May 5, 2024 · 7:43 AM

The Sufficiency of the Insignificant

 

The Sufficiency of the Insignificant
Exodus 1:15-21
Pastor Lee Hemen, May 05, 2024

Have you ever heard of Henrietta Lacks? “Henrietta was a poor tobacco farmer from Virginia. Her death was remarked by no one except her children, her family, and her friends. However, Henrietta Lacks is the source of the HeLa cell line—her blood contained uniquely immortal cells that can live outside her body indefinitely. After the birth of her fifth child in 1951, Henrietta was admitted to Johns Hopkins University Hospital complaining of “a knot in her womb,” and doctors took a sample of tissue. It was soon noticed that, unlike normal cells, Henrietta’s cells did not die after a few days but rather continued to grow, doubling every 20 to 24 hours. Henrietta’s cells can be found in the trillions in laboratories around the world. They have been used by medical researchers studying not only cancer but also hemophilia, influenza, leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease. They were also used in developing the polio vaccine, the cancer drug tamoxifen, chemotherapy, gene mapping, and a whole host of other uses. The HeLa cells show no signs of dying. Henrietta Lacks, however, died within months of her admission to the hospital due to a malignant tumor in her cervix. She was buried in an unmarked grave, never knowing that she would go on to save millions of lives and that her remarkable cells would live forever. Henrietta’s grave finally received a headstone in 2010.” (listverse.com – 10 People You’ve Never Heard of Who Changed the World by Ward Hazell)

Perhaps you think that you are insignificant or not sufficient in order to be used by God, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Apostle Paul wrote that “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV84)” And here in this passage from Exodus we discover exactly how God does that in the lives of those who are insignificant.

READ: Exodus 1:15-21

We discover that…

I. Significance Is No Match for Humility! (vv. 15-16)

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.’ (Exodus 1:15-16 NIV84)”

1. Pharaoh thought he was a god. He was perhaps the supreme ruler of his day and age. All those he ruled over, acquiesced to his every whim. He was kind of like the Centurion Jesus would meet many centuries later who declared, “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. (Matthew 8:9 NIV84)” Except Pharaoh was under no one’s authority, or so he thought. Pharaoh had monuments, humongous statues, pyramids, and entire cities built simply to aggrandize his own ego. He oppressed the Israelites simply because he could. In fact, we learn that “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. (Exodus 1:12-13 NIV84)” Pharaoh was not about to give up his slave labor, nor was he going to allow them to outpopulate his own people. So, “The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.’ (Exodus 1:15-16 NIV84)” Yet, we learn that “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. (Exodus 1:17 NIV84)” The name Shiphrah means “beautiful, harmony” from the verb “to be pleasing or harmoniously composed”. I like that. And Puah means “splendid or radiant” from the verb “to be healthy or joyful”. These two insignificant women humble a mighty Pharaoh. Significance is no match for humility!

EXAMPLE: The word for humility comes from humus, meaning dirt or earth. It carries the suggestion that those who would come before royalty would bow down, toughing their foreheads to the earth to signify their humility before their king. Today, self-realization and enhancing our self-worth are our highest aspirations. It creates arrogance, greed, and self-centeredness. It was during contract negotiations that the plant manager declared, “I’m the boss! I’m your manager! You will listen to me!” and he angerly banged his fist on the table. He got real quiet, really fast, grabbed his hand and hurried out of the room. He had hit the table so hard, he had fractured several bones in his hand. He came back later with a bandaged hand and more humble attitude. Significance is no match for humility!

We discover that…

II. Sufficiency is Found in Following God! (vv. 17-19)

1. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. (Exodus 1:17-19 NIV84)”

1. Beautiful and Splendid decided it was far better to follow the Lord Almighty rather than an arrogant Pharaoh. They “feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do”! How many of us would be like these two insignificant women? Would we be willing to stand up to a big-headed boss, an egotistical co-worker, a loud-mouthed neighbor, or ridiculous relative in order to follow the Lord? Shiphrah and Puah did. The fear expressed here is both fear of the consequences of not following through and honoring God by living the way he would want, but also awe. Being the witness, the salt and light, even amongst their own people! I am sure there were those Jews who would have told these women, “Don’t make waves. You will only get yourself or your families in trouble.” But these two women, who no one knew, unless you needed a mid-wife, were willing to risk everything in order to save baby boys, and ultimately their own people. They understood what they were being asked to do. Pharaoh wanted to extinguish any threat to himself, his kingdom, even if it meant murdering innocent children. Shiphrah and Puah could not do what he commanded them to do. So, when the Pharaoh demanded an answer as to why they did what they did, they respond by telling him, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive!” Wow. “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” like British prime minister Winston Churchill declared during WWII about the British fighter pilots, and it certainly applies here, doesn’t it? Sufficiency is found in following God!

EXAMPLE: Far too many of us are more concerned with what others think of us than how God views us. SnapChat, InstaGram, Facebook (Meta), X, and other online platforms curry more of our unnecessary attention than does our morality or standing with the Lord. I can remember being more afraid of what my mom or dad thought of me than what others did. One of the worst things we could hear was, “Just wait until I tell your father hears about this” or “What would your mother think?” I learned that it mattered what my parents thought of me, and it should matter what God thinks of us as well. As the Psalmist sang, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:14 NIV)” Shiphrah and Puah understood that sufficiency is found in following God!

We learn that…

III. Insignificance Is Rewarded! (vv. 20-21)

So, God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (Exodus 1:20-21 NIV)

1. These two insignificant women teach us today how to come up against authorities and others that are ungodly. The Prophet Micah would write many centuries later: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV)” Shiphrah and Puah realized that the Lord had placed them in a position to be able to do something everyone else around them thought was impossible. What was the outcome of their actions? Perhaps they were ridiculed by family, “What are you doing? You are endangering your family!” Perhaps they were told to stop by the Jewish elders: “You two foolish women are going to bring the wrath of Pharaoh down on all of us!” Yet we find none of this, instead we discover that the outcome of their humility was that “God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.” Their people were blessed and became even more numerous, and because they were willing to fear God more then Pharaoh, God gave them families of their own! This is the lesson we need to learn today: Insignificance is rewarded!

EXAMPLE: My mom would say, “Virtue is its own reward.” Or “Kindness is its own reward.” Whenever she wanted to make a particular point, she would insert whatever she wanted in front of “its own reward”. Making your bed is its own reward. Often, we did not want to hear it, no matter what she decided to insert. Virtue, kindness, morality, hard work, or whatever. Being teenagers we just wanted to do our own thing. Sadly, much of the world exists and lives as immature adolescents. They are easily manipulated by social media or the mob. Just look at what is occurring on many college campuses around our nation. You may not think you are talented, smart, know enough Bible, good looking, young, old, short, tall, fat or thin; guess what? God does not care! He has placed you where you are to walk humbly, seek him, and allow him to use you because like Shiphrah and Puah found out, insignificance is rewarded!

Conclusion:

Significance is no match for humility! Sufficiency is found in following God! Insignificance is rewarded!

—-
This article is copyrighted © 2024 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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July 20, 2025 · 8:56 AM

A soldier’s faith! — Matthew 8:5-13

A soldier’s faith! — Matthew 8:5-13
By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen
July 20, 2025
What kind of discipline do you display in life? I have a sister who never saw a shoe store she couldn’t pass by or for that matter a jewelry display she would not stop for. For me it used to be bookstores. However, self-discipline is a good thing and is why the military focuses on it so much. They want soldiers who will follow orders and are disciplined enough to be able to handle anything that is thrown their way during a conflict. In fact, they are trained to act as a team and to depend on one another.
Jesus desired that his followers learn how to not only have faith in him but also to have faith in one another because he knew their future was going to be tough. And here in this depiction of an incident that Jesus has with a Roman centurion teaches us about what it means to have faith in him and to have the willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads. Let’s take a look at a soldier’s faith…
READ: Matthew 8:5-13
Have you ever seen someone at a distance and thought one thing about them, only to be proven wrong? I have. The way Jesus handles the Roman centurion’s faith teaches us that…
I. We have to be willing to see beyond a person’s exterior! (Vv. 5-7)
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
  1. It is interesting but first it is a leper who comes to Jesus for healing and now it is a Roman centurion! The Jewish people hated the Romans and there were constant uprisings against them and constant repercussions by the ruling Roman authority. And it occurred “When Jesus had entered Capernaum” a major Jewish town where Jesus lived and went out from to do his ministry that “a centurion came to him, asking for help.” We know that Pontius Pilate used extreme measures to quell any threat to Roman authority. In describing Pilate’s personality, Philo (a first century Greek historian) writes that Pilate had “vindictiveness and furious temper”, and was “naturally inflexible, a blend of self-will and relentlessness”. Referring to Pilate’s governance, Philo further describes “his corruption, and his acts of insolence, and his rapine (taking other’s property by force), and his habit of insulting people, and his cruelty, and his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never ending, and gratuitous, and most grievous inhumanity”. So, we understand that the Hebrew people did not like the Romans who occupied their nation. And here this Roman commander comes to Jesus! “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Now wait a minute, you mean to tell me that a Roman soldier who is in command of 100 men is coming to an itinerant Jewish rabbi for help? And we learn it is for a servant no less? In his actions and words, we learn a few things about this Roman: 1) He was compassionate (his servant was in “terrible suffering”), 2) He fully understood who he needed to go to for help (Jesus), and 3) he was humble enough that went himself into a major Jewish town and did not send an underling! I believe Jesus saw all of this in this man as well and responds to him by immediately telling him, “I will go and heal him.” Jesus saw beyond this man’s uniform, authority, and exterior and, like Jesus, we have to be willing to see beyond a person’s exterior!
  EXAMPLE: The tough question here is: Can I see beyond the outward appearance of the person? George Washington seems cold and aloof. Yet he served without pay as General of a ragtag Army against the might of the British military. Fiery in temper, he rarely displayed it; he held everyone in high regard with honor and wept over his soldiers. Kids today are likely to spend school time listing “10 things I like about myself” while young Washington, in contrast, diligently copied 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior” into his lesson book! Washington was known to pray often. Here Jesus teaches us that we have to be willing to see beyond a person’s exterior!
What we may see on the outside is not the actual person inside and here Jesus teaches us that…
II. We have to be willing to understand a person’s interior! (Vv. 8-9)
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
  1. Gauging what’s in a person’s heart is often hard to do but God never asks us to do that. Rather, we can listen and be attentive and deduce by why a person does or says and come to a pretty good conclusion. And further we can ask the Holy Spirit for guidance! Jesus promised “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13 NIV)” Far too often we rely on our “intuition” when we need to learn from God’s interaction! And in his humanity Jesus does just that! Jesus listens to the Centurion’s words and looks closely at his actions. Notice what Jesus hears: “The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.’” This tough army commander calls Jesus, “Lord,” meaning here “master”. He recognizes what some people never do: That Jesus is in complete control and in perfect power to do what he desires! Jesus is either the master of our lives or he is not. If he isn’t then he cannot and will not work in our lives until we are willing to become his servant. The Centurion understood all Jesus had to do was “say the word” and his “servant” would “be healed”! Here’s the startling truth: A Roman army officer was willing to become a servant in order for his slave to be healed! And notice he tells Jesus exactly why he believes this to be true: “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” You see, there it is, Jesus sees that this man understood the command structure and because he does, he understood how God works in the lives of those who willingly place themselves under his command! This rugged Roman Centurion was fully exposed to Jesus from his inside out! Jesus understood what made him tick because he listened and was attentive to the Centurion’s need. Like Jesus, we have to be willing to understand a person’s interior!
  EXAMPLE: The tough question here is: Who controls my life? We all have comfort zones we do not like to leave. Benjamin Franklin drew up a list of 13 virtues he wished to acquire, and a program for practicing them. “I was surprised,” Franklin wrote later, “to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined; but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish.” It is safe to stay inside our self-built walls. Yet if we are going to reach this generation with the good news of Jesus, we must be willing to take a hard look at ourselves. Like Jesus, we have to be willing to understand a person’s interior!
Who controls our lives says a lot about who we follow and taking a hard look at one’s self can be tough. But here we learn from Jesus that…
III. We may need to give ourselves a kick in the posterior! (Vv. 10-13)
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
  1. Can you imagine what Jesus’ disciples thought? What about the crowd who now followed his every move, I wonder how they responded to Jesus’ willingness to hear and act on the behalf of a Roman officer? Yet we also discover that Jesus in his humanity could be surprised and “When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.’” Say what? Jesus is delightfully surprised by the man’s explanation. How cool is that! So much so he admits he had not seen the same kind of faith out of his own people! And Jesus bluntly tells the crowd and his followers, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” The promised feast that all Jews longed for and looked forward to! “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Say it isn’t so! Basically, Jesus is kicking them right in their posterior with is words! He is telling them that this hated Roman Soldier has more faith than any of them and that “many” of them “will come from the east and the west” to take their “places at the [future] feast with [their Father] Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” [Patriarchs all] but they the “subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside”! They will be punished for their unbelief! For their unwillingness to become Jesus’ servants! Remember Jesus had just gotten through telling the crowd “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21 NIV)” In fact he would never know them but he would know this Roman centurion! Jesus teaches us that we may need to give ourselves a kick in the posterior!
  EXAMPLE: The tough question here is: Do I need a swift kick in my bottom to get me to do what I know I need to do? Habeas corpus is recourse in law whereby a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment before a court. President Lincoln suspended it during the Civil War. John Merryman, a state legislator from Maryland, incurred Lincoln’s wrath and was arrested for attempting to hinder Union troops from moving from Baltimore to Washington during the Civil War and was held by Union troops. He immediately sought a writ of habeas corpus. However, President Lincoln decided not allow it because he felt state legislators were trying to hinder his ability to effectively fight the war. Lincoln decided to give them a “swift kick” to gain their attention. It worked even though five years later the Supreme Court ruled that only Congress could suspend habeas corpus. Here in Matthew’s account, we learn that we may need to give ourselves a kick in the posterior!
Conclusion:
We have to be willing to see beyond a person’s exterior! We have to be willing to understand a person’s interior! We may need to give ourselves a kick in the posterior!
—
This sermon is copyrighted © 2025 by Lee Hemen and cannot be used in any part unless written permission is given by Lee Hemen.

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July 6, 2025 · 8:11 AM

Magnify the Lord, Putting the Emphasis on God!

Psalm 34:1-3
Magnify the Lord, Putting the Emphasis on God!
Retired Pastor Lee Hemen

What do a telescope, a microscope, and magnifying glass all have in common? They all make things bigger so you can see them better! For some people it doesn’t matter what they use they just can’t seem to get God into focus for their lives. Sadly, we live in a day and age where YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat or Discord are the main ways a lot of young people and others get their information, is it any wonder our attention spans are about the same as a squirrel’s?

This is why I am glad Vacation Bible School is focusing children on God. It’s a time for them to come and have fun while learning Biblical truths about discovering and magnifying God in their lives. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary “This song of praise is attributed to David when he escaped from Abimelech by feigning insanity (1 Samual 21:11). In the psalm David called on the congregation to praise the Lord for their salvation. And after affirming that God is good to those who trust Him, he instructed the people on how to live a long life.” In these three verses David gives us three ways to magnify the Lord by putting the emphasis on God. Let’s discover what he says.

READ: 34:1-3

One of my favorite memories was sitting in our backyard with my father, looking at the stars, planets, and the moon through a telescope I got for Christmas. We would go out on cold clear nights and focus the telescope of far away things. It was amazing and it was a special time with my father. Sometimes, folks can feel like God does care for them, but what we need to do is…

I. Magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (Psalms 34:1 NIV)

1. David had been harassed, sought after, and even had to feign being insane so that his enemies would not kill him! Can you imagine living your life like that? Now I know there are those who try and get attention by thinking everyone is out to get them, but we understand that often they are only seeking attention. David was trying to get sympathy in order to get attention. He wanted to live another day on the run! Now he could have sat in a cave somewhere and had a real pity party about how he thought that God didn’t care, that if God were real, He would save him from his enemies, or that God needed to prove Himself to David personally by coming and speaking to him right now, right where he was. But notice David didn’t do that. Instead, he knew who was trying to kill him and why, and instead of being all sorrowful, he wanted to bring God closer. How did he do that? I’m glad you asked. He did it by extoling the Lord! Some translate this word as “bless”, the idea here is one of focusing on blessing God. Giving Him our praise! In other words, giving God His due because of who He is in our lives. 

Sometimes we can become so self-focused on our hurt, our pain, our circumstances that we forget just to thank God for Him! My father was big on those three little words of please, thank you, and you’re welcome. Why? Because it was the proper thing to do, but more importantly it told the person it was directed at just how you appreciated what they did! The proper thing to do in our lives is to remember God and bless Him with our lips! We need to magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

EXAMPLE: Remember that old chorus that went: “Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord and worship Him!” It was a reminder for the singer to forget about themselves and focus on the Lord. Later, David would sing, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalms 34:6 NIV) and that “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18 NIV) God is closest, is magnified in our lives when we forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

I remember the first time I looked through a microscope at a droplet of pond water. It was amazing! All of those little creatures and critters living in just a drop of water! It was both frightening and amazing. 

Sometimes, we can forget that God is always with us because we focus only on the big things, when we should…

II. Magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. (Psalms 34:2 NIV)

1. I liked an old TV show called the Big Bang Theory. One of the characters is an engineering nerd named Howard Wolowitz played by Simon Helberg. He is Jewish in real life and he played a Jewish mama’s boy in the show. One time when they were talking about their friend Sheldon complaining all of the time, Wolowitz states, “Clearly you haven’t met my people.” Some folks are like that; they’re always negative all the time. Including with their relationship with the Lord. Have you ever met someone like that, do you have someone like that in your life, or are you like that? Sometimes we forget just how amazing God is in our lives because we forget about the small things He does for us daily. It takes the focus off of ourselves, our problems, and squarely thanks God for even the smallest of things that He continually does! Remember how the Israelites complained to Moses about God rescuing them, taking them into the desert, and only giving them manna and quail to eat? Notice here that for David it was a concerted effort on his part not to sit and complain. Instead, he writes, “I will glory in the Lord”! It’s a conscious decision on his part to decide to give God glory! God had not only kept him safe from Saul’s spies, from Saul himself, but also the Philistines that he pretended to be insane to escape their wrath! David needed to remind himself and others that God had done those things, but He had also fed them, kept them safe, and given them shelter daily. So, he continued by saying, “let the afflicted hear and rejoice”! Let his men, those around him, and those throughout Israel hear and rejoice! Was he afflicted? Yes! Were the Israelites themselves afflicted? Yes! Were his followers afflicted? Yes! But just focusing on your affliction makes one ignore even the small things God does for us daily. We are reminded to magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

EXAMPLE: When I would do marriage or couples counseling, I would always tell the couples that in their lives together, they should focus on the small things that they can do for one another. Vacuuming, doing the dishes, making the bed, leaving a love note, picking up clothes, or even saying, “I love you” once in a while. I’ve known parents who spoil their children by getting them everything they want, thinking that this is showing their child that they love them. Only to lose them later. As parents, we need to focus on the little things like, brushing your teeth, making your bed, taking a shower regularly. Why? Because it prepares them for life. The big things in life often come from the little things. We are reminded to magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

Several of the few treasures I usually cared with me in my pockets as I went exploring around the orchards, woods, and fields where I lived were a small film canister of wooden matches, a tiny compass, and a magnifying glass. Flowers, bugs – yes including ants – and other things became fascinating when I made them bigger with that magnifying glass. Sometimes, we can forget just how wonderful the Lord is because we forget to…

III. Magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:3 NIV)

1. There is something special about when loving families get together to celebrate something, isn’t there? This is one reason I like thanksgiving. Sure, there’s the food, the pie, but more importantly there is your family. Oh, I know that not all families get along, but when they do, there is something truly special about a gathering. Pacific Northwest Indians called it a potlatch. The Scotts called it a Gathering of the Clans. Fur trappers in the old west called is a Rendezvous. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I was born, was named after Davey Jackson. It described a high mountain valley surrounded by mountains. And, it became a place where fur trappers would have their Rendezvous. David knew it was important for folks to come together to celebrate the Lord. God had instructed His people that they were to do this weekly and on special occasions. Notice that David writes, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” It’s an invitation to join him in his worship of the Lord! Worship should be a place where we can come together as God’s people and glorify and exalt His name with one another! But it should also be a place where we can invite others to join us! One of the things that attracted this brand-new Christian and old Catholic boy to go to church regularly was that it was enjoyable to be with God’s people praising God! Contrasted to the stodgy, formal, and often BORING worship I had grown up with, Baptists sang, praised the Lord, and even said “Amen!” once in a while! Notice that later in this song of David he writes, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:8 NIV) We need to invite others to come and taste and see just how good God is! When we come together, as God’s people, to glorify the Lord, we forget about ourselves and focus on who He is it is truly wonderful. We are reminded to magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

EXAMPLE: What are some things that are better when done with other people? Of course, team sports like baseball, football, basketball and other sport games that have teams. Board games like Monopoly or Risk and of course some of the online games like Fortnite or Roblox. Summer camps and Vacation Bible School are a lot more fun when there are a lot of kids. As a church we’re stronger, encouraged, and benefit from coming together as believers to worship the Lord together. Our nation has lost a lot of its religious roots because people no longer see worshipping together as important for their lives, their children’s lives, and the moral health of our nation. David understood this. We need to magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

Conclusion:
Magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!
Magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!
Magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!
—-
This article is copyrighted © 2025 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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June 14, 2025 · 9:19 PM

Who do you know? – Matthew 7:21-23

Who do you know? – Matthew 7:21-23

By Pastor Lee Hemen

June 15, 2025

There are those who think they are Christian because they were born in America; there are those who think they are Christian because they are nice people and do nice things; and there are those who think they are Christian because they have a relative who was a believer, a pastor, or a deacon in a church — yet, none of these beliefs makes one a Christian! And like my father used to say, “It’s not who you think you know, it’s who you actually are that matters.” Jesus understood this as well.

Jesus knew that there were those in the crowd that day and perhaps his own disciples who thought that those who expressed piety or those who regularly observed all the festivals, ate the right foods, and kept their selves pure were God’s people. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Jesus knew that even being part of the High Priest’s family did not guarantee your relationship with God! We discover here that the better question was “Who do you know?” and not what have you done or who are you related to? Let’s see why…

READ: Matthew 7:21-23

“He is his father’s son.” Have you ever heard someone use that expression to describe a young boy who emulates their dad? We probably all have. Here we discover Jesus teaches us that it is more than knowing about God…

I. It is about doing the will of your Father in heaven! (v. 21)

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

  1. As I have shared before there are those who erroneously think that by simply being baptized as a baby, having a family member who is a pastor, priest, nun, or deacon, or by simply thinking about God once in a while makes them a Christian. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. After presenting the true way of access into his kingdom, Jesus gave a warning about false prophets. He referred to these advocates of the broad way as ferocious wolves who appear outwardly harmless as sheep. Now Jesus turns to the fact whereby these wolves may not enter his kingdom at all: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven”! I am sure that those hearing this sermon must have wondered about their religious leaders, who seemed to be good pious men on the outside, teaching spiritual truths about Messiah and his kingdom, but in fact they were the very inner wolves Jesus had just spoken about! Not everyone who says they are godly people, are who they say they are at all! For Jesus saying to him “Lord” meant that you were willingly submitting to his rule and reign as the Messiah in your life. You were willing to recognize who he was, publicly acknowledging the fact, and were willing to give your life to him as his servant! So those who were quick to say “Lord, Lord” were not as pious as everyone thought and would not “enter the kingdom of heaven”! Who then could do so if those who seemed on the outside to be good enough? Jesus immediately teaches that it would only be “he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” We learn that what constituted the Father’s will was to love him unconditionally and to love others as you love yourself. Jesus knew it was all about doing the will of your Father in heaven!

  EXAMPLE: One of the last things my dad used to tell my siblings and I was, “Be good and obey your mother just as if I were here.” For my father it did not matter to him whether he was present or not we had to respect and be obedient to our mother when he was absent. This is what doing the God’s will is about. Jesus knew it was all about doing the will of your Father in heaven!

When I was younger, I called my aunt and she was shocked at how much I sounded like my dad on the phone. My brother’s voice is very similar as well and in fact his dog that he owned often would confuse us because we sounded so much alike. Jesus knew that fine sounding words or saying godly things did not make one a child of God and so…

II. It is not about the words you use or the things you do! (v. 22)

Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”

  1. Jesus also knew that trying to second guess God does not work and neither does trying to bluff your way into his good graces. God never winks at sin. Trying to fool God into thinking you love him when in actuality one hardly ever acknowledges his existence at all in one’s life is foolish thinking. There are those who think that by simply entering a church building once in a while God will honor their bogus religiosity. Just as entering a Safeway doesn’t make you a bottle of milk neither does entering a church building, once in a while, make you a Christian. Jesus knew the hypocrisy of people and that they would try to claim some kind of relationship with him on the final Day of Judgment but it would not work. God sees us for who we are, why we are making the excuses we are, and what we do as a smokescreen. Jesus bluntly related that “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord’” perhaps thinking that by doing so they would illicit some kind of sympathy from God. They are going to be in for a big disappointment. Notice too that it was “Lord, Lord” and not “my Lord, my Lord” because there is no intention on their part to acknowledge his actual lordship in their lives. Instead, they continue by compounding their faulty thinking by trying to bring up what they felt justified in their lives by relaying: “did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” False prophets and false Christians actually think that by doing good things is enough but in God’s economy it is not. When the risen Jesus showed himself to his doubting disciple Thomas and had him place his fingers in the wounds on his side and hands, Thomas responds by declaring, “My Lord and my God! (John 20:2-28 NIV)” Thomas showed by his declaration of Jesus being his Lord and his God who he was giving his life to. False Christians and prophets try to fool God and others while never giving their lives or allegiance to Jesus. This is why Jesus taught that is it not about the words you use or the things you do, it is about who you trust with your life!

  EXAMPLE: I’ve heard others describe people they know as “the salt of the earth” or being “a good person who would give you the shirt off his back” but as nice as this sounds it does not mean they know God personally. A lot of “nice” folks are going to end up separated from him for eternity. My dad once quipped, “niceness does not mean you’re near to God, it just means you’re nice”. And he was correct. As one old-time preacher put it, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Jesus taught that is it not about the words you use or the things you do, it is about who you trust with your life!

My father would tease me by pretending he didn’t recognize me when I wanted something like an ice cream cone or a certain toy. I would hug his leg and sternly remind him, “You know who I am!” And this is exactly what Jesus was trying to convey to his listeners. Jesus knew that…

III. It’s about who you know as Savior and Lord! (V. 23)

Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

  1. The one thing anyone can plainly see in the gospel depictions of Jesus is the fact that he always told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He never tried to soften it or make it more palatable. Jesus knew that if he did, he could falsely convey to his listeners an ungodly notion that he was not who he said he was or that God did not send him for the purpose he came for. This is why Jesus spent a lot time teaching about his kingdom and about hell. When a person dies, they will either spend eternity with fellow believers in the presence and purpose of God or they will spend eternity separated from others and him! Jesus taught: “When the Son of Man”, meaning himself, “comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31-33 NIV)” Those who try to fool God, he will tell them plainly, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (v. 41) In fact those who tried to fool him “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life”! (v. 46) and sadly there is hardly any teaching about this anymore. There is a reason Jesus came “to save what was lost”! (Matthew 18:11) Paul wrote, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NIV)” So here Jesus bluntly tells the crowd, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” This tells me that it is Jesus who will ultimately judge us and it is Jesus who knows exactly who we are and what we believe or not. To believe otherwise or to think we can fool God he depicts as “evil”. Jesus knew it’s about who you know as Savior and Lord!

  EXAMPLE: When you look at photographs of me when I was younger and my father when he was the same age you know immediately whose son I am. In fact, all of my siblings resemble my father and no one would ever make the mistake in thinking that we weren’t siblings and our father’s children. Even though there are those who desperately try to fool others into thinking they are the children of God, believe me he knows exactly who belongs to him or not. Jesus isn’t fooled. Jesus knew it’s about who you know as Savior and Lord!

Conclusion:

Jesus knew it was all about doing the will of your Father in heaven! Jesus taught that is it not about the words you use or the things you do, it is about who you trust with your life! And Jesus knew it’s about who you know as Savior and Lord!

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December 8, 2024 · 7:56 AM

Psalm 85 – Peace

Psalm 85 – Peace

Pastor Lee Hemen

December 8, 2024

In our world today, many feel we need peace more than during any time, yet this has been true since human history has begun. One of the names people like most for Jesus is Prince of Peace. However, what we think we need and what Jesus provides is often misunderstood by what we think we need.

The Psalmist was concerned for his nation, Israel. There is an idea that this Psalm was written early after the Hebrews returned from Babylonian exile. Israel was able to return after God allowed them to come back to the Promised Land. The Bible recounts how after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire the exiled Hebrews were permitted by the Persians to return to Judah. According to the biblical Book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem began. The Psalmist wanted his nation to be safe, secure, and at peace.

READ: Psalm 85

I like Christmas. The decorations, the carols, and the joy that seems to surround the whole season. It’s like that during the darkest time of the year, we have an opportunity to rejoice! When good things happen, after a lot of bad things, we usually want others to realize just how wonderful it is to be experiencing the good after the bad. This is why the Psalmist would sing:

You, LORD, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalms 85:1-6 NIV)

I.  Peace comes when we are restored to God! (vv. 1-6)

  1. On this day of advent, we celebrate the peace of God through Jesus. The Psalmist practically reminds the Lord that he “showed favor” to his promised land, he had “restored the fortunes of Jacob”, and that he “forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.” If he did all of this by bringing them back from exile, could he not fully restore his people? Of course, the answer is “YES”! So, he continues by relating, “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” He did it once, can he do it again, and would he do it again? What the Psalmist could only hope, we experience today because of Jesus Christ! The Bible teaches us that revival comes when we experience the peace of God in our lives, when we no longer feel his anger or wrath. Israel had been held in captivity for so long and now they were able to return to their own land, make their own nation again, and worship God the way he desired! After paying the price, God forgave them and restored them! I know I rejoiced when my parents forgave me for many of the dumb things I did.

I remember a time when my brother and I were particularly onery one winter afternoon. It was cold and snowy outside, Christmas was near, and we were suffering from “cabin fever”. We both knew our mom had reached her limit, yet neither of us were willing to quit. I know this shocks you that we were onery as kids. Closed quarters do not make siblings grow fonder. After spending the morning terrorizing one another, we were surprised when our mom told us both to “come and get a hug.” She wrapped us in her arms and just hugged the daylights out of us. We didn’t deserve it, we had not earned it, but yet she was willing to do it. She reminded us that it was close to Christmas, and that we needed to behave better. In that moment, we experienced her love and because of it, we separated and went off and were quiet for the rest of the day. In that moment we were taught about peace, at least for a minute. Peace comes when we are restored to God!

Some folks desire and long for the presence of God in their lives because they know the peace that comes with such a relationship. There are others who do not desire it nor do they think they need it. Few truly understand the wrath of God against their sin. In his great love for us, he hates sin. In the third verse of Joy to the World we sing: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.” This is why the Psalmist would sing:

Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. (Psalms 85:7-9 NIV)

II. Peace comes when we listen to the Lord! (vv. 7-9)

  1. We want others to love us, this is why we seek someone special in our lives to experience that love. It is a reflection of who God is, after all, God is love. The Psalmist understood this in his life and his people’s relationship with God. This is why he would declare, “Show us your unfailing love, LORD”. But notice, he goes on to further the notion that God’s love is expressed in him granting us his “salvation”! Jesus’ being named Emmanuel meant “God with us” because he is God, and Christmas is the celebration of God coming and being with us! When someone does something for you totally because they love you, how does that make you feel? If you want a lasting, close, and loving relationship you have to be willing to serve the other person in your life. This means you put your wants, your desires, and your material possessions aside for that person or persons you love. Jesus told his followers, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV) When we are loved we feel safe, when we love others, they feel safe, and when God loves us, we are saved! Remember God “promises peace to his people, his faithful servants”. That’s his love. Therefore, we know that “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.” Let us “not turn to folly” but instead know that peace comes when we listen to the Lord!

Why is there hope in times of hopelessness? Because God has given us the answer to the world’s problems in the presence and Person of His Son. On that first Christmas, the Word took on flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14). In the old Burl Ives Christmas song I Heard the Bells, he sings of “peace on earth, good will to men.” It’s from Luke 2:14. In Jesus we find all we need. God’s provision is full and complete. The Psalmist could not fully understand what God would provide, but he knew God cared for his people. This is why he would sing:

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps. (Psalms 85:10-13 NIV)

III. Peace and righteousness are ours in Jesus! (vv. 10-13)

  1. Do you know what is better than one scoop of ice cream? Two scoops of ice cream, of course! This is why the Psalmist would sing that both “love and faithfulness meet together”. They’re better than bacon and eggs or ham and cheese! They meet together in the presence and character of God in Jesus Christ! God is both loving and faithful towards us! He continues this pairing by relating that also “righteousness and peace kiss each other”! This intimate and special because the righteousness of God “looks down from heaven” and our “faithfulness springs forth from the earth.” This could refer to us and our relationship with God! Actually, all of these things, these wonderful gracious attributes of God, his righteousness, his love, his faithfulness, work together to give us peace! Paul would write: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”. (Ephesians 2:13-14 NIV) This is why we long for and sing about the birth of the One who gave us our righteousness because of our faith in him, to bring about a new and wonderful relationship with God that the Psalmist could only long for and sing about! Peace and righteousness are ours in Jesus!

This Advent we can know for sure that the wrath of God has been appeased by the love of God, and we have the peace and righteousness of God because of Jesus! I like some candies, and one of them is Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. They are one of the most popular candies sold in America, and not just during Halloween but even now at Christmas! Do you know why? And, no it isn’t because of marketing. It’s because they are both chocolate and peanut butter joined together. Remember those old commercials where someone would drop their chocolate bar into someone else’s jar of peanut butter? I do. These are two things that go well together. Even better is the fact that peace and righteousness are ours in Jesus!

Conclusion:

Peace comes when we are restored to God!  Peace comes when we listen to the Lord! Peace and righteousness are ours in Jesus!

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This article is copyrighted © 2024 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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September 8, 2024 · 7:58 AM

Psalm 34:8 – Eating Is More than Tasting

Psalm 34:8 – Eating Is More than Tasting

September 8, 2024

Bill Crowder wrote in Our Daily Bread: “The beautiful bride, gripping her proud father’s arm, was poised to make her way to the altar. But not before the entrance of her thirteen-month-old nephew. Instead of carrying the more common ‘ring’—he was the ‘Bible bearer.’ In this way, the bride and groom, as committed believers in Jesus, wanted to testify to their love for Scripture. With minimal distraction, the toddler found his way to the front of the church. How illustrative it was that the toddler’s teeth marks were found on the leather cover of the Bible. What a picture of activity that’s fitting for believers in Christ or those who desire to know Him—to taste and take in Scripture.”

Jesus related to his followers, “Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56) and that “I am the bread of life, No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35) What does this mean for us today? I’m glad you asked!

Read: Psalm 34:8

I like potluck. Do you like potluck? Why do we like potluck? There’s usually a very good variety of food. Do you like all of the food served at potluck? Why? When I was younger my parents insisted that I try or taste everything set before me. Sometimes I would try to just lick it or touch the food with my tongue. Is this what the writer of Psalm 34:8 saying to us today? No. He knew that…

I. Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!

  1. David began his Psalm with, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:1-3 NIV)” How could David do this if he were just licking? He could not. David was fully involved in his worship of God because it was personal to him. He “extoled” God, praised him. David did it “at all times” and that Praise’ of God was always on his lips! And he invited others to do the same! David knew that saying you believe and actually devoting yourself to that faith are two different things. I had a pastor friend who used to declare that “visiting church once in a while does not make one a Christian, just as walking into Safeway does not make you a gallon of milk!” We often hear that 80% of Americans identify as “Christian”, but that does not equate them into believing in Christ! David had a personal and in-depth faith in God. He did not just “lick” God once in a while. Notice that in verse 4 he related, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” How could he say that? Because he knew what it was like to walk with and have a personal relationship with God! It was said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:32) We can say we “believe in God”, or that we “like God”, or that we are “Christian” but faith is more than feelings or just “licking” the Lord! Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!

Example: Regular sugar and alum look very similar, but are they different? Yes. And they are used for different things! Very different things! How can you tell them apart if they were not prepacked and labeled? You would, perhaps, have to taste them. You would have to get fully involved in finding out which was which. It is the same with our faith. Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!

I like a lot of things. BBQ ribs, pie, kisses from my granddaughter, a clean house, fishing and a whole lot more. But there is a difference between liking something and having a personal investment in something. Many like being an American but sadly, few actually take it a step further and vote! David understood what it meant to be personally invested in the Lord. He knew that…

II. Tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!

  1. Too many people just want a lick of God in their lives. Why? We like free samples in life. You know, like Costco! We want to just lick something or just “try” it because we may not like it. For the Hebrew, tasting was more than licking. What the Psalmist was writing about here is the idea that you cannot know God until you know God! You cannot experience God through your parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. You cannot sample God through others, your emotions, or just your feelings. How could David know that the Lord was “good”? He writes, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (v.5)” Over and over we are encouraged to “seek the Lord” and that is what David means here. It is more than just looking for God, it is finding and discovering for yourself who he is. This is why Jesus would relate, “ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV)” This is why David would declare, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. (v. 6) and that “Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. (Psalms 34:9 NIV)” Faith for the Hebrew was active. He knew that he had to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (v. 14)” because “ The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. (v. 22)” Jesus would declare, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18 NIV)” Belief is more than tasting God, tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!

Example: When my folks wanted me to try some kind of food that I was unfamiliar with I had to partake of it fully. I had to take a bite, I had to chew it, and then I had to swallow it to satisfy their desire for me to try the “suspicious” food they were trying to get me to eat! You know what I discovered? I liked a lot more foods than I thought possible! I found out that I had to actually eat the food I was trying. Being a believer is more than liking Jesus, going to church, or saying you are a “Christian”. Tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!

Conclusion:

Remember I began this sermon by quoting Jesus who said, “Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56) and that “I am the bread of life, No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35) What does this mean for us today? Tasting the Lord is more than licking him! And that tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him! As David would declare: “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8 NIV)”

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July 3, 2023 · 11:30 AM

Stewards, Not Fearmongers!

Stewards, Not Fearmongers!
By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen
July 3, 2023

Ecclesiastes paints kind of a depressing picture of humanity and an individual’s moroseness, however, it also teaches us a lot about ourselves, the world around us, and our God. In his musings the writer states that “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV84) The Bible Knowledge commentary states that “Solomon did not intend by this to deny human creativity but to deny the complete newness of people’s accomplishments.” However, “the constant repetition of previous accomplishments – is in essence true of the activity of people and is included in the observation that all things produce only indescribable weariness and lack of satisfaction…” Solomon was in a mental funk. I can relate. In this day and age, it is easy to become depressed.

Sadly, there are those who use people’s tendency to be depressed to foster greater fear in things they absolutely have no control over whatsoever. One such thing is climate change. Instead of looking at actual scientific facts, observable evidence, and what is known to be true, many use emotional blackmail and fear mongering instead it illicit a gut-wrenching response instead. And if you do not agree with their emotional dictate, they shout you down, call you names, or dismiss you.

Let’s look rationally at the notion that we as individuals could somehow affect change in the worldwide climate. We cannot ignore the fact that the earth “has a surface area of roughly 510,066,000 square km (196,938,000 square miles); almost 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by saltwater oceans. The total volume of liquid water on Earth is about 1.39 billion cubic km (332.5 million cubic miles), and it has an average temperature of about 4 °C (39.2 °F), not far above the freezing point of water. The oceans contain about 97 percent of the planet’s water volume. The remainder occurs as fresh water, three-quarters of which is locked up in the form of ice at polar latitudes. Most of the remaining fresh water is groundwater held in soils and rocks; less than 1 percent of it occurs in lakes and rivers.” (Britannica.com) The planet made be small comparative to other planets, but it relatively huge compared to individual humans. Did you notice anything concerning ice at the poles and say the volume of sea water? How much do you actually think the total melting of the polar ice caps could influence the entire surface of the ocean? Minimal at best, and if let’s just say they did all of a sudden melt, people would get up and move to higher ground, which would be only a couple of feet. By the way, this is exactly what tribes from Siberia did to become America’s native population; they walked across a land bridge to get here.

According to NASA the “The troposphere starts at the Earth’s surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). This part of the atmosphere is the most dense. Almost all weather is in this region.” This is where our breathable air occurs. This area is approximately 3,849,298,671,554.7627397183 cubic feet in size! It is enormous in volume and carbon dioxide makes up less than .04 of the total volume. And when you are talking about climate change, you are working with hundreds of thousands to millionths of minute amounts of change. If you wanted to make any significant change to atmospheric conditions you would go to nations like China, India, or the Philippines, not the United States or Europe. Those nations have billions in populations compared to the rest that have millions, and they use vast amounts of coal, wood, and petroleum products compared to the rest of the world.

Should we be good stewards of the world God created for us? Absolutely! Do we need to live in fear? Absolutely not. Remember that the earth is the Lord’s and so are we. We can use our God-given knowledge, talents, and treasure to solve our energy problems without resorting to fearmongering. Solomon concluded: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV84)
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This article is copyrighted © 2023 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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June 30, 2023 · 9:27 AM

Grow In Preaching

Grow In Preaching

By Pastor Lee Hemen

June 30, 2023

One of things that has always frustrated me as a Christian and a pastor is that far too many pastors think they do not have to mature in their preaching skills. They will pound their pulpits to try and get their listeners to mature in their faith practices of prayer, Bible reading, witnessing and biblical knowledge but never address their own shortcoming of truly stagnant preaching.

I was shocked when I went to listen to a fellow pastor preach and his style was exactly the same as when he graduated from seminary some thirty years ago! There are few pastors who would desire their congregations to remain spiritually stunted for thirty years, yet find no problem with their own stunted growth in being able to preach the word of God that truly meets the needs of their listeners today. This should not happen.

Pastors often preach on what Paul wrote Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV84)” And do so to enforce the notion that Christians should be able to know and understand the Scriptures, but often fail themselves to be able to handle what they are preaching. Paul was trying to teach Timothy to work on him being able to correctly handle God’s truth. We fail as pastors when we never grow or mature in being able to preach the world of God effectively. It takes more than just falling back of the old heresy of relying on the Holy Spirit, and I say this because I’ve often heard this but what it really means is that many are too lazy to actually work at being better in their speaking and preaching.

No athlete or professional ever developed the skills they have without constant practice, personal physical development, and honing of skills. Why are so many pastors mentally and intellectually lazy when it comes to their sermons on Sunday? It is laziness to not do the work of knowing what is happening in the world today and to be able to relate to your listeners how to live their faith out in both practical and spiritual ways. To be able to give them consistent biblical and spiritually palpable answers for today’s world. If you are using illustrations from a book, that are hundreds of years old, or do not relate to your listeners – you’ve failed yourself, your calling, and your congregation. What sounded fine in 2001 may not work in 2023! And believe me if you are still using a 1990’s style of preaching to reach today’s people, you’ve not communicating well at all.

It takes time, hard work, and a willingness to take a hard look at yourself and your style to see if you need to do something better. I know, I had to do this constantly myself. I read and hear often that the church today is losing the next generation. It is not just the fault of the people in the pews because it begins with the person in the pulpit. Fellow pastors hear me here and understand I write this just as Paul did to his friend and fellow pastor Timothy. We are to do our best to present ourselves to God as pastors approved, workmen who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handle the word of truth! And it is more than just reading a commentary or the latest Christian fad book. Have someone video you, then critically rewatch it yourself and take notes on what you could do better. Have others who do not go to your church watch it and give you honest feedback. Read or take some online classes on how to do better public speaking, be aware of the what is going on in the world – the latest fads, music, movies, books, and the what, why, when and where. This does not mean you need to agree with it, but you need to be aware of it. And, yes, it can be hard to listen to others critic your sermon, but it can be truly helpful if you are willing to mature through the process. Record on TV or go to other worship services by other pastors in different churches and denominations to see what they are doing.

Stop preaching to hear yourself preach. Shorten your sermons, longer does not mean better it often means you are meandering looking for a way to mercifully end it. As one pastor told me years ago, “Stand up, speak up, sit down, and shut up.” It’s as simple as knowing that if you cannot state in one easy understandable sentence what you are preaching, you’ve lost your listeners.

Dear brothers in Christ, I urge you to grow in your faith and knowledge of the Lord, but I encourage you to grow in your preaching as well.

—-

This article is copyrighted © 2023 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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Tagged as Bible, christian, church, churches, congregation, growth, pastor, pastors, paul, personal growth, preacing, sermon, sermons, spirituality, Timothy

June 18, 2023 · 3:04 PM

Father’s Day – Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:7-12

Father’s Day – Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:7-12
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 18, 2023

Did you have a good father? I had a pretty good dad. He took us fishing, camping, and spent as much time with us as he could. He taught us to be moral, believe in God, and what marital devotion was all about. I still can remember him showing us boys how to cast a salmon egg just right in order to catch the bigger trout in the river. I also remember he was firm on his word and discipline.

Sometimes children can think their parents are unfair or that they do not understand but what I have learned is that parents, especially fathers, do understand and that is why they often have to take the firm stand they do. Too many fathers in our day are AOL (absent without leave) either physically or emotionally or both. Proverbs reminds us that “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:17-18 NIV)” Let’s discover what it means to be a father.

In our world trying to raise children to be independent critical thinkers, moral, and to follow the Lord has become increasingly hard. It is good to know however that the Scripture is not only filled with examples of how not to be a father but it also gives us good advice on how to be great fathers. We discover that…

Great fathers consistently discipline their children! (Ephesians 6:4 & Hebrews 12:7-9 NIV)

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord… Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

Paul writes, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children”. The wording here refers to a dad who constantly and deliberately tries to enrage or provoke their children into an ungodly reaction. This is not a reference to teasing a child but rather a dad who deliberately and consistently tries to incite their children to react in anger. This could be done through improper parenting where the father constantly degrades their spouse in front of the kids, uses foul language, or involves their children in ungodly activities such as lying, stealing, drug use, or violent behavior. A father can “exasperate” their children when they are not the consistent godly loving example their children need! However, this can also cover inappropriate discipline that is either too harsh or nonexistent. The writer of Hebrews writes that believers should “Endure hardship as discipline”. This teaches us that as children we can think it is a hardship to be disciplined, but in reality, it is a blessing if it is done consistently and correctly! Our discipline in life is “God treating us as sons”! It also reflects the biblical concept that discipline is godly! “For what son is not disciplined by his father?” A lack of consistent discipline by fathers can frustrate a child emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually! Children need parameters in life. They need to know their boundaries. And if they do not have them from their fathers, they can feel unloved and unwanted or illegitimate! “If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” Children need to feel and know they are loved and one of the ways they do is when they know their boundaries in life because when they do they grow up loving and respecting their fathers! “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.” Yet more than this, children who are consistently and compassionately disciplined learn self-discipline! “How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!” Children learn discipline when great fathers consistently discipline their children!

My father was a consistent disciplinarian. We knew his “yes” was yes and his “no” was no. We also quickly learned that simply going to our mother to get a different answer did not work. I did not understand my father when he once told me that his discipline of me at the time would hurt him more than it would hurt me. My spanking sure hurt! Yet his words came flooding back when I had to spank my daughter for the first time. It actually did hurt me more than her momentary pain. However, it did not stop me from trying to be the best father I could be. I did not stop disciplining my daughter simply because it momentarily made feel bad. Children learn discipline when great fathers consistently discipline their children!

I’ve learned that life is not always fun. It is not painless or never filled with hurt. An old pastor was quipped, “Life is hard by the yard but a cinch by the inch!” He was correct. Great fathers learn that directing the lives of their children is not a momentary thing. It is a process. We learn from Paul that…

Great fathers keep on keeping on being a father! (Hebrews 12:10-12 NIV)

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

Certain things in life only last a short while. This is why as fathers we should cherish every day we have with our families. Sure you may have suffered from making the wrong choices in life but God is a loving father and through his example teaches us guys how to be the fathers we need to be! Paul writes, “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best”. Training and nurturing your children only last a few years. In fact, most psychologists will tell you that how a child responds to you at 5 years old will be how they respond to you as a teenager! This is why fathers should spend time with their kids. Reading, playing, talking with and listening to them are extremely important if you want your child to be respectful with you later in life. Remember “God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness.” God is a great example to follow as a father. He always looks at the long haul as fathers should and he loves us in spite of ourselves! Fathers should want the best for their children realizing that the investment they make now in the lives of their children will one day reap a great reward! “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” A good life harvest means that fathers must be willing, ready, and able to do the hard day-by-day and moment-by-moment investment in the lives of their children! It is a matter of consistency again. Just as children are not potty trained, know how to walk or immediately feed themselves it is fathers that help them to become the adults they should be! “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” Godly dads do not complain about having to spend time with their kids. Great fathers keep on keeping on being a father!

I remember the frustration of my father when he sat me down and asked, “How many times am I going to have to ask you to do something before you do it?” I responded, “I guess until it sticks.” To my surprise he reached out and tousled my hair and gently replied, “For your sake I hope not.” Got up and walked away. Some of the greatest moments of my life were spent with my ailing father the last year of his life. We spent the entire summer together. His insights, love, and quiet spirit had a huge impact on me. I learned from him that great fathers keep on keeping on being a father!

Just remember that children learn discipline when great fathers consistently discipline their children! Great fathers keep on keeping on being a father!

This article is copyrighted © 2023 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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January 18, 2023 · 10:02 AM

The Recycling Religion

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Tagged as environmentalism, garbage, recycling, save the planet, stossel, wolrd