Need a Little Rest?

Have you been feeling rundown lately, tired?  What is it that you need rest from?  Is it your work, family, finances – just what is it?  Take a look into your heart – what is your burden – what care are you loaded down with?  Is it something that is self imposed, imposed by religious expectations, others expectations – what is the source of your burdens?

Jesus said these words,”28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11."  Jesus is referring to life, its rules and responsibilities, the cares that fall upon us.  He was speaking of the burdens that come from rules, regulations and expectations that we can’t keep.  Things that result in frustration, quitting and depression.

Acts 15:7-11 speaks of these things, specifically the law of the Jews.  In our lives it might be what society says a good parent/husband/Christian should do for their family, children, work or others.  What do your in-laws think you should be and do?  What about friends and family say success looks like?

Jesus offers rest from all of these different burdens that tug on our life and pull us in different directions to different standards.  Rest from trying to do what you and I are unable to do.  Are you trying to earn God’s favor?  Are you trying to be good enough?  You can quit trying to please men, God and others on terms that are so unrealistic.

Jesus offers salvation in verse 28 and He offers the saved to learn from Him what is really important – what real success looks like.  We need to stop worrying what this world is telling us to do or what they say is important.  Instead learn what Jesus said is important.  To Love God with all that we have and to Love Others the way we have been loved by God and the rest will take care of itself.  He offers us rest from trying earn righteousness and rest from worldly worries.  Not rest from work but rest from futility.

What are you doing because of guilt?  What are you doing because of unrealistic expectations?  what do you need to be trusting God for?

What you need to do is learn who Christ is, what he said was important.  See how he lived for others and died to Himself.  God’s way is living by the power of the Spirit  - in grace – God giving you the desire and power to follow Him!

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

sherman

Exposing Yourself to the Light

I have been looking a 1 John chapter 1 some this past week.  I believe that God has shown something that I have missed in the past that joins this passage to John chapter 3.  In 1st John chapter 1 the apostle is is speaking on what it means to have fellowship with Christ in God and how that is linked to the gospel message.  In a nutshell the Christian life is an intimate relationship between man and God through the work of Christ.  The relationship extends to others that have the same faith in Christ.  It is the common thread that binds God’s people together and is the basis for joy and peace that exists outside worldly circumstances and influences. 

John differentiates between those who  are true believers and those who say that they are Christians but live contrary to the ways of God.  The difference between Light and Dark.  The difference between one who denies their sin and one who is broken over their sin.  There will be those that claim to be in Christ yet deny their own sin, their sin nature, their need for repentance.  They will be a walking contradiction to what the gospel declares.  So what does this mean to you and me.  Looking back at John 3:16-21 the word tell us that those men who are evil run from the Light for fear that there evil will be exposed, while those who practice righteous (the character and intent of your hear – this is not perfection) walk toward and in the Light.  Here’s the essence of what I found in this section of scripture; those who are in Christ desire and strive to walk in His Light.  Willingly exposing their lives to God for Him to expose sin that remains in  our hearts and lives.  This is the difference, those that walk in darkness are characterized by sin and those that walk in light are characterized by godliness.  The followers of Christ are willing to have sin in their lives exposed and are repentant when it is exposed – this is where 1 John 1:8 comes in.  When we have our sin exposed, we willing repent, Christ freely forgives us and restores us to complete fellowship with Him.  So here is the test:  How do you react when your sin is exposed?  Do you run for cover or do you seek forgiveness?  Examine your heart, let God have His way.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

-sherman

Watering it Down

My wife and I were recently speaking about Noah when the question came up: When did he become righteous?  Now most people are familiar enough with him, the ark and the flood.  It’s funny in a way that most people know the story, at least parts of it, and make toy sets and books for the kids as if it is all cute and fun – all without a basic misunderstanding or lack of consideration for this story.  God destroyed all living things because of man’s sin.  This flood was the most severe judgment man had seen upon sin – it wasn’t a game but a matter of life and death.  Odd how we can make play out of something so heavy.

Now back to my wife’s question.  Her question takes on a different slant into the life of Noah - examining the life and heart of this great man.  A quick glance at Genesis 6 might leave one with the impression that Noah was “all good” so to speak, therefore God chose to start over with Noah and his family.  I don’t think that quick glance does justice in answering Laura’s question.  So let’s backup to Genesis 6:8-9 and take a closer look at this passage.

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

Notice the word favor in verse 8,  Noah found favor in the eyes of God.  The word is also translated GRACE elsewhere in scripture.  The fact that Noah found “unmerited favor” in the eyes of the Lord is why Noah was a righteous man.  God intervened in the heart and life of Noah and set him apart for His purpose.  The thing that set Noah apart from the unrighteous mean of his day is the same thing the separates true believers in Christ from the unrighteous men in our day. Even the flow of the section demands that you take note of God’s favor,  Verse nine moves into telling us about this man that had found grace in God’s eyes. So back to the original question, when did he become righteous?

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The book of Hebrews plainly states that there was an act of faith on the part of Noah.  He believed God.  That is the point at which Noah became righteous.  It is the same in the life of every believer to this day.  God comes to us.  He finds us.  He seeks us out.  He gives us GRACE.  When we receive that grace we act in  faith.  Exercising a faith that believes all that God has said about our in ability to save ourselves, repenting of our sins, trusting in the work of Jesus alone for our righteousness.

So see nothing has really changed since the beginning.  Noah was counted righteous because of a believing faith that resulted in obedience in following God.  He was not a perfect man, just keep reading in Genesis 9, but he was a righteous man because he placed his trust in the GRACE of the Almighty God.  We are saved by faith, faith in God, faith in Christ – none in ourselves.

We find ourselves at the end of the day unable to save ourselves, just as Noah was unable to save himself.   If you find yourself trying to make your own way to salvation my prayer is that you will turn to Christ for eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

sherman