Hitting the Wall | 1 Kings 19:6-14

Have you ever hit the wall?  I mean, literally hit a wall?  I had a similar situation once. I was in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church of Fisherville, Kentucky doing some chores. As I finished I flipped off the light and began making my way to the door on the other side of the room. Even though it was pitch dark, I walked across the open room. I forgot one small detail. There were three support polls spaced evenly across the room. It was an experience I hope I never have again.

As I collided with that immovable post, my knees gave way and I found myself sprawled out on the floor.  Head aching. Heart racing. Feelings hurt. I lay there wondering if I was going to live. Then I realized how ridiculous I must have looked as I plowed into that post. I laughed. Then my head hurt worse and I became angry at myself for turning out the lights and trying to make it across the room.

Just as painful, in different ways, are the times when we hit the wall figuratively speaking. Who hasn't had times when we feels that we have taken all we can take and with clenched fists and clenched teeth we scream, "I've had it!"  What brings a person to such despair?

Pat Fortner, the pastor of Morris Hill Baptist Church, took all he could take. The gunshot was his scream of desperation, "I have had it!"  What about the teenager who has just had it and rebels against their parents?  Or, the wife who finally call it quits after several years of marriage?  Or, the CEO who just can't take it anymore?  These times of isolation and desperation is part of the human condition. They are part of life.

Scott Peck in his best-selling book, The Road Less Travelled, describes this condition perfectly:

Life is difficult. This is one of the greatest truths. Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand it and accept it -then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief as if their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them. I know about this moaning because I have done my share of it.

Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them?  Disappointment and pain crops up in careers, romances, parenthood, trying to find a parking place -anywhere expectations are found. We may find ourselves disappointed with others or ourselves. We need to see that God does not give up on us, even when we're tempted to give up on Him.

If you were to draw a picture of the difficulty that you are facing today, what would it look like?  What are the circumstances?  What does your face say?  How do you feel inside?  Afraid? Depressed?  Anxious?  Overwhelmed?  What other things disappoint you?  Frustrate you?  Discourage you?

John F. Kennedy once wrote that the greatest enemy of truth was not the lie. It was myth that is accepted as truth. One of the common myths that we accept as truth is that only weak people face temptation and despair. Yes, even people who see great things in their walk with God and people have done wonderful things in their lives face the great challenge of disappointments. This one precisely the experience of one of God's most famous servants, Elijah.

Elijah was a prophet of prophets. He was so great that the Jewish tradition places him side by side, shoulder to shoulder, with Moses. To this day in the Jewish Passover meal, a cup of wine is placed on the table and left un-drunk in honor of Elijah.

We are abruptly introduced to Elijah in I Kings: "And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, 'As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word'" (17:1). His greatest triumph, you remember, was when he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Baalism was the religion of fertility - the worship of nature and its cycle of the seasons. It was the religion of success, self, and sensuality. The religion of success: if it works, do it. The religion of self: if it serves me do it. The religion of sensuality: if it feels good, do it.

Baalism knows no right or wrong; it has no ethic. Whatever gets results is OK. Whatever advances me is OK. Whatever feels good is OK. Baal is a god named Wall Street, a god named Madison Avenue, a god name Hollywood. Baalism is the religion of success, self, and sensuality. It is the pagan religion of every nation, tribe and clan. And the Lord fights Baal in every generation.

Through the conniving of Jezebel, Ahab made Baalism the dominant religion of Israel. Darkness covered the land as the light of God's Word grew dim, a candle flickering, about to go out.

Then crisis in the form of drought and famine. This was not only an economic crisis for Israel - but also a religious crisis. What happens when Baal, the harvest god, stops producing?  What happens when you worship success and success lets you down?

The drought continued for three and a half years. After that long period of time, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah. "You can for now to face Ahab. I am ready to let it rain over the land” (18:1). The stage was set for a dramatic showdown between Ahab and the prophets of Baal and Elijah.

Here is the scene. Two altars were erected on Mount Carmel, one to Baal, the other to the Lord. There were two altars but only one God, so Elijah challenged the people that a choice had to be made between the Lord and Baal. "How long will you go limping between two opinions?  If Baal be god serve him. If the Lord is god, serve him?"  Said Elijah. "Bring two bulls. You prepare one on your altar and I'll prepare one on my altar. The God who answers by sending fire, He is God!" (vv.23-24)

The prophets of Baal went first. The begged and pled with Baal. The danced and cut their bodies for Baal. They did everything that knew to do in order to entice their God and their God was silent. Nothing. Then it was Elijah's turn.

Elijah dug a trench around his altar and commanded someone to fill four large jars of water and douse the bull, not once but three times, until the altar area looked like a swimming pool. Then he prayed, "Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, Lord, are God, and that as you let them go from you it is yours also to bring them back."

Then the fire of the Lord struck the altar. The offering was consumed in flames, and when the people saw it they fell on their faces and cried: The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.

Words that described Elijah during this chapter of his life are words like: Courageous, uncompromising, single-minded, God-centered, confrontational, obedient, prayerful, and victorious.        

Elijah had reached the pinnacle of success. He could include on his resume: "Victory at Mount Carmel" and prophet search committees would be extremely impressed by his credentials. Elijah had it made. Every goal that he had ever set out to accomplish was accomplished. He could now live the rest of his life in ease and comfort. He was successful.

If Elijah's story had ended there, we might think he was someone more than human - that he didn't face the kinds of disillusionment that we face.   

When Ahab returned to the palace after the contest on Mount Carmel, he told Jezebel everything that had happened. Jezebel's face blackened with rage. She swore to avenge the death of her prophets with the death of Elijah. Within twenty-four hours she said she would have his head.

She sent the death threat to Elijah. The words were short, but Elijah got the point. "If you are Elijah, I am Jezebel."  Get the point?  "You may be a prophet, but I am the queen."  It frightened Elijah so that he headed toward the Juniper Tree.

You've gotten the same kind of message before. You disobeyed your parents and the day of reckoning comes: "You may be David, but I am your father."  You find yourself retreating to your Juniper Tree.

You get a paper back at school and have to do it over: "You may been the student, but I am the teacher."  You find yourself retreating to your Juniper Tree."

You get fired at work:  "You may be an employee, but I am the boss."  You find yourself retreating to your Juniper Tree.

Or you pretend you're still a teenager and play a game of softball. The next day your body says: Your name is John, my name is middle age. You find yourself retreating to your Juniper Tree.

You stunned in disbelief at the words of the Doctor, "You I understand. But remember, you are the patient, I am the Doctor."  You find yourself retreating to you Juniper Tree.

Words that describe Elijah in the next chapter of his life are words like: fearful, unconcerned, selfish, self-centered, insulated, hesitant, passive, and immobile. What happened to Elijah?  If he was truly a man of God, why did he feel this way?              Trembling in fear, heavy with despair, and overcome with self-pity, Elijah sat under the juniper tree. He came clean with God and aired his complaint: "It is enough!  I have had it!  Take my life!  You don't need me!"

Who of us has not felt like Elijah, sitting under the juniper tree, discouraged, depressed, and ready to throw in the towel?  Who has not felt like praying:  "Lord, enough!  I've had it!  Perhaps you look around and you see that life is just unfair. You've had all the evil you can stand. The evil prosper. The good seem to have it rough. Lord, just go ahead and take me!

Or perhaps you've sat under the juniper tree of sickness or sadness, of failure or doubt. You feel like the weight of darkness is too heave to carry. It all makes so little sense. We are afraid to pray for fear God will not answer. Afraid not to pray, we blurt out our need to God. We sit under the juniper tree and say with Elijah, "It is enough; I’ve just about had all I can take.

For you who now sit under such a tree, know that you do not sit alone. This One beside you who under the shadow of another tree called Calvary cried, "My God, My God why has thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) 

But note what happened next. Elijah went to sleep. As he slept, someone came, woke him up, and said, "Wake up and eat."  He looked up and there was a biscuit and some water. With new strength he traveled on to Mount Horeb.

Still shaken, fearful, unsure, Elijah went to Mount Horeb for a repeat performance of Mount Carmel, for some dramatic sign that the Lord was still God, that Mount Carmel was no fluke and that he, Elijah, was still God's prophet. Elijah climbed the mountain and lodged in a cave.

What happened next was one on the holy moments in history. Elijah was hoping to see the Lord in the wind, just like the wind that had parted the Red Sea for Moses, but the wind came and God was not there. Hoping for to speak in the earthquake like the one that shook the mountain when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, but the earthquake came not God. Hoping for God to reveal himself through fire, just as he led Moses and his people through the wilderness with a pillar of fire, just a He had rained down fire at Mount Carmel, but the fire came and God was not there.

All the ways through which God had revealed himself were now empty. God was not there. Imagine the terror of the moment. Have you had time like that when God does not seem to be acting as He once did?  The old words don't mean anything. You sing the hymns, but they no longer move you. Sermons seem vain and void. You come and go to church, but the feeling is not there. Prayers seem to never go higher than the ceiling. The symbols are empty. It seems as though God has turned his back. Not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, not in prayers, not in worship, not in church; God is not there.

In times like these our choice is: do we go on listening, hoping, waiting upon the Lord, or do we call it quits?

What the scriptures record next gives hope in the darkness. "And after the fire - a sound of utmost silence. And...Elijah covered his face with his robe."  The still small voice. The sound of crushed silence, a hush, utter quiet. But God was there; unexplainable, unexplained, God was there.

In the movie, The Right Stuff, there is a scene where Chuck Yeager is a test pilot in the Air Force and he is attempting to fly faster than the speed of sound. He try many times and can't seem to get past the barrier. As the flies faster and faster and approaches that barrier, the plane begins to shutter and shake so violently that it appears that it will explode. Since no one had flown at that speed before, Yeager does not know what to do when that begins to happen each time. So, repeatedly, he back the throttle off and slow down, thus not breaking the barrier.

On one of his most courageous flights, he attempts once again to break the barrier. His speed increases. The shaking and jolting began as before and he maintains his lightning speed. At the very moment it appears that the plane is going to explode and Yeager will not survive, the miraculous occurs. The plane breaks the sound barrier and there is a serenity that is completely unexpected.

When I find myself against the wall - feeling as if I want survive this one - I am reminded of the words of Isaiah:

Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He does not faint or grow weary, and his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increase strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.                                                                       

Riding Out the Storm | 2 Samuel 12:13-25

It's midnight in Rockport, Maine.  The harbor is quiet, except for the boats' creaking decks and the water slapping up against the wooden hulls.  But within minutes, storm clouds begin to tumble through the sky.  Thunder rumbles and rain pelts.  The tranquil harbor is tossed by a whirlwind.

One boat, tied loosely to its moorings, snaps its rope and is carried out by the violent currents to crash against the rocks.  Another boat, secured to the dock and firmly anchored, rides out the storm and is ready to sail when the sun comes out in the morning.

This scene serves as an analogy of human experience.  Two people can experience virtually the same thing and will suffer differently.

David had been at the center of a whirlwind, reaping the results of his sin.  How did he weather the storm?  Did he sink or swim?  When the waves of sin's consequences begin to slosh the decks of our lives, our only hope for survival is to anchor ourselves in the Lord.

Before talking about riding out the storm, let's talk about the storm.  What do we need to know about the gusty weather of sin's whirlwind?

First, we reap what we sow, forgiveness notwithstanding.  Forgiveness does not necessarily erase the consequence of our sin.  Second, the pain of the reaping eclipses the pleasure of the sowing.  The suffering you'll endure in the whirlwind is much greater than the pleasure of sowing the wind.  Hosea says:

For they sow with the wind and reap with the whirlwind. (Hosea 8:7)

Paul says:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh shall reap corruption. (Galatians 6:7-8)

In a magazine article in 1956, Ernest Hemingway described immorality as anything that one does not feel bad after doing.  By this yardstick, he had impeccable character and morals. He was a heavy drinker.  He was a womanizer.

In 1966, the same magazine reported the several suicide attempts and Hemingway's admittance to Mayo Clinic for alcoholism.  It continued by saying that he was functioning at 70% of capacity and constantly lived in the delusion that the Feds were after him and that his friends were wiretapping his phone.  The magazine described the salt and pepper Hemingway as his face lay in a pool of blood as he had committed suicide.

The magazine concluded by saying that sin had paid off for Papa Hemingway.

David and his family reaped the whirlwind of his sin with Bathsheba.  Yet, when the waves of domestic tragedy threatened to sink his life, he humbly anchored faith to the Lord.

David responded to Nathan's confrontation with an open and unguarded confession.

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."  And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die."  (II Samuel 12:13)

Notice that David acknowledged his sin. God spared his life.  Under the law David deserved death.  Because of the grace of God, God chose to send consequences that were less severe than what David deserved.

Nathan told David that the first gust of the whirlwind would be the death of his infant son.  And with that prediction, David had to decide how to react.  Like the boat that was loosed from its mooring, his life could have ended up broken on the rocks of bitterness.  But instead, he dropped four anchors of faith that helped him ride out the storm.

David serves as an example for us of how to face sins consequences.  Did he make life better or bitter?  Let's look closer.

First, when we face the consequence of our sin, we must continue to pray.  While enduring this deep pain, David stayed home where he could be quiet and alone with God.

And Nathan departed unto the house.  And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore unto David, and it was very sick.  David, therefore, besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth.  (II Samuel 12:15-16)

Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, it is laying hold of His highest willingness.

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish I didn't have time to pray.  Troubles just tumbled about me and heavier came each task.  Why doesn't God help me, I wondered, He answered, "You didn't ask."  I tried to come into God's presence, I used all my keys at the lock.  God gently and lovingly chided, "Why child, you didn't knock."  I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on grey and bleak, I called on the Lord from the season, He said, "You didn't seek."  I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day.  I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. 

If like David, you are enduring sin's storm take time to be quiet.  In this soul searching period of your life, spend time with God, listen to His voice, and let Him minister to your heart.  There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God!

Second, when we are facing the whirlwind of the consequence of our sin, we must remain realistic.  David accepted the situation he was in.

After seven days the infant died, David's servants were afraid to tell him, concerned that, in the depths of his sorrow, he might take his own life.  But look at David's mature response to the painful news.

But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead; for they said, He is dead.  Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshiped (II Samuel 12:19-20)

David accepted this painful experience and refused to blame God and become bitter.

Bitterness can cause your faith to fray and snap. Sending you out into the violent sea to weather the storm alone.  But a humble heart will accept the storm and anchor itself to God's love.

How do you respond in the whirlwind?  As sin's consequences wash over your life, do you shake your fist at God or do you lift your hands in prayer?

Third, when we are facing the whirlwind of the consequence of our sin, we need to remember God's blessing.  David heart was secured in his belief that God's decisions was right. 

Then said one of his servants unto him, what is this thing that thou hast done?  Thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat.  And he said, while the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?  But now he is dead, why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. (II Samuel 12:21-23)

David's response shows that he believed in the hope that God provides. Even in the midst of his suffering, David relied in God's truth.  What about you?  When you experience the consequences of sin, do you turn to Him for comfort?

There was once a little girl who asked her father to build a doll house for her.  The father promised her that he would build it for her.

The father sat down in his chair by the window and noticed that his little girl was carrying a two by four across the yard.  A few minutes later she carried a hammer and a saw.  The father asked him what she was doing.  She responded by saying, "You promised me that you would build me a doll house and I thought I would help you." 

God has promised us a wealth of things; peace, joy, strength, power for living and patience.  With the innocence of the little girl we must depend upon his promise of blessing.

Fourth, when we are facing the whirlwind of the consequence of sin we must refuse to give in.  After the funeral and after the mourning, David found grace to live again.  It takes God's grace not only to endure but to move on.  You must accept His grace and forgive yourself.

Growing up on a farm taught me some things about God.  One of those things is about a plow.

A plow is a useless piece of steel if it is not hooked to a three point hitch of a tractor.  It will set and collect rust for years and will not move until hitched.

Once it is hitched and pull behind a tractor it will sink deep down and will function in the way in which it was intended to function.  The key is to attach it to something.

Are you sitting around with your life?  Isn't it time for you to attach yourself to God's power and let him help you?  The hymn writer states it this way:

Would you live for Jesus and be always pure and good?  Would you walk with him within the narrow road?  His power can make you what you want to be, his love can give you grace to set you free.  Let him have his way with thee. 

Cloudy Days and Dark Nights | 1 Samuel 27

The Pilgrim's Progress, a literary classic, was written by John Bunyan while he was in prison for preaching the gospel without a license.   It is an allegory of the Christian life.  In his book he teaches his readers how to handle cloudy days and dark nights through a pilgrim named Christian.

While travelling to the Celestial City, Christian falls into a bog, a deep miry muddy hole called the Slough of Despond.  His loyal friend and travelling companion, Pliable, finds his way out and goes home and leaves Christian to struggle alone in the slough.  As he struggles, he cries for help and finally the Holy Spirit comes and pulls his out of the Slough of Despond.  The Holy Spirit sets Christian on his feet and wipes the slime of despondency off his brow.

Each of us spend time in that muddy hole.  We have times when we see no hope and we are tempted to give up.  We have times when we can't see past the clouds in the sky.  It seems that the more we do to try to come out of the muddy hole the further down we sink.  Even though there is nothing morally, ethically or spiritually wrong with feeling the deep pangs of despair, it's when we try to find our own way out that we have problems.  It's like a corkscrew, the harder we try with our own resources the further down we go.

David certainly had times like these.  In I Samuel 27 we find an episode of disobedience in his life.  He was down, again.  This time he tried to find his own way out and ran for cover in the enemy camp.  What did he do that we need to avoid?  How can we prevent falling deeper and deeper in the muck and mire of the cloudy days and dark nights?  We do not have to dash toward disobedience.

David's dash toward disobedience started with distorting thinking.  The Bible says out of the heart comes the issues of life.  David's mind was distorted. He only saw his perspective. 

David was on a roller coaster high.  Twice he could have killed Saul and twice he passed the chance by.  He wanted to kill Nabal but was talked out of it by Abigail.  He was feeling righteous and victorious.  He was vulnerable to self's seductive voice. 

There is nothing wrong with talking to yourself.  Just make sure that what you respond to are the right things.  David responded to the wrong things that he was saying to himself.  All he could see was a wall.  Not once in this chapter does he seek God's perspective and advice.

His reasoning was clouded with pessimism.  He had his paintbrush out and he was painting his horizon black.  All the people who had had influence in his life had said positive things about his future.  Samuel anointed David to be King of Israel one day.  Jonathan who was supposed to be king said to David, "You are next in line to the throne."  Abigail, his new bride, knew that David would be king.  Even his enemy, Saul had once said, "I know that I am looking at my replacement."  David, pious hero on the outside, was a pouting doubter on the inside.  He felt that one day he would die at the hands of Saul.

His logic was strictly rational.  He could think of nothing better to do than to go with the enemy.  He says:

There is nothing better for me to do than that I should speedily escape in the land of the Philistines, and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any border of Israel.  So shall I escape out of his hand.  (I Samuel 27:1c)

This story is a perfect example of destruction beginning with what we think.  Every sin that is committed begins with our thinking.  No murder has been committed without first being thought about.  No harsh word has ever been spoken that was not first thought.   

David's dash toward disobedience had some serious consequences. 

He brought others with him.  Maybe he didn't invite them but they came.  All 600 of them.  He had trained them and they looked up to him and followed him. 

Who are you bringing with you?  No one lives unto themselves, nor dies to themselves, nor sins to themselves. Like David, we have a circle of people who follow our lead.  We will be accountable for how we took that responsibility.

He had a false sense of security.  Disobedience should bring remorse, but more often it brings exhilaration.   That's how David felt.  Saul called off the search for David and when he did I am sure David let out one huge sigh of relief.  True, sin has its pleasures, but they are passing.  David felt safe in Philistia but destruction was around the corner. When we are disobedient we will think everything is all right when in fact it isn't.

He went through a period of compromise. The longer he splashed around in the bog the less he wanted to get out.  He spent sixteen months in Philistia and in that period of time no psalms were ever written.

Mullah, an ancient Persian humorist, and his son were walking down a road with their donkey grazing in front of them.  As they walked they would pass various groups of people.  One man said, "Look how foolish they are, walking instead of riding their donkey!"  Hearing the remark of the man, Mullah and his son got on the donkey and rode it to the next village.  As they entered the village a woman shouted, "They ought to be ashamed making that Donkey carry two riders!"  Hearing these words Mullah dismounted and let his son ride the donkey.  As they continued to travel another woman said, "Poor old man.  That boy should be ashamed making his father walk while he rides the donkey.  So mullah gets on the donkey and his son walks.  They continued on their journey and another man shouted, "Look at that old man riding while he make his son walk!"  Mullah rubbed his beard and said, "You can't please any of the people all the time."  Then he picked up the donkey carried it the rest of the journey.  Compromise is a common result of disobedience.

Duplicity, vagueness and secrecy became a part of David's life.  David couldn't see the storm brewing. The clouds became darker and darker.  Soon David was knee deep in muddy mistakes.  He was Israelite at heart but had to act like a Philistine.

David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. (I Samuel 27:11)

David's dash toward disobedience brought destruction.  He finally had his secrets found out.  He could no longer compromise and be an Israelite.

David was displaced.  He was neither Israelite nor Philistine.  He had fooled Achish but not his commanders.

And the commanders of Philistia were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto Achish, Make this fellow return, that he may go to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down into battle, lest he become our adversary. (I Samuel 29:4)

He was distrusted and in distress.  David was sinking deeper and deeper.  David was at the bottom.  What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive.

David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him.  Because the soul of the people was grieved.  (I Samuel 29:6)

Fortunately David's destruction was not final.  He finally pulled back the cloud and saw God standing, waiting patiently.  The text says that David encouraged himself in the Lord.

How about it?  Have your tired feet slipped and slid into despair because you have tried to manage your life without God?  Have you lived the last few days, weeks or months as if there were no God?   David would say "You don't have to have cloudy days and dark nights any longer. Pull back the clouds and look to God for help!" 

The Sin of Prayerlessness | 1 Samuel 12:19-25

Bill Moyers, a television personality, was at one time press secretary for Lyndon Johnson.  President Johnson called Moyers his "Baptist preacher" and would often call upon him to give thanks before the meal.  On one such occasion the President, who was having difficulty hearing, interrupted him in the middle of his prayer.  "Louder, Bill!" he said.  Moyers replied, "I wasn't talking to you Mr. President."

            In a cartoon called Punch there is a man praying by his bedside saying, "Is there some way you could help me, but make it look like I did it all myself?"

            A little child was once praying her bedtime prayers as follows:

Now I lay me done to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my toys to break So none of the other kids can use 'em...Amen.

            Prayer, perhaps, is the greatest untapped and misused resource of the Christian life.  "The world has yet to see a person totally committed to prayer," said Charles Spurgeon.

Many folks can characterize their prayer life like Jim Davey, a pastor in Seattle, Washington:

On a very fews days out of the year, Mount Rainier is visible to us.  On most days it isn't.  It's shrouded by clouds, haze, and mist.  My prayer life is like that.  Several times a year I see and love God clearly, in an especially profound way.  On most days, however, I pray out of desperation, need, or blind faith.  Without a simple, mundane commitment to pray, I would skip it."

            P.T. Forsythe once said, "The worst sin is prayerlessness.  Overt sin or crime or the glaring inconsistencies which often surprise us in Christian people are the affect of prayerlessness or its punishment.  We are left by God for lack of seeking Him."

            A thousand years before the birth of Jesus, a man named Samuel stood before his nation.  Forty years earlier, in one of the darkest periods of Israel's history, he had assumed national leadership.  The government was corrupt and the people were morally degenerate.

He was a man of strong, dominating personality.  But Samuel was pre‑eminently a man of prayer and intercession.  Throughout I Samuel, you can read his incessant, impassioned prayers for his nation. 

            As Samuel grew older, the people became anxious for a change!  They did not merely want a replacement for Samuel.  They demanded comprehensive government reform.  They were tired of being led by a prophet,  They wanted to be like all the other nations.  Give them a king!

            Reluctantly, Samuel yielded to the people's demand and anointed Saul to be King of Israel.  But, as the transition in governments was being made, the people became aware of the Lord's disfavor upon what they were doing. So, they asked Samuel: "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our other sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king."(I Samuel 12:19)

            And Samuel replied:  "...Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you..." (I Samuel 12:24)

            It's a remarkable statement.  In essence, Samuel said:  "I have always prayed for you and I will never give up ‑ even when I disagree with you, when I'm peeved and frustrated with you!  To ever quit praying for you would be a sin against the Lord!"

            Samuel believed that there is no more significant involvement in another person's life than prayer.  And if that is true, prayer is more powerful in its positive impact upon your children than anything you can give them including money, cars, and college tuition.  Prayer is more helpful to you co‑workers than a compliment, more encouraging to your friends than any thoughtful act or gesture you can imagine, demonstrates more love for your husband or wife than a tender embrace!

I doubt that in a congregation like this, there are many people who do not pray at all.           Prayerlessness, however, is not only the complete disregard for prayer.  It also means the failure to pray less than we need to, less than the Father desires, and less than we know we should.  And that definition cuts a wide swath which includes us all.

            Why do we fail to pray as we really should especially for whom we care so genuinely ‑ our children, our husband or wife, our friends at the church, our neighbors next door, our co‑workers?  Samuel viewed the problem as radically more serious than a mere character flaw, personal weakness, or indication of an overcrowded schedule and poor time management skills.

            If you and I are able to explain away our prayerlessness with the same alibis we use to make allowances for forgetfulness, short tempers which flare up without warning, chain smoking, or dependance on valium or relaxing substances, we will likely never become prayer‑ful individuals.  Self‑improvement programs simply do not strengthen all the areas of weakness and failure in our life.

            Samuel identified prayerlessness as sin!  It is sin because it is a violation of God's command.  Jesus said: we "...ought always to pray and not lose heart."  The word, "ought" implies moral obligation, a sacred duty.  It is then, a responsibility place upon every Christian by the Lord himself.

            There are many things we ought to do.  We ought to give our money regularly and generously to support his work.  Giving is a sacred duty.

            We ought to obey God rather than people.  If we are ever forced to choose between obedience to God and obedience to men, we must be true to God.  It is a sacred duty.

Husbands ought to love their wives as Christ loved the church.  As Jesus died for the church without murmuring and complaining, men ought to gladly and joyfully sacrifice for their wives.  Most marriages and homes would be radically changed if men did what they ought to do.

            These are just a few oughts of the Christian life.  And the obligation to pray is just as much an obligation, a responsibility, as any of these oughts.  Just as surely as we ought to give, and we ought to love, and we ought to live right, and we ought to help people, so we ought to pray.

            Prayerlessness is a sin because it is opposed to the purpose and plan of God.  What God does in the world and individual lives, He does through prayer.  The Apostles James wrote:

...pray for one another.  The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.  Elijah was a man just like us and he prayed fervently for rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. (James 5:16‑18)

            Prayer has great power.  It can change a life.  Prayer can save a soul.  It can revive a church.  Prayer can empower a person.  It can turn a life around.  Knowing what power there is in prayer it is a sin to fail to use it.

            Prayerlessness is sin because it denies pleasure to God.  The wise man of the Old Testament wrote:  "The prayer of the upright is His delight." (Proverbs 15:8)  Imagine that!  God enjoys my praying!  Besides all the benefits I derive form praying, God also finds joy! There is another reason why prayer is a sin:  it defeats the power of God.  Because he was a man of prayer, the Apostle Paul could write:  "I am ready for anything through Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

            To the Romans, he confessed that he did not always know how or what to pray.  But in those moment, "...the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.  ...the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (8:26,27)  And because, Paul never gave up praying for those whom he loved ‑ even when he did not know how or what to pray ‑ he had a confidence that "...in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us." (Romans 8:37)

            A young football coach was hired as a scout for his college.  Before his first assignment, He said, "Coach, what kind of player are you looking for?"

            The coach said, "Well, there is a kind of guy who when you knock him down, just stays down."

            "We don't want him, do we coach?"

            "No.  Then there is the kind of guy who, when you knock him down, gets up; knock him down, gets up; knock him down, gets up; knock him down, and he gets up every time."

            "That's the guy we want!  Right, Coach?

            "No, We don't want him either.  What I want you to find is the guy who is knocking all the other guys down.  That's the guy I want."

            Yes, if you pray, God will give you strength to keep getting up and starting over every life or sin knocks you down.  But if you pray, by God's grace, you shall eventually be able to stand your ground, hold your position, and win the victory over sin.

            What's more, you will even be able to influence the outcome of similar situations in others' lives.  The Apostle endured many hardships as a missionary.  His life was often threatened and he faced constant danger as he preached the gospel.  But he wrote to thank his Christian friends by saying, "You have helped us through your prayers." (II Corinthians 1:11)

            You need to see that.  Prayer is a way to help people.  Is it any wonder, then, that Paul urged us to pray for everyone?

            To fail to pray, however, is a sin!  And sin can only be dealt with through confession, repentance, forgiveness, and cleansing.  If you are convicted today, because of prayerlessness in your own life; and, if you are convinced that prayerlessness is a sin; then don't wait to confess it honestly to the Father, repent right now, and receive the glad forgiveness of God along with his cleansing.

Don't wait.  Do it right now.

The Heart of Christmas | 2 Corinthians 4:5

The feeling of Christmas is in the air:  The tinsel and the Christmas Lights; the decorations and the overstocked stores; the gifts under the tree and the remnants of wrapping paper on the floor; the ring of the cash registers and the muffled sound of the charge-card device; the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh; and the nativity scenes; all of these things remind us that Christmas time is here again. It is the season of cranky clerks and jangled nerves, the season of quick trips to the mall, a season in which we spend more than we have, buy more than we can afford, and eat more than we can hold. But what is the heart of Christmas?

To the merchant, the heart of Christmas is increased sales. To children, it is the anticipation of toys and other gifts. The heart of Christmas to others is just time away from their jobs. To still others, the heart of Christmas is more hurry, hassle, noise and crowds. For Christians, the heart of Christmas is a celebration of the coming of the Messiah, the birth of Jesus.

When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in AD 353, who would have thought that it would become what it is today?

When Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in America in 1832, who could have ever thought that the decorations would become as elaborate as they are today?

It is a long time since 1832, longer still from 353, longer still from that dark night brightened by a special star in which Jesus the King was born. Yet, as we approach December 25 again, it gives us another opportunity to pause, and, in the midst of all of the excitement and elaborate decorations and expensive commercialization which surrounds Christmas today, to consider again the event of Christmas and the Birth of the person we celebrate.

We must remember that Jesus is the heart of Christmas. It is His birthday we celebrate. It is in His name we gather. As our text states, it is Jesus about whom we sing and preach.

The question that comes to our mind as we focus on the heart of Christmas is this:  What kind of man was this whose birth is so significant that it splits history into BC and AD?  Who is this one who is the heart of Christmas?  Let's ask the question in different ways.

What does the Bible say about him?  The Bible provides for us our basic information about Jesus Christ. What does the Bible say about Jesus?

The biblical writers, first, proclaim that Jesus was a man. We believe in the virgin birth of Christ, but it was not his birth that was supernatural, it was his conception which was supernatural. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of God. After the supernatural conception, Jesus was born just like any other baby would be born. Mary had birth pains, just like any other mother. Jesus cried at his birth like any child would cry. He was human.

He also grew like any other person. While working as a carpenter, like Joseph, in the city of Nazareth, Jesus experienced the same things any other carpenter would experience. His hands were roughened by the tools of the trade. At evening, after a heavy day, he was tired just as other carpenters are.

Jesus experienced what other people experience, He had to walk the long roads of Palestine like others had to do. When he did, his feet got tired and dirty, his mouth became dry, his feet blistered, and his legs chapped just like others.

Physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, Jesus lived the same life we all live. He worked. He played. He laughed. He cried. He felt lonely. He became tired. He hurt. He was human just like you and me.

But there is more in the Bible's discussion of Jesus. Jesus was also God. Jesus was God in such a way that the biblical writers referred to him as Immanuel - "God with us."

In Jesus, we can feel God's presence as we have never felt before. In Jesus, we can clearly see what God is like. In Jesus, we can see the unique presence of God in the world.

Jesus was a man, but he was different from any other man who ever lived. There had never been another man like him, nor would there ever be. The disciples, the ones who knew him best, were certain of that fact. But it strained the limits of their day to try to express this fact. He was the best that life had to offer. How could they express it?

They went to the realm of Jewish religion and took the term "messiah," the greatest title they knew to use in reference to a man, and looking at Jesus, they said, "He is the "Messiah."

The went to the realm of Greek thought and found this term Logos, meaning word, which was the greatest title they knew, and looking at Jesus, they said, "He is the 'Logos,' the word.

What does the Bible say about Jesus?  It says that Jesus was a man who was God in human flesh.

What did Jesus say about himself?  When we consider what Jesus said in the New Testament, we see that he matched the claims the biblical writers made about him by the claims he made about himself.

He said that he was the way to God, that no one can come to the Father but by him.

He said that He had been with God since the beginning and that he brought a special message from God.

He said that to believe in him meant to have life but to refuse to believe in him meant to miss what life was all about.

He focused our attention beyond the shadow of the grave and said that if we wanted to make heaven and miss hell there was only one way, and that was to make him the king of our lives.

He said that his connection with God was so close that to know him was to know the God, to see him was to see God, to believe in him was to believe in God.

Those are fantastic claims Jesus made about himself. The most incredible thing is that he backed these claims with his life he lived.

Jesus lived such a life of purity that those closest to Him gave this testimony of his life: "He committed no sin. No guilt was found on his lips."

He exhibited such power over the lives of men that many were healed merely at the touch of his hand.

He showed such a depth of compassion that no one was outside the limits of his love.

He lived a life like no man has ever lived. When he died, he died with such power that the man on the cross next to him said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  And a bystanding centurion muttered, "Surely, this man was the Son of God."

Jesus claimed that he was not only the Son of God, but God himself.

What does history say about him?  Jesus has the unique ability to come across the centuries as a living Lord and to challenge men and women of all generations to follow him. Listen to some of these testimonies.

David Livingstone, adventurous pioneer who labored long years in Africa, said, "All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ."

Alfred Edersheim, Jewish historian and author of The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, said, "If Jesus Christ did not live, and he was not the Son of God and he is not the Messiah, then there never has been and never will be a Messiah."

Dale Evans, movie star, said, "All my life I looked for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and I found it at the foot of the cross."

Multiplied thousands of such testimonies can be given. These testimonies from history confirm the testimonies from the Bible about Jesus and the declarations of Jesus about Himself. He was the most unique man who has ever lived. a man whose uniqueness can only be explained by the presence and power of God in his life.

What do you say about him?  This is the most significant of the questions because it will determine your eternal destiny and your peace in this life. What do you say about Jesus?  You have two options.

You can accept Him as being who he says he is. You can say: "I believe Jesus was God in the flesh who lived and is living among us."

Or, you can say, "Jesus is liar, he had laid the foundation for the biggest farce in history."

Which is it for you?  Well....