father who will never let you down?

Next Jesus says that after addressing God as Father we are to "hallow" His name. That means we are to make it holy -- recognizing that He is the Supreme ruler, not only of creation, but of you personally. In other words, to hallow Him means to do what He says. We cannot call Him God and Father and go on with life as usual.

Jesus said a similar thing in Luke 6:46: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say." In Matthew He said the same thing and then went on to tell the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27). There were two builders. One was wise and one was foolish. The wise builder built his house on the rock and when the storms of adversity came along his house was sturdy enough to withstand it because it had a good foundation. The foolish builder built his house on the sand. When the storms came it fell flat because it didn't have a good foundation. Jesus said that the only difference between the two was that the wise builder not only listened to the teaching of Jesus, he followed through with obedience. The foolish builder heard Jesus' teaching too, but he didn't obey and when the storms of adversity came along he found that he couldn't handle life.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." If we call God, "Father" we must do what He says. His mission for us while we are on earth is to make disciples by teaching them to obey Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). He said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and people and all the other commands are summed up in those two. Hence, we are to teach others how to love God and how to love people. That is God's call on our lives.

Why not give God permission to search your heart this week and show you if there is any way that you need to surrender to His way of living. Remember, He will never call you to something that you and He together cannot handle.

Shalom,
Pastor Jeff

Becoming a People of Prayer

I might be wrong, but it seems to me that everybody prays whether they know it or not -- even the atheist. In one of our Christianity Explored classes a few years ago we had people from several different faith backgrounds in the group, including a couple atheists who were new to the country. One of them on the way to the class was nearly in an accident. A car was careening towards her. She slammed on her breaks, closed her eyes, and to her surprised said, "Please, help God." She told us that she didn't know where that came from. But, I believe that God has put a knowledge of Him deep in the heart of even the atheist. Everyone prays. Some just don't know who they are praying to.

Jesus taught us how to pray in the Gospels. Here's what He said.

Matthew 6:5-15

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

¹⁰ your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.

¹² Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Even a quick look at this passage shows us that Jesus was not concerned with the form of praying, but the heart of the prayer. "Who are you praying to?" is the question Jesus asks. The religious people that Jesus calls hypocrites were not praying to God. They were praying to those who were within earshot of them. They were putting on a performance. They were hoping for some applause for their eloquent monologue. So, Jesus said, if that is what they want that is what they will get. The applause of men will be their reward. God will not hear them.

Heart attitude is everything. James said in 4:3, u want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. So, if we are serious about God hearing our prayers we need to be serious about praying to Him and with His will in mind.


Here's what Myron Augsburger wrote in The Communicator's Commentary on Matthew:

“Prayer is opening one’s life to God. It is inviting Him to act in our lives. Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, it is being willing to accept His will in our lives. Prayer moves the hand of God by giving Him the moral freedom to do in our lives what He has been wanting to do. God, in His sovereign practice, does not impose His will upon us. Consequently, He can function in our lives in accordance with the degree of freedom we surrender to Him. Prayer is therefore relational; it is not merely a psychological exercise of self-fulfillment, nor is it a mental review of God’s principles, nor is it coercing God; rather, it is a free personality inviting the Personage of heaven to share with us.

Prayer, then is inviting God into our situation, whatever it is. It may be a dark place. It may be a happy place, but whatever your situation God can be trusted to go there with you. Invite Him in through faith in Christ. Open up to Him to come to that place and Father you in the way that you need Him.

Prayer should become as natural as breathing. That's what Jesus meant when He said, "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Prayer should become so much a part of our lives that it flows out without even thinking sometimes. We should become so aware of God's presence with us that we can almost feel Him beside and conversations with Him become as normal as talking with a friend.

It all starts with an honest heart. In humility we go to God and say, "This is where I'm at God. Come and join me in my situation. I want to develop a heart that is totally after you." David was very adept at this kind of soul searching prayer in the Psalms. Here is what he said in Psalm 139,

Psalm 139:23-24

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Why don't you pray this prayer along with David and ask God to help you develop this kind of heart that gives Him permission to search your heart and show you what you core motives are.

Remember, we are on this journey together.

God's peace,
Pastor Jeff

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The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Mt 6:5-15). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Becoming Givers

Love when you expect no love in return.

Do good without expecting thanks.

Lend when you do not hope for a return.

This will make us act like the sons and daughters of the Most High.

-Henrietta Mears

Matthew 6:1-4

1“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus main point here is not the secrecy of our giving. He is not addressing our outward actions, but the inward attitude that drives our outward actions. He is urging His listeners to probe the inner workings of their hearts to discover their motives for the good things they do. Why do we give? If the reason give or serve is to receive accolades from people, we can surely get that. But, Jesus says that this is all the reward we will get.

This is hard for us because we want instant gratification. Waiting until we cross over into eternity seems like such a long time to wait for a commendation from God. We would rather go the way of the reductionist and do what is easy and instant. That's how we get our egos stroked and getting those kudos keeps us going.

Jesus calls us to live according to a higher motive. Just do the right thing because it's the right thing and leave the rewards for God to dole out. It doesn't matter who gets the credit. Think about it. If God's people served, loved, and gave sacrificially without expecting any reward and not caring if someone else got the credit how much could God accomplish through us. Things would get done simply because it was the right thing to do.

So, this week let's ask God's Spirit to search our hearts so that we will become aware of our motives, and then ask Him to make us a give like He is a giver. He never asked us to earn His love. He didn't wait until we deserved it. He simply loved. "For God so loved the world that he gave..." (John 3:16).

Romans 5:8

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Too often we won't serve someone, or give to someone because we say, "They have done nothing to deserve it. When they shape us, then maybe I'll give to them." And then they get an icy cold shoulder until we see signs of remorse. That is what comes naturally to us because we want the books balanced. We want justice. Jesus calls us to something higher. It goes against what is natural. It is "To act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). We want the justice without the mercy. Jesus calls us to walk a higher road, to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Let's pray that God would morph us into givers like He is a giver.

I pray that you would experience God's presence this week as you walk with Him daily.
Pastor Jeff

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Mt 6:1-4). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

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[1] Henrietta Mears in Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story.Christianity Today, Vol. 35, no. 6

Learning to Walk With the Spirit

I told you the story yesterday in my sermon about my routine for preparing for Sunday mornings, and how I was interrupted a couple times yesterday. I'll tell the story again for those of you in bloggerland who weren't at RBC. By the way, you can listen to the sermons here http://www.richmondbaptist.com/grow/sermons .

Sunday mornings I get up at about 5:00am and after showering etc. I walk to McDonald's. I use the kiddies play room to go over my sermon and pray because usually kids don't frequent the place at 6:00am. Yesterday, it so happened, was not usual. At about 6:30 a young mother came in with her two or three year old daughter and sat in "my office", without asking me permission no less. So, I gathered my things and decided to go out and find a quiet secluded place in the skateboard park across the street. I happily found a spot to sit down. Nobody was there to bother me. I let that sense of satisfaction linger for a moment and before I knew it a man drove up in his grey Magnum. He parked near me, opened his back door, and his Golden Retriever came bounding excitedly out of his car running through the field near me. So much for my quiet time. The man had another dog. This one as big as the other, only it did not come bounding out of the car. The man gently lifted him out, placed a harness on his hind quarters and then took the dog for a walk lifting his back end as they walked. The dog was a paraplegic. At first I was miffed that they were disrupting my time alone, but then I thought, "Wow, this is a fantastic illustration of how we cooperate with God's Spirit." So, I allowed them to invade "my space" and meditated on those thoughts, thanking God for His goodness.

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time all humankind has been broken. We cannot live the life God called us to. We are prone to wander from Him. We have a tendency of wearing masks to protect our true selves. We have a propensity to lie, cheat, steal, hurt other people, and do whatever we can to make sure that we look like we are ok -- even though we know we aren't. In short we are naturally inept at relationships both with God and with other people. Our natural way is to feed our sinful nature.

Galatians 5

¹⁷ For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Paul talked about this in Romans 7 as well. He said in verse 7, "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Our natural way is to go against God. If we only did what came naturally we would almost always do the wrong thing. When we do that people get hurt and relationships are less than they were intended to be.

It sounds hopeless doesn't it? But, there is good news. Paul concluded in verse 24 & 25 of Romans 7: ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The good news is that Christ has provided a way. We are like the crippled dog. We need to always depend on our Master for strength to live the life to which He called us.

In Chapter 8 of Romans Paul continued: ¹² Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴ because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

If we feed our sinful nature it will become strong and take over. We will never be able to do the things we know we ought to do. If, on the other hand, we feed our new nature in Christ our faith will become strong and we will more and more bear the fruit of the Spirit enabling us to keep in step with the Spirit of Christ in us.

Sometimes we think we need to break free of God's "clutches" so that we can live our lives without His restraints. That kind of thinking keeps us in bondage to our own futile efforts and our lives become about nothing more than sin management. God wants to free us so that we can do the things we know are best for relationships. He wants to change our hearts and minds so that we are able to live a life worth living, one that is far beyond mediocre. The only way that this is possible is if we admit that we are powerless and then cooperate with His Spirit as He does an extreme makeover on our minds and hearts. That is true freedom. It is freedom to live and love like we never thought possible.

Galatians 5:1

³ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴ The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

most people are average

Ruth and I are at a retreat centre on Vancouver Island for a few days trying to rest up before the new church year starts in September. We desperately need the rest. We did have three weeks off in July but it was spent on the road visiting our families in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It was very beneficial to connect with family and friends that we rarely get to see, but it wasn't a rest. And right now rest is what we need, and resting is what we are doing. It feels so good!!!

This morning I was sitting in an Lazy Boy chair, reclined for optimal comfort, having a quiet time with Jesus. I read the first verse from Matthew 18; "At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'" The words didn't really register before my mind wandered and my eyes scanned the room and then came to rest at a bookshelf filled with Christian inspirational books left here by the retreat centre for the purpose of drawing our hearts towards God. My eyes darted back and forth along the bookshelf noticing the titles and also the names of the authors. There were numerous works from Max Lucado, Erwin McManus, Mark Buchanan, Bill Hybils, Lee Strobel, and the list went on and on. Several titles each. I think McManus is younger than I am. Buchanan is about the same age and pastors a church nearby the retreat centre where we are staying, and in fact he stayed at the centre to write his sixth book in February of this year. I know that because he said so in the entry he wrote in the guest book.

Suddenly I had this overwhelming sense of averageness (trust me it's a word) come over me. I broke into a cold sweat. "I am mediocre. I will never be able to make contributions like these guys." What a ridiculous thought. Most people are average. It's crazy. We rate everything. Most people are average. That means that there are a few who are above average and a few who are below average. What does that even mean? Should the above average people (those who have reached certain levels of notoriety for accomplishing things that average folks can't, haven't, or don't want to) feel better than those who are average (those people who do their jobs well, support a family, and love their neighbours as themselves). And what about those who are below average. I guess they have nothing to feel good about.

After shaking myself out of my derisory wanderings through self-defeating thoughts I returned to Matthew 18. "And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

Wo!!! I think i just got rebuked by Jesus. I tell others that God uses the humble. He takes our efforts, especially when its our best, and uses them for something good. The best we have, not rated among six or seven billion others, is what God expects. I tell others from the pulpit and in private counsel to just give God their best and not to look at others, but it is so difficult for me. We have been programmed to rate each other. We have trophies and awards and grades and highest honours, yada, yada, yada. God's economy does not work that way. Jesus said, "Unless you turn..." from that way of thinking, "and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." We will never comprehend God's kingdom if we continue to rate each other against each other. It will be like chasing after the wind. He doesn't want me to be Max Lucado, Erwin McManus, or Mark Buchanan. God is using them as they humbly give Him their best, and likewise He wants me to be the best me that I can be. The same goes for all of us. He simply wants our best, not rated against anyone else. There is no such thing as average. The word should be stricken from our vocabulary. He simply wants me -- the best me I can be.

I could go on and on, but let me just say that this message from Jesus is exactly what He is trying to teach me while on this retreat. God is good! His mercy, grace, and joy are new every morning.

Peace,
Pastor Jeff

New Beginnings

Well, I suppose since we have a brand new website at RBC (www.richmondbaptist.com), I should keep up with writing my blog. So, this is the first in quite some time. In the fall we are going to begin a new sermon series on living by kingdom values. Jesus often began His parables by saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." Then he would go on to tell an amazing truth about what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. Probably the central parable is in Matthew 13 where Jesus taught about the value of the kingdom.

⁴⁴ “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. ⁴⁶ When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Until we learn that there is nothing worth pursuing more than the kingdom of God we will live a senseless life. There is nothing worth more than the kingdom. Beginning September 13th we will be looking at the teachings of Jesus on the Kingdom and we will see just how worthwhile it is to give absolutely every to this pursuit. It really is all their is. Follow us as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus. I think you will be surprised at how inexpressibly worthwhile the pursuit is. Let's expect big things from God.

So, my hope is to write something each week relating to the sermons that we will be looking at on Sunday mornings. Let's walk with Jesus together and enter into a life worth giving everything to.

In Christ,
Pastor Jeff

Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. "Text edition"--Spine. (2nd ed.) (Mt 13:44-46). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

GROWING IN GRACE: Making Real What We Already Know

Sunday we began a new sermon series on Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. The title for this series is "GROWING IN GRACE: Making Real What We Already Know." It's sort of ironic that Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome. His parents had high and lofty goals for him. They sent him, as a young man, to study Jewish law in Jerusalem under the tutelage of the most famous rabbi of his time, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). It was from this teacher that Paul (named Saul at that time) learned to be a Pharisee, a "Hebrew of Hebrews" as he called himself.

Philippians 3:4-6

"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."

Saul, was a learned man. He was intellectually brilliant and brimming with knowledge. He took his religious pursuits very seriously. To him, along with others of his peers, following the Law to the letter was paramount in the pursuit of righteousness. His parents put him in the best Jewish school so these goals could be met. Such high hopes for their son and now here he sits in prison writing letters to people he doesn't even know.

Paul continued in Philippians:

"⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,"

All that learning, Paul said, meant nothing if he did not have Christ. In other words, if the knowledge he has is misguided, or if their is truth that is not put into practice. It means nothing. In the letter to the Colossians Paul exalts Christ to the highest level. Some false teachers had infiltrated the church attempting to dilute the power of Christ. They reduced Christ to mere man. Paul wrote the Colossians to refute their teaching. He exalted Christ to His rightful place.

Colossians 1:15-20

"¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

He left no doubt that Jesus held all power in His hands. He was involved in creation, and in fact was the catalyst behind it.

He repeated this fact in chapter 2:9, and then in verse 10, Paul says, that same power that created everything that exists resides in us so that we would have what it takes to live the life that he has called us to.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

The question is, "Do we believe it?" Do we believe that Christ's power is a reality in our hearts? This is one of the those truths that we need to appropriate if we are going to make it a reality in our lives. It is true, but we can choose to live as if it weren't.

Join me on an exciting journey through the book of Colossians as we discover God's plan to transform us into the kinds of people who will live life His way. God's Spirit wants to fill us with His power so that we can make real those things we know to be true of Christ.

God's peace,
Pastor Jeff

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Php 3:4-6). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.