The Hopeless Hamster Wheel

Many of us had hamsters when we were kids or our kids had hamsters.  If you had a hamster, you have to have had a hamster wheel.  That’s half the fun of having a hamster.  Just watching the poor hamster hamster was fun.  Does that tell us how old we are?  When we were kids, having fun was easy and cheap.  I remember the first video game we had, Pong.  After Pong all the video games became to complex for me.  I never did get the hang of Atari asteroids.  Some of the things I did as a kid, I now question.  I used to shoot sparrow with my BB gun that I got for my 8^th birthday.  No good reason!  Just did it.  Same with frogs.  Now I realize God was watching each of His Sparrows fall.  If I had known that then, I would not have done it. 

Sometime I think that God looks at us like that hamster on the wheel or the dog chasing his tale.  We run around trying to do good works, thinking somehow we are making God happy, or are more pleasing to Him, or even some of us think we if we are good enough, God will save us.  There are entire religions that believe that.  Surprise!!!!!  Even on our best day we don’t come close to saving ourselves.  If we really think about it, we realize how stupid that is.  If we could be good enough, it would have been a cruel joke to make His Son be beaten, hung on a cross to die if we could save ourselves.

 Every week I talk to visitors at the food pantry where Linda and I volunteer.  We ask each visitor if we can pray with them, 99 percent say “yes”.  Many of them are crying after I pray a simple prayer with them, expressing God’s unfathomable love for them.  I usually ask them if they are a Christian or if they died tonight, are they sure they would go to heaven.  The majority say “Yes”.  Most confidently tell me they have accepted Jesus as their personal savior.  Most do not attend a church. Many have abandoned organized religion. Many are suffering the consequences of poor choices, drugs and/ alcohol.  Many are grandpasrent taking care of grandchildren abandoned by their parents.  Yesterday I had a lady whose daughter was in jail and she was taking care of 3 children, 8,4 and 7 months.  A few weeks ago I had a man tell me he was “trying to be a Christian”.  I explained to him that being a Christian is not something you try to be.  You either are or are not.  You may try to be more “Christ-like”; but you can not work at being a Christian.  If you think you can, then you are trying to save yourself through good works.  It is sort of like a cow trying to be a cow by giving more milk.  Giving milk does not make a cow.  Doing good works do not make a Christian.  I asked if he knew he was a sinner.  He said “Yes”.  I asked if he believed that Jesus had died for his sins and that God had raised him from the dead.  Again he said “yes” but that he was struggling with doing the right things.  I told him that so was I; but that based on God’s word that he was saved.

John 3:16 says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Paul told the Romans:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

“there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Paul told the Ephesians:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

Jesus died and paid for all our sins: past, present and future.  He died once for all.  The work has been done! You can’t help Him!  Jesus died for ALL your sins.  He paid for ALL your sins.  Even the ones you forgot!  Don’t kid yourself, our memories are not that good.  As we get older, we have trouble remembering what we had for lunch.  If our salvation depends on our remembering all of our sins and confessing them, we are all in for a very hot future that makes global warming look like a walk in the park!  If the law of the Old Testament could have saved the Jews, Jesus would not have had to die!  When we think we need to help God, it is pride that is telling us this.  The thief on the cross did not confess each sin.  He acknowledged that he was a sinner and asked for God’s grace and God gave it to him.

Good works flow out of a saved sinner as that sinner is sanctified through and by the Word of God which is Spirit, Light and Truth.

Remember:

            Jesus + Anything = Nothing

            Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Is your theology as sound as an aspirin?

Did you know that aspirin is the most widely used medication in the world?  Did you know that the active ingredient in aspirin occurs naturally in the bark of the willow tree?  Did you know that the therapeutic use of the willow tree bark was known for 2400 years and it was prescribed by Hippocrates for the treatment of headaches?  Did you know that the typical aspirin contains 90% active ingredient and only 10% filler?

Now, you ask, “What has that to do with theology?”.   Well, how much of your view of God is based on useless filler tradition and how much of it is active ingredient, sound Biblical truth?  How much of the teachings and sermons preached in today’s churches, is inert filler?  How much is stories and humor to keep the folks in the pews comfortable?  How much is myth?  Recently we had a sermon about the myths of the traditional Christmas story.  Much of the Christmas story is Hallmark generated.  There were no 3 kings at the manger in Bethlehem.  There were no kings, period!  There were magi but we don’t know how many! The inn was not a commercial inn with a grumpy inn keeper.  There is no mention of the star of Bethlehem, although there was a star.  The magi were not present with the shepherds.  Now none of these “myths” are harmful but they are not accurate. 

There are, however, myths taught in many churches that resemble the false teachings of the Pharisees. The Pharisees added to the law of Moses.  Paul warned the Corinthians to follow the principle of “nothing beyond what is written".  Adding to the Word, started in the Garden of Eden.  Eve tells satan that they were not to eat of the tree or even touch it.  There is no record of God telling Adam anything about touching the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Maybe Adam added that when conveying the message to Eve; sort of like when we tell our kids, “Don’t even think about it!”

Why do I mention all of this?  I want each of us to examine our theology and determine how much is based on tradition and how much is really based on the Word of God.  How much is based on our personal experiences trying to make us feel better, to justify ourselves?  It could not be that my faith is smaller than a mustard seed!  It could not be that my faith is smaller that a single atom of Hydrogen, the smallest element on the Periodic Table?  How much of it is based on making the people in the pews feels better? How much is based on some theologian who has been dead for years?  How much is based on being politically correct?  How much is based on what some guy in Rome, with a funny hat, said?  How much is based of what is taught in some liberal seminary someplace?  How much is based on what some "denomination" tells you is correct? How much is said in order to get the people in the pews to fund more brick and mortar, to keep the A/C and heat on?  

Isn't it amazing what happened in the Church in Acts, before A/C, before surround sound, before digital projection.  The Word was preached.  God confirmed His Word with signs and wonders.  Thousands joined the church in a single day!  

If the proof is in the pudding, today's church is in big trouble! Jesus said: "these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."  He did not say, "these signs shall accompany  the apostles or these signs shall accompany  the 12 disciples".  He DID say, "these signs shall accompany  those who believe" 

Let the WORD do its’ work!  God needs us to preach it!  The Holy Spirit can do the rest! He does not need us to expand on it or expound on it!  He does not need us to explain it! How many times does He need to say something before we accept it?  He does not need us to understand it all.  If we could, it would not be called “faith”.  Your mind, my mind is not big enough to understand it.  We just need to do it!  Do His Word!  There is nothing that we can add that will help it.  May God’s WORD INCREASE!  May man’s words decrease!

Paul told the young Timothy:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove , rebuke , exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

Follow the example of the aspirin, 90% active ingredient, 10% inert filler.