Postmodern Renaissance Pastor

Friday, November 20, 2009

Beyond the Normal Seek Out New Life

Psalm 8


 

Unidentified means we don't know

What does the Bible have to do with flying saucers, little green men, and aliens?

Unidentified flying object is a technical term that has been parodied

Are there U.F.O.'s in the Bible? Yes

2 Kings 2:11 – Elijah's final ride

Ezekiel 1:15-21 – Ezekiel's wheels

Exodus 13:21-22 – pillars

There are also creatures that cannot be explained

Ezekiel 1:5-10 – creatures of four faces

Revelation 4:6-8 – four creatures around the throne

Isaiah 6:1-6 – Seraphim

Genesis 6:4 – Nephilim (Numbers 13:33; 1 Samuel 17:4)

Job 40:15-18 – Behemoth

Job 41:1ff – Leviathan

Does this mean that UFO's and aliens are real?


 

Faith and God

This sermon series has never tried to divide along real or not

It has been the issue of responding to the subject

For believers in UFO's it is real for them and they have to be dealt with as with any religious believer

Some people see no inconsistency between believing in God and UFOs

It isn't completely inconsistent to believe in both

God's universe is immense

There are realms that we may not see

God's ways are higher than our ways and knowledge greater than ours

The inconsistency happens when God is replaced

There is a line between believing that life outside of our own is possible and denying the God is God over all

This series has been about asking one question

It was not are ghosts, angels, or UFOs real

The question I have been answering is: Is God real?

Angels are worshipped because of their amazing qualities

Ghosts are sought to provide answers

UFOs are credited with humanity's evolution and advancement

But God is behind angels and they are bound to God's authority

Ghosts are persons without bodies but we have those spirits by God's breath

UFOs and aliens may exist, but it is God who created the universe and placed them in it

God is majestic above all and we have been created by God, for God's glory and worship, and ultimately to be God's chosen people

Beyond the Normal What’s That You Hear

Deuteronomy 18:9-14


 

No way, no how

Lately there is a revival of an artform that was very popular from the late 1800's to mid 1900's

Spiritualists and mediums flourished in the Victorian period

Many people believed in the spirit world and sought to make contact

The rise of spiritualists and mediums eventually turned in the age of science

Science began to "prove" many of these individuals as fakes and con-artists

The increased interest in this artform now is due to the willingness of many to believe in the paranormal

But this practice of communicating with the dead goes all the way back to pre-biblical times

Shaman and magi would claim ability to communicate with spirit world

That is where the OT picks up the story

The Hebrew children/Israelites were surrounded by cultures that practiced this

Egyptians had a very strong belief in the spirit world

The Chaldeans were known for their spirit world beliefs

The Hebrew children were exposed to this on a daily basis

Deuteronomy becomes a defining law in the life of Israel

God prohibits allowing those who cast spells, mediums, spiritists, or anyone who calls up the dead

Chobar cheber - Spell casting to charm someone, or to take away free will

Shoeel owb – a consulter of familiar spirits

Yidde oniy – a knowing one

Doreesh hameetiym – seeker of death/ the dead

Saul breaks the law when he consults a shoeel owb in 1 Samuel 28

Samuel, the prophet, was dead and buried

The Philistines had invaded the land

Saul sought God's wisdom through approved channels – God did not answer

Saul found a consulter of familiar spirits to bring Samuel forth

Samuel comes forth and condemns Saul in death as he did in life


 

Why turn to the dead

Saul is a great example of anyone who goes to a medium – they want reassurance or comfort or wisdom from someone they know has the answers

In life we turn to parents or aunts/uncles we admire for wisdom; we look to our children as hope

In death, when those we have turned to are gone, it seems that our source of wisdom, hope, reassurance is gone

Mediums and spiritists play on the longing of people to find answers or words of comfort regarding someone they have lost

But Saul forgot the word of the Lord – 1 Chronicles 10:13-14

The issue of mediums, spirit talkers, séances, Ouija boards isn't in the act of doing but in the act of not doing

By turning to the dead through these individuals people are forgetting the living – God

Isaiah 8:19 – to consult the dead is to turn on the living God

God has established himself as the ultimate source of wisdom, comfort, assurance, hope

Exodus 34:14 – God is Jealous, demands singular devotion

1 Corinthians 15:22-28 – death is defeated in Christ and under his authority

Romans 5:1-5 – hope that God offers does not disappoint

Beyond the Normal Not Afraid of Ghosts

Ezekiel 37:1-6


 

How does the Bible deal with ghosts

OT – no use of the word "ghost" as rendered in Hebrew

1 Samuel 28:3,11-19 – Saul has Samuel conjured from the dead and has a conversation (eloihim)

NT – 2 separate occasions "ghost" is mentioned

Jesus walking on the water is considered a ghost (phantasm) (Mt14:26; Mk 6:49)

Luke 24:37,39 – Jesus appears and refers to a pneuma not having flesh and blood

What are ghosts?

Most people define ghosts as the spirit or soul or essence of a person how most times is dead

Mark 12:30 – love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength

Matt 10:30 – the body that can be destroyed but not the soul

Gen 35:18 – soul departs at death

There is an understanding from OT and NT that soul is the breath of life

Gen 2:7 – the breath given to man

Life is not just physical being

Thought and feeling are experienced separate of physical

Spirit and soul are not "felt" but it is part of us

When physical life ends we believe that only the physical ends

Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually we continue

2 Corinthians 4:16

As a definition of ghost

A demon/angel is not a ghost – demon/angels are a creation of their own

A ghost may be a demon/angel due to the nature of tempt/message

If a ghost is a soul released by death we have to ask why it isn't at rest


 

Dealing with ghosts

Death is a time of rest for the soul

Final judgment is to happen at God's chosen time

Until then death is a time of rest/waiting until then

What is behind ghostly encounters

Explained by natural/environmental explanations

Emotional connection

Natural/environmental

Intelligent

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Sermon Series: Beyond the Normal Angels and Demons the Real Story

Angels and Demons the real story


 

OT use of angels

  1. Hebrew word/s used –
    1. malak (messenger) – used in a general sense of a messenger or envoy sent from a person of authority to others; used most frequently of beings sent from God with a message to humans
  2. Described as
    1. Ex 3:2 – in midst of blazing fire
    2. Nu 22:22 – with a drawn sword (1 Chr 21:27)
    3. Jdg 6:21 – with a staff; fire from the staff; disappeared
    4. Judg 13:18 – name is "wonderful"
    5. Ps 103:20-21 – mighty in strength; obedient; serve God's will
  3. Other notable uses
    1. Angel of the Lord/God – a being sent by God for a protective purpose


 

OT use of demons

  1. Hebrew word/s used –
    1. sair (hairy goat; goat demon; Lev 17:7) – used to refer to goat spirit that people sacrificed to
    2. shed (shade; Dt 32:17; Ps 106:37) - used to refer to the spirits behind the idols that people chose to sacrifice to other than to Yahweh
  2. Described as: with exception of hairy goat demon, no description
  3. Other notable uses
    1. Evil spirit – Jud 9:23; 1 Sam 16:14-23; 18:10; 19:9


 

NT use of angels

  1. Greek word/s used –
    1. angelos (messenger)
  2. Described as:
    1. Mat 4:11 – minister to Jesus (Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43)
    2. Mat 22:30 – do not practice marriage (Mk 12:25)
    3. Mat 24:6 – do not know God's full will (Mk 13:32)
    4. Mat 26:53 – more than 12 legions
    5. Mat 28:2 – strength to move a great stone
    6. Lk 1:19 – named angel: Gabriel
    7. Ac 5:19 – power to open prison doors (Ac 12:10)
    8. Ac 12:7 – power to release chains
    9. Ac 12:23 – power to curse a man to death
    10. 1 Pe 3:22 – subjected to Christ
    11. 2 Pe 2:4 – capable of sin
    12. Jude 6 – abandoned heaven
  3. Other notable uses
    1. Guardian angels – Mat 18:10; Ac 12:15; Heb 1:14


 

NT use of demons

  1. Greek word/s used
    1. daimon (demon)
    2. daimonion (demons)
  2. Described as
    1. Mat 25:41 – Satan's angels
    2. affecting a person physically and mentally
    3. Mk 1:34 – they know who Jesus is (Lk 4:41)
    4. Mk 16:9 – multiple demons can affect a person (Lk 8:2)
    5. Lk 4:33 – unclean (Lk 8:29)
    6. Lk 8:30 – named demon
    7. Lk 10:17 – subject to Jesus' name
    8. 1 Co 10:20-21 – Gentiles sacrifice and worship
    9. James 2:19 – know and fear God
  3. Other uses
    1. Evil Spirit – Acts 19:15-16
    2. Demon possessed

New Age angels

  1. Communication link to God
  2. Spirit guide

Beyond the Normal Angels and Demons the Real Story

Colossians 2:16-19, 23


 

Beyond the normal

Christianity is a religion with room for the paranormal

Healing miracles, power of prayer, life after death, body raised from dead

But many Christians reject out right what is called paranormal phenomena

Instead of rejecting it, we need to examine it and speak truth about it

We begin by looking at angels and demons


 

Angels and demons

Angels and demons are a big deal in New Age movements and paranormal research

Angels have a new cult-like religious movement of their own

Demons are considered to be manifesting in cases where there are evil deeds

But what is the biblical truth behind these creatures?

Does the Bible talk about angels and demons? Yes

Old and New Testaments refer to angels in the same fashion

Hebrew – malak; Greek – angelos; both mean messenger

They serve at God's command to deliver messages to people

Old Testament hardly refers to demons; New Testament with some frequency

Hebrew – shade or sair; Greek – daimon

Most often the OT refers to them as the spirit behind idols that are worshipped

NT they torment human kind and lead people astray

Tradition tells us that angels and demons were created in the beginning by God

Is 14:12-14; Jude 6

Angels served God in worship until one angel was filled with pride

This angel was cast down with other angels for their pride

This angel became Satan and his angels are demons

If this is the case then angels and demons have the same power and essential nature

Angels are strong (Ps 103:20; Mt 28:2); have power over material objects (Ac 5:19; 12:7,10); have power to curse a person to death (Ac 12:23); and are capable of sin (2 Pe 2:4)

There is also some evidence that there may be angels who watch over humans

Mat 18:10; Ac 12:15; Heb 1:14

Demons appear to affect people mentally and physically in cases of possession; they know who God and Jesus are instinctively (Mk 1:34; Jam 2:19); and are behind the worship of other deities (Dt 32:17; Ps 106:37; 1 Cor 10:20-21)

Demons seem to operate in three manners

Temptation – as seen in how they respond to Jesus; 2 Cor 11:14; 1Tim 4:1-3

Oppression – 1 Sam 16:14-23

Possession – NT stories (Mt 4:24, 8:16, 28; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mk 16:9;Lk 4:33;


 

The Christian answer to the paranormal question

Within our belief system this is what we can say

Angels and demons are real

Angels and demons have power beyond human ability

Angels and demons interact with humanity

But angels and demons are not independently powerful

Angels and demons both answer to a higher power

Angels and demons are both subject to Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 3:22;Luke 10:17

An angel will speak no message unless Jesus Christ is glorified through it

A demon cannot remain when bound under the name of Jesus Christ

Lk 4:41; Mk 3:14-15; Lk 9:49-50; Lk 11:20


 


 

Monday, October 26, 2009

Where...oh where...has my little blog gone?

I'm still here. Pondering great mysteries. Wondering about my sons become young men. Trying to love my wife more fully. Preaching the Gospel and living it to the best of my ability. But I just haven't been filled with inspiration to put anything to 1's and 0's.

So today, boys and girls, I thought I would vent a little frustration at my vacation. I'm going to Disney World. Yeah, I didn't think anyone would be surprised.

We are planning on a December trip. Lisa and the boys have never seen the park in full Disney Christmas holiday finest (I got to see some of it solo a couple of years back). We were tempted and didn't resist.

One of the nice things about going early in December is that there are smaller crowds. And smaller crowds mean a little slower pace to enjoy things.

Except I now find out that the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade is being filmed the same weekend we are going to be there. Have you ever seen the Parade on t.v.? Bunches of people lining Main Street U.S.A. Crowds of people wanting to get their .015 minute of fame as the camera gazes past their faces. Three days of filming in the Magic Kingdom means three days of really avoiding the Magic Kingdom. Blech!

And I was really looking forward to this trip as a time of relaxing enjoyment without fighting hordes of people.

So what to do? What to do?

Adapt.

It is easy to get frustrated and decide something isn't worth the effort. It is easy to blow it off and say, "There is an easier way." But that isn't how we do things around here.

We are going to go to Disney World. We are going to experience the Magic that Disney excels at providing. We are going to make memories as a family. We are going to get frustrated and aggravated, but we will be together in the Happiest Place On Earth.

And we might even kiss Mickey.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Yo Joe Finally

I love comic books. I've been reading them as long as….well as long as I've been reading. I remember some of my earliest comic books were when I was in the second or third grade. And superhero comics are a big part of my collection. Yes, I collect comic books also. Spider-man has always been one of my heroes. And the Avengers were my favorite superhero team. But there is only one comic book series that I have collected almost every copy of and the accompanying toys (yes, I collect dolls….erm, action figures).

When G.I. Joe hit the shelves in the early '80's, I grabbed the first copy. I still have it. Nope, it's not worth anything, so don't come looking for it. It is ripped and stained and frayed on the edges. It has no monetary value. But its condition should tell you where its value lies. I read and read that book over and over. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the soldiers of World War 2. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the toy soldier and adventurer line of the '60's. This was a new G.I. Joe, a team of top of their skills special forces operatives. Their mission was to do what the regular armed forces couldn't accomplish, even special forces. In the comic book, the characters were non-regulation military. Uniforms, weapons, skills, etiquette, grooming habits, none of them would have passed muster in regular military life. But they were excellent at what they did.

Their primary nemesis was a terrorist/for-profit organization called Cobra. The Joes waged a balanced struggle with Cobra. They were just as over the top as any other comic supervillain. The Joes had their work cut out for them. And they fought the good fight through 155 issues. Larry Hama was the principal writer for the entire series. And he produced some compelling characters, engaging stories, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Fast forward to this past weekend when Lisa, Andrew, and I went to see the first serious feature length life-action G.I. Joe movie. I love comic book movies. Except Superman Returns. And The Hulk. So the Joe fan in me had to go see this movie.

Let me say up front that I liked the movie. It was light years beyond Transformers 2 in terms of enjoyment. There were plot holes. There was some campiness that I could do without. But I liked the movie.

Except.

They really messed with my story. I say my story because these were characters I had grown up with through my teen years. The stories of their life are as real to me as a soap opera junkies "stories" are to them. As I watched them being totally re-written for a new generation (who rarely ever picks up a book unless they must…much less comics) I felt that I was losing the opportunity to share with my boys what was a big part of my youth. I am going to have to tell them the stories to help them understand how passionate I am about this.

Or better yet, maybe I'll drag out the comic collection and let them share it.

No. On second thought, maybe not that.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fear Not

Yesterday morning I was out on the back porch, drinking my coffee and enjoying E. Stanley Jones. For those who are not familiar, E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist preacher and evangelist in the middle part of the 20th Century. He was also what may be considered a prolific devotional writer. I am currently collecting and reading through his writings. Most of ESJ's writings were devotional books that were structured to be read completely through (and could be done in one sitting…if you were only reading in a shallow manner), read thematically (he broke the writings into themed sections and not chapters), or daily (each page gives a daily reference). As a frame of reference, think about the Upper Room devotional or Our Daily Bread. Only chewier.

What I mean by chewier is that ESJ wrote some real serious thinking and introspective material. He was writing for life change, not just simple devotion. He wasn't trying to give people a brief "time with God" kind of moment. He was looking transform people in such a way that their lives were radically altered. He was an evangelist after all. Titles such as How To Be a Transformed Person or Abundant Living hint to the depth of where ESJ wanted to take devotees. Currently I am reading The Way. And I want to share something that I came across yesterday in my reading.

ESJ was dealing with fear. The first thing that really struck me as I was thinking about the subject was my own fears. I have identified three fears that are obvious in my life. I'm afraid of water (although I shower regularly), I'm afraid of heights, and I'm afraid of roller coasters. ESJ speaks to dealing with fears and presents 16 steps to dealing with fears. This is not a short term, easy fix solution.

The first step he describes is by saying that there are only 2 inherent fears in human nature – fear of falling and loud noises. By remembering that all other fears are learned behavior we begin to see that there is control over them.

Second is to talk over those fears with someone you trust. Really talk about the fears. Third is to decide on a plan of action. Fourth is to look at our surroundings (environment), our past history, and our present ideas and attitudes. Fifth he encourages us to think faith (Proverbs 23:7; or even Philippians 4:8). From the 6th point through the 16th point he talks about surrendering that fear to God instead of fighting those fears. If you want to know more detail, I suggest picking up a copy in an old book store or trying to find it on line. Or come for coffee some morning.

But reading all of that got me to thinking about something else. Do we ever see Jesus afraid in the Gospels?

The only thing that I feel may be close was the scene in the garden on the night of his arrest. But was it really fear that motivated the prayer, "let this cup pass from me"? When he was a youth separated from his family, there was no fear. When Jesus faced the crowd that wanted to stone him, there was no fear. When Jesus was being pressed by the religious leaders on his beliefs, there was no fear. When he was in new territory and surrounded by strangers, there was no fear. When he stood before a kangaroo court, before the seat of Roman power, was led from place to place under arrest, walked to his execution, and even on the cross facing the end of his mortal life Jesus showed no fear.

Fears control so many people. I don't just mean actions. I also think about how fear controls emotions, attitudes, opinions, and even health. Fear is a cancer. It takes healthy life and turns it into something negative and destructive.

But throughout Scripture, when God's appointed messenger shows up on the scene, what is the first word – fear not. It isn't easy to fear not. But it is possible; especially when we begin to tap into the power of surrender. Surrender is not a natural human inclination. In fact surrender is blocked by fear. When we face something in which surrender is an option, we encounter the natural inherent human response – fight or flight. This is fear response. So surrender, even to God, the lover of our souls, is fear inducing. But when we overcome fear through surrender to God, we are bringing power beyond imagination and grace beyond degree into our lives to bring fear into control. Healing occurs, forgiveness abounds, and love fills.


 

Fear not – for God is on your side.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Happy 4th of July