Stress Without Distress
Preparing for a Blessed Holiday Season

You are blessed!

• Romans 14:17 – The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
  
  • A holiday season commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ should reflect His Kingdom!
    
  • The spirit of this world is pressing even the church into its mold.

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by His boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for His children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in His mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. I Peter 1:3-5 NLT

Trust Brings Rest

• He is able to keep us!
  
  • Both our inheritance and those who receive the inheritance!
    
• He is our rest! He is our peace!
  
• Rest in Your Faith in Him!

The Centurion - Matthew 8:5

• Though he was a Gentile – God said “I will bless those that bless you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
  
• Though he was a Roman soldier, he was a godly man by faith, a ‘God-fearing Gentile.’
  
• Though he was a man of authority, he pled his servant’s case.
  
  • We also should concern ourselves for the souls of our children and those under our influence and those who are sick.
    
  • We bring them to Christ by faith and prayers.
• Though he held authority over many men, before God he was self-abased
  
  • A humble soul is made more humble by Christ’s gracious dealings with them.
    
• Though he was not trained in the Scriptures, note his great faith.
• Though he was an accomplished man, his confidence was not in himself but in Christ.
  
• Though he was a natural man, he acknowledged Jesus as a spiritual man.
  
  • He knows Jesus to “have Divine power, and a full command of all the creatures and powers of nature, as a master over his servants.” --- Matthew Henry
• Lessons from this incident:
  • A clear model of a servant of God
    
    • We must come and go, according to the directions of His word.
      
    • We are to be yielded to His providence.
  • A clear mandate to walk in faith
    
    • God is looking for faith.
      
    • If He finds no faith, He finds no fruit.
  • A clear message of God’s reaction to and approval of faith.
    
    • The servant got a cure of his disease.
      
    • The master got the approval of his faith.

The Synagogue Leader - Mark 5:21-24, 35-42

• Jairus earnestly sought out Christ for his little 12 year old daughter, who was dying.
  
• A detour cure was worked on the way.
  
• Those who, by faith, are healed of their spiritual diseases, have reason to go in peace.
  
• We are kept by the power of God.
  
• We are kept by faith!
• Just like the centurion & Jairus:
  
  • We trust and entrust all that is most important to Jesus!
    
  • We are kept by the power of God!
    
  • We are kept by faith!
    
  • Trust brings rest!

Declaring His Name

For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting,
My name will be great among the nations,
and in every place incense is going to be offered
to My name, and a grain offering that is pure;
for My name will be great among the nations,
says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 1:11

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
Proverbs 4:18

Great Commandment & Great Commission

• Matthew 28:18- 20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
  
• We are called: To Christ – To Consecration – To College – To Country
  
• We are to Go – Give – Grow – Groan

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36

The 10 Commandments

• The first four –
  • 1- No other gods Worship
  • 2- Make no idols God
  • 3- Not take His Name in vain
  • 4- Remember the Sabbath
    
• The last six –
  • 5- Honor your father & mother
  • 6- Shall not commit murder
  • 7- Shall not commit adultery
  • 8- Shall not steal
  • 9- Shall not bear false witness
  • 10- Shall not covet

Faith Promise

• Working together for a common vision.
  
• Helping hearts with a common passion become partners for a greater vision.
  
• “We have not come together to compete with one another --- but to complete one another --- Bill McCartney

What is a Faith Promise?

• A means of giving to God when you don’t have anything to give.
  
  • Trusting God for some of His money to use for His Kingdom.
    
  • CCC’s method of determining our missions outreach.
• A promise that is not based on your known resources, but on your faith.
  
  • You promise to give what your Heavenly Father will supply!
    
  • “My daddy will pay this”
• An agreement between you and God.
  
  • No one will come or call to collect it.
    
  • This promise represents your personal goal of what you want to attempt for God.
• A plan for giving to God’s work in addition to your regular tithes and offerings.
  
  • Tithe is 1/10 of your earned income,
    
  • Offerings are your sacrificial gifts as the Holy Spirit leads
    
  • Alms are compassionate giving to relieve the oppressed or of giving to the poor.
• Faith Promise giving stretches the faith of the giver past its current boundaries.
  
  • Then we see how God supplies the funds.
    
  • Faith Promise giving enables every Christian to have a part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

What is 750,000 miles long, reaches around the earth 30 times, and grows 20 miles longer each day?
Answer: The line of people who are without Christ.

A missionary is one who never gets used to the sound of heathen footsteps on their way to a Christless eternity.

Citizen Rulers - Citizen Servants

God’s Delegated Authority
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1

King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
“Peace and prosperity to you! I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.” Daniel 4:1-4 NLT

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. Psalm 33:10-12

If people are virtuous and responsible, America has 300 million policemen on duty. But if we lack virtue, we won’t be able to hire enough policemen.
...Michael Novak

Faith (or lack thereof) forms values

• Values form culture.
  
• Culture defines ethics and forms society.
  
• Society forms government either directly or indirectly.
  
• In a democracy, society forms government in the most direct way.
  
• We vote. We are citizen rulers.

If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14 

Nebuchadnezzar’s Pilgrimage

• In Daniel 2:47, he acknowledged that God revealed mysteries to Daniel.
  
• In Daniel 3:28-29 he praised the God who rescued the three Hebrews.
  
• Despite Nebuchadnezzar’s recognition that God exists and works great miracles, in Daniel 4:30 we see that he still did not acknowledge God as his Lord.

Daniel 4 Principle’s

• God is sovereign in the affairs of men.
  
• When God bring judgment on a nation, the godly are not excluded
  
• God’s people can serve Him under any circumstances.
  
• Repentance is always the right response.
  
• Righteousness is always the right action.
  
• Mercy for the down and out is the heart of God and the responsibility of those in power.

How Would Jesus Have Us Vote?

• Voting Your Values
  
• God & Government
  
• The Christians Litmus Test

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. Psalm 33:10-12

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD

• Every nation has a deity that it honors and recognizes, a national deity
  
• These false gods were drawn from myths surrounding the needs of the people.
  
  • Protection, provision, military success, fertility
    
• Modern nations still have national deities
• When Israel entered the promised land they were warned not to follow the gods of the land.
  
• We know the sad history of Israel’s deception and disobedience.
  
• We now have the same temptation in our nation.

For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us. Isaiah 33:22

If we did not have to live among intolerant, narrow-minded and violent people, I would be the first to discard all nationalism in favor of a universal humanity.
--- Albert Einstein on Oct 8, 1929 to Willy Hellpach (noted psychologist and liberal politician) during the Weimar era.

Voting Your Values

• Not callus and cynical but careful.
  
• Ambrose Pierce – “Politics is defined as strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.”
• It is not such a great concern that our democratic process is moving our expression of corporate government to the right or to the left, from the tenets of a republic to a system of socialism.
• Rather, it is our concern whether we, as a nation of many peoples, are rejecting the foundation of faith in the sovereignty of God in our lives to the exclusion of His truth and the rejection of His people.
• This is resulting in the ridicule of Christians and their faith.
  
• This very faith and its practice that has afforded our nation its privilege, prosperity, success and opportunity.

We Are Citizen Rulers!

• Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1
• Are you ready to cast your ballot?
  
• I strongly believe that voting is both a right and a privilege--the basic form of involvement in our democratic system of government, as well as our duty as Christians.
• When we vote, we help determine who will lead our nation, make our laws and protect our liberties, as well as directly decide on numerous ballot issues.
  
• With this weighty responsibility, it is absolutely critical that we exercise our right to vote this election year--as well as understand where our candidates stand on the issues that matter to values voters.

The Influence of Faith

• Our faith in God should influence our values in life, including the political arena.
• Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

If America is to survive, we must elect more God-centered men and women to public office – individuals who will seek divine guidance in the affairs of state.
--- Billy Graham

The Ministry of Voting

• When we vote, we are directly and indirectly impacting peoples lives.
  
• By the people we select and the ballot measures we support, we are making a practical difference – for good and bad – in the lives of:
  
  • Preborn children with abortion policy
    
  • Impressionable youth with pornography laws and education policy
    
  • Husbands and wives with marriage and divorce laws
    
  • Hurting souls with religious freedom laws
• Imagine the impact that Americans of faith could have on the future of our nation, the character of its leadership, and the moral health of its people if we all applied biblical principles to every aspect of our lives – including our participation in the democratic process!

Single Issue Voting

• In my most recent blog – “The Guilt of the Simple”
  
• Politics defined – Webster’s 1928
  
  • The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals. Politics, as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.

Morals

• Today’s idea of morals can be boiled down to survival of the fittest.
  
  • Therefore, the one with the biggest weapon, the largest mouth, or the highest poll numbers decides what is right or wrong, what is acceptable or unacceptable, what is moral or immoral.
    
  • This produces a startling and unfortunate reality.
    
• As Voltaire stated:  "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
• Following on the heels of Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871), Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed: “God is dead!”
  
• The result, then, is if you kill God, then you can kill ethics, and this will eventually result in killing man!
  
• There is ONE valid issue to be used as a litmus test for leadership.

The power to change!