Pastor Barry Clair’s Blog

The Calloused Heart

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:29:22 -0600

In Acts 28, Paul quoted Isaiah 6 to justify taking the gospel to the Gentiles. The reason given is that the Jewish people’s hearts were calloused. The greek word used in this passage means “to thicken, to fatten, to make dull.” In other words, Paul was saying that because God’s chosen people had become thick-hearted and dull to the message of Jesus, the door to the Gentiles would be open for salvation. In effect, they’d be bypassed. It is difficult to believe, but there is a limit to God’s ability to endure rejection.

Every time we make a conscious decision to disobey one of God’s commands or ignore one of His leadings, we put a thin protective barrier over our heart which soon becomes a callous. Our heart then becomes toughened against the call of the Spirit.

What God is looking for is a soft pliable heart, the kind mentioned in Psalms 51:17. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

It is easy to go years and years without paying much attention to the condition of our heart. Meanwhile plaque is deposited and restricts the flow of the Spirit until hardening of the arteries overtakes our lives.

When was the last time you grieved over your sinful behavior? When was the last time you felt compassion for lost or hurting people? When was the last time you wept in the presence of the Lord?

Both Isaiah and Paul say that if we understood with our hearts and turned, God would heal us.

The Heavy Heart

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 20:44:52 -0600

The Scriptures are filled with verses about the heart. I promised to include some of the thoughts about the heart from the Bible that I had to cut out of my Sunday Sermon.

In Luke 21:34 Jesus tells us that one of the signs of the end of the age is that people will be heavy-hearted. He says, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.”

As I stated on Sunday, the word for “heart” in the New Testament literally means “middle.” So Jesus is saying that the core of our being should not be overburdened with the stresses of this temporal life. Our center mustn't be saturated with the worries of coping with earthly concerns. They will only distract us from our primary purpose, to glorify God with a passion that is free so soar in His presence.

To love the Lord with all our heart requires us to travel this world unencumbered. We need to check our baggage for things to leave behind. In God’s flight-plan, bags don’t fly free. There is a cost to carrying needless luggage and we will pay by the pound.

Don’t be so concerned about getting your suitcases on board that you miss your flight. Let’s keep it simple and light .“Amo Dei.” Love God. That’s all you need.

From The Cutting Room Floor

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:08:09 -0600

Many preachers struggle with what to put into their sermons, I struggle with what to take out. Lately, we’ve been in a series inspired by the book Primal. This last Sunday, we looked at what it means to love the Lord with all our heart  (listen here).

Leonard Sweet is one of my heroes and in one of his sermons he included some questions to answer that will help the Christian self-test the health of their spiritual heart. Because of the length of the sermon, I had to cut it out. But through the miracle of digital technology, you can read it here.

“Does your heart break at the sight of a homeless man or woman sleeping in a box? If so, your faith is heart-healthy.

Does your heart break and ache over an angry teenager who makes bad choices, who chooses hate over love? If so, your faith is heart-healthy.

Does our church heart enlarge to welcome those who look and act and seem different than the rest of us? If so, our faith is heart-healthy.

Does our church heart thrive on arrhythmia, skipping the beats of the world and rejecting the lock-step of consumer culture, choosing instead to have its rhythms be regulated by the Spirit? If so, our faith is heart-healthy.

Does your heart, when it sees disease and sickness and need, beat in your chest so loudly that others can hear and feel it? If so, your faith is heart healthy, for heart-healthy Christians give healing and health to others.

I want this church to be, not a One Calorie Church, but a Heart Healthy Church. Are you with me?” – Leonard Sweet

“Here I Am!” Don’t Sing It If You Don’t Mean It!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:22:55 -0600

I’m looking forward to the downhere event at Tiffany Fellowship Church this weekend. We are having one grand service at 10 AM and they will be leading us in worship. Then at 6:30 PM they will perform a free concert. I know that they will sing one of my favorite songs. It rose to #6 on the charts. It’s called “Here I Am.” The chorus says,
Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
Here I am.
This chorus comes from Isaiah 6 and his response to the calling of Lord. Isaiah says, “Here I am, send me” (Is. 6:8). This line from the Old Testament has become a popular lyric. Mercy Me used it in the song “Here Am I” off their album Almost There. I have no doubt that these Christian artists meant it when they wrote it and mean it when they sing it, but they lead us (the ones who sing along) down a dangerous road.

What does it mean to make all of our life an offering? I’ll tell you this much, it means more than giving a tithe (10%) to God. In an O.T. sense, an offering is consecrated and then consumed. It is set aside for only one holy purpose, and then it is burnt to a crisp and the smoke rises as a sacred incense to God. While I’m glad I’m living in the New Testament (N.T.), I cannot soft sell the implication. How then am I consecrated and consumed? That’s where the last phrase of the chorus comes in, “Somehow my story is a part of Your plan...” When I live with the conscious conviction that my story, my piece, is an integral part of the larger puzzle, His bigger plan, then I pay better attention to how I live my life. I begin to see that God wants to use me, that I was designed with a heavenly purpose and I only fit comfortably and completely in His picture.

Bottom line, stop and listen to what you are singing. Don’t sing it if you don’t mean it!

The Real Jesus

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 08:42:50 -0600

Easter Sunday 2009, my sermon was titled “I Heart Jesus: He’s More Than A Religious Novelty” (listen here). I wish I would have known about the song by downhere off their Wide-Eyed and Mystified album called “The Real Jesus” (view video here). It is a perfect song for that message.

I pointed out that many celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Carmen Electra, Jessica Simpson, Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt are wearing t-shirts that say, “Jesus Is My Homeboy.” But do they really know who Jesus is? Are they expressing their deep love for Him or just trying to associate with His coolness, His cachet?

In the song, “The Real Jesus” downhere echoes these questions:
“Jesus on the radio,
Jesus on a late night show
Jesus in a dream, looking all serene
Jesus on a steeple,
Jesus in the Gallup poll
Jesus has His very own brand of rock and roll
Watched Him on the silver screen
Bought the action figurine...
Oh, can anybody show me the real Jesus?
Oh, let Your love unveil the mystery of the real Jesus”

In Philippians 3, Paul tells us what it really means to know Jesus. He says, “Jesus is my life. I’ve given up everything to know Him, I’ve given up everything to follow Him. I want to experience everything about Him, His pain, His death and His life, so that I can live with Him forever!” (paraphrase).

You tell me. Who knows the real Jesus? The one who wears the t-shirt or the one who wears the scars?