More Than Just a Stick

John 15:5 - "I am the Vine, you are the branches.  If any man abides in me, and I in him, he will yield much fruit.  Apart from me, you can do nothing."

When a branch is cut-off or broken from the tree, it becomes nothing more than a lifeless stick. If left on the ground for too long, it simply rots away and becomes compost.  Such is true for man.  Apart from the Vine, we are devoid of life; without purpose or meaning.  However, unlike the tree branch, man has an inert determination to achieve and succeed in much despite being removed from anything resembling true life.

A branch, when severed from the tree, can still be used to become something that seems to be of great significance.  It can be shaven, shaped, tempered, and sealed and become many things. It may become drumsticks banging away in the hands of a highly praised and adored rock star or become the baseball bat of a hall of fame player who is on the heals of the all-time hits record.  Given the size of the branch, it could even be used to become a support beam of a magnificently beautiful million dollar home.  If any of these possibilities is true for the branch, it may think to itself, "I've made it.  I've become something of significance.   I have finally found my purpose!"  This proclamation may seem true for a season.  But one day when the rock star plays his drums too hard, that drumstick will break in half.  When the hall of famer hits the right fastball, that bat will splinter into pieces.  When the next category 4 hurricane makes landfall, that house will become nothing more than a heap of wooden debris.

When the breaking points come in life, and they will, our achievements will do little to comfort us.  Our successes will be nothing more than a chasing of the wind.  They too will be devoid of life, purpose and meaning.  When the illusion of significance passes, the man who lived apart from the Vine will realize that the school they chose to attend, the job they worked so hard at, the home they lived in, the toys they owned, and the relationships they held will not be enough to sustain them and bring them peace or joy.

True purpose comes through knowing Christ and being identified with Him in every facet of your existence.  Through Christ we have been give freedom to succeed and achieve and to discover purpose and meaning but it is only when you allow the life of Christ to be the ruling factor in all that you hope for.  God wants for you the same thing you want for yourself - to be completely fulfilled in this life and the next.  But apart from the real life, the life given through trust in Jesus, you will never find fulfillment.  Even if you do become that highly coveted drumstick or sports collector's baseball bat or all important support-beam, without Christ at the center of it all, you would have been just as well off left lying in a field rotting and becoming compost.

This world has nothing to offer you of any true value or significance.  True life is found in Christ.  Remain connected to Him, place your confidence in the promise of His words, and you will yield much fruit in this life. God loves you and wants to give you a future filled with hope, love, and joy.  All you have to do is abide in Him.

Incomprehensible Grace

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word "incomprehensible" as - 1) difficult or impossible to understand.

In the book "The Exchange", Joel Engle asks the questions, "If the wages of sin really is death (Romans 3:23) then why are we still here?  Why are sinners not punished by a holy God as they are in the justice system of modern society?"

Then he answers by saying, "...the proper punishment for our sins wasn't overlooked or ignored. Instead, incredibly, He paid it Himself.  In the legal system of most civilized societies, the offender pays the price, but in the infinite wisdom of God, the Offended has already paid the price."

God's wisdom and subsequent grace is beyond our ability to understand.  The justice system established by His grace is more sovereign than any justice system that the most intelligent of our forefathers could have ever come up with, even with today's research and knowledge.  1 Cor 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

Our idea of sovereignty and justice is locking away those who commit crime.  Those who are a threat to our way of life are incarcerated or put on probation and forced to pay heavy fines so that they learn their lesson.  "You do the crime, you do the time". That's the best we could come up with.  This is our idea of justice.  It is, for the most part, graceless.  

Incomprehensible grace simply trusts the criminal not to commit crime again. Incomprehensible grace forgives AND forgets the hurt caused by betrayal.  But this grace comes at a great price. It includes not only being the victim of an offense, but then as the victim being willing to suffer the punishment that is deserved by the offender.  

The American Heritage Dictionary also defines the word "incomprehensible" as - 2) impossible to know.  Thank God that nothing could be further from the truth.  This is why God sent His only Son to the Cross; so that through the payment of Christ's life, we can know the Father. 2 Cor 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  So even if we can't wrap our minds completely around understanding His perfect grace, we have peace in knowing the One who's grace is sufficient for all things.

Whose Grace is Sufficient for You?

Mini-sermon I did at my church Sunday July 6, 2008.

Faith Comes by Hearing

Faith Comes by Hearing - Hosanna

Pretty cool ministry. For some reason, at first I wasn't impressed that these guys have translated the New Testament into 329 different languages...but when I started reading the language names and realized I'd never even heard of 98% of them, my jaw dropped onto my mouse pad.

There are a lot of people in a lot of places from a lot of backgrounds that need to hear the Word of God. This is just 1 example of how 1 ministry is trying to accomplish that.

Did You Know?
- 65% of Bible-believing Christians have never read the entire New Testament (www.chronologicalbiblestorying.com).
- 43% of American adults function at or below basic literacy levels – making them incapable of meaningful Bible reading (www.ccclib.org)
- In a survey of more than 500 pastors, 47% cited “lack of time” as the main reason more Christians don’t read the Bible (Phone survey, Hosanna, 1996).
- 58% of the U.S. adult population will never read another book after high school (www.oralbible.com Aug 2007).
- 42% of U.S. university graduates never read another book (www.oralbible.com Aug 2007).
- Over 50% of teens in America believe that Jesus may have committed sins (www.barna.org)
- Many Americans are biblically illiterate!

YOU'VE GOT THE TIME!