Make Room for Jesus

We all know the story....Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem but when they arrive, they find that all of the spare rooms are taken and there are no rooms available.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.  Luke 2:4-7 NIV

The thing that stands out to me here is this idea of having no room for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Bethlehem that night. Obviously, no one could have known that Jesus would be born there that night...how could they? Everyone was too busy with the hustle and bustle of their own lives to even notice the poor young couple expecting a child any day traveling through their streets.

Hmmm...that sounds a lot like us doesn't it? We are so busy with our own lives, careers, families, activities, and more that sometimes we miss the miracles of God all around us. Our lives are so full that we have NO ROOM for anything else.

Can you relate to this? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, so stressed out, stretched so thin that you couldn't even imagine having to consider one more thing? This is all part of the human condition...being focused on the here and now and being unaware of the eternal things that are going on all around us.

While we may not have room for Jesus this Christmas, without question He has room for us. This is why He invaded our existence as a baby so many years ago...to break into our chaos and bring His peace. While we may not be waiting for Jesus, He is waiting for us...waiting for us to give our hearts and lives to Him and to trust His leadership in our lives.

Dear Jesus, thank You for invading our world so many years ago as a baby boy. Help me to make room for You this Christmas in the midst of my busy life. Come and bring Your abundant life into my heart today. In Your powerful name, amen.

Victory-Our opponent is real!

Victory...it's far better than defeat. Last night I watched my hometown Memphis Tigers lose to Florida 77-75 in the Jimmy V Classic at Midison Square Garden. They had a shot to win but missed at the buzzer. They should have a great season this year, but it was disappointing to lose such a big game.

In college basketball we know who our opponent is...but what about in our spiritual lives? When we experience this victory we are talking about, how do we know what things we are experiencing victory over each day? This will be the topic for our next sermon specifically, but I want to make the point that victory is specific in each of our lives because our temptations are specific in each of our lives. 

The scripture says that we have a real enemy...his name is Satan. He is the most powerful fallen angel and he desires to defeat God's children in any way possible. Consider what Peter wrote...

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

Satan can't keep us from inheriting eternal life with Jesus, but he will do everything he can to make sure we never experience the life that Jesus promised here on earth...to make sure that we never experience victory in our walk with Christ. As we said Sunday, the key is focusing on Jesus and not our failures.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

Do you need to forget the past and press on towards the goal of experiencing real life in Jesus? What is holding you back today?

Dear God, give me the courage today to let go of my past and to focus my eyes on You! In Jesus' name, amen.

Victory is a Gift

This past Sunday we continued with our series entitled Walking in Grace. In our third installment in this series, we talked about finding Victory in our walk with Christ. For many believers, victory is more of an abstract concept than an actual life reality.

 Why?

Why don't more of us experience the victory God promised in His word? I believe it's be auss we don't fully understand what that victory is about in the first place.

In our key thought for this past week...we don't experience

victory by fighting; we enjoy it by faith in Jesus.

Again, this whole idea of walking in grace is centered on what Jesus has done for us, not what we can do for Jesus. We get wrapped up in doing things FOR Jesus and fail to understand that He wants to do amazing things THROUGH us.

Here is where victory is found...in Christ and not within ourselves. He is the one who has given is everything we need to experience the life He promised.

2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

You see...victory is a gift from God designed that we can escape the power of this world and experience the life He promised. No matter how hard we fight. In our own power we will always be defeated. But when we surrender by faith, we can experience victory through Jesus!

Dear God, help me today to remember that You have already won the victory...I need only surrender by faith to You! In Jesus Name, amen.

Snow Schedule for December 15, 2013

Due to the snowy conditions, we will only have our 10:30am service for Downtown Fellowship this morning If you are part of a class, as far as I know you will meet...but I would contact the teacher directly.

All leadership for Downtown Fellowship will meet between 9:00am and 9:15am.

See you soon..and be careful coming this morning!

Pastor Mark

Walking in Grace-Promises Kept

As I sit here this morning watching the snow fall to the ground, I am a bit like a child on Christmas Day playing with the toy that I asked for and actually received.

You see, where we grew up in Tennessee, the forecast of snow is mostly based on broken promises. I cannot tell you the number of times that 1-3 inches turned into a dusting or, more likely, nothing at all. One of the most frustrating explanations was often used..."it is snowing in the upper atmosphere, but it 's just not reaching the ground." What?

But here in Pennsylvania, if the meteorologist promises snow, snow actually falls from the sky and piles up on the ground! In fact, it does it twice in 48 hours...which I have never seen.

This snow delivery plan in Pennsylvania makes me think about the grace of God. So many years ago, Jesus invaded our existence to keep His promises. The Old Testament is filled with dozens of prophecies about His coming and He fulfilled every one. In our misery, God promised to bring light to the darkness, and He kept that promise. He could have left us just the way we are, but His.grace wouldn't let Him

Grace...unmerited favor, pardon undeserved, promises kept. Why am I surprised? This is simply part of God's character...

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.  Joel 2:13 NIV

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. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

God is the original promises keeper and we should take His promises at face value. If He says He will bring us rest and peace, forgiveness and restoration, healing and wholeness, then we should expect He will. This is why we can confidently walk in His grace today, knowing that Godwill keep His promises.

Now...back to the snow...have a fun and safe day in the white stuff that was both promised and delivered!

Dear God, today help me commit to walk in Your grace as I continue to learn to trust in Your promises. In Jesus name, amen!

Day 2-Walking in Grace-Why?

As we continue our discussion about the grace of God, why have to address the question of why we find it difficult to embrace the idea that God loves and accepts us unconditionally.

I want to suggest three possible reasons...

1. Cultural influences

Our culture tells us that we are what we do, that we are defined by our jobs and our daily roles within our family dynamics. Men especially are tied into their careers and tend to be defined by their job. I have heard men describe feeling lost after having lost their jobs. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the passions God gave you and finding fulfillment in the work we do. The issue comes when we translate this same way of thinking into our spiritual lives. In Christ, we are not defined by what we do, but rather by what He has done for us. If we couldn't do anything to earn our salvation what makes us think we can earn His favor after we are saved? That's what graceis all about...it is UNDESERVED.

2. Negative past experiences

Childhood experiences can also affect our thinking about our identity in Christ. Disapproving or harsh parents, teachers, coaches, or relatives can change the way we interact with God. If we felt like we could never please our parents, we most likely will feel like we will never please God. If we were never good enough for our football coach, we most likely will never feel that we are good enough for God. (If you find this to be an issue for you, let me recommend a beautiful book entitled The Shack by William Young. ) If this way of thinking has been programmed into your brain, it will be a real challenge for you to view things differently in your relationship with God. However your past need not determine your future-there is freedom in Christ.

3. We have been deceived.

As we established this past Sunday, we have a real enemy who desires to destroy our relationship with God. If he can't keep us from surrendering our lives to Christ, then he will work to keep us from experiencing victory in our walk with Jesus. Consider this verse in 1 Peter 5...

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  (Verse 8)

One of the main ways he does this is to constantly heap condemnation on our heads for all of our faults and failures. He will constantly work to get us to believe that our acceptance or rejection with God hinges on our behavior. It is a boldfaced lie...and he knows it, but also he knows that we fall into these patterns of thinking so easily.

Yet, Romans 8:1 states very clearly...

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 

So clearly, it is all a lie. Our acceptance with God is based entirely on the righteousness of Christ and nothing else. If we feel condemned it is because we are condemning ourselves.

So does this mean we can live any way we want? That is the question we will try to tackle tomorrow!

Dear God, through Your Holy Spirit, help me to understand that as Your disciple I am not condemned by my faults and failures. Your sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty for my sins already and I stand blameless in Your sight clothed in the righteousness of Christ! In Jesus name, amen.

Downtown Devotions-Down for the Count

When you have 7 children and a total of 9 people in your house, the invasion of sickness can be overwhelming.  Over this past Thanksgiving weekend, some nasty little sick bug invaded our home and got 6 of our 7 children-only our oldest Ben seems to have escaped.

If I can paint a picture for you, our normally rambunctious children were laying all over our family room under blankets with red faces watching TV on Sunday afternoon. Ben and I were the only ones who made it to church on Sunday.

Well, one of the joys of parenting in sharing in your kid's struggles...including sickness. Monday and Tuesday were tough (when you have 7 children you don't get to be sick) but I seem to be feeling better today. 

That said, Downtown Devotions will return tomorrow. I have greatly missed writing these past two days. Thanks for all your love and support for my family!

Day 1-Walking in Grace-Our Identity in Christ

I hope you woke on this state hunting holiday, looked in the mirror and said "Today I will walk in the grace of my Savior. I am dearly loved and fully accepted by Him!"

Yesterday, we explored this Idea of identity in Christ. Our key point is that our identity is not determined by our BEHAVIOR bur rather by our NEW BIRTH is Jesus. Yet, we act like our acceptance with God rests on how good of a Christian we are able to be. It makes logical sense, but not scriptural sense. The Bible simply doesn't teach that our acceptance with God is tied into our behavior. Instead, it is completely based on our new birth. Consider this passage from John 1:12-13...

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

For many years I worked as a youth and college pastor at different churches. While I loved pouring my life into the teenagers, everything changed when my oldest son Ben grew old enough to go on trips and be involved in the programs. He often tried to invoke a "youth pastor's son" privilege to get out of any activity he didn't want to do. But the truth was and is that he is my son and I love him far more and in a totally different way that I could ever love a teenager in my church. It was a totally different dynamic.  While the teenagers in our church could call me all of their nicknames (Jemarksus, JT Braswell, PM), Ben and the rest of my children can call me DAD.

This same principle works in our spiritual life. Before we surrender our lives to Christ, God is a cosmic creator who directs our lives from on high. When we surrender our lives to Jesus and are born again in Him, we move from being His creation to being His child. It is a special right we are given when we are adopted into God's family. We can call God "daddy".

Think of your own children...do you cast them out of your house because they make mistakes? Are they your children because they were born into your family or because they behave exactly as you wish? Obviously, because they were born into your family because children don't always behave in the way we desire.

It works in a similar way with God. When we are adopted into His family through Jesus, we get all the rights and privileges of being His son or daughter. While we may disappoint Him with our choices and behavior, He bases our relationship with Him on our birth into His family not our behavior.

So rest assured today that God loves you and fully accepts you for who you are!

Dear God, help me to understand Your love for me and the rights and privileges I have as your son or daughter. Let Your spirit convince my heart that I am fully accepted by You. In Jesus name, amen.