The Heart of Jesus

What is the heart of Jesus, and what kind of people does He gravitate toward?  Of course He loves all people (John 3:16 “so loved the world”), but there are some that His heart particularly goes out to. 

He tells us exactly who those are when He began His public ministry in Luke 4:18, and suprising to many it wasn’t the religious, the righteous, or the ritualistic, but rather He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” 

It is clear that the heart of Jesus is to those who are poor, oppressed, blind, downcast, struggling, hurting, etc.  After all, He said elsewhere “it is not the healthy who need a physician but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mk. 2:17).  And this is why He hung out with the sinners, tax collectors and social outcasts. 

I am so glad that God has a heart of compassion for those who are hurting.  Why? Because I am so needy, and therefore I can draw near to Him, and He will draw near to me (James 4:8).  Just as God comes running toward the returning prodigal (Luke 15), I can be confident that He comes running to meet me when I repent of my sin.  When I am lonely, struggling and feeling very unrighteous, I can come to God and know, He will in no wise caste me out!

Do you come running to God in your sin and pain, or do you feel that you have to wait until you “get your act together” first?  Come to Jesus just as you are, and then He can help you.  If you are in sin, struggling, blind, in prison to some addiction, etc. then you are the very person Jesus’s heart particularly goes toward.  Even though this is counter-intuitive to our flesh, it is exactly what the Spirit of God is saying!  Don’t miss it.  What a Savior!

For more on the "Heart of Jesus", listen to my sermon by that title at http://www.pastordavidholt.com/component/sermonspeaker/sermon/203-the-heart-of-jesus.html?Itemid=71

5 Biblical Truths to Help With Racism

With all the recent events in our nation, and all the current tension among those of different races, it is an important time to look at what God’s Word says about such matters.  Here are a few truths from God’s Word to consider, so that you are transformed by the renewing of our mind and are not conformed to this world (Rom. 12:1-12)!  Don’t let the media nor fear dictate your response.  Let’s go to God’s Word, and His Word is clear that:

1.    Jesus is not white.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth.  Therefore, Jesus was a Middle Eastern male.  To some WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) this might be a surprise. I have never liked most modern pictures of Jesus, and this is one reason.  Most pictures do not even get the skin color correct, and the bottom line is we don’t know what He looked like in most respects, but skin color was very likely brown.

2.  Jesus’ marriage is inter-racial.

Jesus is the groom and the church is the bride of Christ, and His bride is composed of people of every tribe, nation, tongue and people (Rev. 7:9).  I like to point this out when people ask what I think of an inter-racial marriages.  I usually respond, “Well, theologically this can really glorify God, because marriage is to be an earthly picture of Christ and the church, and Jesus is married to a very inter-racial bride.” That usually makes them say, “I have never thought about it that way.”

3.    Jesus’ bride is very multicultural.

Since the church, the bride of Christ, is composed of people of every tribe, nation, tongue and people, then the church is the most diverse organism on the planet.  If someone is in Christ, they are my brother or sister, regardless of their skin color or language.  I will be spending eternity with them, so it would do me good to get along well with them here on earth.  Some will object, “But what about those heathens of other colors?”  My answer?  “Let’s love them extra well, so that they might come to know Jesus and become a part of this amazing multi-ethnic body, called the bride of Christ!”

4.    Jesus’ people should be the most loving on earth.

God created everyone in His image. God loves all people.  God doesn’t see one race as different than another in the grand scheme of things.  Therefore, God’s people, more than any other people, should see others the same way He does. 

Our ultimate concern about people is that they come to know Jesus, and we should do everything we can to help that happen.  We should never allow such trivial things as skin color to affect how we treat them.  If anything, we should go out of our way to be extra loving and sensitive to those who are different than us.

Paul said that he sees no man according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16).  This doesn’t mean he was ultimately “colorblind,” but rather that he chose to be more concerned about their spirit and their standing with God, than external things such as race, size, gender, etc.

5.    Jesus’ people should be proactive to identify with those who are different.

Paul said, “I have become all things to all people” (1 Cor. 9:22).  There are many applications of this biblical principle, but one that challenges me right now is to really seek to understand what an African American is going through at this time in our country.  Therefore, I met this week with a black pastor in our area and asked him, “Help me understand better what the black community is feeling right now.  Tell me about times when you have felt judged or mistreated by the white establishment.”  I learned a lot in that 2-hour discussion.  I do not know what a person of color is going through right now, but I can seek to better understand by asking good questions, and then really listening.

These are just a few of the many biblical truths we should think about. What other truths help to guide you in these difficult days?  Email me at davidholt08@gmail.com and let me know your thoughts.  May God heal our land!

8 Tips to Maximizing Your Sunday Worship Experience

1. Prepare on Saturday night.  Don’t stay out too late on Saturday night, so as to be well rested for Sunday worship.  If you have young children, have them sleep in the clothes they will wear to church, so as to avoid the battle over what they will wear.  Have a Saturday night and Sunday morning ritual that the children get used to, and build in some special things they can look forward to (i.e., donuts on Sunday morning, lunch out after church, etc.).

2.  Spend time with God before heading to church.  Read the word and pray to prepare your heart.  If you know what your pastor is preaching on, read that passage when you wake up.  Pray for your own heart and for those who will be leading the worship service.  Come to the worship service to love God and love others.

3. Arrive early so as to meet some people and be ready when the service starts.  When you walk in late, you miss what has already happened, and you distract others from what is taking place at that moment.

4. Turn your phone off so as not to be distracted.
 Avoid using a Bible app on your phone so as not to be tempted with other things that might come over your phone (i.e., texts, Facebook, etc.).  I think it is a better model for our children to see us using a paper copy of the Bible instead of an electronic version. 

5. Fully engage in whatever is happening in the service.  This takes mental and spiritual discipline.  When there is singing, sing with all your heart!  When there is prayer, pray!  When there is a reading, listen intently!  When there is a message, receive it with an open heart! When there is the partaking of the Lord’s Supper, search your heart and meditate on Christ’s suffering for you.

6.  Avoid an “evaluative spirit.”  This one is really hard.  If we are constantly evaluating things during the service (i.e., volume of music, song selection, attire of those on stage, who is sitting near us, etc.), we will miss out on loving God and loving others.  Focus on the Lord.  Concentrate on Him.  Discipline your mind away from evaluating things.

7. Maintain a humble and receptive heart throughout the service.
 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  The more humble we are, the more grace He gives us.  It takes humility to worship the Lord, regardless of how you feel. It takes humility to keep your focus on God and not on things that can distract you.  It takes humility to ask God, “Is there someone here you want me to pray for or give a word to?” It takes humility to say to God at the end of the message, “Lord, What are You saying to me today?” 

8.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  There are two main purposes for attending a corporate worship service:  to love God and love others.  After all, these are the two greatest commandments!  I have mostly addressed loving God, but how might we love others at church?  Here are a few suggestions:  Find a place of service so as to avoid coming with a “consumer” mentality; taking a genuine interest in another person as you greet him/her; looking for someone who seems lonely or downcast; or praying for someone your heart is drawn toward.

Each of these take intentionality, but it is all worth it, because the “eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth, that He may strongly support those who hearts are completely His” (2 Chron. 16:9).

God's Cure For Anxiety

Anxieties, nervousness, fear, and worry is a big problem for many today. But guess what?  It is not a new problem, for Jesus addressed it in His teachings, indicating it was a big problem in His day as well as ours.

Jesus gives us a divine prescription for handling anxiety. It is found in Luke 12:22-31.  Three times he uses the word “anxiety” and one time He uses “worry. “ Here are the divine pills to take for anxiety, worry, and fear:

1.     Perspective:  God wants us to have an eternal perspective – “life is more than food and the body more than clothing” (v. 23).  Focus on what is really important and that is what is eternal vs. what is temporal.  This helps to put into perspective what is causing our anxiety.  Most of what we worry about are very trivial matters it the grand scheme of life.

2.     Promise:  God promises to provide – “consider the ravens … God feeds them.  of how much more value are you than the birds!” (v. 24).  God promises to meet all our needs if we trust and obey Him (Phil. 4:19).  Every need is an opportunity to experience God in a tangible way.  Hold tightly to His promises when you feel the threat of anxiety coming upon you.

3.     Power:  God’s power is greater than any challenge we face – “which of you …. can add a single hour to his life … then why are you anxious about the rest?” (v. 25-26).  Jesus is contrasting what we cannot do (add a single hour to our life) with what God can do (anything!).  When worried, it is important to focus on God’s unlimited power over the circumstances of life.  We serve the God who spoke the world into existence.  Nothing is too difficult for Him.

4.     Provision:  God’s provision is much better than our solutions – “Consider the lilies …. If God so clothes the grass … how much more will He clothe you!” (v. 27-28).  God has an inexhaustible number of resources to help with our every need and cause of worry.  He longs to send us provision, whether that be His presence, wisdom, encouragement, money, etc.  Just look around at how He provides provision for so much of His creation, and then remember that you are more important to God than the plants and animals.

5.     Priority:  God calls us to seek Him first – “Seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (v. 31).  The best defense against anxiety is a good offense of seeking God, His kingdom, His will, His character, His Word, etc.  Be so occupied with the things of God, that you have neither time nor energy to worry about other stuff.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all human understanding, will guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

Jesus as Living Water

Water is the one thing every living creature needs for survival.  But not just any water.  If the water is contaminated, you just might die.  We often drink from contaminated water in the form of materialism, illicit sex, drunkenness, drug abuse, etc. 

Sin can be described as trying to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate manner.  Our creator God knows what is best for us and wants to be the One we come to for pure water.

Jeremiah 2:13 describes Jehovah God as the fountain of Living Water.  God confronts His people for digging their own leaky wells.  In other words, when we try to get our needs met apart from God, those are leaky cisterns and not the true well of living water.   God wants us to drink from Him!

In John 4:7-19 Jesus confronts the woman who had tried to get her need for love met by 6 different men.  He invites her to drink from Him:  the Living Water.  We often turn to other people to fill our cup, when only Jesus can do that.

In John 7:37-38 Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the living water that can work in us and through us from the inside out!  We need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us look to God to meet our deepest needs.

So here we have the full Trinity described as the Living Water:  God the Father in Jeremiah 2; God the Son in John 4; and God the Holy Spirit in John 7.  Come to God and drink from Him every day, to meet your deepest needs!

For more on how you can experience Jesus as your living water, listen to my sermon at http://www.livinghopeathens.org/category/sermons/