Pastor Wrinkles: Chapter Charts Pt. 37

David wrote, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 NLT

So are you in need of a light? Let me suggest to you that you begin studying the word of God!

Chapter charts are an easy way to begin studying what God has said. All you need to do is read the chapters in question and think about them; Then write down three topics or titles that you would write or speak about. Here are a few examples:

Exodus chapter 23 sermon topics/titles:

1. Don’t Be a Crowd-Pleaser: Exodus 23:2

2. The Faith To Rest: Exodus 23: 10-13

3. His Sacrifice Leads To Your Sacrifice Leads To Your Harvest!  Exodus 23: 14-19

Exodus chapter 24 sermon topics/titles

1. Who Can Ascend? Exodus 24: 1-2

2. The Word and the Blood: Exodus 24:4-8

3. The God of the Sapphire Road: Exodus 24: 9-11

Now why don’t you give it a try? 🙂

23 Pt. 23

“… and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23:6 KJV

     It fits that pt. 23 is the last session we shall have together in Psalm 23. It also segues wonderfully into our next change study! We are going to start a word study on Heaven.

      What do we know about this place? Some people think it’s all clouds and harps and singing for eternity. David seemed to want to go there. I suppose for a guy who loved music the clouds and harps thing seemed like a pretty attractive deal; But what about those poor guys who can’t carry a tune in a bucket? You know those guys who can hardly sit through an offertory? Clouds and harps for eternity hardly sounds like a plan for the man or woman of action!….And what about the ADHD among us? Spending all eternity in one place doing one thing? Torture!

     Let me rest your mind. Heaven is much more than clouds and harps and angels singing. It’s more than just “a great big house with lots and lots of room” as the song goes. I’d like to start with your thoughts.

What do you think Heaven is? What will it be like?

Christmas Joy Mondays

Now that Thanksgiving and Black Friday are past, the time has come to enjoy the season of Christmas! For the next Four Mondays I will post some Christmas cheer for all of you to ruminate upon! Enjoy!

God’s gifts
put man’s best dreams
to shame.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Blessed is
The season which
Engages the whole
World in a
Conspiracy of love.

-Hamilton Wright Mabie

How many observe
Christ’s birthday!
How few, his precepts!
O!  ’tis easier to keep
Holidays than
Commandments.

-Benjamin Franklin

What is your favorite Christmas quote?

 

23 Pt. 22

“…shall follow me all the days of my life” Psalm 23:6 KJV

       Many years ago I came to a place in my life where I felt like God had played fifty-two pick-up with my heart. I was at loose ends with ministry and didn’t even feel like I had a church family (I realize now that was mostly from my end not anybody else’s). During that season I actually turned my back on God for a time and decided that if what was going on in my life was truly God’s plan, then I could handle things better on my own, thank you very much!

Have you ever been there?

     It was a terrible time. I shut God out and God did what God does with all of His children who come to such dark valleys; He pursued me; He stalked me; He followed me!

      And for a while I was ticked because I didn’t want to be followed. I wanted Him to go away. I was mad at Him for treating me “wrong”; But His favor and His forgiveness pursued me… wouldn’t leave me alone even for a minute!

    This is what the phrase “…shall follow me all the days of my life.” means.  The word is “RADAPH”. It’s the word used to indicate passionate pursuit, even harassment in some cases. It’s the picture of the lovesick boy who won’t leave the damsel alone despite her attempts to discourage his advances.

     God pursues us with His mercy and his goodness! Today He is actively wooing me to come closer to Him with His favor and His mercy, because He passionately desires me! ME! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT!

     I am so glad He did not give up on me all those years ago. Even when I became faithless, He remained faithful!

How does this phrase challenge or confirm your view of God?

Pastor Wrinkles Chapter Charts Pt.36

      I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Right about now I am thanking God for a wonderful day with family and for His Word, which is all my hope and stay! Here are my chapter charts for today!

Exodus chapter 21 sermon topics/titles:

1. When Slavery is a Good Thing :Ex. 21: 1-10

2. A place of Refuge: Ex. 21: 12

3. Personal Responsibility: Ex: 21-12-36

Exodus chapter 22 sermon topics/titles:

1. Making Amends: Ex. 22:1-14

2. Remember Where You Came From: Ex. 22:21

3. On the Eighth Day: Ex. 22: 29,30

Now let’s here your sermon topics or titles for these chapters! 🙂

Pastor Wrinkles: Chapter Charts Pt. 35

This week we suspended class in order to celebrate the holiday, but there was no way I was going to miss out on the next series of chapter charts; That’s just a little too much blessing to give up on I hope you are likewise blessed in your reading and thinking on the Scripture.

For those of you who have never done a chapter chart before, here’s the deal. Read the chapters in question and come up with three ideas or titles you could speak on if your pastor were to call out sick this Sunday! 🙂 Here are mine!

Exodus chapter 19 sermon topics/titles:

1. From the Sword Of the World To the Sword Of the Lord: Ex 19:1

2.  The Offer Of Kingdom Priesthood: Ex 19:3-8

3. Do Not Break the Boundary: Ex 19: 4-25

Exodus chapter 20 sermon topics/titles:

1. The Lord Who Rescues: Ex 20:1

2. The Ten Commandments: Ex 20:1-17

3. Do You Fear God or Are You Afraid of God?: Ex 20:18-21

Now let’s hear your ideas! 🙂

When the Night Seems Long

       Have you ever had a moment where the command of God comes through so strong you simply know you have to do what He is telling you to do right then and there?

I had such a moment last week. I felt I needed to call a lady from our church. The business I had to speak with her about was hardly earth-shaking but I knew it had to be done at that time on that day.

I called.

She answered.

Turns out she was on her way for a biopsy to find out if she had breast cancer ( not at all why I thought I was calling).

In the last year this sister-in-the-Lord has sat by the bed-side of one son severely wounded in a motor cycle accident, walked with her father through a major heart attack, stood beside her mom through breast cancer treatments, and her sister who nearly died of renal failure. Now her daughter may have celiac disease, and her seventeen year old has been experiencing mysterious black-outs. It’s been a long year by anyone’s estimation.

I hate to say it but she is not alone. So many are going through so much. This present darkness of night seems to be closing in more and more with each passing day. What can we do when the night seems so long?

First, remember Christian you are the light of the world. No one needs to walk in darkness when one of us is near. Inside of each one of us is an inextinguishable light. We carry within us the hope of the ages.

Second, when the night seems long shine your light. Be practical in your spreading of hope. Call someone and offer prayer. If you are suffering ask someone to pray for you. Don’t just go to church. Be the church! It may be midnight out there but it’s time for the sleeper to awaken!

Finally, speak to this darkness and command it to leave. Sing and make music in your hearts to silence this foe and this avenger. Antichrist’s spirit may be strong but it is not stronger than the worshippers of Jesus Christ. We are the victors in this battle brothers and sisters! I’ve read the end of the Book. We win! Don’t you forget it!

How can I pray for you today?

Postaday 2011 and What I Have Learned

      Dear readers,

      I am sorry I missed yesterday. I spent 18 hours in bed sleeping! Something got a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. I crashed. Anyway I am back today though I have to admit I am still a little pekid.

     I tend to look at life from the view-point of a student.I believe everything that happens has a purpose, a lesson to teach. When I took up the challenge to post every single day I knew it would teach me something about myself and about the world. I didn’t realize what it would bring out in me.

     Like most things in my life now blogging is on a schedule. A schedule I have been sort of unfaithful too. If I had been faithful to it my post for yesterday and today would have been done well before I succumbed to the plague. I have learned that God is calling me to a new level of discipline.

     I have also learned that I am given to perfectionism. Every time I woke up yesterday my first thought was “I should be blogging! Everyone’s going to hate me!” I know stupid…right? But not getting it right the first time really frosts me. That’s why I give up.

     I was really tempted this morning to give up the challenge and tell you all I was going back to posting three times a week; But then I thought, “No way! I am going to rise above this challenge and learn the lessons God has to teach me through postaday 2011.”

What lessons has God been teaching you?

23 Pt. 21

“and mercy…” Psalm 23:6

I asked a leading question yesterday. It boils down to the ages-old query “how could a merciful God consign anyone to Hell?”

I think  we have to understand that mercy is a word closely connected with covenant. A covenant in David’s day was a binding agreement between two parties. In the agreement both sides had responsibilities towards and privileges from the other party. Mercy is one of God’s covenant responsibilities:

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” Deut. 7:9

“And he said, LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:” I Kings 8:23

      In David’s day God kept His covenant with those who obeyed the law and followed the sacrifice faithfully…. In other words, with those who chose to enter into covenant with Him.

Today God has made a new covenant offer to mankind. It’s called the New Testament. Mercy is still God’s responsibility. Our responsibility is to trust in the sacrifice of Jesus as Paul wrote in Romans, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Romans 10:9,10 NLT

God’s mercy you see is available to everyone. It is accessible to all. Still it must be received by faith. Further, Jesus must be confessed as Lord in order for mercy to be accessed. Sadly this is the jumping off point for many.

I once had a pastor say to me “Mr. Lillie you and I do not see eye to eye on many subjects and I will tell you right now if I have to accept Jesus in order to go to Heaven then I will be perfectly happy to go to Hell.”

You see a loving God does not consign anyone to Hell. Unloving humans separate themselves unto it.

How many do you know who are knowingly walking the path away from God’s mercy?

23 Pt. 20

     “And mercy…” Psalm 23:6

I have often heard it said that grace is God’s unmerited favor and mercy is God’s refusal to give us the punishment we so richly deserve. I have also heard it said that we cannot earn mercy or grace, that they are gifts. The Bible bears this out time and again:

” For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:” Eph. 2:8

Still have you ever wondered what motivates God toward mercy? If He is truly merciful then why doesn’t He just save everyone? After all no one is more deserving than anyone else. Romans makes it perfectly clear that we have all fallen too far to be worthy of salvation. So why can some claim to have received mercy while claiming that others have not received it?  Does mercy follow everyone or just a certain few?

Tell me what you think!