Perry’s Scope: Christian sermons, lessons, and resources for teachers

Now let me get this straight. Oklahoma has tornados, excruciatingly hot and dry summers, bitterly cold winters with record-setting blizzards, and O yeah, even effects of hurricanes (I don’t mean the University of Tulsa, either). In addition, we are now experiencing earthquakes! I guess Oklahoma has something for everyone.

In recent days there have been a number of tremors in Oklahoma. Many people immediately thought of the end of the world as they shook in their homes. Can the earthquakes be a sign of the end?

It is evident in the Bible that earthquakes were of significance. Elijah looked for God in the earthquake, but he was not there (1 Kings 19). Ezekiel experienced a vision from God that incorporated an earthquake (see chapter 3). Amos 1 and Zechariah 14 recount a devastating earthquake in the history of Israel. Jesus warns of earthquakes in Matthew 24 and at his crucifixion the earth shook (Matthew 27:54).

God may be “sending” earthquakes or they may occur as a sample of nature’s groaning as a by-product of our disobedience (Romans 8:22). However they are coming, they certainly catch our attention and direct us to the One who is in control of all things.

Is Jesus coming soon? That would be great, but we don’t know. In the meantime, we keep our eyes fixed on him (Hebrews 12:1) and prepare for the day we WILL meet him.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

Have you noticed that we live in a time when people seem to be extremely critical of one another? How often do we see the negative instead of the positive in a person?

Try this little experiment. When you are in a group of your peers, praise an individual who is not among you. Pick out a virtue of this person and brag on him or her to the others. In many (maybe most) cases you will hear something like, “Yeah but . . .” and then the speaker will begin to tear down the individual by pointing out flaws.

The trouble is, we are all flawed. Sin and our sinful tendencies have distorted the image of God in our lives. This is where God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the scriptures come in.

The Bible teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39).This includes praising others as we would want to be praised. This would mean protecting the integrity of others as we would want to be protected.

This is not that easy. It takes appreciation for: God’s love for us (by the way, God loves YOU immensely – he told me so in John 3:16); the gift of Jesus – not just on the cross but in showing us how to live out the instructions of God; the Holy Spirit who empowers our lives to follow his inspired scriptures. It comes when we are able to treat others the way God has treated us.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

In ancient times, rabbis said, “When two sit together and exchange words of torah, then the divine presence is among them.” Hear it from Jesus’ perspective: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20).

One of the purest forms of worship is study. When we sing or pray, we give God our words. When we study, we receive God’s words. What a great privilege it is to hear, understand, and do the words of God!

It is important to have friends to encourage us along the way. We understand the value of relationships between friends. The wise man said, “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17a). But we also have the need to be to become more like Jesus. Again, the writer of Proverbs declares, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

We all need people who will challenge, encourage, and hold us accountable to be better people tomorrow than we are today. We know we need to be godly people. We know we need to be like Jesus and “go about doing good.” Yet how often do good intentions come and go with no results?

I want to encourage you to find friends who will be supportive and challenging to your spiritual life. The disciples did that for each other. We need it, too.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

I heard about a woman who had invited her husband to attend church with her for years. Sunday after Sunday he declined. Finally one day he decided to attend services with her. She hoped that the preacher would have a good sermon to encourage him. To her chagrin the preacher had chosen the fifth chapter of Genesis which is the lineage from Adam to Noah.

At the end of the service when the invitation was given, her husband went forward. He decided to become a follower of Jesus and was baptized (Acts 2.38; Romans 6.1-4; Galatians 3.27). She was shocked and thrilled!

She asked him what made him decide to become a disciple of Jesus after such a sermon. He responded that in the list all but one of the people died. He realized that he, too would die so he needed to prepare himself to meet God.

Recently Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, passed away. I know nothing of his beliefs about God but I do know that unless Jesus tarries we will also pass from this life into eternity. Regardless of our level of financial success we will die. We have that promise (Hebrews 9.27). What we do between now and then is of paramount importance!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

One of the interesting things to me about heading into the future is that we have to head into the unknown – backwards. Picture a rowing team in a race. The rowers face the stern of the boat to row the boat forward. They see where they have been but do not see where they are going. They are forced to rely on the Coxswain to steer the boat and keep their timing.

This is exactly how God’s people deal with the future events of life. We are not able to see what is coming, but we can see where we have been. We trust Jesus to direct our “boats.” He will avoid the dangerous waters and keep us headed in the right direction.

Some of the Psalms, such as the 105^th recount the nation’s story in its walk with God. Stephen recounted the story in Acts 7 just before the enemies of the cross killed him.

One of the benefits in retelling the story is that we can remember what God has done for us in the past. If he took care of us then, will he take care of us now? Faith says that he will. It is the assurance of things hoped for and evidence of the unseen (Hebrews 11.1).

Is your faith wavering? Do you have doubts? Get in the boat! Let Jesus guide your life, knowing that he is faithful to his people as he directs their lives.

Keep The Light Burning!

 Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

Recently a DJ on the radio announced that an unusual event occurred at the Belmont racetrack on September 11. In the first race the 9^th horse won. In the second race the 1^st horse won. In the third race the 1^st horse won. That made 9-1-1 on 9.11. What are the odds?

People go to Vegas or play the Lottery in an effort to win large sums of money. What are the odds?

Believe it or not, there is a biblical application. Imagine the odds of the accuracy of the Bible if it was not inspired by God. Sixty-six books were written by about forty men over hundreds of years. Yet, the storyline remains intact. Here is a challenge for the skeptics. Go to the library and pull any sixty-six books written by at least forty people over a period of 1500 years. Do they match? Do the stories harmonize?

Here are some more things to consider. What are the odds of the following:

• That Micah could predict the exact location of the Messiah’s birth 700 years in advance?
• 1000 years before Jesus David predicted his betrayal by a friend?
• Six centuries before, Zechariah predicted that he would be sold for thirty pieces of silver?
• In the eighth century before his coming, Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin?

I am sure you get the point. The coming of Jesus into the world and fulfilling ancient prophecy was no accident. It is not by chance that He is the King of Kings!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on September 10, 2001? You probably do not. You may, however, vividly remember where you were when you heard the news about the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11. We stand on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the destruction of the Towers and the murders of innocent people. We haven’t forgotten the attack on America, nor shall we any time soon.

Perhaps a decade ago you felt fear. Maybe you felt anger. Maybe you felt frustration – or any combination of emotions. Maybe you are reliving some of those emotions this weekend.

The Bible gives us some “911 Passages” to help us in trying times. Please consider the following:

• Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9.11

• ¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
  will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91.1

• ¹¹Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
  Tell among the peoples his deeds! Psalm 9.11

The circumstances of life come to all of us. Yet, we find shelter in the presence of God. We honor Him by telling of His mighty works.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

Believe it or not, the Bible addresses such things as storms, famine, and even earthquakes. With the recent tornadoes, earthquakes in Japan and now the United States, along with a hurricane heading for our eastern coast, some people are wondering if these are signs of the end of the world.

This is not new. The disciples of Jesus wondered such things too. They asked him about his coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3-14). He told them about international conflict, famines, and earthquakes. He spoke of false prophets and accepted lawlessness as the beginning of the end. Jesus also reminds us that no one but His Father knows the actual final day (24.36).

So, what can we take away from all that we see today? Is Jesus coming? The answer is a resounding, yes! Can we know the exact day? No!

Whether God is personally sending hurricanes and earthquakes into the world or they are just occurring naturally, there is a reminder for us. The end of the world IS coming and we have a window of opportunity to prepare for it. That window is what we call “life.”

Most believers live in anticipation of the return of Jesus. In the Revelation, John wrote, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20)

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

On a recent road trip I noticed a local “Church of Christ” building in a small town. It was typical in many ways. One thing, however, stood out. Bushes had grown over the “Christ” part of the sign. All you could read was “Church of.”

This may or may not say something about the priority of their landscaping. It did make me think of a pervasive attitude among many churches. We church people often allow the things of the Church to obscure the Christ. The church’s mission is not self-promotion. It is CHRIST promotion. Our job is to lift Jesus so that people can be drawn to HIM (John 12:32).

Churches can easily develop traditions or actions that are well-intentioned. The danger is that these activities can overshadow Jesus and his purposes just as bushes over the sign. It could be a “sacred cow” ministry. It could be an order of worship. It could be a version of the Bible or any number of things that take our eyes off of Jesus and onto ourselves.

Some Greeks came to Philip and made a request. “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21). Showing Jesus to others is a fundamental element to the life of disciples of the Son of God. People are not necessarily interested in our perceptions about Jesus, they want to see Jesus. Thus, in-depth study of the Bible and clear teaching are essential to seeing Him.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

People from all over the world have photographed the spectacular “Mount Taranaki” in New Zealand. Many days of the year clouds obscure the view. Once they have lifted people are amazed at the sight.

This is how I often feel about studying the Bible. There are magnificent truths there. Some of these are very simple and easily seen. Some, however, seem to be covered with a veil of mystery. When this is lifted and we clearly see the realities that God shows us, we are awe-struck by His beauty.

Jesus spoke of eating of his body and drinking of his blood in John 6. Some of his disciples said that it was a “hard (difficult) saying” and walked away from him. When his closest disciples refused to leave Peter gave the reason, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (6:68).

There is no doubt that Peter and the other disciples had experienced “seeing” the truths of God displayed in the life of Jesus. They saw his glory at the mount of transfiguration. They heard the Father’s voice at his baptism and witnessed the Holy Spirit’s descent to him as a dove. They saw Jesus as the Son of God.

You and I have an exciting task before us. It requires great determination and perseverance. We have the opportunity to learn the things of God by tenacious study of His Word. Some things are easy – some things require more time and effort. In the end we see a spectacular God!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ