Thankful for Heaven: Part 1

As we enter this Thanksgiving week, I have to tell you that there is nothing I am more thankful for right now than the hope that we have in Heaven!  Many skeptics will tell you that there is no such thing -- that it's just a figurative place -- but I have been on a journey the past two years in my study of Heaven.  And I can tell you whole-heartedly that I believe that Heaven is REAL and it is more wonderful than we can ever imagine!  This weekend, I had the incredible and humbling opportunity to help our pastor preach on Heaven, and over the next few days, I would love us to dive in further on what I taught and to be thankful...thankful for Heaven!

May I ask you: “What do you think Heaven will be like? What has the world taught you Heaven will be like?  What has the Church taught you?”

In January of 2007, my world changed.  My mom, Susie, an absolutely unbelievable mother, Christ-follower, friend, and woman, found a questionable spot on her shin.  This spot would turn out to be melanoma, (which was really no shock to us because my mom LOVED the sun and the water).  After the initial surgery, we prayed we were in the clear.  Then, I got married in March of 2008, and what an incredible gift it was to have my mom happy and healthy and standing by my side that day, almost a year and a half after her initial diagnosis.  But in July, we would discover that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, then later her brain, and finally her liver.  On April 27, 2009, she went to be with Jesus.

It is because of all of this that Heaven became a very real topic in our family. 

My mom was angry about dying and missing out.  She didn’t want to miss out on the three other weddings that my other sisters would have, the slew of babies that were sure to be born, and even the coffee dates and world traveling that would not get to happen now.   Watching her, a strong woman of faith, go through this season with unanswered questions and echoing fears was more than we could handle at times.   Frankly, we didn’t know how to handle it.

We knew she would die and go to Heaven, because we all were sure of her faith in Jesus Christ.  And we all knew that we should be happy for her about this.  But we weren’t.  We wanted her here.  With us.

I was unsure of Heaven.  From all I could imagine, I thought that the streets of gold would probably lose their luster after a couple weeks, and singing all day for eternity and floating around in ghostly bodies just didn’t sound all that great to me.  At least, in the way I pictured it.

But then someone gave us a gift.   The devotional, Fifty Days of Heaven by Randy Alcorn, was about to change all of our lives.  We started reading it as family, and my dad would read some to my mom every night.  It became part of their nightly routine in those last couple months.  As we began to read about Heaven, our attitudes changed and our hope increased…as a family.  I remember sitting beside my mom one day just dreaming together about what it would be like. We had already had our last earthy “coffee date” together by this time, and so we set a couple dates regarding what we would do once I got there, too, and most of them included coffee.

I would love to share with you some of what I have learned during this season.

Paul says, “To live is Christ, and to die is GAIN”( 2 Cor. 5:6), but DO WE REALLY BELIVE THAT?  Do we really believe that dying and being with Christ would be a gain compared to staying here on this earth?

I can tell you one thing – Satan is doing everything in his power to convince us that that is a lie.  He whispers to us that this is as good as it will ever get, that we should be afraid of dying and leaving what we already know.  He loves that the people around us put doubt in our minds about Heaven, and he loves that we feel so comfortable here on Earth that we would never want to leave it and go to some other place...like Heaven.  It is scary to think about; yet he is the one who sprinkled that fear into our lives.  If you only knew how Jesus describes Heaven, you would be set free!

Playwright George Bernard Shaw writes, “Heaven, as conventionally conceived, is a place so inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable, that nobody has ever ventured to describe a whole day in heaven, though plenty of people have described a day at the seashore.”  That is how I felt!  Is that how you feel today?  Does it seem dull, useless, and maybe even miserable to you to leave this earth?

The early Christians view was in stark contrast to this.  Roman catacombs showed beautiful landscapes of Heaven, with children playing, and large banquets and feasts.  Sermons in the 1700s often focused on Heaven.  But, when was the last time you heard a sermon or did a Bible study on the subject?  We rarely talk about it!

We have believed the lie that THIS is as good as it gets, and ignored the many Biblical promises of a redeemed universe!

If we gain a new understanding of Heaven, we will no longer be “conformed to the patterns of this world, but will be transformed by the renewing of our minds,” and our lives will literally change FOREVER! (Rom. 12:2).   And I can tell you that my life has absolustely been changed because of what God has taught me about Heaven!

Do you believe that Heaven is a physical place, or just a place in our hearts and minds?    Jesus wants us to KNOW that Heaven is a physical place.  He uses PHYSICAL terms, “My father’s HOUSE has many ROOMS; if it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a PLACE for you?” (John 14.2).  He used tangible, common, every-day words to describe an actual place, where we would go and be with Him.  After all, we are physical people, made FROM the earth and FOR the earth.  We were designed for a physical place.  We were designed for this Earth!

In Genesis, God created man to live on the earth and rule the earth. He hasn’t abandoned this plan!  I love this!  This is so exciting to me!  One day, his plan is to RESTORE this earth and us who have been corrupted by sin.  He’s not wiping everything out and starting over, but he will make all things NEW!  He is in the business of restoration – marriages, relationships, individual’s relationships with Him, and the Earth!  And as Peter says, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13).

In the United States, we want and want and want, but when it comes to Heaven, here is an area where we have been content with too little!  C.S Lewis says, “If we consider the unblushing promises of rewards in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, (and we are) like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

When it comes to understanding Heaven, have you been content with too little?

I hope you will continue to join me over the next couple days as we dig into some questions like: What will we DO in Heaven?  Can people in Heaven see me now?

I am so passionate about this topic, and my prayer is that our study this week will light a fire in your soul for the Hope of Heaven that we have Jesus Christ!

Enjoy your short work week! :)

Matthew 20: 20-28 (The Greatest)

²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. ²¹And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." ²²Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." ²³He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." ²⁴And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Do you ever think that Jesus' disciples were "better Christians" that you?  Or, if you're like me, you think that Moses, Abraham, David, and the like, were so much more holy that you at all times?   See, this is what I LOVE about the Bible.  The Bible doesn't portray the people in it the way our Sunday school teachers did -- they are not perfect people!  Moses murdered someone, Abraham acted selfishly and deceitfully regarding his wife Sarah, and David had an affair and then had the woman's husband killed!  Those certainly aren't something to just bat an eye about -- they are a big deal -- but they also aren't the main identities of these men in God's eyes!  They are known as the faithful, righteous, and foundational men of our faith who have hearts that seek the Lord.  Wow, that is just stunning to me!  

But let us not be too quick to size ourselves up compared to them.  For God does not ask us to live to the standard that David set.  Rather, He commands us to live to the standard that Jesus set.  We are only to compare ourselves to Jesus!


With that as a backdrop, I love that we get to see the real humanity of the disciples today.


"And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him..." (Mark 10:35).  I show you this verse to prove to you that the sons of Zebedee are two of Jesus' disciples, James and John. And in the above passage for today, they have come with their mother to request that they could be seated next to Jesus in His kingdom.  Obviously, it doesn't take a genius to know that the places next to The King would be the second greatest places of honor.  I am a bit boggled by the fact that they are asking to be given the most coveted seats in eternity!  Perhaps they are just so in-love with Jesus that they want to be right next him?  I don't know.  And both accounts in Matthew and Mark don't tell us what happened right before this event specifically, but Jesus has just recounted for a third time that He is about to die.  If someone told me they were about to die, I would want to be right by them, wouldn't you?

Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?"  Where else do we hear Jesus refer to a cup?  In the Garden of Gethsemane, right before He is crucified, Jesus prays,  "And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will'" (Mark 14:36).  The cup is his death!  He's asking them, Are you willing to die for this?  To which, the two disciples say, "We are..."  So, Jesus tells them that they will drink this cup, and they did -- John would be banished to the isle of Patmos for a time according to historical documents, and James would be beheaded for the sake of Christ.  But here, Christ reminds them that the two places next to Him, are not His to grant (but will be granted by His Father).

Here's my favorite part: "And when the ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers."  The other ten disciples remind me of myself here -- regular, ol' human beings. They were angry, annoyed, and resentful.  I can imagine if it were me standing by while someone else was asking to be honored, it would be quite annoying!  I can only hope that in the moment I could trust God enough to just let it go...

"But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Jesus says, you wanna be great in my kingdom?  Be a servant.  Put others before yourself.  Don't seek glory and fame.  Let others get the praise and accolades.  Give your life away to others out of your love for them.  Dare I even use the word...submit to them!  After all, this is what submission is.  Submission is not the picture of an abused wife under the authority of her violent husband!  Where did we get this picture in our heads?  Submission is willingly giving up your own desires out of your love for another.


So I ask you...how can you practice His kingdom now.  If you believe in who Jesus Christ is, you will be in Heaven, and His kingdom looks a lot different than this earth does.  The greatest is the one who serves the most -- not out of obligation, but out of love and delight for another.  Where are you going today?  Work?  School?  Running errands?  Staying home with your kids?  Helping at church?  How can you serve the people you will be with today?  How can you willingly give up your own desires out of love for them?  And may I warn you, it's addicting.

Do it.  You WILL be blessed.

Detour: God's Relentless Love

This morning, I'm taking a little detour, but we'll get back to Matthew tomorrow!  My heart is hurting today after a conversation with a co-worker yesterday.  My co-worker shared with me how someone told her that the reason God gave her her highly autistic son was because He wanted her to learn compassion, as a discipline of sorts. The end.  I could not believe it.  How can a human being tell us EXACTLY why God does what He does in the first place, and how is it that I don't see that in the Bible anywhere?!  My friend shared with me with tears in her eyes that this happened 20 years ago!  Twenty years ago...wow, words can cut deeply, can't they?  And, understandably so, with this perspective of God, she has not wanted to attend church much...though I get a sense that she wants to want to attend church.

Oh, fellow Believers, and lovers of Jesus Christ, we must watch what we say.  If we are God's hands and feet on this earth, we need to represent Him well.  Remember Jesus with the woman at the well?  After being married five times and currently living with a man who was not her husband, Jesus did not condemn, discipline, or rebuke her -- rather, He offered her His living water (a faith in Him that would supply her everything she would need).  If we're going to tell someone what the Bible says or what God's reasoning is for something, let's make SURE it's in the Bible first!

So, today, I want us to look at a few Scriptures that reflect what God REALLY feels about us.  And if you have been hurt by actions or words that "came from God" through another person and have left you with a deep cut, may I please tell you that on behalf of The Church, I am sorry.  We are all wounded, even the most Bible-beating Christian out there.  Please hear me today that God loves you.  He absolutely LOVES you.  May you soak up what these few verses have to say in reference to God and you, loved one.

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7).  Do you see all those characteristics of YOUR God in there?  Can you believe the God of the universe is compassionate toward you?  He is abounding in love toward you?  And He forgives anything you do when you repent!  I told you, He is crazy about you!

And how about this picture of your God...
"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
   He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
   he gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11).
This was the verse that I read the morning after my mom died.  I had gotten up early, before anyone else, because I couldn't sleep.  I did one of those, Lord, I don't even know what to read, but I'm just so sad.  I'm going to open this Bible and start reading, and I really need a word from You right now.  This was the verse I came across.  What tenderness!  The rest of that chapter talks about the POWER of God.  It's incredible -- He's so tender, but also powerful beyond our comprehension.  And He loves you.

"The LORD your God is with you,
   the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
   in his love he will...
rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
God sings over us!  My mom used to sing sweet lullabies to us as kids, and my dad would sing silly made-up songs that would make us laugh.  I'm not sure which kind of singing it is, but I wouldn't doubt God might do a little of both.  It seems strange, but my dad was rejoicing over us even in his silly singing.  Just something to think about...

And let's not forget His ultimate gift of love toward us: Jesus Christ.
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)" (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT).  While we were yet sinners...not after we became good, but in the midst of our sin.  He loves you so much!

Whether you feel His presence today or not, if you have given your life to Him, He is with you.  If you have not given Him your life, He will be relentless in His pursuit of you, desiring that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

Lord, how I pray we would sense your great love for us today.  Help us to comprehend it.  Help us to accept it.

Matthew 19:16-30 (Open Hands)

¹⁶ And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" ¹⁷And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸He said to him, "Which ones?"  Can you believe the young man is asking Jesus which ones?  Does that not sound like us though?  There are over 600 laws in the Old Testament Jews were to follow, and this young man somehow thinks that he doesn't need to follow all of them.  Do we not like to do just the bare minimum?  I wonder if this question pointed to the true condition of the man's heart which would lead to what Jesus would ask him to do later.  The young man was willing to follow Jesus, but he wanted there to be a limit on what he would have to do!  Do you ever question whether you have already given God enough?  Yet, Jesus still engages with the man.

And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ²⁰The young man said to him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?"  Now, I'm wondering, does this man really think he's close to being perfect?!  He's questioning what else he could still lack.  Sadly, I must admit that there was a time in my life, when I compared myself to people around me and thought I was doing "pretty well," and even still, the temptation is still there.   But let us remember that our standard is not other people, our standard is Christ.  Now, we can also look at this young ruler's question as that he does know he still lacks, and he's asking Christ to search his heart and tell him.  That is a GOOD thing!  That is how I had to start to break the incredible foundation of pride in my own life -- I ask God regularly to show me what I lack, or where I miss the mark, and let me assure you, He is faithful in pointing these areas out to me! 


²¹Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." ²² When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 
 ²³And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."  Who is the rich person you think of when you read this story?  Of course famous millionaires come to mind first, right?  Then, perhaps its the person down the street who drives the nice car, or the co-worker who can afford a cleaning lady, or your friends who have a condo in Cancun.  But may I suggest to you that as Americans, we are automatically in this category.  WE have lots of stuff, and we like our stuff!  You are this man, and I am this man if the idea of parting with our stuff leaves us feeling sorrowful.
 
²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ²⁷Then Peter said in reply, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" ²⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰But many who are first will be last, and the last first.  The Kingdom of God is upside-down to us isn't it?  It is in stark contrast to what our present world tells us.  Commercials tell us we cannot live without our stuff, that we deserve our stuff, and that we're worth it.  But the Bible says, You can live without all your stuff;  Jesus deserves all of you, because He's worth it!  It's not the things themselves that are bad -- remember Solomon was extremely wealthy, like Bill Gates wealthy, and God honored him.  But Solomon also said near the end of his life that all of his possessions were meaningless!  They did not control his heart and affections.  

So whether you have two cents or two million dollars today, Jesus desires that we could live with open hands.  The Lord can take from us what He desires, and He can also put into our hands what He desires.  Keep in mind that He can't put anything in our hands if they in in closed fists around what we do have!  The main goal, my friends, is that we might follow Christ with everything.  Surrender control to Him today...again...and keep surrendering to Him as long as you walk this earth.  Your reward in Heaven will be totally worth it IF you surrender everything to Him: "a hundredfold and eternal life."

 

Matthew 19:1-12 (Divorce)

¹ When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.  ³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
   ⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
 ⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
 ⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
 ¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
 ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

I don't have to tell you that divorce is the end of most marriages, and by most, I mean more than 50%.  Of the people who got married this weekend, half of those marriages will not make it, including the people who are marrying for the second, third, or fourth time.  In fact, the number of failed marriages goes up the more times people get married, which shows me that it wasn't the "other" person who was the problem. 

In our culture, women especially feel that they don't have worth unless they are married.  Marriage means you are wanted when you live in the United States. But marriage is not designed to make us happy.  I see that absolutely no where in this monologue on marriage that Jesus Himself gives.  The purpose is that they would become one -- they would be unified -- for the glory of God (vs. 5)!  And in their covenant of marriage, God the Father has personally joined them together according to verse six!  As Jesus continues His boundaries for marriage and divorce, the disciples conclude, well then, if this is the way it's going to be, it's better for us to not get married!  To which I want to say a resounding YES!  Marriage is not easy -- it's not just something we can turn in when we're tired of it or tired of working on it or tired of not having our needs met by our husband or wife.  This covenant is a big deal.  But I can promise you this, if you stick it out and remain faithful to God, you will be blessed!  But may I caution you who are engaged or are single and wish you were engaged...marriage does not solve your problems.  Marriage highlights the problems that are already in YOU.  Perhaps, we Americans, should listen more intently to Jesus when He says, "The one who can accept this should accept it."  It is a good thing...if and when you follow God's design for marriage.

If you are wavering on whether to marry a particular person, I urge you to think about more than just a beautiful wedding day.  Think about the two of you when one of you loses their job, one of you has a long season of dealing with addiction, one of you "checks out" for a while, one of you feels more alone than when you were single, or one of you gets a terminal illness.  Can you really marry that person for better or for worse? 

And for those of you in those seasons right now with your spouse, I commend your faithfulness.  "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deut. 31:8).  He will not abandon you in your fight for what He has joined together!  "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD" (Ps. 27:14).  You simply remain faithful to God, faithful in prayer, and faithful to love your spouse as you WAIT for Him...He is the one who will have to do the work in your spouse.  Not you.  Wait for Him, my friend.  In the meantime, I pray that you sense the work the Lord is doing in your own heart.  Our pain is never wasted, dear one.

Matthew 18:15-35 (Asking for an Apology)

¹⁵ "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

This passage is powerful, and something I believe, from my own observations and experiences, that the church is currently getting SO wrong! 

The first twelve words are, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault..."  Wait, what?!  You mean to tell me I don't have to wait for him (or her) to come and ask for forgiveness?   That's correct!  The Bible says it very plainly right here: you. go.  

(Let me be clear, this does only apply to other Believers because the Bible is also very clear that non-beleivers are not held to the same standard since they do not have the Holy Spirit).  Jesus takes His Church so seriously that He does not want any unforgiveness or past hurts getting in the way of the work He wants to do IN your life and WITH your life and the lives of the people in The Church.  The Bible is full of scripture on forgiveness, and we are constantly commanded to confess our sins to one another, but let us be clear, that the Bible also commands us to go and ask someone else to repent.  But check your heart first.  The purpose is never to make OURSELVES feel better or gain an apology.  Our purpose must be out of love for OTHERS.

So, why would we do that? Why would we go ask someone ELSE to repent?  I can think of a few reasons...
1)  Out of love for the other person because we want them to be in right standing with God.  We are called to hold each other up to a higher standard in Christ. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:7).

2)  Out of love for other people that they may be hurting. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9). 

3)  If the offense is bothering you in your soul so badly and you can't seem to shake it.  It has begun impacting your relationship to God and to others. "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother" (Matt. 18:15).  


Of course, we are also called to forgive people in our hearts even if they haven't confessed to us,
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25).  In this case, if you're in the middle of a prayer, you may not be able to hear "Will you forgive me?" from your your friend, but we must have an attitude of forgiveness in our hearts regardless!  There may be people who NEVER ask us to forgive them, or when we confront them, they refuse.  However, unforgiveness rots us slowly and over time.  We need to also remember in these times to let God be the judge -- their payment is not ours to decide.  But God is a righteous judge, and we can trust that He will take care of it!

And God SO desires forgiveness and hearts at peace among the Church, that if just one person confronting doesn't work, you take more!  Look at the next few verses:  "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."  This is not something that Jesus meant for them way back then -- He means these words for us! 


Why don't we do this more?  Well, we think, it's really none of my business.  Or, that would be rude!  Or, wow, that would be so awkward!  But no!  Jesus is saying, that IS your business if you LOVE them and want what is best for them.  It's not rude at all!  The only thing awkward about it is if you don't have THEIR best interest in your mind.  If you do have their best in mind, it is the most loving thing you could do!   I think the real problem is that we have a Fear of Man.  We don't want to be seen by other people as being _______.  What?  What is that blank for you, my friend?  Why can the Church confront on all the little issues like music, church decor, and to use or ditch the hymnal, but in matters of the heart, we run?  

Instead, we need to fear and honor God by doing what He commands us to do.  His is the perfect way!


Look at verse 18:  "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," or as the Message puts it, "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal."  It's ETERNAL.  Matters of the heart are a big deal.  Don't allow satan to convince you that they're not!  If something is stirring in your soul today, take care of it.  Go to your fellow Believing friend, sister, co-worker, brother, parent, spouse.  Tell them your concern for them (not what they did TO you).

May we all sharpen one another, and be a healthier, stronger, more powerful family of God for the sake of the gospel and our example to this world!

And if someone comes to us in the same way, may we be ready to confess to them in humilty and love for Jesus Christ.

Matthew 18:11-14 (Lost Sheep and Children)

 ¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

I know many families who have been impacted by a daughter or son who has wandered from the faith or perhaps have never found Jesus at all.  It is one of the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking things I have seen families go through because these are decisions with eternal consequences.  And here, we see Jesus, still sitting with the same children on His lap that He had yesterday, but He is speaking to the adults around Him.  Perhaps He's warning the adults that He values the children; perhaps He's trying to fill the parents' heads with this truth because He knows that some of these children will go through a season where they fall away; or perhaps He is also speaking to the very heart of some of the adults who have wandered away.  Regardless, His point is made: every single person is of great individual value to Jesus and to the God of the universe.


A question often arises in church, When is Jesus coming back?  In 2 Peter 3:9, Jesus' goal is revealed.  
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  He is taking His time because He wants to give everyone ample time to return to Him!  He doesn't want anyone to perish, meaning the consequence for not trusting in Christ, hell.  This is why verse 13 in our passage today says Jesus is happier when one sheep returns -- they are walking toward Christ and away from eternity apart from God!  This is a big deal!

So what do we do?  I urge you to pray!  Pray for your witness to those loved ones, for the words to say, for the best ways to love them, and for a peace in your own heart.  You can partner with God in this, but you can never love your child or want him to return to Christ more than Christ does!  Jesus said so Himself.  Just as the shepherd looked for the lost sheep, so Jesus cares to find and bring back lost people.   How great the father's love for us!

If there is someone who is lost in your life today, would you allow me to pray for them with you?  I hope you sense Jesus' love for them and for you this morning.