Blessed

Dr. Mike Murphy 
July 20, 2017

As I held her with all my might, every emotion but one escaped from me. And as I got her to the ground, every instinct but one left me.  She was no longer breathing, and her pulse could not be felt.  My fears were overtaken by every action but one, to do what I could to help her.  And as I started working to revive her, I did the one thing I knew could make a difference.  I prayed.  With each action I took to get her heart beating again, I prayed.  I called out to the Lord as loudly as I could, begging Him to be with her.  To breathe life back into her.  And in those few seconds, that seemed to move like hours, I saw those prayers answered, as I watched her take in a precious breath.

As so many of you know, my mom recently suffered a stroke.  What few know, is just how close my family came that day to losing her.  It came on her suddenly, and within a moment she collapsed.  I happened to be next to her as the stroke hit, and was able to somehow catch her before she hit the ground. And as I hurriedly called 911, I could not feel her pulse, and her breathing had stopped.  With the 911 operator on the phone, I was able to put into place the CPR training I had learned many years before.  And as the paramedics arrived at the door, her breathing was light, and her pulse was again faint.  She had regained a slight bit of consciousness, and was able to barely squeeze my hand.  But with each squeeze, hope was felt, as I knew a desperate prayer had not only been heard, it had just been answered.

As I now look back on that day, I think to myself, “what if the situation had been different”?  Throughout that day, my concerns for her were countless.  But with each of those concerns, one constant remained.  That one constant was Christ.  Through each moment He was there, and His presence would strongly be felt.  No matter what she had faced that day, He had His arms around her, never leaving her alone for even a second. And a comfort and peace remained present in knowing He was there.  A priceless blessing that day, not only for her, but for all the family as we gathered around her.

The day will come in each of our lives, when our heart and our breathing will not be able to be revived.  A day when this world will no longer be called our home.  A day that no matter the tears that fill the eyes of our loved ones, is a day that we all know we will one day face.  And on that day, no matter what this world may throw at us, will our families know our life has been blessed?

With my own health, that day and that blessing has found its’ way to my thoughts often lately.  On a day when this world no longer hears my voice, and thoughts of me soon become nothing more than a memory, how will those feel who are drawn close to me? Despite knowing they will miss me, will my life leave a comfort and a peace in them?  Will they walk away from that day feeling blessed by me?  Or will they leave my side with nothing but worries for me?  On a future day, far after my last day, what will be the first thought they have of me?

As I sat with my mom that day, I realized what those memories of her would always be.  Many who know my mom, see the constant smile on her face, the kindest of words she is quick to speak, and the true concern she has for those around her.  A woman that would place the needs and concerns of a complete stranger above her own.  But as I sat with her that day, my thoughts did not bring me back to those times she shared with others, or even to times the two of us had shared, but to quiet times I saw her by herself.  Often, in those quiet moments, you can find yourself walking in on her, alone with her Bible in hand. Not worried about the world around her, but enjoying a few precious moments alone with the One who has always been with her.  Quietly reading His Word without a person seeing her, and praying for others without even a thought of herself.  It is in those moments, that brought me a comfort as I sat in the emergency room that day.  And it is in those moments, that I know just how blessed she is, and how my life is blessed by her.  And it is in those moments, that I pray others will one day also remember me.

Many today hear the word “blessing”, and they think of something that brings us happiness or stability to our welfare.  But when God speaks the word to us, He is saying so much more.  The Bible uses more than one word for blessing, using primarily two different words in both the Hebrew and the Greek.  When we look at both those words in Hebrew, we see not only the happiness and security of God directing us referred to, but we see it also mentioned as a congratulation and as a reward.  In the Greek, we see it referred to as the happiness that we find in purpose and fulfillment through our Lord.  And we also see it in Greek referring to the good works and good reports than those around us speak about us, and it is from this word that we get our word “eulogy”.  But to best understand this word, I do not think we can individually look at each root of this word.  I fully believe to understand what God means when He says “blessed”, we must look together at all the roots of the word.  It is only when we look at them together that we can begin to see what a “blessing” truly is.

To fully understand this, I think we can look at one of the most famous blessings in all the Bible, the blessing that God gave to Abraham.  “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."(Genesis 12:3).  Here we can see what a true blessing is, and the root of each word is brought into meaning.  Abraham was blessed because in him we can see a happiness and security that came from God directing his life.  Abraham was blessed by the reward his faithfulness brought him.  Abraham was blessed by the purpose and fulfillment that God brought to this world through him.  And Abraham was blessed by the memories of his good works that God did with him.  It is only when we look at the fullness of this word, can we begin to understand what a blessing from God means to our life.  A blessing we remember when we think of Abraham.  A blessing that was there with me in the hospital as i sat with my mom.  And a blessing I hope will one day also be present and understood when many are thinking of me.

On the day I draw my last breath, and as those close to me are drawn to my side, I pray that through the tears they realize just how blessed my life has been.  And as they think of me, I pray it is that blessing that quickly comes to their mind, drying away each of those tears.  I pray they remember and are blessed by the happiness and security that Christ brought to me.  They are blessed by remembering the amazing reward that His promise has given me.  That they are blessed and remember the purpose His love, mercy, and grace found in me.  And I pray their lives will always be blessed by the good works that only His hand could have done with me.  And as i leave this world, they will not find themselves filled with sadness, but a comfort and a peace will encompass them, as they know the One who now has His arms so tightly surrounding me.  And on a future day, as they think back on me, I pray it is not my face that they form an image of. I pray instead that it will be His face they will see, praying a glimpse of Him will always be remembered when they think of me.  And with each passing thought, I hope a smile comes to their face.  A smile they also desire to have others remember them by.  A smile that helps all to remember, just how blessed He has made my life. A smile, that through all my fears, was on my face as I sat with my mom that day in the emergency room.

Praying each of you are blessed.

Are We Socializing Jesus?

Dr. Mike Murphy
January 31, 2017

How often I have been taught, there are no coincidences with God!  And this past week, I was reminded of just how powerful a statement this is.  Each week, I often receive messages and emails asking questions about the Bible, and how His Word applies to all we see around us.  One of the questions I received recently asked me, “Did Christ teach a message of social justice?”.  At the same time I received this question, I had found myself in a discussion where I was being told that the need for social justice far outweighs our need to preach a message of salvation.  That this world is far more in need of a social Christ than a redemptive One.

During this discussion, I was told things I never thought I would hear from the mouth of anyone calling themselves a Christian.  Words telling me that we should “prefer” certain verses of Scripture over others.  That protest will bring far more needed change than prayer. And the thought that Christ would one day return was just a fantasy, that our calling as Christians was to create a “heaven” on this earth in the here and now.

Hearing these words would normally cause me concern, and lead me to seek God’s help in showing them what His Word truthfully says.  But part of those I was hearing these incredible remarks from, were those who called themselves ministers and pastors.  And as I would attempt to remind them of what God has told us in specific scriptures, they would tell me how those scriptures should just be ignored.  I found myself in a discussion with those who should know exactly what God’s Word says best, but with each of their replies, I found myself in a discussion with those who actually cared what His Word says the least.

Social justice is a term we often hear being discussed in many of our churches today.  The Bible teaches us that our Lord is a God of justice, and that all His ways and works are perfect, just, righteous, and fair(Deuteronomy 32:4). And each of His words show us that we are to reach out socially to those in need, those less fortunate than we find ourselves.  Christ, Himself, made it clear that we have a moral responsibility to care for the “least of these”(Matthew 25:40).  We are to reflect Christ, who had His hands always reaching.

But when we look at how many in the Church today seek to explain social justice, it is a justice that our Lord has never known.  The call that Christ gives us to care for those in need is an individual one, not a societal one.  The contemporary notion of social justice replaces the responsibility of the individual, with concept of the group or whole.  Often times willingly looking to give that responsibility to the government.  No longer looking to this as a call from God, but a mandate for continued faith.  A mandate that assumes that all wealth is evil, that the desire for comfort is a sin, and the idea of patriotism is an abomination.  

Under this misguided philosophy, the willful giving of charity becomes the force decree of taxes, no longer freely given by your hand, but lawfully forced from our wallets.  A philosophy that sees the wealth of one as an exploitation of those who have little, not the hard work and intelligence that success can often bring.  And a philosophy that sees the love of country as selfish and misguided, replaced with a universal approach that  would leave this world without borders. A philosophy that no longer looks at all this world has to offer as God-given, but man-centered.  A philosophy that sees government as their savior, and a utopia that only government can build as their heaven.

This social movement we see today, can best be described by a large word that has a meaning that is small.  The word, egalitarianism.  Egalitarianism is the doctrine that expresses the belief that all people should have the exact same.  The same not only economically and politically, but also civilly and socially.  It is from this word that demons have arose, demons that have led nations and people of this world to death and destruction. Demons that carry the name socialism and communism.

When we take a hard look at the heart of this social justice movement, we find ethical relativism, the belief that there are no moral absolutes.  Right and wrong are no longer a God-given standard, but based on what this world would see as social norms.  In other words, the justice that they claim to be fighting so hard for, becomes nothing more than situational and relative.  A justice that no longer looks to God’s standards, but to man’s circumstances.  A social gospel that twists the Word of God to try and fit societal problems like poverty, education, crime, and war. While ignoring the doctrines of sin, salvation, Heaven and Hell.  A gospel that sees its’ future more in political change and opportunity, than it does in the promised kingdom of God.  A gospel Christ never spoke, much less ever taught.  

Jesus never made the first call for political change while He walked this earth.  The gospel He taught had nothing to do with social change or social justice.  Christ came to change the heart of man, not the governments of men. Christ knew that our hope did not rest in government, but in the saving and transforming power of the Cross.  Not in institutions, but in His coming kingdom. Not in man, but in the Holy Spirit.  

Because this movement is so quick to look to man for answers, we see in it the absence of a biblical worldview.  A movement, followed and believed by many who claim to know Christ, that no longer claim the words of Scripture are inerrant.  But see the Bible as flawed, nothing more than the collective views of men.  A view that not only sees His Word as flawed, but does not see it as literal. And a view that leads many to no longer see salvation as personal, but collective. A collective view that believes that unless we are all saved, none of us are saved. A view that no longer sees salvation as belief based, but worked based. A movement where acceptance is replaced by requirements.

Because this movement has pushed God’s biblical worldview so far aside, we see words being spoken by this movement that should never be heard from the mouth of anyone who professes Christ.  Words that teach that the Trinity is not about being holy, but about being human. Words that try to tell us that the Bible is only great because it is in constant argument with itself.   Words that try to tell us the biblical doctrine is not like facts to be believed, but rather a way of expressing experiences.  And words that try to teach that a literal belief in the Bible kills itself by not being able to change through conversations and discussions.  In other words, God’s Word is dead unless it is willing to change what it says.  In all their words one thing becomes crystal clear, the Bible is not to be believed, and God is whoever we decide to make of Him.

We watch today as so many who are quick to profess the name of Christ, are incapable of even recognizing the face of Christ.  Who cause the words Christ spoke to echo through my thoughts, and to bring me to my knees in prayer. "Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.”(Matthew 7:21). Words of Christ that make my heart truly ache as I hear those who follow this movement. Because I know these words that echo in my thoughts, are words they will one day soon hear Christ speaking to them.  A movement filled more with excuses than purpose.  A movement that claims Christ, without even knowing Christ.  A movement that sees greater hope in the social than in the salvation.  A movement that thinks they are pointing at the Cross, without even realizing they are actually directing others toward Hell.  And what saddens me above all, a movement that is growing in numbers within our seminaries across this world everyday.  A movement that is so blind to the truth, it can only see hope in socializing Jesus.

Praying you make Christ your Savior, not just a part of your social cause.

The Measure Of A Man

Dr, Mike Murphy
January 17, 2017

As I have battled with cancer, finding myself coming home from the local hospital has become familiar to me.  But as I found myself again heading home, it was not my cancer that had brought me to the hospital that day.  It was a friend of several years, and the desire to spend a few moments with his family.  A couple of days before, he had suffered a massive stroke, and was now taking his last breaths in the hospital’s ICU.

It had been a few years since I had seen my friend.  Like so many, we still shared the occasional message, and would communicate through post on social media.  Always wishing each other a happy birthday and commenting on life’s events.  But it had been far too long since we had seen each other face to face. But as I arrived at the hospital that day, and looked into the faces of his family, I suddenly realized just how “too long” it had been.

Years before I would see him at least every week.  As I helped  prepare the church each Sunday morning for Sunday school and morning worship, I could always count on seeing his smiling face, being amused by his quick wit, and knowing he was among the first to always offer help.  Once each month, instead of having our regular Bible study on Sunday night, we would show a Christian family movie and invite the community and other local churches in.  And on each of those nights, he was always at the church long before the night would begin. He knew I was not the most technologically minded person this world has known, and would be there “in case” I needed any help.  With each church event, he was always there, sleeves rolled up, and hands at work.  Whether teaching a class on Sunday morning, or helping to set up a special event, I could always count on him.

Unfortunately, like way too many as life leads us in different directions, his face became more of a cherished memory that a regular sight.  But as I arrived at the ICU waiting room, and looked into the face of his family, each one of those cherished memories came rushing back again.  Each smile on their face, and hug they gave, reminded me of just how good of a man my friend was.

He was truly a good man.  Not because of all the great deeds he had done, but because of the faith he had shown and shared.  And as I looked into the faces of his family that day, it was his faith that was staring back at me.  He had three amazing kids, all of whom he had shared his love of Christ with.  A wife, whose faith is so strong that it would challenge anyone's, who smiled with certainty as she told me that my friend would soon be forever with Christ.  And a daughter-in-law, that is nothing short of a blessing, who I know he cherished as a daughter.  If God’s Word teaches us that the sins of a father can be visited on future generations, then it must also hold true that his heart would be felt by future generations of his to come.

In those past years, he would often come to me with questions as he prepared the coming Sunday School lesson and discussion, wanting to make sure that each of those present in his class got the most out of God’s Word.  But on the way home from the hospital that day, in the quiet of my car it occurred to, it was my friend who was now teaching me.

I well know, that on a day very soon, cancer will win its’ battle with me. And on that day, it will be my friends, family, and loved ones that will be gathering in a hospital waiting room.  On that day, what will they remember of me?  When I am no longer able to speak, how will their memories of me speak to them?  How will my life not only be remembered, but measured in their eyes?

Plato once said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power”. This world sees a man, and it is often that power that he is measured by.  The wealth he has gathered, the notoriety he has amassed.  Remembered in the highest of esteem by how many knew his name, not by the lives he touched.  But my friend was far from a wealthy man by this world's’ standards.  His passing would not make the front page of any newspaper, or be heard mentioned on the local news.  But in the hearts of more than I can count, his life would always be remembered.  And in the love he had for Christ, his life would live forever.

Eight words from C.H. Spurgeon I often love to quote.  “Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”.  It is in these eight words that I think the life of a man can be measured. The impact of a man is not remembered by the size of his bank account, by how many followers he has on social media, or by whether a future building will be given his name. The measure of a man is counted by the hearts he has touched for Christ.  The love of Christ that he has shared.  And the joy in Christ that he has so often shown.  The measure of a man is seen in those waiting room moments, when family and friends are gathered.  And in the midst of all those gathered, it is beyond obvious that the Holy Spirit is there.

The measure of a man is not seen in the battles we have in this life, but in the victories we find through our faith.  Christ commanded of us, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind’(Matthew 22:37).  It is in each of those words, in the command of Christ, that true faith is found.  And it is in each of these words that our faith can be measured.  Faith is the true measure of a man.  Faith shows us that the measure of a man can never be found in values this world would show us, but will always be seen in the principles that God teaches us.  A man cannot be sized up by any tape measure this world might try to use, but can only be measured by a single question that Christ asked to all of us.  “Who do you say that I am?”

My friend answered that question with confidence.  And in his own special and quiet way, you could see the blessed assurance he had in his answer.  With each helping hand he had always offered,  With each lesson he had looked to get the most for the Lord out of. And with his love of Christ that he had shared with so many that filled that waiting room, you could all but watch the smile form on our Lord’s face as my friend was measured.  And on that quiet trip home in my car from the hospital that day, my friend spoke to me through the Holy Spirit for one last time.  And with each word I was reminded  what it meant to be measured as a man.

Praying your faith always shows you as measuring up.