Bread of His Presence

Lechem Panim #71 "Walking In The Light" (1 John 1:5-10) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. 

[One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?” The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. “I can’t, dear,” she said. “I have to sleep in Daddy’s room.” A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: “The big sissy.”] 

Separated From Darkness-- What do you do when things get stormy; when the lights go out? One night a few weeks ago it was particularly stormy; and I was having devotions with them in bed. And we read the story of Jesus’ quieting the storm and how we don’t have to be afraid because He is with us and He is bigger. (LONG PAUSE) He is the Light of the world; and being the Light of the World, darkness has no power over Him. And that applies to every physical storm we face; but it also applies to the spiritual storms as well. When we abide in Jesus; the darkness of sin need not have any power over us either. And that is one of the central themes we will discover as we continue our study of the epistle of 1 John. In Genesis 1:3-4 it says…

Genesis 1:3-4 (ESV)-- 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

And in this epistle we discover that through the Holy Spirit, God wants to do the same thing in our hearts that He did at the very beginning of creation. Just as God separated light from darkness at the beginning of creation, so also we as Christians are called to separate ourselves completely from darkness. John writes in his Gospel in…

John 8:12 (ESV)-- 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

And much of this epistle is an unpacking of that theme; what that actually looks like in the Christian’s life, starting with verse 5 of 1 John chapter 1.

1 John 1:5-7 (ESV) Walking in the Light-- 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

A Focus on Sin— You know it is amazing to me as I look through the Old Testament to see just how much emphasis; How much focus the biblical writers give to the doctrine of sin. They come to it again and again and again. In fact, the very first chapters of Genesis can be very uncomfortable to read because we see in those stories just how deep into brokenness sin can carry us. It infects the world, infects agriculture, it infects society, and especially family relationships. And we see that immediately after Adam and Eve take that bite of the forbidden fruit. And we see from that moment onwards, in just about every family relationship that comes after that; each is marred by and filled with brokenness; with anger; with murder; with competing with one another; selling siblings into slavery. You know what I'm talking about. And you don't really get much of a glimmer of hope until you come to that place in the story of Joseph where Joseph, amazingly, is able to forgive his brothers because he has a sense of his own place in God's sovereign plan. That is really the first glimmer of hope we get after the fall. And we will come back to that. But all this to say is that before we can understand anything about salvation; we have to first have laid the foundation of an understanding of this thing called sin and what it has caused.

We don't like to talk about SIN-- Now we don't really like to talk about sin in our postmodern churches. It's unpleasant. We prefer to talk about the grace, the love, the mercy of God. We want nice messages. We don't want to talk about judgment and don't certainly don’t want to talk about hell; or the wrath of God being poured out on a world that has turned its back on God’s righteous revelation of Himself makes many people (even Christians) very uncomfortable. We want a loving God who overlooks our sin; not a holy God who must deal with and cleanse us of sin.

Where All Worship Must Begin-- But all true worship must begin with the recognition of what sin has done to us and our need for a Savior. Because until we understand the depth of our own sin, we will not understand our need for a Savior.

Sins’ Destruction-- The reason the biblical writers return to this subject over and over again is because they want us to recognize (through the Old Testament narrative) the destructive nature of sin; what sin has done to the human heart; how it damages the mind; how it infiltrates and destroys relationships; how it brings bondage; and, most importantly, how it separates us from the Holy One. 

The Work of Christ-- Christ has come to mend that relationship; set us free from that bondage, transform our minds; heal our hearts, and give us new natures.

Umbrella Theology-- Now when I was growing up, I went to a Baptist school most of my life. And I had many teachers who you could tell really loved the Lord. And I appreciate the years of instruction they gave me. However, one of the things that I was taught there was umbrella theology; the idea that the blood of Jesus shed for me covers me like an umbrella. I was sinful before I got saved and am sinful afterwards. The only difference now is that whenever God looks at me, He can only see me through the umbrella of Christ’s blood; that my sinfulness has been covered by that blood and though I am still sinful, He sees me through the righteousness of Christ and therefore I am declared righteous, even though I’m not really; it is not until I get to heaven that I will actually be made righteous. Now they told me I ought to try to be good, but can’t really be holy until I get to heaven; I just need to try my best; and if I sin, just ask God to forgive me and He will automatically wipe the slate clean and I could have a fresh start.

Not Better, but Holy-- The problem with this is that God doesn’t command us to try our best; He tells us to be holy as He is holy. As John talks about in verses 5-7, we are called to be holy, to live in consistent victory over sin. We are to allow Christ to change our behaviors. But we can’t have victory over sin until we first acknowledge that there is a problem. And sin is the problem. But the false teachers who were influencing the Ephesian Church were claiming [that people had no natural tendency toward sin, that they had “no sin,” and that they were then incapable of sinning.] But the next verse says…

1 John 1:8 (ESV)-- 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

Misinterpretation-- Now this is often misrepresented to mean that all of us have sin in us and to say that we can ever have victory over our sinful natures and live in consistent victory over sin this side of heaven is not Biblical. But that is not what this verse is saying at all. John is confronting specific beliefs that are being perpetuated by the false teachers who were influencing the Ephesian Church regarding the nature of sin. But he wasn’t saying for one minute that we have to be in bondage to it. Why? Because he has just said in verses 5-6 (and keep in mind we are talking about fellowship with God; abiding in Him): God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. And we see that he says later in…

1 John 3:6 (ESV)-- 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

So what John is saying here in verse 8 is that we need to confront the reality of our sin. And once we do, we can find complete freedom from that sin. And it starts with confession. He says in…

1 John 1:9 (ESV)-- 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Confession-- Now confession is very interesting word in Greek. It is homologeo, which is a compound of two words: homo (meaning “the same”) and logeo (which means “to say”). So to homologeo (to confess) to God literally means “to say the same thing.” We are to say the same thing about our sin that God says about it. We are to look at it from God’s perspective and call it for what it is; sin. That is what the scriptures mean when it tells us to confess our sins.

Prophecy Fulfilled: Total Darkness-- Once a minister was preaching. [The Scripture reading was from the Book of Job and the minister had just read, “Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,” when immediately the church was in total darkness. “Brethren,” said the minister with scarcely a moment’s pause, “in view of the sudden and startling fulfillment of this prophecy, we will spend a few minutes in silent prayer for the electric lighting company.”] Now they obviously didn’t want to admit that they could be the ones who had sin in their lives. And that is a conclusion we often seek to avoid as well. But John writes in…

1 John 1:10 (ESV)-- 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him {(God)} a liar, and his word is not in us.

​Admission-- We have to admit (at some point in our lives) that we are sinners. Until we reach that point, we are incapable of receiving salvation. We can’t receive the cure until we first come to terms with our disease. But when we do, the Great Physician of our souls has license to come in and heal us. Do you want that healing today? If so, all you need to do is ask; and Christ will touch you, make you clean, and empower you to walk no longer in darkness, but in the Light of Life. Choose to walk in that Light today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #70 "Beware The Wolves" (1 John 1:1-4) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we are continuing our study of 1 John, a book written during a time when false teachers were trying to lead God’s people astray. And so one of John’s chief purposes in writing this epistle to the Church in Ephesus he was overseeing was to place the Church on guard against these false teachers and give them means by which they could know who was a true believer and who was not a true follower of Christ; and these were tests they could also apply to themselves in order that they might know and have assurance of their salvation.

France 1943-- Recently I read of [A crowd of men, women, and children huddled together at the train station. Dressed for a long journey and standing with their bags at their sides, they spoke in low tones. Armed men in the grim uniform of the SS, the feared wing of the Nazi army, surrounded the travelers. The people shivering on the platform were not criminals. They were Jews, French Jews who had been hauled from their homes by the occupying soldiers and French Nazi sympathizers. The non-Jewish French watched these events unfold with increasing concern. After all, these people were neighbors and friends. The group included the watchmaker and his family, the lad who sold newspapers, the old lady who made beautiful quilts. Now they were being “relocated.” The plumes of smoke could be seen even before the train was heard. The townspeople cast a nervous eye toward the train platform as the black, soot-belching locomotive ground to a halt. Armed guards herded the Jews into the train cars. They went cooperatively, putting up no resistance. Concerned observers wondered why this was taking place; but they told themselves that things would be fine, that there was no need to worry about these friends and neighbors. They were in good hands. How could they believe that? Because neatly printed in French on the door of every boxcar was the reassuring logo “Charitable Transport Company.”]

False Doctrine Leads to Death-- False doctrine is a lot like those boxcars; they have the appearance of being okay; of being true; of being safe; but in reality they lead to death. And both Paul and John say (as do many of the Biblical writers) that the source of these false teachings lies in the realm of the demonic. And the reason they say it is because Jesus said it. Jesus had said of Satan all the way back in…

John 8:44b (NKJV)-- …He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Now many of you listening today may have grown up in Christian households. I certainly did. And I praise God for that. And for those of you who did, you were likely raised with Christian principles; you went to Church and at least knew (though may not always followed) the basic teachings of scripture. And that connection you had with Christ at that early age and the Biblical value system in your home was a single thread in a much larger tapestry that was Christianity in our nation. The principles of God’s Word used to be the backbone on which the skeleton of our nation hung. Everything we did; every law we made; every policy written, was done so under that umbrella of the authority of God’s Word. Our nation was established a Christian nation. Children were raised within that value system. And whether or not you went to Church, the effects of that value system was prevalent in that society. Truth was absolute truth because we knew it to be God’s truth. And I would like to point out that our nation was never more strong than when it was most Christian.

But as our nation grew and developed, especially over the past century, it has begun to reinterpret or redefine itself. It has allowed itself to become open to different ideas. Tolerance of other religions has been reinterpreted to mean that as a nation we cannot say that any religion is more true than another; which is not the definition of tolerance, which simply means respectfully treating someone you do not agree with. And the media and every source of input into our lives is pushing this false definition of tolerance down our throats. And all the while our nation has steadily drifted away from the One who established it and whom our fathers knew to be the one and only; true; living God upon which we must base not only our lives, but our society, our public policies; our Laws. 

We have gotten to the point now where we have become so pluralistic; so “tolerant” that it has become politically incorrect to call ourselves a Christian nation. I remember watching one of our former president’s older speeches in which he mocked the Bible and those who believe it ought to serve as the basis for which we establish our laws and policies. He made the argument that because we would have to equally cater to every other religion, we have to (in a sense) make laws not based on any religion at all. And therefore any law that is connected with a religious value system is deemed “intolerant”. You cannot make laws that protect the definition of marriage because to do so would be to invoke a particular worldview. 

Now Christians are called to be loving; we are called to hate the sin but love the sinner. That is tolerance; indeed tolerance is a Christian virtue. But we cannot be tolerant of other religions in the same way the world is defining tolerance; or else the Church will lose its identity the same way our nation is losing its identity. In order for our country to make the turnaround, first Churches must once again return to the Bible as the absolute ground for all truth; because in it Truth is revealed. And that Truth is not an “it”, but a “He”. Jesus reveals Himself as the source and definition of all Truth. He says in John 14:6 (ESV): “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me….”

Therefore any law; any policy that wishes to be based on truth must (by definition) be based on Jesus. This is why the writers of the New Testament and the early Church fathers were so adamant about warning people to beware of false doctrines. They were encouraged to test those doctrines by the Word of God.

Danger Within-- Now we often think of persecution as the enemy of Christianity. And while that is true to some extent, often in Church history (and particularly here in the Ephesian Church), the danger was not persecution from the outside, but being seduced and led astray by those inside. And Jesus had warned of this all the way back in:

Matthew 24:24-25 (ESV)-- 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. [And the apostle Paul had said specifically to the Ephesian elders in:]

Acts 20:29-30 (ESV)-- 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Watered Down Gospel-- The problem with the Ephesian church was not that they were being attacked or destroyed, but rather that they were being changed; that people were trying to improve upon Christianity and make it more compatible with the popular philosophy of the day. And this is what many Christians try to do even today; they try to make Christianity more palatable by either softening it or by only preaching and teaching the parts of it that feel good or can fit well into a motivational speech; not those parts that might offend and convict others of their sin so that they might turn and be healed by Jesus Christ. 

The Content of Belief— [The content of belief is important: Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?"
"Well, I believe the same as the church."
​"And what does the church believe?"
"Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was getting nowhere, Whitfield said, "And what is it that you both believe?"
"Well, I suppose the same thing.”]
Now that guy was heading for trouble. If we don’t have a hold on strong Biblical teaching, we can be led astray by false popular philosophies; of which there are many.

Gnosticism-- Now the popular philosophy of John’s day became what we know as Gnosticism. And though there are different forms of Gnosticism, what Gnosticism basically taught was that all matter is evil; everything physical was bad. The spirit and spiritual things were good. The spirit is trapped in an evil material world and in an evil material body. The Gnostics therefore despised the body. And this made the doctrine of the incarnation repugnant to them; the idea that God would take on human flesh and become a man? They rejected it because it didn’t fit their philosophy. And they claimed to have special gnosis (secret knowledge of what Jesus’ realtheology was that was hidden to all others save those who were in Jesus’ inner circle); hence Gnosticism. Now why then would the ministry of John be so important? Because he was a part of Jesus’ inner circle. He could do a lot to hold this heresy in check because He was an eyewitness to what Jesus really taught. Now we can get a little bit of a glimpse into why verses 1-4 of chapter 1 are so important.

1 John 1:1-4 (ESV) The Word of Life-- 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

​John wanted to emphasize that his teaching is trustworthy because he was there and had seen and experienced Jesus. And the basic Gospel message is all that is needed for (and is the only means of) salvation. Now that may not be a popular thing to say. It wasn’t in John’s time and it certainly isn’t in ours either. But if what Jesus says about His being the definition and source of life itself is true, then He and only He can give us salvation. And we as Christians must protect ourselves against a false definition of tolerance that would lead us to think otherwise, not embracing any other doctrine other than that which is revealed in scripture. God’s Word is our anchor; and it is our protection against those who would lead us astray. And therefore we must study and know the Word of God; and most importantly be constant communion with our Lord and Savior so that knowing Him (the genuine) we might easily recognize the counterfeit. Let us draw near to Him today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #69 "Igniting The Fire Again" (Introduction to 1 John) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we will be beginning a new series on a book of the Bible that has been (at least for me) one of the most challenging, convicting, and yet concise books in the New Testament. Its author (the Apostle John), speaks so powerfully to so many people, that it is little wonder that (just as he was called the “beloved disciple” so His writings are amongst the most beloved. Now this tiny epistle of 1 John was meant to be read to the Christian Church in and around Ephesus in Asia Minor.

​The Last Books— 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were the last of John’s writings, written even after he wrote the book of Revelation. And some expositors believe them to be the last written books of the Bible. And [The three epistles are called letters; yet the first epistle is not in the form or style of a letter. It has no salutation at its beginning nor greeting at its conclusion. Its style is more that of a sermon.] 

A New Generation-- And this fits because sometime around when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed around A.D. 70, [John left Jerusalem where he was a church leader and relocated to Ephesus.] And John here pastored the Church in Ephesus until he died sometime around A.D. 98. And it was here that he likely wrote his three epistles. And John is very old now. And he is writing to a new generation, whom he refers to as “my little children”. When Paul first started the Church in Ephesus, their faith was glorious and exciting. Those were the days when Paul had come to the city and challenged Diana/Artemis, the false god of the Ephesians. The whole city was in uproar. In that chapter in Acts 19 we read of how Paul’s teaching effected the synagogue at Ephesus and what effect his daily teaching in the school of Tyrannus had for two years. Every church has its “glory days.” And those were the glory days of the church in Ephesus, their being filled with zeal and love for Christ. But now a new generation had risen up. And many of these believers were either children or grandchildren of those first Christians. And while their parents and grandparents were holy and set apart for God, this generation had begun merging with the world. When John wrote the words of Christ spoken to him while he was in exile on the Island of Patmos, He said to the church in Ephesus:

Revelation 2:4 (ESV)-- 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. [And this reflected what Jesus had said all the way back in:]

Matthew 24:12-13 (ESV)-- 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Day Niagara Stopped-- A couple of years ago my family and I went to see Niagara falls; and boy what an incredible sight that was. Such incredible power. However, for you history buffs, you might be interested to know that [On the night of March 29, 1848, Niagara Falls completely and mysteriously stopped flowing. The estimated 500,000 gallons of water that customarily rushed over the falls stalled to a trickle. James Francis Macklem, a village justice of the peace in the Niagara area, wrote that he had witnessed the subsidence of the waters and the phenomenon of the Niagara running dry "caused great excitement in the neighborhood at the time."To some, the mystery of this sudden "turning off" of the river seemed to be an ominous portent, and nightfall found most of the churches packed with people praying or talking in frightened voices about the end of the world. Fear grew into the proportions of panic. The cause of this unusual event began along the shores of Lake Erie near Buffalo. For several days, the wind had been blowing to the east over Lake Erie, driving much of its ice flow down river. Then the winds suddenly shifted to the west, driving the lake water west and causing the lake’s ice to break up and dam the river. The Niagara River ceased to flow for almost 30 hours until the ice shifted and the dam broke up….] Now in our own day to day lives, we have to watch out for ice; we need to be careful to fan the flame of the fire of God in our lives. We have to keep the presence of Christ in us hot so that the flow of His Spirit might not become frozen in our hearts. When you first became a Christian, you were likely on fire for God. And I’m not just talking about emotion; I’m talking about devotion; a desire to be holy; a desire to follow Christ anywhere and into anything. We need to be careful not to lose that flame. And in order for us not to lose that fire, we need to surround ourselves by things that are flammable (spiritually flammable); by friends who are flammable, not flame retardent. Now if you ask them, “Are you retardent?” they may misunderstand you. And you don’t need to ask them. You can tell if they are spiritually flammable. And if their not, be careful. Your central aim in your walk with Christ is to keep the fire hot. There’s an old song called:

Give Me Oil in My Lamp
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning till the break of day

A Time of Compromise-- The Ephesian’s love of Christ had cooled. And there was a growing fracturing between their lifestyle and the ethics of the Bible. And they began to disregard the standards given to them in scripture. They began to compromise. Now compromise is not always a bad thing. It can be a good thing. But not always.

[Boat Compromise-- “… {Once there was a man who} wanted a boat more than anything. His wife kept refusing, but he bought one anyway. "I’ll tell you what," he told her, "In the spirit of compromise, why don’t you name the boat?” {“You can paint any name on the side that you like.”} Being a good sport, she accepted. When her husband went to the dock for his maiden voyage, this is the name he saw painted on the side: "For Sale.”] Compromise is not always a good thing, especially when it comes to something we believe in. We can sometimes compromise on process; but if we compromise on our principles or on our doctrines, then we could (like the man with the boat) lose the very thing we love. That is what was happening to the church in Ephesus. They were losing their first love by their beginning to embrace the popular philosophy of the day, a new-age kind of religion that later developed into a false religion called Gnosticism, which we will talk about more as we proceed through the book. And so it became necessary for John to help his readers differentiate between the false teachers and the true ones. And so he gives them tests; tests they can apply to anyone (including themselves) that prove they are the real deal.

Three Tests-- And he gives 3 tests, each of which we will look at more fully in the coming weeks. First, does the person hold to sound doctrine? Do they believe the essentials regarding Jesus, man, sin, atonement, etc? Secondly, are they living lives that are moral in keeping with God’s commandments? This is a major theme in 1 John; the fact that the Christian is one who lives a life that is holy, demonstrating consistent victory over sin and a death to their old way of life. And thirdly, is the love of Christ manifest in that person’s heart and life? Do they demonstrate a love for God and a love for people that is (like Christ’s) self-sacrificing? You could summarize all three of these tests with one simple question? Is this person living a life that has obviously been truly transformed? Are they on fire for Christ?

Spiritual Temperature-- One of the things my kids love for me to do is to take their temperature. And we have a little thermometer that you hold up to their forehead and it immediately glows green, yellow, or red, depending on their temperature, which is then displayed. If you could take your spiritual temperature this morning, what would it show?Or let me ask you this. If your spouse, children or co-workers evaluated you this past week on the basis of John’s three “tests” (doctrine, morality, and love), what grade would you receive? If the number one characteristic of a Christian is a transformed life, would you pass the test? The real deal is never hard to spot.

Make Me Like Joe— Not long ago I read a story about a man named Joe. [Joe was a drunk who was miraculously converted at a Bowery mission. Prior to his conversion, he had gained the reputation of being a dirty wino for whom their was no hope, only a miserable existence in the ghetto. But following his conversion to a new life in Christ, everything changed.
Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known. Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission, doing whatever needed to be done. There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing toilets after careless men left the men's room filthy, Joe did what was asked with a smile on his face and seeming gratitude for the chance to help. He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered off the street and into the mission, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves.
One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar and knelt to pray, crying out to God to help him change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, "Oh God! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!"
The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man "Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, 'Make me like Jesus.'"
The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, "Is he like Joe?"
{…..You know,…..} The greatest sermon we can ever preach, is not spoken. It is Lived!]

​Christianity That is Contagious-- One of the things that our world needs so desperately now is to experience the saving power of Jesus Christ in a real way; we need a Christianity that is not etherial and untouchable; but a Christianity that is practical; a Christianity that is lived out; the kind of Christianity that Jesus lived and taught. Our world is hungering for real Christians who look like Jesus; who smell like Jesus; who are spreading the fragrance of holiness by living lives that are truly transformed. It is that kind of Christianity that is contagious. And it is that kind of Christianity that John is calling us to in this epistle. He wants you and me to be the real deal; and to know that we are the real deal; so that we will live with confidence in a chaotic world, knowing what we believe, why we believe it; being empowered by the Holy Spirit to live lives in keeping with God’s word, and so that we love God and one another with all of who we are. Let’s ask God today to show us how genuine we are; and if we aren’t, to make us genuine as we place our faith in and commit to follow HIm. Amen.

Lechem Panim #68 "A Clean Heart" (Psalm 51) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we will be taking a look at Psalm 51. Many of you will be familiar with it. It reads…

Psalm 51 (ESV) To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me,[a] O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
 O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

No Sleep After Taxes-- [A couple of weeks after hearing a sermon on Psalms 51: 2-4 (about knowing my hidden secrets) and Psalms 52: 3-4 (about lies and deceit), a man wrote the following letter to the IRS: “I have been unable to sleep, knowing that I have cheated on my income tax. I understated my taxable income, and have enclosed a check for $150.00. If I still can’t sleep, I will send the rest.”]

When were you guilty?— When was the first time in your life that you can remember experiencing feeling guilty about something; I mean really guilty about something? Maybe you realized that something you did was wrong or you began to feel guilty for something you already knew was wrong when you were doing it. What emotions went along with that guilt? A feeling of dirtiness? Hopelessness? Fear? Despair? What did you eventually do to be free of that guilt? Or maybe you are still wrestling with guilt. If so, then I hope this message will be an encouragement to you.

A Heavy Superscript-- Our passage today (Psalm 51) begins, interestingly, not with verse one but with a short comment about what time in the life of David this Psalm was written in. It says: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Now that is very interesting way to open a psalm, isn't it? It's very direct. It may seem a little bit too direct for us especially when we consider that the heading of this psalm (which is pretty graphic in its laying out of David’s sin) was to be read along with the rest of the Psalm during worship services in the temple of God. And what is more incredible is that many believe that this superscript was written by none other than David himself. And that may lead us to ask the question, "Why didn’t he (or whoever wrote this Psalm) just leave that part out? Why not just focus on the beauty of David's prayer and just kind of skip the heading?” After all, shouldn't we focus on God's grace rather than on sin? And yet what we find when we come to the Bible is that the Bible never glosses over sin. David’s sin is not only laid out in detail in 2 Samuel 11 for everybody to read, but is even included in the worship section of the hymnbook of Israel (the Psalms) as a constant reminder of what David had done. And you will remember what that sin was.

"a man after God’s own heart”-- The Bible calls David "a man after God’s own heart". And yet at the same time we know that he committed some pretty huge sins. He coveted, he had an affair with another man's wife, he tried to cover up that affair, and when he could not cover up that affair he murdered the husband (Uriah). And he thought that he had gotten away with it. Now does this sound like “a man after God’s own heart?” NO!!! I mean he carefully planned these sins and executed them. And not only does he think he has gotten away with it, but he seems to be pretty comfortable with what he has done. Now it is easy to judge him. We may thank God that we have never done anything like that, but the truth is that every single one of us has planned and executed sin. And though we confess our sins to God, sometimes we do not even feel like we have done anything seriously wrong. And to be honest, we live in a culture (even in a Church culture) that is very very lax on sin. We don’t confess our sin to one another (as the Bible commands us to) and we have a plethora of voices ready to make excuses for us (even twisting our understanding of God’s grace to let us off the hook) rather than challenging us to live a different way; to dance to the beat of another drummer (because that would be “judging”). We have fewer and fewer voices speaking into our lives challenging us (as the scripture says) to repent and go another way. But what is interesting to me is that David (when confronted with his sin) does want to repent and go another way.

The Opening of The Wound-- And so this Psalm begins not with Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, or Supplication. It begins with the public exposure of his sin. Why does the Bible (or David specifically) do that? It’s because God knows that for the infection to be cleaned out, the wound first has to be opened. And God used an external source (the prophet Nathan) to uncover that sin. And this is because sin must be exposed if it is going to be dealt with. And that is what the heading of this Psalm does; and then it documents how David feels, and what he prays in response to God’s judgment. And in this we see that David truly has a heart that longs to please God. By the way, this is what (in a huge way) separates him from Saul. Though David’s sin was worse than Saul’s, David’s throne is not taken away because David still had that heart that was ready to repent and seek to please God. And that began with ownership of his sin.

Not The Force-- Now I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan; I have been ever since I was a kid. I enjoy the stories of mighty Jedi Knights who use the power of the force to help bring order to the galaxy. But while I might enjoy the stories, the idea of the force is (if we are going to be honest) very different from the power that we as Christians know is really behind everything; and it comes out of the false pagan far-eastern religion known as Taoism. And I want to explain this to you because it has direct relevance on our concept of sin. The force (the chi in Taoism) is the supposed energy behind the universe. But it not purely good. It has a light side, yes; but it also has a dark side (the Yin and the Yang in Taoism). And order in the universe is found not in eradicating the dark side, but by finding balance between the two. Now what this does is it makes evil a necessity in the universe; an absolute. Evil has always and must always exist alongside of the good, belief system we call Dualism. 

Only God is Eternal-- Now the difference in the Biblical view of Christianity is that evil is not co-eternal with good. Only God is eternal. Evil is simply turning away from God. Now what this means for us is that we can no longer blame our sins on our being forced to conform to a higher principle of evil or say we sin simply because “we are human” (which is another way of saying we are mere slaves to an eternal paradox of good vs. evil). The Devil didn’t make us do it. We are not the victims. Rather we are responsible for our sins. This is what David recognizes when he says in…

Psalm 51:4 (ESV)-- 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Our Sin-- Now David isn’t saying that nobody else was hurt by his sin, but that the root of his sin was found in his own choice to turn his back on the will and presence of God. And in our own walk, in order for us to experience liberation from sin, we have to acknowledge that our sin is our fault and nobody else’s. We can’t blame God; we cannot blame our parents, our circumstances, or the way in which were brought up. No, it is our sin. He takes ownership of his sin.

And what is so fascinating is that while David writes in many of his psalms about how faithful he has been before God (and he had been), yet here (rather than presenting his own faithfulness, which he has violated) he instead casts himself upon the mercy of God. And he trusts in one of God’s most important attributes: His steadfast love, which in Hebrew comes from the word Hesed, the deepest, most powerful love there is. And he acknowledges his own sinfulness; his filthiness; his uncleanness. And therefore he cries out to God in verse 2, saying: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! He knew that he needed something more than just bulls on an altar; a hundred bulls on the altar. He needed to truly repent and allow God to wash him clean. He says in verse 7: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. And so he is admitting that he is tainted; he is soiled; he is unclean. And he knows he cannot wash himself.

"Cleanse"-- And in verse 2 [The word cleanse is a technical term for the cleansing of a leper in the OT. David was saying, “Lord, take the leprosy from my soul and make me clean again” (Jer. 33:8; Her. 9:14; 1 John 1:7, 9).] Then he says in verse 7: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop-- [Purging with hyssop was an OT ritual—a cleansing prescribed in the law—and what an Israelite did after coming in contact with a dead body. David’s request is for God to take away his sin (86:5; Heb. 9:19).] He wants to be free of it. He feels the full weight of it. And thankfully God did forgive him of his sin, though we know that there were still some very heavy consequences. But God will always forgive anyone who is willing to confess and receive the free gift of forgiveness offered to them in Christ Jesus. But we have to confess and be willing to repent of our sin and be cleansed by the healing touch of Jesus.

Have you experienced that cleansing? Have you allowed God to change your heart, to place His Holy Spirit upon you, and to set you free? You can be a Christian all of you life and never really experience that freedom. Confess to him today; pray to God today; come into His presence. Let Him wash you and make you clean today; free of all guilt and ready to live a victorious life. Amen.

Lechem Panim #67 "When Christ Seems Far Away" (John 6:16-21) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! Today I want to talk to you about something very important; what to do in a situation in which Jesus may seem distant or far away; how are we to understand the various circumstances we face when He may seem to be invisible or absent. What do we do when we feel alone? And there is a passage of scripture (a very unique story) that speaks directly to this…

John 6:16-21 (ESV)— 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,[a] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Jesus Nowhere in Sight-- The disciples usually had the security of the visible presence and active discipleship of Jesus. But not here in our passage this morning. Here Jesus appears to be gone. He has, as he used to do so often, withdrawn to pray. And He has sent them ahead to cross the Sea of Galilee back to Capernaum, which is where Peter lived and where Jesus’ home base was; there in Peter’s house. But they had to cross the Sea. And [If the feeding of the multitude {in the previous passage} took place at the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the shortest distance to Capernaum would be 5–6 miles (8–10 km).] And here the scripture says they had gone three or four miles. So they have roughly two miles left. But the journey is taking longer than it should because the wind is against them. Normally they could use the sail, but because the wind is blowing in the opposite direction, they are forced to row. Now to row 5-6 miles is quite a task, but to do so against the wind; against that resistance would be incredibly difficult. And plus the Bible says that in addition to the wind, the sea was rough, and it had become dark. They are caught out in the sea, in a dangerous situation, at night. And Jesus is nowhere in sight.

Times of Revival and Times of Trial-- The disciples suddenly knew they were in trouble because they did not have their teacher; their Rabbi with them. But what about for you and me? What do we do when we do not sense the nearness of Christ? Sometimes things are going great; our Christian walk being a lot like having the wind of God filling our sails and carrying us along our journey. But at other times it feels like we are alone and that every step we take is just one arduous stroke after another. And this isn’t just an individual thing, but can also be experienced in the life of the Church. There are times of revival when we sense the nearness of God and feel His reforming, rejuvenating power. And yet there are also periods of dryness, persecution, stress, conflict, or illness. And every person goes through these periods of difficulty. But we must stay the course; steadily rowing; looking forward to the day when Jesus will step back into the boat; and when He does we find that in reality He never left. Now the disciples are now worn out; they are tired; they feel like their efforts are fruitless. But it says then that…

John 6:19b-20 (ESV)-- they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

He meant to pass by them-- Now it is important to note here that Jesus was not unaware of their trouble. In Mark’s account we see that He had withdrawn to a quiet place to pray and from there he could see them in their struggle. They could not see Him, but He could see them. And when He sees their need, He comes to them. Now what is fascinating to me about Mark’s account is that he says of Jesus that He meant to pass by them (Mark 6:48). Now you have to picture this because they are rowing feverishly towards land (have been for a long time) and one of them happens to look to his right and his eyes go bug-eyed because there is Jesus, calmly walking across the waves and is about to PASS THEM! He was supposed to meet them LATER at Capernaum. But He’s going to pass on ahead of them! And it seems like He is completely unencumbered by the problems that (to them) seem insurmountable. And what Jesus is showing them is that none of the problems they face are ever too big for Him; He’s bigger than all of it. They can’t even slow Him down! And He wants them to understand that they don’t need to be afraid. Because of WHO HE IS, they do not need to be afraid. That is why He says in verse 20: It is I; do not be afraid.”

"I AM"— Now [Jesus’ words, “It is I,” represent the Greek phrase egō eimi, which in other contexts can be translated “I am.”…] And we know that phrase is significant because that is God’s name that He gives to Moses: “I AM”. And when Jesus uses that same phrase (egō eimi) later in John 8:58, the Jews pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy; because they recognize who He is claiming to be. But looking back to this verse, we can see why it is always important to recognize who Jesus really is and the authority He commands over every situation we can possibly get ourselves into.

“there is no situation…that I cannot get you out of”-- Someone once shared a story, saying: [Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly corrected the situation. Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, "There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again." {And he says:} At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, "Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right."  {And he says:} That lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.]

Jesus Never Loses Control-- Similarly, in each and every one of our lives, Jesus never calls us into a situation that He cannot handle; that is out of His control. And we can trust God to protect us in any situation that we give Him complete control over. Because He is greater than any who could oppose us.He never loses. And God has never abandoned a person who truly loves Him; never. Where Jesus is allowed to reign, victory will always be the outcome. And this is something the disciples see so clearly when they welcome Him into the boat. Look what immediately happens. It says in…

John 6:21 (ESV)-- 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, {and Mark’s account adds that the wind ceased} and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. {In other words, they were supernaturally transported the remaining 2 miles. immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.} {Now this whole event is a remarkable fulfillment of…}

Psalm 107:28-30 (ESV)— 28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

He Will Carry Us-- No matter the conditions of the weather or the conditions of the boat, if we believe in Jesus; in His sovereign power and control, we can rest assured that we are safe in His arms and that He will carry us to our destination.

Cast Away: The Unopened Package-- There is this old movie that has become one of my all-time favorites; a movie called Cast Away, about a FedEx manager whose delivery plane, after running into a storm and getting off-course, crashes into the ocean, killing everyone else on board. And he is the sole survivor and is able to make it to the shore of an uncharted island. And the story is about his survival on the island; his struggle to start a fire; find shelter; that kind of thing; and the ongoing hope he has of escaping the island and being united once again with the woman he loves. But some time after the crash, packages from the plane begin to wash up on shore and he begins to open them one by one and discovers things that he can utilize. He uses the blades of a pair of ice skates to crack open coconuts for food; he uses a bunch of old video tapes to make rope. But when he gets to the final package, he sees a beautiful design on the package and hesitates. And instead of opening it, he holds onto it in the hope that one day when he might get off that island, he might return that package. And for him it became a symbol of hope. And in the end he eventually builds a raft and does get off the island (several years after the initial crash); and when he delivers that package, he leaves it on the doorstep of the person who originally sent it, saying, “This package saved my life.” It is quite a powerful story. But you know it leaves you wondering what was in the package. He never opens it; and we never find out. And I always wondered what it would have been like if in that package was the very thing he needed to be delivered off that island; like a satellite phone or a GPS location device. If it was me, I would have opened the package.

Opening the Package-- But what about in our day to day struggles; when we are going through the tough times? I wonder if we don’t almost make Jesus like that package. We have Him; He is always present and available to us, but we never open the package; we never take advantage of Him. We never invite Him into the boat. We would much rather oar. Now the disciples welcome Him into the boat. But notice that Jesus never assumed He’s just going to get into the boat. In fact He doesn’t even seem to be giving any kind of signal that He has any intention whatsoever of quieting the waves. He’s merely going to pass them by. Why is that? Because Jesus is demonstrating something very profound. He is showing His disciples that He will never presume Himself upon a situation in which He is not invited. He has not yet been invited into the boat and therefore doesn’t set foot inside. He was never asked to quiet the waves or to miraculously carry them to their destination; and therefore He seeks to pass them by. Notice how it is only after they welcome Him into the boat that He steps in, quiets the waves, and takes them to their destination. What a powerful demonstration of how Jesus moves. Jesus will never move in a situation in which He is not invited and welcomed into. How welcome is Jesus in your life? How welcome is He in my life? Have we invited Him in such away that He feels He has our permission to move. Now it seems silly to us that the Son of God would need to ask our permission, but that’s the way He chooses to do things. God is a gentleman; He never comes into a situation uninvited.

Our Storms-- Are you going through the storms of life? What do we do when we those times come? We invite Jesus back into the boat. Because we remember that no matter how bad things seem to be, He is always in sovereign control. And there is no relationship too broken; no situation so severe that it is beyond the saving power of His grace; if only we are willing to receive it; to open the package; to welcome Him into the boat. Let us welcome Him today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #66 "The Severity of Sin" (Romans 3:23-26) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! Our passage today is…

Romans 3:23-26 (NIV)— 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Bandaids on a Mirror— Once there was a husband who, having too much to drink, stumbled home late one night. After entering the house, [The drunk husband snuck up the stairs quietly. He looked in the bathroom mirror and bandaged the bumps and bruises he'd received in a fight earlier that night. He then proceeded to climb into bed, smiling at the thought that he'd pulled one over on his wife. When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his wife. "You were drunk last night weren't you!" "No, honey." "Well, if you weren't, then who put all the band-aids on the bathroom mirror?"]

We cannot cover our sins, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, the more we try to cover our sins the more our sinfulness is revealed. It’s as it says in Numbers 32:23b (NIV): …you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

Sin Grows-- Why is this? Because all sin (if left untreated; unconfessed; un-repented of) grows. It’s like a seed; you can bury it in the ground; you can hide it in your heart but it will soon take root; it will sprout; it will grow. And it will take up more and more real estate in your heart until it will bear fruit in your life; but not the kind of fruit you want. And it will eventually find you out. In talking about false prophets, but it can really be applied to any sinner, Jesus says…

Matthew 7:16-20 (NIV)-- 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God-- Your fruit (your behavior) reveals the condition of your heart; what seeds you have buried there. And the fact is that we all at one time have sown the seeds of sin in our hearts. As it says in…

Romans 3:23 (NIV): 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

A Monster of Depravity-- [Somerset Maugham, the writer, once said, “If I wrote down every thought I have ever thought and every deed I have ever done, men would call me a monster of depravity.” What would people call you or me if they knew your every thought and deed?]

The Savior Gardener-- No matter who you are; young or old, rich or poor, white or black, Jew or Gentile, we have all fallen into sin. And that sin that has taken root and spread throughout the garden of our hearts must be dealt with. We need more than forgiveness for planting the seeds; we need someone to actually help us to remove those weeds of sin from our hearts so that the fruit of righteousness can grow. We need the abiding presence of Christ, who not only forgives our sin, but brings the Holy Spirit to help till our hearts and remove our sin and change our nature. How fitting it was that Mary, outside the empty tomb, mistook Jesus for the gardener. That’s exactly who he was. The Gardener who now, because of what He just did on the cross and in that tomb, could now enter into her heart, fill her with His Spirit and purify and sanctify her from all sin. Christ’s redemption is a total redemption.

We Must Recognize our Need for Redemption-- But the reality is, before you and I can even begin to approach God, we must come to terms with the fact that we, because of our own sinfulness, deserve the wrath of God’s judgment.

All Innocent-- But [“A prison chaplain writes of a study in which he talked with twelve inmates in the penitentiary. He asked each “Why are you here?” The answers were instructive: “I was framed.” “They ganged up on me.” “It was a case of mistaken identity.” “The police had it in for me.” Not one said he was guilty of something. They were all innocent. An insurance adjuster said that he would estimate 90 percent of the people involved in automobile accidents see themselves as blameless”. (Emerson Colaw. Beliefs Of A United Methodist Christian. Nashville: Tidings, 1972, pp. 44 - 45). The truth is that there is no one who is without sin because we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There is only one who is without sin because He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and His name is Jesus Christ (John 1:29)!] We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And we will never be able to receive the grace He offers us until we first recognize our need of it. Then and only then will we accept it. And that salvation in Christ is offered solely based on His mercy and grace. It says in…

Romans 3:24 (NIV)-- 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The Man Who Refused His Pardon-- But even though it is free, not everyone is prepared to accept it; not everyone truly wants to be free of their sin. Once there was a man named George Wilson. [Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged."]

It’s Not That Serious-- You know, that man’s predicament sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it. Why, if offered freedom from death, would you not take it? But the reality is that we are susceptible to doing the very same thing. In the midst of being offered life, we can still choose to do those things that produce death in us and separate us from the One who is our salvation. And most of the time this happens when people fail to recognize the seriousness of the sins they are handling. We are always shocked when Jesus says…

Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV)-- 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Why does hell have to be unpleasant?— Now modern churches don’t typically like to talk about hell very much. This is often because we have divorced the concept of God’s love from His holiness, and the necessary judgment that must comes when we sin against a holy God. And hell seems extreme to us. Why would God allow anybody to go to such a place? And the response to that is this: Anywhere God is absent, hell is created. Anywhere God is absent, hell is created. The agony of hell is the agony of separation from Life. As we said before, Jesus calls Himself “THE Life”; He is the definition of life. And you cannot be separated from He who is Life and still expect to remain alive. It’s not that God is unfair or cruel; but it is simply a logical impossibility.

Aladdin and Jafar— Its like that final scene in the Disney movie Aladdin, when Aladdin tricks the wicked sorcerer Jafar into wishing that he might be an all-powerful genie. And Jafar gets his wish and turns into a genie, but then is instantly shackled and bound to a lamp. And Aladdin says, “You want to be a genie, fine! Then you get everything that goes along with it.” Well, the same is true if you want complete separation from God. Suffering is part of the disease of being separated from God. And if we choose sin over God, we choose the absence of God. And therefore suffering is the natural and unavoidable result. And it is an eternal one.

The Severity of Sin-- That is why Jesus is saying here that there is no physical cost too great that you can pay to make sure that sin is removed from your life. At any cost, remain free from sin. It is worse than blindness; it is worse than losing a hand. Why? Because it will bring death to the soul; and not only death, but eternal death. Jesus is warning us to ensure that you and I don’t ever downplay the seriousness of sin and where it will ultimately lead us.

Susannah Wesley and Sin— Well, what is sin? Susanna Wesley (the mother of Charles and John Wesley gave perhaps the best definition of sin I have ever heard. And you may want to write this down; maybe scribble it in the margins of your Bible. [This was how Susannah Wesley defined "sin" to her young son, John Wesley: "If you would judge of the lawfulness or the unlawfulness of pleasure, then take this simple rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and takes off the relish of spiritual things—that to you is sin.”]

​Boundaries-- And notice how that makes some things that might be good things okay for others but wrong for you because it may cause one of those symptoms in your life. I myself know what things in my life cause distance in my relationship with God; that lead me astray. And I am trying to limit or cut them off from my life. Some might laugh at some of the boundaries I have set, but I know those things that have the potential of robbing me of the nearness of God. And we need to prune our lives of those things if we want to bear fruit. Because one compromise leads to another, which leads to another and another, until soon we find ourselves in bondage to something we once though we had control over. God doesn’t want you to live in bondage. And so He provided you and I with an escape in and through His Son Jesus. If place our faith in Him and follow Him, we can and will be brought from death to life. If you have never done that, I encourage you to do that today. Embrace the One who is Life (embrace Jesus) so that you can have life and have it abundantly. Amen.

Lechem Panim #65 "A Heartbeat Prayer" (Jonah) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! We continue today our study on Jonah. You will remember that he has been commanded by God to go and preach to Nineveh (the persecutors of his people) so that they might repent and saved. But Jonah instead boards a ship going the opposite direction in order to flee; but (as you remember) a storm comes upon them; and the captain orders them to pray to their gods. And they cast lots to find out who is to blame and it is revealed that it is him. And he tells them that he has been running from God.

Was Jonah’s request to be thrown into the sea really noble?— And [At a loss to know what to do, the sailors asked Jonah for his advice (v. 11). He told them to throw him into the sea (v. 12). At first this seems like a noble response, but a closer examination reveals otherwise. The proper response would have been for Jonah to repent on the spot and to agree to go to Nineveh. But despite the captain’s exhortation (see v. 6), Jonah never does pray in this scene, at least as far as we can tell. His instructions to the sailors betray his obstinate refusal to obey the Lord. It is as if Jonah is saying: “Okay, if he won’t let me go to Tarshish, then I’ll just die in the sea! But I’m not going to Nineveh!”] And so instead of telling the captain to turn around and take him back, which would have allowed God to stop the storm, he tells them instead to help him commit assisted suicide. And the captain and crew are reluctant to at first, but they eventually consent after they try everything else. They throw him in the sea; but to his dismay, he doesn’t drown, but is instead swallowed by an enormous fish!!! And what is crazy is that this fish not only foils Jonah’s attempted suicide, but also acts as his submarine to carry him back to the shores he originally came from; actually (I and many others believe) shores that were actually closer to Nineveh.

The Fish god and The Fish-- Now it is so ironic that God chooses to use a fish to carry Jonah closer to Nineveh because [The name Nineveh is thought to derive from “ninus,” i.e., Nimrod, and means the residence of Nimrod or “nunu” (Akkadian for “fish”). The people worshipped the fish goddess Nanshe (the daughter of Ea, the goddess of fresh water) and Dagon the fish god who was represented as half man and half fish.] So while Jonah says I’m going to abandon Nineveh to its religious perversion; I’m not going to have anything to do with redeeming them from all that fish-god nonsense, God places him right in the belly of what was at the heart of what the Ninevites worshipped. They were enslaved to the fish god; Jonah doesn’t care; and so God puts Jonah in the belly of a fish; right in the middle of their spiritual problem.

Time to Reflect-- And Jonah, needless to say, is probably feeling a little down in the mouth at this point. But he has some time to reflect. And on his way back, he’s praying. God needed to do something in him; He needed to change him. But what part of Jonah did God want to change?

Heartbeat Prayer-- One way I like to go through the scriptures and have been doing so recently is by listening to it being read, which is how so many people throughout history have received the Word of God. And my favorite reading is the Word of Prosmise Audio Bible. Although it is pretty much a word for word reading of the NKJV, it incorporates a variety of actors and sound effects to make you feel like you are there. And not long ago  I listened to the book of Jonah. And you hear the wind and the waves; the froth of the ocean beating against that ship. And then Jonah being picked up and heaved into the sea. And as he’s splashing about you hear air being released form the blowhole of the whale (or fish) (LONG PAUSE) and then everything goes silent. And moments later you begin to hear Jonah praying; but that’s not all you hear. In the background you hear a horrifying sound; the massive heartbeat of the whale. All throughout his prayer is the steady (thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump). And I thought to myself; what a haunting thing to have going on in the background of your prayers. That probably gave his prayers a little bit of focus, don’t you think?
But I began pondering what effect that may have had on Jonah. Or even more; what was God trying to say to Jonah through that whale’s heartbeat? God, why do I find it so difficult to love those who are different from me? (thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump). God, what part of my life has caused me to run from you? (thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump). God, what part of me do want to change? (thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump). I wonder how many times Jonah had to hear that heartbeat before he began to hear God’s message to him.

Was Jonah’s prayer truly repentant?— Actually, I’m not sure he got that message; at least not yet. Now I love his prayer; it is an absolutely beautiful piece of composition. One author writes how: [The prayer takes the form of a thanksgiving song.… Jonah recalled his time of desperate need, his prayer for deliverance, and the Lord’s saving intervention (vv. 2—7). Contrasting himself with pagan idolaters (v.8), he then promised to thank the Lord publicly and to fulfill the vows he had made when he sought the Lord’s help (v.9). He concluded the song with the declaration, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah’s prayer is surprising. We expect a penitential psalm in which the prophet confesses his sins, but, much to our surprise, he did not acknowledge his disobedience. He simply celebrates his deliverance, boasted of his superiority to pagans, and made promises.] I mean it’s absolutely astounding to me. He didn’t repent on the ship in the midst of the storm; and he can’t even bring himself to truly repent in the belly of the fish.

Obedience not Enough-- He commits to obey God (out of fear, no doubt), but as we will see, that is not enough. God doesn’t want to just make Jonah obey Him. God wants Jonah to have the love and compassion for the people of Nineveh that He Himself has. But Jonah has not reached that point yet. He has committed to obey; but he does not yet love these lost Ninevites. For the moment, however, obedience is enough. So the text says “10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”

The Call Re-given-- Then we have again in 3:1 the repetition of that same phrase used when God first called Jonah: 1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

Jonah’s Run-- Now he didn’t listen to God the first time. But now he says, “Well ok then!” And Jonah gets up and runs. Now how do we know he ran? If you look at a map, you will see that Nineveh was a 3-day journey from the coast of the Mediterranean all the way to the heart of the Assyrian empire. Jonah made it in a single day. He runs into Nineveh, smelling like fish; his flesh no doubt bleached white from digestive juices of the fish and begins to proclaim the Word of the Lord. And, to his dismay, all the people (beginning with the KING) do exactly what he himself didn’t do. They OBEY!!!! They humble themselves and repent in sackcloth and ashes. Just imagine that; the king of Nineveh, in the midst of his people, puts on sackcloth and ashes and leads the entire pagan city of Nineveh into true repentance. And Jonah can’t believe it.

Jonah 4 (ESV)— 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,[a] and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant[b] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[c] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

We don’t know their circumstances-- You know, one thing we must remember is that anger or hatred towards another person is always ignorant of that person’s personal circumstances. And that is because selfish anger is focused on how that person has offended me; not why they have offended me. We only see the effect; what their circumstances have driven them to: offending us. But what brought them there? If they are truly horrible, what did it take to bring them there? What circumstances shaped them into who they are today? And I have often wondered if I could observe the entirety of someone’s life; if I could see those circumstances; if my frustration towards them would not instead be replaced with compassion and understanding. I may look at that person and say, “Wow, if somebody had just taken time with them; if someone had just reached out to them, then maybe they would be a better person today. And you know that is exactly God’s point. Jonah is stewing over his frustration that God has forgiven these wretched people that have injured him and his people and God is saying, “Jonah, who did they have?” “They had nobody.” Just like this vine. See how it died? Why did it die, Jonah? Because nobody took the time to love and care for it; to cultivate it. Nineveh has 120,000 people in it who have never heard of me or been discipled. How can you judge; how can you be angry?

Our Response of Forgiveness and Recognition of Their Own Hurt-- God’s point is that we have no right to harbor unforgiveness and anger towards those who have offended us. Not only because we have also been forgiven for much (just as Jonah had been forgiven for his disobedience) but also because we don’t know their circumstances; what brought them to that point. “Hurt people hurt people.” If they are hurting you, chances are that they themselves are hurting. And as Christians, we are called to forgive the offense and reach out to them in love; to offer Christ to them; because only HE can deal with their hurt. And once their hurt is dealt with, then their lives begin to change. Hatred does nothing; anger does nothing; compassion and love changes everything. And I think what God is calling us to do is to recognize that they are people who have probably never been cultivated and who need you to play the part God has for you to play in making them disciples. Let’s be faithful to that call. Let’s be faithful to love even when it hurts, as Christ did for us. Amen.

Lechem Panim #64 "God's Dove of Deliverance" (Jonah) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! We appreciate your choosing to make our program a part of your day and hope that our message today will be a blessing to you. We will be beginning a study on the life of Jonah, which is an interesting one.

“Then You Ask Him”— You know, some time ago [There was a Christian lady that had to do a lot of traveling for her business so she did a lot of flying. Since flying made her nervous, she always took her Bible along with her to read and it helped relax her. One time she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible he gave a little chuckle and went back to what he was doing. After a while he turned to her and asked “You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?” The lady replied “Of course I do. It is the Bible.” He said, “well what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale? She replied, “Oh, Jonah. Yes I believe that, it is in the Bible.” He asked “Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?” The lady said “Well I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven I will ask him.” “What if he isn’t in heaven?” the man asked sarcastically. “Then you can ask him.” Replied the lady.]

A True Story-- Now all joking aside, the story of Jonah is not pretend; it’s not just a nice little story meant to teach us a lesson. No; this really happened to a real man by the name of Jonah in the Old Testament. Jesus Himself treats this account as a real historical event and uses it as a living and breathing picture of His own death and resurrection. So keep this in mind as we go through the story today. This story may sound like a big fish story (and it is); but it is also one that happens to be true. Now none of us know exactly how this happened. We don’t even know what kind of animal this was. It could have been a whale; it could have been a fish. The Hebrew word for fish here (dāḡ) can mean either a whale or a fish. Dagon (the god of the Ninevites) gets his name from this word, which we will see is significant. But we don’t know what exactly it was. But what we do know is that it happened and that this creature (whatever it was) was prepared by God for a special purpose. And we will see that purpose unfold in our story today.
    Now Jonah was prophet of God; meaning he would hear from God and then tell God’s people what God had said. He was a preacher. And one day this preacher was either in or near his home when God gave him a special message. It says…

Jonah 1:1-2 (ESV)-- 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Nineveh-- Now this was not good news to Jonah. Because Nineveh was the capitol city of Assyria. And Assyria was the enemy of Israel. They were the Nazis of the ancient world. And the reason Jonah saw them this way was because they had killed a lot of innocent people (including Israelites), and mutilated and tortured their captors in some unspeakable ways. And so Jonah rightfully saw them as the bad guys. And so he naturally doesn’t want to go. He would much rather stay in Israel. After all, THEY were God’s people; not Nineveh; and he was supposed to be Israel’s prophet, not Nineveh’s; at least that’s what he thought.

Feel-Good Times-- And these were good days to stay in Israel. Israel was doing pretty good. The Assyrians were elsewhere in the empire, occupied with other matters. This allowed for Jeroboam II (the king of Israel) [to capture much of Syria for Israel.] [he … expanded Israel even farther than his father did, matching the boundaries in the days of David and Solomon (2 Kings 14:25)] So the kingdom is doing better; [And it’s interesting that 2 Kings 14:25 says that all [this was “according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher” (2 Kings 14:25).] Jonah had prophesied concerning this time of prosperity. God had also prophesied about it through Elisha. But because Israel wasn’t being bothered by Assyria right now, they were all just kind of relaxing, feeling good about themselves. And we see from Amos chapters 5 and 6 that they were feeling pretty good about how they were God’s chosen people and were excited about how God was going to come one day and cover all their enemies in darkness, and leave them basking in the light. The only problem is that God didn’t want Israel to stand and everyone else to burn. He wanted Israel to be a light and an instrument of salvation to the nations, leading them into worship of Him. And so God reveals that He has compassion for everybody; not just Israel. But the people of Israel (and particularly Jonah) don’t want God to show that compassion on their enemies; they don’t want them to be saved.

Noah’s Dove of Deliverance-- In the story of Noah, what animal brought the olive leaf to Noah? A dove, right? Why a Dove? Well, the dove was a symbol for Noah and His family of God’s delivering them from the floodwaters; there was dry land. It showed them that God had compassion on them and had delivered them. Similarly, we see in the New Testament how the Holy Spirit, the one who brings inner deliverance; inner cleansing from sin, takes the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism. But did you know that the Hebrew word for dove is “yonah” (“Jonah”)? And I think, isn’t it interesting that Jonah’s name literally means “dove”. Why is that? An accident? I don’t think so. God’s mission is often revealed in the name’s of God’s prophets. I believe the reason Jonah was named “dove” is because Jonah is God’s means of sharing hope with the people of Nineveh. He himself is bringing to them an olive leaf; the hope that through repentance they might be forgiven their sins and experience the compassion of God. However Jonah, though he has a name that may reflect and look forward to the Holy Spirit of God, does not yet have a heart that reflects the heart of God because he does not yet care about the lost. He’s not living in accordance with His name. So we see that God wants to change Jonah’s heart; Jonah’s understanding of how God wants to save (not just Israel, but) the entire world. God has compassion on everyone who needs Him. And because He does, so ought Jonah.

We Are Here Because of Others’ Faithfulness-- And when you think about it; the only reason you and I are here today is because some Jewish Christian in the past was willing to obey God’s call to cross social and racial barriers so that you might know Jesus. In the great commission Jesus challenges us to embrace a new way of viewing ourselves, a new way of viewing ministry, and most importantly a new way of viewing people. And even here in the Old Testament, in the narrative of Jonah, we see God challenging his people (through Jonah’s life) to start to think differently.

Jonah’s Hardened Heart-- But Jonah’s heart is hardened and He will not allow God to soften it. He hates those Ninevites. And Jonah doesn’t want God’s mercy for them; and if anyone is going to show it to them, it is certainly not going to be him; a Jew. So what does the scripture say? It says in…

Jonah 1:3 (ESV)-- 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Running from God?!!!— Whenever I read this story, I think to myself, “Jonah, how can you be so foolish? Don’t you know that you can’t run from God?” After all, he was a prophet; he spoke for God; he was supposed to know God. Yet he still thought that he could run from God; that he could hide from Him; as Adam and Eve thought similarly in the Garden of Eden. But often there are times when you and I also can be tempted to run from God. Let me ask you this. Is there anything God has ever called you to do that you have sought to avoid? Maybe it’s doing the right thing in a bad circumstance; maybe it’s being a friend to somebody who is being bullied; or maybe (like it was with Jonah) it’s being a friend TO the bully. Whatever it is, we might try to avoid it, like Jonah did. We can act on your hate by doing evil to somebody; or we can hate them simply by withholding something they need; by not telling them about Jesus.

“Went Down”-- You know that phrase “went down” is a very interesting phrase in the book of Jonah; and really the entire Bible. Jonah went down to Joppa (1:3); he gets in the ship and the text says went down into it (1:3); then later during the storm it says of Jonah that he had gone down into the inner part of the ship (1:5); Jonah says in his prayer: I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; (2:6). Now “went down” can mean simply descending or going to a place that is geographically lower. But [Went down (twice in this verse; see also v. 5; 2:6) is also a euphemism for death (e.g., Gen. 37:35). The suggestion is that each step away from the presence of the Lord is one step closer to “going down” to death (see notes on Jonah 1:4-5; 2:6)] And what is the place of death? The land of the dead; Sheol, which corresponds to the New Testament word “Hades.” That is where all sin leads; to death; the land where the dead dwell. And similarly with us, our sin (whether it be un-forgiveness or the un-acceptance of others as it was with Jonah; or whether it is something else); sin always leads us down. That is where sin leads us and that is where it led Jonah. Consider his prayer. He says: out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice….weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains…Jonah (metaphorically) began to descend to Sheol. And it is important to note that Jonah’s journey to Sheol does not begin after he is swallowed by the fish. No; it begins right at the beginning of the book. The moment Jonah sins and takes that first step down, he begins his journey to death; to Sheol.

​Lewis & Heaven-- One of the most awe-inspiring books I ever read on heaven was a book by C.S. Lewis entitled The Great Divorce. In that book a man takes a bus ride first to hell and then to heaven. And Lewis’ depictions from a philosophical perspective on what both heaven and hell must be like is mind-blowing. I have never thought about either the same way since I read the book many years ago. But in the story the man discovers that hell and heaven are not disconnected from earth, but eternal extensions of heaven and hell. When you are moving towards God, you already have your feet on the threshold of heaven. When you reject God, you are already passing into hell. And that is exactly what the Bible describes. The moment the decision to go and do your own thing is made, you begin to experience the fruits of that choice, which are amplified in eternity. The decisions we make now either lead us up or they bring us down, depending on our obedience in following God. And so today I want to encourage you with the words of the author of Hebrews: So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7-8a). Choose to obey God’s calling on your life no matter how difficult; whether that is to forgive someone, witness to someone, or perhaps both. And in so doing, we will be moving in the direction of life. Let’s commit to that obedience today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #63 "Investing in Eternity" (Mark 10:17-31) Pastor Cameron Ury

Welcome to Lechem Panim. Last week we began taking a look at perhaps the most tragic personal encounter Jesus had in His ministry; and that was His encounter with a rich young ruler. The young man had asked Jesus what it would take to share in His life. And Jesus said: “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:21-22)

Porcelain Elephant-- My dad and his brother both grew up overseas while my Grandma and Grandpa were missionaries in Taiwan. Now my Grandmother (we call her Geemo) is a simply incredible person. If there is a godlier person on this planet, I can honestly say without hesitation or exaggeration that I do not know them. A woman who in everything she does seeks the face of Christ. And she cannot put more than a few sentences together without praising the name of God. But because she is so heavenly-minded, she is very unattached to stuff. Now this is a very good thing, but the problem is that whenever we try to give her gifts she rarely keeps them. She is so generous she will often times just give it away to somebody. And I’m not just talking about cheap stuff. I mean she clings to nothing but Jesus; and she will tell you that. And when I was a kid she used to pray that my family would be poor...so that in everything we might be fully reliant on Jesus. And for many years the Lord honored her prayer. (PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER). In all her years my family has only ever known her to cling to one thing besides Christ. When my dad (Thane Ury) and his brother (Bill Ury) were kids, my Grandmother was given this beautiful porcelain elephant from a dear friend of theirs who was a US diplomat in India. And she treasured that porcelain elephant. But one day my dad and my uncle were playing and, in the midst of their horsing around, they shattered that porcelain elephant. Now my dad, the smart one, turned tail and ran before my grandmother entered the room, but my uncle stayed. And my Grandmother entered the room. And my uncle was understandably terrified. But when she came in, she looked down at the shattered porcelain elephant and, turning away, my uncle heard her mutter these words, “Thank you Jesus. I’m free.” (PAUSE) “Thank you Jesus. I’m free.” And never since then has she ever allowed herself to become attached to stuff.

How attached are you and I to our things? What would happen if Jesus challenged us with the same command He gives the rich young ruler. Would we succeed where the rich young ruler failed? Now of course Jesus is talking here about living the life of the cross; giving up those things that we have allowed to hold claim on us so that we might embrace Jesus and the life He offers. And we talked about that last week. But there is something else we often miss (my Grandmother hasn’t, but I and many Christians often do). And that is what comes next after Jesus says sell everything you have. He gives a second command. He says, "give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Now why does Jesus say this? I think it’s because taking your wealth and using it to invest and help the poor is eternal. You are sowing fruit that will not perish. You are using physical wealth to produce eternal fruit. And I think that is the drive behind what Jesus is saying. Jesus cares about how the resources we have on this blip on the screen called life can effect the eternal needs of others. Jesus is saying, “Give up control of your resources and invest in those I care about.”

Solomon: Vanity, vanity!— King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, looked at how people were enslaved to the get-wealth system. He writes some pretty depressing things in his book of Ecclesiastes. “Vanity, vanity.” “Everything is vanity.” "Everything is meaningless.” Now does Solomon hate everything? No. But what his frustration was was that, in looking at people’s lives, he saw them striving to gain wealth and then, after they die, leaving that wealth to another. Then that person dies and his wealth that he had focused on amounting was also given to another. Solomon saw the futility of the pursuit of wealth. He (being wise) saw that nobody could take their wealth with them beyond the grave. Therefore, everybody is caught in a system of amounting wealth that bears no eternal fruit either for them or for others.

Not a Side-note— Now Jesus’ point in saying “give to the poor” is not a sidenote. We often make it kind of a nice afterthought. But I had to ask myself in my study on this passage if this last part about giving to the poor is not the focal point or climax of the whole passage.

Sowing for Eternity-- Solomon saw how all things we strive for eventually pass away. And Jesus wants us to realize this now so that we don't accumulate wealth just to lose it. He wants us to, when we get to heaven, to still have the fruit of that wealth in the people we chose to invest it into. Jesus wants you to be wealthy. But not the kind of wealth the prosperity gospel prophets teach. “If you believe God can make you wealthy and make you a millionaire and give you a fancy Lamborghini, He will. All you have to do is claim it!” That’s not what Jesus says. He wants you to give UP so that in heaven you will gain.

Old Tapes— Some time ago my dad gave me I think the most meaningful gift he could have ever given me; a box of my late Grandfather’s sermons on tape. And although I had listened to a couple of his sermons on tape before, I had only ever been able to attend one of his messages; at a church in Michigan. That was the only time I had ever seen him preach; and then I was probably in my very early teens. And I just remember him sharing about what was closest to his heart; people who needed Christ. He had devoted his life (along with my Grandmother) to sharing the Gospel in Asia. And, working with Trans World Radio, they broadcast the Gospel into countries that could not be reached (legally) with the Gospel; and because of their ministry, millions of people in Asia and elsewhere heard the Gospel through the radio for the first time.

My Wife and TWR— My wife, when she was just a girl living in poverty in Ukraine, would huddle close to her radio. She had to fool with the dials just right to catch the broadcast (because during Communist times in the Soviet Union they would do everything they could to block the signal); but there, curled up by that radio my wife (listening to Trans World Radio) was having the very first seeds of the Gospel sown in her heart.

“There are people”— Now as I was listening to my grandfather preach that night, he started weeping. And the only words I remember him saying he said in that moment, “There are people.” “There are people.” What kind of people? People who need Jesus. His mind was so bent on the eternal, he could see in his mind those people like my wife who (living in a culture void of hope; void of Christ) were waiting for someone to be courageous enough lay it all down and follow Christ in bringing the hope of the Gospel to them.

Everything is Meaningful— When we get to heaven, we will be greeted by those we chose to invest in. This giving to the poor is more than an afterthought of Jesus. Investing yourself in eternity with every aspect of your life is what Jesus is after. He wants all your resources devoted to Him because only by investing in people can you take your wealth into eternity. Then, because we invest in eternity, we can cry out, “Everything is meaningful!” Now Jesus has just said to the rich young man, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” And then comes the man’s response. It says…

Mark 10:22-26 (ESV)— 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”

Wealth = Alms = Salvation-- And the reason they asked this was because the Jews of that day (as recorded in the Talmud) believed that you could purchase your salvation with alms. And so if you had more money, you could give more alms, more sacrifice and offerings, and thus purchase your redemption. And yet here the disciples’ asking Jesus this question in verse 26 makes it clear that they understand that Jesus is saying that not even the rich can buy their salvation. And they are shocked. “Well Jesus, if that is true, who then can be saved?" And it says…]

Mark 10:27 (ESV)— 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Complete Surrender-- And of course Jesus is making the point that it is not by any kind of wealth that we are saved, but rather salvation is a free gift given by God. But to follow Jesus, we will have to surrender and give Him control of all of who we are. And so it says…

Mark 10:28-31 (ESV)— 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

​Let me ask you something today. If you were to take an inventory of how you spend your resources and your time right now, would that inventory reflect a kingdom-focused, needy-focused, lost people-focused mindset. If you got a text message from Jesus right now asking for that inventory to be emailed to immediately, would you be filled with fear or excitement. Would there be any porcelain elephants you might try to hide? This passage is about embracing a Jesus who abandoned His heavenly throne so that He could die on a cross in order that we might have life. That was the sacrifice He made to make our relationship with God work. What are you willing to give Him? I want to challenge you today to surrender everything to Him; to love Him with all of your heart. And when we do, we will love those He loves, we will care for those He cares about, and we will join Him in a serving real people with real needs in order that in some way we might point them to Him and the eternal life He offers. Let us commit today to living lives invested not in the world, but in eternity. Amen.

Lechem Panim #62 "The One Thing You Lack" (Mark 10:17-31) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. You know, one of the hard lessons I have had to learn in and throughout my Christian walk is how easy it can be to be religious and yet at the same time completely miss the presence of Jesus. I face this temptation often. And I think that this is because the presence of Jesus is uncomfortable (at least until we surrender to Him) because Jesus is always interested not just in changing my eternal destination, but in changing me; moving me to lay down my wants, my addictions, my own plans for what I think my future ought to be. I think I am like a lot of Christians, where I sometimes want Jesus to be a part of my life but I don’t want Him to take my life and BE my Life. But one thing Jesus never lets us escape, in all His preaching and teaching, is that the way to life is found in following Him; and He states directly and unabashedly (to the dismay of many a prosperity gospel prophet today) that that will involve our carrying our cross; laying our lives down (participating in His death in how we live our lives) in order for us to experience His life. And if we don’t every come to that point of surrender, we will miss the very saving presence of Jesus. That is why I would like to begin a study today on a passage many of you may know well. It is perhaps one of the saddest encounters Jesus experienced during His ministry; and that is His encounter with a rich young ruler. It says in…

Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)-- 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Roosevelt and Non-listeners— [The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming.”] Listening makes all the difference. And this is especially true when it comes to our relationship with God. And it’s not just about hearing audibly, but listening to what we have heard by changing our behavior or obediently following Jesus in the direction He wants to take us. Now in Jewish culture, one of the things you would recite on a daily basis was the Shema. And the main passage of the Shema comes from Deuteronomy 6...

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV)— 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Shema— And the reason this is called the "shema" is because "shema" is the Hebrew word for "listen" or “hear". It is an interesting word because it conveys (in one word) the concept of hearing and doing. So every day, the Jews would remind themselves of the simple fact that they are to hear and obey Yahweh.

To Whom God Reveals Himself-- Now God tends to reveal Himself to those whom He knows will obey Him. And often times God will cease communicating with and withdraw Himself from those who habitually fail to act on what He has told them to do.

Hundreds of Them-- Once an old man was driving home from work when his wife called him on his cell phone. "Honey", she said in a worried voice, "be careful. There was a bit on the news just now, some lunatic is driving the wrong way down the freeway”. "It's worse than that", he replied, "there are hundreds of them!”]. This story illustrates the importance both of having an outside voice that is wiser than we are, and the importance of listening to that voice; Shema. If we don’t obey and turn, we’re in trouble.

Even the demons practice Shema— And, in coming to our passage today on the rich young ruler, it is amazing to me that, in looking at the the previous chapter (where Jesus casts a demon out of a young boy), we find that this story takes place within a context where demons are hearing and obeying Jesus immediately in coming out of people at His command. And yet the people around Him are (like the rich young ruler) failing to obey. And we often times think of failure to obey God as demonic; but actually it is worse than being demonic because the demons obey. What amazes me in looking at the text is that the demons are practicing Shema and the rich young ruler (obviously Jewish because of his reverence for the Ten Commandments); a Jewish man who recites the Shema every day; fails to practice Shema. Now he wants to. He wants to be pleasing in God's eyes; he wants eternal life. So he comes to Rabbi Jesus and asks Him what he needs to do to obtain eternal life.

Mark 10:21 (ESV)— 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

all that you have-- Now what is interesting here is Jesus doesn’t say, “Give ten percent.” He doesn’t say “Give 30, 50, or 75 percent.” Jesus says, “go, sell all that you have”. And this reminds us of what true discipleship really costs; Jesus demands everything. Now we are pretty quick to say, “Well, the only reason Jesus said this to this rich young man was because He knew that to be this man’s particular idol. And so maybe Jesus commanded that from him, but surely Jesus doesn’t want me to give up all my stuff. Does He?” And so you see we water it down, telling ourselves that what Jesus wants is for us to, while still keeping our wealth, make sure that Heis our focus and not our wealth. We say, “It is ok to have wealth as long as we put Jesus first.” Now I think that may be true. But I wonder if Jesus were to give to you and to me the same command He gave the rich young ruler, how we would respond? Would we take off faster than a wig in a fan shop? Or would we Shema? Does Jesus expect everyone to sell everything they have? Probably not. But might He expect that of you? Absolutely. You see, when we come to passages like this, instead of talking about forsaking all things, we talk about prioritizing Jesus above all our stuff. And the reason we do this is often grounded in our own reluctance to embrace the abandoned life that Jesus is pointing to; a life that has let go of everything in abandon to Him. “I can keep my money, my habits, my current occupation, and my dreams as long as I love Jesus more.”; though we never ask what we mean by “more”. What defines our “more” or what defines our “love”. More importantly, we never clearly define how we are going to measure the “more” or the “love”. How do we know how much of my own life I can still cling to? The answer is simple.
    The language of this story, which is recorded in all three of the synoptic Gospels, is not to prioritize, but to abandon; not to reduce, but to utterly forsake. This means that everything I have and everything I am and ever will be is surrendered without reservation to Him to be used by Him for whatever He wills whenever He wills it. This includes our hopes, our dreams, and our deepest desires; and ultimately the direction our lives are headed. It may be the job you think you should have; or that thing you have been saving for that you think you need or have a right to. Christ wants it. It involves our television time and what we read; what we shop for and look at on the internet. Christ wants it.
    This surrender even impinges upon the confines of our minds and hearts; what we think about, what we dwell on, and what we love. Do our hearts truly belong to Jesus? Have our dreams been surrendered to Jesus? In a society that cries out for us to embrace its thinking, Jesus calls us to have the mind of Christ. In a culture that beckons us to grasp what it has to offer, Jesus calls us to live as strangers in a foreign land and to set our hearts on things above. In a commercialized world that terms us “consumers”, and which calls us to accumulate more for ourselves and our kids, Jesus says to abandon all things. But why? I once read a touching story…

Your Hand Is Bigger-- A little boy and his father visited the country store, upon leaving the store the owner of the store offered the little boy some free candy. "Get a hand full of candy", the merchant said to the boy. The boy just stood there, looking up at his father. The owner repeated himself, "Son get a hand full of candy, its free." Again the boy did not move, continuing to look up into the face of his father. Finally, the father reached into the candy jar and got a hand full of candy and gave it to his son. As they walked back home, the father stopped and asked his son why he did not grab a hand full of the free candy. The boy, with a big smile on his face, looked into the face of his father and said, "Because I know that your hand is bigger than mine.”

Jesus’ command here to this man in this situation is not to simply try to rearrange his priorities. Jesus tells him to give up his wealth; to sell it! And it’s not so that he can have less, but so that he can have more. Because Christ’s hands are bigger. And then comes the man’s response. It says…

Mark 10:22 (ESV)— 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

What a tragic verse. Just think of all that he missed out on; and for what?! Stuff that (sure enough) passed away. Everything he had has passed away. Note how although He is a rich young ruler; an important figure (apparently); not even his name survives. We don’t have any idea who he was. And that’s the point isn’t it. The only life that will last is the life we give to Jesus. And that is why I want to say to you: today don’t hold back from Jesus. If there is anything that is keeping you from following Jesus with ALL of your heart, give it to Him. Maybe there is an area of your life that He wants control of. Maybe He is calling you to invest in eternity with your time, your resources, or even your life. If so, don’t water down what He is trying to say to you. Don’t make the mistake of clinging to that which will pass away. Hear what the Lord is saying to you. And don’t just hear, but listen. Shema Him this week. Hear and obey, so that in Christ you might reap a reward that will not perish or fade away. Amen.