What, God change? Nope. God doesn't change in his nature, his purpose, his focus regarding you and me. God's essence of who he is doesn't change either. God is all powerful, God is all knowing, and is present everywhere. God's Law doesn't change. He laid down for us what is right and what is wrong. God didn't change his mind. So what I mean is that God has the power to change us! What, us change? That's so scary. Just the thought of the word, "Change," sends shivers up and down the spine.
Yet to be truthful, we aren't afraid of change. What we're afraid of is the perceived loss of something because of the change. We so focus on what we might lose, that we don't see what we might gain from the change. For example, when my congregation went from one worship service to two. There was a lot of discussion surrounding that we would not know everyone anymore. Yet what we gained was the opportunity to serve even more people than we were before.
Change happens all the time. Most of the time we don't see what has changed around us. Or in us. And did you know, that God underwent a change? Or rather, a "metamorphosis?" God did. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, underwent a metamorphosis. He went from being a Spirit being, full of light and power and glory. The Son of God became the human man, Jesus. The spirit of light and power and glory became veiled so that we could not see it. One day, Jesus, both God and man in miraculous combination, went on top of tall mountain in Israel with Peter, James, and John. At that time we saw the metamorphosis from the veiled God man to the radiant God man. Jesus shone his full glory and majesty in front of Peter, James, and John, along with Moses and Elijah. The Law and Gospel prophets of old, alive and resurrected standing before and talking with Jesus. At this event we see Jesus as he truly is. The light of God that came into the world in order to save the world through him, shines brightly into the lives of his people. At the end of the event, Jesus was seen by Peter, James, and John, in the way they always saw him before. Yet because of Christ Jesus, Peter, James, and John, were metamorphosized themselves. They, because of the presence of Christ, were changed from the inside out.
And from that moment on, Jesus walked into "the hornets nest." Jesus went to Jerusalem, so that he would be betrayed by one of his hand picked men, whipped, beaten, bloodied, crucified and died. The power of God was demonstrated and fulfilled by the power of Jesus Christ to die so that all our sins would be forgiven. God died so that we would live in forgiveness today and live with him in his light forever after our deaths. And we will see the metamorphosized Jesus when we arrive in heaven, yet with a couple of differences. We will see the light of God in Jesus with the nail holes in his hands and feet, the spear hole in his side, scars from the crown of thorns, and the lash scars from the whip. Because of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we will see Jesus radiant and bright as hs truly is.
And before we get to heaven, we radiate the light of Jesus Christ to people around us who are still sitting in darkness, death, and under the influence of Satan. They may not realize it. They may think everything is all right. But it's not. We, who received the change of God, who live in the light of the Gospel of Jesus, radiate to them this light of God. It is a major change for those people. They will resist the change because they fear of losing their lives as they know it. Yet they are gaining a life far greater than what they ever imagined. They will be gaining the life of God in Jesus Christ. You see, we lost the sinful nature. We lost the darkness. Yet we gained a light that no human being can create. We gained Jesus. And if people who are living in darkness come to live in the light, they too will have what we have. They will gain life and light from God. This is the power of God to change people. This is the power of God that changed us. This is the power of God that will change others.
See you next time.
Pastor Robert
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Power of God to Heal
Dear Readers,
God is all powerful, He is all knowing, He is everywhere. These are the three basic characteristics of God. This month, I will talk about certain aspects of God's power. This week, I will talk about the power to heal.
In the book of 2nd Kings, there is a story of a General of Syria named Naaman (pronounced Na - a - man) and a man of God named Elisha. j
"Naaman, commander of the army for the King of Aram, was a great man in his master's sight and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease (leprosy). Aram had gone on raides and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.' So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel said. Therefore, the king of Aram said, 'Go and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.' so he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 changes of clothes. He brought the letter to the king of Israel and it read, 'When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.' When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, 'Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Think it over and you will see that he is only picking a fight with me.' When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel hore his clothes, he sent a message to the king, 'Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.' So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, 'Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.' But Naaman got angry and left, saying, 'I was telling myself: He will surely come out and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease. Are not Abana and Pharper, the rivers of Damascus, better tha all the waters of Israel? Could I wah in them and be clean?' So he turned and left in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, wash and be clean?' So Naaman went donwn and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean." (2nd Kings 5:1-14, Christian Standard Bible translation)
God chose to heal Naaman through his servant, Elisha. What I find interesting about this event is all Naaman wanted was to be healed. Yet when Elisha prescribed the method, Naaman was very mad. Not only did Naaman want to be healed, but he also wanted the grandious style and hand waving and screaming, "HEAL!" That's why it's important for the servants to point Naaman back to what he wanted. Naaman wanted to be healed. He wanted God to heal him. And that is exactly what happened. Yet Naaman's healing was more than skin. Naaman was healed on the inside. In verse fifteen, God says, "Then Naamen and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him and declared, 'I know there's no God in the whole world except in Israel.'" Naaman was healed by God on the inside too. God transformed Naaman and made him a new man.
Now let's move forward into today. God can and does choose to heal people of diseases like cancer. Yet God's greater healing is the power to heal people of the darkness of their sins. God heals by means of baptism. Naaman was healed of the disease when he dipped into the Jordan seven times. We are healed when we are baptized by and in the name of God of our sins and sinfulness. Like the Jordan, was use plain water. But the water doesn't heal. God's Word, in combination with the water, heals. We are healed and forgiven of our sins when we are baptized. God pours out His Word along with the water onto our heads and the Word of God penetrates the mind and heart and converts the person totally and completely.
I hear questions, "Why didn't God choose to heal my mom or dad, aunt or uncle, brother or sister? Why did God let them die?" I answer the questions with this. We will, one day, all die. It is the result of sin and the sinful nature we inherited from our families all the way back to Adam and Eve. Yet God did heal the loved one who died. We believe that death is the means that God uses to ultimately heal those who believe in Him with eternal life. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15, God transforms us from mortal to immortal, perishable to imperishable, dead to alive. Jesus states that He is the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Him, even though they die, yet will they live. So God uses death so that He can demonstrate His greatest power, to power to rise people from death into life eternal.
So God does heal. He heals diseases. He heals people of their sin. He heals into life eternal.
Please comment. Let me know what you think.
Your servant in Christ,
God is all powerful, He is all knowing, He is everywhere. These are the three basic characteristics of God. This month, I will talk about certain aspects of God's power. This week, I will talk about the power to heal.
In the book of 2nd Kings, there is a story of a General of Syria named Naaman (pronounced Na - a - man) and a man of God named Elisha. j
"Naaman, commander of the army for the King of Aram, was a great man in his master's sight and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease (leprosy). Aram had gone on raides and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.' So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel said. Therefore, the king of Aram said, 'Go and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.' so he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 changes of clothes. He brought the letter to the king of Israel and it read, 'When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.' When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, 'Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Think it over and you will see that he is only picking a fight with me.' When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel hore his clothes, he sent a message to the king, 'Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.' So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, 'Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.' But Naaman got angry and left, saying, 'I was telling myself: He will surely come out and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease. Are not Abana and Pharper, the rivers of Damascus, better tha all the waters of Israel? Could I wah in them and be clean?' So he turned and left in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, wash and be clean?' So Naaman went donwn and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean." (2nd Kings 5:1-14, Christian Standard Bible translation)
God chose to heal Naaman through his servant, Elisha. What I find interesting about this event is all Naaman wanted was to be healed. Yet when Elisha prescribed the method, Naaman was very mad. Not only did Naaman want to be healed, but he also wanted the grandious style and hand waving and screaming, "HEAL!" That's why it's important for the servants to point Naaman back to what he wanted. Naaman wanted to be healed. He wanted God to heal him. And that is exactly what happened. Yet Naaman's healing was more than skin. Naaman was healed on the inside. In verse fifteen, God says, "Then Naamen and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him and declared, 'I know there's no God in the whole world except in Israel.'" Naaman was healed by God on the inside too. God transformed Naaman and made him a new man.
Now let's move forward into today. God can and does choose to heal people of diseases like cancer. Yet God's greater healing is the power to heal people of the darkness of their sins. God heals by means of baptism. Naaman was healed of the disease when he dipped into the Jordan seven times. We are healed when we are baptized by and in the name of God of our sins and sinfulness. Like the Jordan, was use plain water. But the water doesn't heal. God's Word, in combination with the water, heals. We are healed and forgiven of our sins when we are baptized. God pours out His Word along with the water onto our heads and the Word of God penetrates the mind and heart and converts the person totally and completely.
I hear questions, "Why didn't God choose to heal my mom or dad, aunt or uncle, brother or sister? Why did God let them die?" I answer the questions with this. We will, one day, all die. It is the result of sin and the sinful nature we inherited from our families all the way back to Adam and Eve. Yet God did heal the loved one who died. We believe that death is the means that God uses to ultimately heal those who believe in Him with eternal life. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15, God transforms us from mortal to immortal, perishable to imperishable, dead to alive. Jesus states that He is the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Him, even though they die, yet will they live. So God uses death so that He can demonstrate His greatest power, to power to rise people from death into life eternal.
So God does heal. He heals diseases. He heals people of their sin. He heals into life eternal.
Please comment. Let me know what you think.
Your servant in Christ,
Monday, February 02, 2009
The Power of Jesus' Teaching
Dear Readers,
During this season of Epiphany, I will highlight Bible texts that will bring to you the power of God. I will bring to you different aspects of the power of God to change your lives.
But before I do that, I want to briefly describe the season of Epiphany. This season is also called, "The Season of Light." The season is the time when we learn and grow in our faith surrounding the "Light of the World," Jesus Christ. We grow through the life of Jesus, who is our light and our salvation. Being in the light of God, we also live in His power.
So this week, we live in the power of Jesus' teaching. Jesus is recorded in Mark 1:21-26,
Then they went into Capernaum, and right away He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. They were astonished at His teaching because, unlike the scribes, He was teaching them as one having authority. Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, "What do You have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the holy one of God!" But Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit convulsed him, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so they began to argue with one another, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." His fame then spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.
Jesus taught like no one else. Jesus has authority and power in His teaching. Jesus commands authority by both who He is, and what He has to say. Jesus' teaching is simple. It is, "Believe in me and the good news of salvation that I am sharing with you and you will be saved." Jesus speaks this message and delivers it with power. So much so, that the people who hear Him say basically, "Oh Wow!"
Not only that, Jesus authority and power over unclean spirits was amazing also. Now I've never seen an exorcism before, but I've seen and heard God's power through the Holy Bible, which is also the Word of God.
And it is the Holy Bible, the Word of God that teaches us with His authority. The Bible states that faith comes by hearing. So God has the power to change lives, to cause faith to happen within the person who hears. As we hear the Word of God, it rattles around in our brain and then permeates into our essence or our soul, causing a change of monumental proportions. It is the Word of God, Jesus Christ, who casts out the demons of our lives. He is the one who says to our sinfulness, as well as all the "little demons," "Get out of him. Go away from her. You no longer have a home in that person." Jesus then replaces the demon or the sin with Himself. So we are free from sin, from death, and free from the power of Satan. We are truly changed. That is the power of God to change lives. That is the power of God to change your lives. Let God the Holy Spirit into your lives and bring to you His life changing authority and power.
That's all for now.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Robert
During this season of Epiphany, I will highlight Bible texts that will bring to you the power of God. I will bring to you different aspects of the power of God to change your lives.
But before I do that, I want to briefly describe the season of Epiphany. This season is also called, "The Season of Light." The season is the time when we learn and grow in our faith surrounding the "Light of the World," Jesus Christ. We grow through the life of Jesus, who is our light and our salvation. Being in the light of God, we also live in His power.
So this week, we live in the power of Jesus' teaching. Jesus is recorded in Mark 1:21-26,
Then they went into Capernaum, and right away He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. They were astonished at His teaching because, unlike the scribes, He was teaching them as one having authority. Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, "What do You have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the holy one of God!" But Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit convulsed him, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so they began to argue with one another, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." His fame then spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.
Jesus taught like no one else. Jesus has authority and power in His teaching. Jesus commands authority by both who He is, and what He has to say. Jesus' teaching is simple. It is, "Believe in me and the good news of salvation that I am sharing with you and you will be saved." Jesus speaks this message and delivers it with power. So much so, that the people who hear Him say basically, "Oh Wow!"
Not only that, Jesus authority and power over unclean spirits was amazing also. Now I've never seen an exorcism before, but I've seen and heard God's power through the Holy Bible, which is also the Word of God.
And it is the Holy Bible, the Word of God that teaches us with His authority. The Bible states that faith comes by hearing. So God has the power to change lives, to cause faith to happen within the person who hears. As we hear the Word of God, it rattles around in our brain and then permeates into our essence or our soul, causing a change of monumental proportions. It is the Word of God, Jesus Christ, who casts out the demons of our lives. He is the one who says to our sinfulness, as well as all the "little demons," "Get out of him. Go away from her. You no longer have a home in that person." Jesus then replaces the demon or the sin with Himself. So we are free from sin, from death, and free from the power of Satan. We are truly changed. That is the power of God to change lives. That is the power of God to change your lives. Let God the Holy Spirit into your lives and bring to you His life changing authority and power.
That's all for now.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Robert
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