“Rejoice in What God Brings” Isaiah 35:1-10; Matthew 11:2-11
It’s tough to be sad a Christmas time. Lots of people are.
The children told me that getting presents makes them happy. It’s part of the “joy” of Christmas.
The children were sad to learn that many children get no presents for Christmas; many children haven’t even heard about Christmas. They don’t know that Jesus came. That makes me sad.
Elizabeth and John the Baptist visited us on Sunday morning. (Thanks Gwen and Doug.) Elizabeth reminded us that John had the joy of announcing good news to the people – that Christmas (the Messiah) was coming. It’s feels good to make others happy.
John the Baptist proclaimed that the people needed to repent and get ready for Jesus’ coming into the world and into their lives. The Old Testament predicted that John would do that (Isaiah 40:3-5).
Jesus and the New Testament writers often quoted from the Old Testament. There are two books they quote more than any other.
Deuteronomy – calls us to understand God’s liberation from the things that bind us, and teach that the law shows our obedience after our salvation.
Isaiah – shows God’s interaction in the lives of people living the Kingdom of God, and a hope for the future – the coming Christ, the Savior, the one who will change everything – for the good, it will be better. God is going to bring a time when all our problems and difficulties will be over; and God is going to give us hope to keep going while we wait.
After the prophets, there was a long silence from God … more than 400 years … before God sent the messiah.
That’s a lot of waiting; I imagine that people were at the end of hope, near giving up.
And then it started … God’s presence and message was heard again.
It started with two pregnant women – probably cousins – a young girl and an old woman get pregnant … and all of the sudden, everything is different – the world is about to change.
The first pregnancy leads to the birth of John to Elizabeth and Zechariah.
His dad is so happy that he breaks into song (the Adult Sunday School classes studied his singing). John grows up to be a wild man (I imagine he looks kind of like what a guy looks like after he’s been hunting for a week or two).
His message: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” “Get Ready!” “Christmas is coming!”
And what does all his faithfulness to God get him? What is his earthly reward for following God? He’s thrown in prison, caught up in a political struggle and a struggle with the family of Herod, the so-called ‘king of the Jews.”
You see …, Herod the Great had 6 children by 4 women (he’s the one who had the children of the Bethlehem area killed). Herod Antipas was his 4th child and Herod Philip I was his 5th child. Herod Antipas married Philip’s wife Herodias. Philip was Herod’s half brother (Herod the Great was father of both, but Malthace was Herod Antippas’ mother and Cleopatra was Philips mother). John the Baptist criticized Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, Herodias, who stayed married to Philip even though she married Herod. Salome was Herod Antipas’ neice (and step-daughter), daughter of Philip and Herodias; Salome danced for him at Herod’s birthday party and Herod granted her one wish.
John the Baptist lost his head, because of a birthday wish (see Matthew 14:1-12). Being faithful to God got him killed. The Christmas story is full of sadness; it’s tough to be sad at Christmas time.
The second pregnancy leads to the birth of Jesus, son of Mary (and Joseph is what most of the world thought, but God is really the father). That makes Jesus the Son of God. Remember when he was baptized by John? God said, “This is my Son, who makes me happy.”
Well, our Scripture passage (Matthew 11:2-11) takes place when Jesus is starting his ministry and John is in jail. John starts doubting if Jesus is really the one he told everyone was coming. John doubted Christmas. Sad.
John send his people to ask, “Jesus, are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
So here we are … The Christmas story starts with two pregnant women.
We live in a world of pregnant expectation: Here I go with another analogy. As Christians, each of us is like a pregnant woman.
The Christ is here. But he’s in our lives, filling us with hope and joy; we have the glow of an expectant mom (after the time of morning sickness).
The Christ is coming again (and we anxiously wait for the day to arrive).
In the meantime – we live our lives in pregnant expectation.
Do you have that joyful glow?
Joyful in what God has done / joyful in what God has promised.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
What’s going to make you happy for Christmas? Are you waiting for the advertisement to come in the mail? To be shown on TV?
We get junk mail, see billboards, hear TV & Radio adds, infomercials; everything promises that this thing, or program, or whatever will make you happy. You’ll get what you want … if only you buy.
It’s easy to get caught up in it – a coupon comes in the mail (50% off any item), “Biggest Sale of the Season,” “Nothing says I love you like Jewelry.” Etc. Consumerism drives the USA economy – retail sales is the biggest sector of our economy – Economists tell us if people stop buying, the economy is going to tank. Sad.
In the attack on the twin towers – more than 2000 people, from many countries died.
Part of the response of our government was to encourage the US population to go shopping, make purchases, don’t let this thing stop our economy – buy, buy, buy. Sad.
At Christmas time a boy decided to go over Santa’s head and write to God.
He wrote to explain to God why he should receive a bicycle for Christmas.
He wrote several drafts, explaining why his behavior and attitude merited a bicycle; each ended up in the trash. He just wasn’t good enough or special enough to merit the bike.
Finally he walks to the manger scene in front of a local church and steals the baby Jesus out of the manger.
He writes, “Dear God, if you ever want to see your son again, send me a bicycle.”
Some people think that you can hold the true meaning of Christmas hostage for some presents. It won’t work. Sad.
WHAT’S THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS?
For many, Christmas means giving and receiving gifts. You might say, in jest of course, “I enjoy your presents (not presence) at Christmas, so if you don’t bring any, don’t bother coming.”
For many Christmas is gifts and shopping … January can bring – broken toys and credit card payments.
In the midst of rampant consumerism (our culture) … the Church in 20th century America celebrates the arrival of a baby into a poor family, who flees political persecution, grows up in a poor town, has a following of a few thousand at best, is framed in a corrupt legal system, and condemned to capital punishment as a common criminal. He rises from the dead, and promises to return.
Here we are, the church in the world. It’s material goods vs. Jesus again.
We celebrate the arrival of Jesus … in the midst of rampant consumerism. It’s a tough message to bring.
So … the question remains: What makes you happy? What brings you joy?
For the world, the answer is: “Things.”
For God and his Church: “Jesus brings true joy.”
John the Baptist asks Jesus, “Are you the one?” “Is this what we’ve all been waiting for?”
Jesus replies – indirectly, “here’s what’s happening, you figure it out.”
It’s what Isaiah said would happen when the messiah appears: blind receive sight, lame walk, disease is cured, deaf hear, dead receive life, the poor get good news.
Things are changing; lives are changing. The messiah is beginning to change the old order of things.
GOD BRINGS TRUE JOY TO US
We live in a world of blindness, lameness, disease, deafness, poverty, even death itself – these are not part of God’s eternal plan for us. They’re not what God wants. They’re not part of God’s will.
They exist because we live in a world of darkness – but the message of Christmas is that “a light has come in the darkness.” God is starting to change things.
What better news do you want?
With Jesus in our lives – things change: our lives … and ultimately, the lives of those we come into contact with.
The world we know wants material things for Christmas – these will bring happiness for a short time.
God brings Jesus to the world for Christmas – Jesus brings true happiness and eternal joy.
Has Christmas come for you? Has Jesus come into your life?
What is the evidence of Jesus in your life?
A changed life brings real joy. Do you have the Joy of the Lord in your life?
GOD BRINGS JOY TO OTHERS THROUGH US
Jesus in us bringing change to a world that needs faith, hope and love.
As a church we are involved in all sorts of ministries. Why? God’s joy is gushing out of our life.
The dead are raised – every life you help bring to Christ, is saved from eternal death. The dead are raised to eternal life.
I was reading through some of our old missionary letters. I was reminded of the story of Alfonzo. My wife, Francesca, helped start a ministry in Bolivia that is now known as “Casa de la Amistad” (Friendship House). They ministered to children who lived in prison with their mothers (That’s a long story for another time).
Alfonzo’s Mother was a rough woman, in for drug trafficking among other charges.
Every year “La Casa” holds a Christmas part for the kids (they could come out of the jail). That year, it was a great party. The kids were so excited; they were jumping around, and singing and shouting – pure chaos … pure joy.
Alfonzo (about 13) was especially happy - he’d never had a Christmas gift before. If that wasn’t enough to make him truly happy, he told us that he received the true meaning of Christmas – he accepted Jesus into his heart. It was a happiness (joy) that could never be taken from him.
God wants to bring true joy into your lives this Christmas.
God wants you to bring his message of joy to others this Christmas.
When you have the Joy of Christmas in your life, it bubbles over into the lives of others.
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
True joy, true happiness is found in relationship with Jesus.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sermon Synopsis for December 09, 2007
“Take Heart in God” Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13
Do you ever give up? Did you ever “write-off” someone or something as hopeless?
We had a visit from Isaiah. Isaiah reminds me of the time, when I was in high school, I asked a girl to go out with me. She said, “In your dreams!”
I gave up; it was hopeless. That was a dream that was probably not going to happen.
Isaiah had a dream; God gave it to him. It was about a coming time when God was going to set things straight. The world of Isaiah’s day told him (sarcasm noted), “In your dreams.”
Was it really possible that a beaten down people of God would rise again? Is a world of true peace possible? Isaiah thought so.
About 800 years later, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. They were a mixed bunch of Jews and non-Jews. The thing they had in common was their faith in Jesus. The world around them was a mess; Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to have hope.
Where do we find hope? Where do we look for hope?
God wants us to be people of endurance and encouragement: The OT message was written so that we might have endurance and encouragement.
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
WE LIVE IN A WORLD FULL OF TROUBLES
There’s plenty of war & conflict – Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Wazirstan (Pakistan), Thailand, Somalia, Palestine/ Israel – just to name a few.
There are natural disasters: earthquakes, tidal waves, fires, hurricanes, etc.
How about Hunger, poverty, sickness (AIDS, Cancer, etc.)
There are Families breaking up; divorce is up; illegitimate child bearing and teenage pregnancy is up this year – first time in 14 years we’re told.
Even Churches have fights, divisions, splits, etc.
Are you depressed yet?
BUT WE ARE A PEOPLE OF HOPE
Isaiah told the people that a day was coming when:
11:1 – There will be a return of God’s Kingdom (A shoot will return out of the stump of Jesse)
A stump is nothing more than the remains of a tree that has been cut down. It’s usually been cut down because you want to get rid of the tree. You need to get the roots out, to keep them from growing.
Once we tried to remove a stump with a quarter stick of dynamite. We had a pretty good hole to fill in. (Kids: don’t try this at home.) The next spring a shoot grew up from a root we missed.
Israel, time and time again, was cut down, but God gave new growth.
Isaiah tells us, that it will not only grow new shoots, but it will grow into a mighty tree, a tree that will bear fruit. Isaiah tells God’s people, “Don’t give up. Take heart! Have hope.” God’s people are a people of hope.
Hope comes through endurance and encouragement.
WE ARE A PEOPLE OF ENDURANCE
For all that the world does to get rid of God and his people, to get rid of Christ and the church, it will never go away.
There is a crèche on the Courthouse lawn in West Chester. It reminds me of the legal battles going on in many communities. In many ways we live in a culture that seeks to rid itself of its Christian heritage.
I don’t care so much about nativity scenes, 10 commandment plaques or even prayer in public meeting. These issues are symptoms of a much deeper crisis that the American culture is experiencing.
I do care about a living and breathing faith in a people who will take Christianity seriously in all aspects of their lives.
We shouldn’t be content to have a crèche scene on the courthouse lawn – we should seek to change this world for Christ. How can we do that?
1. Pray. Real prayer centers on God and God’s will. I had to learn not to think about myself when I prayed. Prayer isn’t self-centered; it’s to be Christ-centered. Maybe I can’t change things, but I can take them to the one who can.
2. Live our lives according to God’s will.
I’ve had a number of interesting counseling situations when I worked for Contact Clinic on Wilshire Blvd in LA. People expected me to change things for them.
I can’t change your life. I can’t make decisions for you. I can’t make you live according to God’s plan for humanity.
I can suggest, I can encourage, I can help. But in the end – you are responsible for your own life, your own decisions.
But I can do something – I can live my life according to God’s will. I can’t change your life – God has to do that, but I can change my own life.
Even if our culture wants to take Christ out of Christmas – I don’t have to, my family doesn’t have to, my church doesn’t have to.
Sometimes we care more about having a nativity scene in the town square, than we do about having our neighbors know that the living Christ has been born into our lives.
Isaiah’s message was that you can cut Christianity down (Jesse Tree), but it will keep going: we are a people of endurance.
Apostle Paul says that this is something the church needs.
Colossians 1:11 “Be strengthened with all power according to His (God’s) glorious might, so that you might have great endurance and patience.”
This old world may seem hopeless, but Take Heart! God is in control. I know this, because he’s in control of my life.
WE ARE A PEOPLE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Paul said that our attitude should be that of Christ.
How’s that? It’s not condemning, but encouraging.
John 3:17 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Too often we think that it’s our Christian duty to condemn the world. WWJD.
I don’t think you can change the world by force – the history of the world is full of dictators and regimes that have sought to impose a political ideology.
Bolivia is notable in the history books. It’s had more governments than it has had years of existence as a country. One day there were six government changes, a series of coups, and just as one president established himself and started to set up his government, another group came in and conquered them.
Don’t forget our violent Mennonite History (I talked about this before). Jan van Battenburg tried to establish the Kingdom of God in Münster (The Münster Rebellion of 1535) … by force (It was Liberation Theology at its worst). It didn’t last long.
We can bring change in our culture simply by living our faith, by encouragement not by force.
We are a people of endurance, a people of encouragement.
OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD
Isaiah was either right or part of the lunatic fringe.
Isaiah had a vision, a dream: God will bring a leader that will lead with justice and fairness.
The World told Isaiah, “Get real Isaiah. Welcome to the real world.”
Isaiah had a vision that dangerous animals will live together with defenseless animals (reminiscent of Noah’s Ark – Remember our visit from Mrs. Noah last week!)
Wolfs and lambs mixing together, leopards and goats, lions and calves, cows and bears.
The world responds, “Isaiah, you are out of touch with reality. The world doesn’t function that way.”
Isaiah said that a baby will play where snakes live.
The world responds, “Isaiah, don’t you know about child safety laws?” Nobody is going to send their kids to Isaiah’s preschool!
Isaiah tells us (11:9) that it will be that kind of world because “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord (as the waters cover the sea).”
In the face of the world – Isaiah is a crazy man.
Why? Because of his faith in the Lord; because of the message that the Lord has given to him.
How about the Christmas story: Mary – pregnant out of wedlock, with a wild story about God making her pregnant …God tells her this will be the savior of the world.
The world responds … “you’re nuts” Christmas is a lot easier when it’s about trees, snow, presents, and Santa.
Near the end of his time on earth, Jesus was gathered with his closest disciples, in an upper room in Jerusalem. There was a lot of political tension; there was a lot of religious tension. He had told them he was going away – he would be killed – they would scatter – they were about to face the worst situation of their lives.
Then he said (John 16:33), “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But Take Heart! I have overcome the world.”
It starts with us – a group of disciples in a world of trouble.
We are a people of endurance in a world of trouble.
We are a people of encouragement in a world of trouble.
We are a people filled with the Spirit of the living God, the one who has overcome the world.
Take Heart! Our Lord Jesus has overcome the world.
We don’t need to try to overcome the world by ourselves; we need to have our lives firmly grounded in the one who has overcome the world.
My wish for you today is the same one that the Apostle Paul had for the church in Rome.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Do you ever give up? Did you ever “write-off” someone or something as hopeless?
We had a visit from Isaiah. Isaiah reminds me of the time, when I was in high school, I asked a girl to go out with me. She said, “In your dreams!”
I gave up; it was hopeless. That was a dream that was probably not going to happen.
Isaiah had a dream; God gave it to him. It was about a coming time when God was going to set things straight. The world of Isaiah’s day told him (sarcasm noted), “In your dreams.”
Was it really possible that a beaten down people of God would rise again? Is a world of true peace possible? Isaiah thought so.
About 800 years later, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. They were a mixed bunch of Jews and non-Jews. The thing they had in common was their faith in Jesus. The world around them was a mess; Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to have hope.
Where do we find hope? Where do we look for hope?
God wants us to be people of endurance and encouragement: The OT message was written so that we might have endurance and encouragement.
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
WE LIVE IN A WORLD FULL OF TROUBLES
There’s plenty of war & conflict – Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Wazirstan (Pakistan), Thailand, Somalia, Palestine/ Israel – just to name a few.
There are natural disasters: earthquakes, tidal waves, fires, hurricanes, etc.
How about Hunger, poverty, sickness (AIDS, Cancer, etc.)
There are Families breaking up; divorce is up; illegitimate child bearing and teenage pregnancy is up this year – first time in 14 years we’re told.
Even Churches have fights, divisions, splits, etc.
Are you depressed yet?
BUT WE ARE A PEOPLE OF HOPE
Isaiah told the people that a day was coming when:
11:1 – There will be a return of God’s Kingdom (A shoot will return out of the stump of Jesse)
A stump is nothing more than the remains of a tree that has been cut down. It’s usually been cut down because you want to get rid of the tree. You need to get the roots out, to keep them from growing.
Once we tried to remove a stump with a quarter stick of dynamite. We had a pretty good hole to fill in. (Kids: don’t try this at home.) The next spring a shoot grew up from a root we missed.
Israel, time and time again, was cut down, but God gave new growth.
Isaiah tells us, that it will not only grow new shoots, but it will grow into a mighty tree, a tree that will bear fruit. Isaiah tells God’s people, “Don’t give up. Take heart! Have hope.” God’s people are a people of hope.
Hope comes through endurance and encouragement.
WE ARE A PEOPLE OF ENDURANCE
For all that the world does to get rid of God and his people, to get rid of Christ and the church, it will never go away.
There is a crèche on the Courthouse lawn in West Chester. It reminds me of the legal battles going on in many communities. In many ways we live in a culture that seeks to rid itself of its Christian heritage.
I don’t care so much about nativity scenes, 10 commandment plaques or even prayer in public meeting. These issues are symptoms of a much deeper crisis that the American culture is experiencing.
I do care about a living and breathing faith in a people who will take Christianity seriously in all aspects of their lives.
We shouldn’t be content to have a crèche scene on the courthouse lawn – we should seek to change this world for Christ. How can we do that?
1. Pray. Real prayer centers on God and God’s will. I had to learn not to think about myself when I prayed. Prayer isn’t self-centered; it’s to be Christ-centered. Maybe I can’t change things, but I can take them to the one who can.
2. Live our lives according to God’s will.
I’ve had a number of interesting counseling situations when I worked for Contact Clinic on Wilshire Blvd in LA. People expected me to change things for them.
I can’t change your life. I can’t make decisions for you. I can’t make you live according to God’s plan for humanity.
I can suggest, I can encourage, I can help. But in the end – you are responsible for your own life, your own decisions.
But I can do something – I can live my life according to God’s will. I can’t change your life – God has to do that, but I can change my own life.
Even if our culture wants to take Christ out of Christmas – I don’t have to, my family doesn’t have to, my church doesn’t have to.
Sometimes we care more about having a nativity scene in the town square, than we do about having our neighbors know that the living Christ has been born into our lives.
Isaiah’s message was that you can cut Christianity down (Jesse Tree), but it will keep going: we are a people of endurance.
Apostle Paul says that this is something the church needs.
Colossians 1:11 “Be strengthened with all power according to His (God’s) glorious might, so that you might have great endurance and patience.”
This old world may seem hopeless, but Take Heart! God is in control. I know this, because he’s in control of my life.
WE ARE A PEOPLE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Paul said that our attitude should be that of Christ.
How’s that? It’s not condemning, but encouraging.
John 3:17 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Too often we think that it’s our Christian duty to condemn the world. WWJD.
I don’t think you can change the world by force – the history of the world is full of dictators and regimes that have sought to impose a political ideology.
Bolivia is notable in the history books. It’s had more governments than it has had years of existence as a country. One day there were six government changes, a series of coups, and just as one president established himself and started to set up his government, another group came in and conquered them.
Don’t forget our violent Mennonite History (I talked about this before). Jan van Battenburg tried to establish the Kingdom of God in Münster (The Münster Rebellion of 1535) … by force (It was Liberation Theology at its worst). It didn’t last long.
We can bring change in our culture simply by living our faith, by encouragement not by force.
We are a people of endurance, a people of encouragement.
OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD
Isaiah was either right or part of the lunatic fringe.
Isaiah had a vision, a dream: God will bring a leader that will lead with justice and fairness.
The World told Isaiah, “Get real Isaiah. Welcome to the real world.”
Isaiah had a vision that dangerous animals will live together with defenseless animals (reminiscent of Noah’s Ark – Remember our visit from Mrs. Noah last week!)
Wolfs and lambs mixing together, leopards and goats, lions and calves, cows and bears.
The world responds, “Isaiah, you are out of touch with reality. The world doesn’t function that way.”
Isaiah said that a baby will play where snakes live.
The world responds, “Isaiah, don’t you know about child safety laws?” Nobody is going to send their kids to Isaiah’s preschool!
Isaiah tells us (11:9) that it will be that kind of world because “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord (as the waters cover the sea).”
In the face of the world – Isaiah is a crazy man.
Why? Because of his faith in the Lord; because of the message that the Lord has given to him.
How about the Christmas story: Mary – pregnant out of wedlock, with a wild story about God making her pregnant …God tells her this will be the savior of the world.
The world responds … “you’re nuts” Christmas is a lot easier when it’s about trees, snow, presents, and Santa.
Near the end of his time on earth, Jesus was gathered with his closest disciples, in an upper room in Jerusalem. There was a lot of political tension; there was a lot of religious tension. He had told them he was going away – he would be killed – they would scatter – they were about to face the worst situation of their lives.
Then he said (John 16:33), “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But Take Heart! I have overcome the world.”
It starts with us – a group of disciples in a world of trouble.
We are a people of endurance in a world of trouble.
We are a people of encouragement in a world of trouble.
We are a people filled with the Spirit of the living God, the one who has overcome the world.
Take Heart! Our Lord Jesus has overcome the world.
We don’t need to try to overcome the world by ourselves; we need to have our lives firmly grounded in the one who has overcome the world.
My wish for you today is the same one that the Apostle Paul had for the church in Rome.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sermon Synopsis for December 02, 2007
“Getting Ready for Christmas” Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 24:36-44
“Do not open until Christmas” reads the tag for the wrapped gift I had for the children. They wanted to open it, but were willing (with my insistence) that we should wait. I asked them what they wanted to receive for Christmas. There were plenty of responses that included things I had no idea about what they were.
Sometimes we receive things we really don’t want, but we find that we enjoy them. Just the same, it’s hard to wait.
Mrs. Noah came for a visit. She talked about how God asked them to build an ark, but she wasn’t convinced at first. When everything was over, she was glad that God asked them to do this, but it wasn’t what they wanted at the time.
What do you want for Christmas? Certainly not a flood.
I’m sure you’ve heard the story …
A flood was on its way, forcing everyone to evacuate. The police rowed up to the most pious woman in town and said, "Ma'am, you have to leave this house! People are dying out here!"
The woman replied, "No, I'm not leaving. God has always helped me before, and He will do it again."
So as the water started to rise, she went to the second story of her house. Another boat came by, and the captain yelled, "Ma'am, you have to get on this boat or you're going to drown!"
The woman replied again, "No, God helped me before, and He will do it again."
The water rose even higher. This time she went to the top of the roof, where a helicopter came and hovered overhead. The pilot called into his loudspeaker, "Please climb aboard, ma'am. You are going to drown!"
The women sniffed and again replied, "God is going to save me!"
But the water rose higher, and soon she drowned to death. She went to Heaven, and there she asked God, "Why didn't you save me, O Lord?"
And God replied, "I did help--I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"
Mrs. Noah told us ….
Be ready and wait for God’s word and be listening when God speaks
Jesus told the disciples (Matthew 24:37) “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man …
People were eating, drinking and having weddings – life as normal, but they were (are) caught off guard – they were (are) not ready. Maybe it’s because we are expecting something different?
It’s not always a miraculous thing:
-not a king coming in power to liberate his people
-not headline news
-not a liberating army of angels
Maybe it’s just:
-a troubled pregnancy
-among the working class poor
-from a remote part of the world
-a baby born in a barn in an obscure town
-a grass roots movement with a few thousand followers at best
-an innocent man given the death penalty
-a small group of untrustworthy people who saw a man risen from the dead
It’s not what we expect; it’s not always what we want.
If my plan was to save the world, I’d do it very differently.
But I’ve learned that it’s not my way, but thy way, Oh Lord.
(“Thy way or the highway?”)
God’s ways are often mysteries to us.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Basically the Scriptures asks us:
Do I want to do things … my way … or … God’s way.
Isaiah had a vision of “the last days.”
It counteracts many of Israel’s ideas about what God wanted to do.
Isaiah 2:2 “all the nations will stream to it.” That is, the Lord’s Temple, which the Apostle Paul tells us is us, the church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Salvation is not just for the Jews, everyone is invited to come to the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4 “he will settle disputes for many peoples (nations)” This implies that they will be a people and place that seeks peace for all.
Isaiah 2:4 “they will beat their swords into plowshares … Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Israel tried to be a tremendous war machine. They learned that God doesn’t win by might or power, but by God’s Spirit.
This was a very different vision than the people had. In Isaiah’s day, the godly king Hezekiah heeded God’s word, he had a vision of God’s eternal future, and he was able to defend Judah against the mighty King Sennacherib of Assyria – not with implements of war, but with wisdom from the Lord and trust in the Lord (see 2 Chronicles 29 to 32)
Hezekiah had a decision to make – believe in God’s word or trust the political advisors of his day.
Do we follow Jesus no matter what others say?
Let me tell you a story … a very personal story, and one of the worst times of my life.
12 years ago (November 1995), I was Director of a Seminary in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I was director because of internal strife of different ethnic groups; we had few students. Each year we send the students to “obra práctica” (field education) for 3 months. That year Bolivian missionary Santiago Flores took some of the students to the isolated countryside beyond the mountains south of Cochabamba. They were going up the mountain road from Quillacollo to Morochata in an old short-cabin land cruiser; it was burdened down with people, literature and luggage. In the early afternoon it went over a cliff (more than 500 feet – about a 40 story building). Two of the survivors climbed up the cliff, a truck stopped and took them to Quillacollo where they called me.
We organized a rescue team and went up the mountain. The motor was the largest piece of the vehicle. We recovered the bodies and began the terrible job of notifying the families. The survivors spent a long time in the hospital. I was the one who accepted responsibility for the well being of the students.
The Seminary was in a crisis, and then this happened.
I asked, “God, where are you? Why are you allowing this to happen?”
After the funerals we were faced with a grim future for the seminary. What could we do? No one would want their children or family member to study for ministry; they were a bit superstitious.
Our plan? Pray. (Not very creative)
We prayed; we encouraged other Christians to pray; we visited churches and regions throughout Bolivia to ask them to pray.
Each year we never know how many students will show-up (communication is not always the best). The first week of classes, in mid-February, over 70 new students (much more than we could handle), God responded.
Things didn’t work out like I wanted them to. I was going to turn that Seminary around but I learned that God had to do it.
ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS
How do you prepare for the Christmas holiday?
Cards? Decorations? Cookies?
Yesterday I took boxes of decorations and wrapping paper out of closet and we began our joyous journey into our annual Christmas celebration.
Matthew 24:42 tell us, “Therefore keep watch;” 24:44 “be ready.”
When God sent Jesus into the world, few were ready, few believed the message, few accepted what God had done.
How about you?
BEING READY FOR CHRISTMAS HAS TO DO WITH RELATIONSHIP
Jesus taught about the last days:
Matthew 24:40-41 “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Whether you go with Jesus or stay behind depends on your relationship with God.
We need to accept Jesus into our lives; just as God came into the world, he keeps coming into the lives of many people – it’s Christmas all over again.
It also has to do with your relationship with others.
This is the tragic part of the story to me – these aren’t just strangers, these are people we know and love.
Two men in the field – co-workers
Do your co-workers know Jesus?
Two women grinding with a hand mill – probably family, sisters or mother – daughter
Does your family know Jesus?
Are you ready for Christmas?
CONCLUSION
What are we going to choose?
What I want for Christmas? Or
What God wants for me for Christmas?
Jesus said, “Keep watch, be ready.”
We need to humble ourselves
Writer of Chronicles wrote (2 Ch 7:14), “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
We need to trust that God knows better than us.
We can get ready for Christmas by
-being humble as we approach our salvation
-Seeking God and God’s will
-being open to what God wants to say to us
“Do not open until Christmas” reads the tag for the wrapped gift I had for the children. They wanted to open it, but were willing (with my insistence) that we should wait. I asked them what they wanted to receive for Christmas. There were plenty of responses that included things I had no idea about what they were.
Sometimes we receive things we really don’t want, but we find that we enjoy them. Just the same, it’s hard to wait.
Mrs. Noah came for a visit. She talked about how God asked them to build an ark, but she wasn’t convinced at first. When everything was over, she was glad that God asked them to do this, but it wasn’t what they wanted at the time.
What do you want for Christmas? Certainly not a flood.
I’m sure you’ve heard the story …
A flood was on its way, forcing everyone to evacuate. The police rowed up to the most pious woman in town and said, "Ma'am, you have to leave this house! People are dying out here!"
The woman replied, "No, I'm not leaving. God has always helped me before, and He will do it again."
So as the water started to rise, she went to the second story of her house. Another boat came by, and the captain yelled, "Ma'am, you have to get on this boat or you're going to drown!"
The woman replied again, "No, God helped me before, and He will do it again."
The water rose even higher. This time she went to the top of the roof, where a helicopter came and hovered overhead. The pilot called into his loudspeaker, "Please climb aboard, ma'am. You are going to drown!"
The women sniffed and again replied, "God is going to save me!"
But the water rose higher, and soon she drowned to death. She went to Heaven, and there she asked God, "Why didn't you save me, O Lord?"
And God replied, "I did help--I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"
Mrs. Noah told us ….
Be ready and wait for God’s word and be listening when God speaks
Jesus told the disciples (Matthew 24:37) “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man …
People were eating, drinking and having weddings – life as normal, but they were (are) caught off guard – they were (are) not ready. Maybe it’s because we are expecting something different?
It’s not always a miraculous thing:
-not a king coming in power to liberate his people
-not headline news
-not a liberating army of angels
Maybe it’s just:
-a troubled pregnancy
-among the working class poor
-from a remote part of the world
-a baby born in a barn in an obscure town
-a grass roots movement with a few thousand followers at best
-an innocent man given the death penalty
-a small group of untrustworthy people who saw a man risen from the dead
It’s not what we expect; it’s not always what we want.
If my plan was to save the world, I’d do it very differently.
But I’ve learned that it’s not my way, but thy way, Oh Lord.
(“Thy way or the highway?”)
God’s ways are often mysteries to us.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Basically the Scriptures asks us:
Do I want to do things … my way … or … God’s way.
Isaiah had a vision of “the last days.”
It counteracts many of Israel’s ideas about what God wanted to do.
Isaiah 2:2 “all the nations will stream to it.” That is, the Lord’s Temple, which the Apostle Paul tells us is us, the church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Salvation is not just for the Jews, everyone is invited to come to the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4 “he will settle disputes for many peoples (nations)” This implies that they will be a people and place that seeks peace for all.
Isaiah 2:4 “they will beat their swords into plowshares … Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Israel tried to be a tremendous war machine. They learned that God doesn’t win by might or power, but by God’s Spirit.
This was a very different vision than the people had. In Isaiah’s day, the godly king Hezekiah heeded God’s word, he had a vision of God’s eternal future, and he was able to defend Judah against the mighty King Sennacherib of Assyria – not with implements of war, but with wisdom from the Lord and trust in the Lord (see 2 Chronicles 29 to 32)
Hezekiah had a decision to make – believe in God’s word or trust the political advisors of his day.
Do we follow Jesus no matter what others say?
Let me tell you a story … a very personal story, and one of the worst times of my life.
12 years ago (November 1995), I was Director of a Seminary in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I was director because of internal strife of different ethnic groups; we had few students. Each year we send the students to “obra práctica” (field education) for 3 months. That year Bolivian missionary Santiago Flores took some of the students to the isolated countryside beyond the mountains south of Cochabamba. They were going up the mountain road from Quillacollo to Morochata in an old short-cabin land cruiser; it was burdened down with people, literature and luggage. In the early afternoon it went over a cliff (more than 500 feet – about a 40 story building). Two of the survivors climbed up the cliff, a truck stopped and took them to Quillacollo where they called me.
We organized a rescue team and went up the mountain. The motor was the largest piece of the vehicle. We recovered the bodies and began the terrible job of notifying the families. The survivors spent a long time in the hospital. I was the one who accepted responsibility for the well being of the students.
The Seminary was in a crisis, and then this happened.
I asked, “God, where are you? Why are you allowing this to happen?”
After the funerals we were faced with a grim future for the seminary. What could we do? No one would want their children or family member to study for ministry; they were a bit superstitious.
Our plan? Pray. (Not very creative)
We prayed; we encouraged other Christians to pray; we visited churches and regions throughout Bolivia to ask them to pray.
Each year we never know how many students will show-up (communication is not always the best). The first week of classes, in mid-February, over 70 new students (much more than we could handle), God responded.
Things didn’t work out like I wanted them to. I was going to turn that Seminary around but I learned that God had to do it.
ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS
How do you prepare for the Christmas holiday?
Cards? Decorations? Cookies?
Yesterday I took boxes of decorations and wrapping paper out of closet and we began our joyous journey into our annual Christmas celebration.
Matthew 24:42 tell us, “Therefore keep watch;” 24:44 “be ready.”
When God sent Jesus into the world, few were ready, few believed the message, few accepted what God had done.
How about you?
BEING READY FOR CHRISTMAS HAS TO DO WITH RELATIONSHIP
Jesus taught about the last days:
Matthew 24:40-41 “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Whether you go with Jesus or stay behind depends on your relationship with God.
We need to accept Jesus into our lives; just as God came into the world, he keeps coming into the lives of many people – it’s Christmas all over again.
It also has to do with your relationship with others.
This is the tragic part of the story to me – these aren’t just strangers, these are people we know and love.
Two men in the field – co-workers
Do your co-workers know Jesus?
Two women grinding with a hand mill – probably family, sisters or mother – daughter
Does your family know Jesus?
Are you ready for Christmas?
CONCLUSION
What are we going to choose?
What I want for Christmas? Or
What God wants for me for Christmas?
Jesus said, “Keep watch, be ready.”
We need to humble ourselves
Writer of Chronicles wrote (2 Ch 7:14), “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
We need to trust that God knows better than us.
We can get ready for Christmas by
-being humble as we approach our salvation
-Seeking God and God’s will
-being open to what God wants to say to us
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sermon Synopsis for November 25, 2007
“Decisions that Unite Us in Christ” Romans 14:13 to 15:6
I asked the children how they made decisions. Some people like the “eeney, meeney, miney, moe” method, but I prefer flipping a coin.
In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7) That’s some pretty good advice.
We can SEEK for an answer in God’s Word (the Bible); we can ASK God for direction through prayer; we can KNOCK on a few doors of opportunity and see which ones God opens.
Sounds a little better than coin flipping.
The church in Rome had to make a decision if they were going to keep peace in the church.
The Apostle Paul was interested in Rome; it was the capital city of the most powerful empire in the world at the time. He hadn’t been there, but he did know a number of people who moved there from cities he had visited.
You see … Emperor Claudius kicked the Jews (and Christians who were Jewish) out of Rome because they were trouble makers. … Nero’s mother poisoned Claudius so that her son could become emperor, which he did at age 17. Nero was a little immature to run the empire, so the Philosopher Seneca took care of all of the governing stuff. … Seneca allowed the Jews (and Christians) to return to Rome and there was a time of peace for about 8 years until Nero forced Seneca out of power (Seneca eventually committed suicide) and Nero took charge. … Nero murdered his mother, and his wife, and got really mean with the Christians (and Jews). He even built a bonfire of Christians on his front lawn to celebrate his birthday and initiated throwing Christians to lions as public entertainment. … All of this was not good news for the Christians, who after being blamed for the fire that burned down most of the city, were kicked out entirely.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians during the good years of Seneca’s rule. That is the period when Paul went to Rome (although not as he had planned, see Acts chapters 25 to 28 for the full story).
The church in Rome had to make some decisions which would seem petty compared to the decisions they would have to make when Nero entered into his full rage.
If you read the portion of Paul’s letter indicated at the beginning, we find that the church must have had some differences about eating. Apparently some wanted to follow the Old Testament dietary laws, some wanted to be vegetarians, while others wanted to eat anything that pleased them.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal to us, but these Roman Christians took it pretty seriously. They may have even divided into two churches: The Vegetarian Church of Rome and the Carnivore Church of Rome.
Of course this would confuse non-Christians about the purpose of being a church all together.
I suppose that, noting the large absence of men in the congregation today who have gone deer hunting, Maple Grove would probably be part of the Carnivore Church.
DISSENT (DISAGREEMENT) IS PART OF WHO WE ARE
The human race is notable for its divisions and disagreements.
At the beginning of the early church (Acts 2 to 4) the Holy Spirit came, women and men preached boldly to the people in Jerusalem, there were miracles, people sold property and brought it to the church, they shared so that nobody was lacking anything. (Read acts 2:42-47 to see what kind of church it was.)
Wow! There was love, generosity, caring, learning; they were of one mind and of one spirit. What a church!
But it didn’t take long to get to chapter 6 – quarreling had broken out, there were charges of discrimination and favoritism. Greek heritage folks complained that the Hebrew heritage folks were giving preferred treatment to their people, especially the widows.
They solved it by naming a bunch of deacons with Greek names.
This set a pattern; there were many more disagreements that needed to be resolved rather than causing divisions.
In Acts chapter 15 they had to decide if non-Jews had to become Jews before they could become Christians. Avoiding a good church fight, they decided that anyone could become a Christian, but they had to follow a few basic rules.
Some didn’t like that decision, and went around dividing churches over the matter. You can read about these folks (who were called Judaizers) in a number of the other letters in the New Testament. They taught that all Christians should be obligated to be circumcised and follow kosher food laws, among other things.
Here’s the Point: Dissention, that threatens unity, has always been part of the identity of the church. It’s central to who we are.
Maple Grove built the initial church building in 1909. There were many things to be decided. Should we have a platform? That raises some people above others, which is against our conviction that all people should be treated the same.
Once the decision to build a platform was made (for practical reasons), there was another questions. How high should the platform be? Two groups surfaced; one was for a platform of 11 inches and the other, 7 inches. It was first built 11 inches (on the sly), but to keep the peace – reduced to 7 inches. It sounds petty to us, but a church split was averted.
People disagree – One of the things that we need to always remember is that when we become Christians our human nature isn't abolished.
Thomas Aquinas said, “Grace does not abolish human nature, but grace redirects our human nature.”
Scripture doesn’t deny our humanity; rather it presents leaders full of flaws and imperfections. They are real people, just like you and me, but they do have one difference from many people. They made a commitment to the one and only perfect God. They want God to use them for His work. Who is guiding our disagreements? God or me?
In many places the Bible refers to God’s people as sheep. That’s not because we are all cuddly, warm and fuzzy. Sheep are anxious, worrisome creatures. They settle their differences by butting heads. The shepherd in their midst gives them direction and keeps peace.
As God’s sheep we need to let the good shepherd take care of us; without Jesus in our midst we would just butt heads with each other. One of us would win, but we’d all be just a bunch of “soreheads.”
When Jesus is in our midst, things are different.
As we read the scripture and church history, we shouldn't be surprised that there were problems. We just need to learn how to keep problems from infecting our community. Keeping Jesus present is a good start.
PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROJECTS
There are some important points we can glean from the passage in Romans:
1. We should stop passing judgment on each other (14:13) just because you disagree with what they think.
I’ve heard that there is a pair of deer antlers on display in an old monastery near Babenhausen, Germany. They are permanently interlocked. They were found in that position many years ago. Apparently the animals had been fighting fiercely and their horns became so entangled that they couldn't disengage. And as a result, they both perished from hunger.
We should think about the consequences before we “lock horns” with another person.
Egoism teaches that what I’m thinking, what I’m doing, what I want, is more important than what you think, do or want.
We don’t need a “me” centered church.
We need a Christ centered church!
2. Don’t put stumbling blocks in the way of others (14:13). In verse 15 we find that this is not the loving thing to do.
3. Do things that lead to peace and build each other up (14:19). Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food (v.20).
When we put things into perspective – they can lose importance.
Really, how eternally important is it if we are vegetarians or carnivores? If we build our platform 7 or 11 inches? What about the color of the carpet, cushions on the pews, etc. Our building project was full of decisions.
Paul tells us: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of _______.” You can put in your conflict of choice.
What is God’s Work? Proclaiming salvation, feeding the hungry, helping others, seeking justice, bringing peace, etc.
For some reason God gave that work to us. God could do a much better job on his own, but he wants to use us to accomplish his will and work in this world.
I can think of precious few things I would let get in the way of God’s work.
4. Think about the needs of others (15:1-3). If we love someone we will seek to please them.
Love? Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
CONCLUSION
Here is one of the recommendations of our church consultation: Once a decision is made live with it even if you don’t like it. Stop re-doing decisions in the parking lot.
Trust God – in the decision making process (pray, ask God’s guidance, etc.). If decisions are questioned, the bottom line is that we are questioning God (who led us to the decision).
Love each other – seek what is best for everyone. How can we build-up rather than tear down.
Romans 14:19 – “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Do not destroy the work of God for anything.
Our common decision to follow and serve Christ should keep us together.
I asked the children how they made decisions. Some people like the “eeney, meeney, miney, moe” method, but I prefer flipping a coin.
In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7) That’s some pretty good advice.
We can SEEK for an answer in God’s Word (the Bible); we can ASK God for direction through prayer; we can KNOCK on a few doors of opportunity and see which ones God opens.
Sounds a little better than coin flipping.
The church in Rome had to make a decision if they were going to keep peace in the church.
The Apostle Paul was interested in Rome; it was the capital city of the most powerful empire in the world at the time. He hadn’t been there, but he did know a number of people who moved there from cities he had visited.
You see … Emperor Claudius kicked the Jews (and Christians who were Jewish) out of Rome because they were trouble makers. … Nero’s mother poisoned Claudius so that her son could become emperor, which he did at age 17. Nero was a little immature to run the empire, so the Philosopher Seneca took care of all of the governing stuff. … Seneca allowed the Jews (and Christians) to return to Rome and there was a time of peace for about 8 years until Nero forced Seneca out of power (Seneca eventually committed suicide) and Nero took charge. … Nero murdered his mother, and his wife, and got really mean with the Christians (and Jews). He even built a bonfire of Christians on his front lawn to celebrate his birthday and initiated throwing Christians to lions as public entertainment. … All of this was not good news for the Christians, who after being blamed for the fire that burned down most of the city, were kicked out entirely.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians during the good years of Seneca’s rule. That is the period when Paul went to Rome (although not as he had planned, see Acts chapters 25 to 28 for the full story).
The church in Rome had to make some decisions which would seem petty compared to the decisions they would have to make when Nero entered into his full rage.
If you read the portion of Paul’s letter indicated at the beginning, we find that the church must have had some differences about eating. Apparently some wanted to follow the Old Testament dietary laws, some wanted to be vegetarians, while others wanted to eat anything that pleased them.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal to us, but these Roman Christians took it pretty seriously. They may have even divided into two churches: The Vegetarian Church of Rome and the Carnivore Church of Rome.
Of course this would confuse non-Christians about the purpose of being a church all together.
I suppose that, noting the large absence of men in the congregation today who have gone deer hunting, Maple Grove would probably be part of the Carnivore Church.
DISSENT (DISAGREEMENT) IS PART OF WHO WE ARE
The human race is notable for its divisions and disagreements.
At the beginning of the early church (Acts 2 to 4) the Holy Spirit came, women and men preached boldly to the people in Jerusalem, there were miracles, people sold property and brought it to the church, they shared so that nobody was lacking anything. (Read acts 2:42-47 to see what kind of church it was.)
Wow! There was love, generosity, caring, learning; they were of one mind and of one spirit. What a church!
But it didn’t take long to get to chapter 6 – quarreling had broken out, there were charges of discrimination and favoritism. Greek heritage folks complained that the Hebrew heritage folks were giving preferred treatment to their people, especially the widows.
They solved it by naming a bunch of deacons with Greek names.
This set a pattern; there were many more disagreements that needed to be resolved rather than causing divisions.
In Acts chapter 15 they had to decide if non-Jews had to become Jews before they could become Christians. Avoiding a good church fight, they decided that anyone could become a Christian, but they had to follow a few basic rules.
Some didn’t like that decision, and went around dividing churches over the matter. You can read about these folks (who were called Judaizers) in a number of the other letters in the New Testament. They taught that all Christians should be obligated to be circumcised and follow kosher food laws, among other things.
Here’s the Point: Dissention, that threatens unity, has always been part of the identity of the church. It’s central to who we are.
Maple Grove built the initial church building in 1909. There were many things to be decided. Should we have a platform? That raises some people above others, which is against our conviction that all people should be treated the same.
Once the decision to build a platform was made (for practical reasons), there was another questions. How high should the platform be? Two groups surfaced; one was for a platform of 11 inches and the other, 7 inches. It was first built 11 inches (on the sly), but to keep the peace – reduced to 7 inches. It sounds petty to us, but a church split was averted.
People disagree – One of the things that we need to always remember is that when we become Christians our human nature isn't abolished.
Thomas Aquinas said, “Grace does not abolish human nature, but grace redirects our human nature.”
Scripture doesn’t deny our humanity; rather it presents leaders full of flaws and imperfections. They are real people, just like you and me, but they do have one difference from many people. They made a commitment to the one and only perfect God. They want God to use them for His work. Who is guiding our disagreements? God or me?
In many places the Bible refers to God’s people as sheep. That’s not because we are all cuddly, warm and fuzzy. Sheep are anxious, worrisome creatures. They settle their differences by butting heads. The shepherd in their midst gives them direction and keeps peace.
As God’s sheep we need to let the good shepherd take care of us; without Jesus in our midst we would just butt heads with each other. One of us would win, but we’d all be just a bunch of “soreheads.”
When Jesus is in our midst, things are different.
As we read the scripture and church history, we shouldn't be surprised that there were problems. We just need to learn how to keep problems from infecting our community. Keeping Jesus present is a good start.
PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROJECTS
There are some important points we can glean from the passage in Romans:
1. We should stop passing judgment on each other (14:13) just because you disagree with what they think.
I’ve heard that there is a pair of deer antlers on display in an old monastery near Babenhausen, Germany. They are permanently interlocked. They were found in that position many years ago. Apparently the animals had been fighting fiercely and their horns became so entangled that they couldn't disengage. And as a result, they both perished from hunger.
We should think about the consequences before we “lock horns” with another person.
Egoism teaches that what I’m thinking, what I’m doing, what I want, is more important than what you think, do or want.
We don’t need a “me” centered church.
We need a Christ centered church!
2. Don’t put stumbling blocks in the way of others (14:13). In verse 15 we find that this is not the loving thing to do.
3. Do things that lead to peace and build each other up (14:19). Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food (v.20).
When we put things into perspective – they can lose importance.
Really, how eternally important is it if we are vegetarians or carnivores? If we build our platform 7 or 11 inches? What about the color of the carpet, cushions on the pews, etc. Our building project was full of decisions.
Paul tells us: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of _______.” You can put in your conflict of choice.
What is God’s Work? Proclaiming salvation, feeding the hungry, helping others, seeking justice, bringing peace, etc.
For some reason God gave that work to us. God could do a much better job on his own, but he wants to use us to accomplish his will and work in this world.
I can think of precious few things I would let get in the way of God’s work.
4. Think about the needs of others (15:1-3). If we love someone we will seek to please them.
Love? Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
CONCLUSION
Here is one of the recommendations of our church consultation: Once a decision is made live with it even if you don’t like it. Stop re-doing decisions in the parking lot.
Trust God – in the decision making process (pray, ask God’s guidance, etc.). If decisions are questioned, the bottom line is that we are questioning God (who led us to the decision).
Love each other – seek what is best for everyone. How can we build-up rather than tear down.
Romans 14:19 – “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Do not destroy the work of God for anything.
Our common decision to follow and serve Christ should keep us together.
Sermon Synopsis for November 18, 2007
Ephesians 4:1-16 “Speak the Truth in Love”
During his missionary travels the Apostle Paul didn’t stay very long in any one place. Ephesus was an exception. During his first visit (which was an afterthought) he left Priscilla and Aquilla to preach, teach and organize the church. When he returned, he stayed about 3 years.
Some time later, Paul was in prison (probably in Rome) and he sent letters to a number of churches in the region. The other letters were addressing specific problems in the churches. The letter to the Ephesians was different; there were no specific troubles. Paul wrote so that they would continue to mature as a church and witness for our Lord Jesus.
Often typical of Paul’s writing, he starts with the theological framework and moves onto the application. Chapter 4 begins the practical application in this letter. In today’s scripture passage Paul tells them what they need to be and do to continue to be a good, sound church:
Do you tell the truth? We live in a world where there is a lot of “untruth.”
A recent poll asked us if we lied.
91% of us lie regularly, mostly to friends and relatives.
We lie about weight, income, fishing stories, golfing, etc.
Did you ever overhear a group of pastors talk about the attendance at their churches?
A University of Virginia psychologist had subjects keep a diary recording the lies that they told and concluded that “People tell about two lies a day, or at least that is how many they admit to”
What about all the commercials we hear on TV and radio:
By the time we reach adolescence, we have been bombarded with so many advertisements claiming wealth, peace, happiness, and instant joy, that the truth becomes rare to us.
We use many words: white lie, fib, falsehood, perjury (Barry Bonds), false witness (from the big 10). They’re all lies.
Postmodern philosophy teaches that truth is relative …
SOME TRUTH DOES NOT NEED TO BE TOLD (exactly)
Husbands, how do you respond to your wife when she asks …
“Does this make me look fat?”
“What do you think of my new recipe?” (“Tell me the truth now.”)
Did your boss ever come to you wearing an ugly suit and ask, “What do you think of my new suit?”
I had a lot of African American friends when I was growing up. I joined the choir at Second Baptist in Coatesville just to sing with them. After 2 weeks the choir named a committee to tell me, “In Christian Love, I need to tell you …..” The fact is I have no rhythm. But they made me feel good, even great, about not being a part of their choir. Maybe it’s just the way you tell someone.
For a Christian, telling the truth should not be such a difficult thing.
10 commandments remind us: You shall not give false testimony (tell lies)
The Mennonite Confession of faith, article 20: “We commit ourselves to tell the truth, to give a simple yes or no …”
TRUTH IS (SHOULD BE) OBJECTIVE
The “loving thing” is to …. Tell the truth.
President Clinton lied about his relationship with an intern. He said he lied because he wanted to protect his family.
Can lies be for the good of others? Usually it is just for our own good.
The bottom line – we need to know the truth.
Telling the truth implies that we know the truth.
What is truth? That was Pilate’s question to Jesus (or in front of Jesus)
Jesus prefaced much of what he said with “I tell you the truth”
Earlier, in the upper room with his disciples, Jesus said, “I am … the truth.” (Jn 14:6)
The first step in telling the truth in love is – knowing the truth - Jesus
Paul told the church in Corinth: “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” (2 Cor 3:18) – truth will eventually win out.
Know Jesus = know the truth.
LOVE IS SUBJECTIVE
Truth is objective, but love is subjective.
Many people can speak the truth: policeman, judge, school teacher, physicist, scientist, bank, loan officer, etc.
There is a difference between just speaking the truth, and speaking the truth in love.
In the world people may let you down, but it should be different with us.
Have you heard someone say, “I accepted his word, because I knew he loved me.” Or “I had no reason to doubt him.”
In Christ it should be different.
Eph 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in Love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
In 2 Samuel chapter 12 – Nathan confronts David. He’s his friend; Nathan loves David. He tells him a story (a rich man takes the sheep of a poor man); he lets David react; he confronts him (with the present truth), and gives him God’s word (the eternal truth)
What was necessary for this to happen?
There was an existing relationship, a relationship of trust and confidence, a relationship of assuming the best.
Nathan doesn’t confront David in a rough or abrupt way; he tells him the truth in love.
What if Nathan had just let it go? It may have resulted in a kingdom like Ahab and Jezebel.
We can read James 5:19-20 – James concludes his letter with this caution.
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE
When you speak the truth in love, things happen.
First, spiritual growth should be expected and realized (check out Ephesians 4: 15).
Verses 3 & 13 speak about the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. We all reach the unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God.
Verse12 tells us that people will be prepared for ministry (many varied ministries).
Verses 13, 14 & 15 speak about maturity, “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” We are “no longer infants.” We “grow up in to him who is the head – Christ”
Christians should increase in spirituality and vitality and the lost should come to a knowledge of the truth. The church as God's creation should result in spiritual growth and spiritual increase and is built upon on the presentation and reception of the truth.
Second, one should also expect some adverse reactions to the matter of speaking the truth in love.
Jesus' speaking the truth in love caused some of his disciples to "…walked no more with him" and even resulted in division among his Jewish brethren (John 6:66; 7:43).
Jesus told his followers on many occasions, “If you are not against us, you are for us” – there was opposition.
Speaking the truth in love resulted in Stephen being murdered by a mad mob (Acts 7).
We should be ready for spiritual and numerical growth.
We should be ready for persecution.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that they have a good church, and he gives them some counsel on how to have a great church in chapter 4.
Verse 1: (all of you) “Live a life worth of the calling you have received” (a calling to faith in Jesus Christ).
Verse11: Have gifted leaders who seek to prepare and build up everyone else in the church.
Verse15: Speak the truth in love.
Purpose of the church consultation is to better be the church of Jesus Christ.
Here’s one of the recommendations of the consultation: Speak the truth in the appropriate settings, in respectful ways.
We show our love to each other by being truthful and respectful with each other, in a relationship of trust. This will build-up the body of Christ and lead to spiritual maturity.
True love thinks of the other person: 1 Corinthians 13 was written to the church:
It’s an example for the new couple of what love is (that’s why we read it at weddings), but it is to show the church how to love.
What is our first commandment? Love God / Love others.
Our ability to speak the truth in love is found in relationship: our relationship with
God, our relationship with Others.
Can you tell God anything and everything? Truthfully!
Can you tell others anything and everything? Truthfuly!
This is the basis of our Christian relationship: speak the truth in love.
During his missionary travels the Apostle Paul didn’t stay very long in any one place. Ephesus was an exception. During his first visit (which was an afterthought) he left Priscilla and Aquilla to preach, teach and organize the church. When he returned, he stayed about 3 years.
Some time later, Paul was in prison (probably in Rome) and he sent letters to a number of churches in the region. The other letters were addressing specific problems in the churches. The letter to the Ephesians was different; there were no specific troubles. Paul wrote so that they would continue to mature as a church and witness for our Lord Jesus.
Often typical of Paul’s writing, he starts with the theological framework and moves onto the application. Chapter 4 begins the practical application in this letter. In today’s scripture passage Paul tells them what they need to be and do to continue to be a good, sound church:
Do you tell the truth? We live in a world where there is a lot of “untruth.”
A recent poll asked us if we lied.
91% of us lie regularly, mostly to friends and relatives.
We lie about weight, income, fishing stories, golfing, etc.
Did you ever overhear a group of pastors talk about the attendance at their churches?
A University of Virginia psychologist had subjects keep a diary recording the lies that they told and concluded that “People tell about two lies a day, or at least that is how many they admit to”
What about all the commercials we hear on TV and radio:
By the time we reach adolescence, we have been bombarded with so many advertisements claiming wealth, peace, happiness, and instant joy, that the truth becomes rare to us.
We use many words: white lie, fib, falsehood, perjury (Barry Bonds), false witness (from the big 10). They’re all lies.
Postmodern philosophy teaches that truth is relative …
SOME TRUTH DOES NOT NEED TO BE TOLD (exactly)
Husbands, how do you respond to your wife when she asks …
“Does this make me look fat?”
“What do you think of my new recipe?” (“Tell me the truth now.”)
Did your boss ever come to you wearing an ugly suit and ask, “What do you think of my new suit?”
I had a lot of African American friends when I was growing up. I joined the choir at Second Baptist in Coatesville just to sing with them. After 2 weeks the choir named a committee to tell me, “In Christian Love, I need to tell you …..” The fact is I have no rhythm. But they made me feel good, even great, about not being a part of their choir. Maybe it’s just the way you tell someone.
For a Christian, telling the truth should not be such a difficult thing.
10 commandments remind us: You shall not give false testimony (tell lies)
The Mennonite Confession of faith, article 20: “We commit ourselves to tell the truth, to give a simple yes or no …”
TRUTH IS (SHOULD BE) OBJECTIVE
The “loving thing” is to …. Tell the truth.
President Clinton lied about his relationship with an intern. He said he lied because he wanted to protect his family.
Can lies be for the good of others? Usually it is just for our own good.
The bottom line – we need to know the truth.
Telling the truth implies that we know the truth.
What is truth? That was Pilate’s question to Jesus (or in front of Jesus)
Jesus prefaced much of what he said with “I tell you the truth”
Earlier, in the upper room with his disciples, Jesus said, “I am … the truth.” (Jn 14:6)
The first step in telling the truth in love is – knowing the truth - Jesus
Paul told the church in Corinth: “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” (2 Cor 3:18) – truth will eventually win out.
Know Jesus = know the truth.
LOVE IS SUBJECTIVE
Truth is objective, but love is subjective.
Many people can speak the truth: policeman, judge, school teacher, physicist, scientist, bank, loan officer, etc.
There is a difference between just speaking the truth, and speaking the truth in love.
In the world people may let you down, but it should be different with us.
Have you heard someone say, “I accepted his word, because I knew he loved me.” Or “I had no reason to doubt him.”
In Christ it should be different.
Eph 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in Love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
In 2 Samuel chapter 12 – Nathan confronts David. He’s his friend; Nathan loves David. He tells him a story (a rich man takes the sheep of a poor man); he lets David react; he confronts him (with the present truth), and gives him God’s word (the eternal truth)
What was necessary for this to happen?
There was an existing relationship, a relationship of trust and confidence, a relationship of assuming the best.
Nathan doesn’t confront David in a rough or abrupt way; he tells him the truth in love.
What if Nathan had just let it go? It may have resulted in a kingdom like Ahab and Jezebel.
We can read James 5:19-20 – James concludes his letter with this caution.
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE
When you speak the truth in love, things happen.
First, spiritual growth should be expected and realized (check out Ephesians 4: 15).
Verses 3 & 13 speak about the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. We all reach the unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God.
Verse12 tells us that people will be prepared for ministry (many varied ministries).
Verses 13, 14 & 15 speak about maturity, “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” We are “no longer infants.” We “grow up in to him who is the head – Christ”
Christians should increase in spirituality and vitality and the lost should come to a knowledge of the truth. The church as God's creation should result in spiritual growth and spiritual increase and is built upon on the presentation and reception of the truth.
Second, one should also expect some adverse reactions to the matter of speaking the truth in love.
Jesus' speaking the truth in love caused some of his disciples to "…walked no more with him" and even resulted in division among his Jewish brethren (John 6:66; 7:43).
Jesus told his followers on many occasions, “If you are not against us, you are for us” – there was opposition.
Speaking the truth in love resulted in Stephen being murdered by a mad mob (Acts 7).
We should be ready for spiritual and numerical growth.
We should be ready for persecution.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that they have a good church, and he gives them some counsel on how to have a great church in chapter 4.
Verse 1: (all of you) “Live a life worth of the calling you have received” (a calling to faith in Jesus Christ).
Verse11: Have gifted leaders who seek to prepare and build up everyone else in the church.
Verse15: Speak the truth in love.
Purpose of the church consultation is to better be the church of Jesus Christ.
Here’s one of the recommendations of the consultation: Speak the truth in the appropriate settings, in respectful ways.
We show our love to each other by being truthful and respectful with each other, in a relationship of trust. This will build-up the body of Christ and lead to spiritual maturity.
True love thinks of the other person: 1 Corinthians 13 was written to the church:
It’s an example for the new couple of what love is (that’s why we read it at weddings), but it is to show the church how to love.
What is our first commandment? Love God / Love others.
Our ability to speak the truth in love is found in relationship: our relationship with
God, our relationship with Others.
Can you tell God anything and everything? Truthfully!
Can you tell others anything and everything? Truthfuly!
This is the basis of our Christian relationship: speak the truth in love.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Sermon Synopsis for November 4, 2007
“The Benefit of the Doubt” – John 20:19-31
[Disciples should trust each other]
THE OLD CHAIR
I showed the children an old worn out chair from the storage shed. It was not bad enough to throw away, but not good enough to be in regular use. (sometimes I feel that way)
I asked for a volunteer to sit in it. After hesitation by a number of the children, Melissa sat right down in the chair. It held her weight, no problem.
I told the children a story about a wedding reception I attended (not recently) where I sat in a chair and a leg broke and down I went. Ouch! Hurt my pride more than anything.
How did I react to chairs in the future? I looked them over and tested them out before I sat down. I’d lost my faith in chairs for a while.
Sitting in a chair is like trusting in Jesus. We need to have faith that Jesus will hold and support us. Unlike some chairs, Jesus will never fail us.
Hebrews 11:6 tell us, “Without Faith it’s impossible to please God.” We make God happy when we show our faith and trust in Jesus.
DISCIPLES
Jesus had many followers, but he chose a core group of 12 to be his most intimate disciples. This is the group he wanted to form into a team to begin the spread the gospel to the whole world. He had a lot of confidence and trust in those guys.
After 3 years of hands-on training with Jesus, after listening and sharing in the ministry, after the experience in the upper room and the crucifixion, these guys had been through a lot together. I would expect the trust and the confidence between them would be strong. I find that in a week or a weekend together we can build bonds that will last a lifetime. Imagine the closeness of the disciples.
Shortly after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to most of the disciples (read the scripture passage). Thomas wasn’t there. He didn’t believe the others when they told him that Jesus was alive. Basically he called them liars. This went on for a week, until Jesus showed up again. Red faced Thomas knew he had let down both Jesus and his fellow disciples.
Which Disciple would you like to be? Which disciple do you identify with?
Outspoken and impulsive Peter? Young, inquisitive, and impressionable John? Solid and responsible James? Someone with a head for numbers and details like Matthew? Hopefully not Judas.
Most likely, few will claim Thomas. Thomas was the Aramaic name for Didymus which means “the twin” in Greek. Some traditions say he was called the twin because he looked like Jesus.
Thomas was very down and out about the way things had turned out … he wouldn’t believe the others when they told him that “a miracle had happened.” That things were changing; that things had changed. Jesus was alive.
H.A.Ironside tells the story …
Bishop Potter was sailing from NY to Europe on a great transatlantic ocean liner. When we went on board, he found that he had to share his cabin with another passenger. He went to the room and met the other man. He looked him over and felt he might not be the most trustworthy person, so he decided to check his valuables in the ship’s safe.
After he unpacked his suitcase, he went to the ship’s purser’s desk. He told him that he wanted to leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe during the voyage. He told the purser that he felt they would be safer in the safe.
The purser inventoried the items and said, “That’s fine Bishop, I’ll be glad to take care of these things for you. Your cabin mate just deposited his valuables; he felt they’d be safer here too.
For some reason, it is easier to jump to negative conclusions about people than it is to assume the best about them. It’s easier to project bad intentions on people we don’t know, just by their looks. Some call it “profiling.” When we do this, we reveal something about ourselves …..
The faults we see in others, may actually be a reflection of our own.
OUR MISTRUST FOR OURSELVES MAY BE REFLECTED IN OUR TREATMENT OF OTHERS
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told the people, “Judge not lest you be judged.”
Easier to say than to do.
When we are suspicious of others, we need to look at the root of that suspicion.
Why don’t we trust? Maybe it’s because of the hurts and scars of mistrust in our own lives.
I’ve been hurt; others have judged me unjustly; I wasn’t treated f air.
We need to let Jesus heal us before we can.
Crespo grew up in the Chapare region of the Bolivian Amazon Valley. Through the work of a young evangelist he accepted Christ. He decided that Jesus didn’t want him to continue the production of “pasta” (first stage in turning the coca leaf into cocaine).
Who could he trust? Everyone was out to get him (drug lords, other grower/producers, DEA). He lived in a world where everyone was out to get something from everyone else.
He lived in a world of mis-trust. He bore the scars from attempts to trust others.
The young evangelist told him – “trust Jesus – trust me.”
Crespo didn’t trust anyone! Even his family (he escaped from his house after his brother turned him in for the reward $). It took time.
Crespo needed to learn to trust again. Not just anybody – Jesus and his disciples.
Is there something in your past that’s keeping you from trusting Jesus? From trusting other disciples?
Thomas told his fellow disciples, “Unless I see the nail holes and put my finger in them, I won’t believe.” What do you need to believe?
WE NEED TO BE TRUSTING
In Bolivia I took a number of trips to the town of Toro-Toro (“very muddy” in the Quechua language). A seminary student from the town invited us to form a ministry team and visit his home town. After 12 hours of difficult mountain roads and forging rivers we arrived. It’s an amazing place, full of fossils, preserved footprints of dinosaurs and prehistoric remains.
The student told us we should check out the Umajalanta cave. His family recommended a guide and off we went. It was a 45 minute hike to the cave entrance. The entrance was about 4 foot high and 3 feet wide. We lit candles and entered the cave.
It dawned on me: I was in charge of a ministry team, taking them into a cave, led by a complete stranger. Was I crazy or something? We climbed and crawled for more than two and a half hours until we reached a lake deep in the earth. An awesome experience!
We made it out. During the trip we talked with the guide about our trust in him, and we shared with him about our faith and trust in Jesus. Afterward – as we sat on large rock formations, near a waterfall, eating a mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions and sardines (on crackers) – the guide shared how many people had left him down in life and he wanted to have that same faith we had.
That evening our guide – and his whole family – came forward to accept Jesus.
When we trust others, it can be a reflection of our trust in Jesus. How is your faith? Do you assume the best?
BACK TO THOMAS
Thomas had a history of thinking the worst. In John chapter 11, Jesus gets word that his friend Lazarus is sick. They don’t rush off; they aren’t in a hurry to get to the Jerusalem area. Jesus and his band are wanted men; it’s best to stay away from the heavily patrolled areas. After two days, Jesus tells his disciples, “let’s go, we’re going back to Judea.”
Thomas says (v. 16) “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Pretty pessimistic Thomas!
Don’t you trust even Jesus?
Why do you assume the worst?
WE OFTEN THINK THE WORST
Sometimes people show up at the church looking for help. I can get pretty skeptical.
Often I assume that the person is “pulling the wool over my eyes” to take advantage of the church. Pretty skeptical, Pastor Steve.
How can we truly help? We need to know the people – real help implies a personal relationship.
It’s why Bridge of Hope works – a relationship is built between a church mentoring group and a woman in need. (www.bridgeofhopelcc.org)
Relationship is the key. Once we have a relationship – we’ll help, we’ll overlook certain flaws, and we’ll go the extra mile.
WE NEED TO TRUST JESUS – AND EACH OTHER
Once in the airport, my flight was delayed. I bought a small bag of chips (tortilla, I think) and sat down to read a book and enjoy my snack. As I’m sitting there, the person next to me reaches over and takes a chip out of the bag. What chutzpa. He does it again. And again.
Finally I take the bag with the remaining chips, and my stuff, and go sit in another place. And I finish the chips myself.
Later on, on the airplane, I opened my carryon and I found my bag of chips.
How do you think I felt? (very small)
I can never tell that person how sorry I am – I can only confess to God and to you and hope that somehow that person will understand.
I imagine that Thomas “ate a lot of crow” with the other disciples after that experience with Jesus and his fellow disciples. I imagine he felt “very small.” In a sense, he deserved it. How would he rebuild the trust and faith?
ASSUME THE BEST
One of the recommendations of our church consultant was to assume the best.
As a church, each one of us needs to assume that the other “disciples” are being truthful and up-front. We shouldn’t be “Doubting Thomases” in our relationship with each other.
Jesus told Thomas (John 20:29), “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What did Thomas not believe (doubt)?
First, he didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Second, he didn’t believe the word of the other disciples.
The two go hand in hand. We need to believe in Jesus, but we also need to have a high level of trust in our fellow disciples.
It also means that we need to be open and honest, to gain the trust of others. Sure, people will let you down, but there’s a lot less chance if you have an open and honest relationship with them.
Jesus said that his disciples are known by their love (John 13:35). Jesus disciples will love God and love each other.
What is love? The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 explains something about love. This chapter is not particularly a wedding theme – it’s a church theme. Verse 7 – love … “it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Before we can fully trust – we need to love.
[Disciples should trust each other]
THE OLD CHAIR
I showed the children an old worn out chair from the storage shed. It was not bad enough to throw away, but not good enough to be in regular use. (sometimes I feel that way)
I asked for a volunteer to sit in it. After hesitation by a number of the children, Melissa sat right down in the chair. It held her weight, no problem.
I told the children a story about a wedding reception I attended (not recently) where I sat in a chair and a leg broke and down I went. Ouch! Hurt my pride more than anything.
How did I react to chairs in the future? I looked them over and tested them out before I sat down. I’d lost my faith in chairs for a while.
Sitting in a chair is like trusting in Jesus. We need to have faith that Jesus will hold and support us. Unlike some chairs, Jesus will never fail us.
Hebrews 11:6 tell us, “Without Faith it’s impossible to please God.” We make God happy when we show our faith and trust in Jesus.
DISCIPLES
Jesus had many followers, but he chose a core group of 12 to be his most intimate disciples. This is the group he wanted to form into a team to begin the spread the gospel to the whole world. He had a lot of confidence and trust in those guys.
After 3 years of hands-on training with Jesus, after listening and sharing in the ministry, after the experience in the upper room and the crucifixion, these guys had been through a lot together. I would expect the trust and the confidence between them would be strong. I find that in a week or a weekend together we can build bonds that will last a lifetime. Imagine the closeness of the disciples.
Shortly after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to most of the disciples (read the scripture passage). Thomas wasn’t there. He didn’t believe the others when they told him that Jesus was alive. Basically he called them liars. This went on for a week, until Jesus showed up again. Red faced Thomas knew he had let down both Jesus and his fellow disciples.
Which Disciple would you like to be? Which disciple do you identify with?
Outspoken and impulsive Peter? Young, inquisitive, and impressionable John? Solid and responsible James? Someone with a head for numbers and details like Matthew? Hopefully not Judas.
Most likely, few will claim Thomas. Thomas was the Aramaic name for Didymus which means “the twin” in Greek. Some traditions say he was called the twin because he looked like Jesus.
Thomas was very down and out about the way things had turned out … he wouldn’t believe the others when they told him that “a miracle had happened.” That things were changing; that things had changed. Jesus was alive.
H.A.Ironside tells the story …
Bishop Potter was sailing from NY to Europe on a great transatlantic ocean liner. When we went on board, he found that he had to share his cabin with another passenger. He went to the room and met the other man. He looked him over and felt he might not be the most trustworthy person, so he decided to check his valuables in the ship’s safe.
After he unpacked his suitcase, he went to the ship’s purser’s desk. He told him that he wanted to leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe during the voyage. He told the purser that he felt they would be safer in the safe.
The purser inventoried the items and said, “That’s fine Bishop, I’ll be glad to take care of these things for you. Your cabin mate just deposited his valuables; he felt they’d be safer here too.
For some reason, it is easier to jump to negative conclusions about people than it is to assume the best about them. It’s easier to project bad intentions on people we don’t know, just by their looks. Some call it “profiling.” When we do this, we reveal something about ourselves …..
The faults we see in others, may actually be a reflection of our own.
OUR MISTRUST FOR OURSELVES MAY BE REFLECTED IN OUR TREATMENT OF OTHERS
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told the people, “Judge not lest you be judged.”
Easier to say than to do.
When we are suspicious of others, we need to look at the root of that suspicion.
Why don’t we trust? Maybe it’s because of the hurts and scars of mistrust in our own lives.
I’ve been hurt; others have judged me unjustly; I wasn’t treated f air.
We need to let Jesus heal us before we can.
Crespo grew up in the Chapare region of the Bolivian Amazon Valley. Through the work of a young evangelist he accepted Christ. He decided that Jesus didn’t want him to continue the production of “pasta” (first stage in turning the coca leaf into cocaine).
Who could he trust? Everyone was out to get him (drug lords, other grower/producers, DEA). He lived in a world where everyone was out to get something from everyone else.
He lived in a world of mis-trust. He bore the scars from attempts to trust others.
The young evangelist told him – “trust Jesus – trust me.”
Crespo didn’t trust anyone! Even his family (he escaped from his house after his brother turned him in for the reward $). It took time.
Crespo needed to learn to trust again. Not just anybody – Jesus and his disciples.
Is there something in your past that’s keeping you from trusting Jesus? From trusting other disciples?
Thomas told his fellow disciples, “Unless I see the nail holes and put my finger in them, I won’t believe.” What do you need to believe?
WE NEED TO BE TRUSTING
In Bolivia I took a number of trips to the town of Toro-Toro (“very muddy” in the Quechua language). A seminary student from the town invited us to form a ministry team and visit his home town. After 12 hours of difficult mountain roads and forging rivers we arrived. It’s an amazing place, full of fossils, preserved footprints of dinosaurs and prehistoric remains.
The student told us we should check out the Umajalanta cave. His family recommended a guide and off we went. It was a 45 minute hike to the cave entrance. The entrance was about 4 foot high and 3 feet wide. We lit candles and entered the cave.
It dawned on me: I was in charge of a ministry team, taking them into a cave, led by a complete stranger. Was I crazy or something? We climbed and crawled for more than two and a half hours until we reached a lake deep in the earth. An awesome experience!
We made it out. During the trip we talked with the guide about our trust in him, and we shared with him about our faith and trust in Jesus. Afterward – as we sat on large rock formations, near a waterfall, eating a mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions and sardines (on crackers) – the guide shared how many people had left him down in life and he wanted to have that same faith we had.
That evening our guide – and his whole family – came forward to accept Jesus.
When we trust others, it can be a reflection of our trust in Jesus. How is your faith? Do you assume the best?
BACK TO THOMAS
Thomas had a history of thinking the worst. In John chapter 11, Jesus gets word that his friend Lazarus is sick. They don’t rush off; they aren’t in a hurry to get to the Jerusalem area. Jesus and his band are wanted men; it’s best to stay away from the heavily patrolled areas. After two days, Jesus tells his disciples, “let’s go, we’re going back to Judea.”
Thomas says (v. 16) “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Pretty pessimistic Thomas!
Don’t you trust even Jesus?
Why do you assume the worst?
WE OFTEN THINK THE WORST
Sometimes people show up at the church looking for help. I can get pretty skeptical.
Often I assume that the person is “pulling the wool over my eyes” to take advantage of the church. Pretty skeptical, Pastor Steve.
How can we truly help? We need to know the people – real help implies a personal relationship.
It’s why Bridge of Hope works – a relationship is built between a church mentoring group and a woman in need. (www.bridgeofhopelcc.org)
Relationship is the key. Once we have a relationship – we’ll help, we’ll overlook certain flaws, and we’ll go the extra mile.
WE NEED TO TRUST JESUS – AND EACH OTHER
Once in the airport, my flight was delayed. I bought a small bag of chips (tortilla, I think) and sat down to read a book and enjoy my snack. As I’m sitting there, the person next to me reaches over and takes a chip out of the bag. What chutzpa. He does it again. And again.
Finally I take the bag with the remaining chips, and my stuff, and go sit in another place. And I finish the chips myself.
Later on, on the airplane, I opened my carryon and I found my bag of chips.
How do you think I felt? (very small)
I can never tell that person how sorry I am – I can only confess to God and to you and hope that somehow that person will understand.
I imagine that Thomas “ate a lot of crow” with the other disciples after that experience with Jesus and his fellow disciples. I imagine he felt “very small.” In a sense, he deserved it. How would he rebuild the trust and faith?
ASSUME THE BEST
One of the recommendations of our church consultant was to assume the best.
As a church, each one of us needs to assume that the other “disciples” are being truthful and up-front. We shouldn’t be “Doubting Thomases” in our relationship with each other.
Jesus told Thomas (John 20:29), “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What did Thomas not believe (doubt)?
First, he didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Second, he didn’t believe the word of the other disciples.
The two go hand in hand. We need to believe in Jesus, but we also need to have a high level of trust in our fellow disciples.
It also means that we need to be open and honest, to gain the trust of others. Sure, people will let you down, but there’s a lot less chance if you have an open and honest relationship with them.
Jesus said that his disciples are known by their love (John 13:35). Jesus disciples will love God and love each other.
What is love? The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 explains something about love. This chapter is not particularly a wedding theme – it’s a church theme. Verse 7 – love … “it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Before we can fully trust – we need to love.
Monday, October 1, 2007
September 30, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“God’s Planss – Our Plans” Proverbs 16:1-3; Luke 14:27-33
What are your plans?
A young woman brought her fiancée home to meet her parents. After dinner, her father invited the young man out on the front porch for a chat."So, what are your plans?" The Father said."I don’t have anything definite," the young man replied, “but I have some ideas.”A little concerned, the father said, “How do you plan to support my daughter?”
“God will provide," the young man explained.
“Where will you live?” asked the father.
“I’m sure God will provide a place,” said the young man."And how will you afford to raise children?" The Father asked."God’s going to provide for all our needs," said the young man.The men went into the kitchen and the mother asked her husband, "How did it go?""I’m not sure; I like him. But he doesn’t seem to have any money or employment plans," the father said. "But on the other hand, he thinks I'm God."
God will provide, but we need to put in our part . . .
BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS IS NOT AN EASY THING
Becoming a Christian has no cost – by grace we are saved – but being a Christian comes at a great commitment.
The scripture tells us that a large crowd was following Jesus (Luke 14:25). How did he encourage them? How did Jesus build the confidence in those who began following him?
Did Jesus say – “It’s not that hard, all you have to do is show up.”
“Don’t worry; most of the work is done by others.”
“There’s really not that much to it.”
NO - He told them the truth about just how difficult it will be.
Jesus told them, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27). Crosses were a fairly common sight in those days.
Being a Christian (follower of Jesus) is a commitment.
AFTER THE COMMITMENT, WE GET TO WORK
Building in God’s Kingdom: Jesus next example is about a building project.
Building is a conscious decision. The church and the Building Committee know that. It doesn’t just happen. We need to decide about the need to build, what to build and where to build. That’s just a few of the thousands of decisions that need to be made in a building project.
The first decision needs to be for Jesus. I had the children sing “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” We need to build on the Rock of Jesus. That’s important!
I had some cardboard blocks and asked the children to construct a tower.
The first time I handed each child a block and asked them to put it on the tower construction. It didn’t work out too well; the tower fell over. We all laughed. We had great resources, but no planning and no coordinated effort.
For the next attempt each child received a block and they were told to build a tower. At the count of three they all started building. The tower construction never really advanced at all. We had a good laugh. Again, we had great resources, good intentions, but no plan.
The third time each child had a block. I directed the project. Those with the larger ones place them to build a base. Each larger block was added to build a strong tower. We had great resources, good intentions, a plan and directions. We also had a tower, nothing to laugh at.
Jesus told a story about building a tower.
Suppose one of you (a follower) wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Jesus wants his disciples to do things (like build a tower), but we need to have a plan. Where can we find our plan? God has a plan for this world; sometimes we call it God’s will. Our plans must conform to God’s plan.
The Bible has a really disastrous story about those who wanted to build a tower outside of God’s will in Genesis 11 (Tower of Babel). We need to do much better than that.
When we do things we need to prepare and “count the cost.” We need to realize that it is God’s work, not my work.
WE NEED TO SETTLE CONFLICTS (AND DIFFICULTIES) AS WE SEE THEM COMING
I pointed to the congregation and told the children that these people wanted to take our blocks. What should we do? There were a number of responses: defend our blocks! Hide our blocks! Fight to keep our blocks!
Unfortunately, the odds of keeping our blocks didn’t look very good. These people were much larger than us, and there were lots more of them.
What do you think God wants us to do with our blocks? Maybe we should share our blocks and work together.
Jesus told another story about two kings. (I’m sure he wasn’t talking about any of the Kings we know)
Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
Jesus wants his disciples (followers) to be at peace with each other. Our human nature is to conquer and take what we want. In a conflict, there is usually only one winner. Jesus wants us to be at peace with each other, there’s no other way to follow Jesus.
CONCLUSIONS
Following Jesus is a conscious decision (like building and making major decisions)
It is the first decision we need to make in our Christian lives – we cannot build a life unless we are on the foundation of Jesus.
Step 1 - Proverbs 16:3 tell us to “Commit to the Lord whatever you do.” We need to commit our lives, our desires, our plans – everything.
Step 2 - God has the resources we need – when we count the cost, we need to include God’s resources (Caution: we can only do this if we are fully committed to the Lord). People may make fun of our work, but they shouldn’t make fun of our Lord’s work.
Step 3 - We need to realize that there is only one King (and that is Jesus). In the church, we shouldn’t make ourselves the rulers – or conflict is sure to ensue. In a conflict – there is usually only one winner (usually the one with the most soldiers on his side). As we make our plans, we need to do so as part of one kingdom and under one King
Luke 14:33 tells us, to be a disciple you need to give up what you have:
- It’s not my work, but the Lord’s work
- I’m not the King, but Jesus is my King
Following Jesus takes Commitment!
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
What are your plans?
A young woman brought her fiancée home to meet her parents. After dinner, her father invited the young man out on the front porch for a chat."So, what are your plans?" The Father said."I don’t have anything definite," the young man replied, “but I have some ideas.”A little concerned, the father said, “How do you plan to support my daughter?”
“God will provide," the young man explained.
“Where will you live?” asked the father.
“I’m sure God will provide a place,” said the young man."And how will you afford to raise children?" The Father asked."God’s going to provide for all our needs," said the young man.The men went into the kitchen and the mother asked her husband, "How did it go?""I’m not sure; I like him. But he doesn’t seem to have any money or employment plans," the father said. "But on the other hand, he thinks I'm God."
God will provide, but we need to put in our part . . .
BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS IS NOT AN EASY THING
Becoming a Christian has no cost – by grace we are saved – but being a Christian comes at a great commitment.
The scripture tells us that a large crowd was following Jesus (Luke 14:25). How did he encourage them? How did Jesus build the confidence in those who began following him?
Did Jesus say – “It’s not that hard, all you have to do is show up.”
“Don’t worry; most of the work is done by others.”
“There’s really not that much to it.”
NO - He told them the truth about just how difficult it will be.
Jesus told them, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27). Crosses were a fairly common sight in those days.
Being a Christian (follower of Jesus) is a commitment.
AFTER THE COMMITMENT, WE GET TO WORK
Building in God’s Kingdom: Jesus next example is about a building project.
Building is a conscious decision. The church and the Building Committee know that. It doesn’t just happen. We need to decide about the need to build, what to build and where to build. That’s just a few of the thousands of decisions that need to be made in a building project.
The first decision needs to be for Jesus. I had the children sing “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” We need to build on the Rock of Jesus. That’s important!
I had some cardboard blocks and asked the children to construct a tower.
The first time I handed each child a block and asked them to put it on the tower construction. It didn’t work out too well; the tower fell over. We all laughed. We had great resources, but no planning and no coordinated effort.
For the next attempt each child received a block and they were told to build a tower. At the count of three they all started building. The tower construction never really advanced at all. We had a good laugh. Again, we had great resources, good intentions, but no plan.
The third time each child had a block. I directed the project. Those with the larger ones place them to build a base. Each larger block was added to build a strong tower. We had great resources, good intentions, a plan and directions. We also had a tower, nothing to laugh at.
Jesus told a story about building a tower.
Suppose one of you (a follower) wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Jesus wants his disciples to do things (like build a tower), but we need to have a plan. Where can we find our plan? God has a plan for this world; sometimes we call it God’s will. Our plans must conform to God’s plan.
The Bible has a really disastrous story about those who wanted to build a tower outside of God’s will in Genesis 11 (Tower of Babel). We need to do much better than that.
When we do things we need to prepare and “count the cost.” We need to realize that it is God’s work, not my work.
WE NEED TO SETTLE CONFLICTS (AND DIFFICULTIES) AS WE SEE THEM COMING
I pointed to the congregation and told the children that these people wanted to take our blocks. What should we do? There were a number of responses: defend our blocks! Hide our blocks! Fight to keep our blocks!
Unfortunately, the odds of keeping our blocks didn’t look very good. These people were much larger than us, and there were lots more of them.
What do you think God wants us to do with our blocks? Maybe we should share our blocks and work together.
Jesus told another story about two kings. (I’m sure he wasn’t talking about any of the Kings we know)
Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
Jesus wants his disciples (followers) to be at peace with each other. Our human nature is to conquer and take what we want. In a conflict, there is usually only one winner. Jesus wants us to be at peace with each other, there’s no other way to follow Jesus.
CONCLUSIONS
Following Jesus is a conscious decision (like building and making major decisions)
It is the first decision we need to make in our Christian lives – we cannot build a life unless we are on the foundation of Jesus.
Step 1 - Proverbs 16:3 tell us to “Commit to the Lord whatever you do.” We need to commit our lives, our desires, our plans – everything.
Step 2 - God has the resources we need – when we count the cost, we need to include God’s resources (Caution: we can only do this if we are fully committed to the Lord). People may make fun of our work, but they shouldn’t make fun of our Lord’s work.
Step 3 - We need to realize that there is only one King (and that is Jesus). In the church, we shouldn’t make ourselves the rulers – or conflict is sure to ensue. In a conflict – there is usually only one winner (usually the one with the most soldiers on his side). As we make our plans, we need to do so as part of one kingdom and under one King
Luke 14:33 tells us, to be a disciple you need to give up what you have:
- It’s not my work, but the Lord’s work
- I’m not the King, but Jesus is my King
Following Jesus takes Commitment!
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
September 23, 2007 – Sermon Synopsis
“God’s Family” 1 John 3:1-2, 10-16 (3:12)
Who are my ancestors and relatives?
I showed the children a family tree. We talked about family and family reunions. Family reunions are fun times.
The Bible tells us that the church is a family – John 1:12 – if we believe in Jesus, we become Children of God. Jesus taught us that God is our Heavenly Father.
Every Sunday is a family reunion.
The Apostle John was the youngest of the 12 disciples of Jesus. As he grew older, he was highly revered as the patriarch of the church – the last living person who walked and talked with Jesus on this earth. He saw many changes in the churches through the years.
In many ways, the original church was not much different than our own churches. They were made up of people who had personal agendas and motives.
I’m glad that there were problems in the church. They are learning experiences. Just about all of the letters in the New Testament were written because of problems in the church. It showed that the church could come through problems and difficulties and still be a witness for our Lord Jesus.
John lived through many church fights and divisions. He wrote his first letter (1 John) as a response to a church split.
A group of Gnostics left and formed their own church. Who were they?
- those who didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God (Messiah)
- those who didn’t believe in Jesus’ authority in our lives
- those who believed that sin wasn’t a problem
- those who believed that you could be a Christian and not love each other. These folks believed that their relationship with each other wasn’t an important part of the Christian life. They believed that you could come together and worship with people that you did mean and hateful things to.
Our scripture passage is part of John’s response to these folks.
You need to know something: There are problems, conflicts, divisions, fights, etc. in the world. There are people who don’t get along. They each want their own way so much that they are willing to fight for it. Do churches have problems?
A preacher once made the observation:
When there is a big crisis in the world, people start showing up in church.
When there is a big crisis in the church, people stop showing up in church.
Why is it that we look to God and the church when there are external problems, but not when there are internal problems?
Churches filled up after the events of September 11, 2002.
But as the crisis wore off, people went back to their old way of life.
These folks didn’t feel like an integral part of the church. They weren’t integrated into the life and fellowship of the congregation. They didn’t ever become part of the family.
ANALOGIES FOR THE CHURCH
In these past weeks we’ve considered analogies presented in the New Testament for the church.
The church is a body
The church is God’s employees (workforce)
The church is a building (Temple)
The church is (like) a family.
Families are the building blocks of society … that’s why it’s important to define a family right from the beginning.
The apostle John knew about family. He is one of the few people in the NT identified by his Father’s line – one of the Sons of Zebedee – along with his brother James. We know about his cousins Simon (Peter) & Andrew. Family is important to John.
I have enjoyed learning about the families of Maple Grove. Each family has it’s traits …
There are Kennels and Kings and Umbles and Stoltzfus and Kauffmans and Fishers and Smokers and etc.
This is an amazing thing to me, as one who doesn’t have an extended family heritage.
Your ancestors and relatives make you family.
John tells those of us who believe in Jesus are a family. God loved us so much that we have become God’s Children. We were adopted – that means we were chosen!
How do you know what family you belong to? By the last name: “Oh, he’s one of the Cranes” It’s as if there are certain traits that pass down through the family lineage.
Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “He’s a lot like his dad.”
How do you know that someone belongs to God’s Family?
They have some of God’s traits, character, personality.
Genesis 1 tells us we are made in the “image” and “likeness” of God.
How can you tell who’s in God’s family?
1 John 3:10 – Love for each other.
1 John 3:11 – the message we’ve heard from the start – Love one another.
Did someone say, “Hey, he must be one of God’s kids?”
SOME FAMILIES ARE DYSFUNCTIONAL
We don’t like to hear it.
There's an old joke about a man sitting in a church pew amening everything the preacher said about sinners. His amens abruptly stopped when the preacher got on the subject of loving his brother. When his wife nudged him to give the preacher another amen he said to her, "What for? He's stopped preaching and gone to meddling!"
We don’t like to hear about problems …
It started right at the beginning. The first Brothers, Cain and Abel
It’s interesting that the first murder in recorded history was over religious practice.
Sibling rivalry led to murder – not a happy family.
Today’s Sunday School lesson – dealing with dissention in the family. Abraham – what a crazy family tree: eight children with 3 different women, tracing that family heritage is very interesting.
Jesus family tree included prostitutes, foreigners and illegal aliens.
Families aren’t easy – but it’s the way God works. In spite of our differences, our dysfunctions, our problems – God wants us to live and work as a family.
The church family can also be dysfunctional. How can you change things?
Jesus! Let God be the head of the family. Let God (and God’s word) define what the family does. Let God be the authority, the leader,
When Solomon dedicated the Temple, God spoke to him … (2 Chronicles 7:14)
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face ... I will forgive and heal them.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
John continually calls the believers back to that simple premise, the one that is so difficult to do: Love each other.
1 John 3:1 – one of my favorite verses in the Scripture
I like it because it reminds me of a father that was not willing that his son should die. My dad was like that when I died. (Ask me about that sometime; I think it’s an interesting story.). I’m God’s son. God loved me so much, he sent Jesus so that I don’t have to die.
Why do we love – “Because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
God is our model – we should also love as God loved us.
How much does God love us? Jesus said, “I love you this much.” And he stretched out his arms (on the cross) and died for us.
Christ laid down his life for us. As God’s family, we should love each other, so much that we would be willing to give our life for each other.
That’s how they’ll know we are Christians: by our love.
I hope to see you at the next family reunion.
Who are my ancestors and relatives?
I showed the children a family tree. We talked about family and family reunions. Family reunions are fun times.
The Bible tells us that the church is a family – John 1:12 – if we believe in Jesus, we become Children of God. Jesus taught us that God is our Heavenly Father.
Every Sunday is a family reunion.
The Apostle John was the youngest of the 12 disciples of Jesus. As he grew older, he was highly revered as the patriarch of the church – the last living person who walked and talked with Jesus on this earth. He saw many changes in the churches through the years.
In many ways, the original church was not much different than our own churches. They were made up of people who had personal agendas and motives.
I’m glad that there were problems in the church. They are learning experiences. Just about all of the letters in the New Testament were written because of problems in the church. It showed that the church could come through problems and difficulties and still be a witness for our Lord Jesus.
John lived through many church fights and divisions. He wrote his first letter (1 John) as a response to a church split.
A group of Gnostics left and formed their own church. Who were they?
- those who didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God (Messiah)
- those who didn’t believe in Jesus’ authority in our lives
- those who believed that sin wasn’t a problem
- those who believed that you could be a Christian and not love each other. These folks believed that their relationship with each other wasn’t an important part of the Christian life. They believed that you could come together and worship with people that you did mean and hateful things to.
Our scripture passage is part of John’s response to these folks.
You need to know something: There are problems, conflicts, divisions, fights, etc. in the world. There are people who don’t get along. They each want their own way so much that they are willing to fight for it. Do churches have problems?
A preacher once made the observation:
When there is a big crisis in the world, people start showing up in church.
When there is a big crisis in the church, people stop showing up in church.
Why is it that we look to God and the church when there are external problems, but not when there are internal problems?
Churches filled up after the events of September 11, 2002.
But as the crisis wore off, people went back to their old way of life.
These folks didn’t feel like an integral part of the church. They weren’t integrated into the life and fellowship of the congregation. They didn’t ever become part of the family.
ANALOGIES FOR THE CHURCH
In these past weeks we’ve considered analogies presented in the New Testament for the church.
The church is a body
The church is God’s employees (workforce)
The church is a building (Temple)
The church is (like) a family.
Families are the building blocks of society … that’s why it’s important to define a family right from the beginning.
The apostle John knew about family. He is one of the few people in the NT identified by his Father’s line – one of the Sons of Zebedee – along with his brother James. We know about his cousins Simon (Peter) & Andrew. Family is important to John.
I have enjoyed learning about the families of Maple Grove. Each family has it’s traits …
There are Kennels and Kings and Umbles and Stoltzfus and Kauffmans and Fishers and Smokers and etc.
This is an amazing thing to me, as one who doesn’t have an extended family heritage.
Your ancestors and relatives make you family.
John tells those of us who believe in Jesus are a family. God loved us so much that we have become God’s Children. We were adopted – that means we were chosen!
How do you know what family you belong to? By the last name: “Oh, he’s one of the Cranes” It’s as if there are certain traits that pass down through the family lineage.
Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “He’s a lot like his dad.”
How do you know that someone belongs to God’s Family?
They have some of God’s traits, character, personality.
Genesis 1 tells us we are made in the “image” and “likeness” of God.
How can you tell who’s in God’s family?
1 John 3:10 – Love for each other.
1 John 3:11 – the message we’ve heard from the start – Love one another.
Did someone say, “Hey, he must be one of God’s kids?”
SOME FAMILIES ARE DYSFUNCTIONAL
We don’t like to hear it.
There's an old joke about a man sitting in a church pew amening everything the preacher said about sinners. His amens abruptly stopped when the preacher got on the subject of loving his brother. When his wife nudged him to give the preacher another amen he said to her, "What for? He's stopped preaching and gone to meddling!"
We don’t like to hear about problems …
It started right at the beginning. The first Brothers, Cain and Abel
It’s interesting that the first murder in recorded history was over religious practice.
Sibling rivalry led to murder – not a happy family.
Today’s Sunday School lesson – dealing with dissention in the family. Abraham – what a crazy family tree: eight children with 3 different women, tracing that family heritage is very interesting.
Jesus family tree included prostitutes, foreigners and illegal aliens.
Families aren’t easy – but it’s the way God works. In spite of our differences, our dysfunctions, our problems – God wants us to live and work as a family.
The church family can also be dysfunctional. How can you change things?
Jesus! Let God be the head of the family. Let God (and God’s word) define what the family does. Let God be the authority, the leader,
When Solomon dedicated the Temple, God spoke to him … (2 Chronicles 7:14)
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face ... I will forgive and heal them.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
John continually calls the believers back to that simple premise, the one that is so difficult to do: Love each other.
1 John 3:1 – one of my favorite verses in the Scripture
I like it because it reminds me of a father that was not willing that his son should die. My dad was like that when I died. (Ask me about that sometime; I think it’s an interesting story.). I’m God’s son. God loved me so much, he sent Jesus so that I don’t have to die.
Why do we love – “Because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
God is our model – we should also love as God loved us.
How much does God love us? Jesus said, “I love you this much.” And he stretched out his arms (on the cross) and died for us.
Christ laid down his life for us. As God’s family, we should love each other, so much that we would be willing to give our life for each other.
That’s how they’ll know we are Christians: by our love.
I hope to see you at the next family reunion.
Monday, September 10, 2007
September 9, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“God’s Building” 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
Today we celebrate and dedicate our new building addition.
I told the children about a man who built a chicken house. He planned it, bought good materials, built it, and filled it with nice equipment. But he didn’t put any chickens in it. “The chickens would mess it up,” he said.
I asked the children, “Can you call it a chicken house without any chickens?”
The analogy should be clear. A church is just another building without Christians in it. A human being is just another person without God’s Spirit in it.
We need to fill our lives with Jesus, so that our building will be filled with God’s people.
Ephesians 2:22 tells us, “In Jesus you are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Our scripture passage (1 Corinthians 3:9-17) is about a church building program.
HISTORY LESSON
About 56 AD the Apostle Paul was in Ephesus. It was his third (and final) missionary journey into the region. The Christian movement was barely 25 years old. There was heavy persecution of Christians and Jews throughout the Roman Empire.
Back home in Israel, things looked bad. God’s House (the Temple) in Jerusalem was still in use, but heavily controlled by Roman military. Jerusalem would be the center of conflict between the Romans and Jewish Terrorists for the next few years, until the Roman army took full control of the city and destroyed the Temple.
The early Christians first met in synagogues, but later met in houses. They couldn’t get a permit to build a church building because they were a despised movement, originating from a difficult part of the world.
A few years earlier, Paul and Apollos helped establish a church in Corinth. This town was full of temples to a variety of Roman and Greek gods. The Christians lived and worked amidst the temples of false gods.
Paul tells them something interesting. He makes an analogy and compares the new congregation in Corinth to a building. The church is like a building. “We are … God’s Building,” he told them in verse 9.
WE LIKE TO BUILD THINGS
Part of our human nature is to build things. It adds an air of excitement (and stress) to our lives. Sometimes building programs are difficult times for churches.
The story is told …
A man had been shipwrecked on a remote island for 20 years. When a ship finally arrived, his rescuers were impressed with the three buildings he had built and asked about them.
“Well,” the man replied, “this is my house, and that building over there is my church. It’s a wonderful church and I hate to leave it.”
The rescuer asked, “And what is the third building over there?”
The man replied, “Oh, that’s the church I used to go to. When it was being built there was such a fight, I just had to leave …”
I’m thankful for a peaceful building program. God was certainly in control (most of the time).
THE BIBLE IS FULL OF BUILDING PROGRAMS (MORE HISTORY)
Genesis starts with examples of good ones (Noah) and bad ones (Tower of Babel).
Israel worked (as slaves) on building programs in Egypt (Rameses and Python).
In the wilderness, Israel built a large tent for God to live in. It was known as God’s dwelling place. God gave them the plans and they built it. You can visit a re-creation of the tabernacle at the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster (http://www.mennoniteinfoctr.com/tabncle.html).
When Israel became established in the “promised land” they began to build houses and live in towns. They began to question, “Why do we live in nice houses, while God still lives in a tent?” In 2 Samuel 7:2 King David remarks, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
King David made plans to build a temple, but he wasn’t allowed to because he was a warrior and had shed the blood of others.
David and Bathsheba’s son King Solomon took on the project. He was a beautiful building high on a hill, for all to see for miles around.
500 years later that temple was destroyed by the Babylonian army and the Jews were taken captive.
About 70 years later they returned and rebuilt a new temple on the ruins of the first. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story – it was a struggle to find both funds and workers. Not uncommon for a building program.
About 350 years later, Herod (called King of the Jews), rebuilt the temple again. He made it one of the largest and most beautiful buildings in the entire region. It was built at great expense and by burdening the people of the region by obligating them to work (slaves) and heavily taxing the people. The final touches of this temple were still under construction when Jesus walked the earth.
The building was completely destroyed by the Roman army in 70 AD. Josephus (The Jewish Wars) tells us that the Romans set the building on fire and the gold melted down into the foundation. The stones were dug up to find the gold and not one stone of the foundation was left in place. Complete destruction. It was gone for good; nothing remained but the retaining walls.
Each of those structures was called “God’s House” by the people. None of these remain today.
THE CHURCH IS LIKE A BUILDING
The early church didn’t build buildings. This was probably a good thing for the new movement. A building program to early-on may have diverted their attention from their primary task of witness and service.
The Apostle Paul tells them that they are a building. 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?”
It seems that God was building the new temple out of people – something that couldn’t be destroyed.
Paul tells them (1 Cor 3:10), “I laid a foundation … others are building on it with a variety of building materials.”
Peter said, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house …” (1 Peter 2:5).
In another place Paul said, “In Jesus the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21, see verse 22 also)
WHAT TURNS A BUILDING INTO “GOD’S HOUSE”?
The world is filled with empty temples and cathedrals, many of them are museums. It seems that the emphasis was put on building a building instead of building the church (God’s Building).
These are all just buildings – very nice and beautiful buildings – but they are just buildings. They are all destined to be destroyed some day.
The Tabernacle became God’s House when God’s presence filled it (shekina glory).
The Temple became God’s House when the ark (God’s presence) was placed in the “holy of holies.”
Paul tells us, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you”? (1 Cor 3:16)
A building is turned into “God’s House” when God moves in.
Has God moved into your life?
This new temple, God’s new building, can never be destroyed. Jesus showed us that a life filled with God can be torn down (crucified), but it will rise up again.
We (the congregation) are God’s Building because we have lives filled with God’s Spirit.
We can get into trouble when we don’t have God in our lives, in our church. Our building will need some repairs that only God can make.
The church is just human beings filled with God’s spirit.
This new church building can only be “God’s Building” when it is full of Christians being faithful to our Lord in witness and service.
Otherwise it’s just a chicken house without any chickens – not much good for anything.
“The Lord is in his Holy Temple” Habakkuk 2:20
Today we celebrate and dedicate our new building addition.
I told the children about a man who built a chicken house. He planned it, bought good materials, built it, and filled it with nice equipment. But he didn’t put any chickens in it. “The chickens would mess it up,” he said.
I asked the children, “Can you call it a chicken house without any chickens?”
The analogy should be clear. A church is just another building without Christians in it. A human being is just another person without God’s Spirit in it.
We need to fill our lives with Jesus, so that our building will be filled with God’s people.
Ephesians 2:22 tells us, “In Jesus you are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Our scripture passage (1 Corinthians 3:9-17) is about a church building program.
HISTORY LESSON
About 56 AD the Apostle Paul was in Ephesus. It was his third (and final) missionary journey into the region. The Christian movement was barely 25 years old. There was heavy persecution of Christians and Jews throughout the Roman Empire.
Back home in Israel, things looked bad. God’s House (the Temple) in Jerusalem was still in use, but heavily controlled by Roman military. Jerusalem would be the center of conflict between the Romans and Jewish Terrorists for the next few years, until the Roman army took full control of the city and destroyed the Temple.
The early Christians first met in synagogues, but later met in houses. They couldn’t get a permit to build a church building because they were a despised movement, originating from a difficult part of the world.
A few years earlier, Paul and Apollos helped establish a church in Corinth. This town was full of temples to a variety of Roman and Greek gods. The Christians lived and worked amidst the temples of false gods.
Paul tells them something interesting. He makes an analogy and compares the new congregation in Corinth to a building. The church is like a building. “We are … God’s Building,” he told them in verse 9.
WE LIKE TO BUILD THINGS
Part of our human nature is to build things. It adds an air of excitement (and stress) to our lives. Sometimes building programs are difficult times for churches.
The story is told …
A man had been shipwrecked on a remote island for 20 years. When a ship finally arrived, his rescuers were impressed with the three buildings he had built and asked about them.
“Well,” the man replied, “this is my house, and that building over there is my church. It’s a wonderful church and I hate to leave it.”
The rescuer asked, “And what is the third building over there?”
The man replied, “Oh, that’s the church I used to go to. When it was being built there was such a fight, I just had to leave …”
I’m thankful for a peaceful building program. God was certainly in control (most of the time).
THE BIBLE IS FULL OF BUILDING PROGRAMS (MORE HISTORY)
Genesis starts with examples of good ones (Noah) and bad ones (Tower of Babel).
Israel worked (as slaves) on building programs in Egypt (Rameses and Python).
In the wilderness, Israel built a large tent for God to live in. It was known as God’s dwelling place. God gave them the plans and they built it. You can visit a re-creation of the tabernacle at the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster (http://www.mennoniteinfoctr.com/tabncle.html).
When Israel became established in the “promised land” they began to build houses and live in towns. They began to question, “Why do we live in nice houses, while God still lives in a tent?” In 2 Samuel 7:2 King David remarks, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
King David made plans to build a temple, but he wasn’t allowed to because he was a warrior and had shed the blood of others.
David and Bathsheba’s son King Solomon took on the project. He was a beautiful building high on a hill, for all to see for miles around.
500 years later that temple was destroyed by the Babylonian army and the Jews were taken captive.
About 70 years later they returned and rebuilt a new temple on the ruins of the first. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story – it was a struggle to find both funds and workers. Not uncommon for a building program.
About 350 years later, Herod (called King of the Jews), rebuilt the temple again. He made it one of the largest and most beautiful buildings in the entire region. It was built at great expense and by burdening the people of the region by obligating them to work (slaves) and heavily taxing the people. The final touches of this temple were still under construction when Jesus walked the earth.
The building was completely destroyed by the Roman army in 70 AD. Josephus (The Jewish Wars) tells us that the Romans set the building on fire and the gold melted down into the foundation. The stones were dug up to find the gold and not one stone of the foundation was left in place. Complete destruction. It was gone for good; nothing remained but the retaining walls.
Each of those structures was called “God’s House” by the people. None of these remain today.
THE CHURCH IS LIKE A BUILDING
The early church didn’t build buildings. This was probably a good thing for the new movement. A building program to early-on may have diverted their attention from their primary task of witness and service.
The Apostle Paul tells them that they are a building. 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?”
It seems that God was building the new temple out of people – something that couldn’t be destroyed.
Paul tells them (1 Cor 3:10), “I laid a foundation … others are building on it with a variety of building materials.”
Peter said, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house …” (1 Peter 2:5).
In another place Paul said, “In Jesus the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21, see verse 22 also)
WHAT TURNS A BUILDING INTO “GOD’S HOUSE”?
The world is filled with empty temples and cathedrals, many of them are museums. It seems that the emphasis was put on building a building instead of building the church (God’s Building).
These are all just buildings – very nice and beautiful buildings – but they are just buildings. They are all destined to be destroyed some day.
The Tabernacle became God’s House when God’s presence filled it (shekina glory).
The Temple became God’s House when the ark (God’s presence) was placed in the “holy of holies.”
Paul tells us, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you”? (1 Cor 3:16)
A building is turned into “God’s House” when God moves in.
Has God moved into your life?
This new temple, God’s new building, can never be destroyed. Jesus showed us that a life filled with God can be torn down (crucified), but it will rise up again.
We (the congregation) are God’s Building because we have lives filled with God’s Spirit.
We can get into trouble when we don’t have God in our lives, in our church. Our building will need some repairs that only God can make.
The church is just human beings filled with God’s spirit.
This new church building can only be “God’s Building” when it is full of Christians being faithful to our Lord in witness and service.
Otherwise it’s just a chicken house without any chickens – not much good for anything.
“The Lord is in his Holy Temple” Habakkuk 2:20
Monday, August 27, 2007
August 26 Sermon Synopsis
What does any of this Jesus stuff have to do with us?
A Jew from the beginning of the first century in a remote province of the Roman Empire, he lived a common life, nothing notable, living according to the customs of his people.
He started a movement (but history tells us that there were many movements at the time), he only led the group for about 3 years, and his followers took over for him.
He began his movement with a common practice called “baptism.”
He was convicted of trumped up charges in a “kangaroo court” that only sought to calm the political situation. He received the death penalty; was crucified as a criminal (a common practice) for political insurrection (King of the Jews).
His followers believed that he rose from the dead, and kept the movement going.
What does it have to do with us?
The answer, of course, is “everything.”
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus brings us close to God and makes possible eternal life. In Jesus, our sins are forgiven. That is a free gift – made possible through the sacrificial giving of Jesus’ life.
We can’t earn it, we can’t work for it, we can’t “do” anything to receive it, except “receive it.” That’s what we call grace – that great feeling we have when we are forgiven.
Have you ever been forgiven for something you knew you should be punished for? It’s a great feeling!
Some of the early Christians, it seems, liked that feeling so much, that they were tempted to sin just so they could feel forgiven. The Apostle Paul tells them, “Do you think you should go on sinning so that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1)
Of course, the answer is no. The sin in our lives should be dead. Our sin died with Christ and was buried and stayed in the grave when Jesus rose from the dead. We go through Baptism as a symbol that our sins are dead and we are alive with Jesus.
Perhaps you heard the story …
A little boy saw a baptism service for the first time.
“Why are they doing that, Momma?”
“They’re being baptized to show that they believe in Jesus and are going to heaven.”
Later that day, the boy became interested in the eternal salvation of his cats.
He filled up a large bucket in the yard and proceeded to “baptize” the cats. The little kittens submitted to immersion pretty well. The young cats were a bit more work, but he got them under the water. The larger cats he could only sprinkle, but that was okay. Finally, the old tom cat put up a big fight, it struggled, it clawed and finally it got away.
The boy went into the house, all scratched up. His mother saw him and asked, “What happened to you?”
“I got just about all them cat’s saved, but that old tom cat’s gonna stay an atheist.”
Fortunately, our salvation doesn’t depend on baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward condition. It demonstrates our decision to accept Jesus, ask forgiveness for our sins and make every effort to live like Jesus would want us to.
Baptism is a decision that each person needs to make. Nobody can make it for you (and force you into the bucket – like baptizing a cat – I’m sure those cats didn’t want anything to do with baptism). Baptism is a personal decision.
We have 9 candidates for Baptism. It’s great to see young people who have given their lives to Christ and want to give their testimony and be baptized to show everyone their faith. This is a public profession of their faith; they are not ashamed of the Gospel.
Baptism by water, may wash off some dirt (the pond may add some dirt). It’s not a process that will clean us in any physical way. But the act of Baptism is a symbol that we have been cleaned inside, a cleaning that only Christ can give. Baptism doesn’t “save” us, but it is a public symbol and witness that we are forgiven, “saved,” clean.
BAPTISM TELLS THE GOSPEL STORY
In Baptism we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6:3-4: “Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
1. Down in the water (or covered with the water), the old life is buried.
Our baptism shows that our sins have died on the cross with Christ.
It’s a funeral service for our sins.
It’s natural to mourn when someone close to us dies. It’s okay to be sad at a funeral service. Grieving is a natural part of our existence. Our sinful nature is something very close to us, but our sins are something we should be glad to bury. We’ll miss them, but they’re gone – hopefully for good.
Sin is dead as far as we’re concerned. Don’t mourn that loss.
2. Coming out of the water (or the water passes, taking the contaminants with it), we rise leaving our sins washed away. (Mel’s Pond must be full of sins)
As Jesus rose from the grave, we raise out of the water – proclaiming our resurrection life, our new life, our eternal life.
Verse 8 tells us, “If we die with Christ, we also believe that we will live with him!”
We proclaim that we want to live in the new life with our Savior.
We also proclaim that we live in eternal life, the life that begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
PART OF A BAPTIZED BODY
Through Baptism, we proclaim our intention to be part of the church, the family of God, “Christ’s living body in this world.”
The Apostle Paul wrote much about “the body of Christ” – the church.
“We were baptized to form one body through one spirit.”
Christ wants everyone to be part of his body.
How do we become part of Christ’s body?
Believe, repent, confess your sins, and receive Christ.
Jesus must have a body that is clean, not so much on the outside, but certainly on the inside.
THIS IS OUR NEW LIFE – Alive to Christ.
Christ makes us feel alive
We have Christ in our life and we are a part of Christ’s body.
Are you still mourning the death of your sins?
Let them go.
Let Jesus make you alive – truly alive. He came to bring us life, and to bring it in abundance.
“Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God”
A Jew from the beginning of the first century in a remote province of the Roman Empire, he lived a common life, nothing notable, living according to the customs of his people.
He started a movement (but history tells us that there were many movements at the time), he only led the group for about 3 years, and his followers took over for him.
He began his movement with a common practice called “baptism.”
He was convicted of trumped up charges in a “kangaroo court” that only sought to calm the political situation. He received the death penalty; was crucified as a criminal (a common practice) for political insurrection (King of the Jews).
His followers believed that he rose from the dead, and kept the movement going.
What does it have to do with us?
The answer, of course, is “everything.”
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus brings us close to God and makes possible eternal life. In Jesus, our sins are forgiven. That is a free gift – made possible through the sacrificial giving of Jesus’ life.
We can’t earn it, we can’t work for it, we can’t “do” anything to receive it, except “receive it.” That’s what we call grace – that great feeling we have when we are forgiven.
Have you ever been forgiven for something you knew you should be punished for? It’s a great feeling!
Some of the early Christians, it seems, liked that feeling so much, that they were tempted to sin just so they could feel forgiven. The Apostle Paul tells them, “Do you think you should go on sinning so that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1)
Of course, the answer is no. The sin in our lives should be dead. Our sin died with Christ and was buried and stayed in the grave when Jesus rose from the dead. We go through Baptism as a symbol that our sins are dead and we are alive with Jesus.
Perhaps you heard the story …
A little boy saw a baptism service for the first time.
“Why are they doing that, Momma?”
“They’re being baptized to show that they believe in Jesus and are going to heaven.”
Later that day, the boy became interested in the eternal salvation of his cats.
He filled up a large bucket in the yard and proceeded to “baptize” the cats. The little kittens submitted to immersion pretty well. The young cats were a bit more work, but he got them under the water. The larger cats he could only sprinkle, but that was okay. Finally, the old tom cat put up a big fight, it struggled, it clawed and finally it got away.
The boy went into the house, all scratched up. His mother saw him and asked, “What happened to you?”
“I got just about all them cat’s saved, but that old tom cat’s gonna stay an atheist.”
Fortunately, our salvation doesn’t depend on baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward condition. It demonstrates our decision to accept Jesus, ask forgiveness for our sins and make every effort to live like Jesus would want us to.
Baptism is a decision that each person needs to make. Nobody can make it for you (and force you into the bucket – like baptizing a cat – I’m sure those cats didn’t want anything to do with baptism). Baptism is a personal decision.
We have 9 candidates for Baptism. It’s great to see young people who have given their lives to Christ and want to give their testimony and be baptized to show everyone their faith. This is a public profession of their faith; they are not ashamed of the Gospel.
Baptism by water, may wash off some dirt (the pond may add some dirt). It’s not a process that will clean us in any physical way. But the act of Baptism is a symbol that we have been cleaned inside, a cleaning that only Christ can give. Baptism doesn’t “save” us, but it is a public symbol and witness that we are forgiven, “saved,” clean.
BAPTISM TELLS THE GOSPEL STORY
In Baptism we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6:3-4: “Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
1. Down in the water (or covered with the water), the old life is buried.
Our baptism shows that our sins have died on the cross with Christ.
It’s a funeral service for our sins.
It’s natural to mourn when someone close to us dies. It’s okay to be sad at a funeral service. Grieving is a natural part of our existence. Our sinful nature is something very close to us, but our sins are something we should be glad to bury. We’ll miss them, but they’re gone – hopefully for good.
Sin is dead as far as we’re concerned. Don’t mourn that loss.
2. Coming out of the water (or the water passes, taking the contaminants with it), we rise leaving our sins washed away. (Mel’s Pond must be full of sins)
As Jesus rose from the grave, we raise out of the water – proclaiming our resurrection life, our new life, our eternal life.
Verse 8 tells us, “If we die with Christ, we also believe that we will live with him!”
We proclaim that we want to live in the new life with our Savior.
We also proclaim that we live in eternal life, the life that begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
PART OF A BAPTIZED BODY
Through Baptism, we proclaim our intention to be part of the church, the family of God, “Christ’s living body in this world.”
The Apostle Paul wrote much about “the body of Christ” – the church.
“We were baptized to form one body through one spirit.”
Christ wants everyone to be part of his body.
How do we become part of Christ’s body?
Believe, repent, confess your sins, and receive Christ.
Jesus must have a body that is clean, not so much on the outside, but certainly on the inside.
THIS IS OUR NEW LIFE – Alive to Christ.
Christ makes us feel alive
We have Christ in our life and we are a part of Christ’s body.
Are you still mourning the death of your sins?
Let them go.
Let Jesus make you alive – truly alive. He came to bring us life, and to bring it in abundance.
“Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God”
Sunday, August 19, 2007
August 19, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“What are you looking at?” Hebrews 11:29 – 2:2
Last week we began Hebrews Chapter 11, the faith chapter.
The story of faith continues …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about …
The pastor announced, “There will be a meeting of the Board immediately after the service."
After the close of the service, the Church Board gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst -- a visitor who had never attended their church before.
"My friend," said the pastor, "Didn't you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?"
"Yes," said the visitor, "and after today's sermon, I suppose I'm just about as bored as anyone else who came to this meeting."
According to Hebrews 11, the life of faith is anything but boring. There is an excitement to a life lived by faith. And ultimately they were “commended for their faith,” they had a good testimony.
It's an impressive list of Old Testament believers and their amazing accomplishments. However, the writer kept interspersing the words "by faith," for his emphasis was strictly faith, not fame. Through faith these people obtained a good testimony (v.39), but was there always a good outcome?
By faith they subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and escaped the edge of the sword. Others were tortured and killed. Did they obtain a bad testimony? No! Verse 39 says that "all these" – both the delivered and the undelivered – had a good testimony, they all acted in faith.
Faith does not automatically mean good things will happen to you.
I'm certain that all had asked the Lord for help. But some received deliverance, and others received an answer similar to the one given to Paul when he pleaded for his "thorn" to be removed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Whenever you act in faith and in God's strength, you are obtaining a good testimony before Him—no matter what the outcome. Just the same, none of them received the full promise. The author tells us that this is reserved for us. All of these had faith that God would bring a messiah, a savior, etc., but they never saw Jesus. We are very privileged.
THEREFORE
Chapter 12:1 begins with this word; it’s an indicator of a practical application.
There are three things we should do to keep our lives guided “by faith.”
Three things to obtain a good testimony and be commended for our faith.
FIRST: LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASLIY ENGANGLES
Once, in Bolivia, I drove behind a loaded truck climbing the mountain road from Cochabamba to Oruro. It was loaded with produce destined for the highlands. The truck couldn’t handle the road, he had a compression problem. He had to get to Oruro, so he started to sell and give his produce to the people along the way. Some he just had to leave by the road. Why? He wouldn’t make it to the destination otherwise; stranded on a mountain road is not a good thing. It arrived with very little produce. It was painful for the owner of the truck to lose his load. He lost plenty of pesos on that trip, but he arrived.
It’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we really love the stuff we carry around.
It reminds me of the story of the Franklin Expedition.
In 1845, the ill-fated Franklin Expedition sailed from England to find a passage across the Arctic Ocean. The crew loaded their two sailing ships with a lot of things they didn't need: a 1,200-volume library, fine china, crystal goblets, and sterling silverware for each officer with his initials engraved on the handles. Amazingly, each ship took only a 12-day supply of coal for their auxiliary steam engines.
The ships became trapped in vast frozen plains of ice. After several months, Lord Franklin died. The men decided to trek to safety in small groups, but none of them survived. One story is especially heartbreaking. Two officers pulled a large sled more than 65 miles across the treacherous ice. When their bodies were found, they discovered that the sled was filled with table silver. Those men contributed to their own demise by carrying what they didn't need
But don't we sometimes do the same? Don't we drag baggage through life that we don't need? Evil thoughts that hinder us. Bad habits that drag us down. Grudges that we won't let go.Let's determine to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us"
When God told Joshua to take control of Jericho, and other cities in Palestine, they were told “not” to take plunder. Why? It would slow them down. It would divert their attention from the task. It would keep them from being effective in establishing the Kingdom of God.
What about the power of sin?
King David’s eyes were diverted and led him into sin. He needed to get rid of the sin that hindered his ability to rule God’s Kingdom. How did he get rid of that sin? By confronting the sin, confessing the sin and receiving forgiveness. There was no other way.
What is hindering your walk of faith? What is entangling your life?
What do you need to get rid of? You can’t get rid of it yourself.
Jesus said, “Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Give it to Jesus.
SECOND: LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET OUT BEFORE US
Verb tense in the Greek language indicates a daily action, we continually run the race.
I used to climb mountains. I needed to pace myself. Newcomers to our group might race to the top, but they expend all their energy getting there. They forget that it’s a round trip. Others help carry them down, to complete the journey. Perseverance is pacing yourself for the long haul.
Heb 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
James tells us something about perseverance.
James 1:3 – the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:4 – perseverance is necessary for us to be mature and complete.
James 5:11 – using the example of Job we learn that those who persevere are blessed.
Whatever comes, whatever happens, we need to keep going forward in the Christian life.
THIRD: LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS
Years ago there was a farmer teaching his son to plow with a horse: “To make a straight furrow you need to fix your eyes on something in front of you and follow it. He got his son started and went off to work in the barn. When he came back the furrows went in every direction.
The father asked, “Didn’t you follow my directions?”
The son replied, “ I sure did, I set my eyes on that cow over there.”
It’s important what we keep our eyes on something firm – Jesus.
We must keep our eyes on the master.
I remember teaching my dog to “stay.” I put meat or cheese (something tempting) on the floor in front of her and I said “stay.” Eventually the dog learned to stay (treat or no treat). How did the dog keep its concentration? She couldn’t look at the treat, which was too much of a temptation. She kept her eyes on me.
Ultimately, the puppy was more interested in keeping the master happy than in satisfying itself. Somehow the puppy learns that the master is trusted. The master is the one who may reward us. The master is the source of the food.
We are so much more important than a puppy; shouldn’t we keep our eyes on our master?
We need to learn to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Not on the pastor, the elders, parents, conference leaders, or anyone else.
All of these are going to let you down (pastor included), but Jesus will never let you down.
What do we look at? There are many things to choose from.
Leaders
Sins / temptations
Fears
The world and things of the world
Ourselves
You can think of many other things to divert our attention.
In the long run, none of these things are going to help us successfully complete the course.
To live the life of faith we need to
1. Get rid of sin and burdens
2. Persevere
3. Keep our eyes on Jesus
What are you looking at?
Last week we began Hebrews Chapter 11, the faith chapter.
The story of faith continues …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about …
The pastor announced, “There will be a meeting of the Board immediately after the service."
After the close of the service, the Church Board gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst -- a visitor who had never attended their church before.
"My friend," said the pastor, "Didn't you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?"
"Yes," said the visitor, "and after today's sermon, I suppose I'm just about as bored as anyone else who came to this meeting."
According to Hebrews 11, the life of faith is anything but boring. There is an excitement to a life lived by faith. And ultimately they were “commended for their faith,” they had a good testimony.
It's an impressive list of Old Testament believers and their amazing accomplishments. However, the writer kept interspersing the words "by faith," for his emphasis was strictly faith, not fame. Through faith these people obtained a good testimony (v.39), but was there always a good outcome?
By faith they subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and escaped the edge of the sword. Others were tortured and killed. Did they obtain a bad testimony? No! Verse 39 says that "all these" – both the delivered and the undelivered – had a good testimony, they all acted in faith.
Faith does not automatically mean good things will happen to you.
I'm certain that all had asked the Lord for help. But some received deliverance, and others received an answer similar to the one given to Paul when he pleaded for his "thorn" to be removed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Whenever you act in faith and in God's strength, you are obtaining a good testimony before Him—no matter what the outcome. Just the same, none of them received the full promise. The author tells us that this is reserved for us. All of these had faith that God would bring a messiah, a savior, etc., but they never saw Jesus. We are very privileged.
THEREFORE
Chapter 12:1 begins with this word; it’s an indicator of a practical application.
There are three things we should do to keep our lives guided “by faith.”
Three things to obtain a good testimony and be commended for our faith.
FIRST: LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASLIY ENGANGLES
Once, in Bolivia, I drove behind a loaded truck climbing the mountain road from Cochabamba to Oruro. It was loaded with produce destined for the highlands. The truck couldn’t handle the road, he had a compression problem. He had to get to Oruro, so he started to sell and give his produce to the people along the way. Some he just had to leave by the road. Why? He wouldn’t make it to the destination otherwise; stranded on a mountain road is not a good thing. It arrived with very little produce. It was painful for the owner of the truck to lose his load. He lost plenty of pesos on that trip, but he arrived.
It’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we really love the stuff we carry around.
It reminds me of the story of the Franklin Expedition.
In 1845, the ill-fated Franklin Expedition sailed from England to find a passage across the Arctic Ocean. The crew loaded their two sailing ships with a lot of things they didn't need: a 1,200-volume library, fine china, crystal goblets, and sterling silverware for each officer with his initials engraved on the handles. Amazingly, each ship took only a 12-day supply of coal for their auxiliary steam engines.
The ships became trapped in vast frozen plains of ice. After several months, Lord Franklin died. The men decided to trek to safety in small groups, but none of them survived. One story is especially heartbreaking. Two officers pulled a large sled more than 65 miles across the treacherous ice. When their bodies were found, they discovered that the sled was filled with table silver. Those men contributed to their own demise by carrying what they didn't need
But don't we sometimes do the same? Don't we drag baggage through life that we don't need? Evil thoughts that hinder us. Bad habits that drag us down. Grudges that we won't let go.Let's determine to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us"
When God told Joshua to take control of Jericho, and other cities in Palestine, they were told “not” to take plunder. Why? It would slow them down. It would divert their attention from the task. It would keep them from being effective in establishing the Kingdom of God.
What about the power of sin?
King David’s eyes were diverted and led him into sin. He needed to get rid of the sin that hindered his ability to rule God’s Kingdom. How did he get rid of that sin? By confronting the sin, confessing the sin and receiving forgiveness. There was no other way.
What is hindering your walk of faith? What is entangling your life?
What do you need to get rid of? You can’t get rid of it yourself.
Jesus said, “Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Give it to Jesus.
SECOND: LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET OUT BEFORE US
Verb tense in the Greek language indicates a daily action, we continually run the race.
I used to climb mountains. I needed to pace myself. Newcomers to our group might race to the top, but they expend all their energy getting there. They forget that it’s a round trip. Others help carry them down, to complete the journey. Perseverance is pacing yourself for the long haul.
Heb 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
James tells us something about perseverance.
James 1:3 – the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:4 – perseverance is necessary for us to be mature and complete.
James 5:11 – using the example of Job we learn that those who persevere are blessed.
Whatever comes, whatever happens, we need to keep going forward in the Christian life.
THIRD: LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS
Years ago there was a farmer teaching his son to plow with a horse: “To make a straight furrow you need to fix your eyes on something in front of you and follow it. He got his son started and went off to work in the barn. When he came back the furrows went in every direction.
The father asked, “Didn’t you follow my directions?”
The son replied, “ I sure did, I set my eyes on that cow over there.”
It’s important what we keep our eyes on something firm – Jesus.
We must keep our eyes on the master.
I remember teaching my dog to “stay.” I put meat or cheese (something tempting) on the floor in front of her and I said “stay.” Eventually the dog learned to stay (treat or no treat). How did the dog keep its concentration? She couldn’t look at the treat, which was too much of a temptation. She kept her eyes on me.
Ultimately, the puppy was more interested in keeping the master happy than in satisfying itself. Somehow the puppy learns that the master is trusted. The master is the one who may reward us. The master is the source of the food.
We are so much more important than a puppy; shouldn’t we keep our eyes on our master?
We need to learn to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Not on the pastor, the elders, parents, conference leaders, or anyone else.
All of these are going to let you down (pastor included), but Jesus will never let you down.
What do we look at? There are many things to choose from.
Leaders
Sins / temptations
Fears
The world and things of the world
Ourselves
You can think of many other things to divert our attention.
In the long run, none of these things are going to help us successfully complete the course.
To live the life of faith we need to
1. Get rid of sin and burdens
2. Persevere
3. Keep our eyes on Jesus
What are you looking at?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
August 12, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“Faith Based Initiatives” Hebrews 11:1-16
Maybe you heard the story …
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a pastor and poured out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the pastor said, "Here's what I want you to do, put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer; that will tell you what to do."
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom- tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation to the church in thanks for his advice. The pastor recognized the benefactor, and was curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asked.
"Absolutely," replied the businessman.
"You went to the beach?"
"Absolutely."
"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely."
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely."
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter 11."
The scripture passage I want to consider is Chapter 11 of Hebrews, and maybe we will learn something about keeping our faith from going bankrupt.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is known as the “Faith Chapter.”
The book is written to Jews (Hebrews) who have accepted Jesus and to Gentile Christians (who need to understand the OT heritage and message that Jesus fulfilled). Here we have a lesson about the “History of Faith.”
How’s your faith?
Is faith evident in your life?
Is faith guiding your life?
I recently heard the story …
A pastor was taking a load of medical supplies to a local medical ministry. He was pushing the limits of his gas tank, when he ran out of gas, only a mile from the gas station.
He walked the mile to the gas station and asked to borrow a gas can to get enough gas to get to the station. They didn’t have one, so he thought and walked back to the car. In the medical supplies he found a bed pan, so he took it to the gas station, filled it with gas and carefully carried it back to the car.
As he was putting the gas in the car some of his church members drove by and saw their pastor pouring the contents of the bed pan into the car’s gas tank. The one remarked to the other, “Man, that’s faith!”
Faith is more than believing you can run a car on pee.
From this passage, we learn some things about faith.
Verse 1 has a definition. It’s not complete, but focuses on a few important features of faith.
1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are we hoping for? The Psalmist wrote, “Our hope is in the Lord.” We should hope for eternal life, heaven, God’s guidance, etc.
2. Faith is being certain of what we can’t see. Israel was unusual in the world; they believed in the “unseen God.” Others made fun of them for having a God you can’t see.
3. Verse 3 tells us that the world was made through the Word of God. We are re-created through the Word of God – the Word became flesh, John 1:12 – through Jesus.
The creation of the world is a matter of faith. What would happen if we took God out of the picture? There is no purpose to anything! The one who created is more important than how it was done. Faith gives purpose to life.
4. Verse 6 lets us know that you need to have faith to make God happy. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.”
We live in a world where so many people are concerned about being happy and having “God make them happy.” The goal of our faith is to make God happy, not for God to make us happy. We need to learn: It’s not about making me happy; it’s about making God happy.
Faith Based Initiatives
Faith Based Initiatives are know as a government program to distribute funding through faith based organizations.
The government has learned that “faith based ministries” are the most efficient, the most successful at making permanent changes in peoples lives,
Some Christian organizations won’t accept government funding. They base this decision on the separation of church and state, that the government often has “strings attached,” and they don’t want any government control of their ministry.
Faith has motivated many people in ministry. Faith has initiated a number of ministries such as Tel Hai, Bridge of Hope, No Longer Alone Ministries, and the MCC.
True faith based initiatives have less to do with funding and more to do with ministry to others. After all, God has all the resources necessary to fulfill his plan for the world. Our initiatives need to be found within that plan. The scripture tells us, “Our Lord will supply everything according to our needs.”
Why do you do the things you do?
Why does our church do the things we do?
What motivates or initiates our actions?
We should be motivated by Faith
There is a phrase that is repeated throughout chapter 11 of Hebrews: “By faith.”
Faith is the motivational factor in the lives of the individuals we read about.
Faith is manifested in the lives of individuals
Chapter 11 makes a contrast between us and them
It is the “we” (present) / “they” or “he” (past) difference
The author says “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.”
The scripture gives examples from the past, but the question of faith is in the present.
Interesting Note: verse 2 calls them “ancients” which is a translation of “presbyteroi” which is translated as “elders” in other places in the Bible. I’d be careful referring to our “Elders” as “ancients.”
Example 1: ABEL
Why was his gift better than his brothers? Many scholars have explained this in a number of ways. What stands out here is the faith the motivated and accompanied the offering.
By faith:
- He offered a better offering
- He was commended by God
- His story lives on
Example 2: ENOCH
He pleased God; that is, he made God happy. This gave him a direct trip to heaven.
By faith: he passed to heaven without experiencing death.
Example 3: NOAH
By faith he believed God’s warning and acted on it.
Example 4: ABRAHAM
By faith:
- He left his comfortable surroundings to obey God
- He made his home in a foreign land (illegal immigrant?)
- He fathered a child in his old age.
What do all of these have in common? They heard God’s word and acted on it.
I know a number of people in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic who can be added to that list:
Santiago Canaviri started training school for rural pastors and leaders.
Juan Corcos planted on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
Arelí began a ministry to the children in her community.
Marino & Graciela Garcia opened a school in San Cristobal for children who couldn’t go to school.
Pierre Espady started rural health clinics in Haitian communities in the DR
All of this makes God happy!
Do you make God happy? Or do you make God ashamed?
Verse 16 tells us, “There fore God is not ashamed to be called their God”
Have you ever been ashamed of your children? Your friends? Your church? Did you feel embarrassed by them?
How do you make God feel?
Sure, we can’t see the whole picture.
Did Abel know God’s plan of salvation for the world through Jesus?
Did Enoch? Did Noah? Did Abraham?
I showed the children a “connect the dots” picture of two cows grazing in a field. You really couldn’t tell what the picture was without the dots connected. Doing a “dot-to-dot” puzzle is similar to having faith.
You trust that an artist designed a picture that will be revealed to you if you continue to trace the sequence, dot to dot. If you decide to stop drawing you’ll never see the full picture the artist designed.
So it is with our faith in God. God is leading us and sometimes we only have part of the picture, but faith helps us connect the dots.
Did Abel see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 3 to dot 4.
Did Enoch see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 5 to dot 6.
Did Noah? No, dot 16 to 17.
Did Abraham? No, but he connecte a few of the dots.
None of them saw the entire picture.
God knows the big picture (when all the dots are connected). We need to trust God.
We need to make God proud!
Do problems in your life cause you to stop connecting the dots?
Did you just lose interest in connecting the dots?
You just need to trust God. That way you can live your life “by faith.”
Maybe you heard the story …
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a pastor and poured out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the pastor said, "Here's what I want you to do, put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer; that will tell you what to do."
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom- tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation to the church in thanks for his advice. The pastor recognized the benefactor, and was curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asked.
"Absolutely," replied the businessman.
"You went to the beach?"
"Absolutely."
"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely."
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely."
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter 11."
The scripture passage I want to consider is Chapter 11 of Hebrews, and maybe we will learn something about keeping our faith from going bankrupt.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is known as the “Faith Chapter.”
The book is written to Jews (Hebrews) who have accepted Jesus and to Gentile Christians (who need to understand the OT heritage and message that Jesus fulfilled). Here we have a lesson about the “History of Faith.”
How’s your faith?
Is faith evident in your life?
Is faith guiding your life?
I recently heard the story …
A pastor was taking a load of medical supplies to a local medical ministry. He was pushing the limits of his gas tank, when he ran out of gas, only a mile from the gas station.
He walked the mile to the gas station and asked to borrow a gas can to get enough gas to get to the station. They didn’t have one, so he thought and walked back to the car. In the medical supplies he found a bed pan, so he took it to the gas station, filled it with gas and carefully carried it back to the car.
As he was putting the gas in the car some of his church members drove by and saw their pastor pouring the contents of the bed pan into the car’s gas tank. The one remarked to the other, “Man, that’s faith!”
Faith is more than believing you can run a car on pee.
From this passage, we learn some things about faith.
Verse 1 has a definition. It’s not complete, but focuses on a few important features of faith.
1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are we hoping for? The Psalmist wrote, “Our hope is in the Lord.” We should hope for eternal life, heaven, God’s guidance, etc.
2. Faith is being certain of what we can’t see. Israel was unusual in the world; they believed in the “unseen God.” Others made fun of them for having a God you can’t see.
3. Verse 3 tells us that the world was made through the Word of God. We are re-created through the Word of God – the Word became flesh, John 1:12 – through Jesus.
The creation of the world is a matter of faith. What would happen if we took God out of the picture? There is no purpose to anything! The one who created is more important than how it was done. Faith gives purpose to life.
4. Verse 6 lets us know that you need to have faith to make God happy. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.”
We live in a world where so many people are concerned about being happy and having “God make them happy.” The goal of our faith is to make God happy, not for God to make us happy. We need to learn: It’s not about making me happy; it’s about making God happy.
Faith Based Initiatives
Faith Based Initiatives are know as a government program to distribute funding through faith based organizations.
The government has learned that “faith based ministries” are the most efficient, the most successful at making permanent changes in peoples lives,
Some Christian organizations won’t accept government funding. They base this decision on the separation of church and state, that the government often has “strings attached,” and they don’t want any government control of their ministry.
Faith has motivated many people in ministry. Faith has initiated a number of ministries such as Tel Hai, Bridge of Hope, No Longer Alone Ministries, and the MCC.
True faith based initiatives have less to do with funding and more to do with ministry to others. After all, God has all the resources necessary to fulfill his plan for the world. Our initiatives need to be found within that plan. The scripture tells us, “Our Lord will supply everything according to our needs.”
Why do you do the things you do?
Why does our church do the things we do?
What motivates or initiates our actions?
We should be motivated by Faith
There is a phrase that is repeated throughout chapter 11 of Hebrews: “By faith.”
Faith is the motivational factor in the lives of the individuals we read about.
Faith is manifested in the lives of individuals
Chapter 11 makes a contrast between us and them
It is the “we” (present) / “they” or “he” (past) difference
The author says “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.”
The scripture gives examples from the past, but the question of faith is in the present.
Interesting Note: verse 2 calls them “ancients” which is a translation of “presbyteroi” which is translated as “elders” in other places in the Bible. I’d be careful referring to our “Elders” as “ancients.”
Example 1: ABEL
Why was his gift better than his brothers? Many scholars have explained this in a number of ways. What stands out here is the faith the motivated and accompanied the offering.
By faith:
- He offered a better offering
- He was commended by God
- His story lives on
Example 2: ENOCH
He pleased God; that is, he made God happy. This gave him a direct trip to heaven.
By faith: he passed to heaven without experiencing death.
Example 3: NOAH
By faith he believed God’s warning and acted on it.
Example 4: ABRAHAM
By faith:
- He left his comfortable surroundings to obey God
- He made his home in a foreign land (illegal immigrant?)
- He fathered a child in his old age.
What do all of these have in common? They heard God’s word and acted on it.
I know a number of people in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic who can be added to that list:
Santiago Canaviri started training school for rural pastors and leaders.
Juan Corcos planted on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
Arelí began a ministry to the children in her community.
Marino & Graciela Garcia opened a school in San Cristobal for children who couldn’t go to school.
Pierre Espady started rural health clinics in Haitian communities in the DR
All of this makes God happy!
Do you make God happy? Or do you make God ashamed?
Verse 16 tells us, “There fore God is not ashamed to be called their God”
Have you ever been ashamed of your children? Your friends? Your church? Did you feel embarrassed by them?
How do you make God feel?
Sure, we can’t see the whole picture.
Did Abel know God’s plan of salvation for the world through Jesus?
Did Enoch? Did Noah? Did Abraham?
I showed the children a “connect the dots” picture of two cows grazing in a field. You really couldn’t tell what the picture was without the dots connected. Doing a “dot-to-dot” puzzle is similar to having faith.
You trust that an artist designed a picture that will be revealed to you if you continue to trace the sequence, dot to dot. If you decide to stop drawing you’ll never see the full picture the artist designed.
So it is with our faith in God. God is leading us and sometimes we only have part of the picture, but faith helps us connect the dots.
Did Abel see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 3 to dot 4.
Did Enoch see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 5 to dot 6.
Did Noah? No, dot 16 to 17.
Did Abraham? No, but he connecte a few of the dots.
None of them saw the entire picture.
God knows the big picture (when all the dots are connected). We need to trust God.
We need to make God proud!
Do problems in your life cause you to stop connecting the dots?
Did you just lose interest in connecting the dots?
You just need to trust God. That way you can live your life “by faith.”
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