KEEP CALM AND ________________

Lesson 9 - March 10, 2013

  Keep Calm And ....

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

     Keep Calm and Carry On was a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the World War II.  It was intended to raise the moral of the British public in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities.  The picture is on the left.   Over 2,500,000 copies were printed and distributed in various major towns.

     The poster reappeared in the year 2000 and its popularity grew.  The poster started appearing hospital room, businesses, financial firms and advertising.   Recently a new twist was added to it.  Some fast-food restaurants have even have a poster -- and on the poster, there are bright bold letters with the words “KEEP CALM and __________.”  You get to fill in the blank.  There are so many variations.  I have even seen some that say "Keep Calm and Breathe" or "Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate".  I could really could go for that advice pretty easily.   Others say “Keep Calm and Go Shopping”; “Keep Calm and Be a Princess”; “Keep Calm and Be Yourself; “Keep Calm and Text Me”....  Serious -- there are over 100 of them.

      I thought about those sayings and was reminded how much the Lord can keep me calm.  There is so much uncertainty in this day and hour.  There is so much unrest in the world.  We have so much happening in Iraq, Syria, and all over the Middle East.  It makes me shudder to think what I would do without my Lord to be there for me to help keep me calm.  I know that when I have been upset, someone will come up to me and say “Keep Calm - everything will be okay!”    How do we keep calm?   Well, let’s look at a few things today to see how we can stay calm in a world in which we live. 

 
1.  Keep Calm and Pray.  I John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:   The first thing I find I need to do when I want to keep calm is to pray. There's nothing like being able to just talk to the Lord when you need to. Knowing He is always there to listen whenever I need Him most is so wonderful. Praying relaxes me because I know whatever, whenever and wherever I am -- the Lord is listening and I can just give all my thoughts and worries over to Him.

      Why does God not always answer our prayers immediately?  Why is it necessary to ask and seek and knock and then to keep on asking and seeking and knocking?  Why do we need to ask at all when God already knows our needs even before we ask?  There are four reasons: 

      a.   Prayer teaches us to communicate and fellowship with God and to trust and seek after Him more and more.  When God holds back the giving, we keep coming to talk and share with Him more and more.  Just as a human father desires such fellowship and trust our Heavenly Father desires the same fellowship and trust. 

     b.  Prayer teaches us both patience and hope in God and His promises.  When God does not give immediately, we patiently (enduring) keep coming into His presence, waiting for and hoping in what He has promised us (Mt. 21:22; John 14:26; I John 5:14-15.

     c. Prayer teaches us to love God as our Father more and more.  Knowing that what we ask is coming and having to wait on it causes us to draw closer and closer to God and His gifts.  And then when the gift is given, our hearts are endeared ever so much more to Him. 

     d. Prayer demonstrates how deeply we trust God and how much we love and depend upon Him.  A person who really trust God - who really knows that what he ask is going to be received - will bring more and more to God.  He will come to God in prayer more and more.  But the person who is not so sure about receiving will only occasionally come - unusually only in emergencies.

2.  Keep Calm and Read God’s Word.   Romans 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. The Bible is full of calming thoughts for me.  I usually turn to Psalms when I need a little calming down.  It's full of calming words for me. Some of the ‘go-to’ Psalms for me are Psalm 23, 61. and 91. The whole Bible is really chock full of little tidbits that calm me down.

     Remember this -- God's Word is alive! The more you expose yourself to it, the more it will be revealed in you.  To know God better you must spend time hearing what He has to say.  If we neglect to read the Bible, we are missing the best things in life. Earthly things do not satisfy the heart. The Bible is the Book of the heart. It shows us how we may possess and enjoy real life. A worthwhile life and a satisfied life are found by reading and receiving the Word of Life into our hearts.  “The Words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”   (John 6:63).

 

3.  Keep Calm and Fellowship.   Phil 2:1,2  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”  Aren’t you glad for that fellowship with other believers in Christ?  Christian friends are a wonderful source of lifting us up when we need a shoulder to lean on.   I really look forward to Sunday morning and Wednesday night.  Fellow-shipping with my church family is such a calming force to me.   

     *  Fellowship within the church offers consolation.  In other words it offers encouragement, comfort, and strength. (verse 1)

     *  Fellowship within the church offers love.  There is a comfort of love that is in Christ.  The love of Christ stirs a person to keep unity with other believers.  This is an agape love - selfless and sacrificial.  (verse 1)  

      *  Fellowship within the church offers compassion.  Compassion is the trait that stirred Christ to reach out for us.  We should allow His compassion to flow through us.  Can you imagine to our church if it was driven by compassion?  (verse 1)  

      *  Fellowship within the church offers joy.  The believers in a church are to be concerned for each other's joy.  The one thing that brings joy quicker than anything else is unity.  Joy is interrupted when there is criticism, dissatisfaction, murmuring, cliques, and opposition.  We are to worship, build, love, encourage, minister and serve in the joy of the Lord. (verse 2)

4.  Keep Calm and Have Faith.   Hebrews 11:1  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  We can relax when we believe that faith makes all things possible even when our hearts may be unsettled. When we have faith, we can let out that breath we've been holding. 

      Hebrews 11:1 is the only verse in the Bible that defines faith.  Time and time again, the Bible discusses faith and the great importance of having faith.  Many Biblical characters demonstrated their great faith.  But in Hebrews 11:1 we see that faith and hope go hand-in-hand -- they go together.   We cannot see the future but we know who holds tomorrow.  We can be calm in the midst of the storm because of our faith in God.  How is your faith today?

5.  Keep Calm and Sing.   Psalms 59:16  “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.”   Music always has a calming effect.  I love to sit down and play the piano  for it has a way to calms me.   Bob says he can always tell the mood I am in by listening to me play the piano.   One of my favorite songs is "It is Well With My Soul".  I love listening to it on a CD and then sing along with it.  I love it when our church sings it. It provides comfort - even in Russian. 

      I also like to sing those little kid choruses. There's something about those bright little songs mostly about God's love that calm me down.  "Jesus Loves Me!". Don’t you love to cling to the thought that "They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me!".

      There are over 100 references to singing in the Bible.  Most of them are found in the book of Psalms.   David knew a lot about music.  He played a harp.  He played to his sheep on the hillside when they needed consoling.  He played before King Saul when the king could not sleep.  “Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

6.  Keep Calm and Laugh.  Proverbs 17:22  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:” Of all the things the Lord gives us as humans, I'm glad he gave us the ability to laugh.  Laughter is a wonderful way to help release all that tension we build up. A good laugh can sometimes help calm me.   Every time I watch a baby laugh, it makes me laugh.  There are some cute things going through Facebook about babies laughing.... I always get a chuckle from them.   

     Humor is an amazing thing. It’s a tension dis-solver.  It’s an antidote to anxiety.  It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side effects.  And it’s FREE! You don’t even need a prescription.

      Laughter is life’s shock absorber.  If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances.  The Bible says that God laughed.   Put a smile on your face and turn to your neighbor - watch what happens.  It’s contagious and it’s healthy!

7.  Keep Calm and Cry.  Psalms 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  Laughter is wonderful but crying is good too, especially for us women.  One of the greatest losses of our society is our lack of tears.  It is a tragic loss that goes deeper than the eyes - it goes to the heart.  There is a connection between a hardened heart and the absence of tears.  There are times to weep -- weep for lost family members, weep with another Christian who is weeping.

      I know that some believe that crying is a form of weakness.  The Bible contains numerous examples of men and women—including Jesus Christ himself—who shed tears. There are over 600 references to tears, weeping, and crying.  So if you’re coping with emotional stress or grief, you don't need to hold back your tears.  Letting your emotions out will help you a lot more than keeping them bottled up inside. Read Psalms 56:8.  What does God do with our tears? Puts them into a bottle

      When I have things building up that takes away from my calm factor, crying can be a good release.  I'm not sure about you, but sometimes a good cry does me a world of good. 

8.  Keep Calm and Serve Others.  I Peter 4:10  “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”   When our nerves are frayed and our hearts are troubled, reaching out and doing something for someone else is a great way to forget what is ailing us.  We spend way too much of our time dwelling on ourselves.  When we are concentrating on someone else, it is easy to forget about ourselves. Serving others is a wonderful way to keep us calm.

     If you are feeling lonely and forgotten, go visit the nursing home.  If you feel that life isn’t fair, go visit Alina.  Alina is 20 years old and has spent the last 10 years flat on her back laying in a cast that holds her torso together.  She suffers from a disease that robs her body of calcium.  Yet she smiles - she loves the Lord.  By the way if you do go there to try and be a blessing, you will leave there blessed beyond measure.   Serving others not only helps to calm us, but it lays up treasures for us in heaven - where moth and rust cannot corrupt.  Nothing kills pride and selflessness more than serving others! 

9.  Keep Calm and Deal with the Problem.  1 John 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  Sometimes when we need a little calming, maybe we should see what is making us feel that way and just go ahead and fix the problem.  Not that we can always do that -- there are always going to be things that may be out of our own control.   But other times, we may be able to deal with a problem that is unsettling and just go fix it.  My husband has a saying “Rub dirt in it!”  In other words pick yourself up, brush off the dirt and go on with life.   At the least, we may be able to put some effort into working on solving the problem.  You are either part of the problem or part of the solution!

10.  Keep Calm and Carry On.   1 Cor. 3:12-14  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”  I think that old war time poster now makes a lot of sense. We just have to “carry on” no matter what.  We've got to keep moving. I know for me personally, just getting busy helps calm me more than anything.  I'm one of those busy cleaners.  Sometimes I get a lot of cleaning done in my house just because I need to calm my nerves down.

      An old Baptist pastor (Dr. Bob Jones) used to say “Do right - till the stars fall from the sky - do right.”  All of us desire to do right but it takes more than desire - it takes simultaneous action along with our thoughts.   Dr. Bob Jones, also said, “Finish the Job.”  Men and women of character will finish the job that the Lord has set before them.  Doing right consistently takes a person of character, but doing wrong comes naturally.    Just keep on doing right - till the stars fall!

Conclusion:  I'm just so glad that I have the Lord to go to for calming.  Sometimes I wonder how people without the Lord can go through life - with all the problems, pains and cares of this world.  Praise the Lord - that He grounds me and helps me to be able to "carry on". 

After all, He has "...overcome the world." John 16:33.

Three Wise Women

Lesson 40 - December 23, 2012

THREE WISE WOMEN

But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 1 Timothy 2:10

     It is Christmas and I was thinking of the three wise men that came to give gifts to the Son of God and I got to thinking that there were also three wise women that played a very important part around the birth of Jesus.  God has blessed women through out the Bible - in fact, Christianity is the only religion that gives honor to women. Women also played some very important roles in the furthering of God's kingdom.  Jesus had both male and female followers; and while eleven of the twelve men fled after Jesus' arrest, His faithful female disciples bravely remained steadfast.  One wise individual observed, “Women were the last at the cross and the first at the tomb.”

  While we don’t know much about the wise men, we do know that, according to Scripture, there were three wise women… three godly women who played pivotal roles in the unfolding of the Christmas story.  Someone wrote, “Three wise women would have…asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts and there would be Peace on Earth." 

     Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna were three very different women, in different ages and stages of life.  One was single, one was married, and one was widowed.  One was just beginning to experience life, one was coping with the challenges and changes of mid-life, and one was coming to the close of the end of life.  Too often we casually read over these familiar words of Scripture, barely noticing these women. Yet each one in her own way set a powerful example for us to follow today.” And I would agree.  So today as we celebrate Christmas at Simferopol Baptist Church, we are going to do an in study of the lives of these three wise ladies. Elizabeth is mentioned first, so let’s look at her.

Elizabeth: A Wise Mature Woman - Luke 1  Elizabeth’s name means “One whose oath is with God.”  She was the daughter of a priest and her husband was a priest.   She was a descendent of Aaron.

1.   Elizabeth was wise in the way she walked before God (Luke 1:6)  Zacharias and Elizabeth were joined together (1+1=1).   They were committed to each other, and they lived for God and for each other.  They were “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.”  Wow -- what a statement to be said about Elizabeth and her husband!  They controlled their thoughts, their minds, their tongues, and their behavior -- diligently seeking to please the Lord faithfully in all they did.  The verse also says that they were blameless.  This means they were not only faithful but they offended no one.  They lived honestly before God and men. 

2.  Elizabeth was wise in the way she responded to the unfairness of life.  God is always good but life is not always fair.  From a human perspective, Elizabeth was not given what she expected.  Growing up -- she had dreams of having a godly husband and many children.  But life had not totally turned out the way she had planned. -- she experienced a terrible unfairness.  In spite of the godly way she lived, her years of faithful obedience to God's laws, and her prayers and devotion to God, many years had passed and Elizabeth and Zechariah still remained without a child.  Infertility today is a tragedy.  However, back then it was thought to be the judgment of God. Jews looked upon children as a gift from God and a "heritage from the Lord" (Psalm 127:3).  Babies / children were valued as if they were gold.

  For decades Elizabeth had been barren in a culture in which a woman's worth was measured by the number of children she produced.  She alludes to this cultural mindset in Luke 1:25 as she responds to her pregnancy by saying, “The Lord has done this for me in these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

  Prior to this miraculous pregnancy that occurred late in her life, Elizabeth had every opportunity to be hurt, angry… even bitter.   BUT she was not.  Can you imagine how heartbroken she might have been but this is not a sin.  I am sure that year after year Satan tried his tactics with her to discourage her and make her depressed - and even blame God.  But Elizabeth wisely refused to listen to the ‘father of lies’. Instead, she disciplined herself to listen to the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth. When life was unfair, instead of running from God, she ran to Him. She believed God's Word.  She trusted His heart.  She embraced His timing.

  She was not the first woman in Scripture who reacted to heartbreak this way.  The important thing is how you react to trials and tribulations.  How did the women react below react?

· Sarah -- Genesis 18:12  - she laughed with doubt.

· Rachel -- Genesis 30:1 - she turned on her husband (Jacob) and screamed, "Give me children, or I'll die!”  

· Hannah -- 1 Samuel 1:7 - she responded to her barrenness by weeping inconsolably and refusing to eat.

· Remember how Job's wife responded to the unfairness of life?  What was her advice to Job?  “Curse God and die." (Job 2:9)

3.  Elizabeth was wise in her counsel   Luke 1:41-45  When Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s house, Mary was afraid of what people would think of her.  She was bone-tired from her travels.  She was looking for refuge. But yet Elizabeth was there to give her encouragement. There was a lot Elizabeth could have said but she was wise and immediately gave her blessing on Mary and the baby.  Elizabeth was humble and recognized Mary’s submissiveness to the Lord.  Wow -- us older women should pattern our life around Elizabeth.

Mary: A Wise Young Lady  Luke 1:46-48  Why do you think God choose Mary?  Why pick her for this important task?  Why bestow on her the honor of serving as the mother of the Messiah?  Obviously, we don't know the mind of God. His thoughts are not ours so we can't know the complete reasoning behind His decision.  However, I do believe that there are some insights in what Scripture tells us about Mary that provide us with at least a partial answer to these questions.  There are at least three reasons Mary may have been selected.  In reality, they’re “Three Prerequisites” when it comes to God’s choosing to use anyone to do something great. They are a pattern that we’re all to follow.  So Why did God choose Mary?

1.  God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about herself.  Mary was not a proud young lady - she was humble.  She did not believe she deserved this honor that God had bestowed on her in any way.  Luke tells us that she was “troubled” by the fact that Gabriel said she had “found favor with God.” This just didn't seem right to her. It didn't make sense. She thought, "Why should I be highly favored. Surely, you have the wrong 'Mary'.  You must be at the wrong place."

  We continue to see Mary's humility expressed in her song of Christmas recorded for us in Luke 1:46-55.  In verse 48 she sings that God “has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” In verse 52, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” As we read through her song, we see that Mary doesn’t think that she’s important.  She never brags about herself.  God is the only one that she magnifies - He is the subject of her praise and rejoicing.

2. God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about God’s Word.  Mary cherished Scripture. She treasured its wisdom. This is seen in the fact that the lyrics of her impromptu song of Christmas recorded in verses 46-55 contain at least fifteen direct quotes of the Old Testament.  

  Back then the printed Old Testament was a luxury.  Peasants like Mary would not have had actual written copies. That means she’d have had to memorize Old Testament Scriptures as her parents taught them to her through the years. Her song proves that that’s exactly what she had done. She had hidden God's Word in her heart.   Psalms 119:11 - Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

  Mary didn't just memorize scripture, she believed the promises of God's written Word, even when others around her did not.  A few watched and waited for the fulfillment of God's promises and Mary was one of them.

3. God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about God’s will.  Her attitude was such that she said “Yes” to God's will for her life.  She was completely receptive to His commands, even if that meant she’d endure difficulty or danger.  She didn’t say, “Lord, can I get back to you on that?”

  In Luke 1:31-38 Mary was submissive  Her response in verse 38 was immediate and brief, only one short sentence yet very important and meaningful. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”  Handmaid means a slave - a bond servant.  She was willing to give herself completely / willingly / available to God regardless of the price.  God’s Word was her will.  She surrendered totally to obey God.  She would serve as He willed - according to his Word.

Anna: A Wise Elderly Woman. This is the last of our three wise women.  Anna was a lady who had waited a very long time for the first Christmas.  She was not like most women of her time, for she chose a different path  Her name means “Gracious”.  She was a prophetess.  This was most unusual.  There had not been a prophet in Israel for over 300 years.  Also, women leaders in those days were very rare.  However, she was someone who was known for the way she listened to God's still small voice -- someone He used to proclaim His Word to others -- someone who, like Mary, believed God's promises.

      Another point that needs to be mentioned is the fact that by the time the first Christmas arrived, Anna had already lived a very long time. Some Bible translators have carefully handled their description of Anna's age by translating verse 36 as, "she she was of a great age."   I believe that she was at least 84 years old.

     Anna was also a widow and had been one for a long time. Widowhood has always been difficult, but in that day, it was particularly difficult.  It virtually guaranteed a life of terrible poverty.  But for some reason, Anna never remarried; an unusual decision for someone in her situation to make back then. Some think her husband was the love of her life, so much so that she just couldn’t bring herself to share her life with another.

  Anna had led a very frugal, pure, and sober life. And this leads me to point out the place she’d chosen for her home.   Luke 2:37 says, "She never left the Temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying."  The Temple must have been a spectacular place to live because the Temple King Herod built in Jerusalem was the crown jewel of that city.

1.  Anna never gave up on life.  There have been times in my life and in most of your lives that you just wanted to just give up -- climb back in bed, pull the covers over you head and stay there.  Sometimes life can get hard.  Maybe like Anna, your husband is dead, your children have move away and have families of their own.  Finances are difficult.  Sometime you get lonely, sick and exhausted.  But like Anna, we need to remain faithful.  The victory that God has promised WAY outweighs the negatives.  Just think of Anna and how for at least 60 or more years she was able to share her faith with so many  people. God's timing is truly perfect. We must never give up.  Hebrews 12:1-3

2.  Anna had excellent spiritual vision  Thousands of priests were running around doing God's business that day, yet only Anna and Simeon, saw when the Messiah of God in the form of a tiny baby arrived.  Why?  Why did these two old people see what others missed?  It wasn't that other people in Israel weren't looking for a Messiah.  Some were -- and you would think that the tribe of Aaron, the priestly tribe would be.  But their spiritual eyesight wasn't as sharp as Anna's because they were looking for the wrong kind of deliverer. 

     The Pharisees were looking for a king which would descend from the lineage of David.  A King who would revive all the glories of the past and free them from Roman bondage.  But Anna knew the child instantly and gave thanks.  She was the Lord’s servant, so the Lord guided her life step by step. She saw what others missed due to their spiritual blindness.

3.  Anna never stopped worshipping God.  Scripture says that Anna never left the temple but served “God” with fastings and prayers night and day.  This either means that she had been given some kind of room at the temple or this meant that she was at the temple -- worshiping God every day  -- never missing a service.  Anna’s hope was in Him and in Him alone.

     God reveals Himself to those who do not depart from Him. This woman has served God for many years, and she is prepared to meet her Messiah.  For the elderly and lonely who wonder what they can do to serve God, Anna's is a wonderful example

Conclusion:  Just like the three women mentioned above, every lady in this class is unique. -- different women, in different ages and different stages of life and different levels of spiritual growth.   But yet we all have the same opportunities to choose whether we serve the Lord or ourselves.  At this Christmas time, let us decide to give our all to Him!