Jude

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit."

One reason we have the 10 x 10 is to encourage you to spend 10 minutes each day in prayer and 10 minutes each day in scripture. It does not sound like much but the discipline of putting yourself in connection with God every day builds our faith. The more we seek to put our lives in connection with God, the more our faith will grow.

2 Timothy 4:1-8

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear."

How do you tell when you have given up sound doctrine for what you want? How do we sort out when our political opinions are influencing what we believe? How tempting it is to search for a scripture to justify what I believe, rather than letting scripture shape what I believe. How often as a pastor I have heard someone say "I just don't believe that" after reading a scripture passage. The temptation we face is to use our faith to justify what we want to be the truth, rather than let faith lead us to truth.

Ephesians 6:10-18

I am fascinated by how this passage describes our spiritual preparation for life. The description is one that prepares in anticipation that there will be struggles and difficulties. The preparation is done knowing that by faith we can deal with whatever comes at us in life. We are not just victims of what happens, but we can stand against the evil and struggles of life.

Romans 10:13-21

"No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ."

Faith comes as we hear about Christ. Remember who first told you about Christ. Maybe a parent, grandparent or friend. For most of us it was someone close. Someone spoke the words about Jesus and his actions for us. Our response was to believe.

As others have passed on the faith to us, we are to pass it on to another. This doesn't mean that we are to force the story on the person, nor does it mean that we warn them they are going to hell. I think it means that we share how faith in Christ has helped shape our lives. It is the other person's decision whether to respond or not. It is our responsibility to share.

Hebrews 11:32-12:3

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

In chapter 11, the writer compiles an amazing list of individuals who have lived by faith. He describes the hardships they faced, yet they remained committed in their faith. Chapter 12 transitions the teaching of faith to us. "Therefore" begins chapter 12. "Therefore" calls us to live in response to this "great cloud of witnesses". If they can live by faith, so can we. The first step is to "throw off everything that hinders us" and to follow Jesus. The writers uses the examples of faith as a source of inspiration for us to live out our faith.

Hebrews 11:1-31

"By faith..." The writers of Hebrews repeatedly uses this phrase to introduce a series of biblical characters. He tell us that faith guided the lives of these great people. When we read these stories it encourages and strengthens our faith.

Consider for a moment the individuals of great faith that you have known. Individuals who "by faith" lived their lives. Those individuals become great examples for us as to how we should live our lives by faith.

2 Corinthians 9

"Each man should give what he has decided n his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Have you ever thought about why God wants us to give? The Creater of the entire universe doesn't need what we have. Maybe what God is concerned about is the attitude of our heart? Is it possible that the nature of God is to give? We see that nature lived out in the life and death of Jesus. Is is possible that God wants a similar attitude within us because of what it does for our lives? So that God doesn't want to feel forced to give, but to learn give in response to what God has done for us. To recognize that life is a gift to be shared.

2 Corinthians 8

Paul is collecting an offering to help the Christians in Jerusalem who are experiencing a famine. The Corinthians have promised to give to this offering. However, the time to take the offering is drawing near and they have done nothing. In chapters 8 & 9 Paul is giving a variety of reasons for them to complete this offering they promised. The ultimate reason he gives them is in verse 9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Jesus gave everything. He is our model, the one we follow.

Matthew 25:14-46

"The least of these" has been widely discussed in our church this last year as we sought to reach out to our neighbors. The line comes from this parable in which Jesus teaches us to reach out beyond ourselves to help the poor. Such generosity is part of following Jesus. We are surrounded by many who want our help. We want to be wise in how we help, always making sure our hearts say open to the poor.

Matthew 19:16-26

In the ancient culture wealth was seen as a sign of God's blessing. If you were wealthy, you were thought to be a faithful person. Conversely, if you were poor it was because you were considered a sinner. That is the reason the disciples were astonished that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to get into heaven. They thought if a wealthy person can't get in heaven, who can.

Do you have the ancient understanding of wealth and God's blessing? Do you believe that the wealthy are somehow blessed by God in ways that others are not?

Matthew 13:44-46

Matthew 6:16-34

1 Corinthians 15:20-58

This passage is read at many funeral services because of the description Paul gives of what we will become of us when we die. As Christ was raised from the dead, so shall we. Our physical body shall be changed into spiritual body. The spiritual body is immortal and imperishable. The power of sin and death has been overcome by the love and grace of God. We can live with the confidence of those who do not fear death. For we can know that at Christ is with us in life, Christ is with us in death.

1 Corinthians 15:1-19

The resurrection of Jesus is the proof of our resurrection. As God raised Jesus from the grave, Jesus has promised that God will raise us with him. Therefore, as we live in relationship with Christ today, that is our assurance of the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life.

1 Thessalonians 5

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 & Luke 23:33-43

In the Thessalonians passage Paul is addressing several concerns the early Christians have. They wondered what has happened to the Christians to have already died? Paul tells them they have nothing to fear. Those who have already died with rise again when Christ returns.

The Luke passage is about Jesus on the cross. Their are criminals on both sides of him. One man mocks him, the other man asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus tells the man, "today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus' understanding is that the man immediately goes to heaven.

Paul and Jesus express different ideas of what happens to us when we die. I believe the words of Jesus.

Revelation 22

"Yes, I am coming" These are the last words of Jesus in the book of Revelation. We do not know when he is going to return. What we do know is how he has called us to live. He has called us to live a new way. He has invited us to turn aside from sin and brokenness. He has invited us to live the way God intended us to live. It is only doing so that we can find contentment and peace in life.

Revelation 21

This week we are looking at passages that deal with heaven. Revelation 21 gives a description of heaven. Verses 15-21 describe the physical appearance of heaven. John uses images such as streets of gold and pearly gates. There is also a description of the experience of heaven. Verses 3-4 describe God being with those in heaven. That death, mourning, crying and pain will have no place in heaven. In verse 25 he writes, "On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there." Gates were shut at night because of the fear of an enemy. There is no such fear in heaven for the glory of the Lord is the constant light.

As you read the descriptions of heaven, what appeals to you?

Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12 makes it clear that God disciplines us. The difficult aspect of this for me is determining when God is disciplining me and when I am just receiving the consequences of my actions. Maybe, experiencing the consequences is part of God's discipline. When I sin, God forgives me but I still experience the consequences of what I have done. That might be how God disciplines us. We wish he would remove that difficulty, but God leaves it in place that we might learn and grow in faith.

Hebrews 11

This chapter has an amazing list of the actions of individuals living out there faith. What would be written about you living out your faith? Our first inclination is to think that nothing could be written. Yet, consider this. Whenever you give of your time serving another person that is an act of faith. Whenever you give financially in the name of God it is an act of faith. Whenever you tell someone else about what God has done in your life, it is an act of faith. Our stories may not be as dramatic as Noah's or Abraham's, but they are still stories of faith.

Hebrews 10

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day coming."

One of the important aspects of the Christian faith is to be with one another. There have always been people of faith who believe they should go it alone. Yet, the bible knows nothing of that. The bible assumes, or as in this case encourages, people of faith gathering together. We need that encouragement others bring, we need that push from one another to keep moving forward in our faith.

Hebrews 9

Under the old covenant, the blood of animals was offered as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Under the new covenant, which began at Jesus' death, the blood of animals is no longer required. Jesus' blood at his death became the sacrifice for our sins. It was the final sacrifice. His death was a one time event that took care of our sins forever.

Hebrews 8

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Under the Old Covenant, the priest had to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Under the New Covenant Jesus has offered the sacrifice of his life. The end result of the New Covenant is God's forgiveness. The forgiveness is a gift. We don't earn it with our good behavior. It doesn't matter how bad our behavior has been. The forgiveness is a gift for us to receive.

Hebrews 7

One of the major roles of the priests was to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people for the forgiveness of their sins. They did this on a daily basis in the temple. Jesus as the great high priest offered one sacrifice, himself. He did this once for the forgiveness of our sins. This act was the gift that he gave for us. What God asks from us in response is to confess our sins, to acknowledge to God what we have done wrong. As we do, we can know that our sins are forgiven because of the actions of Jesus.

It is easier to talk about confessing sins than it is to confess. Spend some time today considering your life and offering your confession to God.

Hebrews 6

The writer of Hebrews continues to encourage us to grow up in faith. He wants us to learn the basic lessons of faith and then move on to more in depth lessons. He writes, "Let's get on with it!" (The Message) So the question is what will it take for us to "get on with it"? Usually it takes a crisis in life to push us to make a dramatic change. We have to feel enough pain. Maybe you are feeling that pain today. But if not, it is possible to begin the change today without the pain. To decide that the direction of you life needs to be different and today is the day to start the new direction.