Lake Merced Church of Christ

Sunday’s message by John Mulligan was on “God’s nature and character - The God of the Bible”, part 2. The lesson is taken from Psalm 139:1-14. 1) God has three transcendent powers: He is omnipotent (all powerful). He is omniscient (all knowing). He is omnipresent (always present). With these characteristics, He knows and understands us as no one else can. He is our greatest comfort. 2) God consists of three personal beings: God the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit. All three of these are with us, and available to us, all the time. 3) God has three challenging characteristics: He is immortal; He has always been here. He is invisible; though we can’t see Him, His fingerprints are everywhere we look. He is light; in Him is no darkness. John 1:4-5 reads, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. 4) Finally, God has many deeply personal attributes - attributes which He wants us to take on ourselves to share with others. Some of these are compassion, grace, patience, being good, being just, and, of course, love. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says it all beautifully: "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." God loves to show us His light even when we don’t deserve it. Let us strive to do the same with others in our lives, as we share His light and His love.

John Mulligan’s message on Sunday was the first of several lessons on understanding your God, starting with “God’s Existence and Rule.” John’s first point is that Evidence for God is Inescapable. Romans 1:20 tells us: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” As John said, the concept of a big bang, an explosion, creating our world and our universe is illogical. Explosions don’t create life - they create disorder and chaos. The next point is that the Evidence Points to an Engaged and Benevolent God. When Paul spoke to the unbelieving Jews in Iconium (Acts 14:15-18) he said, “We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them… He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” The beauty of God’s creation is all around us, always. God created all this for us because of His great love. The third point: Our Creator God has the Right to Rule His World. He didn’t toss it into our hands to do with as we will. We have an obligation to Him. Acts 17:230-31 reads, “...now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” God commands us to repent; this is our challenge and obligation. Finally, Our God Will Hold Humanity Accountable. Romans 2:6-7 clearly tells us, “God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” Humanity is on a collision course with Judgment. God will ask each of us, “What did you do for Me?” If we understand and honor our place in His world, He will reward us beyond our imagination.

Jay Mijares gave us a lesson called “The Sound of His Voice”, taken from John 20:11-18, when Mary went to the tomb, desperate to find the body of Jesus. These are the lessons learned at the empty tomb. (1) Mary had a single-minded devotion and stayed focused exclusively on God. (2) The angels were sent specifically to Mary (angels that Peter and John had not seen.) (3) Jesus’ true sheep know His voice. Deep in her grief, when Jesus spoke to her, she didn’t recognize him until he called her by name. Then she called him “Rabboni”, a title higher than rabbi, confirming her allegiance and love. (4) Jesus’ relationships with everyone changed after His resurrection. Our relationship with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, is stronger than a physical presence. This is why Jesus said to Mary, v.17, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Further in that verse we read, “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” All believers belong to the same family - the family that was created by Jesus’ resurrection. Jay left us with three questions to ponder: Are you lingering outside a spiritually empty tomb today? That is, are you focused on earthly things that do not feed your spirit? Are you seeking a whom or a what? Are we seeking things, or seeking a powerful relationship with our Savior? Do you recognize your Shepherd’s voice when he calls? Sheep have to listen for their shepherd’s voice, over all the other noise that is happening. We, too, must actively listen for our name to be spoken so that we can follow our Good Shepherd’s voice.

On Easter Sunday, Michael Rankins gave us a lesson on faith in the post-resurrection world, “Blessed are Those Who Have NOT Seen and Yet Have Believed.” Part of the lesson was taken from John 20:24-31. In this scripture, Thomas tells the disciples that unless he sees the nail marks in Jesus’ hands, he will not believe. Thomas gets a bad rap for this, but was he being unreasonable? Would YOU believe it without proof? Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubts; he wanted Thomas to have what he needed to believe. In John 20:29, Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This reminds us of II Corin. 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” In Colossians 2:11-13, we’re told “When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ.” Today, we celebrate Jesus’ rising and we are raised along with him by the same power. Further in Colossians 3:1-4, we are encouraged to “... set your hearts [and] minds on things above, not on earthly things…When Christ appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” What do we do instead of those earthly things? Look to Colossians 3:12-17. We are compassionate, kind, gentle and patient. We bear with one another and forgive them. We don’t keep lists of wrongs against us. We have peaceful hearts and don’t react in anger. And we do all this with gratitude. Finally, we remember that faith without deeds cannot save us. James 2;14-17 tells us that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” The truth is, even demons believe. They have faith, but they won’t act on it. The resurrection of Jesus the Christ is the single most important event in world history. Michael’s challenge to us: If you believe that Jesus is risen, and you have been raised with him, go out and live life in him!

Sunday we heard the last of three lessons on understanding the Bible from John Mulligan: “Understanding Your Bible’s Influence - What the Bible Will Be.” John gave us 3 points to ponder about the Bible’s evolution. 1) The Word of God Did Not Start as a Book and will Not End as a Book: In our early histories, stories were passed along vocally, later some were carved in stone, later still we wrote on parchments and scrolls, and finally the Bible was published in book form. Now we even have it digitally. Consider Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God’s Word is always alive. It is never limited by the form it takes. The Bible’s truths are constant, regardless of how they are communicated. 2) The Word of God is Much More than a Book: It is the living, ever-enduring Word of God. The power of the message is there whether we read it in book form, or if we listen to a recording, or if we view it on our phone. In fact, digital forms can ensure even deeper preservation. This preservation is God at work, keeping his message available to us. 3) The Word of God is in the Best Position to Not Only Survive but Thrive: The Bible is the most recognizable book in the world. It’s also a controversial book, but controversy can be good, stimulating and refreshing our understanding of it. We shouldn’t become complacent about God’s Word. It will thrive - the book may go away but never the Word. Why do we read and re-read the Bible? Because it deals with our human condition. Our relationships and emotions about others - love; greed; envy; joy; fear; trust - can all be clarified by reading the Bible. It is always relevant, regardless of the times, and regardless of the form it takes. Let us heed God’s Word and be responsive to His teachings.