CLOTHING

Fads in the clothing industry are nothing new. We are driven by mass media and marketing to purchase new styles so others will not think we are “behind the times.” There is clothing that will never go out of style and those who accept Christ as their Savior will be the only ones to have it. Not only will it always be “in”, it will never wear out!

For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, ³inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. ⁴For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 2 Corinthians 5:2 - 5 (NASB)

We may have to wait for heaven to be clothed with our new body, but meantime we have “clothing” that is awesome if we pay attention.

Christ is our Clothing…

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 - 28 (NASB)

We are told to take off the old and put on the new…

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ¹⁰and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— Colossians 3:9 - 10 (NASB)

We have the clothing of humility that we are to wear…

…and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another 1 Peter 5:5b (NASB)

Then there is the awesome promise of our heavenly clothing…

‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:5 (NASB)

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us for apart from Him we can do nothing. If we hold to these Biblical truths and trust in the One who created us…we shall overcome.

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ETERNALLY

People look at me funny when I tell them that I am a pastor of worship and youth. “Does it pay well?” they ask. My response may be something like, “Well, I’m making less now than when I finished my Master’s Degree in 1983.” Their response is usually something between “Don’t you want to succeed in life?” to “Why don’t you get a real job?”

What a perfect opportunity to share Jesus with them. For those of us that know Him, and the future that we look forward to with Him, this is a no-brainer. After all, once these physical bodies of ours die, we get new ones that will never wear out.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (KJV)

We also know that it doesn’t matter what you’ve accumulated down here on earth. We could have millions of dollars stashed away, but when it’s time to face the judgment of God, that won’t mean a thing. The saying “You can’t take it with you” is well known even among non-Christians, but I don’t think the full meaning is grasped.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19 - 21 (NASB)

My treasures are the souls of those who have accepted the Lord because of my prayers and sharing the Lord. My treasures are seeing those who have accepted the Lord, follow Him and lead others to a saving knowledge of Him as well.

“Ok, but you’ll never have all the ‘good things’ of life,” some might say. “You’re wrong” is my response. I have the ONLY good thing of life, Jesus Christ. He is not only LIFE, but also the Truth and the Way to happiness. I have never wanted for anything that I needed since I have been with Him.

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PARALLEL

This WORD is somewhat different, though directly from the book of Nehemiah. The Lord brought to my mind this morning the parallel between the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem and our project of The SPRING Student Center. I know it was from Him for I had not been reading the book, nor had I for some time.

Nehemiah (NKJV)

Chapter 1

³And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

The mechanism to bring people to Christ is broken down. The youth center’s that existed in the past are no more. The churches are experiencing in-fighting, splitting and growth by movement, not salvation.

⁴So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Our Bible study has prayed for over a year for this problem.

Chapter 2

…So I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

We prayed to God and went to the City for a building permit to build a House of Ministry for teens called The SPRING.

¹⁶And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

God was moving along so quickly that I only shared with the people in the Bible study. I had not as of yet shared with the “official” ministers in the town.

¹⁸And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

Then we were able to share the plans with a larger group including two of the “official” ministers in the town, and they saw it was good.

Chapter 4

¹But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

News came that one of the “official” ministers was upset because that was their dream.

¹⁵And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.

God’s work continued on, bathed in prayer.

Chapter 6

¹⁵So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

Other attacks will come (6:1-14), but by prayer and perseverance, it will be accomplished. I wouldn’t be surprised if we finished in 52 days!

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PRAISE

Praise the LORD!

Praise the name of the LORD;

Praise Him, O servants of the LORD,

Psalm 135:1

Last night people from seven churches came together to praise the Lord.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

² Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

³ Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.

Psalm 105:1-3

God was glorified through the message of His Word. He is the common denominator in every church that follows Christ.

Sing for joy to God our strength;

Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

Psalm 81:1

People sang outside their comfort zones as they sought to praise the Almighty.

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

For He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

² The Lord has made known His salvation;

His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.

Psalm 98:1-2

The victory is indeed the Lord’s, for apart from Him we can do nothing. He has revealed Himself through the workings in the hearts of His people.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Have a blessed Lord’s Day and remember…

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ENEMIES

All of us have undoubtedly been disliked by someone and sometimes for no apparent reason. It might be jealousy or they may simply have had a bad day. It’s not a great feeling for us either way!

However, we have enemies out there that are not flesh and blood.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

God gives us armor for the battle as Paul goes on to explain in verses 14-18: Truth, Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, God’s Word and Prayer.

I think Paul saved the “Big Guns” for last: Salvation, the Bible and Prayer. David’s prayer in Psalm 59:1-17 is wonderful for both human and spiritual adversaries. You should read the whole passage, but I wanted to give you a couple of excerpts:

¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Defend me from those who rise up against me.

² Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,

And save me from bloodthirsty men.

Notice David’s plea for mercy so that God’s power might be revealed.

¹¹ Do not slay them, lest my people forget;

Scatter them by Your power,

And bring them down,

O Lord our shield.

Finally, David continues in an attitude of worship despite his enemies because he knows and trusts that God is greater and will keep him safe.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy.

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LISTENING

Some people are better listeners than others are. I’m sure you must have a friend who listens to every word you say before responding. That’s nice, isn’t it?

Then, there are others who, when we talk to them, appear to be listening, but in actuality are merely waiting for their turn to speak! That’s a little frustrating, especially when they say something to us that we had just said to them.

We need to be just as careful listening to what God says to us, both through prayer and especially through His Holy Word. Take the case of Balaam for example in Numbers 22:20-34 (NKJV):

And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” ²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

God said, “if the men come to call you” rise and go. Notice verse 21 simply says, “So Balaam rose”. He didn’t wait for them to come and call him. He simply wanted to go. Perhaps he felt it was the least path of resistance. However….

²²Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

I don’t know about you, but I would prefer that the Lord not be angry with me and I definitely don’t want to come up against him as an enemy! Look at the following verses; even his donkey was more aware of the Lord than Balaam was!

²³Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. ²⁴Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. ²⁵And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. ²⁶Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. ²⁷And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

Sometimes we blame circumstances, or other people for the problems that we come up against, not realizing that it was really us not paying attention, not listening to what God was telling us.

Sometimes we treat friends that way, don’t we? God allowed Balaam’s donkey to speak so Balaam could understand that there was a force more powerful than this animal to which he was supposed to be listening.

²⁸Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” ²⁹And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” ³⁰So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”

God can use our friends, or other people, to help us realize that we are not obeying him. When we are honest and listen to what they have to say, our eyes can be opened.

³¹Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. ³²And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. ³³The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.” ³⁴And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”

Does it seem as if God is standing in your way? Do you feel like every way you go is blocked? Then stop, pray, listen to those who care for you and get into God’s Word. When you are at that point and yield yourself to him, He will make your paths straight without any obstacles.

³⁵Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

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JOYFUL

I went to a concert last night of foot-stomping, hand-clapping music that glorified God and His Son Jesus. I looked around the room, which had a good number of people in it, and I saw many faces that were absolutely without any expression. There was no look of sadness, no look of pain and there was no look of JOY.

The Psalmist says if we trust in God, we are to rejoice:

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name

Be joyful in You. Psalms 5:11 (NKJV)

Perhaps you have troubles in your life. What is there to rejoice in?

How about the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross for you and me?

And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;

It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalms 35:9 (NKJV)

Perhaps you are not spending enough time in prayer or in His Word. The Bible says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). That means we are ALWAYS in the presence of God. The Psalmist writes of God,

In Your presence is fullness of joy; Psalms 16:11b (NKJV)

You and I are disciples of Jesus if we call ourselves Christians. Look what Luke wrote of the demeanor of the early disciples:

And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 (NASB)

One of the evidences of the Holy Spirit indwelling us is joy (Galatians 5:22). I am not saying that if you have a valid reason for grieving that you should not grieve. However, I am saying that the expression on your face is as much of a witness to others as what you say to them.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)

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UNSEEN

We ride in a car down the rode and the tires, which we cannot see, hold us up. The fuel that we cannot see winds its way through the engine causing it to turn and move the tires.

We ride in airplanes and are held up off the ground by forces and “laws” of thermodynamics that we cannot see and most of us don’t even understand!

And yet, we seem to trust these things.

Now these things, that we cannot see, can fail. The fuel may become clogged as it goes towards the engine it is supposed to drive. The air that holds the plane up may suddenly become violent or change temperatures causing us to rock about.

Both the car and the airplane will eventually wear out (the seen) and even that which is unseen (the fuel and the air) changes. But, there is One that is unseen on which we can always depend, for He is unchanging (Micah 3:6). That One is God and He has promised those who accept His Son and live for Him will have eternal life.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18 (NKJV)

"Things" which we see can break. People that we can see will let us down. Even the latest project, The SPRING Student Center, will someday come to an end. But the lives that are changed as a result, those that accept Jesus as their Savior, will live on forever. We can’t see God or eternal life, but we know by God’s Word that it is true. Those of us that have trusted God know it is true by our experience as we see His hand at work in our lives and the lives of those around us.

…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (2 Timothy 1:12b)

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WAITING

Sometimes waiting can be annoying. Especially in this “I want it now” society in which we live. But, our ways are not God’s ways are not our ways. His wisdom is far greater than ours because He is not confined to linear time as we are. God sees the whole picture. He knows what is best for us.

God will strengthen us as we wait…

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalms 27:14 (NKJV)

God will reward those who wait…

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;

But those who wait on the Lord,

They shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 37:7-9 (NKJV)

God’s Word is our main source of encouragement during our times of waiting…

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.

Psalms 130:5 (NKJV)

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ALWAYS

Having been a youth pastor for the last eleven years, I have seen a lot of kids put their trust in boyfriends or girlfriends rather than God. The problem is, whether you are considered a youth or an adult, people will inevitably let you down. Why? It’s called human nature. The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 53:2-3,

² God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

³ Every one of them has turned aside;

They have together become corrupt;

There is none who does good,

No, not one.

The New Testament writer, Paul, puts that same thought forth in Romans 3:23,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

So on whom can we ALWAYS depend? The God that saved us, Whose mercy endures forever, Who rescues us, Who is on our side; He is the One to Whom we owe thanks, allegiance, trust and love.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

² Let Israel now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

³ Let the house of Aaron now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

⁴ Let those who fear the Lord now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

⁵ I called on the Lord in distress;

The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶ The Lord is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

⁷ The Lord is for me among those who help me;

Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.

⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in man.

⁹ It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in princes.

Psalms 118:1-9

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CONTRAST

2 Corinthians 4:10 (NKJV) always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Imagine that, our bodies containing both Life and death!

We see in Paul’s words a contrast of the weakness, which marked the humiliation of Jesus’ earthly life, and the power associated with His heavenly exaltation.

In his service for Christ, Paul constantly faced death. The life of Jesus was manifested by God’s deliverance of Paul. That deliverance was evidence that Jesus is alive.

Perhaps we don’t face physical death each day in our service for the Lord, but we should experience “death” to selfishness and “life” through obedience to the Holy Spirit that now lives in us. We should be manifesting Jesus’ life by imitating the way He lived. After all, isn’t that why we call ourselves Christians?

It means “followers of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV) ⁴For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - 10 (NKJV) ⁹And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

May God richly bless you as you seek to follow Him.

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TROUBLE?

When trouble comes our way, we often get depressed or scared or think, “The whole world’s against us! If we are only looking at mortal men to help us through this then it may get really bleak at times. After all, don’t they have the same problems that we do?

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 2 Corinthians 4:8 - 9 (NKJV)

Paul looked to God Who had created all humanity and everything else. He knew that the risen Jesus was coming back to gather together those that called Him Lord. He had told them

I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b

Paul had a hope that went beyond mere humans. Not that he didn’t think of people. As we will find out later in verse 12, Paul was going through all of the problems that he faced, because of people and for people. He thought it was worth the suffering and the persecutions in order to tell everyone about the amazing saving grace of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And, He knew, that even if he were to be killed, he would still live on in the presence of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Here’s how Eugene Peterson puts those same two verses:

As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, ⁹ but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. 2 Corinthians 4:8 - 9 (TMSG)

So, the next time you’re feeling sorry for yourself, remember what Paul went through in order to get the message through to an entire world, including you, that Jesus Christ is Lord and He will save you out of any and all circumstances.

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