Today as we continue talking about boundaries...

... we will look at something that has affected or will affect all of us…the passing of a loved one or our own passing. God has set boundaries with death and with eternity and it is my intention to bring comfort as we face this issue of death. Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV) “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” I don’t want to shake anyone up today but all of us are going to die if we leave long enough. We may go in the rapture but otherwise, we will die. Wow, Pastor Rick, what great news. 

1. Our death or the death of a loved one is an appointment with God. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV) “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Many times we consider, what seems to be the unexpected death of a loved one, or the result of a major “oops” of nature, or that simply, God has not been paying attention. None of this is true. Barnes Notes – Death, it is, in all cases, the result of intelligent appointment, and for an adequate cause. Hear your pastor…An Omni-Present God (A God Who is everywhere), an Omniscient God (A God Who knows everything), and an Omnipotent God (A God Who is all powerful) made the appointment. Trust Him! Why do we have to die? Biblically it is because of sin. Romans 6:23 (NKJV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2. Our death or the death of a loved one only happens once. It amazes me after having done somewhere in the neighborhood of 340 funerals and memorials in the last 29 years how people are so surprised by it. Good news! It is inevitable but it only happens once. In our humanity and because of our deep love for someone, we think that God should make an exception for that person we have prayed for earnestly to be healed. God lives within His own boundaries. Not ours.

3. To those who eagerly wait for Him. So what are we missing? We are missing the fact that our loved ones are completely healed, we are missing the beauty of heaven, and we are missing the fact that God set up this appointment. He loves them. Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)  “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.” I love that Paul was from the South. Romans 8:18 (KJV) “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Nothing we go through here will compare with the glory we will experience with God for eternity. No more tears, death, sorrow, crying, and no more pain. Just being with Jesus will make heaven incredible! Praise God!

As we continue discussing boundaries...

... and as we focus more on our own out of control behavior, we must do an honest evaluation of where we are. 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NKJV) “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. So, Pastor Rick, how can we walk worthy or to set limits on our out of control behavior? 

1. Identify the symptoms of your out of control behavior. You will need to take an honest look at the fruit you may be exhibiting by not being able to say no to yourself. You may be experiencing depression, anxiety, panic, phobias, rage, isolations, etc.

2. Identify the roots of your out of control behavior. This is key: Identifying the causes of your self-boundary problems will assist you in understanding your own contribution to your problem. It will also help you identify your developmental injuries (how others have sinned against you).  

3. Identify the boundary conflict. This is where we have to be totally honest with ourselves about our particular self-boundary problems and identify what ours is.

4. Take responsibility and take ownership for the out of control behavior. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

5. Identify what you need. It is pretty much useless to try to deal with your boundary issues with yourself until you’re actively developing safe, trusting, grace-and-truth relationships with others especially in the context of church. You need a deep relationship with the Lord and people who will keep you accountable. 

6. Now I begin. Once you have identified your self-boundary problem and owned it, you now can do something about it. So how do we begin to set boundaries on ourselves? Address your real need. Allow yourself to fail. Listen to emphatic feedback from others. Surround yourself with people who are loving and supportive. John 8:32 (NKJV) “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

As you are in service today recognizing our wonderful veterans..

... I am with Tricia, Stephanie, and my daughter-in-law Sommer spending a family weekend with my son Joshua. Joshua joined the Army a couple of months ago and we could not be more proud of him. As a surprise, our other son Jeremy flew from Arizona to also be with Joshua to be an encouragement to him. He is a Marine. Yes, he is out of the military right now but once a Marine, always a Marine. Veteran’s Day is very special to us because of our sons but also for all the wonderful veterans we have at Life Church. I am convinced that one of the reasons Life Church is such a great church is because of all these veterans. We honor you today. 

One of my heroes President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it only comes once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.” As Christians we understand that freedom is not free. Jesus purchasing our freedom cost Him His life...He was willing to lay His life down for us. 

John 10:18 (NKJV) "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." Like our veterans...we must be willing to lay our lives down so that we can take them up again. Matt 16:24‑25 (NKJV) “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  We have to stand and fight to keep our freedom here in the United States and we have to stand and fight for our liberty in Christ. Gal 5:1 (NKJV) “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Thank you, Jesus, for laying down your life and thank you, Veterans, for your willingness to fight for all of us! God bless you today!