CHOOSING THE RIGHT PATH IS JUST TO HARD

A couple of weeks ago you heard Officer Tim Connell speak about his life of faith and how it connects with his vocation as an officer.  We understood a little better of the great cost and great rewards of taking Jesus to work with us.  I spent last weekend with the Bond-Slaves in Kentucky and saw the level of dedication given to lifestyle ministry that they carry out.  It is literally a long hard road that they travel with rejection coming from every corner and yet they press on because God loves broken people. 

I’ve been telling you to look through your Bible lenses in order to see what God sees.  One of the clear views is that those who stand for God are met with opposition.  Mike Schuler did a fantastic job of making sure you understand what faith really is.  Last weeks message is one of the 52 puzzle pieces that you are going to want to get so you can complete your education for the year.

If you missed the first weeks of 2009 at CFC we were instructed that God was about to reveal the rewards of dangerous Christianity.  The life of faith is filled with challenges because we are in a full out battle.  If you aren’t up against any enemies then maybe you are still in the recruiting station and have yet to truly sign up for the role of a soldier.

For most in this room however, we have been faced with what seems to be insurmountable obstacles.  Maybe they’re huge financial hurdles, rocky relationships or health battles.  These things captivate enormous amounts of our time, talent and treasure.  They distract us and even discourage us.  You may even be at the place where you are saying that choosing the right path is just to hard.

I want to encourage and challenge you by reading about a fully committed follower of Christ from the Bible.  Listen to what it meant to him to serve the cause of Christ.

(2 Corinthians 11:23) I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

(2 Corinthians 12:3) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Apostle Paul wasn’t saying we should become weaklings and wimps.  Paul was telling of the times in his life when he could do nothing to solve his circumstances.  He was at the mercy of God’s power and not his own.  It was at these times when God would get all the credit and people would be drawn to Christ when Paul leaned on God in the middle of his trials.

But the Bible is not a storybook to read about long ago heroes but rather an inspiration to each of us and instruction to those who like Paul, follow Christ.  LISTEN!

(1 Peter 4) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

I get it, I understand.  At work you want to tell that jerk off, but something inside you says forgive him.  At home you want to run for the door and leave all your problems behind but a still small voice says give and you shall receive.  You’ve been standing on God’s promises for months and still no check in the mail or relief from the attack on your physical body.  Why is this so hard?  This is the question that runs through your mind.

Hear me this morning.  Living authentic Christianity is dangerous business.  It’s not a pain free life and we are just going to have to abandon the pursuit of pain free living.  The truth is that this world we live in is broken and must be replaced.  I’m not talking doomsday language but rather reality.  

Some feel it’s getting worse with abortion and immorality even being supported by Christian agencies.  Read your Bibles and study history and you will not find a time in the life of the earth where man was good for very long.  Noah was recued and all of creation was drowned because of the perversion in the earth.  Man has served other gods and brought calamity down on his head over and over.  God’s people (Israel) failed to obey Him and lived like spiritual yo-yos; up and down.  

Choosing to follow God is not easy but the rewards are eternal.  I understand discomfort, pain and struggle.  I get the pressure of life and the encounter with failure and its consequences.   This is why God has called me to shout to you that eternity awaits those who stay the course and choose to stay on the right path.   Lean on God and you will prevail to the end.

The above notes are from Pastor Pasch’s September 13, 2009 message.  To get a free CD of the complete message, contact Christ’s Family Church @ 651.437.2340.