Saturday, May 31, 2008

Privileges of Grace

Saturday morning, May 31, 2008
Unfortunately, most Christians see the Christian life as a tremendous burden of responsibilities added to their already overloaded wagon. The result is that most Christians live their lives, obviously burdened with these perceived responsibilities. Tragically, the list is never shortened; instead, it becomes longer and longer. Consequently, the burden of living the Christian life soon becomes too much and compromises of all kinds ensue.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could somehow learn that Jesus took all the responsibilities of the Christian life upon Himself and fulfilled them to God’s complete satisfaction? That is probably why He told us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
You see, because of the grace of God, the lavished grace of God, all the responsibilities that should have been ours, have been fulfilled in Jesus. In other words, He turned responsibility into privilege, and there is a difference. For example, rather than being responsible for winning the world to Jesus, we have been given the privilege of loving the lost in Jesus’ name; instead of being responsible for never causing another to stumble, we have been given the privilege of being honest, real, and transparent before them; rather than being responsible for our own spiritual growth, we have been given the privilege of resting in His finished work.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize that those of us who are Christians are the most privileged people on the planet because we have been given the privilege of calling God—Father—an incredible privilege of grace!
Because He is our Father and, therefore, desires for us to be victorious as His children, He has graced us with several very significant and practical privileges. These privileges of grace, unique to His children, are especially designed by Him to give us a sure hope, as we live our lives in this depraved society.
Over the next several days, I will be sharing with you several privileges of grace; hopefully, they will prove meaningful in your life. I offer the following sneak preview for your perusal: (1) A new confidence ; (2) A new courage; (3) A new commitment; (4) A new purpose; (5) A new attitude; (6) A new interest; (7) A new priority; (8) A new way of thinking.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

The New and Better Covenant

Thursday morning, May 29, 2008
Yesterday, I received a call from a friend, who was questioning me about Jeremiah 31, the portion of it where God says that He will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Earlier he had read an article I had written in which I indicated that the new covenant was a covenant between God and Jesus, unlike the old covenant, which was a covenant between God and Israel. Simply stated, in the old covenant God said that He would do His part, provided that Israel would do her part; but in the new covenant He said that He would do His part and our part and we would simply be the beneficiaries of His grace and mercy.
From a casual look at this Jeremiah passage, it appears that God made this new covenant between Himself and Israel, not between Himself and Jesus, as I had indicated; however, things are not always as they appear. Look at what is actually said: “’Behold days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord.’ But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34; NASB).
You see, this New Covenant was, indeed, made with Israel (True Israel, i.e. every believer, be he Jew, Gentile, or South Georgia Red Neck) but it was a covenant between God and Jesus and for good reason; otherwise, it, like the old covenant, would fail. The success of the New Covenant depends not upon our performance but upon His faithfulness. When He took us out of the equation and replaced us with Jesus, He guaranteed the success of the covenant. Remember: the Old Covenant had weaknesses (see Hebrews 8:6-7 and forward), not the least of which is this: Israel could not hold up her end of the bargain, not to mention that we (Gentiles) were excluded from it!
This new and better covenant has better promises, primarily because God and Jesus are the ones making the promises (neither of whom can lie), not man (who cannot keep a promise!), AND we (Gentiles) are included in the covenant!! Hallelujah!!
Yes, God made the New Covenant with Israel (True Israel) but, thankfully, the covenant itself is between God and Jesus—they made the promises, even the promise never to remember our sins again!!
Because he asked, I thought you might want to know, as well!

Blessings,

Mac

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Deception of Rejection

Wednesday morning, May 28, 2008
Rejection, be it perceived or genuine, always hurts and not one of us enjoys being hurt (well, at least most of us don’t!), which is why, for the life of me, I do not understand why mature people read rejection into almost everything, even when it is not present. I will never forget the reaction I received when I told a church member (years ago, now) that God loved her and so did I; she actually read rejection into my statement and didn’t speak to me for weeks! She interpreted my statement to mean that both God and I loved her but we were having a tough time doing it. Go figure.
It is my guess that some of you are doing the very same thing, even as I write this perspective. Someone has just spoken something to you, with no intention whatsoever of rejecting you; nevertheless, you read rejection into it. Please let it go—please! It will not only destroy you, but also your relationship with whomever spoke the words.
Jesus experienced rejection, the genuine brand, every day of His life but He did not allow it to define Him—not for a moment. In my opinion, we would be better off, if we took lessons from Him. Look at these examples and ponder His response:

Matthew 9:9-13: Jesus being rejected by sinners because of His love for
sinners.

Matthew 15:1-12: Jesus being rejected for speaking and teaching truth.

Matthew 26:30-40: Jesus being rejected by His closest friends at His time of greatest distress.

Matthew 26:55-56: Jesus being rejected by a devil whom He had befriended—
really befriended!

Matthew 26:57-75: Jesus being rejected by one of His dearest friends.

Matthew 27:46: Jesus being rejected by His Father.

Mark 3:1-6: Jesus being rejected because of His uncompromising
determination to walk in truth.

Mark 10:13-16: Jesus being rejected because of His love for children.

Luke 13:34-35: Jesus being rejected by His Father’s chosen people.

Romans 3:10-18: Jesus being rejected by you and me.

In my opinion, the reason Jesus handled rejection so well was because He knew that His Father accepted Him—no strings attached—and that mattered most to Him. HINT: Your Father accepts you—no strings attached—but is that what matters most? Your answer presents itself in the way you handle rejection, especially in how often you perceive rejection where it does not exist.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Waiting, Watching, & Listening!


May 27, 2008
As you might imagine (those of you that keep up with my comings and goings), my mind is a bit preoccupied with hearing what He has to say to me about the forthcoming “Celebration of Revival” at Friendship Baptist Church. Because I have no “canned” sermons that I can reopen and regurgitate, I am dependent upon Him for the messages I will preach, not my filing cabinet. Actually, I do have hundreds of sermon notes from sermons that I preached early on but may God help the poor souls who heard them. Trust me, I wouldn’t dare attempt to resurrect one of them! Truth is I don’t know why I keep them, other than the fact that it would take too much time to destroy them.
Anyway, my MO for preaching is very simple: WAIT, WATCH, & LISTEN. The waiting is the difficult part, especially when it is Tuesday and Sunday is coming—FAST! This is especially true today because I will be preaching this Sunday at a church where I have never before preached, and I really do want to honor the pastor of the church, and at the same time I want to honor The Head of the Church (Yes, thankfully, that is possible in this situation!). Most of the watching will happen AFTER I arrive at the church, which is fine but it does mean that I will have to watch carefully. If you are wondering what I will be watching for, I will tell you: I will be watching to see what He is doing in and amongst this congregation. The listening part has been going on since Bro. Gary invited me to come and preach and it will continue throughout this time of preaching. For what am I listening? Very simple: I am listening to hear whatever He has to say to me. I am not listening for Him to speak something that will give me clarity because clarity is NOT what I need; instead, I need trust. I need to trust that He will speak through me WHATEVER He wants said. Obviously, if I have clarity, I will have no need for trust and that would be a bad thing, especially in the realm of preaching!
You might be wondering why I have not mentioned the listeners, those who will be sitting under the sound of my voice, and, hopefully, hearing what He has to say; if so, the answer is simple: they are His responsibility, not mine. If I took on the task of doing what only He can do—reveal Jesus—I would be a basket case extraordinaire! Thankfully, He convinced me long ago that the church is His and He will build it without any of my help. That was a relief! All He asks of me is that I be a broken pot, out of which He can pour the water of life. Don’t ask me why He prefers broken pots because I do not know, nor do I care! I am simply thrilled that He does.
Anyway, as I wait, watch and listen, I would really appreciate your prayers for me and for them! Who knows, if you pray and God moves, why He might just stick a geranium in your cracked pot!

Blessings and love,
Mac

Sunday, May 25, 2008

A Wedding I Will Never Forget!





I met Jereme & Corrie several months ago, maybe even a year ago, and soon, thereafter, she came into church one Sunday morning, showing off an engagement ring--a beautiful engagement ring. Sometimes in the next week or so, she asked me if I would officiate at her wedding and I, of course, said, "Yes!"

Well, last night I did just that--May 24, 2008, Corrie Nesmith became Mrs. Jereme Dame! Now, I don't have any idea just how many weddings are under my belt but there are many, but this one was different--uniquely, different.

You see, when Corrie was roughly sixteen years old, she was in an automobile accident that left her paralyzed and unable to use her legs. The Docs told her that she would never walk again but they didn't know Corrie!

Admittedly, every time I have ever been around Corrie, she was in her wheel chair, moving in and out like a pro, but that was NOT to be on her wedding night! Corrie made up her mind quite a while ago that she would WALK done the church aisle to her waiting husband-to-be and WALK she did! I wish all of you could have been present and witnessed the miracle! It was just incredible!

In the first place, as you can see from the pictures, Corrie is drop dead gorgeous but last evening, as she began taking those 25 steps to the altar, she look like an angel--breathtakingly beautiful! Jereme could hardly contain his emotions, nor I for that matter.

But that is not all: she stood at the altar during the entire wedding ceremony, did everything she was supposed to do, then arm-in-arm with her husband, she walked out of the sanctuary!! There was not a dry eye in the place, certainly not mine! The truth is I was in His Presence experience one of those Divine Moments that thrill my soul. It is a wonder that I remembered even half of what I was supposed to say!! (I think I got it all in!).

Corrie had her rehab people make some braces for her legs that served to stabilize her somewhat, at least to keep her on her feet, but folks I witnessed a miracle--a real, geniune, miracle!!

But there is more: take a look at the picture of Corrie and Jereme dancing at the reception. I am telling you, I saw a miracle and I loved it!!

May God bless this precious couple, as they begin the journey we call Christian marriage. I have the feeling that lazy, "I can't do it," slothful, faithless people will be unable to stand in her presence for very long.

Wow! I am still bouncing off the wall and very thankful that He saw fit to allow me to have a part in this incredible experience!!

Grace and peace,
Mac

Saturday, May 24, 2008

You Have Received an Inheritance!


Dear Fellow Travelers,

It is my guess that you would respond very positively to the news that you had been made an heir of someone’s estate, especially a very large estate; however, if you are like me, you probably don’t have any such expectations. Even so, take heart because both Peter and Paul make it very clear that your Father, the God of the universe, has chosen to make you an heir of His estate. Wow! That should get your attention! Obviously, the value of His estate far exceeds the value of any earthly estate; so much so that the value of the later pales in comparison to the value of the former, not to mention that the substance of His estate is imperishable, undefiled, and will never fade away. Listen closely as you read the following:

(1) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5; emphasis mine).

(2) He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him also we have received an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:9-12; emphasis mine).

As you might guess, if you are reading along with me from 1 Peter, my message tomorrow will be an attempt to make you aware of the benefits and blessings of being an heir of His estate.
WARNING: This message will NOT be appealing to the religious!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

She is All Grown-up Now!


It was 1976; I was 34 and she was 8. I was an EMT and she was a beautiful little girl. She was busy exploring the meat market in a local, country grocery store; I was busy running the meat market in my own grocery store. The call came and I hurriedly left my meat market to travel to "her meat market," where she had just stuck her right hand into the hamburger grinder. Whoever called was in a panic and rightly so! I will never, ever forget that ambulance call, nor will I ever forget the little girl I transported to what was then the Macon Hospital (I don't think the name had changed then). What I remember most is that she never shed a tear--not even one. In 1976 my daughter, Amy, was also 8 years old, so you might imagine at least some of my feelings. Anyway, 32 years have come and gone, since that fateful day, and, if my memory serves me correctly, I haven't seen her since, though I have never forgotten her! Roughly 2 1/2 years ago, Annis told me that Teresa had been hired to work in the program at Central Georgia Tech,where Annis was working. In all of my comings and goings at CGTC, since Annis has been employed there, I have never laid eyes on Teresa UNTIL yesterday, when I stopped by Annis' office to tell her something. Realizing that a lady was discussing something with Annis, I was politely waiting on her to finish, when all of a sudden, it hit me and I exclaimed, "Are you who I think you are?" Obviously, she was and my mind and heart went back 32 years, and all I could see was a little, barefoot, 8 year old girl with blood all over her, and one hand mangled beyond recognition. The blood has long since been cleaned and the hand has healed and she is even more beautiful now than she was then and that is saying something about her. Believe it or not, she can tie her own shoes!! I am of the opinion that the whiners of our society couldn't stand long in Teresa's presence, not because of Teresa but because of her tenacity.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

What is Truth?

Monday evening, May 19, 2008
As you well-know, I was born in Adam—dead to God, alive to sin, totally depraved, sinful, sinning, hopeless, helpless, with no interest in Jesus or in His gift of eternal life whatsoever—and on my way to an eternal hell. Thankfully, God intervened!
At His initiative and completely against my will, He dragged me, kicking and screaming to the cross, and there He placed that Adamic man into Christ Jesus and saw to it that he was crucified (killed!) in Christ on the cross. Thankfully, he did not stop there! When Jesus was placed in His borrowed tomb, God saw to it that that Adamic man was buried in Christ in that tomb. Listen to the word of Paul, as he explains: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20); “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:2-4). Anyway you cut it, that old, sinful, sinning, dead-to-God, Adamic man is dead, buried, and no longer exists!! Hallelujah!! But there is, yet, more!
Did you see the hint at the end of Romans 6:4— “so we too might walk in newness of life”? The grave could not hold Jesus; there was a resurrection—His resurrection! Now, listen up because some believe an error at this point—a terrible error. Although that old Adamic man was crucified and buried in Jesus, he was NOT resurrected in Jesus’ resurrection! No! No! As a result of Jesus resurrection, God brought forth a new creation “me”, a completely new creation, one with absolutely no kinship to Adam! “Therefore if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; old things passed away, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It was this new creation “me” that came running to Jesus eagerly and excitedly in response to His call, and, thankfully, He welcomed me with open arms!!
Upon my arrival, He gave me the gift of faith, the faith that would not only enable me to believe the good news about Jesus’ and His vicarious work on the cross, but also produce in me a genuine attraction to and for Jesus. As a result of His vicarious work and the faith He gave me, I am justified and glorified! Paul said it this way: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called, and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, the He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).
Now, don’t attempt to dissect this to the point of missing the point, but I would love to read you comments, be they positive or negative.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Friendship Baptist Revival


I received this flyer from Gary Horton, pastor of Friendship Baptist, announcing the upcoming revival. I hope you can attend and experience this incredible opportunity with me.

Grace lavished,
Mac

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Are You Ready?

It is my prayer that you are planning on being at GCF in the morning; I am looking forward to seeing you. Hopefully, you are eager to worship, to share in the Word, and to celebrate the Eucharist.

Grace lavished,
Mac

Thursday, May 15, 2008

It is Thursday and Sunday is Coming!

Today I spent a bit of time considering the text for Sunday's message and I must admit that it was quite challenging. Peter said that we have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father BY the sanctifying work of the Spirit. It is the last part of that line that I want to deal with for this week's message--BY the sanctifying work of the Spirit.As you can see, this puts quite a different light on the subject of justification by faith.

Please read this passage (verse 2) prior to Sunday and give the Holy Spirit opportunity to speak to your heart concerning it.

I am looking forward to seeing you then!

Blessings,
Mac

Monday, May 5, 2008

Wednesday Night Covered Dish


Dudley and Debbie Bluhm have invited us to their house for our monthly covered dish and I accepted the invitation on behalf of all of us! Please bring a dish (covered or not) with some of your finest cooking and plan to have a great time. If would like a swim or a visit to the hot tub, bring a bathing suit (in other words, no nude bathing). I am looking forward to seeing you at 7:00 PM this Wednesday evening at the Bluhm's new house.

Blessings,
Mac