Freedom from Worry - Pastor Josh Crockett from Grace Baptist on Vimeo.

This morning I’m not going to ask “How many of you worry?” Because I know that it would be hard for some of you to raise your hand, because you’d worry what everyone would think of you.

You’d have to scan the audience, and count how many deacons had their hands up. And then you’ll get even more worried, when I say “The reason you worry may be pride.”

Have you ever made thought about that before? When you think of people who worry, do you think of proud people?

This passage shows us that humility frees us from worry by teaching us to trust God.

Last week several men from Grace Baptist Church traveled down to southern Indiana to help clean up some of the disaster after several tornadoes ripped through the country’s heartland. Melvin and Devin Wittkamper, Steve Parker, Brian McCarthy, Jason Burrough and Tim Moody are shown in a video by Channel 13, which recorded part of the trip and broadcast the story last Thursday afternoon.  Click here to view the news clip.

Note: This sermon was preached on Resurrection Sunday 2010 and concluded a verse-by-verse series through the entire Gospel of Mark.

We’ve looked at the earthly ministry of Jesus from Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

And this morning we’ll finish with chapter 16.

We’ve seen our Savior’s teaching, His miracles, His disciples, His enemies. And in chapter 15, it all culminated on the cross-where we saw that Christ paid for our sins. And how wonderful it was to see His sacrifice. The cross is what we boast in. The cross is what we proclaim.

But this morning we’re going to see that if we stop at the cross, we do not have the Good News. If we stop at the cross, we do not have the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we stop at the cross, then our preaching the gospel of Mark the last 3½ years has been a waste of our time.

Because if we stop at the cross, we don’t have Good News. All we have is a rotting corpse. Our final chapter would be death.  I mean that’s where we left Jesus last time isn’t? He was dead. Christianity was dead. Our hope was dead. You see, the only hope humanity has is for a resurrection. For new life.What good is Christ’s work on the cross, if He is dead? This is the problem with crucifixes that leave Jesus on the cross. This is the problem with liberal theology that refuses to believe He rose again.

Last week I got a call at church from an elderly preacher who wanted to talk to a pastor who believes in the resurrection. He’s part of a liberal denomination that just recently stripped him of his ordination. Even though the men on his ordination council were godly professors from Wheaton and Moody Bible Institute back in the 50s. He said that at his church last Easter, the pastor got up and said “I do not believe in the resurrection.”

I don’t even understand that. Why would you have a church if Jesus is dead? I mean, “What kind of Christianity do you have if Jesus is dead?” None.  You don’t have any Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15 says, “Your preaching is in vain. Your faith is in vain. You are of all men most miserable.” If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then Christians are the biggest losers.

The Resurrection is vital, because it changes everything for the Christian. This morning we’re going to look at just two areas found here in Mark 16.

A few weeks ago we issued a post about Jeremiah Small, nephew of GBC member John Plumb.  33-year-old Jeremiah had spent the last six years of his life teaching history, literature and English at a private Christian school in northern Iraq and sharing his love of Jesus Christ with the primarily Muslim students in his classes.   On the morning of Thursday, March 1, Jeremiah was tragically shot and killed by a student who then killed himself.

Jeremiah’s story has been featured in news networks and magazines all across the world including the Wall Street Journal.  Recently WORLD magazine published a second article which summarizes Jeremiah’s life in Iraq and highlights the reality that Jeremiah’s “six years became long enough to build a legacy.”

Click here to read the article.

Hall of Doubt - Pastor Josh Crockett from Grace Baptist on Vimeo.

Dennis Rodman was in the news again this week. And as usual, it wasn’t good. The former NBA basketball player is being sued for $800,000 that he’s behind in child support. And his lawyer says that he’s broke.

Now when most of us think of Dennis Rodman we think of his his cross-dressing, tattoos, technical fouls and criminal record -we think Hall of Shame.

But last year, the very 1^st year he was eligible, Dennis Rodman was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.

Jack McCallum, longtime sports writer for Sports Illustrated, responded with an article entitled “Rodman Doesn’t Belong in Hall.”

In the article he admits that Rodman is an unusual athlete. McCallum met him during practice as a rookie and admits he was a good rebounder, but he points out that he didn’t have to do anything on offense. Rodman averaged 4 or 5 points a game. How do you get into the Hall of Fame when you couldn’t score?

McCallum admits that Rodman was on some pretty great, championship-winning teams. But he was a supporting player.

McCallum says “The Hall of Fame is not for supporting players.”

He also points out that Chris Mullin of the 1992 U.S. Dream Team was “kicked to the curb several times by Hall voters.”

Now I don’t know what you think of Dennis Rodman, but I think Jack McCallum makes a good case. Dennis seems like a very unlikely candidate for the Hall of Fame.

And as we read through the Bible, we look at what Pastor a few weeks ago called the foibles of Abraham in Genesis-and they’re pretty big. In fact when we get to Hebrews 11 and see Abraham and Sarah’s names-we might be surprised. Based on what we know of their lives, they may seem like unlikely candidates for the Hall of Faith.

The first weekend of April Steve will head up another team that will help churches whose buildings were destroyed by the tornadoes.  Over the next two weeks Grace will be collecting items to send with the team for the southern Indiana towns hit by the tornadoes. If you would like to contribute, the items that are most needed are listed below. Contributions can be dropped off at the Little Chapel anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or before or after any church service (Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.).

Items Requested:

After years of research, the profile of the “perfect pastor” has been developed. The perfect pastor preaches exactly 15 minutes. He condemns sin, but never embarrasses anyone. He works from 8:00 a.m. until midnight and is also the church janitor. He makes $60 a week, wears good clothes, drives a new car, and gives $50 a week to the poor. He is 28 years old and has been preaching for 25 years, is wonderfully gentle and handsome, loves to work with teenagers, and spends countless hours with senior citizens. He makes 15 calls daily on visitors, shut-ins, and hospital patients, and he is always in his office.

If your pastor does not measure up to this profile of the perfect pastor, simply send this description to 6 other churches that are tired of their pastor. Then bundle up your pastor and send him to the church at the top of the list. In one week you will receive 1,643 pastors. One of them should be perfect.

Of course this is facetious. There’s only one Perfect Leader, the Man Christ Jesus, whom v. 4 calls the Chief Shepherd.

And in His plan, He has ordained that pastors would serve His church as under shepherds. Shepherds under the Chief Shepherd.

There are 3 main titles used for pastors in the Bible. And they’re all found in vv. 1-2.

The word “feed” in v. 2 means to “shepherd” or “pastor.”

In v. 2 we also have the word “oversight,” from the Greek word “episkopos” where we get the title “bishop” or “overseer.”

And in v. 1 we see the word “elder.”

This past weekend Melvin Wittkamper, Maintenance Director of Grace Baptist Church, was part of a disaster relief team, working to clean up some of the devastation that was left after several tornadoes ripped through the country’s heartland. Melvin described the trip as “an experience that really can’t be put into words.” After being escorted by the Indiana State Police, he and the team began clearing tree trunks and debris with their equipment.

“One of the most memorable parts of the trip was reconstructing a church cemetery that had been completely destroyed,” Melvin shared. Mt. Moriah Baptist Church’s building had been ripped away, leaving only the foundation. Beside the church building had been a cemetery that had special meaning to the church body. Every single headstone had been knocked over. Melvin and several others were able to clear the area where the cemetery was located and restore each headstone to its proper location.

Steve Parker, member of Grace Baptist Church, will be heading up a work team that will leave this Saturday.

Over the next few days Grace will be collecting items for the southern Indiana towns hit by the tornadoes. If you would like to contribute, the items that are most needed are listed below. Contributions can be dropped off at the Little Chapel anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or before or after any church service (Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.).

Items Requested:

Last Sunday while we were looking at verses 7-11, Matt and Lana Cretzman, were in North Carolina. They’ve been on deputation with their two daughters to go to the mission field of Cuba. Monday morning they were driving toward Ohio for a missions conference when they hit a patch of black ice on a bridge.

Later Matt described it like this,

“the back wheels started sliding around and it was almost as if there was a bulls eye on [their little 3 year old daughter] Azlynns door and she slid right into the pole. The windows exploded. The airbags blew out. And…umm… I held her in my arms as she took her last breath.”

Just this week, Iran sentenced a 34 year old pastor and father of two, Yousef Nadarkhani, to be hanged for becoming a Christian.

Here are two Christian families in their late 20s and mid 30s, in Iran and NC. Both have two young children. Both are serving the Lord in full time Christian ministry. And yet God is allowing them to go through fiery trials.

This evening we conclude one of the key themes in this letter with the question: How can you, as a Christian, find joy in fiery trials?

Remember the context of 1 Peter 4? Peter’s talking about suffering. What does suffering usually do to our focus? It keeps our focus on eternity. Suffering makes us long for heaven.

When everything’s going well we often feel drawn to this life. When you’re driving down the highway to Florida for you dream vacation, and you nearly get run off the road, you say “Thank you Lord for sparing my life. I want go to heaven. But not today. ”

When everything’s going well, we often feel drawn to this life. Suffering is a tool God allows to wean us from this earth, to fix our eyes on heaven.

When we’re suffering, it’s a comfort to know that “the end of all things is at hand,” that Christ is coming again. And His coming is imminent-it could be any day.

So what do we do in the mean time? How do we occupy til He comes? How can we prepare for the end? Peter gives us four ways.

When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses, a 5-foot rattle snake slithered onto his central Washington property.

Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and used a shovel to chop off its head. A few more strikes to the head left it sitting under a truck.

Anderson said, “When I reached down to pick up the head, it raised around and did a backflip almost, and bit my finger. I had to shake my hand real hard to get it to let loose.”

His wife insisted they go to the hospital, and by the time they arrived at Prosser Memorial Hospital 10 minutes later, Mr. Anderson’s tongue was swollen and the venom was spreading. He then was taken by ambulance 30 miles to a Richland hospital to get the full series of 6 shots of anti-venom he needed to save his life.

They say a snake can still strike for an hour even after its head is cut off. If another rattlesnake comes along, Anderson said he’ll probably try to kill it again, but said next time he’ll grab a shovel and bury it right there.

The 1st mention of the Gospel was to a snake in Genesis 3:15, God tells the serpent Satan, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Satan is a defeated foe (Col. 2:15), but he’s still a dangerous foe. Like the head of a dead snake, he can still do damage, he can still bruise us.

…

In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter tells his readers “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood.”

Certainly God breathed out some difficult doctrine and scripture through the apostle Paul. Ironically Peter’s passage here in 1 Peter 3:18-22 is considered one of the hardest to interpret in all the New Testament. But we know that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable” for our lives. So let’s strap on our thinking caps and look for the doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that God has for us in this difficult text.

This year’s Couples Conference will be held at Cambria Suites in Noblesville off Exit 10. Dr. Bob Loggans, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown, WI, will be our speaker. He was ordained in November of 1982 and has counted Psalm 40:8 as a favorite verse throughout his years in ministry: I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart. He has served as the pastor of two churches, as an evangelist, and as a faculty, staff and administrative member of Maranatha Baptist Bible College. He currently teaches at Maranatha on an adjunct basis and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.

He received an M.A. and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Maranatha. He and his wife, Pamela, have four children. In his free time, Dr. Loggans enjoys walking, reading, biking, hunting and music.

Session 1- Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Session 2- Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

Session 3- Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Almost all of us have something that we fear. Some of those fears are a little more unique than others. I read about some phobias this week that I’d never heard of before:

Peladophobia: the fear of bald people.
Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people.
Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple.
Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights.
Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings.
Odontophobia: fear of teeth.
Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.

I think many of us fear the unknown. Many Christians fear being attacked by a hostile world. Parents fear seeing their children targeted in a world that’s increasingly hostile to their faith.

But in v. 14, Peter tells Christians facing extreme persecution, “Be not afraid of their terror (intimidation), neither be troubled.”

Our response to this world’s intimidation and hostility does not need to be fear. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

In fact, v. 15 says there is a hope that is in us. Our response to this world’s hostility should be hope, not fear.

This morning we saw why we should love life. Tonight we’ll see why we should love the good life. Look at verse 10 “For he that will love life, and see good days.”

This is what most people today want-the good life. They want to love life and see good days.

That’s what we say to each other “Have a good day.” Our founding documents say that’s our inalienable right-life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We want a happy life. We want the good life.

The problem is we look in the wrong places. Most people think they’ll find the good life in cars, houses, money, clothes, drugs, alcohol, etc.

Solomon is an biblical example. We saw this in Ecclesiastes. Here’s the man who has everything. 2 Chron. 9:4 says the Queen of Sheba had her breath taken away by all his wealth and power. But Solomon says in Eccles. 2:17 after all his pursuits of happiness, “Therefore I hated life.”

How many people today really love life and see truly good days?

Join us for Sanctity of Life Sunday on January 21, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. We will celebrate life with our annual Baby Dedication and hear why it’s so important to protect the rights of the unborn. We will also hear a testimony from a church member who works each week at the LifeCenters giving hope to young women to help them make the right choice.

On Saturday, January 28, Colonial Hills Baptist Church is hosting a 1-1-1 Purity Conference designed to give tools of success to teens for purity in their generation.  The keynote speakers are Dr. Rand Hummel and Dr. Jim Schettler.  A church van is leaving at 8:30 a.m. and will return at 5:30 p.m.  Cost is $19 with lunch provided.

We’re in a section of this letter where Peter calls us as Christians to submit to God-given authorities. In chapter 2, he tells Christians citizens to submit to government authorities, even pagan authorities. He tells Christians employees to submit to their bosses, even mean bosses. We saw last week that he calls wives to submit to their own husbands, even unsaved husbands, because through her testimony and life, he may be won to Christ.

But in verse 7, Peter turns to the men. So, husbands, if you were “amening” a little too loudly lastly week, if you were thinking “Hey. This is great. I always thought I liked Peter the bold fisherman. He really was a man’s man. He told the women and let us off the hook.” Actually verses 1-6 were just the bait to get us on the hook and this week he’s going to reel us in.

During a wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the pastor with an unusual offer: “Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. Just leave out the part about ‘love, honor and be faithful to her forever.’ He slipped the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied.

On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom’s vows, the pastor looked the young man in the eye and said, “Will you promise to obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God that you’ll never even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?”

The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes,” then leaned toward the pastor and hissed, “I thought we had a deal.”

The pastor put the $100 bill into the groom’s hand and whispered, “She made me a better offer.”

We laugh at how extreme those wedding vows are, but many people today would look at our text-and say “That is extreme.” 1 Pet. 3:1 says, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands…”

Why does that idea sound so repulsive to modern Americans? Why is “submission” such a dirty word today?

I think the primary reason is abuse, so before we look at what this passage says submission is, let’s see what it’s not?

Moms4Moms meets this Thursday. In fact, M4M meets the second Thursday of every month from 10-11:30 am to encourage young mothers of preschool through school age students and to equip them to grow their families for God’s glory. This year’s teaching series is entitled The Promised One. Come join us as we see Christ in the book of Genesis.

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Promo from Crossway on Vimeo.

Remember God’s blessings in 2011 with a special service including a year-in-review video and a light supper. Please bring a dozen sandwiches and chips or cookies for Saturday, Dec. 31st. The service will last from 6-7 pm. Supper will be served at 7:00.

During the Christmas season, we hear a lot of Christmas carols. But one of the most popular is, “Silent Night.” And not just for Christians, but for all Americans.

I was amazed when I went online and found it’s been performed by everyone from the Vienna Boys Choir to Willie Nelson, from Nat King Cole to Neil Diamond, from Johnny Cash to Josh Groban, from Bing Crosby to Boyz2Men.It’s a very popular song.

And to tell the truth, it’s one of my favorites. But even though it’s a popular song, have you ever thought about the words? Was it really a silent night? The night, of course, refers to the night of Jesus’ birth. And for those of you who remember your first baby’s birth, “Was it that silent?”

Remember Mary went into labor that night. And as far as I know most of us wouldn’t characterize childbirth with words like “mild” or “calm” or “silent.” And most newborns aren’t very good at sticking to noise curfews either, are they? Then you add a stable of barnyard animals, and it’s somewhat difficult to believe that it was really a silent night.Maybe it wasn’t really a silent night.

And yet all of us this Christmas want a silent night. And I don’t just mean that the neighbor kid would turn down his music.  I’m referring to the silent night of your soul. “Does your soul feel safe at night? Do you sleep in heavenly peace? What if you passed away in your sleep? Where would you go?

When I was kid I prayed “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray thee Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake I pray thee Lord my soul to take.”

I was praying for a silent night. That I could rest secure. That I could sleep knowing my soul was safe.

Do you know if you died tonight, that your soul would be safe? Do you sleep in heavenly peace?

In this sermon, we’ll look at three silent nights that will answer these questions.

For the past few years I’ve begun my Christmas sermons with a popular Christmas song-”Silent Night,” “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” and last year “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” Probably all of us have favorite Christmas songs that we enjoy hearing and singing this time of year.

This morning we’re going to look at what many have called the first Christmas song. A song that can bring peace to our worry-filled hearts.

In the first part of Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to two women telling them they’re pregnant. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah are “well stricken in years” that phrase was used of people in their 80s, but in v. 13, Gabriel tells Zechariah his wife is expecting. Then in v. 28 Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will be pregnant.

Two women find out they are expecting baby boys with two different reactions. One elderly married woman who couldn’t get pregnant was told she would be. Her young unmarried cousin who shouldn’t be pregnant is told she’s about to be.

How would you react if you were Mary? She’s probably about 15 years old, and an angel pops out of nowhere and tells you you’re going to have a baby-who is the Son of God.

Like Mary, you may have a lot to worry about. And so you need to hear Mary’s song.

In a few days, my wife and I will get on a plane with our two girls and head down to Grammy’s house in Raleigh, NC. Now I love my in-laws. And I love southern winters. I lived in the south for eight years. And it’s nice when “a really cold day” is in the low 40s.

And yet there’s something about going out on Christmas day to play football in t-shirts and even shorts, that just doesn’t seem right to someone like me who grew up in Indiana.

A couple years ago, her family took us to see the musical “White Christmas.” You even got a free cookie and hot chocolate at intermission. But all the talk about a “White Christmas” seemed a little artificial since it was in the mid 60s outside. We weren’t even wearing jackets.

I find it interesting that Irving Berlin reportedly wrote the song, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” at the side of his pool in LA.

Yet that’s the reason the song is so popular. Because no matter where you’re at this time of year, the song stirs up Christmas emotions.

They say Bing Crosby’s version sold 50 million copies. And when you count other versions, the song has sold 100 million. It’s ranked as the #1 Christmas song of all time.

But what really made the song popular was the way it struck a chord with the soldiers fighting in the WWII. And with their families who were waiting for them back home.

Imagine being a young kid in WWII on the other side of the world. Some of you were. You’re eating army rations or starving in a POW camp. Fearing for your life. Thousands of miles away from your family and your home. Or imagine being a family member.

And think of those words. I’ll just read them and spare you my singing.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

You see the soldiers’ dream was for more than just frozen precipitation or some Yankee weather. It was what? An aching longing to be home. They wanted the war to be over. They wanted to go home and enjoy their families and live their lives.

For them dreaming of a white Christmas was a noble dream-an aching longing for a better future.

And yet long before WWII, someone else was dreaming a similar dream. Someone else had an aching longing for a better future. And that someone was God.

And here in this passage, 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah tells us about God’s aching longing.

And in v. 18 we read, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

This is the white Christmas God is longing for-for us-that our lives stained by crimson-red, would be washed as white as snow.

At the conclusion of Sunday night’s service we will celebrate Pastor’s 60th birthday with a short video and a cupcake reception in the Fellowship Hall. Remember to keep it a surprise and be sure to wear black Sunday night.

Tomorrow (Dec. 10) at Loose’s Carriage House, ladies are invited to “Christmas Memories,” a ladies’ Christmas program and brunch from 10 am- 12 pm. Tickets are $5. Teenage girls are also welcome. Contact the church office at (765) 643-7853 for tickets.

There are a lot of Christmas questions I could ask you today, like…

Will you be traveling out of town?
Will you be seeing friends and family?
Have you finished your shopping?

But my question for you this morning is “Who are you kissing this Christmas?”

Now when I ask that question, the first thing we probably think of is famous song sung in 1952 by a 13 year boy, named Jimmy Boyd who told us about how he saw his mommy kissing Santa Claus. The song was commissioned by Neiman Marcus to promote their store’s Christmas card that year.

But the Catholic Church in Boston condemned the song for mixing kissing and Christmas, but little Jimmy met with the Archdiocese and explained that kissing under the mistletoe has been a longtime Christmas tradition. After the meeting the ban was lifted, and the song went on to become the year’s #1 hit. It has become a classic—sung by many famous artists over the decades. And even made into a movie a few years ago.

Now regardless of what you think of the song, you’d have to admit, that it’s a clever idea. Clearly Santa is just Daddy in disguise, but to little eyes this would be a scandal.

And so that brings us back to my question for you this morning is “Who will you be kissing this Christmas?”

Let me make some recommendations of who you should kiss. Here’s my top 4.

#4 Kiss your mom.

That’s just a no brainer. If your mom’s still alive, kiss her.

#3 Kiss your kids.

I love kissing my little girls they’re so cute and cuddly and kissable.
Maybe you say “But my kids are in their 60s. They’re not cute, cuddly or kissable.” Well kiss them anyway.

#2 Kiss your spouse.

This is something you should do all the time. I read recently that the way a wife can keep her husband loyal is by giving him a 6 second kiss every morning before he goes out the door. Try it this week. You may gross your kids out. You may want to brush your teeth before he goes to work. But kiss your spouse.

This brings us to the #1 Person you should kiss this Christmas. And that is the Person of Jesus Christ. Kiss the Son of God.

If this sounds a little strange, it’s because we need to understand Ps. 2. This was written 1,000 years before the first Christmas—by David the great King of Israel.

Be sure to mark your calendar for upcoming Christmas events this month:

Dec. 10, 10a- Ladies’ Christmas Brunch at Looses’ Carriage House

Dec. 13, 6:30p- Indiana Christian Academy Christmas Program

Dec. 16, 7p- Old Brass Ball Game at Heritage Hall Christian School in Muncie; 5:30p Junior High

Dec. 17, 7p- Teen Christmas Party at Dave and Cindy Luttrull’s house

Dec. 18, 6p- Cantata “Gift of a Lifetime”

Dec. 21, 7p- Caroling and Cocoa

Dec. 24, 5p- Christmas Eve Candle Light service

Dec. 31, 6-8p- New Year’s Eve Year-in-Review service and supper

There are many people today, including Christians, who are angry and bitter and critical. But they would justify it by saying, “But you don’t know what happened to me? This person has hurt me, or mistreated me or let me down. Therefore I have the right to criticize or slander and hold a grudge against him.”

Other Christians say, “I’ve been hurt unjustly, but I will not become bitter, I will not retaliate and criticize and slander. I choose to return evil for good, to bless rather than curse.”

If you had to choose between 2 options this morning:
2 answers on a test, A or B. Would you say…
A) I’m willing to suffer. Or
B) I’m wanting my rights?

I think most people today would want their rights.

Everyone wants their rights-ethnic rights, reproductive rights, immigrant rights, homosexual rights, workplace rights. And they’ll express their grievances with walkouts or boycotts or strikes or even political uprisings.

Now I’m not saying there’s never a place for arbitration between labor and management. The Bible says “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (1 Tim. 5:18). The Bible has a lot to say about working hard and giving an honest day’s work and it also talks about paying people fairly and taking care of the less fortunate.