View Details

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in here. I'm pretty sure there's quite a few of you. I hope everybody's week went well and it wasn't too much hassle.

The other day I was going through YouTube and I saw a channel with things that fathers typically teach children—how to tie a tie, how to change a tire, things like that. The whole purpose of this channel was to teach children without fathers what he wished his father would have taught him if he had a father in his life.

In 2022 estimates were roughly 18.3 million children were growing up in the United States without a father. That is almost one in every four children. It's been three years, but I have a feeling those numbers are still roughly the same. A lot of things can happen without a father in the household. Poverty rates go up, crime rates go up. Life, by all means, gets harder.

That's because the father is an instrumental part of the family. They have a great deal of responsibility and take care of a great deal of things. They are an essential part in growing up. Today we will be going over some lessons and some things the Bible has to say about fatherhood. About what it is and what it should look like.

To start off, if you would turn to Genesis 22, we will go quickly through verses 1-18. You might recognize this if you were here during Bible study because Mark went over it a little bit.

I will read verses 1-3. “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”

We are told to do as the Lord commands. We are told to do what He tells us. Abraham was very much willing to do this. He trusted the Lord.
He trusted His ways. When the Lord told him to sacrifice his son, he did not blink. He rose up, and he went.

In Philippians 2:8 it says, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

This is obviously talking about Jesus. A lot of the time, I see being a Christian and being a follower as trying to imitate the Lord, and trying to act as Christ-like as possible. If Christ himself was obedient to the point of death, then so must we.

We must be willing to put our bodies, our children perhaps, on the line. As fathers, sometimes you must put yourself and your family in harm's way if that's what the Lord commands. That is what Abraham is thinking he is doing here.

Moving on to verses 4-8, it says, “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Both of them went together. Of course, Abraham knew there wasn't a lamb. He was under the full assumption that he was going to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Though there is another lesson here, I think, in looking at what the Lord will provide us with.

The Lord will provide for us if we are hungry. If we need food, he will make sure we have it. If we are thirsty, he will give us drink. He will give us what we need. He will never put a challenge ahead of us too great for us to handle.

In 1st Corinthians 10:13, it says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

In Matthew 6:33-34, it says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

How does this relate to Father's Day? As it is the Holy Father's duty to provide for his children, to make sure we have food and water when we need it, to make sure we are not tempted beyond our own capabilities, it is the earthly fathers’ to provide for his family and his children and their needs.

In 1st Timothy 5:8 it says, “but if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

It is the duty of the father and the household to provide for his family, to make sure they are fed, to make sure they have what they need to go on, to make sure that they have the capabilities and ability to walk this world and to walk through life.

Moving on to verses 9-10, it says, “And they came to the place which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”

As Christians, we must be willing to put our bodies on the line when serving the Lord. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were often worried that those who they were going to come against, many times Jews were going to bring harm upon them, or crucify them. That eventually did happen. If the Son of God and those who traveled with him were able to put their lives on the line, and put their bodies through physical torment, then we should be able to do the same.

In Romans 12:1- 3 it says, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

In these verses, our bodies are described as living sacrifices. Not as Abraham is about to do to Isaac here and kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord, but we are to put our bodies as living sacrifices on the line. To follow the Lord's will, to put His will above ours, to cast out these earthly pleasures and sins that we take forth, and to not indulge in them. To sometimes put ourselves in harm's way to complete His will. It is the duty of Christians to do such.

Moving on to verses 11-13 it says, “And an angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. And he said, Lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God. Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his thorns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”

This was, at the end of the day, a test. It was a test on Abraham's willingness to do what the Lord asked him—a test on his faith in the Lord. A test if he truly believed. He believed that the Lord was righteous and His one true God. Even with something as outlandish as asking him to kill his son, Abraham was positive that there was a reason behind it. That whatever the reason may be, it was holy. It was glorious, and that it would please the Lord. He passed this test because he was willing to do that.

Verses 14-16 say, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh (I can't really pronounce that) As it said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. The angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of the heaven the second time. And said, By myself I have sworn, saith the Lord. For because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.”

(Pay attention to the wording here.) Hast not withheld thy son, thine only son. This sounds familiar, right? It's kind of how the Lord sent down his only son to be sacrificed for the remission of our sins. It sounds exactly like that, right? The Lord was not asking him to do something that the Lord himself would not do here. He is asking him to do something he hasn't done yet.

The Lord will send down his son to be a sacrifice that will save us. The ram is a burnt offering, but it is still an animal. Christ's sacrifice gave us something more. It gave us salvation.
In John 3:16 it said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

He loves us so much that he would give His only son. It is the duty of fathers everywhere to love Him so much that if the day asks, they will put Him above anyone else.

I think here we can see that yes, while fathers have a duty to their families, to their children. First and foremost, your duty is to the Lord as it is for all of us. He takes priority. He takes all because he is greater than the rest of us.

Verses 17-18 say, “that in blessing I will bless thee. And in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven. And as the sand which is upon the sea shore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Later in Galatians 3:16 it says, “now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who is Christ.”

We can all receive this blessing by following in Abraham's footsteps, by obeying the Lord. We can receive the grace God has given us by following his commandments and obeying him, by confessing that Jesus, the seed of Abraham, is the Son of God and our Savior.

By looking Ephesians 6:1-4. We can see how fathers are supposed to nurture their children.

These verses say, “children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonishment of the Lord.”

Children at the end of the day are the next of kin. They are the ones who will take your place, who will continue your work. We have a duty to the Lord and that means that we need to make sure things are in place for when we are gone as well. That it is good if we ourselves are obedient and spread the word of God, but we are only here temporary. Fathers must bring up their children, must bring up the next generation, to continue the work when they are gone.

In Proverbs 2, it says, "train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it."

A father has a big responsibility here to train their children to do right by the Lord, to train and educate their children on what is right and what is holy. No wonder crime and poverty rise when fathers are out of the picture. No wonder children are lost and confused ever more so when fathers are out of the picture because it is a father's duty to help them learn these things, to help them find their way, to train and nurture them.

Moving on to Joshua 24:15, It says, “and if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve. Whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. It is the duty of the father to choose the direction in which their house will go. Will they live in sin? Will they choose earth? Will they choose worldly pleasures? Or will they follow the path of God? It is the father's responsibility to steer this ship. It is the father's responsibility to make sure and correct it if it sways, if it varies, if it moves. This is one of the roles of the father.

In Colossians 3:19-21, it says, “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. It can be a little tough for fathers, right? They control the ship, but they can very easily make it sway as well. If the father is not kind, if the father angers their children, they may be discouraged, and they may lose their path. The father has a vital role. Their presence can very much aid in this. At the same time, if a father fails, that could be worse. That could sway those children into a life of sin.

Moving on to Luke 15:20-22, it says, “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.”

This is the parable of the prodigal son. In here, we are shown a father whose son had lost their way, who had sinned against them, but cursed their name and left. And when he returns, this father did not shoo him away. He did not yell at him. He welcomed him back with open arms to his family. No hesitation. No matter how much he wronged him, it is the father's duty to welcome back his children. This is because the Heavenly Father does the same with us.

In Romans 10:9 it says, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Despite our sins, despite our failures, fathers, mothers, children, everyone's, despite all of these things, despite everything we have done, there is still a way we can be saved. If we turn to the Lord, follow in the steps Jesus has laid out for us, and follow in his path, the Lord will welcome us back like the father in this parable—with open arms, with joy, with thunderous screams of happiness.

That should be the same for fathers. As the Lord does, so should we. If He is willing to welcome us back, then we should be able to do the same with our family members, with our children, with our mothers and fathers. No matter how much they have wronged us, when they return, we should open our arms.

To close this out, I just want to repeat this. Romans 10:9. “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you have not done that, I just must ask, why? Why wait? Death's knocking at any given moment. It will not wait for you. So why wait? Confess, repent, be baptized for the remissions of your sins, and walk with the Lord as commander.

Happy Father's Day, and thank you.

View Details

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. I hope everyone's week went well. We have another one coming up and it just feels like we're always going through another week.

I was born in 2004. The pop culture I have been raised in has had a lot to do with Marvel movies. You might have heard of them. These are comic book inspired movies that are sometimes taken right from the comics they're based off of. Because comics are a medium that is never supposed to end, they're supposed to keep going through the years. I think the first Superman comic was back in the 30s and they're still publishing them today.

As a result, whenever they write a character off or kill them off, eventually down the line some writer is going to want to use that character again so they resurrect them. Sometimes to explain these resurrections they put years of explanations into these stories.

Resurrection, the raising of the dead, seems impossible to us. Today's story that we will be going over is in John chapter 11 verses 1 through 44. This is the death and resurrection of Lazarus where Jesus took a man who had fallen to illness and raised him in front of his sisters.

Starting at verse 1; “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.) The sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”[NIV]

Here we're just given some context. We are told who Mary is. We are told who Martha is. We are told that Mary was the one who poured perfume on Jesus and cleaned his feet. We are also told about glory and how this death will result in glory to God.

What does that mean? What does God's glory mean? In 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says, “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

We are told that every action we take should be to glorify the Lord, to put Him up, to put up His power, show His glory. Here we are told it is a way to honor God, a way to show respect, a way to glorify Him and give Him credit.

In Romans 3:23 it says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

This tells us that the glory is something we don't necessarily have. This isn't something we have attained. This isn't something that we possess. This is something we fall short of and can only try to recognize and try to see.

To try and answer what glory means I think would probably take a whole sermon to itself. These are just some quick intercessions on these first couple verses.

Moving on, verses 5 through 8 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. And then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea. But Rabbi, they said, a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you and yet you are going back?”

Jesus was well aware of the danger that awaited him there. He was very aware that there was a threat on his life and that it might be ended if he returns.

In 2 Timothy 3:12 it says, “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Jesus' actions here tell us that this persecution should not get in the way of our job, of what we are here to do. I think it's interesting who Jesus is afraid of as well. These aren't the Gentiles. These aren't the sinners. It's the religious leaders of the day. It is the people who are leading the church, who are leading the temple. These are the scholars that are after Jesus.

This tells me is that not only should we be worried about persecution from those who have gone against God and outwardly rebelled. It is those who say they are with him. It is those who say they are Christians. It is those who say they are religious. It is those who pretend to have faith to further their goals, to justify their actions.

Slave owners in the 1800s and 1700s were famous for reciting scripture as they whipped their prisoners. As we go on, we will undoubtedly see and face Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other people who claim to follow God. They will come at you.

They will come to persecute you for telling the truth, for calling them on their lies. They very well may be more dangerous than the Gentiles or sinners that have outwardly rejected the truth.

Moving on, verses 9 through 10 say, “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” It's hard to see in the dark, right? Imagine the sun was out. Imagine there are no lights in this room. You really wouldn't be able to see me, would you? Especially with this black shirt on, it doesn't help.

You'd probably trip over something. You can't easily get where you want to go without being able to see the path. This is what it is like to walk through the world in a spiritual sense without Christ.

In John, verses 8-12, it says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have light of life.”

Even though the sun is shining, if the lights are on, and physically we can see, without Jesus we might as well be walking in the dark, because we will just continue to stumble and fall and trip because spiritually we are lost. Spiritually we have no idea where we are. We can't make out our surroundings. We will continue to trip and fall.

Verses 11-16 say, “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up. His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he went to natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” But let us go to him. Then Thomas, (also known as Didymus), said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”” The Lord is showing his own power here. He knows Lazarus has passed.

He knows he is not here anymore. He knows he is gone without being there. He tells the disciples, Be glad that this is the case, so you may see my power, so you may see my strength. I find this a little crazy at this point. They have seen Him walk on water. They have seen Him calm storms. They have seen Him do this and that. He still thinks they need more to see. I think that tells me that even if Jesus was right in front of us, even if he was staring at us in the face and did things, you could not imagine proving who He is. Many, most, still would not recognize Him as God, as the Son of the Father, as holy. This also shows the disciples' own thoughts on what was about to happen.

Thomas said that we may die with Him. They had no intention on coming back from this. They thought fully that the Jews were going to capture and kill them all. They were ready to die, which I think shows their courage and their strength and their faith in the Lord.

While He still wanted to show them more, they obviously still had some pretty strong faith to be able to trust in Him so much that even though they believed they were going to die, they knew they were going to die with the Lord.

In verses 17 through 22 it says, “On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him. But Mary stayed at home. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha's words here are quite reasonable. She knows who Jesus is. She recognizes His power, His holiness, and His grace. She's well aware of the fact that if he was there, her brother would have been fine.

There are two ways you can take her words here. You can take it as an accusation on why didn't You save my brother? Why did he die? Or just regret that He wasn't there at the right time—He arrived late. He just wasn't there when Lazarus fell sick. I think it's probably more on that explanation. Martha is just sad that things played out the way they did.

I also think that those last words in verse 22, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask is exactly that, an ask.” An ask to bring her brother back because again, she's aware. She has faith in the Lord.

Moving on to verses 23 and 24. “Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha answered I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Martha has heard Jesus talk about rising in the Lord, about being saved and having eternal life through Him. Earlier in John 3:16, John talks about this being the case. Martha is aware of this, and her reaction to Jesus saying your brother will rise again is with this context. He will rise in a spiritual sense with the Lord in heaven and live eternally.

It seems like she's a little disappointed in that because she won't get to see her brother again in this life. She understands her brother will live eternally in heaven, but is saddened that he is not here anymore. Obviously, later on in the next few verses we realize he means in a physical sense, and not so much in the spiritual.

Moving on to verses 25 through 28. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live. Even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord”, she replied. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who is to come into the world”. After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The teacher is here, she said and is asking for you.””

Jesus is asking if she has faith. Does she have faith in Him? In His power? Does she have faith that He is who He says He is? She replies, yes.

Jesus also talks about himself in the “I am” sense. I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus does this a lot. He talks about Himself in these “I am” statements. We have another example in John 8:12, and in John 10:11 “He says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In Revelations He says, “I am the alpha, the omega. The beginning and end. Who is and who is to come, the almighty”.

Jesus uses these “I am” statements not to say I am like a sheep, but to say I am the power. I am glory. I am God. He is all. He is in all of us. He is here with all of us. As God sees all, knows all, and is all. He is talking about His power. He is referring to his strength. He is referring to Himself in these ways. Because of who He is.

It's a little hard to comprehend. Honestly I still don't think I fully understand it. That might be something else I want to look into a bit more for a sermon.

Jesus is talking about Himself in these “I am” statements because these are the things He can do. He was at the beginning.

Moving on to verses 29-31. I says, “When Mary heard this she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village. But was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went, they followed her supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.”

Notice how the verse specifies her haste. It specifies how quickly she got up and went to Him. Originally she stayed back wishing to mourn, wishing to continue to think about her brother and the loss. As soon as she heard that Jesus had called on her specifically, she wasted no time. She was ready to go. She was up and at it. She was going to Him. She was not going to waste another second mourning in her house while the Lord had asked for her. This is the sort of haste we should all have when called by the Lord—when the Lord calls upon us. When we are called to do something even if it's as simple as walking two miles to where He is.

Moving on to verses 32-35 it says, “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Where have you laid him? He asked. Come and see, Lord. They replied. Jesus wept.”

Mary immediately after seeing Jesus had a similar response as her sister, Martha. She had regret that Jesus was not there, that he just sadly was not there when her brother was sick because she knows, as her sister does, that he could have saved him. I don't think that she is blaming Him here. It is simply just mournful regret.

She is saddened that things transpired the way they did, knowing that under different circumstances it could have been different. Something bad happens and you think, man, if only this happened or this happened or this person was here and this person didn't do this and this and this and this.

We see how Jesus is moved by her and the others that are grieved. We see that He is saddened. Why is this the case? He knows exactly what he's about to do. He knows he's about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knows those tears are going to vanish and be replaced with joy. Why is He sad? It's because He's empathetic. He understands us.

He's human just as much as He is God. When you see people sad, when you see people mourning, it should move you. It should make you sad. Others' tears, tears are in a way contagious. Their sadness moved Him despite Him knowing that He was going to raise him. That Lazarus was going to be raised from the dead. They were sad.

In Hebrews 4:15 it says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin.”

When picking leaders and picking people to represent us in Congress, the presidency, or this or that, we want them to be able to relate to us. We want them to be able to understand our position, to understand where we're coming from, to understand our thought process and view on things. It is the same way with Jesus. Jesus came to earth, and we can be reassured that we do not have a God who does not understand us, that does not understand our plight and our struggle with sin.

He is very much aware of it. He lived it. He was tempted in the same way we are tempted, in every way that we are tempted. Yet, unlike us, he did not fall short. Unlike us, he did not give in to the temptation. He kept his glory. He stayed strong, and he never sinned. He never fell like we have, like all of us have, like Adam and Eve did, like David did. Unlike every other human, he alone did not sin. Yet, he understands us because he was tempted.

We do not have a God who does not understand us. We have a God who has lived with us, who has lived for us, and we can be reassured that he understands us better than we understand ourselves.

In verses 36 through 37, it says, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Some of the Jews understood what was going on, but others showed their arrogance and ego. They questioned the Lord and cast doubts on Him.

When I read this, I think about the lawyer who was questioning Jesus in Luke 10:25 through 37. When he talks about the Good Samaritan, Jews were prideful and spiteful toward Jesus. It is no shock that when given the chance, some of them fully blamed Jesus for this man's death, instead of just being sad that things transpired as they did.

In verses 38 through 40, it says, ““Take away the stone”, he said. “But Lord”, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days””.

Jesus asks them to have faith and to trust in what he is doing. Oftentimes, He asks people if they believe Him, and He tells them all they need is faith.

Let's look at Matthew 14:30 through 31. It says, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said. Why did you doubt me?”

This was when Peter was walking out to the water, walking out to Jesus on the water, but fell when he became distracted by the storm around him. Jesus chastised his lack of faith and asked him why he doubts Him.

This parallels our life. Our lives are that storm on that sea. The storm is all around us. There is war, conflict, and destruction everywhere. There are so many things that can distract us from the Lord. If we keep our eyes on Him, we can continue to walk on the water and walk towards Him and continue to walk straight if we have faith. If we look at the storm around us, if we get caught up in its destruction, we will lose focus. We might let our faith waver. Jesus tells us to walk to him, to walk on that water. We must have faith and not let the storm distract us.

When Martha asked why they would open it, even though it would smell really bad, He asked them to have faith, to trust Him, to not let the odor distract them from Him.

In verses 41 through 42, it says, “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.””

When going over these verses, one thing I saw, one from, I can't think of the name commentator, but they were saying that all the miracles Jesus performed asked for the message that he was sending or the idea that he was trying to convey at the time to show the power of the Lord and that Jesus is the son of God. He was not always granted what he has asked.

In Matthew 26:39, it says, “Going a little forward, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as you will.”

When Jesus performs a miracle, when Jesus does anything, it is to further the Lord's will. It is to further God's will as we should do. He knows that even if it will not benefit him, even if it will cause him pain and suffering it still needs to be done. When he calls upon God here, He is making sure that the people understand that he has approval, that God is with Him, that God is behind him and that He is the Lord, that He is the son of God.

“When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “take off the grave clothes and let him go””. Here this man is risen from the dead.

Many times Jesus had performed miracles. Many times he continued to perform miracles. Until His own resurrection, until he was raised from the dead, none were as great as this. He raised a man from the dead, shown all those there that not even death, something so infinite, something so definitive to where in a comic book, a fictional thing we make up, sometimes people put years of work into explaining resurrecting a character that doesn't exist. Even this cannot hold Him back. He has dominion even over death.

To follow him, we can expect that the Lord, that death will never truly hold us. While we may not be jumping out of our graves, we will be born anew and find life in God.

In John 14:6, it says, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

In Him we can find everlasting life, not in this physical world, not with this grass, not with these houses, not with this wood, not with this, but with the Lord, with Him, with God, in heaven for eternity.

With that in mind, I ask if you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins, if you have not repented and turned back to God and followed him and been faithful, why wait? Death is waiting around the corner at any time. Jesus may be a four days travel away and He may not resurrect you. Death can come at any point. Do not wait for it.

Thank you.

View Details

JOHN 21:1-14

OPEN: About 50 years ago I went with my WIFE’S FAMILY on vacation up in Canada at a place called North Bay.
It was a great place. Beautiful lake, rustic cabin, and there was the fishing.
You remember the part in the story of the disciples out fishing where they’ve been out on the lake all night long?
That’s me.
If anybody’s not gonna catch a fish… it’s me.
Frankly, it’s a lot more fun to fish if you’re actually catching fish.
(Tell story about Jack and I making a bet on who would catch the next fish.)
The story we’re looking at this morning talks about another fishing story…

But the story actually began a few days before this.
A few days before, Jesus has had a Passover meal with His disciples and we’re told that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. (Mark 14:26-31)
Well, we all know the rest of that story.
Jesus was arrested.
Peter denied Jesus 3 times before the cock had crowed twice.
AND all the disciples scatter like sheep.
It’s not their finest moment!

Three days later Peter hears the tomb is empty, and he hears about the angels and that Jesus has risen from the dead… and he runs to see if it’s true. And it is!!! The tomb IS empty!

But then we're told that that Peter "went away, wondering to himself what had happened." (Luke 24:12)

There’s a song called “He’s Alive” that tells the rest of the story this way: “…something strange had happened there, but just what, I did not know.
John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go.
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high.
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him and then I saw Him die.
Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came.
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices - I denied I knew His name.
And even if He was alive… it wouldn't be the same.”

There are many scholars who believe that that’s exactly how Peter responded to the resurrection.
He was despondent and filled with anguish.
It wasn’t that He wasn’t excited to see Jesus risen from the dead.
It’s just that he KNEW he’d betrayed Christ.
He knew he’d failed.
He knew that he’d made a promise and then did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do.
And when at last it came to choices - he denied he knew His name.
And even if Jesus were alive… it wouldn't be the same.

So, what’s he gonna do about it?
Well, he’s going fishing.
And he’s not going fishing for a couple of hours… or a couple of days… or a couple of weeks. He’s going back to what he knows.
He’s failed at being a follower of Christ, BUT he knows how to fish.
And it’s at this turning point in his life that Jesus comes to pay him a visit.
It’s been a miserable night.
They’ve been out all night and they’ve caught nothing.
And then this stranger appears on the shore and asks how they’re doing.
"Friends, haven’t you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Now… why would Jesus do this a 2nd time?
I mean, I can understand why Jesus would have done it the 1st time.
He was trying to get their attention.
Trying to convince them that He was the one they should follow.
Trying to get them to realize they needed to abandon their fishing and be His disciples.
What I found interesting about Peter’s response to that first miracle was:
“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8)

Now, isn’t that interesting?
Jesus did His first miracle for Peter, and that made Peter realize he was a sinful man.
And now Jesus has done that same miracle all over again all because Peter ALREADY believes he’s a sinful man.

And not just a sinful man… but an empty, useless, worthless man.
So, Jesus comes looking for Peter, because PETER needs “looking for”.
Peter needs something that only Jesus can give.
Peter needs forgiveness.
You know, people deal with their sins in the strangest ways.
Some folks deal with their sin by trying to hide it behind good deeds.
We call that kind of thinking karma.
Karma is the belief that if you do enough good stuff in your life you can cover up the bad stuff.
Peter had been a big believer in Karma.
That’s how he’d lived his life.
You see, Peter worked at being more righteous than the ones around him.

When Jesus said he was going to be betrayed – disciples would run away, do you remember what Peter said?
“Even though THEY all fall away, I will not.”
Why would he say that?
Because he believed he was more righteous than they were!

He wanted to impress Jesus with his superior righteousness so Christ wouldn’t see the dark struggles and doubts that lay just beneath the surface.
He was hiding his sinfulness behind the fact that he could be more righteous than anyone else.

Now, we can expect that kind of behavior from pagans.
That’s the only hope those outside of Christ have to feel good about themselves.
If they can just be better than their neighbor or their boss, or their friends they can somehow feel justified.
But there’s a lot of people in churches that are like that too.
They live their Christianity trying to show how much better than others they are.

They compare their giving to that of others.
They compare their superior attendance.
They compare their position and influence.
They are impressed by their own religious activity – because as long as they can be better than you are – then they can forget their sinfulness.

The Bible talks about that kind of mindset in 2nd Corinthians 10:12b
“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”
In other words, if you go to comparing yourself with others in the church you show that you’re not very smart!

ILLUS: People like that remind of the story of the two men who were out in the woods one day. You remember the story?
They see a bear, and the bear sees them and chases them. They’re running for their lives when all of a sudden one of them stops, sits on a stump and starts to put on his running shoes.
“Are you crazy?” says the 2nd man. “You can’t outrun that bear?”
“Don’t have to outrun the bear,” said the 1st man. “All I have to do is outrun you.”

Folks like that think that if you can “out-righteous” the next guy (religiously out-run them) then God will pay more attention to the other guy’s sin instead of their own.
The only problem is you can’t out run that bear!!!

Unless your sinfulness is removed you can out-run/out-righteous anyone you want to… but the bear is still there.
Your sin WILL catch up with you.
So, one way people deal with their sin, is to try to hide that sin behind good deeds.
Another way folks deal with their sins by trying to hide THEMSELVES.

That’s what Peter’s been trying to do.
He’s wanting to go back to his fishing.
That way he doesn’t have to face Jesus again.
That way he doesn’t have to see Him and remember how he failed Him.
So Peter’s trying to hide from Jesus.
That’s what two other people in Scripture tried doing.
Remember when Adam and Eve were in the garden?
They ate of the tree they shouldn’t have eaten of and then they “heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they HID from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8
Now, why on earth would they hide from Him?

Because if He didn’t SEE their nakedness maybe He wouldn’t KNOW they had sinned.

ILLUS: I’ve done that.
In the past, I’ve been praying and I get to the part where I’m confessing my sins to God… and suddenly I stop. And I think to myself - IF I tell Him about that sin, then He’ll KNOW what I’ve done and He’ll hold it against me at the judgment.

Now, what’s wrong with that picture?
Is there any sin you’ve EVER done that God doesn’t know about.
Of course not.

Even if you don’t confess your sins to God… He STILL KNOWS.
He knows your very thoughts as well as every word or deed you’ve ever done.
There’s nothing you could possibly do or think that He doesn’t know about.

The only way to fix the problem is to come to Jesus.
There’s a wonderful promise in 1st John 1:9 that says “If we CONFESS our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from (most of our) unrighteousness.”

Is that what it says?
NO. It says “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from ALL of our unrighteousness.”

But first I have to confess those sins.
First I have to come to Jesus.
But Peter won’t come to Jesus… so Jesus goes to Peter.
As I was thinking about this, a passage from Ephesians came to my mind
“everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” (Ephesians 5:13-14)

Jesus is the “Light of the World” and now Jesus has come to shine His light on Peter.
So, how did He shine that light on Peter?
Well, He sat down with Peter and he ate with him.
And they talked about it.

And Jesus wanted to confront Peter’s failure before it got worse.
When Jesus sat down with Peter, He didn’t condemn him or insult him or to reject him.
Jesus sat down with Peter to confront his sin, but He confronted Peter because HE wanted to win Peter back.

So He sits with him
and eats with him
and He TALKS with him.
And do you know what Jesus says:
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Peter, do you love me?”
THREE TIMES Jesus asks Peter that question.

Why would He do that?
Why ask Peter that question 3 times?
Well, for one thing… Peter’s a little on the slow side.
It takes Peter a little time to catch up.

We see that again in Acts 10 where God wants to send Peter to talk with the first Gentile converts. Three times God sends the same vision to Peter, because it takes a while for Peter to catch on.
But more even more that that, this is the most important question anyone can answer.
If you don’t love Jesus… nothing else matters.
Jesus once said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Notice, Jesus didn’t say if you want to be holy, or righteous, or accepted you’ll keep my commandments. He said:
IF YOU LOVE ME

ILLUS: I once read the story of a woman who’d been married to a very mean man. He didn’t like the way she kept house. He didn’t like the way she did laundry or ironed his clothes. He didn’t like the way she dressed. He constantly criticized her for everything.
Early on their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.
She hated it… and she hated him.

You can imagine how frustrating it was to her to have to constantly check her list to see if she was pleasing him - and to staying out of trouble. She usually failed miserably and each time, he belittled her all over again and he made her feel miserable and small.

Then, one day much to her great joy… he died.
Soon, she fell in love with and married a wonderful loving man. They loved each other very much. She practically broke her neck to please him – and even brought him breakfast in bed.

One day, she ran across that old list, and the feelings of anger and inferiority returned.
But, suddenly she began to laugh! As she checked the list, she realized that she was now doing it all for her new husband.
Why? Because she loved him.

Peter… do you love me?

Sing this song with me
“Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus.
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
Now, what’s interesting was that - after Jesus asked “Do you love me?” - He told Peter to do something.
"Feed my lambs."
"Take care of my sheep."
"Feed my sheep.”

If you love me: feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep.
WHY?
Because your Christianity isn’t about YOU.
Christianity isn’t about your personal desires and wants.
Jesus saved you… so you could become like Him.

You remember John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…”
Well, there’s a 1st John 3:16 and it says this:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”
Almost sound like JOHN 3:16 doesn’t it?
But then it finishes off this way:
“… and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
In other words - if you want to be like Jesus, you need to love like He loved.

Feed His lambs.
Take care of His sheep.
Feed His sheep.
Do you love Him? Then that’s what you and I need to do.
THIS is what love for Christ is all about.

(sing) “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
One last thing.
Until you realize you are a sinner in need of forgiveness you’re never really going to love Jesus.
Until you realize you need Jesus more than He needs you,
you’re not going to love Him like you should.
You see that’s what Peter’s problem had been all along – he thought Jesus needed him.
Peter viewed himself as Jesus’ muscle. His protector.
No one was going to touch Jesus as long as Peter was around. Jesus “needed” him.
Peter figured he was OK… just the way he was because Jesus needed him.

But it was only when he realized he’d failed… sinned…
he’d really messed up… that he knew how much he really needed Jesus. And that’s where this meal down on the shore helped him realize that truth.

From that day on, that was Peter’s message: you’ve sinned, you’ve failed – you need Jesus.
Everywhere Peter preached he made sure his audience knew they’d sinned.
At one point the Sanhedrin complained “… you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Were they?
Were they guilty of Jesus’ blood?
Of course they were.
They had sinned and failed.
And so have you.
And so have I.

We need Jesus.
In one of his most famous sermons in Acts 2 Peter tells the crowd
“God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36
He wanted to bring them to the point where they NEEDED Jesus. To the point where they wanted to LOVE Jesus. And when you love Jesus – you’ll keep His commandments
When they heard this (they had sinned) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

If you love Jesus, you’ll come to Him on His terms

INVITATION

View Details

John 21: 1 – 4

Imagine a sleepy, early morning at the Sea of Galilee.
A crew of fishermen friends—Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, and the rest—had spent a long, chilly night out on the water. Their fishing expedition was less "great catch of the day" and more "great nothing at all."
Imagine them sitting in their creaking boat, rubbing their eyes and muttering,
"Really, not a single fish tonight."
It was the kind of night where even the fish seemed to have hit the snooze button.

Then, as the first light of dawn tiptoes over the horizon, a mysterious figure appears on the shore.
This isn’t your everyday beachcomber—it’s someone who carries a hint of mischief and a knowing smile.

Standing there in the gentle light, he calls out CHEERFULLY, almost teasingly, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”
The fishermen, still half-asleep and nursing the memory of their fruitless night, reply in unison with a weary “Nope, just a bucket of empty nets here.”

It’s as if the universe itself decided to stage a little cosmic joke on the group.
After all that waiting and bickering with their nets, they’re met with an unexpected visitor whose timing couldn’t be more perfect—or perfectly puzzling.

Here they are, expecting a stern lecture on technique, only to face a lighthearted inquiry that underscores both the absurdity and the hope of the moment: sometimes even when nothing seems to work, a little unexpected spark (or advice on which side of the boat to fish from) can change everything.

We read in John 21:4, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus” (ESV)

They failed to recognize Jesus.
It was indeed an unusual situation on the seashore that day, as the resurrected Jesus stood on the shore, and his own disciples who had been with him for three and half years failed to recognize who He was.
They had been with Jesus, walked with Him, ate with Him, saw the wonders and mighty miracles He performed, and yet on that day, they failed to perceive Jesus as He stood before them.

It may bewilder us as to how this could be possible, but this incident serves as a word of caution to all of us who follow Jesus.
If that could happen to Jesus’ disciples who were so close to Him and who saw Him with their physical eyes, such a situation could also befall us, who have not seen Him, and experienced Him as they did.

As long as Jesus was with them for three and half years, every day the disciples woke up with much anticipation to witness the mighty deeds that Jesus would perform each day.
These disciples of Jesus were not only eyewitnesses but were participants of all the amazing miracles that Jesus performed, and yet they had come to this juncture where they forgot their call and could not even recognize the risen Lord Jesus.

For those of us who have decided to follow Jesus and be His disciples, we must be aware that we too will be confronted with situations, wherein we may not be able to see and perceive Jesus, who is the core of our faith.
They chose to go back fishing

We read in John 21:2-3, “Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We will go with you."(ESV)

There was nothing wrong with the disciples wanting to go fishing, but the regretful part was that they had given up following Jesus to go after their profession.
It was Peter who initiated the move to get back to fishing.
As long as Jesus was with them
Peter was happy and content, but after he had witnessed the arrest, trial, death and burial of Jesus and he had lost all hope and become totally discouraged though the risen Lord Jesus appeared to them.

Just think about it.
We still talk about Peter only because he was a disciple of Jesus.
If Peter was just another ordinary fisherman, none of us would have heard about him.

Peter received fame, blessings, had his daily needs met, saw miracles and wonders only because He was with Jesus, but unexpectedly everything seemed to have come to an end when Jesus died.

That same Peter was the one who gave up everything to follow Jesus, who walked on water, who trusted Jesus and caught a fish which had his tax money in its mouth, who experienced every awesome miracle that Jesus performed, was disheartened and tempted to give up on the Lord, and to go back to where he started.

If we are not watchful, it is possible that we too can backslide like Peter, and the other disciples did.
The only way for one to not go astray, is to be rooted and built up firmly on the word of God.

We must allow the written word of God, to be deeply embedded in our hearts, which alone helps to grow our faith in the Lord and keeps us on course.

They did not heed Jesus’ word.
In Matthew 16:21 we read, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”(ESV)

The disciples of Jesus were clearly instructed by Jesus while He was with them that certain events were bound to happen.
He told them that He would go to Jerusalem where He would be tried, arrested, crucified, buried, and would rise again on the third day.

Though the disciples heard these oft repeated words of Jesus, they did not pay close attention to listen and take note of what He told them, and probably forgot Jesus’ predictions of what was to come.
That is the reason why they thought everything was over when Jesus died, and did not fully understand or comprehend the fact that Jesus would indeed rise again from the dead to be with them forever.

Some of us may be in such a situation where we too hear the word of God regularly but are not really paying close attention to what the Lord is saying to us.
It is only when one firmly believes, and accepts the word by faith, will our faith stand strong in the midst of trials, difficulties and discouragements.

It is a remarkable thought that this episode of Peter and the other disciples deciding to go back fishing, as recorded in John’s Gospel, happened after the resurrection of Jesus.
It makes us wonder as to why they would have decided to go back to fishing when they had been eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus who appeared to them.

The chief priests on the other hand, whose only aim was to do away with Jesus paid more careful attention to Jesus’ words than did the disciples of Jesus.

In Matthew 27:62–63, we read, “On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while he was still alive, how that the deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise’”. (NKJV)

The chief priests and Pharisees were more keenly listening to the words of Jesus, and therefore went to Pilate to take extra precaution to see that Jesus’ words that He would rise again would not be fulfilled and saw to it that the tomb of Jesus was safely sealed and guarded.

When Jesus calls us to be His disciples, He in no uncertain terms declares that we will certainly face problems and difficulties as long as we are here on the earth, but that also goes with the assurance as promised by Jesus in John 16:33,
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”(NKJV)

The assurance we have is that no matter how daunting our situations are, the Lord who called us is faithful, and He has promised us victory over every circumstance we face, no matter how grim it may be.

As long as the disciples were walking close with Jesus, there was only eager expectation, and no room for doubts and fears.
It was only when they walked away that they started to stumble. If we do not chose to walk with Jesus every day we too can easily become dejected and discouraged.
Each new day is God’s gift to us, and we must wake up with anticipation as to what the Lord will do for us, and through us.

Instead of having a fatalistic view on life, our lives must be firmly set on God and His word, if we seek to live a life filled with meaning and purpose.

It is the Lord alone who can turn all our hopeless situations to hopeful ones, and transform our areas of defeat to those of victory.

Here is a good way for us to check to see if God’s word is truly entrenched in our hearts.
When faced with problems and difficulties, if all we do is grumble and complain, we can be sure that God’s word has no place in our hearts.
On the other hand, if His word is deeply rooted inside of us, we will choose to speak words of faith and victory.

The bible says in Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” which means that it is within our power to speak positively words of faith and victory over our situations, instead of doubt and defeat.

It is important for us to learn THAT INSTEAD of constantly complaining to others about the hardships we face, WE NEED TO hand over everything to God, and allow His peace to rule in our hearts and minds.
YOU KNOW …. THE PEACE THAT PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING!

Most certainly if the disciples had listened to the words of Jesus, and had taken it to heart, there would have been no way they would have gone back to fishing.

By not remembering the words of Jesus and the assurance He left them, they were filled with fear, uncertainty, despondency, and decided to walk away from Him.

The outcome was that they got back to where they were earlier, as they trusted only what they saw with their physical eyes.
The call to follow Jesus and be His disciples is not a simple task, as it is a call to walk by faith, and with total trust in God and His word.

When Jesus first called Peter in Luke 5:1-3, we read,
“One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God.
He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets.
Jesus got into one of the boat, it belonged to Simon and asked him to push off a little from the shore.
Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.” (GNB)

Jesus was on the shore of the Lake Gennesaret, and as he taught, he asked for Simon Peter to push his boat a little farther so He could get into it and teach from there.
The Lord chose to use Peter’s boat only.

It is the Lord who has chosen and called each one of us to be His children.
We often question the Lord when we are in a quandary and forget that the Lord in His grace chose us to be His children. The one who called us is faithful, and He will carry us through right to the very end.
The Apostle Paul understood this calling of God most vividly. Before his encounter with the Lord Jesus, he was a persecutor of the church of Jesus.
However, after his conversion Paul realized that God had chosen him even before he was born as he aptly says in Galatians 1:15, “But God in his grace chose me even before I was born
and called me to serve him.”

Not only did Paul know that God chose him, but he had the firm belief that nothing in all the world, not tribulation, famine, hunger or persecution could separate him from the love of God.

When the Lord first called Peter he was in a similar predicament as the one he found himself in after the resurrection of Jesus.
He and the other fishermen, three of whom also became Jesus’ disciples had fished all night, and caught nothing.

However, when Jesus told Peter to cast his net again he did so, only because he believed the words of Jesus.
It was Peter giving heed to the words of Jesus that built up his faith in Jesus.
After a whole night of wasted efforts, when morning came, it was only when Peter listened and obeyed the words of Jesus that their empty nets were now filled and BURSTING with fish like they had never seen before.

If Peter had decided to go by his own logical thinking, and refused to obey Jesus’ simple instruction, they would have caught nothing.
Our faith is built up as we constantly hear the word of God.
When the Lord instructs us to do something, and we obey implicitly, only then we will find victory in all that we do.
When the Lord first placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden they did not need to toil and sweat.

Sweat and toil was God’s curse on fallen man.
All our human efforts are useless and in vain unless the Lord blesses our efforts and labor.

Hearing the word of God increases our faith, and faith is what helps us overcome every difficulty, and gives us victory in the world.

Instead of leaning on our own mind and thinking, we should learn to trust in the Lord with all our heart and success will be ours.
Peter gave it all up.
After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter and the other disciples brought their nets full of fish to the shore.

All that Peter toiled for the whole night was now accomplished, but what Peter did was astounding.
When Jesus asked Peter to follow Him, He willingly left it all, and followed Jesus.

It seemed strange that after having received this miraculous catch of fish that Peter was longing to have, that he willingly gave it all up to follow Jesus.
The obvious reason for this transformation was that Peter realized that after he had found the Lord, the true giver of all blessings that he henceforth decided not seek after the blessings, but rather pursue the Lord, who is the originator and giver of all good things.

Peter may have gone hungry before he met Jesus, but we can be sure that once he decided to follow Jesus there was not a day when his needs were not met by Jesus.
Peter who had willingly left his profession, his boat and his nets to follow Jesus, was after three and half years tempted to go back to where he started.

To those of us who hold on to Jesus and follow after Him, the Lord promises to supply all our needs, and we will never be in want.
There may be times of trials and temptations that confront us, when we too may be tempted to give up.
Sometimes the temptation to give up on this journey with Jesus may come from those around us.

Instead of being satisfied with leading mundane and mediocre lives, let us surrender our lives to the Lord, who can strengthen us and build up our faith so we can be a great blessing to others.

Peter’s decision to get back to fishing also affected the faith of six other disciples who decided to go along with him.
The result was that they were back to square one, a place of toiling and emptiness.

They labored all night and ended up only with sheer exhaustion and failure.
When we chose to walk away from the Lord, not only does it affect us, but also our family and those around us.
Our backsliding will usually result in others following suit.
If we KEEP our eyes focused on our faithful God, we will not go astray.

Also the kind of people we associate with will in many ways affect our walk with the Lord.
It is beneficial to have fellowship with those who love the Lord
and are being used by the Lord, as this helps us to keep focused and to shine for the Lord.
Let us always remember that we are called to BE the salt of the earth, those who will influence others positively.

If we like Lot’s wife look back, we will become pillars of salt that will be of no use to anyone.
When Jesus first called Peter and the others he called them from being ‘fishermen’ to becoming ‘fishers of men’.

The difference between ‘fishermen’ and ‘fishers of men’ is huge. ‘Fishermen’ catch live fish and then kill them whereas ‘fishers of men’ are those called by the Lord to find men who are dead in their trespasses and sins and help them find eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Every one of us must choose to be either a ‘fisherman’ (those who take life) or ‘fishers of men’ (those who give life to others).

God’s call to us is to be those who give life to others.
If we backslide, and go back to our old way of living, our lives will become fruitless and worthless to others.
Let us decide to remain faithful to the Lord, and to His calling for our lives.
May the Lord on His return find each one of us standing firm in our faith.
As those who have decided to follow Jesus, let us press on with perseverance, and never turn back but keep running forward, looking only to Jesus who is the author, and the finisher of our faith.

View Details

John 1:43-51

INTRO: Good morning church. It is easy to miss, but the Apostle John has given a number of different titles to Jesus. Recall that the gospel began with the description that Jesus is the Word (1:1). Jesus is called the true light (1:9) and the Only Son (1:14). He is called God in verse 1 and verse 18. John the Baptizer has proclaimed Jesus to be “the Lamb of God” (1:29, 36). The two disciples who begin to follow Jesus call him “Rabbi,” which means “Teacher.” In verse 41 we see Jesus called the Messiah, which we understand as the Christ, a title given in verse 17 also. These titles are descriptors of course, and each gives us insight to who Jesus is. The New Testament presents many descriptors. In House to House Heart to Heart Volume 30 Number 3 you can find a list of these on the inside back page.

One would probably suppose that this would be enough titles. Yet, in verses 43-51 we read three more titles given to Jesus. Nathanael ascribes two of these titles to Jesus, after being amazed that Jesus knew his spiritual condition (“an Israelite without deceit”) and knew his physical location (“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree”). That's why the lesson today is titled, Who is Jesus?

The two titles Nathanael proclaims are found in verse 49, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

I. Son of God, King of Israel – Let’s read John 1:43-51 – “43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.””

A. Recall that John gave his purpose for writing this gospel, “That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). John the Baptizer declared that the baptism of Jesus proved that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:34). The term, “Son of God” is easily and frequently misunderstood. D.A. Carson in his commentary on John makes this observation – (and I paraphrase);

1. “The expression ‘the son of X’ can have an extraordinarily wide range of meanings, owing in part to the influence of Hebrew on the Greek of the New Testament. Hebrew does not have as many adjectives as some languages, and compensates for this lack, by a variety of idiomatic structures including this one. Thus ‘a wicked man’ might be called ‘a son of wickedness’ (Psalm 89:22). Those deserving execution are ‘a son of death’ (1st Samuel 20:31). Small wonder, then, that Judas Iscariot can be called (literally) a ‘son of perdition’ (John 17:12). In the Sermon on the Mount, peacemakers are called ‘sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9), because their peacemaking attests that… in this respect at least… they are imitating God.”
2. I found that to be a very useful explanation of why we have this “son of …” language commonly found in the Old Testament, also in the New Testament. When we read ‘son of wickedness’ it's not talking about you were born of a wicked person and therefore you're a child of wickedness. It's an adjective, saying, you are a wicked person, therefore a son of wickedness.
3. In the same way when you see Jesus being described as son of God, we are not talking about some kind of physical descendancy, but an adjective to say He is God. He possesses the very qualities and characteristics of God.

B. Turn with me now to Psalm 2. We will start reading at verse 1. “1. Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, …” Stop right there a minute. Look at what is being said. There are the nations, the people, the kings and the rulers. They have set themselves against two entities, the Lord and His anointed. The psalmist asks, “Why is the world against the authority of the Lord and His anointed?”

1. Psalm 2:3 – “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” It sounds like they're trying to break free from submission to God. V. 4f – “4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” God Himself upon the occasion of Jesus' baptism made it clear enough who this Son is, in the thundering message from heaven, Matthew 3:17. "on Zion my holy hill." Is a reference to Jerusalem, referred to here as holy, meaning not that Jerusalem's citizens were holy, but that God had recorded His name there and that, in time, the Anointed would appear on her streets.
2. Verse 7, "I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”" The Messianic King now speaks, quoting the promise given to David in 2nd Samuel 7. This sonship and kingship imagery is tied directly together. This carries the implication of authority, rule and a kingdom.
3. We see how the psalmist brings these two images together. He says the Lord has established His anointed as king. The anointed then turns around and speaks and says, Here's the decree that the Lord gave to me.

C. Continuing in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”

1. Let’s turn 2nd Samuel 7:12f and read God’s promise to David – “12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” Not even an angel of heaven deserved such a line as this. The inspired author of Hebrews makes this absolutely indisputable. "To what angel did God ever say, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son."? (Hebrews 1:5-7).
2. These are just two texts that hold together being king and being son. I think this helps us understand what Nathanael is saying in his declaration, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'' Nathanael recognizes Jesus as the king of Israel, the one that they have been looking for, the Son of God.

D. It is astounding how some scholars teach that Jesus never took any claim of divinity or kingliness or godliness upon himself. I would suggest they don't read very well. Listen to some of the things where Jesus intentionally indicates who He is.

1. In John 5:16-17 – “16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”” Like father, like son.
2. Jesus here affirmed the unique relationship between Himself and God. He taught the disciples to pray "Our Father," but many times used "My Father" in His own reference to God. Here Jesus' argument is that the interpretation the priests insisted upon would make God himself a Sabbath-breaker! Does God not heal on the Sabbath? Is not the maintenance of the universe a work of God going on every second of time, Sabbath days included? These are the implications of Jesus' words, "My Father is working until now."
3. Note that by the use of the first person possessive, "My Father," and by His statement that He also works (on the Sabbath day) He claimed equality with God. “and I am working”… By this, Jesus affirmed that He was doing exactly what God was doing. The Father had never ceased to work in the support and maintenance of all things, and therefore the Lord was in full character with the Father when He healed a man on the Sabbath day. Furthermore, no Sabbath regulation of any divine sanction had ever forbidden such an act.

E. This is why the Jews were seeking to kill him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, as they saw it… but He was even calling God His own father. Making Himself equal with God. To be son of God is to be God. To call God your father as He was doing was to set up that equation like father, like son. He's working. I'm working.

1. Consider the Jewish leaders would not have killed Jesus if he was only a prophet. If the only label that He accepted upon Himself was, I'm just a prophet sent from God. That's no problem to the Jewish people at all. The nation would have readily accepted that. It is because He continually accepted this language and continually pressed it even further indicating, that's who I am.
2. Recall what they told Pilate? John 19:7 – “The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”” Divine. He made himself God. That's what that phrase means. The Jews heard what Jesus was saying as He went around teaching. Notice what the Jews are saying, He's making himself equal to God. He's saying he's God. That's what son of God means.
3. That is why this becomes an amazing statement in this first chapter of John when Nathanael says, you knew my spiritual condition. You know that I was without guile or deceit, and you knew where I was under that fig tree before we even met. You're the son of God. Who else can know that? How else can that be done? Then he adds, you are the King of Israel.

F. Now let’s look at Zephaniah 3:15f – “15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love;…” That's the equation. You are the king of Israel, you're the Lord. You're the prophesied king. You are the Christ. You are the one that we have been looking forward to. Everything that Jesus does, everything that Jesus teaches and says as we read about His life… continues to press that connection.

1. We cannot say, “Jesus is the Messiah but that doesn't make Him God”. Scripture takes those two concepts and incorporates them together and you can not pull them apart.

a. The Jews understood that. Look again, John 19:12 – “From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”” They understood what Jesus had been saying. They didn't say he's claiming to be a prophet. They said he's claiming to be the king of Israel.
b. Recall the inscription Pilate had put on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Oh that greatly upset the Jewish leaders and they petitioned Pilate to change it. Pilate refused. They were upset because it is the claim of God. It is the claim of Messiah-ship. It is the claim of kingliness.

1. It is the claim of everything that the Old Testament was pressing toward. It is the recognition that Jesus could not be the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and not also be the Creator, God, and Lord.
2. That's what John is doing in this Gospel. That's really important so I'll say it again, it is not possible for Jesus to be the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, AND NOT also be the Creator, God, and Lord.
3. Remember how John’s gospel began. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Two verses later, all things were made through Him, and there was not anything made that was made apart from Him. He made everything. He is Creator God. John in this Gospel is just linking those two in concrete and trying to drive that home for us to believe in who Jesus is. It demands recognizing He is the Savior, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, but He is also the King of Israel. He is the Messiah. He is the eternal God

II. Son of Man - Let’s look at the third title, a title that Jesus gives to Himself. It is the most common title that Jesus uses for Himself, and it is found in v. 51, “Son of Man.” This title is found 18 times in John’s gospel and is used about 80 times in the four gospel accounts. This is a very serious title that Jesus gives because it also points to a particular Old Testament prophecy found in Daniel 7.

A. Daniel 7:13f Daniel says, “13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”[ESV]
B. Here the title of “Son of Man” carries the same two ideas that we have been examining in this study. Jesus is the King and rules over all creation. He comes in the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days and is standing before Him. Only God can do that. Only God is going to take His stand before the very throne of God and receive whatever the Lord has to give. In Revelation John has a vision, and what happens to John? He can't bear to stand. Ezekiel has a vision. Can he bear to stand? No, he cannot. Constantly, this imagery is given about how flesh and blood is unable to deal with the full force of the glory of God. It is absolutely impossible. Moses told of the same thing.
C. In Daniel we see kingship and sonship tied together. The kingship is obvious. Verse 14, what was given to Him; glory, a kingdom, an everlasting dominion that's never going to fade away. He's given the eternal rule of God. Notice in v. 13 Daniel says that “… with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days …” This reminds me of Acts 1:9 where the two watched Jesus ascend. Daniel is envisioning Him coming in that ascension to the Father, receiving a kingdom, and beginning His rule.
D. In a previous lesson we learned that John, the witness, sees Jesus walking by and he makes the declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God”. Remember what the two disciples of John did? They start following Jesus. When you understand that Jesus is the Lamb of God, you drop everything and you follow Him.

1. Consider that a bit more now. When we understand that Jesus is the Son of God, the King over heaven and earth, who has an eternal kingdom, an eternal rule, and has all authority, glory, and might, the Son of Man… the only reaction that we can have is to not only drop everything and follow Him, but to drop everything and bow the knee at the feet of Jesus.
2. I want to read again Psalm 2:5f. “Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” Here we have the Son. Here is the anointed One and He says here is the decree given to Me.
3. Verse 8. “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Just say the word and You rule the world, which is exactly what Daniel 7 pictures. He comes to the Ancient of Days and receives the kingdom.
4. Verse 9f. “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”[ESV]

E. Psalm 2 begins with a question. Why do the nations rage? Why do people continue to go up against the will of God? I like verse 3. The Lord sits back and holds them in derision. He laughs. You want to go up against God? It is like the comical picture of a kindergarten-aged child being upset at his parents and running away from home... all the way to his neighbor’s house.

1. There is obviously a serious side to this as well, and although the picture of weak and silly man trying to match wits with an almighty and all-knowing God is comical, God takes no delight in their waywardness and its consequences, but rather desires to see them turn around.
2. God continues. I will establish my anointed. I will install Him as my King even though He would be rejected. Even though the earth would kill Him, even though the kings would reject Him… God appoints Him as ruler over heaven and earth. As Savior of the world, as God Himself.
3. Then He says, and I paraphrase, bow the knee or else. Yield to the King or it will not go well for you. Yield to the King and it will go very well! Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him.

III. Jesus Is The Ladder - Finally, we need to look at what Jesus says about Himself in John 1:51. After Nathanael’s amazement concerning Jesus’ ability to know him spiritually and physically, Jesus tells him that he is going to see even greater things than that. What more could they possibly see? What they have seen so far is quite amazing! But there is more. “And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.””[ESV] As an aside, that second “you” is a plural pronoun. The King James makes it more obvious. “…I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see…” They will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. – This is a puzzling statement. What does Jesus mean?

A. You may recognize that this is an allusion to the vision that Jacob had, which is recorded for us in Genesis 28:10-22. Verse 12 contains the direct connection: “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”
B. As this is happening in the vision, God is speaking from the top of the ladder, declaring His covenantal promise to Jacob in verses 13-15. This will be your land. You will have many offspring. God will not leave you until he has kept his promise. – Yet there is no explanation given about the vision of the ladder.

1. Listen to what Jacob says and what he does. “16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.””
2. Consider this… Jesus is the link between heaven and earth. Jesus is the house of God. Jesus is the gate of heaven. Jesus is the place to meet God. Jesus is the holy place. Jesus is the gateway to heaven.
3. Jesus does not say that the angels are ascending and descending on the ladder, but they are ascending and descending on Him, the Son of Man. Jesus is the place where all the promises of God are fulfilled. Jesus is where you have a covenant relationship with God.

CONCLUSION: That is what Jesus is saying with this imagery. He is saying you think you have seen great things? You haven't seen anything yet. You are going to begin to see that you come in contact with God through me.
You will see that I am the way to heaven. You will see that I am the holy place. You are going to see that I am that link between heaven and earth.
You are going to see me as the mediator between people and God. You are going to understand that I am that high priest. You are going to see me as that connection between you and God.
That is what we saw back in John 1:14-18. Remember what John said there? The word became flesh and tabernacled with us. We have seen his glory. The glory of the only son from the Father full of grace and truth. The very same picture. John is wrapping up by answering the question of who Jesus is. Jesus is the awesome place where we meet God.

John wraps up his introduction telling his audience, do you understand how great Jesus is? Chapters 2, 3, and 4 are going to amplify those images when we look at the water turned to wine, the temple, the discussion with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. These signs John evidently included with regard to the absolute authority by which each was performed. Jesus is the awesome place.

Pull your song books out. We will sing Invitation Song number 592. We are inviting you to see who Jesus truly is. To understand that He is the only way to God, the only way to have a relationship with the Father. Jesus is the only way into heaven. He is the only place where you enter the kingdom of God. He is the only place where you can be reconciled to God.

He is the awesome place where you and I come and meet God. He is the true temple of God. I pray when you see that, when you understand that He is the son of God, the son of man, the king of Israel. That this understanding will cause each of us to bow the knee before Him, praise Him for who He is, how glorious He is, how powerful He is, and how awesome it is to serve the living God. Turn away from your sins and be immersed in water to have your sins washed away to enter that relationship with Him.
Won't you come now while we stand and sing?

???

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

Proverbs 31 and 2nd Timothy 1

Today, we not only acknowledge the mothers who brought us into this world, but we also salute every soul who has taken up the role of nurturing us in any way possible.
On our journey through life nothing can compare with the impact made by our mothers. Their words, for good OR for bad, are never fully forgotten, and the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime.
I would like to take a moment to reflect on the wise insights shared by some mothers:

1) A son told his mother that he couldn’t tell the difference between a rose and a dandelion. So when it came time to fix up his garden, he had no clue which plants to keep and which ones to remove. Until, that is, his mother gave him this handy tip: “Pull them all up. If it comes back, it’s a weed.”

2) Another Mom had a small decorative windmill in her yard. A storm broke one of the blades, causing the windmill to shake violently. Dad announced that he would “take care of it” and rebalanced the windmill by snapping off the opposing blade. Watching him, Mom remarked, “I hope I never break a leg.”

3) While rummaging through her attic, a woman named Debbie found an old shotgun. Unsure about how to dispose of it, she called her parents. “Take it to the police station,” her mother suggested. Debbie agreed and was about to hang up when her mother added, “Oh, and Debbie? Make sure you Call them first.”

4) And then there is the mother, who can be a master of the guilt trips. When her son finally got around to calling his mom he heard the following answering machine message: “If you are a salesperson, press one. If you’re a friend, press two. If you’re my son who never calls, press 911 because the shock will probably give me a heart attack.”

Abraham Lincoln said, "No one is poor who had a godly mother." And I believe he was right. The influence of a godly mother on her children cannot be overstated.
There are some notable examples of motherhood in scripture. But this morning I want to mention two special passages that we ought to consider. One is found in Proverbs, chapter 31. Listen to a few selected verses.

"10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.

13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates."

And the 2nd passage we find in 2nd Timothy 1:5
It was written by the apostle Paul to young Timothy,

"5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."

Whether you’re a “stay-at-home” mom like Timothy’s mother, or one who works like the mother praised in Proverbs 31, the emphasis of my message this morning has to do with a mother’s influence upon her children and her family.

And I urge those of you who have no children or whose children are far away, look around and take note of those who may be in need of a "parent figure," or a "second mom or dad." You may be just the mentor or friend that someone else desperately needs.
Proverbs 24:3-4 tells us that "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, passed on to your children so that they might build their lives on a foundation that is sufficient for all their needs.
There were once 4 scholars who were arguing over Bible translations.

• One said he thought that the King James Version was the best because of its beautiful and eloquent style of speech.
• Another said he preferred the American Standard Bible for its accurate translation of the original text.
• A third preferred the New International Version because of its modern language and ease of understanding.
• After thinking about it for a moment, the 4th scholar said, "I have always preferred my mother's translation."

When the others expressed surprise, saying that they didn’t know that she was a translator, he responded, "Yes, she trans-lated it. She translated it into life, and that's the best translation I’ve ever seen."
We have already mentioned one young man who saw such a translation of God's Word in his lifetime. His name was Timothy. He lived in the 1st Century, and it is to him that Paul's New Testament letters of 1 and 2 Timothy were addressed.
Paul was Timothy's older friend and mentor. As Paul sat in a Roman dungeon, facing impending death, he wrote to Timothy to encourage him in his ministry.

But 1st and 2nd Timothy are also letters filled with nostalgia. Paul draws upon his memories and recalls the examples of faith and commitment he has observed in the life of Timothy.
Particularly in 2 Timothy 1:2-7, Paul reminisces about the way Timothy's faithfulness is largely a reflection of the examples and instruction which he had received from his mother and grandmother.

And, in the process, Paul pinpoints some contributions that they made to his life; contributions we will consider this morning.

Listen as I read 2nd Timothy 1:2-5.
“To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”

This passage deals with the contributions Timothy's mother and grandmother had made to him as he was growing up.

The 1st contribution they made, and I think the most important one, is "A Living Faith."
In Vs. 5 Paul refers to the "...sincere faith, which first lived in your grand-mother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

The word "sincere" here is a word that means "without hypocrisy…. genuine."
In essence, it's a faith that is real, that has been applied realistically and consistently to the issues and situations of life.

Where Lois and Eunice came from originally... we have no idea, but we do know that they eventually settled in the Roman town of Lystra.
They had been born Jewish, but they came to know about Jesus, and they DID take their faith in Christ very seriously, seriously enough to make sure that Eunice's young son knew all about it.

What did Timothy hear and see in his home?
Assuming that he was a normal kid, everything!
That is the way it works.
Despite all the aggravation that our children give us by apparently not listening to what we tell them, they still hear and see, and it does make an impression - for good or for ill.

Those of us who have, or have had, young children
We are amazed at the things youngsters pick up.
They see commercials on TV and then, when it’s time to go to the grocery store, they’re already prepared with a mental list of all the brand names that have attracted them.

They repeat words or phrases that they hear around the house, sometimes to mommy's and daddy's embarrassment.
They remember things that parents quickly forget.
They might be naive and easily led, but kids will not be fooled for long.

And just as they are not fooled by anything else, they will not be fooled about religion either.
So, if you really want to share the Gospel with your children, or with anyone else, you had better take your own faith seriously. Paying lip-service to Christ and the church will never give the proper message.

By your attendance at Bible Study and Worship, by your participation in the life and mission of the church, by the effort you put forth in the deepening of your relationship with the Lord, you will determine what lessons about the Lord and the church your children will learn first.

One thing is certain; parents can never fool their children with a message of "Do as I say, not as I do."
Kids are too smart for that.

If you tell them that Sunday School and attendance at worship is important but you yourself find other things to do on Sundays, what message will your children get?

If you tell them that a personal relationship with the Lord is important but they never see you opening the Bible or praying, what message will they get? You know the answer!

Parents who want to make serious claim on the name "Christian" had better make sure that their faith shows in front of their children.

Apparently, Lois and Eunice lived their faith in front of Timothy. They made whatever efforts they could to learn about Jesus.

And then mother... and grand-mother passed on the results of that learning to the receptive boy.
They left him an outstanding legacy – a living faith!

This kind of living faith is what we all should demonstrate to our children, and to others around us through our actions as well as through our words.

A 2nd contribution is given in Vs. 7.
“7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2nd Timothy 1:7 carries a powerful message for believers: rather than being ruled by fear and timidity, God has bestowed upon us a spirit of strength, love, and self-discipline. This verse reminds us that fear does not come from God. Instead, the Holy Spirit empowers us to face life's challenges with courage and confidence.
Power The “power” mentioned here isn’t a boastful claim about our own strength; But it’s an empowerment that comes from God and enables us to overcome obstacles and to stand boldly in the face of adversity. Whether you're confronting personal challenges, uncertainties at work, or difficult decisions, this power encourages you to act with conviction and resilience.
Love is central to the Christian faith. The verse emphasizes that the Spirit God gives us a divine, unconditional love. It’s a love that motivates us to care deeply for others, forge genuine relationships, and reflect God’s compassion in our actions. This love not only transforms how we interact with people but also softens our hearts to embrace forgiveness and understanding.

Dr. Stanley Coopersmith, in a study of middle-class boys, found that children have higher esteem and become more successful and independent when they have a home where sure and consistent discipline is present.

It's been said that children need two pats on the back:
One high enough to encourage them when they do right, and one low enough to discourage them when they do wrong.
Dorothy Nolte wrote, "If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice." And the only way to be fair to our children is to praise where praise is appropriate, and to discipline where discipline is appropriate. And sometimes you will be making a difference in ways that you never imagined.
Yes, today is a special day. And for most of us there are many precious memories that we will always treasure.

I will close today’s lesson with this story.

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is the way long?" she asked.
And her guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard.
And you will be old before you reach the end of it.
But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.
So, she played with her children and gathered flowers for them along the way.

The sun shone on them, and life was good, and the young woman cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
"Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come." The Mother said,
"This is better than the brightness of the day, for I have taught my children courage."

The morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary but she said to her children, "A little patience and we are there."

So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother."
And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said,
"This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned perseverance in the face of difficulty. Yesterday I gave them courage.
Today I have given them strength."

With the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth - clouds of war and hatred, and the children groped and stumbled.
The mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light."
And the children looked up and saw above the clouds an everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness.
That night the Mother said,
"This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

The days went on, and weeks and months and years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent.
But her children were strong and tall, and walked with courage.

When the way was hard, they helped their mother; and when the way was rough they lifted her, for she was light as a feather.
And at last they came to a hill, and golden gates open wide.

The Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey.
And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

The children said, "You will always walk with us mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her, and they said,
"We cannot see her, but she is with us still."

INVITATION

Sermon Contributor Melvin Newland

View Details

John 1:35-49

INTRO: Good morning church. In studying John’s Gospel we learned that John the witness was sent by God for a purpose. We read that he called himself “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord,''” When Jesus came toward him, he began declaring, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” With that great declaration! John is doing his mission, proclaiming and revealing that Jesus is the one sent by God to deliver the people from their sins, to save them from their coming punishment.

I. Follow The Lamb (1:35-39) – Let’s begin today by reading John 1:35-39 – “35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”[ESV]

A. In verse 35 we are told it was the next day and John the Witness was standing with two of his disciples. Jesus walks by and John continued his proclamation: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” John was pointing out Jesus to those two disciples. When John’s disciples heard his declaration of Jesus as the Lamb of God, they leave John and follow Jesus. Remember a disciple is a learner, a student and these two it seems wanted to know more. Perhaps John had given them more detail already but that is our imagination since we are not told.

1. John knew and repeatedly declared that his work was not about himself, but about revealing Jesus as the Lamb of God to Israel. Seeing the Lamb of God and understanding that Jesus is the one, who takes away our sins; the reaction of these two disciples is absolutely appropriate. That really should be the same reaction that we have.
2. We are not told what the conversation was between those two disciples and John. We don't know what they were doing at that moment, or what plans they might have had for that day. They stop what they're doing and immediately follow Jesus.
3. We are told when they see that Jesus is the one that they have been looking for, here is the one who has come to take away our sins, they drop everything and go after Him. They're not going to let Him get away as He continues along.

B. This is the point that John the Apostle is making. When a person encounters Jesus and understands who He is, not just some good guy, not just somebody who gives advice from His Word, advice that is useful and gives you a better life. But that Jesus is the eternal Word who came from Heaven, who died for our sins so that we could be forgiven. When we truly have a handle on that knowledge, then we are going to stop everything we are doing. We will leave everything behind and we are going to follow Him.

1. You don't go back to doing what you were doing before. You don't go back to the old routine. You don't get back to your old schedule. You don't go back to your normal way of life. Everything changes at that point.
2. And everything must change or otherwise, I submit to you, that you truly don't know who Jesus is. It changes everything when you grasp that there is the Lamb of God who will take away my sins.

C. In verse 38 we read, “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”” Jesus notices that they are following Him. Jesus asks them an important question. “What are you seeking?” Obviously Jesus knows what these two are doing. Notice that Jesus does not ask them who they are seeking, but what they are seeking. I suspect that He wants them to consider what their motivation is.

1. That is something we need to consider about ourselves. What is our motivation? From my limited experience over the years, the conversations I have had and the comments people have made, the answers are widely varied as to why people follow Jesus. I wonder perhaps if sometimes the motivation is merely social.
2. Perhaps we may follow Jesus for some sort of social benefit. How often today people speak of the church in terms of social benefits. People will readily declare that they go to church because the people are nice, the programs are good, the children’s ministry is excellent, the music is good, the food is good, the potlucks are great, or something like that. These things are nice but they are not the reason to follow Jesus and I wonder why these things might come to people’s lips first?
3. Perhaps some follow Jesus to feel good about them selves. You'll feel so much better about yourself if you attend service. That's not the reason to follow Jesus. In fact, following Jesus often does the opposite. It is a constant reminder to us of our sinfulness and of our shortcomings. He is so holy and good and righteous, and we so often fall short.
4. I also suspect some people just follow Jesus because that's all they've ever done. My parents went to church and my grandparents went to church and their parents went to church. Perhaps they don't know what else to do on a Sunday or they feel weird if they didn't go to church on Sunday. It wouldn't feel right. Some people come out of habit. This is what they've always done. They do not follow from the heart but from habit. They follow because they think they have to, not because they want to. I think it is a very valid question to consider why we are here following Jesus.
5. I suspect this is the question that Jesus wants these disciples to consider. Their response in verse 38 was more timid and hesitant than we might have expected. Instead of answering; "We understand that you are the Messiah, the Lamb of God that takes away sins and would like to follow you," they politely addressed Him as "Rabbi," and inquired where He lived! John then explains the term "Rabbi" and that leads me to think that the greater part of the Christian world to which this was written, was Gentile.

D. In verse 39 Jesus rewarded the two disciples by inviting them home with Him, which resulted in their spending the day. Jesus understood that they want to get to know Him and spend time with Him. They wanted to learn more about the Lamb of God. That's why they ask, “Where are you staying?”, because they want to be there too.

1. Jesus responds with the words they were hoping to hear: “Come and you will see.” Jesus receives people who with honest hearts are seeking to know Him. The only reason to follow Jesus is because you are seeking a relationship with the sin remover.
2. Following Jesus is about our needing a Savior. We're not following for any other reason except that we want to have a relationship with the one who can take away sins. Yes, there are other benefits but that is the most important thing.

II. Be Changed By Jesus (1:40-42) – Continue with me now in John 1:40-42 – “40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter.)”[ESV]

A. Andrew is one of the two disciples of John that heard John say, “Behold, the Lamb of God” when Jesus walked by. Andrew and the other disciple turned to follow Jesus. Andrew goes and finds his brother Simon and tells him that they had found the Messiah. I suspect at this point Andrew was probably quite excited and in my imagination I picture him saying to Simon; “We have found Him, we have found the One! We found the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

1. Andrew takes his brother to meet Jesus. Jesus looks at Simon and says; “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas”. Not a very dramatic statement, yet imagine how you would feel if somebody that you've just met, knows you, knows who your father is and effectively says you’re not going to be called Simon but Cephas.
2. For those that are interested in these things "Cephas" is a Syriac word which is a Semitic language, specifically a dialect of Aramaic, the everyday language of the Jews at that time. “Cephas” is equivalent to the Greek word Pétros, which we render "Peter." Both mean stone or rock.
3. I think it is interesting to consider that what Jesus does here is point out to us that He not only has the ability, but He has the absolute authority to change our identity. Thinking about it, Jesus has the ability and the authority to change everything about you.

B. Calling someone “Rock” is a strong name. Think of the many times that word is used in scripture and it gives us a picture of solidity, and permanence. Yet when we read of Peter in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, does he seem to be as solid as a rock to you?

1. Certainly I’m impressed by his bravery at times, his courage and willingness to declare his loyalty. Peter’s temperament was resolute. Think about the walking on water for example in Matthew 14; “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Wow, I am amazed and I don’t think I would have done that.
2. Then we think about the colossal failures of Peter. The most notable one to me is in the courtyard of the high priest where Jesus is having that awful trial. Mark reminded us of this last week. “Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.” (Matthew 26:57f)

a. A servant said to Peter “You were with him” and Peter denied it even going so far as to say “I do not know what you mean.” Another said “This man was with Jesus” and Peter denied it with an oath. Then a bystander accused Peter of being “one of them” and Peter said “I do not know the man.” At this point Luke writes, “And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.''”[ESV] (Luke 22:60f)
b. What a colossal failure, especially when Jesus warned him, you're going to deny me three times. Recall what Peter had said? “… I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33)

C. Consider the prophetic blessing Jesus was placing upon Simon though. Jesus changes Simon’s name to Cephas meaning “rock”. Jesus knew what Peter would become.

1. When we get to the book of Acts, that's exactly what we see. What a magnificent shift in the life of Peter, who goes from shaky and falling, making mistakes and colossal errors—to becoming a solid leader.
2. There he is in Acts chapter 2, standing up with the 11 proclaiming the message of a risen Savior in the face of the enemies, in the face of imprisonment, in the face of danger and death. Did Peter still have some things to learn? Oh yes, but we now see him as the “rock” Jesus named him.
3. Peter is the right name for you, Jesus says. You are going to be the rock. What is especially awesome about this name change is that it does not seem like Peter is a rock during the life of Jesus. He is full of faith and fire for Jesus but we see him falter on many occasions, even to the denying Jesus three times during His darkest hour, but Jesus knew what Peter would become.

D. What about us? What will we become for the glory of the Lord? What are we going to do for His kingdom? What can we accomplish for him? We know that what we accomplish is not for our own personal benefit, not for our own glory; but what are we going to do in the work of the kingdom of God?

1. Folks, we must never look at our past and our failures and think they prohibit us from working for the kingdom and working for the glory of God. We could easily look at our past and say, I can't be what God wants me to be. Think of what Mark told us last week about John Newton and how he had concluded that his sins were too great to be forgiven. We can’t do that.
2. Can you imagine how Peter would feel if he did that on that day of Pentecost? He might look back at his history and think; “Man, I was sinking in water, I lost faith, I nearly drowned, and I denied our Lord three times!” “I’m obviously not cut out to be an Apostle. I’m not worthy to stand here and preach to people. It should be John or Andrew, anybody else but me!” No Peter, be the rock.

E. If you have ever been involved in looking at investment choices perhaps for a 401k IRA, you probably read about all those great returns that have happened over the past five years, this investment got returns of 15% year after year or the like. Then somewhere in the paperwork you find a line like this, “Past performance is not an indication of future results.”

1. That applies to us as well. All of our past failures and mistakes and sins and errors do not have to be an indication of future results. That's not who we have to be. That's what Jesus does with Peter.
2. Jesus is God, He knows Peter. Jesus could say, “I already know the mistakes you're going to make, but I also know what's past that. I know you're going to fall on your face. I know that you're going to slip up. I know that you're going to be tempted. I know that you're going to make colossal errors, but you don't have to keep doing that.” That doesn't disqualify you from serving God.
3. It is so true of us. Your past does not have to be an indication of what you can be for the Lord. How about Paul for example? Paul is a monument to a disastrous beginning. Persecuting Christians, chasing them down, Acts recalls that he was causing havoc in the churches.
4. Paul considered his past a mark of being the chief of sinners, but look at the glory he brought to the Lord through his life! You can be changed to be a rock in the kingdom of the Lord.

III. Jesus Knows Our Condition (1:43-49) – You can be changed into the rock just like Peter and just like Paul. You and I have the same ability to turn our lives away from disaster because of the glory of God, and to become what He wants us to be. Those that come to Christ must come with a fixed resolution to be firm and constant for Him, like a stone, solid and steadfast. I’d like to touch on one more thing and point out just how John the Apostle puts this text together.

A. John 1:43-49 - “43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!””

1. Notice the conversation in verses 45-46. Here we see an observable mixture of pious zeal with weakness. This is usually found in beginners that are seeking the way to God. Philip, newly acquainted with Jesus himself, steps aside to share the good news. It also shows us that Philip was well acquainted with the scriptures.
2. Rather then our being upset with Nathanael’s reaction, I think his caution could be considered commendable, in that he did not lightly agree to every thing that was said. Philip’s response was both wise and kind. He knew enough to satisfy himself but rather then attempt to answer Nathanael’s objection on his own, he took him to the One that could.
3. It is sad but many people are kept from accepting Christ by the unreasonable prejudices they have against Christianity. These prejudices come from many places.

B. What we read next is similar to what we saw before. Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus and “Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John.” Philip tells Nathanael to come meet Jesus and “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”. Nathanael then asks, “How do you know me?” Jesus answer must have rocked Nathanael back on his heals. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

1. “I know that you have no deceit. I know where you were earlier.” Jesus is displaying His divinity to Nathanael. This pushes Nathanael over the edge to recognizing that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Jesus knew the physical and spiritual condition of Nathanael. He knew where Nathanael was that day and He knew the heart of Nathanael.
2. We read that “before” Philip called Nathanael Jesus saw him under the fig-tree. Isn’t it interesting that His eye was towards him before Philip called him? Christ has knowledge of us before we have any knowledge of Him. In Isaiah 45:5 God is speaking to Cyrus and says, “…I will gird you, though you have not known Me…”.
3. What Jesus says to Nathanael would have been a private token which nobody understood but Nathanael. We are not told why he was under the fig tree but Jesus words “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” gives me to wonder if as Matthew Henry said; “Nathanael here in was an Israelite indeed, that, like Israel, he wrestled with God alone, prayed not like the hypocrites in the corners of the streets, but under the fig-tree”.

C. We are not told what Nathanael was doing but we are told the important part, Jesus knows what you are doing and knows your heart. Jesus knows everything about us, and He has the power to change us.

1. He knows the challenges that you are facing. He knows the difficulties that you have. He knows the spiritual battle that is going on inside your heart and mind. He's aware of all of that. He knows what's happening. He knows your heart.
2. Nobody is outside of this gospel call. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter what difficulty is there. It doesn't matter how tough things have been. He knows what you're going through. He knows who you are and He wants you to follow Him.

CONCLUSION:
To conclude then; we need to consider if we are following Him for the right reason. Jesus knows why you're here. Jesus knows your motivation. He knows your heart.

We need to make sure that we are turning our heart to Christ because He wants us to have a deeper relationship with Him. He wants you to see Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

See who He is, deepen that relationship and follow Him with all of your heart. Your mistakes and your sins do not prevent you from getting those things washed away. God will forgive you of your sins and you can move forward in serving Him and giving Him the glory as you serve in this kingdom.

That's why Jesus came. He died for your sins, not because you and I would be perfect people. We are all sinful, fallen, broken people. Yet, God sent His son to take away our sins so that we could become His adopted children and live with Him in Glory.

It is spring time here and it is a time of renewal of the living things around us. It is also the first day of the week, a time of renewal as well. Now is a time to dedicate your heart and dedicate your mind to seek a real relationship with your Lord. To see Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When you see Him as He is, then what else can you do but drop everything, change your life, and give Him all that He demands because He's been so good and gracious to us.

Turn away from your sins. Confess Him as the Son of God and be immersed in water to have your sins washed away to begin a relationship with the Father.

Won't you come while we stand and while we sing?

???

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

ACTS 9: 1-25

What comes to mind when I mention Friday the 13th?
Both Fridays and the number 13 have both been considered “unlucky” down thru the ages.
Take the number 13, for example:
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.
Many buildings don’t have a 13th floor.
And according to information I had a number of years ago, some airlines refused to have a Flight 13 or even a row of seats with that number.

As for the fear of Friday old wives tales say that you should:
Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams.
Never start a trip on Friday or you will have misfortune.
If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow.
Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck.

We can all recall the almost DISASTEROUS flight of the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. Unlucky to have that oxygen tank explosion in the first part of the mission but then DID make it BACK TO EARTH safely.

You put those two together - Friday and the number 13 – and you can end up with a whole bunch of people that are actually afraid of that date on the calendar.

I have heard that the fear of Friday the 13th may come from Christian tradition— the Last Supper had 13 guests, including Jesus and his 12 apostles.
Judas, the betrayer, was the 13th guest, and the next day—Friday—was the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Over time, these associations contributed to the fear surrounding Friday the 13th.

Dr. Donald Dossey, a psycho-therapist specializing in the treatment of phobias estimates that at least 21 million people in America are frightened of Friday 13th

People can become afraid of the strangest things.
But the Bible tells us that God’s people should not be.
We should not be a people of fear.
Around 365 times in Scripture, God tells us “Do not fear” or “Fear not” or something similar. 365 times – that’s one time for every day of the year.

And Psalms 118:6 tells us WHY we should not fear:
“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
Now, because this is true, many of gotten the mistaken impression that God doesn’t endorse fear.
That God would never want us to be afraid of anything.
But, that’s not true.

Proverbs 9:10 says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…”

Ecclesiastes 12:13: “…Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”

And Jesus taught: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

This concept of fearing God was very real to John Newton.
When he wrote his song “Amazing Grace” he included this verse:
“It was grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear,
the hour I first believed.”
From what I understand… John Newton was a wicked man. If there was something evil he could do... and he could figure out a way to do it… he did it.

In fact, his wickedness was so obvious, that when his ship, the Greyhound, was caught in a terrible storm at sea, the captain of the ship seriously considered throwing John overboard like Jonah because he believed Newton’s wickedness was the cause of all their misery.

During the 9 terrifying hours of a storm that had everyone – including Newton – praying.
John Newton concluded that his sins were too great to be forgiven.
He waited with fear and impatience to receive his doom."

Newton was afraid.
And he later came to believe that his fear was God’s tool to get his attention.
“It was grace that taught my heart to fear”
John Newton believed God had to bring him to his knees in FEAR before he would ever give his life to Jesus.

Acts chapter 9 tells us a similar story about a man named Saul (we know him as Paul).
Saul was a very righteous Pharisee who had been responsible for the death of the first Christian martyr to die for the faith – Stephen.

Saul became fanatical in his opposition to the church.
He hated the name of Jesus and he hated anyone who belonged to our Lord.
By the time we get to Acts 9, Saul has obtained letters of authority from the Sanhedrin, and he’s on his way to Damascus with an armed guard, determined to arrest any Christian he can find there – and bring them back in chains.
That’s when Jesus stepped in and brought Saul to his knees.
And that brings me to our text this morning Acts 9:3-6
“As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
"Now get up and go into the city,
and you will be told what you must do."

For 3 days, Saul sat in a house in Damascus waiting for the messenger Jesus had promised.
For 3 days he’s blind, and he sits alone in his room, fasting and praying.

Now tell me… do you think Saul was a little afraid???
You better believe it.
I suspect there were times during those 3 days that Saul (like Newton) probably thought:
“I concluded my sins were too great to be forgiven.
I waited with fear and impatience to receive my doom.”
It was grace that taught Saul’s heart to fear.

When Ananias came to him and explained how much God really loved him, and Saul was baptized into Christ and accepted Jesus’ grace. From that day forward, Saul was determined, focused, and unstoppable.

Acts 9:20-23 says that
“At once he began to preach in the synagogues
that Jesus is the Son of God.
All those who heard him were astonished and asked,
‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem
among those who call on this name?
And hasn’t he come here
to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’
Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him.”

There were people that became annoyed with him and didn’t like him.
But Saul didn’t care.
He didn’t love the world… he loved Jesus.

I’ve noticed that God DOES use fear every once in a while, to get people’s attention

I heard of a man who often shared about his auto accident that brought him back to Jesus.
He had been a Christian years before but had wandered away and lived his life without God.

Then one day, he was driving a pick up truck down a road in Kentucky.
He was towing another truck behind him.
He came to a section of road that had a pretty steep grade.
He wasn’t troubled by it… until his brakes went out.
He ended up going down a weaving Kentucky road at speeds of at least 70 mph.
Then the trees parted to show that his road was going to “T” with another highway… and on that other road there was another car traveling on a collision course with him.

“Oh dear Lord,” he prayed. “Don’t let me kill them.”
He did miss that car.
But his vehicle launched across that other highway and barreled into a tree on the other side.
He says he didn’t remember anything until he woke inside his truck.
The dash was crushed up against the seat and the steering column was driven into the place where he had been seat belted in just moments before.
His body was scrunched up against the driver’s side door in a section that was hardly big enough for him to breath.

He still has pictures of the crumpled truck… and he knows full well there was no way he should have walked away from that crash.
Only God could have saved him in such a dramatic fashion.
When he got out of the hospital, he called one of the elders of the local church and asked what time church was.
And on one of the worst Sundays of that winter, this man came hobbling into church on his crutches, and he’s been there ever since.

Many have faced a fear of impending judgment, and that fear caused them to repent.

We see another example of this in
Acts 16:25 – 34
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God,
and the prisoners were listening to them,
26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake,
so that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
And immediately all the doors were opened,
and everyone's bonds were unfastened.
27 When the jailer woke and saw
that the prison doors were open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice,
“Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

29 And the jailer[a] called for lights and rushed in,
and trembling with fear
he fell down before Paul and Silas.

30 Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus,
and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him
and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night
and washed their wounds;
and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
34 Then he brought them up into his house
and set food before them.
And he rejoiced along with his entire household
that he had believed in God."

The Bible tells us that there are unlimited reasons for people Outside of Jesus Christ to fear.
Hebrews 9:27 “… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

It’s grace that can teach our hearts to fear… and to repent.
But wait… after Paul was baptized, he doesn’t appear to be afraid of anything.

Acts 9:20 says that
after he’d spend some time with the disciples in Damascus
“he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
And this preaching got him into some trouble with some of the Jews in that town.

Acts 9:23 says After many days had gone by,
the Jews conspired to kill him…”
Paul learned of their plan, but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave town.
He just kept on preaching.
But his followers were concerned, and so they “took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.” Acts 9:25

For the rest of his life, Paul didn’t care what the world thought about what he preached. He wasn’t afraid of what they could do to him.
BUT WHY?

Just a few days before this, Paul sat in a lonely room, fasting and praying totally afraid of the judgment of God that he knew he deserved.
But now he doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.
– what happened?

Well, two things come to mind:
1. The fear of God gave him courage to confront any fear of men.
I saw a quote that stated: "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else."

God told Israel “Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the LORD your God goes with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you”
Deuteronomy 31:6

Or as Romans 8:31 says: “If God is for us,
who can be against us?”

It’s knowing that God is “with us” that gives us our courage… and helps us overcome our fears.

I read the story about a woman who was babysitting for the 2 year old son of her minister.
The boy was sleeping in her home one night while the minister and his wife were out of town and the boy woke up at 4:30 a.m. crying for his daddy.
She didn’t know what to do until she remembered her tape player.
She got up and plugged it in.
Together they listened to one of his dad’s sermons.
The little fellow knew it was his father’s voice, and went back to sleep.”

That little boy overcame his fears because he sensed his father was near, and he was safe.
Likewise – our Father can give us courage to stand up against any danger that this world may threaten us with because we know that He is a fearsome God who has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

1. Paul was not afraid because, now he was no longer under judgment.
   Romans 8:1-2
   “Therefore, there is now NO CONDEMNATION
   for those who are in Christ Jesus,
   because through Christ Jesus the law
   of the Spirit of life set me free
   from the law of sin and death.”

Or John Newton wrote: “It was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved” We can’t earn salvation, we can’t buy salvation, we can’t do enough good to deserve it, but God saves us because of His grace.

Well, how then do we “accept” this grace?
The Bible tells us we need to do just a few simple things:

1. We need to BELIEVE that Jesus is
   the Christ the Son of the living God (John 3:16)
2. We need to ACKNOWLEDGE that we are sinners
   and be willing to turn away form that sin (Acts 3:19)
3. We need to CONFESS Jesus
   as our Lord and Master (Romans 10:9-10)
4. We need to die to our sins and
   be buried in the waters of BAPTISM (Romans 6:1-5)

Grace CAN teach our hearts to Fear
But ultimately His grace can relieve our hearts from the fear of judgment.

Scripture says there will be a time of final judgment, but His grace can remove any fear of that judgment.

I would like to close this morning with a story about a man who was attending a Youth Ministry class.

When he got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying.
The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test.

We went through the review, most of it right on the study guide but there were some things he was reviewing that we had never heard of.

When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book.
We couldn’t really argue with that.
Finally it was time to take the test.

The professor instructed us to "Leave the tests face down on the desk until everyone has one and I tell you to start"

When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in!

The bottom of the last page said the following:
"This is the end of the Final Exam.
All the answers on your test are correct.
You will receive an ’A’ on the final exam.

The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you.
All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A.
You have just experienced...grace."

View Details

The Lamb of God
John 1:19-34

INTRO: Good morning church. Open your Bibles to the Gospel of John, and we will be picking up today in John 1:19. In our look at John’s gospel so far we saw the first 18 verses describing Jesus as the Eternal Word. The Word became flesh, made His dwelling, His tabernacle among us, and we have seen His glory and from that fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Also in chapter 1:6-8 we were told about a man named John. We know him as John the Baptizer, but this Gospel calls him John the Witness. He is the one who has come to give witness of who Jesus is, that Jesus is the light, that John himself is not that light.

Now we will consider John 1:19-34 in two sections. The first section is going to be John's testimony of himself and then the second section is going to be John's testimony of Jesus.

I. John's testimony of himself. (1:19-28) - We will begin with John 1:19-28 – “19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

A. Verse 19 sets up the scenario for us. Jews have come from Jerusalem to ask John some questions. They want clarification about who John is. Verse 24 gives us additional insight saying they had been sent from the Pharisees.

1. The word "Jews," by the end of the first century and the time John wrote this Gospel, had acquired a sinister meaning in Christian society, resulting from “official” Israel's rejection of the Savior.
2. Coffman wrote that; “John's use of this word (Jews) throughout the Gospel was to designate the avowed enemies of Christ; and it should never be understood as including the whole race of Israel, despite the fact that the vast majority of Israel had followed their evil leaders in rejecting Christ.”

B. I wondered why they bothered to come out to question John in the first place. We are told they are priests and Levites. Most of the high priestly class was Sadducees but verse 24 indicates some Pharisees were seeking answers too. I suspect then that the Sanhedrin was the body that initiated this inquiry. Why? The popular report of John's success had reached Jerusalem; and, unthinkably, he was even teaching that "Jews" needed repentance and baptism! Were they not the chosen people? What brand of teaching was this, then, that demanded repentance of Jews?
C. These Jews are trying to dig a little deeper. They come to John and they are asking; “who are you, John?” They are not asking; where did you come from, who are your parents and what's your occupation. They are asking where John fits in a theological sense, a messianic sense, brought about no doubt by his activities. There must have been whispers that this man might be the Messiah; and were not the lords of the Sanhedrin God's chosen instruments for running down and foiling any false Messiah?

1. In short then, they are asking; are you the one that has been sent by God that we've been looking for, the messiah? Verse 20, “He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”” That does not satisfy them and the questioning continues, “Are you Elijah?” “No”. “Are you the Prophet?” “No”. That leads me to pause because I have some more questions.
2. John the Baptist was called Elijah by Jesus (Matthew 17:12), and this raises the question of why John denied it here. This is another example of the kind of "contradiction" which so delights some of the critics. Literally, John the Baptist was NOT Elijah, and John's literal answer WAS literally true. Typically and spiritually, John the Baptist was THAT Elijah foretold in Malachi 4:5. However, the popular notion was that the original Elijah would rise from the dead; and, if John the Baptist had given an affirmative answer to their question, it would have been, in that context, a falsehood. This literalization of the promised return of Elijah in the popular mind would have made it impossible for him to have answered affirmatively to their question.

D. The second question gives me pause because what prophet they are referring to. Most likely, “Are you the Prophet” refers to Deuteronomy 18:15-18 when Moses in his final word says, there is a prophet that is going to be raised up like me. We know this is talking about the Messiah. This question covers the same ground which had already been answered.

1. Here's John saying, no, I am not him. That is not me at all.
2. John’s answers; no, I'm not the Christ, no, I'm not Elijah, no, I am not the prophet does not satisfy them. So then verse 22, “well, then who are you? We need to tell the people who've sent us.” [para] What's your point of view? Where do you belong in all of this?

E. John answers in verse 23 when he says, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” In John 1:6-8 he is called the witness. Now he calls himself the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness. John, as a witness, reaches back to the prophecy of Isaiah to a reference point to describe who he is.
F. The Isaiah prophecy is an excellent summary of the work of John. The message of Isaiah is a challenge to the nation, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Messiah. Remove the obstacles and barriers in preparation for the coming king. This is the message of John: you need to get your hearts ready because the Lord is coming. John pictures himself as merely a laborer preparing the road in advance of the arrival of the King.

1. Let’s take a look carefully at the prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah 40:3-5 – “3. A voice cries in the wilderness: “prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.''”[ESV]
2. There is a literal historical concept here. When a king was going to come into a village the people got everything prepared. They got the roadways cleared. All the obstacles were removed. Perhaps you recall what happens when a city is going to host the Olympics; everything gets built up and fixed.
3. The king is coming. Make ready, get yourself prepared. Isaiah is making the calling, get your heart prepared; you need to be ready and watching for the king. John's message about who he is, is very important. The Lord is coming.

G. This is a call of repentance to the nation to get their hearts right before God. Look at Isaiah 40:5 again, “…the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Remember what John 1:14 said? “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1. John the apostle is arguing, we have seen the glory of God, we have seen the Lord. He tabernacled among us. He lived here. By seeing Jesus, we have seen God. I notice that's exactly what John the witness, John the voice, is declaring as well. Make straight the paths because the glory of the Lord is coming and all flesh is going to see His arrival.
2. Would you not expect the messengers to go, wow, you're the voice that Isaiah was speaking of, and that means the King is about to arrive, and we need to get our lives right, and we need to turn to God and clear out the darkness and the obstacles in our hearts so that when the King, the Messiah arrives, we are prepared for His coming. But John 1:25 shows this just flew right over their heads.

H. In verse 25 “They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” From our vantage point I can almost imagine John giving a big sigh. He says, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

1. John once again dismisses himself as nothing. John is baptizing with water, but the one coming after him is far greater.
2. We have to appreciate how John continues to depreciate himself and say, I'm not anybody in all of this. Which of course is fascinating when you read Jesus' words in Matthew where He says, “… among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist;…” Yet here is John saying, I'm nothing, somebody greater is coming. This is John's testimony about himself. He is doing the job that we saw set out for him in John 1:6-8, that he would bear witness, give his testimony about who Jesus is, and this is exactly what John is doing.

II. John’s testimony of Jesus (1:29-34) - John is fulfilling his purpose and pointing to the light, pointing to the Christ and saying, “this is the one”. This comes to fruition in verses 29 through 34 where we read John's testimony of Jesus. John 1:29-34 – “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.””

A. John sees Jesus coming to him and John says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It is the day after the questioning by the “Jews” and here comes Jesus approaching John. John was in exactly the right frame of mind to identify the Savior, and his disciples had been fully prepared, emotionally and intellectually, to transfer their love and loyalty to Jesus Christ. To me this is far more than merely accidental circumstances.

1. John is fulfilling his purpose, pointing out Jesus and describing Him as the one who is going to fulfill the prophecies of God. What is really interesting about this, is his calling Jesus the Lamb of God.
2. When we consider this we realize that there is nothing ferocious about a lamb. There is nothing about a lamb that is a picture of strength or leadership. No one uses a lamb as a symbol of power. The Lamb is led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7). It brings to mind that in the Old Testament, lambs, goats, and bulls were the primary animals used in sacrifices to God. The lamb has its strongest meaning in the Passover. A lamb without blemish was offered (Exodus 12:3-11). The apostle John takes the imagery of the Passover lamb (a picture of God’s deliverance) and combines it with the picture of the sin sacrifice (taking away the sins of the world).

B. The witness of John is staggering. By calling Jesus the lamb, John is declaring His sacrificial death. This is the primary image of the lamb. Lambs are for slaughter, but His death would be with purpose. He is the lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Notice that this lamb is not sin-substituting, but sin removing. Notice the other key message of John’s testimony. Jesus is the lamb that not only has come to remove the sins of Israel by His sacrificial death, but the sins of the whole world. Everyone can access this sacrifice for sins when the Lamb of God is slain. Jesus is the world’s Messiah, not just Israel’s Messiah.
C. John continues in John 1:30 - “This is He of whom I said, After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'”* We saw that very message before in John 1:15 *“John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said,He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' ''” John is saying this again. The reason why He is so great is because even though He comes after me, He was actually before me. Here is this eternal nature described about the Lamb. Jesus is the eternal God. He is the Word that we read about in chapter 1. He is now described not only as the Word, but the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He is the eternal God coming to die for our sins.
D. Then John continues in verse 31. “"I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.''” We know that John the witness was a cousin of Jesus and well acquainted with Him from the purely human standpoint. The meaning here has to be that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah. He did know, however, that the Messiah was soon to appear, that He would shortly be revealed to Israel, and that John’s own heavenly commission was connected with the appearance and identification of the Messiah. The words here are the equivalent of saying, "I did not know who Jesus really is, any more than you did." This and the following verses reveal the means by which John himself was enabled to identify Jesus Christ as the Messiah with certainty.

1. In John 1:32-34 John gives his testimony showing how he knew Jesus was the Son of God. “32. And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33. "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34. "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.''”
2. John the witness says “…He who sent me to baptize with water…” Who is it talking about? It is God, as John the apostle says back in verse 6. In order for John to be able to see the Holy Spirit, it was necessary for the Spirit to assume a physical form; and, appropriately, it was that of a dove, long the symbol of peace and goodness. This was not merely a case of a bird alighting on Jesus for a moment, a phenomenon which, while rare, is occasionally experienced.
3. The dove visibly descended from on high, an action different from the typical flight pattern of a dove. Then this Spirit-dove remained visibly upon the Lord identifying Jesus absolutely as the one who would baptize in the Holy Spirit, with the necessary deduction that the same was the Messiah. Now I ask you, what did this dove do? It witnessed that the one on who the Spirit descended and remained is the Son of God.

E. Thinking about this look at 1st John 5:8 – “there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” The point that's being made is that these are the three things that testify that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was sent from God and He came into this world.

1. First of all, let's take the Spirit. How does the Spirit testify? We just saw this in John 1:32.
2. Second, Mark 1:9f – “It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Also Matthew 3:16f – “Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.''” (and Luke 3:21f) In that baptism which Jesus submitted to, we see again the witness.
3. Third, Matthew 27:50f – “50. Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. 51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52. and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53. and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!''”

F. We should consider also, what does it mean for John to say that he was sent by God to baptize with water, but the one who came after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit?

1. When we read the Old Testament, we see the Glory of God leaving the temple in Ezekiel 10. We read of God removing Himself from the people because of their sins. God is saying, “We can't be in fellowship. We can't have a relationship.” His glory would no longer dwell with them. This imagery is used of God leaving and separating, but the prophets come along and prophesy, the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out one day. When we read all the surrounding context of that wording, it is a picture of God's returning. Recall Haggai said “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former”.
2. John, the witness, is making the distinction between his baptism and Jesus' baptism. Don't underestimate John's baptism. People sometimes say, well, John's baptism was only for repentance. Be careful with that, because Mark 1:4 says John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” So does Luke 3:3 and Matthew.

G. What set John's baptism apart from Jesus' baptism? It's not the fact of water baptism. John's baptism brought repentance and brought about forgiveness of sins. Jesus' baptism does the same, but what makes Jesus’ greater, as John is arguing, is that it is Jesus' baptism that brings the restoration of God's blessings. It is Jesus' baptism that brings us into the covenant kingdom of God. That's what makes what Jesus would do greater.

1. When John baptized people, sins were forgiven. People are looking forward to the Messiah. They're turning their hearts and repenting.
2. When Jesus comes along, there's not only forgiveness of sins and repentance. There's something way better. It is entrance into the kingdom of God. It is entering into a covenant relationship with God. It is receiving the blessings of God. That's what makes Jesus' baptism greater.

H. Read with me from the letter to the church in Ephesus starting in Ephesians 1:3f – “3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”

1. Paul describes, that before the world was ever created… the divine plan for the Son of God's visitation to humanity existed. That body that Christ would gather from the populations of earth is destined to receive eternal life; because what God purposes is certain of fulfillment. Yet, we have free will so every person may decide if they will or will not become a part of it and receive the intended blessing.
2. The word “adoption” is used here to describe the acceptance of sinners into the family of God. It is only one of many words that describe the relationship Christians receive when they are converted. Thus, they are "the temple of God, the family of God, the bride of Christ, the vineyard of the Lord, the church of the firstborn, and (as here) the adoption." Each of these different terms describes some special and significant feature of the "new creation."
3. The word adoption seems to tell us the Christian's privileges in God's family. Just as an abandoned and forsaken child may be taken into a family by adoption, such a legal action bestowing upon the child all of the rights and privileges of that family without any regard whatever to any merit of the child.

I. Continue in “ 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8. which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9. having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10. that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him, 11. in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12. that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”

1. The blessings enumerated here in the Ephesian epistle belong exclusively to those who have been "baptized into Christ," there being absolutely no other way mentioned in the New Testament through which any person may fancy that they are "in Christ."
2. We are united with God "in Christ" through faith, repentance and submission to God's ordinance of baptism (1st Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27).

CONCLUSION: I submit to you, that is exactly what the Apostle Peter is arguing when he preaches that first sermon in Acts 2:38f. “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, (Folks, there's not a period here. There is more.) and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. [ESV]

In the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel told of the forgiveness of sins; regeneration; and the reception of the Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 36:25-31) This inspired prophet writes of the cleansing through the new covenant as in Jeremiah 31:31-38. With that covenant your sins are going to be washed away and you get to be part of this glorious kingdom, and you get to receive the blessings of God. You will be in a covenant relationship with Him. That was all stripped away in the days of Israel and the days of Judah when they broke the Old Covenant. That relationship is destroyed.

Now restoration has occurred. That's the message that's being given. Your sins are taken away and the blessings of God are being poured out. The covenant now has been brought back. You can be in a covenant relationship with Him and you can be part of that glorious kingdom.

That's what John is arguing. I'm baptizing with water. The baptism that Jesus brings is what you're looking for—restoration with God. Reconciliation can occur and all the hope of Israel and all the hope of the world will now be established through the baptism of Jesus Christ. Repent of those sins. Be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins in the name of Jesus Christ. It's through His authority, through His power that we have entrance into this kingdom and that we have this glorious hope.

The message is yours.

View Details

Luke 7:36 – 50

The AP Wire Service reported this story out of Nashville, Tennessee a few years ago.
A Tennessee Highway Patrolman stopped a car that was a total wreck. It had 3 flat tires.
Every window had been broken out, and the roof was caved in, indicating that it had rolled over.
This car had been wrecked, but it was still going down the highway.

When they stopped it, the woman who was driving expressed surprise that her car had been wrecked.
In fact, she said she didn't realize that she had been in an accident until she started to roll down the window to talk to the arresting officer.
When she saw that the glass was shattered, she knew that something must have happened.

When they questioned her a little further, she admitted that she had had 2 or 3 beers.
But the alcohol breath test revealed that it had to be many, many more than just 2 or 3.
Here was a woman who had wrecked her car, rolled it over, and was so drunk that she didn't even realize that she had been in an accident.

I believe that there are people who will be surprised at many things.
People will someday stand before the judgment of God and express surprise that they are lost.
They are the ones Jesus talked about, who said, "Lord, Lord... in your name we have done many wonderful works."
Some of them will even say, "We did miracles in your name."
But Jesus will tell them, "I never knew you: depart from me..." (Matthew 7:22-23)

God has written in His Word what He expects us to do.
If we don't do it, we have ignored Him.
And to stand in the judgment and be surprised that we are lost, is like this woman expressing surprise that her car had been wrecked.

Our scripture text this morning is Luke 7:36-50.
And I want to read vs's 36-39 to you right now. "Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table."

"When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears."

"Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."
"When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is - that she is a sinner.'"

I have just 2 points to my sermon this morning.

1. We will consider the story with some explanations.

2. We'll consider its lessons with some applications.

Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee by the name of Simon.
That is quite something because the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their power, their teachings, and to their very legalistic system.
They considered Jesus an enemy. Not all of them did, but most of them resented Him and His teachings.
In that time period in Israel, houses of well to do people were usually built around an open courtyard.
Many times there were flowering plants or a fountain there, and often it was the best place to eat their evening meals when the weather was hot.

It was probably in such a setting Jesus had been invited to eat on this occasion.
Now they had an interesting custom in Israel.
That custom was this: When a Rabbi was visiting and you were out in the courtyard, anybody could come and listen to the conversation in order to learn from the Rabbi.

You also need to know that when a guest arrived, it was customary to make him feel welcome by going through certain common courtesies.

First of all, his feet would be washed.
A guest's feet would be caked with dirt after walking in sandals on the dusty roads.
So a servant would greet him at the door with a basin of water, and would wash and dry his feet.
After his feet had been washed, the host would greet him with a "kiss of peace" to make him feel welcome, and let him know that he was an honored guest.

Then it was a matter of courtesy to anoint the head of the guest with some sweet smelling oil.
Maybe it was because of the hot oriental sun.
Maybe some of the men were thin on top and slightly sunburned. I'm not sure exactly why, but it was customary to use oil to anoint the head of a guest.
All of these things went together to say, "You are welcome in my home."
But when Jesus visited the home of this Pharisee, none of these things happened.
Luke says that Jesus sat down at the table without His feet being washed, without the customary kiss, or the anointing of oil.

Which leads us to ask the question, "Why did Simon invite Jesus in the first place?"
Well, we don't know.
Some speculate that maybe Simon was really interested in what Jesus was teaching and who He was, and wanted to find out more.
But had this been true, I think he would have certainly observed the customs of common courtesy in his treatment of Jesus.
One Bible scholar suggests that Simon was probably "a collector of celebrities."
It was now popular to have Jesus as a dinner guest.
Simon invited Him so that he could say, "Oh yes, I had this new teacher, this new Rabbi in my home."

But since he didn't agree with Jesus, he received Him with a rather patronizing attitude.
But most commentators believe that Simon, as a Pharisee, was one of the religious elite, critical of what Jesus was teaching and hoping to expose Him as some kind of religious fraud.

So Simon treated Jesus with a barely disguised contempt, carefully neglecting every custom that would have made Jesus feel welcome in his home.
Then, as they began eating, an unusual thing happened.
This woman who Luke calls a "sinner" – and the word he uses means "an immoral woman, a prostitute," came to where they were eating in the courtyard.

She stood at the feet of Jesus and started weeping.
Her tears fell on His feet, so she dried them with her hair.
Then she broke a vial of expensive perfume and anointed His feet, and began kissing them.
All the while, Simon the Pharisee was watching.

He was greatly offended by what was going on because it was obvious that all the things he had failed to do to make Jesus welcome, this woman was now doing.

Simon knew what kind of woman she was.
So, as he judges her, he also judges Jesus.
He assumes that Jesus, in not stopping her, is condoning immorality. Simon thinks to himself, "If this man really is a prophet, He would know she is an immoral woman."

Jesus knows what Simon is thinking, and Jesus knew more about her than Simon did.
When Simon looked at her all he saw was a prostitute, a sinner, someone to be shunned.
But Jesus saw her as a repentant sinner, a precious soul seeking some way to express her love and appreciation for what Jesus had come to mean to her.

I want you to notice a couple of things in this passage that you may not have thought about before.
Vs. 37 begins with these words, “When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town…”
Wait a minute, it doesn’t say, “who is living a sinful life.”
It says “who had lived a sinful life.”
That’s past tense, isn’t it?
“She must have heard Jesus preach, and in repentance she determined to lead a new life.”
And in just a few moments we will be reading vs. 47 where Jesus, in speaking about her says,
“Her many sins have been forgiven…”
I think we can safely conclude that Jesus had met her before, had already forgiven her, and she had become one of His followers.
And that’s why she had followed Him there that evening.

Now let’s continue on with vs’s 40-42, "Jesus answered him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you.'
'Tell me, teacher,' he said.
'Two men owed money to a certain moneylender.
One owed him 500 denarii, and the other 50.
'Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.
Now which of them will love him more?'

Now don't try to translate that into dollars, because you could easily get confused.
Just remember that a denarius represented a day's wage.
So, one owed the equivalent of 50 working days, and the other owed 500 working days.
Using a 5 day work week, one man owed him 10 weeks work and the other owed him 100 weeks, or almost two years.

Jesus asks Simon a very important question…which one will love the money lender more?”
I imagine Simon was sitting there with his mouth open.
First of all, to think that a moneylender would not collect what was owed him was unreal.
Simon couldn't even imagine that type of thing happening with moneylenders he knew.

Secondly, he was probably trying to figure out why Jesus was telling him that story at all.
He couldn’t see any point to it.
But he went ahead and answered the question, "'I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.'
'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said.”

Vs’s 44-47 tell us, "Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?
I came into your house.
You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
"You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet."

"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven for she loved much.
But he who has been forgiven little… loves little."

Now, from that story let's bring out 4 lessons and apply them.
Lesson #1. Everyone is in debt - Everyone of us is a debtor.
Every person in this room is in debt to society, to our nation, and to God. We are all debtors.

When I talk about being in debt, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
And, if you don't remember to whom you owe money you're going to have all kinds of trouble.
And Simon's problem was that he had a poor memory.

I imagine when Simon looked at himself he thought, "God, you're lucky to have me on your team.
I'm pretty special. I've memorized the law, and I pray beautiful prayers, and I do many significant things for You.
I'm a Pharisee and I have mastered the art of being a Pharisee.
God, I'm a pretty special guy."
What Simon forgot was that he was a sinner.

His sins were sins of the heart, and he didn't recognize them as sins.
So it was easy for him to forget that he needed forgiveness too.

Isn't it easy for us to forget how indebted we are to those who paid a price to achieve freedom for us?
Isn't it easy to come into God's house and open our Bibles and forget those early pilgrims who paved the way for us!
Song #222 Faith of Our Fathers

We put hamburgers on the grill and sit around enjoying all the material blessings that God has given us and forget the blood that was shed.
We owe a great debt to those who have gone before.
We also owe an even greater debt to our God who has redeemed and forgiven us.
We are all debtors. We all owe a debt.

Lesson #2. We can never repay those debts.
When I think of the debt of freedom that I owe to our forefathers, I realize that is a debt that I can't pay.
And when I think of the debt that I owe God in heaven for the price He paid for my sins, I realize that I can't pay that either.

Now back to our story.
This woman came to Jesus and stood at His feet.
She wet His feet with her tears and tried to dry them with her hair. Then she anointed His feet with oil.
It was an expression of gratitude and love.

You say, "Well, that's one way to pay God back."
But she wasn't paying Him back.
All she was doing was saying, "Thank you, Lord.
Thank you for forgiving my sins."
That's all we can do, too. We can never pay God back.
But we can roll up our sleeves and go to work.
We can worship and serve, we can cry and pray.
We can seek to reach others for Jesus.
We can do all that, but we will never even if we work 20 hours a day the rest of our lives never be able to pay the debt that we owe our God.

Lesson #3. Forgiveness is available to everyone.
First of all, we stated that all of us are spiritually in debt. Secondly, we said we can never repay the debt.
Now we are saying that "Since we can't pay it, therefore we stand in need of forgiveness from it."
And the good news is that forgiveness is available to everyone, but forgiveness is not free.

Lesson #4. Forgiveness is not free.
Forgiveness always costs something.
For the moneylender it cost 550 denarii to forgive those who were indebted to him.
A small amount perhaps when compared to the debts we're talking about.
But forgiveness always costs something.

When God said, "I forgive you of your sin," then it cost God something because before forgiveness there had to be the agony of Gethsemane. Before forgiveness there had to be the death on the cross and the resurrection.
And Jesus paid that price!

The ledger had to be clear before forgiveness of sin could become a reality.
But now that it has been paid it's available to all.

Robert McCormack was a sergeant in WW 1.
He nearly lost his life while saving the life of Major Henry Parkin. Fortunately, both men survived the war.
From that day on, until he died 25 years later, in April of every year Parkin wrote McCormack a letter of gratitude.
The last letter Parkin wrote contained this brief note:
"Dear Bob, I again want to express to you my appreciation for another year of life which I would not have enjoyed had it not been for you and the price you were willing to pay to save my life. I want you to know, I am grateful."

Today, God's forgiveness is available.
He offers it to you through Jesus Christ His Son.
The price has been paid and He invites you to come.
Will you come as together we stand and sing Our song of INVITATION?

View Details

Colossians 4:2-6 and 2 Kings 6:8-23

INTRODUCTION: A Chinese doctor can’t find a job in a hospital in America, so he opens a clinic and puts a sign outside that reads "GET TREATMENT FOR $20 - IF NOT CURED GET BACK $100."
An American lawyer thinks this is a great opportunity to earn $100 and goes to the clinic.

Lawyer: "I have lost my sense of taste."
Doctor: "Nurse, bring medicine from box No. 14 and put 3 drops in patient's mouth."
Lawyer: "Ugh. this is kerosene."
Doctor: "Congrats, your sense of taste is restored. Give me my $20."

The annoyed lawyer goes back after a few days to try to recover his money.
Lawyer: "I have lost my memory. I can’t remember anything."
Doctor: "Nurse, bring medicine from box no. 14 and put 3 drops in his mouth."
Lawyer (annoyed): "This is kerosene. You gave this to me last time for restoring my taste."
Doctor: "Congrats. You got your memory back. Give me $20."

The fuming lawyer pays him, then comes back a week later determined to get back $100.
Lawyer: "My eyesight has become very weak I cannot see at all."
Doctor: "Well, I don't have any medicine for that, so take this $100."
Lawyer (staring at the note): "But this is $20, not $100!”
Doctor: "Congrats, your eyesight is restored. Give me $20"

Don’t stress about your eyesight failing as you get older...
It’s nature’s way of protecting you from shock as you walk past the mirror.

Our Text this morning is from
Colossians 4:2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”

“Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

BEING WATCHFUL
Watching and praying are often associated in the Bible.
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, asked his Disciples to watch and pray with him as he prayed in the Garden at Gethsemane.
I think Jesus was asking them more than simply to stay awake and pray.

But they fell asleep.
Jesus told them “pray that you enter not into temptation.”
I think this was more than just an encouragement to pray. I think Jesus wanted them to experience the results of prayer.
Prayer changes your perspective. It can change the way you look at yourself and the world around you. I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if the Disciples had stayed awake with Jesus and prayed that night.

ILLUSTRATION And that reminds me of one of the most amazing events of God’s intervention in warfare in the Old Testament. It’s found in the 6th chapter of 2 Kings.

The Kingdom of Aram, roughly the area we call Syria today, was at war with the Kingdom of Israel. But every time the King of Aram sent his army against Israel, probing to find a weak spot for invading Israel, he found the army of Israel already there in force, dug in and ready to fight.

It happened so often that he came to the conclusion that there must be a traitor among his army officers. But his officers protested, and one of them said that the God of Israel must be telling the Prophet Elisha their plans and Elisha was telling the King of Israel. So the King of Aram said, “Get Elisha! Capture him and bring him to me!”

So the King of Aram sent a large force that invaded Israel by night and surrounded the city in which Elisha lived. Then early in the morning when the servant of Elisha awoke and saw the enemy army, he was terrified.

So Elisha prayed for his servant “Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The servant looked and saw horses and chariots of fire in the sky surrounding them all.
Well, I could go on and tell you what happened next and how the raids against Israel stopped without any bloodshed at all. But if you really want to know how this event plays out,
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to read 2 Kings 6:8-23.

My point is that our prayer should be that the Lord give us eyes to see things, not necessarily the way the servant saw them, but as God sees them - to grant us His perspective. Prayer wakes us up to the spiritual realities BOTH around and within us. This is its first purpose.

BEING THANKFUL
Another purpose for prayer is that we become truly thankful.

ILLUSTRATION A preacher is invited to a family’s home for Sunday Dinner. Almost before everyone is seated, the children start grabbing and eating. The embarrassed mother gives them a quick reprimand, and the children stare back at her in confusion. The preacher is then asked to pray. And he does.The mother explains, “We don’t always pray before meals.”

To the minister this is fairly obvious. The mother adds, “We just take it for granted that God knows how thankful we are!”

“God knows how thankful we are!”
That was her excuse at the dinner table. But the trouble with that attitude is that it is not confined to the dinner table.

This way of thinking would lead others to this way of thinking, “Why pray at all if God knows all that we need?”
Some may even quote Jesus when He said that God knows all that we need before we even ask Him.So why should we pray?

Well, one reason is that when we pray, we pray to communicate with our Lord. Prayer is an opportunity to share the most deeply felt needs of our lives, and express to God the gratitude, praise, and joy we feel, and for His precious gift of salvation.

Yet, remembering to pray is not my biggest problem. I don’t know about you, but I confess that I am more likely to burden God with my requests and focusing on the things that are of this world that concern us, more than focusing on thanking Him for the things that are good.

There is so much for which to be thankful – for life, health, family, friends, the goodness of God, the gift of His Son and of His Holy Spirit, forgiveness. This list could go on and on.

Besides the mental, social, physical and spiritual benefits of prayer, we should never pray without thanking God. That would be ungrateful of us.

BEING EFFECTIVE
Paul was not only praying for those who would read his letter, He was also asking them to pray for him. Listen to his words again:
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

I want you to notice, Paul was an Apostle – someone with good news he wanted to tell. So, he asks for prayer that he would be effective in sharing new about Jesus even when he was in prison.

ILLUSTRATION There is a story of a Hindu woman who was converted and became a Christian. She suffered a lot of persecution from her husband.

A missionary asked her what she did when her husband became angry with her.She replied that she cooked his food better. When he complained, she swept the floor cleaner.When he spoke unkindly, she answered him mildly. She tried to show him that when she became a Christian she became a better wife and mother.

We live in a world that is often hostile to Christ, or worse still, indifferent to Him. Too often some Christians so closely identify themselves with the world by their words, their actions, their lack of action, that their lives can hardly be distinguished from non-Christians.

Another response some Christians attempt to make is to shut out the world entirely and live in their own little, private, well-protected world.

Neither of these is the best response. The best response is for Christians to be faithful witnesses to the world. We live in the world. We make our living in the world. We associate with the people of the world. Therefore we should give a good witness of our faith to the world.

Our faith should be the guiding principle for our lives. Our encounter with God in worship gives us strength and power for daily living. Our character, growing out of our relationship of faith in God, gives silent but eloquent witness of the meaning of faith and salvation.

Through the way we live our lives we are “salespeople” for our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION Someone once said
“Faith lives or dies not by what goes on in churches, but by what, as a result of the churches, goes on outside of them.”

That is what the apostle Paul meant in vs’s 5 and 6 of Colossians 4. He urged them, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders,” (meaning those who are outside the Christian fellowship). He had both an offensive and defensive purpose in mind.

The defensive purpose was to protect the good name of the Christian community. The offensive purpose was to reach out to outsiders and draw them into Christian fellowship and to faith in Christ.
This is still our witness to the World.

a. We should take every opportunity to witness.

QUOTE It has been said,
“Opportunity is like a swift horse that pauses for one moment by our side. If we fail to mount the horse in that moment, we can hear the clatter of its hooves down the corridors of time.”

b. We should walk with wisdom in our witness.

Paul’s instructions in Colossians 4:5-6 may be a gentle warning about the methods of witness. We must use wisdom and discretion in presenting Jesus to those who do not know Him.

As our conduct is marked by grace so our speech should be marked by grace. Grace implies kindness, good will and tact. This is the kind of talk that witnesses for Christ – kind, courteous, tactful, not loud, coarse or rude.
Then Paul goes on to give some practical wisdom to those who would read his letter:
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Our desire should be that we have not only the opportunity, but also the wisdom and courage to live in such a way that we are sharing the love of Jesus to those around us.
Now let me ask you, “What is your occupation?”

Are you also praying that you would be capable of sharing about Jesus in whatever you do?

Almost every occupation is an opportunity to give witness concerning God, if we do it well.
Are you in business? Then Do business wisely and honestly.

Are you a musician? Make music that draws people to a higher calling and purpose, and do it with such excellence that the world takes notice.

In all things, be effective so that your life creates opportunities to show people the goodness of our God.

ILLUSTRATION There is a modern song by Jesse Manibusan
that sounds like a prayer set to music.

Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see

Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear Your voice
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear

Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love like You
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love

And the first shall be last
And our eyes are opened
And we'll hear like never before
And we'll speak in new ways
And we'll see God's face in places we've never known

I live within You
Deep in Your heart, oh love
I live within You
Rest now in me

Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see

Help me to see Your face
Help me to hear
Help me to hear Your voice
Help me to love
Help me to love like You
Help me to see

Please will you bow your heads with me as I pray?
Father, Thank you!
Thank you for life, for your love, and your truth.
Thank you for Jesus.
Thank you for the cross and all it means for us.
Thank you for love and joy and all the other gifts of your Holy Spirit.
Thank you for the brief time you’ve given us on this planet to enjoy its bounty.
Thank you for the promised hope we have in you.

And Father, please make my life count.
Use me at home, and here in Chardon, and in every relationship I have, to draw people to You and your love in Jesus Christ.
Shine your light in me and through me and use me to help others see your Light divine.

And Please, Father, make this world a better place because you’ve placed me here upon it.
And Father, in the name of Jesus, our Savior, I pray this - not only for myself, but also for everyone who may hear my voice.
Father, I love You, I know You love me. Thank You, thank You, thank You!
Amen.

INVITATION

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland

View Details

John 1:14-18

INTRO: Good morning church. Today I would like to continue our look at what John is telling us in chapter 1. John has introduced the Word and shown us Jesus is God. He is the eternal God. He created everything. Jesus is life, not only the Giver of life, but He is life. He also is the light and by receiving this light we can now know the way to God.
Then he talks about John the Witness and how he was sent by God to point out the light to a world blinded by Satan’s dark rule.
Finally John explains that when we receive Jesus, God will change our condition from being lost in sin to being authorized to be children of God.

Now lets read John 1:14-18 – “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” [ESV]

I. The Word Become Flesh: The Word became flesh. Notice that the Word did not cease being God. He did not cease to be what He was from the very beginning and now the Word has come to the realm of the flesh as flesh.

A. What is important about that is John does not give any indication that the Word has changed in any way from being God. It is still God with us, God has come.
B. Everything that has been attributed to the Word, as the eternal God and in whom is light and life is now applied to the man, Jesus. When the Word became flesh, the Word did not cease to be God. We now know with certainty that John is writing about Jesus.

II. Tabernacled: “the Word”, the Eternal God who created all things and in whom is light and life, “…became flesh and dwelt among us…”. The Greek word for “dwelt”, skēnoō (skay-no'-o), means to abide, to occupy, or to reside. Historically to tent. Some translators, following the Greek more exactly, render it "tabernacled among us." The idea is that Christ's earthly sojourn was not a fleeting, or illusory appearance, but a sustained and continued existence as a man among human beings, giving His contemporaries every opportunity to observe and evaluate His life and mission.

A. Recall as we began this study we observed that John is writing so that all believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31). We noted that the way John went about proving Jesus is God is by showing Jesus does what God did in the Old Testament. We saw this with the very first words of this gospel which did not read, “In the beginning God,”… but read, “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word is God because the Word created all things.
B. Let’s consider this, the Word is God because He tabernacled with us. Exodus 33-34 are our primary reference point. In these chapters God gives the law from Mount Sinai a second time and reveals His character, and glory - to Moses.

1. This is our first point of parallel. Just as the “Law” came from God which revealed the character and glory of God, now the “Word” has come from God which reveals the character and glory of God.
2. Our second point of parallel is that just as God “tabernacled” with His people in the wilderness, the “Word” tabernacled with His people, and they were witnesses of the new exodus accomplished in Jesus. In the wilderness we see God in His glory dwelling with His people as a pillar of cloud and fire above the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:38)
3. Note when the tabernacle was constructed what occurred: Exodus 40:34-35 - “34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
4. The same thing happens when the temple is constructed. We read in 2nd Chronicles 7:1-3 – “1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”” Israel understood the glory of the Lord filling the temple as God’s grace, steadfast love, and goodness. The glory of the Lord was dwelling with His people.

C. What happens later in Israel’s history is sad. The people are full of sin and violate the covenant with God. The prophet Ezekiel comes on the scene and sees in his visions the glory of the Lord leaving the temple (Ezekiel 10:4, 10:18, 11:22-23). Then Ezekiel prophesies of a hopeful time when the glory of the Lord will return to His temple. Ezekiel 43:4-5 – “4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”
D. Further, Haggai commanded the people by the word of the Lord to rebuild the temple with these encouraging words in Haggai 2:6-9 – “6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.” These prophecies looking forward to the day when the glory of the Lord would return to the temple.
E. When the people returned from Babylonian exile and built the temple in the days of Zerubbabel, we do not read of the glory of the Lord filling this temple.

1. The word “glory” does not appear in the books of Ezra or Nehemiah which chronicle the return from exile. Yet Haggai had promised the return of God’s glory to the temple. However, the people built the temple and nothing happened… No return of God’s glory. No filling of the temple.
2. Listen again to the words of John: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord return to the people as the image of His glory. Recall Haggai said “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former”.
3. The former glory of the temple Solomon built was immense; full of gold and precious stones. In addition, God filled that temple with His glory. But the future glory of the temple would be greater. Jesus, the Word, was that future glory. Jesus is where God and humanity meet. Jesus is the revealing of the glory of God.
4. The Word has come and tabernacled with His people and has led this great new Exodus, breaking free of slavery, and has brought them to new Sinai and has given the New Law and New Covenant. We see that all in the fact, that the Word became flesh and lived among us. John is driving that thought home giving us the picture that just as we saw God in His glory dwelling with His people, now we see the Word dwelling with them.

III. We Have Seen His Glory: Therefore, the apostles have an astounding observation. The glory of the Lord that left His people because of their sins has returned. The glory of the Lord, that did not return when Zerubbabel led the rebuilding of the temple and did not return when Herod beautified and expanded the temple, has now been seen.

A. The glory of the Lord that had not been observed for hundreds of years has been shown to the world once more. “We have seen his glory!”
B. Turn back to Exodus 33:18 and notice what Moses asked to see. He did not ask to see God, but asked to see God’s glory. “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”” I found that interesting. He didn't say, I want to see you.

1. What did God say would pass before Moses? “19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” You want to see My glory? Here's what's going to happen. You're going to see My goodness. You're going to see My graciousness. You're going to see My mercy.
2. When God revealed His glory to Moses, He revealed that His character was abounding in love and faithfulness. What does John say that we see when we see the glory of the Word? We see the Word “full of grace and truth.”
3. In Jesus we see God abounding in love and faithfulness. This is the idea of “truth” that John is driving at. The Jewish concept of truth was not merely knowledge, but stressed of a person being true to his word. Truth speaks to integrity. God is faithful to His word and that faithfulness and truth is seen in the Word. In Jesus we have seen the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth.

IV. The Glory of the One and Only Son: There is another phrase we need to consider. Not only have we seen the glory of the Father through the Son, but we have also seen “…glory as of the only Son from the Father..” Some translations use the phrase “only begotten” which can be somewhat misleading.

A. It does not mean that the “Word” was physically a descendant of God. This has been misused by some groups to say; He was the created Son or descendant of God or a demigod. That's not what that word means. The Greek word is monogenēs (mon-og-en-ace') which means “being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship, one and only; being the only one of its kind or class, unique (in kind)” (BDAG Greek Lexicon).
B. This is why most translations read “the only Son” or “the one and only Son” to communicate the uniqueness of the person of the Word, and the uniqueness of the relationship the Word has with the Father. The Word has no equal. He is able to fully reveal the Father, like no one else. God’s personal revelation of Himself has no parallel elsewhere, nor has it ever been repeated.
C. This is the same word used in Hebrews 11:17 when it speaks of Abraham's one and only son. Did Abraham have only one son? No, he did not. But he had only one unique son. Isaac was a child of miraculous birth that seemed impossible.

V. The Sad Reality: The full glory of God is seen in Jesus! All other revelations of God’s glory had been partial, but now God has revealed Himself through the Son in an unparalleled manner. How amazing! How precious that is!

A. What did the people see when they saw Jesus though? Turn to Isaiah 53 and listen to what Isaiah prophesied would occur. Isaiah 53:3-4 – “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
B. The Apostle John is not saying that when Jesus came, we looked at that physical body and we beheld His glory, and there we saw God. No. In the physical body of Jesus was not anything glorious to see. The glory was seen in His teachings, in His miracles, in His love, in His actions, and in all that He said and did.

1. Real greatness and real glory doesn't assert itself and doesn't parade itself. That's one of the amazing things. Here is God in the flesh revealing God’s glory. Real glory is seen in the Word leaving His exalted place and doing the lowly thing, becoming a servant.
2. In fact, in John’s gospel we will see Jesus describe His coming execution on the cross as the time when He would be glorified (John 7:39; 12:16; 12:23; 17:1). Unfortunately the people did not “see” His glory. They only saw shame. They considered Him stricken and smitten by God. Jesus saw the shame as the means to be glorified.
3. Jesus lived a life of humility, of lowliness, of rejection; then He accepted the most shameful of deaths. In that way He performed the ultimate service: He took away the sins of the world. John is saying that this is what real glory means. Jesus had no need to come to earth. He might have retained all the joy and splendor of heaven, but He left it. When He came to earth there was no need for Him to live in poverty and rejection—but He did. Then when He came to the end of His life He was not compelled to die the painful and shameful death of the cross—but He did.

C. We see that for us, as for Him, real glory is in lowly service. The Christian way is not a way in which we look for people to praise us.

1. Real glory rather is finding some useful piece of service, no matter how lowly, and doing it as well as we can. Unless we see that, we do not understand what Christian service is.
2. The call to Christian service is not a call to occupy some comfortable and eminent place. It is not the suggestion that if we go along in the right way, everyone will speak well of us. The call of Christian service is a call to take up our cross daily and to walk in the steps of Him who for our sake, took up His cross.”

VI. Grace Upon Grace: John continues in verses 16-17 with something that might change our view of how God dealt with people in the days of the Old Testament. In Jesus, God unveiled the full measure of grace and truth. John does not picture the time before Jesus as a time lacking grace and blessing. Rather, grace has been added to grace.

A. I wondered: what does it mean that we have all received grace upon grace? What does it mean that grace was added to grace? Verse 17 is the explanation of this message. Verse 17 begins with the word “for”. John explains what he means here. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John does not paint the law in a negative light. This verse does not mean that grace and truth were not evidenced by the Law of Moses, but that the grace and truth through the Lord Jesus Christ far exceeded anything in the old dispensation.
B. The Law of Moses revealed grace in a number of ways. We must never forget the occasion of God giving His law to Israel. He had just delivered them from Egyptian slavery. God had just shown His power against their oppressors and had set them free. Grace was already flowing toward Israel.
C. First, the law revealed the character, nature, and will of God. The law was a detailed explanation of God’s commands. God did not leave His people in the dark about who He was and what He desired. It was gracious for God to reveal Himself through the law.

1. This is one of the misconceptions we continue to have about the scriptures and about God’s laws. We often look at God’s laws as a bunch of rules given by a cosmic dictator telling us what to do. Instead, we need to see the scriptures and the laws of God—as grace. God is revealing Himself to us. God is telling us about Himself.
2. God is telling us what we must become, if we are going to have a relationship with our Creator. Law is not in opposition to grace. Law is the extension of grace, the revealing of grace. Israel’s deliverance under the first redeemer, Moses, issued the gift of the Law. The Law was given to the people. It was not a burden. The Law was the revelation of God’s will for His people.

D. Second, the Law revealed the truth about us. The Law was gracious because it showed where the people stood before God. The Law revealed their shortcomings. The Law declared the character of God so that their hearts would be illumined and they could see that they fell short of His character. In this we truly see grace.

1. The Law revealed sins and revealed that the people were law breakers. As we see though, God did not judge the people immediately for their sins. God did not destroy people for every sin they committed. Grace was extended to the people. Grace was being offered, allowing the people to repent and offer sacrifices so that the people would see the gravity of their sins. Fire did not come down from heaven and consume every person for every sin. We see that happen on a few occasions toward those who were standing in rebellion to God. That was not the stance God had toward the world, nor toward His people.
2. Grace was being offered through the Law of Moses because even though the people did not obey the law, God continued to have a relationship with His people. God continued to bless His people though they were violators of the law.
3. I think this is the point Paul was making about God in Romans 3:25. In speaking about Jesus being the propitiation for sins, Paul says, “…This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Carefully read those words: “… in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Passing over sins is grace. God was being gracious to the people throughout their history.
4. Now we are receiving the fullness of grace through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God has revealed the full measure of grace. God’s faithfulness has its ultimate fruition in Jesus. God’s character of grace and truth (faithfulness) was revealed with the giving of the law but was fully revealed and made available to all people through Christ.

E. To parallel the exodus, the redemption brought by the second Redeemer (Jesus Christ) was a deeper revelation of God and the fullest experience of salvation, grace, and covenant faithfulness. God had been giving grace but now the ultimate reality of grace has been bestowed through Jesus. God’s grace and faithfulness are seen in Jesus. This thought leads us to the uniqueness of Jesus, John 1:18. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”[para]

VII. Seeing God: John reminds us of an important truth: no one has ever seen God. Think of Exodus 33 and 34. Remember what God told Moses when Moses requested to see the glory of the Lord. Exodus 33:18-23 “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”[ESV]

A. Moses could not see all God’s glory because God declared that no one could see His face and live. What we understand from this passage is that all other appearances of God to His servants, no matter how vividly stated, did NOT include seeing God's face. The Lord proclaimed here that this was impossible for any man to do and live. No exception to this truth would ever be made, not even for Moses!

1. What happened when the apostle John saw the glorious vision of Jesus? Revelation 1:17 – “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead…” Even the visions of the Lord’s glory are too much to handle for flesh. God tells Moses that he does not understand what he is asking. No flesh can see God and live.
2. Feel then the gravity of the words of John 1:18 which tells us that now we have seen God in the one and only Son. Jesus will say later in this gospel, “…Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9)

B. John is giving us the reasoning how seeing Jesus is to fully see the Father.

1. First, Jesus is the one and only Son. We saw this phrase back in verse 14. We noted that the Greek word is monogenēs (mon-og-en-ace') which means, “to be the only one of its kind within a specific relationship, one and only, to be the only one of its kind or class, unique”.
2. This communicates the uniqueness of the Word and the uniqueness of the relationship the Word has with the Father. Jesus is unique, He is like no other.
3. Second, Jesus is Himself God. When you see Jesus you see God because He is God. This has been the point of the first verse of this gospel. The Word was in the beginning. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He is God.
4. Third, Jesus is in the closest relationship with the Father. Literally, it is that He is “in the bosom of the Father,” as some translations have. This is an image to drive home the absolute intimacy the Son has with the Father. Holding an object to one’s bosom declared the specialness of that object. Being in the bosom was a picture of intimacy, closeness, and fellowship.
5. Consider when Jesus tells the story about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 that Lazarus is described as being in the bosom of Abraham.
6. Jesus is the one and only Son, He is in the closest relationship with the Father. Moses could only see the backside of the glory of the Lord. Jesus is face to face with the Father, side by side with the Father, and in a relationship with the Father that no one else can have. God the Son is the one and only to have this relationship. He is the eternal God.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV) May we be forever altered by this picture when we consider the words, “God with us.”

CONCLUSION:
Jesus is the full expression of God’s faithfulness.
Jesus is the full expression of God’s grace.
Jesus is the full expression of God the Father.
To not know Jesus is to not know God, His faithfulness, or His grace

John 2:19 – “Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.''” The old temple in Jerusalem is superseded by Jesus’ body, and the church as the body of Christ, becoming the new temple. Jesus’ body is seen as the place where God's Spirit dwells, and through His sacrifice, He opened a way for God to dwell not only with His people but also in them. The Word is that place where we meet God. In Revelation 21:22, John described the New Jerusalem as having no temple, because Jesus Himself is its temple.

We're going to sing an invitation song. Those folks who have not yet become Christians need to know that God's grace has provided in the gospel message the means and the instruction to deal with sin.

Scripture tells us we need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of sins. The wonderful news is that all of those sins we've committed to that point in time, God remembers them no more.

Christians who have sinned presumptuously, not caring that their life is not as it should be, I urge you to do something about that. Confess your sins and ask God's forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive those with a repentant heart.

If you need the prayers of brothers and sisters on your behalf, all you have to do is come to the front here and say, I'd like you to pray with me and for me. There’s no time like the present because the present is the only time we are assured of.

Won't you come while we stand and while we sing?

???

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

James 1: 22 – 25

After being away for some time on a business trip, Bill thought it would be nice to bring his wife a small gift.
"How about some perfume?" he asked the cosmetics clerk. She showed him a bottle which cost $60.00. "That's a bit much," he said,
so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30.00. "That's still quite a bit," he complained.
Growing annoyed, the clerk brought out a tiny marked $15.00. "You know," he said, "What I mean is I would like to see something really cheap."
So the clerk handed him a mirror.

Why can’t Mirrors lie? Because they always reflect the truth.

Today I would like us to look at who we are. To take a long hard look in the mirror and see what is in the reflection. Not who we act like, not who others perceive us to be, not what we have been in the past, but "who we really are".

2nd Corinthians 3:18 speaks to this mirror and to our image. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord."
What is reflected in the mirror? What do you see in the mirror?

Have you ever been out somewhere and then catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror which causes you to stop dead in your tracks and think YIKES! Is that REALLY what I look like right now! The mirror reminds us of EXACTLY how others see us at that particular moment.

The Man in the Mirror Poem

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest.
For he’s with you right to the end,
and you’ve passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world, down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

Paul in his first letter to the believers gathered in Corinth
also spoke of looking at our image in a mirror.

1st Corinthians 13:11-12 tells us " When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."

Now, Ancient mirrors, which were manufactured in the great city of Corinth, were made of metal and gave a very dim reflection.
Thus Paul's words "Now we see in a mirror, dimly", is an illustration of our imperfect knowledge on this side of eternity.

When we cross over to the other side of eternity when we are in heaven, we will know all things and our knowledge will be full it will be complete.But, on this side of eternity it is dim it is imperfect.

Have you ever seen your reflection in a metal spoon? I hope I'm not the only one who has ever done that. The reflection in the metal spoon is a strange image isn't it? It is dim. It is imperfect.

Mirrors in Paul's time were metal and you could not see a very accurate reflection of yourself, it was much like looking into a metal spoon. But in today's age, we have mirrors that very much display what we really look like. You can clearly see yourself your image AND what you REALLY look like. But this too is not the mirror we should be looking into. It is not the mirror Paul is alluding too.

So, if we want to know who we really are, what mirror should we look in? We need to look into the mirror of God's Word. The true mirror… God's Mirror which shows us who we really are.

We need to examine ourselves and ask the question: Am I being all that God has called me to be? Am I allowing the Lord to mold me? Am I doing my best? Am I giving my best?

When we look into God's mirror, we may find feelings, thoughts, problems and/or attitudes that we hold on to and have not allowed God to transform us.
We need to… we must… yield to God's Word, to God's will and allow him to mold us into the image into the reflection of His son!

We need to allow Him to impact the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we think AND the way we act.

It is time, time to allow Him to mold us, to transform us.
It is so easy to see the tiny faults of others yet miss the larger faults in ourselves.

Of course Matthew 7:4-5 tells us, "how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

I have often found that when I begin to look at others short comings that God is calling me to look at the log in my own eye.

To look at the "Man in the Mirror"

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest.
For he’s with you right to the end,
and you’ve passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world, down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

If we begin with "The Person in the Mirror", we will be molded, we will be transformed.
If we look into the True mirror, God's mirror, it will reflect back a true image of who we are.

Each morning as we prepare for the day ahead we generally do not leave without looking into a mirror. The mirror enables us to see if there is anything out of place and gives us an opportunity to correct what is wrong. So often we can get wrapped up in our own ways that we set aside the ways of the One whom we are called to be like.

Jesus has the power to change "The Person in the Mirror"!
Jesus has the power to transform you
He has the desire to infill you with His glory!

Proverbs 27:19 - "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."

If we start with "the Person in the Mirror", then we can begin to impact our world one person at a time!

If we start with "the Person in the Mirror", and let God mold us, we will be transformed!

If we each start with "the Person in the Mirror", then we can begin to make our church a beacon of light to those around us!

Praise God for his mercy and for his provision For what He has done and will continue to do in my life And in yours!

Yet, If we are honest There are times when we are deceived and do not act like the man or woman God has called us to be.

A Fellow was sitting at a stop light. The lady in front of him was going through some papers that were lying on the passenger's seat of her car, and when the light changed to green she did not move. She did not follow the instruction of the light. You know, Stop on Red, Move on Green, and go real fast on Yellow.

As the light turned to yellow AND then back to red, this gentleman in the car behind her began screaming and beating on the steering wheel of his car. His expressions of distress were quickly interrupted by a policeman, who with gun drawn and tapping on his window.

To which the man protested to the patrolman "You can't arrest me for hollering in my car!" The officer ordered him into the back seat of his patrol car. After about an hour in a holding cell, the officer advised him he was free to go.

As the man was leaving the police station He turned back to the patrolman and boldly stated "I knew you couldn't arrest me for what I was yelling in my own car. You haven't heard the last of this."
The officer quietly replied, "I didn't arrest you for shouting in your car. As I sat behind you at the light, I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel. Then I noticed the PROUD CHRISTIAN ON BOARD sign in your window and the John 3:16 bumper sticker, and because of that I thought you must have stolen that car."

The way we actually live our lives may be the only Bible some folks will ever read. We need to remember who we are and what we look like.

And The Scriptures speak to this in James 1:22-24 - "21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

How can that be?

How can someone look in the mirror, see themselves, and then at once immediately walk away and forget what they look like?
"Wait a minute?
Am I balding?
Am I overweight?
Am I short?
Do I have a wrinkled face?
Do I have a scar on my chin?
AND Yet It is possible to look in the mirror and then forget what you looked like.

And, There are two reasons why that can happen.
First You do not believe the mirror is an accurate reflection of who you are. That is You do not trust the mirror you are looking into.

Have you ever been to a fun house at a carnival or fair and walked through the Hall of mirrors? They have certain mirrors that are designed to dramatically change your appearance.

• You can stand in front of one mirror and look extremely muscular I kind of like that mirror.

• You can stand in front of another and look extremely short and fat. Certainly NOT my favorite.

• You can stand in front of yet another and be ten feet tall and as skinny as a rail.

Obviously These mirrors are not an accurate reflection of who you are. So you walk away from them and quickly forget what you looked like. So, You do not believe the mirror is an accurate reflection of who you are.

The 2nd reason you may look in a mirror and forget what you saw is because you are being deceived.

The enemy is deceiving you deceiving you into believing that you do not look like what the mirror is reflecting. This often happens to people with eating disorders or people that are experiencing depression or are being oppressed by the enemy.

The only mirror of eternal significance is the Mirror of God's Word. Remove the veil that is covering our eyes and look deeply into the truth of the mirror.
God's Word encompasses the real mirror a mirror that we can trust. God's Word God's mirror will not only transform you but reflecting from the mirror are wonderful truths f who you are in Christ.

Do you trust God's mirror? Or do you walk away from it believing that you are not worthy? Do you look into the mirror of God's Word that proclaims you can do all things through Christ Jesus? And yet walk away believing that you could never be good enough?

Do you look into the mirror of God's Word that declares greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world? Yet you walk away thinking that you will fail. If you do, then there is a reason.

Either you do not trust the mirror you are looking into or, You are being deceived. Do not forget who you are and where you are going.
Do you trust God's Word? Do you trust it's reflection of who you are?
If you do then do not be deceived walk boldly be the salt of the earth be the light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-14)

Be the reflection of Jesus and yield to his transforming love. For You are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Sermon Contributor Jeff Smead

View Details

Matthew 18:16

Good to see each of you out this morning. This morning I would like to bring you a sermon that has been titled, The Lord's Church is Different. The Lord's Church is Different.

So while sad, it's very fascinating to know that the workers of Satan if I can use that term, are very hard at work trying to destroy that which God deems to be important and dear. Institutions like marriage, of course we can include the family, I'll mention that, and of course the church. Satan’s workers use various tactics in their efforts to destroy the institutions that God has established, institutions that He deems very important.

One way Satan tries to destroy the effect of the role of these institutions is to lead people to believe that they're no different than the counterfeits that Satan tries to institute. For example, Satan’s workers would try to convince the world that same-sex marriage is no different than the marriage between a man and a woman. If you understand why the Lord limited marriage to or for a man and a woman, you know that there is a difference between same-sex marriage and the marriage between a man and a woman. It makes a difference.

Finally, no surprise, those who serve under Satan want people to accept the same type of message about the church of Christ, the church that Christ established, Matthew 16:18. But there is a difference. The church is different. The Lord's church, first of all, I have to say, is not a denomination. It is un-denominational.

In other words, it is not divided. It is not divided, scripturally speaking. In our society, people are accustomed to thinking of the church as a denomination. Reading the Bible one cannot come to that conclusion.

The church is neither, as we understand it, is not Catholic, nor is it Protestant. What were the first century Christians considered? They were considered just simply Christians. They weren't considered to be Catholic, nor were they considered to be Protestant, meaning congregations or churches, as we understand, like the Lutheran, the Baptist church, which I came out of, the Methodist, the Presbyterian, etc.

Catholicism is not or didn't develop until about the 6th century, around 606 A.D. Protestantism didn't come about until centuries later. Therefore, denominations came hundreds of years after the Lord's church was established.

Denominations came about only, notice this; they only came about because of sin. Therefore, real Christians, in a Biblical sense, cannot be members of the denominations.

I want you to follow with me the Scriptures. Not with what I'm saying, but follow me with the Scriptures. The Lord's church is superior. The church we find in the Bible is superior to denominations. Why? Why is the Lord's church superior to denominations? Because the Lord's church was started by Christ, and it was paid for by His blood. Matthew 16:18, Acts 20:28. It has a divine origin, right? Denominationalism, on the other hand, they were started by men. We will get into this a little further later.

They have human origins. Before any denomination existed, the church of Christ, the church that Christ established, was already established. Acts chapter 2:22 and 47, and then Romans 16:16.

Some Scriptures, I would encourage you to pay close attention to some of these words, or these words, period.

“Now, the parable is this. The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11).

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15).

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26).

“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26:28.)

“Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.” (Romans 16:16).

Notice these Scriptures. These are very important principles here.

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and herb, yielding seed after his kind. The tree yielded fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:11-12).

Last, “but be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”( Galatians 6:7).

Today, if we preach the same gospel, urging people to submit to the same commandments given by the apostles, everybody that obeys will only be Christians. Why? Because the seed of the kingdom is the word of God. Luke 8:11.

The good soil, is the honest and good heart. Luke 8:15.

When the same word of God is preached, it will only produce Christians like those in the first century. The law of reproduction is consistent. A seed only produced after his kind.
You reap what you sow. A corn seed only produces corn. An apple seed only produces apples. Watermelon seeds only produce watermelon seeds. The seed of humans, the man and the woman, they only produce other humans.

The seed of the kingdom, the seeds of the citizens of the kingdom only produce Christians, not members of denominations, neither Catholic nor Protestant. In the New Testament, you cannot find a seed, or the word, that produce a variety of churches. Notice that, a variety of churches that's contrary to the law of reproduction. You cannot find it in nature, nor can you find it in the spiritual realm.

There is one church.

Notice these scriptures. Matthew 16:18, I already mentioned that. There we find that Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Then Acts 2:38, says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit.”
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls,” (Acts 2:41).

Verse 47 says, “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved.”

Then, “but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to be used to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2nd Thessalonians 2:13-14).

In Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,”

“Then tidings of these things came unto the ear of the church, which was in Jerusalem, and they sent from fourth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch” (Acts 11:22).

Just a couple more, 1st Corinthians 1:2, “Unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ call to be saints with all that in every place called upon the name of Jesus our Lord, both theirs and ours.”

Finally, 1st Thessalonians 1:1. There we can read what was written unto the church by; “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

What we want to know about the church, the New Testament must be our standard.

The New Testament must be our standard. It's not the church manuals, not the statement of faith like I had when I was in the Baptist church. They had a statement of faith right behind the pulpit. You could read what the church stood for. They did not have the Bible there. They had a statement of faith.

The term church basically means a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place according to then. What about the church of the New Testament? The church of the New Testament is composed of people, people that were called out of the world, people that were called out of darkness, people that were called out of the dark sinful world. How are they called out? They are called out by the gospel.

They are called out by the gospel of Christ, by the teachings of Christ himself. Where did the called out or the church begin? The church began in Jerusalem. When Peter preached the gospel on the day of Pentecost, God called those Jews out of the world. Those who gladly received the word were added to the church. From Jerusalem, the church developed wherever the gospel was preached and accepted. Hence the churches in Thessalonica, the church at Corinth, the churches of Galatia, or the church in Rome, “salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you,” Romans 16:16.

At times when the word church is used, it refers to a congregation in a given area, but when the word churches is used, it refers to the number of churches that maybe Paul or Peter or some other holy writer was communicating with. They were not talking or communicating with denominations, okay? Therefore, the number of congregations in a given area would be referred to as the churches of Christ, like the churches of Christ in Geauga County or the churches of Christ in Stark County or Cuyahoga County. They would be considered the churches of Christ.

One congregation in one area would be called a church of Christ, like this church of Christ in Chardon, Ohio. Chardon Church of Christ. It's local, in a local area. All the saved around the world would be considered the church of Christ universal.

More scriptures: “Unto the church of God, which is Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Called to be saints with all that, with all that in every place called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” (1st Corinthians 1:2). And then Hebrews 12:23. “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn.”

I will skip and go down now to Romans 16 again. “The churches of Christ salute you”.

Then Colossians 1:24, “Who now rejoice in the suffering for you and fill up that which is behind of the affliction of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.”

Next Revelations 21:2 says, “And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

And then finally, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou ought to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” You can read that in 1 Timothy 3:15.

What about these various names referring to the churches in the New Testament? Can they be referring to denominations? The answer would be no, not at all. Different names given to the church express the relationship of the church to Christ and to the Father. Okay, the church of God. The church which belongs to God, 1st Corinthians 1:2, and then you have the church of Christ. Of course, the church that belongs to Christ, Matthew 16:18. As we read, “For I will build my church and the gates of hell, should not prevail against it.”

It is the body of Christ, and “He is the head of the body, the church…”. (Colossians 1:18.) “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. He is the savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23). Christ is the head of the body. The body is the church. Therefore, the church is Christ's body.

Then, how about the bride of Christ? We can read in 2nd Corinthians 11:2, I think verse two, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband.”

He goes on, And then we can read in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify clans with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Before a wedding, a bride prepares herself to meet her husband to be. I think we understand that in our society. Weddings are a big deal. And like manner, the church is preparing herself to meet Christ Jesus. The church today is preparing herself to meet Christ Jesus, her husband at the second coming.

How about the house of God? Well, scripture says, “but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name,” (John 1:12). “But he answered and said unto him that told him, who is my mother? Who is my brother? And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples and said, behold, my mother, my brethren, for whosoever shall do the will of my father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50).

“Therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizen with the saints and of the household of God,” (Ephesians 2:19).

“As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith,” (Galatians 6:10). The house of God simply refers to those who are God's children, refers to those who are God's children, those who do the will of the father, those who obey the faith, those who obey the father.

Therefore, the variety of names given to the church in the New Testament refers to different aspects of the church’s relationship with Christ and with the father. What about denominations? Let's notice these scriptures, Matthew 15:7-9. It says, “ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, this people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, notice that, but in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandment of men.”

What about these words? Verses 13 through 14. “But he answered and said, every plant, which my heavenly father, hath not planted shall be rooted up, let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:13-14.

The church of Christ has a relationship with Christ and a relationship with the father. However, what about the Roman Catholic Church, for example? It doesn't have a relationship with Christ or with the father in the scriptures. We do not find that. According to history, the Roman Catholic Church was founded by Boniface III and others who created their teachings, which started around 606 AD.

I believe those people truly worship God. But they worship God, I would argue, in vain because they worship according to the teachings, the doctrine of men. The Father didn't plant the seed or the words that started the Catholic Church. Therefore, the Bible teaches us that such shall be uprooted.

How about the Greek Orthodox Church? It has no relationship with Christ nor with the Father. In the scriptures, you cannot find that name. You cannot find it at all. According to history, its relationships are found with a group that started it around 1053 AD or 54. It was split between, I guess, Pope Leo IX and a patriarch named Michael Cerularius because they excommunicated one another. You have these two different churches. I believe they worship God, but they worship God in vain because their worship was according to the teachings of men. The Father did not plant that church. Therefore, it shall be uprooted.

What about the Lutheran Church? It doesn't have a relationship, with Christ or the Father. We do not find it in the scriptures. You cannot find it there. Its relationship started after, I believe, Martin Luther himself died, by his followers in Augsburg, Germany around 1530 AD. And again, that church shall be uprooted.

What about the Baptist Church that I came out of? The Baptist Church has many branches, if I may say. It has no relationship with Christ or with the father. In the scriptures, you cannot find it in the scriptures. Matter of fact, it does not even have a relationship with John the Baptist himself. It was started about 1607 after, of course, John the Baptist died. Its relationship started with a John but his last name was Smith in London, England. Therefore, the father did not plant it and it shall be uprooted.

The same thing applies to the Seventh-day Adventist Church started by William Miller, 1830, thereabout, in Low Hampton, New York. The Congregational Church, Robert Brown, 1550, in England. The Christian Science Church, Mary Baker Eddy, 1866, thereabout, in America. The Methodist Church, John Wesley, 1739, thereabout, in England. The Presbyterian Church, John Calvin, 1530, in Switzerland. All the other churches we can name. There's hundreds and hundreds of congregations or churches or so-called churches started by men. None of them have a relationship with Christ and the Father and they shall be uprooted.

The Lord's Church is different. Denominationalist churches may look like it, they may sound like it, they may act like it, but they are not it. Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, and other makes, Hondas, Toyotas, you can name it. They may look like Rolls Royces, and they may sound like Rolls Royces. They may perform like a Rolls Royce, but they are not a Rolls Royce. A Rolls Royce is different. If you were to take your Chevy or your Ford, your Chrysler, your Honda, your Civic to a Rolls Royce dealership for repair, you probably would get laughed out of the dealership. Why? Because Rolls Royce does not make Chevys. They do not make Fords. They do not make Chryslers and others. Just because GM, Ford, and Chrysler cars have steering wheels, engines, and tires, and other similar parts, doesn't mean that Rolls Royce will honor the warranties from GM and Chrysler and others.

The same principles apply to the Lord's church. Just because other churches may resemble the Lord's church, doesn't mean that they will be recognized in the judgment by the Lord himself. Or just because some people look like or act like Christians does not mean that Christ will accept them as Christian or his own.

Notice these scriptures. Don't take my word for it. Notice these scriptures.

The Bible says, “Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name cast out devils. And in thy name done many wonderful works. And then I will profess unto them, says the Lord, I never knew you. Depart from me ye that worketh iniquity.” You can find this for yourself in Matthew 7:21-23.

What can we say about this group of people? They sound like Christians. They call Christ Lord. Lord, Lord, they said. Just therefore like many today, they probably have the Christian vernacular down. They sound like Christians. Not only do they sound like Christians, but they also act like Christians. Notice they did many good works. They probably fed the poor. They probably clothed the naked. They probably visited the sick and did much, much more. Then people saw them, they probably said, there's a Christian, but Christ thought differently.

Man probably saw acts of obedience, but God saw partial obedience. Partial obedience does not cut it in the kingdom of God. God deserves and demands complete obedience. What about us? What about you? Have you fully obeyed Christ? If you haven't obeyed the pure gospel of Christ, you cannot be a Christian.

Christ promised to build his church, Matthew 16:18-19. The church was built or was established, Acts 2. Philip preached the gospel as we can find in Acts 8, and Philip preached faith in Christ, no doubt. I'm sure he preached repentance like we find in Acts 17:30. I'm sure he preached confession like we find in Romans 10:9. And I'm sure, and we can see that he preached baptism just like we find in Acts 2:38. In preaching the gospel, Philip preached the kingdom of God.

That is the kingdom of God's dear son. The kingdom believers are translated into, and out of the kingdom of darkness. In other words, the church of Christ, the church that Christ died for. The church believers were added to on the day of Pentecost as in the book of Acts. Acts chapter 2:48, I believe. On Pentecost, they weren't added to the Catholic church. Neither were they added to any of the Protestant churches that we can find today or any church that was started by man.

Therefore, if we obeyed what they called the gospel, you didn't obey the gospel of Christ. They preached a different Jesus. They preached a different church. Notice these scriptures if you don't believe me. For if they come as preaching another Jesus, notice there's more than one Jesus being preached, whom you have not preached. For if they receive another spirit, notice there's another spirit out there, not just the Holy Spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel.

Notice there are other gospels out there which you have not accepted. You might bear with them well. That's 2nd Corinthians 11:4. Read it for yourself. Notice men do preach another Jesus. Notice they preach other gospels. That being true, they also preach another kingdom or another church. Therefore, there is a true Jesus and there is a false Jesus. There is a true gospel and there is a false gospel. There is a true church and there are false churches.

If you obey the true gospel, the question is, have you continued in obedience? If not, you need to consider your ways, repent, obviously confess. So if you're here this morning and you stand and need to respond to the true gospel or to renew your relationship with the Father and Christ, we encourage you to do so as we stand to sing this song of invitation. Thank you.

View Details

James 1:12-15

This morning’s sermon is entitled; DON’T BLAME ME. I came across this story which tells about the manager of a minor league baseball team who was so disgusted with the center fielder's performance he ordered him to the dugout and assume the position himself.

The first ball that came into center field took a bad hop and hit the manager in the mouth! Now, Remember he's trying to show the player how to do it correctly.The next one was a high fly ball which he lost in the glare of the sun until it bounced off his forehead.

And the third was a hard line drive that he charged with his outstretched arms. Unfortunately, it flew right between his arms and smacked him right in the eye.Furious he ran back to the dugout grabbed the center fielder by the uniform and shouted, “See what you have done. You've got centerfield so messed up that even I can't do a thing with it.”

This attitude is all too often seen in the world around us which is what I believe the reason is that there are so many posters.

When we look around we can often see posters that remind us of the following three ways to fail.

One… complain about everything.Two… blame others for your problems.Three… never be gratefulYou can spend your entire life blaming the world but your success or your failures are entirely your own responsibility. Or when you blame and criticize others you are in essence avoiding some truth about yourself.

Picture Adam one day out hunting with his two boys and they come up to the Garden of Eden where he and Eve had been kicked out for eating the forbidden fruit.

I can picture Adam staring at the garden and one of his boys saying HEY DAD? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU WHY ARE YOU CRYING.
Adam wipes a tear and says boys that is the Garden of Eden right there. That's where we used to live until your mother ate us out of house and home.

To cover the subject of right and wrong, of good and evil we must go way back to creation, back before the beginning of time. The first two verses of Genesis tells us that in the beginning our road was formless it was empty. It was dark.
Then God stepped in and gave it shape. He gave shape to that formlessness. He filled the emptiness with life and brought light into the darkness.

In other words God took the chaos and created order out of it. We know that the Bible records the days of creation. It tells us that God looked upon everything he had made and what did he say.

It is good. BUT not everybody was happy. The Bible also tells us about Satan the angel of God who rebelled and because of that he was evicted from heaven and banished to Earth.

Satan learned that he could not overcome God so Satan focused his attack on his next target mankind to whom God had given authority over the earth. Satan's goal is to put chaos back into our world.

It doesn't take a very acute observer to realize that he has been successful in MANY AREAS of our world today. You look around and you can see how confused we have become.

For instance there is confusion about the roles of men and women husband and wife, mother and father. We seem no longer sure what these roles should be. Young people are confused about their place in the family and are often in various stages of rebellion against the authority of their parents.

The rise of homosexuality and transgenders have even ADDED more CONFUSION TO THE SEXUAL ROLES GOD HAD CREATED. There is so much confusion today that We are sometimes asked our biological sex at BIRTH. Abortion tells us that life is not really all that valuable and that euthanasia may become the next big issue that we will probably have to face in this country because we are no longer sure about the value of life.

Satan is bringing chaos into our lives. When we think about what Satan got for a few bites of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. You realize that he really got a lot. It ruined the lives of Adam and Eve and got control of the world just for a couple bites of a forbidden fruit.

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it. Long after the flavor of that fruit was forgotten Adam and Eve are still paying that price for the stupid decision they made. Satan depends upon us making unwise decisions also.

HE depends upon us having a distorted sense of value. He never really offers us very much and in exchange he wants everything from us.

I would like to read from Joshua 7:19-20 - " Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:"

Achan traded his life for a wedge of gold, and a Babylonian garment. We know that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup to satisfy his temporary hunger.

For one sensual moment with Bathsheba we know David NOT ONLY opened himself up BUT ALSO his family TO GENERATIONS OF MISERY.

Satan is always doing things like this… never offering much.We think we're getting a great deal, a moment of pleasure, a little economic gain, or the applause of the crowd. In reaching for it we discover that we have given up everything. That is how Satan works and when that happens we try to find someone else to blame.

In the third chapter of Genesis we see God coming back into the Garden of Eden following the temptation following the sin of Adam and Eve. Versus 8-13 tell us that the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid from the Lord among the trees in the garden.

But the Lord called to them. Where are you? Adam answers, I heard you in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked. GOD asked, who told you that you were naked. Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? What does the man say? The woman you put here with me she gave me some of that fruit and I ate it.

Then the Lord God said to the woman what is it that you have done? The woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate. If we listen closely, don't blame me says Adam. It wasn't my fault. It was the woman you gave me she enticed me to eat of the forbidden fruit.

Eve says don’t blame me. It was a serpent who turned from you he deceived me and I ate.

Most of us when our sins are found out look for a scapegoat, don’t we? It wasn't my fault. It was someone or something else that caused me to become involved in this sin.

Let's look this morning at some ways that we may use to blame someone else for our sins. That's just the way I am. That's how God made me. Have you ever heard someone say that?

A man might have a violent temper. He says I can't help it that's just the way I am, but his whole family ends up suffering from the verbal abuse and maybe even the physical abuse. He says it's not my fault. He has a hurt wife. He has children who run for cover every time he loses his temper, There's nothing that I can do about it.

BUT God constantly reminds us that we are responsible for our own words. We are responsible for our own actions and we will be held accountable for that. We can't pass the buck by saying that's just the way I am. Sometimes we even use that excuse to justify being quiet about things.Maybe we don't want to get involved. That's somebody else's problem. As long as they leave me alone, I'm fine with it. When you finally do break the silence and someone to ask why you acted that way.You answer I can’t help it. I was born that way. That's just the way I am. In other words don't blame me… blame God. God gave me this personality. You just have to accept the fact that this is the way I am.

We oftentimes see in society and don't get me wrong I do feel sorry for individuals that have grown up maybe not knowing what a real family situation would look like not knowing the love their mother or father could give them yet too often we look and try to blame society.

We blame somebody else. Many try to blame some dark family past as an excuse for their own weaknesses and bad decisions. The Bible doesn't allow us to give that kind of excuse, does it? It always says be responsible for yourself.

When Bad events happen in our society we often are told that the one doing the offense can hardly be blamed for his actions since he was only doing what he was compelled to do by outside forces over which he had no influence. The devil or something made him do it. So, the man cannot really be blamed.

I want you to notice that the Bible never teaches that sin comes from GOD.

1John 3:5
You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin

1Peter 2:22-23
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

We are told that the Devil is the father of lies. He lies to us. He deceives us. He manipulates us and he tempts us. But why? Why does he deceive? Why does he tempt? Why does he manipulate. The answer is because he can't force. If he could force you to sin there wouldn’t be any temptation that we could avoid. He would just force you to do it.

But he cannot force us to sin. We must choose. It must be a choice of ourselves. We know in James it talks about where this sin comes from. It comes from our own personal desires. You see nobody tied Eve down and forced to eat the forbidden fruit. Nobody forced you to take that first drink. Nobody forced us to be tempted by whatever temptation we have in our life. That temptation that forces us to sin. It's our choice. WAIT! WHAT?If it's our choice then we are responsible for our actions.

When we find that we can't blame the devil Many then try to place the blame on God. After all God is responsible for everything, isn't he? He is the one who gave me the awful family that I have. He's the one who surrounded me with friends who have led me astray. He's the one who made it impossible for me to have the willpower to say no therefore all too often people say it is God's fault.

What does James say? God never tempts us. It's entirely up to us.

James 1:12-15 tells us "12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

2nd Corinthians 5:9-10 Paul says "9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

In other words God says I hold you accountable for your sins. Don't blame someone or something else You… yourself… personally are accountable. That is the bad news.
We also have good news. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ loved me that Jesus died for me and that his blood can cover my sin.

If I make the right choices the first step is being covered by the blood of Jesus. It is to accept responsibility for my own actions.

As long as I try to find someone or something else to blame then I'll never come to grips with the fact that I am a sinner. I have to come to the place where I will pray God be merciful to me a sinner Jesus taught this in the example of the two that went down to pray

Luke 18:13-14 "
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”"

A man tells of a time when a prairie fire swept across his father's land and burned everything the house… the buildings… the crops… everything. Later on his dad was walking across the burned ground kicking this object and that. Finally came to a charred piece of something that looked like a stump from a tree. He kicked at it. When he did little baby chicks started running in all directions. He bent over to look and discovered that the charred lump was the old hen, Mama, who had covered her chickens to protect them from the fire. The chicks were still alive, but in the process Mama had given her life for them.

IN A WAY BROADER SENSE That is what Jesus did for each one of us. Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:37 - "37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chicks but you would not come!"

He looked at the masses and said they are like sheep without a shepherd. If only they would come, but Jesus will never force us to come. He is always available.

We know Jesus said come to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

We know that we are always welcome to come unto him. He will not turn anyone away. The song most everyone has learned when they were younger
Jesus Loves Me This I know.
Why?
For the Bible Tells Me So
little ones to him belong
they are weak but He is strong.

He is always available and right now he waits for you to open the door to invite him to come in.

If there is anyone in need of the invitation this evening will you not come forward as together we stand and sing.

View Details

John 1:9-13

INTRO: Good morning church. Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his girl. "Why," the old farmer exclaimed, "when I when a courtin’ I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark." "Aye," the hired man replied," and look what you got!"

Previously we saw Jesus described as the eternal Word, the very message of God. In Jesus is life and that life is the light for all people. John came as a witness to the light and we noted the shocking nature of needing someone to witness to the light. The only people who need a witness to the light are the blind, those who cannot see. We observed in our last lesson the shame that people would need someone to point out that there is light. There must be something terribly wrong for someone to have to come and say; there is the light. This suggests our condition of spiritual blindness.

Yet, that was John's very purpose, sent by God as a witness to the light. The world cannot see and John was appointed by God to be a witness to the light. John was not the light, but came as a witness, so that all could believe in Jesus through John’s testimony.

Our text today is John 1:9-13. Please turn there and read with me starting in verse 8, - “8. He (this is speaking of John the Witness) was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9. That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: 13. who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

I. The True Light: Jesus is the true light. Jesus was already called the light back in verse 5. However, the author wants to emphasize that Jesus is the genuine light. The word translated “true” (alēthinos) a-lay-thee-nos', refers to what is real and genuine. It is the opposite of what is fictitious, imaginary, simulated or pretended and contrasts realities with their semblances.

A. What John is implying is a contrast between the true light and what is falsely described or falsely offered as the light. John is going to spend a lot of time teaching us about how Jesus is authentic, genuine, the real deal. One of the popular texts that you may know starts in John 15:1f where Jesus states He is the true or genuine vine.

1. Jesus is the true light and we have this implicit thought that He stands in contrast to anything that is held up as light. Consider there are many things that are portrayed to the world as light, that is, something that will bring enlightenment, deliverance, freedom, or release.
2. Philosophy has been touted to be the light as the enlightenment, as your true light. If you would just know this, then you would have understanding. You would have freedom. You would have true knowledge.
3. Various religions and teachings are used to say this is the true light. If you just had enough spirituality, if you could just seek your inner light then you would have this true enlightenment. You could be set free and delivered.
4. No teaching. No opinion. No philosophy. Nothing from man is truly light. Opinions are not the light. Our thoughts are not the light. Our words are not the light. There is only one light and that's what is being set up for us as John pens this gospel.
5. There have been many false prophets and teachers through the centuries claiming to be the light. A fair number in the past millennia, so many claims to “special knowledge” giving light to the soul, but Jesus is the true light.

B. He is the one who gives light to the soul, who gives light to the eyes. Who breathes life into all humanity. That is the picture being given to us. John continues in verse 9, “the true light which enlightens everyone.”

1. Everyone has opportunity to be enlightened by the light. The light did not shine to just a few. The light shines to the whole world. We understand this about light. It is not possible to turn on the light in this room just for me and it not shine for you also.
2. John is saying that this light, this offering that Jesus gives of being set free, of being delivered, of bringing life to the soul,-- was offered to all people. This was an offering to the whole world. It was offered to every single person regardless of race and gender and background. This is a light that shone in the whole of the universe.

C. This was the offering given by God. In Isaiah 49:5 Isaiah records; “And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength),” The true believers, are referred to here as "Israel," and the wicked and rebellious majority, are called Jacob. In verse 6; “Indeed He says, `It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' ''”[NKJV] He is saying, “it's easy enough for me to bring you back a remnant of Israel, to bring back the tribes of Jacob. So let's go beyond that. I will make you a light to the Gentiles and you will bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

1. Jesus is this light. He is the true light to restore Israel and act as a beacon to the nations so that the salvation of the Lord may reach the everyehere. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic expectation of “the coming one.” He is the one who was coming into the world. Jesus is the true light and in Him is life.
2. Well, what happened?

II. Rejection of the Light: John 1:10-11 are probably the most sad, sorrowful and ironic words we read in this gospel. It is a staggering statement that John gives with such simple words here. In verse 10, speaking of Jesus, “He was in the world…”. So here is Jesus.

A. Here's a picture of the incarnation. Jesus comes into the world “…and the world was made through Him…”. Remember we already saw that back in verse 3. Remember what John declared? All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. Everything that exists in the world was made through Jesus. There is nothing excluded. He is God. He is divine. He is the eternal word who made all things.

1. Then v. 10 says; “…and the world did not know Him.” What irony! What sorrow! How could this be? His creation should have known Him. He made everything. He created every person, created everything. Now He comes into His world, comes to His own creation.
2. The words are even a little bit sharper in v. 11; “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” I think the implication is He came to His own people, and His own people did not receive Him. He came to the very people that God had adopted as His own possession. He came to Israel.
3. He came to His very own people, His own nation who He had established in the days of Abraham, making a promise that it would be through Abraham, through His descendants, through that lineage, that all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God kept that covenant and continued that promise all the way down.
4. Now here we are in the first century as John writes these words. John says, Jesus has arrived, He is the Messiah. He is the light and He comes to this nation. He comes to His own people and His own, the very people that were adopted by God as Israel; do not even know who He is.

B. This was the message of the apostles throughout their ministry, as seen in the very first recorded sermon. Acts 2:22-23 – “"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” Israel rejected its Messiah. Israel rejected the light. Israel rejected its Maker. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.

1. I thought about Stephen’s message. What message did he give? How Israel has been stubborn for all of its history, always rejecting the prophets, always rejecting God's messengers. Then the Son is sent and what do the people do but reject Him as well. How does that story end? Stephen, one of the messengers of God, is killed for proclaiming the message of how they were killing the messengers of God.
2. He came to His own people, His own nation, His own world, His own creation, and His own creation killed Him. His own creation rejected Him and refused to accept Him. There is nothing sadder then the willfully blind.
3. How can we read words like this and not wonder; why would God continue a plan like this? God, when you knew things were going to go like this, knew from before the foundations of the world, why would you continue this plan?

C. As we read in Acts, this is by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. This isn't an accident. God didn't stop and say, I can't believe they killed Him. He knew that was going to happen.

1. Yet, God goes through with His plan anyway and I think we might rightly be stunned by that. How could you possibly do that? Who would show that kind of love? Who would show that much sacrifice? I submit to you that perhaps, verse 12 contains at least a partial answer as to why God would continue to do this.

III. Receiving the Light: John 1:12 begins, “But as many as received Him…,” In the midst of this sorrowful, condemning statement in verses 10 and 11, There is this small glimmer of hope. Not everyone would reject Him. Not everybody would turn their back on the light. When the light came into the world, not everybody would turn Him down.

A. There would be some who would receive Him; some would go against the trend. There were some, there were a few, who did receive Him. There were a few who saw Him as who He was, as the light, as the life, and they chose to receive Him.

1. Even in the midst of the world's hatred toward God, and even in the midst of His own people and His own creation rejecting Him, God's plan to save people would not be thwarted.
2. He would still send His Son to be the perfect, sinless, sacrifice. God with foreknowledge knew that through Jesus death would come salvation for those who would receive Him.
3. When we think about it, that the very Creator of the world should cast aside the glory of His eternal existence and choose to enter earth life as a man subject to all the inconveniences and limitations of the flesh — is a fact of awesome wonder. Now add to that the obstinate and rebellious refusal of the Lord's creation to acknowledge Him when He came! God was not taken by surprise by man's refusal to know the Lord, for His prophets had faithfully foretold it. The repetition of "world" in these lines dramatizes the marvel of humanity's not knowing Jesus when He came.
4. The words of the apostle in this passage reveal his own grief that Israel, in its major aspect, had rejected the Lord — but not all of them. These words strongly remind one of Paul's words in Romans 9:1-5 where he laments the failure of the people.

B. John, having registered the unbelief of many of the chosen people, next turned to a consideration of those who had received him. In John 1:12 John explains what it means to receive Him. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,…”[ESV]

1. Belief is what it means to receive him. As you study John’s gospel it will become apparent that believing does not mean only an intellectual acknowledgement. He's looking for something far deeper than that. When it describes receiving Him, we are talking about people who accepted Him as the Messiah, as the Son of God, as the Savior, in whom they would put their trust, their full reliance upon Him, and would do as He says.
2. Receiving Jesus means understanding He is the ground of our salvation, the foundation of our hope. It is His righteousness, His perfection, and His love that is credited toward us before the Father. It is the knowing that Jesus is the access to the Father.
3. Even the demons acknowledged Jesus, as pointed out in Matthew 8:28-29. We're talking about people who were ready to give their lives for Him. People who were ready to sacrifice all that they had to be able to be with this One, because He's the Son of God. People who would put their complete life, trust and foundation on Him. That's the picture of receiving Him.

C. Consider John’s implication here. What did it mean for the people to reject Him? It says that He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. What were they doing? It wasn't that they were just saying we don't like Him. What were they doing? They were rejecting everything that He stood for. They were rejecting His very plan. They were saying, you are not sent from God. You're not the Son of God. You're not divine. In you, there is no salvation or deliverance. We will not follow you. We will not believe. Instead, we will resist you.
D. To receive Him is the contrast of that. To receive Jesus, is to believe in Him, then to understand that we will follow Him, that we will accept His message, that we will obey Him and we will go wherever He goes. This is the ground that John is getting at what it means for us to receive the Lord. Sadly, even though some people change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat.

IV. The Result: Now notice the promise that is being given here in the beautiful text of verse 12— “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name:” That is a very powerful statement to those who did receive Him.

A. He gave something phenomenal. He gave the right to be become children of God. That is a fascinating sentence to me. John says what happens is that you are given the right to become children of God. Jesus being rejected, and dying on the cross is not the end of the story. Not a tragic ending, but a glorious beginning of what God has planned.

1. Here is the grace that is being offered. This word for right, to say that we were given the right to become children of God, can also be understood as the freedom or the authority. This is important with what John is saying. What happened is that for those who did receive Him, there was divine authorization that took place. We were dead in our sins, had no hope of washing them away. But God did what we could not do, and gave us a change of status, a way forward, the opportunity to become Children of God.
2. That's what's really neat about the phrasing of become children of God. There's an imagery here of moving from one status to another status. We have moved out of being slaves to sin. We have moved away from being enemies of the cross or enemies of God, as Romans chapter 5 would describe. Now the authority, the freedom, the right has been given to us that now we can become children. And I think it is so important for us to consider what John is driving at with this.
3. We don't have the right to be children of God. In and of ourselves, by our own actions, we have no right, no authority, no freedom whatsoever to become His children. This is something that only God can do.
4. The privilege of being a child of God is the greatest privilege afforded by life on earth; but even when people have complied with the conditions antecedent to the gift, no one can ever be considered as deserving or meriting so marvelous a gift. Conditions there certainly are, else salvation would have to be universal; but when all conditions are complied with, the sinner is still saved by God’s grace.

B. We are full of sin. We have no rights. We have no freedom, for we are enslaved to sin. We have no authority for anything before God. We are like the prodigal son, in that we have gone astray and we should be just like the prodigal son who says, I have no right to be a child, I should just be a slave. That is where we stand before Him.

1. We have nothing to stand on before God. But God says I will give access, I will give authorization I will give the right to become children of God, to those who receive the Son, to those who accepted Him, to those who put their full faith in Him and obedience to Him. There is a change of status that occurs. That is why John says “the right to become” not “the right to be.” We are moving from darkness to light.
2. The author of this gospel will describe this change as passing from death to life (John 5:24). We have been given the privilege to become the covenant people of God. Jesus has granted the authority to belong as His children.

C. John 1:13 starts out with “who were born…”. Then John describes how we become children of God and in doing so he first eliminates some things.

1. First he says “who were born, not of blood,…”. That's not the way you are given this right, you are not part of this by blood. I believe this clearly drives at the way the Jews perceived their state before God. This idea that we are the chosen people, we are the Israel, and therefore because of our physical status of being born through Abraham and tracing it back to Abraham, we are the children of God. John the baptizer's words were so forceful when he said “…For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” (Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8). This is not a promise given to physical Israel alone, nor was it a promise that even physical Israel would receive alone. It has nothing to do with blood-line. It has nothing to do with lineage. Being a physical descendant of Abraham did not provide the authority or the right to be children of God.
2. Next John says, “… nor of the will of the flesh…” I suggest John means there is not any external thing that we can do to authorize us to be children of God. No action on our part. What great merit will we stand on before God and say, I'm so good that you have to make me a child of God? Nope, our wickedness and our violations before God leave no room for that.
   We are outside the covenant that God has made because we have broken that covenant. That is a point that Paul so accurately drives up in those first two chapters of Romans, condemning all people, reminding them of their condition before God, and that the wrath of God has been revealed against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness. There is nowhere that we can point to on the ledger and say, here's the thing that authorizes me to be a child of God.
3. Third John says, “…nor of the will of man…” It does not matter how much we want to be in a relationship with Jesus. Every one of us still have a problem. All of us have a sin problem. All of us stand condemned. No matter how much we desire God, no matter how much we want to have a relationship with Him, our condition before God does not change. That's why Paul's words are so powerful in Ephesians 2 when he says we are dead in our sins. There's no changing of that condition without those first two words in Ephesians 2:4, “But God…”. Here John says, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

D. We need God to change our condition. We need to be authorized to be able to have this relationship. Bloodline will not authorize us or give us the right to be children of God. Doing certain works will not authorize us to be children of God. We could have desired it with all our heart.
If God had not sent His son to die on the cross, it would not matter. We needed Him to act first to be able to give us the hope to be able to have the access to God. It's a critical picture. We needed God to act first. 1st John 4:19 “We love Him because He first loved us.”

CONCLUSION: We are born of God. This is God’s doing. God has done through Jesus what no one could do. We needed help and that is why the Light was sent into the world. Only the blood of Jesus is able to move us from the status of dead in our sins to children of God. Our heritage does not move us from death to life. Our desire does not move us from being dead in our sins to being children of God. No system of works can change our state before God.
The concept of being “born of God” is an important theme in John’s writings. In this gospel, John will explore the idea of being born of God more thoroughly in chapter 3 when Jesus speaks with Nicodemus. Being born of God is the way to transition from darkness to light, from death to life, from dead in sins to children of God. Receiving Jesus is the only way to become children of God. Jesus is the true light. By His will and His life it is possible for us to become children of God. But we must receive Him, which means that we surrender our lives to follow Him because He is the foundation of our faith, our hope, and our very lives. Since we are born of God, notice what John says in his letters about how such people live.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (1st John 5:1 ESV)

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1st John 3:9 ESV)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1st John 4:7)

Knowing what God has done for us through His Son leads us to no longer practice sin, love each other, and to strive to live up to the great privilege of being His children.

We are about to sing the song of invitation. The invitation is a call open to everyone to make themselves right with God. As a Christian if you need to change, ask God’s forgiveness. If you need our prayers, we would be glad to pray with you and for you. If you need to be baptized into Christ, don’t continue to hide in the darkness of this life without the light of the Lord, for there will come a point, as Mark taught us last week, when Time Runs Out.

Whatever you need we invite you to come as we stand together and sing.

???

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

Ephesians 5: 15–16

Did you realize all the things we do with time?
We “MAKE” time,
and we TAKE time, for things that are important to us.
We “SAVE” time with all kinds of gadgets and doodads.
We “MARK” time,
we “KILL” time,
we “RACE AGAINST” time.
AND (someone noted) that the worst thing you can do with time,
is “WASTE” time.

One little girl complained to her mother after her first WEEK at school
“I’m wasting my time. I can’t read,
I can’t write—
and they won’t let me talk!”

Our text for today is Ephesians 5:15–16
"See then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time,
because the days are evil."

We may think that Paul was SIMPLY saying
don’t waste your time. But it’s more than that.
The Greek word Paul uses here is “exagorazo”
which means to “REDEEM” the time.
It’s the same word Paul used in Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
having become a curse for us--for it is written,
"CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE--"

To REDEEM means - to purchase, to buy,
to obtain by making a payment.
Paul is telling us that our time is so crucial,
so critical, that we must treat it like
a valuable and precious commodity that
MUST NOT be squandered and wasted.

We must redeem the time (he says) - but why?
What’s so critical about time that it must be redeemed?
Most of us would think the reason time is valuable
Is because we only have so much of it.
Sooner or later, we’re all gonna die.
Now, if you’re blessed you may live 80 or 90 or100 years,
but sooner or later your time is gonna run out.
So don’t waste your time!!!

But that is not really what Paul says here.
“Redeem the time... because the days are evil.”
What does that mean?
Well, think about it this way.
Do you have a bucket list?
A bucket list is a list of things
you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”
And what people have on their bucket list
tells you a lot about their priorities.

They may want to go to Europe,
or make a “Hole In One”,
swim with dolphins,
go deep sea fishing,
meet a famous person
or jump out of a plane.

There’s all kinds of things you could put on your “bucket list” –
and there’s nothing wrong with those things
(except maybe jumping out of an airplane).

God has some BUCKET LIST items for Christians
to add to their list:
1. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

1. Pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17).

2. In everything give thanks (1st Thessalonians 5:18).

3. Lay hold on eternal life (1st Timothy 6:12).

4. Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (2nd Timothy 1:8).

5. Hold fast to your profession of faith without wavering (Hebrews 10:23).

6. The just shall live by faith (Hebrews 10:38).

7. Forsake not the assembling together each Sunday (Hebrews 10:25).

8. Despise not the correction of the Lord, for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives (Hebrews 12:5–6).

This is just to mention a FEW
BUT what is that ONE THING
we must not leave off our bucket list?

Ephesians 5:17
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

This parallels with what one of the WISEST MEN ever in history
(King Solomon) concluded in Ecclesiastes 12:13
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man".

Paul continues in Ephesians 5:18
“ do not get drunk with wine, for that is sin,…
but be filled with the Spirit”
What? What’s he talking about here?
Well, he’s saying that in order for us
to fully understand God’s will,
we must be totally controlled by God’s Spirit.
And then he makes an odd comparison:
“don’t get drunk on wine” he says.
That seems illogical until you understand what he’s trying to say.

Have you ever seen someone who’s been drunk?
How can you tell if they’re drunk
if you never saw them take a drink?
Well, you can tell they’re drunk by how they walk,
by how they talk, by how they think
and by how they act.

Everything about their drunkenness
is obvious by their behavior.
They are FILLED with alcohol... and it controls them.
By contrast Paul says,
don’t be filled with alcohol (don’t get drunk)
but be FILLED with the Spirit.
In other words, the Spirit should so fill you
that it controls how you walk and talk
and how you think and act.

That is crucial for Christians –
we need to be so filled with the Spirit of God
that people know it when they see our behavior!
So, how do we get FILLED with the Holy Spirit?
Well, first we need to understand
that we already have the Spirit inside of us.

Acts 2:38 promises us "Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

Ephesians 1:14 tells us –
God’s Spirit “is THE GUARANTEE of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.”

You can’t be a Christian without
God’s Spirit inside of you.
So, first we need to realize
we already have the Spirit inside of us.
But here in Ephesians it says
we need to be “refilled” with Spirit.
What’s that all about?

Well, first let’s examine what Paul tells us to do,
and then I’ll try to explain WHY this is so important.
First, Paul says that in order for us to be filled with God’s Spirit
we need to... SING.
We should be “addressing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” Ephesians 5:19

One group that I particularly enjoyed listening to
was a trendy folk group called “Simon and Garfunkel.”
As I listened to their music more critically,
I discovered that one of their songs went this way:
“I have no need of friendship,
friendship causes pain,
it's laughter and it's loving I disdain...
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock - I am an island.” (I Am A Rock).

It’s a Great song... but really depressing.
Another song declared: “Hello darkness my old friend .....
I’ve come to talk to you again!”
The Bible teaches us that music has
a spiritual power over the Spirit world!
One of the greatest singers in the Bible
was a little shepherd boy named David.
The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs
(or Psalms) that the Jews sang,
and David wrote half of them.

He was so good at singing
that people began to pay attention
long before David ever confronted Goliath.
In the meantime, King Saul (the King of Israel)
had decided to stop listening to God
and run his kingdom his own way.

So, God withdrew His Spirit from him
and the King became plagued with an evil Spirit.
He plunged into depression,
and that EVIL SPIRIT tormented King Saul so much
that (on the advice of one of his friends)
he sent for David to sing for him.

Music has power over evil.
And it has the power to bring peace to my heart and soul.
So, when you’re depressed or struggling –
find a song that glorifies God and sing it.

One song we could sing
in most any situation in life is
“This World Is Not My Home.”
“This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door.
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
The chorus “O Lord, you know I have no friend like you,
if heaven's not my home, dear Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”

Now, it doesn’t matter if you can sing well
Or with much power. The point is:
find a song that glorifies God... and sing it.
Use the power of GOD’S music to lift your soul
out of despair and sadness.

Secondly - Paul tells us,
that in order to be filled with God’s Spirit,
we need to be “giving thanks always
and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:20

Now, quiz time: HOW OFTEN do should give thanks? (ALWAYS)
and FOR WHAT should we give thanks? (EVERTHING).
There’s a lot of people who have a hard time doing that.

Rudyard Kipling was a great writer and poet
who made a lot of money for his writings.
One day a newspaper reporter came up to him and said,
“Mr. Kipling, I just read that
somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings
amounts to over a hundred dollars a word;
Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said,
“Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.”

The reporter cynically reached down into his pocket
and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill
and gave it to Kipling and said,
“Here’s a hundred dollar bill, Mr. Kipling.
Now, you give me one of your hundred dollar words.”
Mr. Kipling looked at that hundred dollar bill for a moment,
took it, folded it up, and put it in his pocket
and then smiled and said, “Thanks.”

He’s right! The word ‘thanks’
is certainly more than a hundred dollar word.
I would say it is more like a million dollar word.
Thank you is one word that is too seldom heard,
too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten.
If we would all adopt an attitude of thanksgiving into our lives –
our lives would be changed. We would cherish each day.

Studies have been done over the years
where people have been asked to
write down 10 things they’re thankful for
and after an extended period of time
the list is sadly too often still incomplete.

Many people become so negative
they struggle to think of 10 things they’re thankful for.
BUT, when given a tablet of paper
and asked to write down things they were unhappy about,
or disappointed with,
or frustrated about,
they could fill out an entire tablet of paper... and ask for another.

Why?
Why are they so unhappy?
Well, because most folks aren’t used to
being thankful for what they have.
For example, they don’t express thankfulness
for the fact that they have 2 hands.
Why should they? They’ve ALWAYS had those two hands.

And they’ve always had the ability to run
and laugh and hear and see and sing.
Why be grateful for those things?
By contrast, these folks tend to focus instead
on what they DON’T HAVE.
They dwell on the wanting of a better job,
or a better car, or a better spouse,
or a better ... whatever.
And that’s why they’re so depressed –

there is ALWAYS going to be stuff that they don’t have,
or that they can’t possess!
So they end up being miserable/unhappy people.

Philippians 4:4-7 says “Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice...
do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Learn to be grateful for what you have
(and quit focusing on what you don’t have)
and you’ll be so filled with God’s Spirit
that it will change how you think and how you behave.
And the world around you will notice.

This was the key to Tom’s lesson last week:
Jesus is the Light,
We are to reflect that light,
AND let our light so shine before men
THAT they may see our good works…
And GLORIFY our Father who is in Heaven.

CLOSE: I want to close by explaining
WHY it’s so important to be “Filled” with Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us that Spirit is a very powerful force.
He teaches us, He comforts us,
He helps us in our prayers
when we don’t know what to say.

Romans 8:11 tells us that We have the same power living in us...
that raised Jesus from the dead!!!!
“If the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies
through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Being “filled with the Spirit” is all about
laying hold of the full power of the Spirit
God has given us.
You see, for the Spirit to operate fully in our lives,
we’ve got to make our hearts decent places for Him to reside.
For example, let’s say I invite you to come to my house.
But when you come in the door,
the first thing you see is my clothes scattered everywhere,
dishes are piled high in the sink
and papers are covering the counters.
I have cats all over the place... 3 or 4 of them...
and I have not cleaned up after them for weeks.

Now, how comfortable are you going to be?
How willing will you be to spend time with me?
Not very.
The same is true for having the Spirit FILLING our lives.
If we don’t clean up our lives
by filling our hearts with singing
and praise and such,
God’s Spirit is NOT going to feel
real comfortable with you.
But when we learn to sing songs
about God’s glory,
train our hearts to be grateful
and filled with thanks
THEN God’s Spirit can be COMFORTABLE inside us,
and be able to work His POWER
fully in our lives.
But that’s only if you’re a Christian.

If you don’t belong to Jesus,
His Spirit isn’t going to be inside you.
That’s why we need to respond to His free gift of salvation
as Acts 2:38 tells us
"Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Sermon Contributor : David Dykes

View Details

John 1:6-8

INTRO: Good morning church. In our first lesson from John’s gospel we noticed in the prologue where he introduces Jesus; that Jesus is the Word, He is the eternal God who reveals the message and character of God. Jesus is the creator of all things and nothing was created without him. Further, in Jesus is life. If we are not in Jesus, we are dead. We are dead in our sins, separated from God, and have nothing. In Jesus is life and also, Jesus is light. Through Jesus we have light in the darkness of this world to know the way to the Father. John introduces his gospel with these great themes in the first 5 verses.

I. John The Witness: In recap, the first five verses have revealed the eternal Word of God. The prologue is all about the eternal Word who is the eternal life and eternal light. Now we continue in John 1:6-8 – “6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” John sets about telling us about a man named John.

A. This sudden change has caused a lot of writers to try to figure out why John put verses 6 through 8 at this point because it really feels out of place. If one was to skip these verses and read from verse 5 to verse 9 it would read this way; “5. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 9. That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.” We might wonder; “Why did you put this about John in this location?” I strongly suspect that it is intentional by the writer.

1. The first 5 verses are about the eternal nature of Jesus, calling Him the Word. He is the very message of God. He is light and life. He is equal to God in every way, fully divine, fully God. Everything that was made, He made. There was not anything made that wasn’t made by Him.
2. In verse 6 – “There was a man…” We've gone from Jesus as the word, the eternal God, the revealer of God, the revealer of light and life, to now… here's a man. He's an important man, but he's just a man.
3. The synoptic gospels describe him as “John the Baptist”, for he baptized people and preached repentance. That is our common way of understanding him. But in this gospel the author does not call John - “the Baptist.” I think that is interesting. In this gospel John is called - “the Witness” and that is his primary importance, not as the baptist but as the witness.

B. As we begin this part of the text we notice a key word describing this man in verse 6, that word is “sent”. Verse 6 tells us of the commission of John. John did not come about his task on his own accord. John was “sent from God”. John was divinely commissioned to be a spokesperson.
C. We find the next key word in verse 7, the word, “witness”. John is a human witness sent from God. He came to give his witness or testimony concerning the light. Keep this in mind: John’s purpose is “… to bear witness of the Light…” This is very important to the theme of John’s gospel. Bearing witness only occurs a few times in all three synoptic gospels combined. However, bearing witness occurs 33 times in John’s gospel.

1. You will recall what we read last time in John 20:30-31 where we are told of the objective that the author has in this gospel. “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” This gospel is the testimony, the witness, to prove Jesus is the Son of God.
2. John is the Witness with the purpose to testify of Him. It is his job to testify that Jesus is the light. He is going to be the witness of that. Jesus is the Son of God, and John is making that declaration.
3. John has a very specific role. When the true light comes, it is his job to recognize the true light and then go about pointing everybody to the light and say, He's the light, He's the true one, He is the word, He's the lamb.

D. The purpose is clearly stated in verse 7. “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, (and now here is the reason) that all through him might believe.” John came as a witness so that all might believe through him. His job is to point everybody to the light so that everybody will believe in Jesus through the testimony John gives. The work that John is going to do is to bring about faith and belief in the people who listen to him so that their faith is in Jesus.

1. The author is not saying that all would believe through Jesus. Jesus is the object of our faith. Jesus is who we believe in. John would function as a witness to the light so that people would believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
2. Through John’s witness people were to recognize that Jesus is the light and therefore believe in Him.
3. John’s role as the witness was to recognize the true Light when it appeared and call attention to it. This belief is not merely acknowledgement, which we will notice throughout this gospel. Believing in Jesus means to recognize who Jesus is, to put one’s trust fully in Him for deliverance, and commit one’s self completely to the Light.
4. If you will, John as a witness is a recruiter for the light. His testimony is to bring people to recognize the light. That's an important purpose. When we get to verses 19-34 we're going to see John at work. We will read about what he does and we should ask; is he fulfilling his obligation, fulfilling his divinely commissioned charge as pointing people to the light? This is what our apostle John, the writer of this gospel, is describing for us as an important role.

E. Before we leave verse 7, I want us to consider a few things. First, I want to talk about belief. One of the things that we will notice in John's gospel is he's going to spend a lot of time talking about belief. We saw that is the purpose of John’s gospel as we found in John 20:30-31.

1. The goal of John the apostle in writing this gospel is that all will believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And as we read in verse 7 the purpose of John the witness is to cause belief so that all will believe that Jesus is the light.
2. Let’s go to our most famous passage that everybody knows. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Belief is everything in this gospel.
3. John’s goal is for people to recognize who Jesus is, to recognize Him as the light, to recognize Him as the true and living God, recognize that they are to commit to Him. That is calling for a dramatic life change.
4. To know Jesus is the eternal word, the true and living God, light and life, such that people will not only believe Him, but obey Him, serve Him and surrender their lives to Him. This is what the apostle here is describing as belief.

II. Witness to the Light: A witness to the light. Do we recognize the irony of this statement? It is truly shocking. Why would someone have to bear witness to the light?

A. If we were to turn out all the lights in the room at night so that it was pitch black, and someone were to turn on a light, no one would have to testify and tell people that over there is the light. If I turned on a light, would I have to tell you that there is a light? You would know that there is a light that is on. You would be able to see the light.

1. Nobody in the morning runs around the Earth and says, “Hey, by the way, folks, there's the light.” No kidding. We see the light. There it is.
2. Who would need someone to testify, to give witness to the light? — Only people who can't see… This is at the heart of what this gospel is about. Only people who cannot see, people who are spiritually blind, need somebody to point and say, “There's the light.”

B. People who cannot see, people who have been in the darkness for so long, that they cannot recognize light or comprehend what light is. Remember in John 1:5 we noted the dual nature of John’s declaration: “And the darkness did not overcome it” also means “the darkness did not comprehend it.” Jesus is the light shining in the darkness.

1. The word we translate as “overcome” or “comprehend” we can look at both ways. One aspect of this is that Jesus is the light and the darkness does not win. Darkness will not overcome light. Light always overcomes darkness.
2. Another aspect is the darkness doesn't understand. There is this spiritual blindness that is at work. As we go through this gospel, we're going to observe a number of places where John seems to intentionally use ambiguous, dual meaning words, because he wants to capture both ideas. I think this is a spot where the idea of light not being comprehended works. Why would you need John to be a witness to the light? Because the darkness doesn't comprehend it.
3. The light is shining in this world and people don't get it. John is the witness telling the blind people who live in the darkness that the light is shining and to go to the light. It is John's purpose to grab people by the hand and show them the light and say, “Here is the light so that you can see.”
4. John has come as a witness to tell the spiritually blind, “Here is the light that is shining” and to try to direct people to that light. It's such an amazing statement. To me it is such a curious but implied thing that John, the author here, wants us to understand about the role that is being played. To recognize the spiritual darkness that we are in and the need for someone to point us to the light.

C. Well, John the witness, lives and his job is to point to Jesus saying, “He's the light.” Then the apostle Paul comes along and says… “Do you know what?” As apostles, that's our job, too.

1. Notice what Paul says about the Apostles in 2nd Corinthians 4:3-6 – “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”[ESV] The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2. Paul says, we’ve got a world full of blindness. People are in the dark. They can't see and Satan is at work in this, blinding their hearts, blinding their minds, so that they cannot see the true light.
3. Paul then speaks of the Holy Spirit of which Jesus says in John 14:16 – “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
4. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” There is the who, what and why as people might say.

D. We are blind and in need of someone to give testimony to the light. John was the first witness to the light shining in the darkness. After John, then the apostles were witnesses to the light shining in the darkness. The apostles received the light and gave the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ to the world.

1. Paul is saying, the light of Christ has shone in us so that we may give light of the knowledge of the glory of God. So that we can now give testimony of the light to the world, because the world is in darkness.
2. He is writing of apostolic authority here the Corinthians. Paul says, we have been given something special. We have received that light. We are witnesses to the light. We are bearing witness about the light of Christ so that the world now can come out of that darkness, and they can now come to the light, and they can comprehend and leave that darkness and no longer be spiritually blind—spiritually lost in darkness.
3. We can come to the light through what the apostles’ show us, through their teaching. They were witnesses to this light as well.

E. This problem has not changed even today. People are still blind and lost in the spiritual darkness. They cannot see the light and they need people to point them to the light. The apostle Paul taught that the Jewish nation was to be a nation who brought people from the darkness to the light and were to be a guide to the blind… but failed. (Romans 2:17f) Paul tells them there in verse 19, You were to be a guide…to whom? The blind, and a light…to whom? The world, the nations, yet what Paul said—is they failed.

1. After condemning the Gentiles in chapter one of Romans, he turns to the Jews in chapter 2 and says, you were to be a guide to the blind. You were supposed to lead them to the light of God. You were supposed to show them the way.
2. You were supposed to live your lives in Holiness and Godliness and purity so that people would see the light of God, and they would come and understand Him and learn of Him and come out of that darkness. Paul's charge to them is—you have failed.
3. That's why Paul says in Romans 3, all have sinned. “… For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;”

F. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”[ESV] Jesus uses this same imagery and says “You are the light of the world”.

1. As we study scripture we will find this is more than just simply holy conduct. Often when we talk about being a light, what we mean is what we want to do is keep our nose clean, keep pure, don't sin, do what's right. Yes, that's absolutely part of walking in the light. A critical part. If we are not obedient to God and we are not doing as He says, we're not shining lights at all. We're in darkness.
2. There is more to being lights in the world though. It is not only that you will be pure so you can go to heaven, but that your purity will cause others to see the light of Christ and that they will follow him. When we do this we are reflecting the light of God.
3. Our mission is to be lights in the world, showing people the glory of God. The world is in darkness. The world is spiritually blind. They do not see, they do not understand, they do not comprehend. That is why we function as illumination, as we reflect the light of Jesus.
4. I love how Jesus says it in Matthew 5:16, “let your light shine before others…” Why? “so that they may see your good works…” You're going to be doing what is right. You're going to be showing that you are truly living faithfully to God. Why? Still in verse 16, “… so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
5. Paul uses this same idea in Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” The way we live in this world, reflects God’s light, illuminating the wrongs.

III. The Position of the Witness: Finally, notice John 1:8. John was not that light.

A. The author of this gospel wants to make this point abundantly clear so that we do not make a mistake in our understanding of who John is. John is the witness. John is not the light. John came to bear witness to the light. The author wants to emphasize John’s subordination to the light.

1. This first chapter will make this point a number of times. John is not the light and he is in submission to the light. John was sent by God to be a witness. The Apostles were witnesses. They were able to shine as lights because they physically observed, and could witness. They saw and heard Jesus.
2. For us, we are able to say, we are experiencing the light. We are walking in the light. Though we have not seen Him personally like they did, we are able to be lights in the world and show them; here is the way of God. Try to break people free from the grasp that Satan has over their minds and hearts as they dwell in darkness.
3. Successful servants of Jesus understand their proper role: to point to the light. We do not point to ourselves. We do not glorify ourselves. We do not point people to the church. Successful servants of Jesus point to the light. We glorify Jesus. We point people to Jesus. We show people Jesus. As we live, we simply point to the One greater than us. Our teaching must always point to Jesus. Our lives always show glory to Jesus. We must continue to point people to the light. We cannot walk in the light of Jesus and then put that light under a basket, hiding it from others. We must shine.

CONCLUSION: John is not the light and he said as much when he was questioned later in this chapter. He is subordinate to the light. I think that is what John was intending in verse 6. Five verses of; who is Jesus? He's the eternal word. He's the eternal God. He's light. He's life.

Who's John? He's a man. He's sent by God, but he's a man. This is a staggering idea, considering what Jesus will say in the other Gospels. He says there was no one born of woman greater than John. John the Witness, John the Baptizer, Jesus says that there was nobody greater than him. Yet, the writer shows he's subordinate to the light.
He's not the light. As great as he is, he's not the light.

What's John doing? What's he saying? The one who's coming is greater than me. I'm not even worthy to get on my knees, and to use our language, to untie his shoes, to untie his sandals. The greatest one that ever lived, that was born of woman, and he's not worthy. He understood his role… point to the light. That's what his job was all about.

Everything we do needs to point to Jesus. Everything about our lives is about pointing to the light. John, the witness, understood his role. He understood what it was all about. Our job is not to point the world to other Christians. Our job is not to point people to the church. Our job is to point people to the light, to point people to Jesus, because this is not about us. This is all about Him. This is all about Jesus Christ. That's what is critical about our mission.

This isn't about, “Hey, we've got a great group here. We have a great time together. We got a good family here.” Although true that's not what we're here for. We are here to point to the light. When we lose sight of that, we can become insular and forget what our mission and our job is all about. We turn within ourselves. We look at this world and think, “They’re full of darkness, and we don't want to be around them. They're awful, wicked people. We'll just come here, and hunker down, get away.” If we turn inward we've lost sight of our job to be lights in the world.

They're not going to find the light unless we take them by the hand and show it to them because they are blind. They are blinded and will not see it on their own. We must show it to them, grab them by the hand and say, this is Jesus. He's the light you need to see. Open your eyes and look at the great thing that we have before us. Its critical then, as Jesus would say, we don't hide the light.

The darkness doesn't comprehend. John had to be a testifier, a witness, to the light in the darkest of worlds. I know that sounds crazy. The people were looking for the messiah. It should have just been obvious, it should have been like the sun rising. When Jesus came, that should have just been like, “ta-da!” What you will read in the next few verses is they didn't receive it. They didn't get it.

The same is true today. Do not lose hope. Do not give up. Do not tire in doing good and shining your light in this world through your holy conduct, continuously reflecting the glory of God and always pointing to the light.

Pick up your song books for the song of invitation. The invitation is a call open to everyone to make themselves right with God. As a Christian if you need to change, ask God’s forgiveness. If you need our prayers, we would be glad to pray with you and for you. If you need to be baptized into Christ, don’t continue to hide in the darkness of this life without the light of the Lord, for there will come a time when it is too late.

Whatever you need we invite you to come as we stand together and sing.

600—Jesus Is Calling

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

2 Timothy 4: 3 – 4

Intro: A rat looked through a crack in the wall
to see the farmer and his wife opening a package.
What food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap.
Retreating to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said,
"Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
but it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."

The rat turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"
"I am so very sorry Mr. Rat," sympathized the pig,
"but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured that you are in my prayers."

The rat turned to the cow.
She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap.
BUT…I am in no grave danger."

So the rat returned to the house,
head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house,
like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see
that it was a venomous snake
whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup,
so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard
for the soup's main ingredient.

His wife's sickness continued
so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well.
She died, and so many people came for her funeral
so the farmer had the cow slaughtered
to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear
that someone is facing a problem
and you think that it does not concern you,
remember that when
there is a rat trap in the house,
the whole farmyard is at risk.

Back in the Old Testament,
in the book of Jeremiah,
we read an intriguing story of a Jewish King
who didn’t like something God had to say.

The King’s name was Jehoiakim
and God had the prophet Jeremiah write down a prophecy
which condemned the King and his kingdom
because of the evil that King Jehoiakim had allowed to take place. God sent a warning to Jehoiakim and the nation of Judah to repent... or else.

But instead of repenting of his sin
Jehoiakim decided to show his contempt for God’s prophecy.
He ordered a scribe to come into his chambers
and read the prophecy in his presence.
And after the reading of 3 or 4 columns of the scroll
(roughly equivalent to 3 or 4 pages from a book)
the King took a knife and cut off that section from the scroll,
and he crumpled it up and threw it into a fire.

And Jehoiakim did that with the entire scroll
until the whole of the prophecy
had been completely destroyed.
Jehoiakim cut out the sections of the prophecy
he didn’t like... which... was pretty much all of it.

And over the centuries, people have –
to one degree or another –
done exactly the same thing to God’s Word
with their own knives.

For example, Thomas Jefferson created his own
personalized Bible using a similar technique.
Jefferson titled the finished product:
“The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.”
And what he did was,
he took several copies of the Bible
and literally went through the Gospels,
taking a penknife and cutting out
the sections of Gospels that he LIKED.

Then he’d paste those sections he liked
into a journal – and that became his Bible.
The parts he left out …
the parts he rejected were because
he felt those sections were “contrary to reason.”

You see Jefferson was offended by the idea
that God would reach down into this world
and “interfere” with the affairs of men.

So, anything that was mentioned a miracle
was ‘contrary to reason.”
He left out anything that spoke of God’s miraculous power.
Things like:
• the feeding of the 5000
• the various healings Jesus did
• and (of course) the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

More recently … in the 1990s,
about 150 religious scholars
did pretty much the same thing.
They got together in something they called
the “Jesus Seminar” and voted on verses
in the Gospels as to whether certain verses
actually spoke of true events
(as opposed to stories they felt
the Gospel writers had made up).

They voted by the means of “colored beads”:
Red meant - yes, Jesus said or did that.
Pink: The passage sounded like it could have been Jesus.
Gray: Maybe.
Black: Definitely did not happen.
They rejected many parts of the Gospels
they felt were ‘over the top.

For example, they rejected things like
• the passage where Jesus said:
"I am the way, and I am the truth, and I am life
No man cometh to the FATHER, EXCEPT THROUGH ME!
They felt it was “too exclusive”.

The very idea that Jesus would say
that there was no way unto the Father
except by Him was offensive to them.
• And they rejected Jesus’ parable about the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 as being too judgmental.
• And, of course, they rejected
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead
as being too outlandish to be believed.

Now, why would they do that?
Why would these scholars (and Jefferson)
cut away so much of the Bible?
Very simple: they did not believe
ALL SCRIPTURE was God breathed.
TOM’s last 2 lessons from John have dealt with
The extreme importance of the WORD OF GOD!

They believed the Bible was a man-made document
filled with errors and made-up stories.
A “SO-CALLED” religious scholar stated
“if you press a skeptic to name
just 5 errors in the Bible... they can’t.

The Bible is an extremely accurate book.
And in spite of the constant attacks of skeptics
down thru the ages,
it remains the best-selling book in the world.
And the Bible has lasted as long as it has
because it is a GOD BREATHED document.

God literally wrote the WHOLE thing.
Or actually... you could say
He “ghost wrote” the Bible.

Do you know what ghost writing is?
That’s when a celebrity pays a good writer
to write a book in their name.
The book is named for the celebrity,
but their book was actually written
by the ghost writer.
James Patterson does a lot of this.

And that is just what happened with Scripture.
The KJV version of 2nd Peter 1:21 says:
“... prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake
as they were inspired by the Holy GHOST.”
Did you catch that?

The Holy Ghost (Spirit) was a “ghost writer” of the Scriptures.
• Isaiah may have had his name on the book,
but it was the Spirit that carried him along.
• Matthew may have written the Gospel,
but it was the Spirit that ghost-wrote his book.
• Paul may have written letters to the churches,
but it was the Spirit that dictated the words.

And in 1st Corinthians 2:13
that’s actually what Paul claimed happened
even when he spoke: “This is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom
but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”

But Paul told Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3:16-17
the proof of the pudding
is in what Scripture is capable of doing
in the lives of those who read
and are instructed by it:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be
THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work.”

The Bible has the power to transform us
and remake us even better than before.
David put it this way: IN Psalm 119:98-99

“Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes”

The Bible can make me wiser than my enemies
and smarter than my teachers?
How can it do that?
A philosopher by the name of Vishal Mangalwadi
recently wrote a book called
“The Book That Made Your World”.
He noted that whether you talk about politics or science, education or technology,
the Bible was the key that unlocked the Western mind.

He found that it was the biblical notion
of human dignity that formed the
social structure of western nations like the U.S.

It was the Bible that created a fertile ground
for women to find social and economic empowerment.
It was Scripture that uniquely equipped
Western culture to cultivate compassion,
human rights, prosperity, and strong families.

And that it shaped our very concept
of education and science.
Take Isaac Newton for example.
He made major contributions to mathematics,
optics, physics, & astronomy.
He discovered the law of gravitation,
formulated the basic laws of motion.
He developed calculus,
and he analyzed the nature of white light.
I can’t even understand half the things that he discovered.

But behind all of his science was the conviction
he learned from the Bible.
The key to Newton’s knowledge was understanding that
God had made the universe and that He
made it according to a mathematical structure.
And that God had gifted human beings
with ability to understand that structure

Then there was Robert Boyle –
the father of modern chemistry.
He agreed with Newton.
Because of what Boyle had read in the Bible
he looked at that the universe as being filled
with an extreme degree of order.

He saw this was true because
God ordained laws that guided
everything in our world.
And Boyle believed it was the scientist's duty
to discover what laws God had established.

Then there was Johann Kepler.
His 3 laws for planetary motion
are the basis for our understanding
of the solar system today
and they have shaped how astronomers –
even to this day - view the heavens.

Kepler also believed that there was a
mathematical precision and orderliness in the universe;
and that the scientist's duty
was to discover what mathematical formula God had used.

Because of what he’d learned from the Bible,
Kepler believed that God had created the world
according to an intelligent plan and that
that plan could be understood thru observation and reason.
In fact, he’d read in Scripture that God
encouraged the heathen to look carefully at creation
so that they might come to know God.
So, Kepler strove to prove
the greatness and majesty of creation,
so that mankind could have a deeper
& more powerful worship of their creator.

My Point Is This:
These men didn’t just become wiser than their teachers.
They BECAME our teachers.
Their research formed the foundation
of much of what we call science.

And they formed that foundation
because of their belief in the God of the Bible.
These men believed this because
they believed that ALL Scripture was
God-breathed was useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God
may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.

Scripture changes people.
And it even changes civilizations –
because God has given it the power to do that.

When the Bible is taken seriously… nations change,
cultures change, and people change.
The Bible is the Good News
that transforms all of this.

In fact, that’s what the word “Gospel” means: “good news.”
The Gospel message is full of God’s grace
and God’s forgiveness.
But if the Bible is “good news”
why would anyone want to cut out parts of it?
Well, folks cut away things from the Bible because
the Bible isn’t ALL good news.
Some of the Bible is BAD NEWS for many people.

Just like the judgment on Jehoiakim
(which we talked about at the beginning of the sermon)
the Bible has words of condemnation
and words of warning of God’s impending judgment.
God tells people “you can’t always do what you want to do, because certain things are NOT acceptable.

And if you do those things... there will be consequences.”
For example: 1st Corinthians says in Chapter 6:9-10
“Do you not know that the wicked
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders,
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards
nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

People who live these kinds of lives
squirm when they words like that.
This is NOT good news to them.
That’s not what they want to hear.
So they’ll either avoid God’s word
(by NOT reading it/ or NOT going to church)
or they’ll try to find a church
that will tickle their ears.

Or they’ll even cut out the Scriptures
that make them uncomfortable.
These theologians rejected any authority in the Bible
except the things Jesus said
(and even some of that they doubted).
But everything else – things in the Old Testament
and most of the New – were optional.
Even letters written by Paul or Peter or John...
didn’t make the cut.
And I use that term “cut” deliberately,
because these Red Letter “Christians”
are essentially heretics who have
gotten out their penknives
to cut away at God’s word– just like Jehoiakim did.

Now, that’s a VERY dangerous thing to do.
Peter warned the Christians of his day
about messing with Paul’s writings
2nd Peter 3:14 – 18 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Peter was warning the Christians of his day
(and he was warning us)
• stay away from these men with penknives.
• don’t listen to these folks because
they’ll drag you away from Jesus.

Peter described them as ignorant, unstable people...
lawless men who will be destroyed.
And that’s exactly what happened to Jehoiakim.
God destroyed him.

God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 36:30-31that
Jehoiakim’s “...body will be thrown out
and exposed to the heat by day
and the frost by night.
I will punish him and his children
and his attendants for their wickedness;
I will bring on them
and those living in Jerusalem
and the people of Judah
every disaster I pronounced against them,
because they have not listened.”

That’s NOT good news.
When men like Jehoiakim
bring penknives to a fight with the Bible
(which is the Sword of the Spirit)
they’re bound to lose.
And that makes sense if you think about it.
If you had a choice of fighting with a penknife or a sword... which weapon would you chose?

And these folks have already lost.
God says they will be destroyed.
But even worse –
the people who listen to them will suffer.
And that’s bad news.
But notice WHY God brought judgment on
Jehoiakim and all Judah –
they “have not listened.”
They refused to love the truth
and so be saved.
That’s why we need to be committed
to standing firm with the Bible.
We do nobody any favors
by trying to water down the warnings
and judgments of Scripture.

ILLUS: There was once a fiery preacher
who often spoke on the subject of sin.
He minced no words, but defined sin as
"that abominable thing that God hates."

Some of the members of his congregation
came to him and urged him to tone down his sermons.
They said: "We wish you would not speak so plainly about sin. Call it something else.
Call it an 'inhibition,' or 'an error' or a 'mistake,'
or even 'a twist in our nature.'"

"Oh," replied the preacher, "I think I know what you mean.
Come with me."
He took them down to the church kitchen,
reached under the sink and
drew out a bottle of cleaning liquid
which had a skull and cross bones on it.

"What you are asking me do is put another label on this bottle. You’d want me to not call it poison,
but something more pleasant... like lemonade.
But that’s not going to happen.
When God calls something sin,
evil, depraved or an abomination,
I will call it by no other name."

The Bible is “Good News”
But there is poison in this world
that many want to pretend won’t hurt us.
God can not give us the good news
of Christ’s love and salvation
if we ignore the dangers of those poisons.

But if we LISTEN to God –
if we realize that God saved us to avoid sin –
then the good news is that He will change our lives.

Remember we read 1st Corinthians earlier:
“Do you not know that the wicked
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor thieves nor the greedy,
nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1st Corinthians 6:9-10

That’s bad news.

But in the next verse Paul tells us the GOOD NEWS:

“And that is what some of you were.
But you were washed,
you were sanctified,
you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.”
1st Corinthians 6:11

Based on a sermon given
By Jeff Strite

View Details

John 1:1-5

INTRO: Good morning church. Today we will continue our look at the prologue to John’s gospel. In our last lesson on we noticed John’s foundational teaching that Jesus is God. John proves Jesus is God by showing that Jesus created all things and that in Him is the light and the life. Paul puts it this way in Colossians 1:13-23 – “13. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14. in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20. and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22. in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight 23. if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard…”

First I’ll quickly mention some of the background I gave last week. In our lesson we said that this gospel is filled with signs and symbols. John uses these in talking about spiritual life. As we read and study this gospel, it is important to ask ourselves why John is using the sign we read about. It is just as important to consider the distinctiveness of this gospel. John omits many things that are in the other gospel records. Perhaps the most notable of missing elements in this gospel is that there are no parables. While Matthew and Luke are filled with parables, the Gospel of John is not.

John’s gospel records events that the other gospels do not record. Only John records the miracle of changing water to wine. Only John records Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus. Only John records the woman at the well in Samaria. Consider that only John records the raising of Lazarus from the dead. While the other gospels focus mainly on the teachings and movements of Jesus outside of Jerusalem, John’s gospel keeps its focus on Jesus primarily, in Jerusalem.

John’s gospel contains seven signs, most of which are unique to his gospel. Those seven signs are the water turned to wine, the healing of the official’s son, the healing at the pool, the feeding of the 5000, walking on water, healing a blind man, and raising Lazarus from the dead. The ultimate and final sign is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. There are also seven “I AM” statements made by Jesus that John records. This gospel reflects a great deal of symmetry in its unique way of bringing about faith in those who read it.

The prologue to John’s gospel sets the tone for what John is presenting. We are going to read so much about life and light in this gospel. John’s effort is to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, by showing that Jesus does what God the Father does. This will be a theme throughout the gospel. In these first five verses we see that Jesus is God because He did what God can do: create, give life, and give light. These are activities reserved only for the power of God. Since Jesus did these things, then He is also God.

This theme becomes the lens by which we must study John’s gospel. We should ask ourselves how Jesus’ teachings or actions parallel what we see God doing in the Old Testament; therefore proving that Jesus is God. D.A. Carson makes the same point: “John intends that the whole of his gospel shall be read in light of this verse. The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God” (Pillar New Testament Commentary, 117).

As I said, there is great symmetry here, there's clearly an intention behind this writing. I really want to place weight on that. When you approach John's gospel, you are intended to ask why. Why is that story there? What are you trying to tell me with that event or that teaching or that saying?

I. Jesus Is The Word: Let’s begin by examining this – Jesus is called “The Word.” Consider that there are many descriptive terms that the Holy Spirit could have used through John to describe Jesus. He could have been called the light, the life, or some other term. But the term given to the Son of God is the “Word”. What is being communicated by calling Jesus the Word? Last time we mentioned that the term “word” is defined as the basic unit of speech that communicates… has meaning.

A. In keeping with the theme of this gospel, God’s word is what brings things into existence… and brought the world into being. To call the Son of God by the term “the Word” denotes that creative power of God that must have been there in the beginning. The Word must have been there before creation because it is through the Word that the whole universe was spoken into existence.
B. The other important aspect of the Son of God being called the Word is that the Word reflects the one who speaks.

1. A person’s words are the means by which people reveal what they are thinking. You do not know what is in my mind unless I communicate my thoughts to you. What we say and how we say it reveals things about us. Therefore, “The Word” is the revelation of the mind of God. The Word reveals the very nature of God.
2. Jesus is God’s Word for us. Because Jesus is the eternal Word of God, and because that Word became flesh and dwelt among us, we are able to know God. When you see Jesus you know who God is. God is not a “far away”, “we don’t know what he wants”, kind of deity.
3. This is the point the writer of Hebrews makes as he begins his letter. Hebrews 1:1-3 – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…”[ESV]

C. I notice the parallels in the beginning of John’s gospel. God has spoken by His Son. The Son is the revelation of God. Through the Son the world was created. Through the Son we are able to see God. He is the radiance of God’s glory. He is the exact imprint of God’s nature. He upholds the whole world by His powerful word. Jesus is the Word because He is the revelation of the mind of God.

1. We can know God because we have the life and teachings of Jesus. This is why Jesus could say, “…Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). Could Jesus have stated the fact of His deity any more clearly than here? That is what is being presented in the first 3 verses of John… the Word is God.
2. If we want to know God and know what God is like, then we need to know Jesus. One writer stated it this way, “What Jesus did was to open a window in time that we might see the eternal and unchanging love of God.” Jesus is God’s message to the world. Jesus is God’s teaching, commands, and direction to the world. You can not separate knowledge of Jesus and knowledge of God.
3. You can't see God, but when you see Jesus and get to know Him, only then have you seen the invisible God and know Him. To put it another way, to call Him “The Word”, is to say that Jesus is God's message to the world. It's the revelation of His will, it is the representation of who God is, it is a declaration to all people for all time—this is the very nature, character and will of God Himself. It's a very important beginning point.

II. Jesus Creator, Not Created: The first part of our text has come under great scrutiny, especially by those who claim that Jesus is not the eternal God.

A. The Muslims claim Jesus was not God but a created human being like a prophet. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that all of our Bibles are mistranslated.

1. They claim the text should say that “the Word was a god.” In fact, their translation, the New World Translation, has this rendering.
2. The point they make is that there is no definite article in the Greek in front of the word “God.” In the English, "the" is the only definite article; meaning there is only one word used to indicate a specific noun already known. Nouns in English are preceded by the definite article when the speaker believes that the listener already knows what is being referred to.
3. Greek scholars will tell you that there being no definite article is an unacceptable argument because the Greek does not work like the English language. In Romans people try make a difference between “law” and “the law” by looking for the definite articles. That is not a valid approach.
4. By way of reference, John 1:6,12,13, and 18 also do not have a definite article in front of the word “God” but no one renders those verses as “a god.” No one reads, “There was a man sent from a god, whose name was John.” No one argues that John the Baptizer was sent from “a god”. He was sent from God the Father. The argument from Greek is invalid. Rather than take us down the road of Greek, we can defeat this false teaching just by using the text itself because John is making an emphatic argument.

B. John writes in verse 3, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” If the Word was made or created, as some groups contend, then He had to create Himself. All things were made through Him. This is an important argument that John makes to cinch this up because there was a Gnostic issue in John's day that wanted to try to make this separation.

1. If Jesus, the Word, is a created being, then He must have created himself. If you do not exist, you cannot bring yourself into being. This is a pretty simple idea. How can you make yourself if you do not exist to make yourself? Therefore, if He made everything that was made, then He cannot be made. If He made everything, then He cannot fall into the “made” category. He must be the maker.
2. If He created everything, then He does not fall into the “created” group. He is the creator. It does not matter what Greek you know or what Greek arguments a person may want to present. To say that the Word was created is a direct contradiction of the clear words of this verse. Everything that was made was made by the Word. Therefore, the Word was not made.
3. The typical argument goes something like this; “He was created by God the Father, and then He in turn created everything else.” That is absolutely not what John is saying. John is making an absolute statement, “and without Him nothing was made that was made”.

III. Life, Light, and Darkness: To call Jesus “the light” and “the life” is another way to declare that Jesus is God. These terms were used in the scriptures to describe what God does. The concept of light and life in the Old Testament is extremely important in how it ties to the very nature and character of God.

A. In Psalm 36:7-9 we read, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”[ESV]

1. God alone possesses the fountain of life. We are only able to see because of the light of God. Light and darkness are contrasted in a number of symbolic ways in the scriptures.
2. Light refers to truth (Psalm 119:105) and darkness refers to falsehood (Romans 2:19).
3. Light symbolizes holiness (1st John 1:7; Romans 13:12; 2nd Corinthians 6:14) and darkness symbolizes sin (Isaiah 5:20; Acts 26:18). Satan’s kingdom is called the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13) but Christ dwells in unapproachable light (1st Timothy 6:16). Darkness stands for death while light stands for life (2nd Timothy 1:10; Ephesians 5:13).

B. The word of God is often pictured as the light.

1. Proverbs 6:23 – “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,”
2. In Psalm 18:28 it says, “For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.”[ESV] God's lighting His lamp is a reference to the constant enlightenment available to the faithful in God's Word.
3. You probably recall Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

C. Until the arrival of Jesus, the light had been put out. Not only was the world full of sin, but the nation of Israel had lost its way and no longer represented the light to the nations as it had been instructed to be. For more than 400 years God did not send a prophet. No one was speaking the inspired word of the Lord. The Jewish nation had been left in darkness because they had turned away from the Lord. Jewish writers of the first century understood themselves to be lacking the light of God.

1. In the Babylonian Talmud, Yomah 9b: “After the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi had died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel…”
2. Josephus wrote, Against Apion: “It is true, our history hath been written since Artaxerxes very particularly, but hath not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because there hath not been an exact succession of prophets since that time;”
3. The Jews returned to Jerusalem after the Temple altar had been defiled and we can read of their actions in 1st Maccabees 4:45-46 “… So they tore down the altar and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them.”

D. In John 1:5 there is a change. Up to this point the author has used past tenses (imperfects or aorists); now he switches to a present tense. “And the light shines in the darkness,”. The light continually shines and even as John writes, it is shining. It expresses the timeless truth that the “light of the world” never ceases to shine.

1. John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.””
2. John 9:5 – “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
3. John 12:46 – “"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

E. We stand in a great time in human history, along with everyone who has lived once Christ came to the earth. The eternal message of God has been revealed through the life and teachings of Jesus. Further, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to guide His apostles into the full revelation of God’s truth, and they wrote that message down for us.

1. We must not look at the scriptures that we hold in our hands as words on a page. As Peter would confess, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). You are holding God’s light in your hands. You are holding life in your hands. The light continues to shine in the darkness. The eyes of your heart can be enlightened and you can comprehend the will of the Lord. Give your full devotion to the word of God. It is the light you need in this dark world. It will restore your soul and give you life if you will let the Spirit’s words reach your heart.
2. This imagery should capture our hearts in understanding when Jesus, who called Himself light, then calls His disciples “lights in the world.” Not only did Jesus preach that we are “the light of the world” in the Sermon on the Mount, but listen to the words of His apostle, Paul.

a. “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”[NKJV] Philippians 2:14–16.
b. We have a great charge to be kept. Shine as lights in the darkness of this world by holding fast to the word of life. Live in a way that shows you are lights. Do not let your light be made dim by sin and by the weights of the world that hold us back from shining bright.

CONCLUSION:
In the text we start to see what John wants us to take away from this Gospel. The intention of John right from the very first words is that we will be struck by the recognition that Jesus is God. He is the eternal God. He created everything. That means we are responsible to Him because He is our creator.

Jesus Christ is life. Not only the Giver of life, but He is life. If we are not in Him, if our relationship is not with Him, if we are not pursuing Him, we do not have life. We are pursuing death. We are wasting our time in the things of the world when we do not pursue the ways of God.

He is the light. The Scriptures so often remind us that we were in darkness. We were lost in our sins. We didn't know which way to go. With Jesus, we now can receive light and life. We can now know the way to God. Jesus reveals everything about where we stand before God and what we need to do to be in a relationship with God. I think the biggest point about light throughout the scriptures is that it is the word of God that's light. Again, there is a play on words here; John wants us to understand that by seeing Jesus as the “word”, rather than calling Him some other name or title, is because it is the word of God that is light.

One final thought. With this symbolism of light, we need to consider Paul’s words in Philippians 2:14-16, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”[NKJV]

Jesus in His sermon on the mount says, “You are the light of the world.” Paul connects that to us saying “…you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life …”.

This tells us that we are to be the image bearers of Christ. We are to reflect the glory of God. We are shining lights in this world, not because of who we are, not because of anything innately within us. We shine as lights in this world because we are reflecting the light of God.

We are reflecting the light of Jesus, the word of God who brings life. We are reflections of His light into darkness. God, through His word, tells us how to do that. You notice Paul says, “Holding fast to the word of life”. We do that when we hold on to the word of God tenaciously. When we recognize that our light only comes from the light, the true light, that light is not about us.

Light is not derived from us. We can't come up with what God says. We can't come up with God's rules. We can't come up with, “This is how I want to worship or how I want to do things.” The true light we are going to reflect is the very message and very word of God. We are told at the start of verse 14, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing”. We are to be blameless and innocent.

We are to live out life in a way that we are not obscuring the light of Christ. Through sin, through our various weights and issues that we endure in this life, it is so easy for us to block the light, so easy it is for us to obscure that light.

The light still shines, and we are to be mirrors of that light, reflecting it in every aspect of this world, in every aspect that we reach out, in every area and sphere of influence that we have, we are to be the resounding light that this world needs to come out of darkness.

Pull your songbooks out, and in a moment we'll sing the invitation song. We invite you to come to the light. We invite you to see Jesus is the light of life. He's everything that we need. We are to reflect Him. We are to obey Him and serve Him.
John, in such simple words, with such magnificent imagery, shows us how great a savior we serve, what He has done to draw us out of the darkness and into the light, so that we then in turn shine as lights in the world.
We beg you to come to the light, to turn away from your sins and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins, and then serve Him with all of your heart. Serve Him fully, thinking about how we reflect Him as children of light in this world. That is our focus, and that must be our eternal goal until we are with Him.

Anyway you respond to that invitation to come to Jesus, to obey him and serve him, the opportunity is given to you. Would you come while we stand and sing?

642 - I Am Resolved

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

John 1:1-5

INTRO: Good morning church. Today we will start taking a look at the Gospel of John which is a gospel unlike the other three. This gospel is not a narrative, even though there are narrative stories within it. None of the gospel writers had the intention to write a complete description of the life of Christ according to human principles. Yet, the three first Gospel-writers describe in brief outlines, the coming and actions of Christ from His baptism at the Jordan till His resurrection and ascension - and this is why they are called synoptic gospels.

John’s Gospel is highly symbolic and highly spiritual. As one reads the Gospel of John it becomes quickly apparent that this is not a simple gospel. John’s purpose for this gospel is stated toward the end of his writing in John 20:30-31 – “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”[ESV]

Of the thirty miracles listed in the synoptic Gospels John mentions some, but John also describes other miracles which are not mentioned anywhere else. This adds up to seven miracles however John does not call them miracles, but signs. This purpose statement in John 20 is extremely important to our study.

It is not our job nor should we desire to try to turn this gospel into a synoptic gospel. John is not telling a narration of Jesus’ life. We must appreciate the distinctiveness of the four gospels and especially consider how different John’s gospel is from the other three. John does not give any account of the birth of Jesus. There is no mention of Jesus’ baptism. There is no record of the temptation of Jesus, nor His transfiguration. The appointment of His apostles is not mentioned. The institution of the Lord’s Supper is not found in this gospel. The ascension of Jesus is not recorded. Neither is there a great commission declared in this gospel. Perhaps the most notable of missing elements in this gospel, is that there are no parables.

Further, John’s gospel records events that the other gospels do not record, which must catch our attention. Only John records the miracle of changing water to wine. Only John records Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus. Only John records the woman at the well in Samaria. Consider that only John, records the raising of Lazarus from the dead. While the other gospels focus mainly on the teachings and movements of Jesus outside of Jerusalem, John’s gospel keeps its focus on Jesus, primarily, though not entirely, in Jerusalem.

As we progress through John’s writing we must recognize that he is not recording everything that Jesus did. He did many other signs in the presence of His disciples. Therefore, as we come to the various signs and stories in this gospel, we need to ask this important question: “Why did John include this sign?” We need to consider what John is trying to teach his audience through the sign he records.

Now just because John is writing so that we believe, should not cause us to draw the conclusion that we do not need to study this gospel because we already believe. I strongly suggest to you that this gospel will deepen and strengthen your faith in incalculable ways when we grasp what John is trying to get us to see about Jesus. John is not looking for mere mental assent about Jesus. The belief that John is looking for…is a life-changing faith. The gospel is intended to cause us to fall on our faces and cry out, “My Lord and my God!”

I. Jesus Is God: Let’s read John 1:1-5 – “1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”[NKJV]

A. The first few words of John’s gospel are simply staggering: “In the beginning was the Word.” This is an astounding statement that is made about Jesus. We know that “The Word” is a reference to Jesus because of John 14:1 - “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Also Revelation 19:11-13 – “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”
B. The holy scriptures begin with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John begins his gospel with, “In the beginning was the Word.”

1. An important word in this sentence is “was”. The scripture does not say that the Word became God or came to God. The Word was in the beginning with God. Therefore, just as at the beginning of the creation of the world, God existed, so also the Son, the Christ, existed.
2. John does not wait to get to the heart of the matter. We see no genealogy, like in the other gospel accounts. The reason is clear. John was to start with a very controversial point: Jesus is God. Jesus is not just a man. Jesus is not a mere prophet. Jesus is not a created being. Jesus, the Son of God, the Word, existed in the beginning, before the world began. There is no genealogy recorded because He is the eternal God. He has no beginning. He has no end. At the beginning of creation the Word already existed.
3. Further, to say that the Word was with God is not a statement of mere coexistence. This is a description of intimate fellowship with the Father. It describes a picture of equality as deity in that there is nothing lesser and nothing lacking in the Word in terms of His Godhood. The Word has the very same nature as God the Father. Verse 1 concludes; “And the Word was God …” We might have deduced this truth from either of the two preceding clauses, but the apostle left nothing to chance, categorically affirming in this third clause, that the Word was indeed God. As one commentator put it; “A word, in the primary meaning of the term, is a vessel for the conveyance of an idea; and Christ was the vessel which conveyed the true idea of God to humanity.” Jesus explained it this way in John 14:9 – “… He who has seen Me has seen the Father;…”.
4. Now verse 2 concludes the thought that the Word was in the beginning with God. Where God exists, the Word exists. There is not a time or place when the Word did not exist or when the Word was not God. There are three proofs that John offers in these first five verses to prove that Jesus, the Word, the Son of God, is in fact the fully divine God.

II. All Things Created Through Him: Verse 3 says, “All things were made through Him,…”

A. The Word is equal in nature to God in every way, and John declares all things were made through the Word.

1. When we read that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, John wants us to know that the Word was just as involved in the creation process as the Father.
2. The apostle Paul taught this very point to the Colossians 1:16-17 – “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
3. We are so assured of this truth that John continues, “… and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
4. In the beginning was nothing. Genesis records that it was simply void and darkness. Nothing was made without Him. Jesus is God because He created all things. Consider that this means that He created you. This is a point that will be more fully expressed in verse 11. We are His creation. Therefore, since He is God and He made us, then we bear an enormous responsibility to Him.
5. We find this again in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 1:1-2 – “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;” Also in Hebrews 1:10 – “And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands;”

III. Jesus Is Life: The apostle John makes the next stunning statement in John 1:4 – “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
A. We noted at the beginning of the lesson that this gospel is a highly spiritual and symbolic gospel. When the scripture says that in Jesus was life, is John referring to our physical, earthly breath of life or rather our spiritual life? I suggest John could be referring to both the physical and the spiritual.

1. As the agent of creation, Christ contained all life of every kind. All life came through Christ, is sustained by Him, and that life is responsible to Him. He gave life to the world because He created the world. But He did much more than that.
2. The use of the past tense shows that true spiritual life was in Christ before the incarnation, emphasizing the truth that all of the hopes of worshipers under Israel's law were actually in the Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is with all who ever lived. Physical life came from Him and in Christ there is eternal life.
3. Notice that John did not say that He gave life, but that life was in Him. Jesus is God because only God can give life. No one else can give life. The second reason that John uses to affirm that Jesus is God is because only God can give life and life is in the Word, Jesus. Jesus is not simply the bringer of life. Jesus is the life.

B. For Jesus to be the life means that we must rely upon Him for everything. Nothing else is life. To pursue anything else but Jesus is to pursue our death. Jesus as the life—describes our necessity to rely upon Him or else we are dead.

1. We need to be screaming to the world that they are pursuing their death, not life, when they follow the ways of the world. The world is looking for this life. Yet they are looking for life in every place—but in Christ. Jesus has been discounted as not being the source of life.
2. The world declares that life is found in giving back to the world, being charitable, leaving the world better than when we found it, making a mark, living your own way, or any of the many other mantras for life. In seeking these things we are pursuing death because life is not there.
3. To use the image of the scriptures, Jesus is the fountain of living waters giving life to all. We are as foolish as the person who sees a fountain of water in the desert, then passes by the water, and continues to walk looking for something else. By passing the fountain in the midst of the desert, you are sealing your death. When we pass by Jesus as the giver of life, we are sealing our death. In Jesus alone is life. We must rely upon Him completely for our life or else we are dead in our sins.

IV. Jesus Is Light: Next John says, “… and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is God because He is light. When we read the Genesis account we read of a realm of darkness. But God spoke light into existence. The Word was in the beginning with God and brought light into the world.

A. In the physical realm we define “light” as electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. For us to “see” things it is necessary for there to be light. We call the light provided for us to “see”—illumination. The act of illuminating something is the act of making that something visible.

1. Yes, at the creation “light” was created and it provides for our ability to see in the physical. However, just as John was not speaking about physical life, he is not speaking about physical light. John plays again on the creation imagery to show us that Jesus is the spiritual light. Spiritual awakening and understanding are in Jesus. Jesus as the light brings to this dark world true knowledge and moral purity.
2. Light represents holiness and purity. As light, Jesus gives guidance and direction for our lives. Jesus illuminates the heart for spiritual perception and knowledge. God is pictured as light often in the scriptures. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?...” The psalmist wrote in Psalm 36:9 – “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” John wrote in his letter that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
3. In similar manner, the world is described throughout the scriptures as living in darkness. Listen again to the apostle Paul; “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”[ESV] Colossians 1:13.

B. Jesus will say later in John’s gospel, John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''”[NKJV]

1. Without Jesus, we are lost in the darkness of this world. We are lost in our own wisdom, our own futility of life, and our own foolish thinking. We are so lost in our minds and hearts that we think we have life right now. We are so deluded by Satan that we think we have all that we need while we are sitting in this darkness.
2. Listen to how Paul described this condition—first in Romans 1:21 – “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”[ESV] And then in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he says, Ephesians 4:18 – “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”
3. Paul describes this again in his second letter to the Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians 4:3-6 - “3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4. whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
4. Satan, through the ways and schemes of this world, blinds us from seeing the light of Jesus. We are left sitting in the darkness, thinking that we have all the answers, not recognizing that we are in the dark!

C. Have you ever sat in a room reading or watching television or something like that in the late afternoon and you did not need the lights on because the light from outside was strong enough. As the afternoon wanes the darkness grows you do not notice it. Your eyes simply continue to adjust to the darkness, not recognizing how the darkness is encompassing you.

1. Suddenly someone turns on the light and you recognize how dark it truly was in the room. But up to that point you did not perceive the amount darkness you were in. You had no motivation to seek the light because you thought you could see fine, even though you were encompassed by the darkness.
2. That is what it is like to live in this world. We think we have light. We think that we have the wisdom and knowledge we need - even though the darkness is slowly closing in around us. Jesus is the light. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness so that we can see. Only in Jesus can we have direction and can our hearts be enlightened. Only in Jesus can our hearts have spiritual perception and understanding. Otherwise, we are sitting in the dark room not realizing that we cannot see clearly. Light is crucial. Without this spiritual light we are dead and cannot see the way. Jesus came to shine in the darkness. He exposes the works of darkness.
3. Where there is no light, there is no vision, no view of reality, no direction, and no guidance. The world of darkness does not understand Jesus, and does not overcome Him. Light always overpowers darkness. There is never a time when you turn on the light and the darkness is not vanquished. Light always overpowers the darkness.

a. John is describing this world with people who cannot see in front of their faces. It is like a cave trip where to show you complete darkness they turn out the lights.
b. Without light, there's no vision. There's no view of reality. If you've ever done one of those trips where the light is turned out, there's no concept of reality anymore. Where are the people? Where's the walls? Where's anything?
c. You can't even see what's around you. There's no direction, no guidance, no concept of what may be.

1. Christ overcomes the powers of darkness through His life, and death on the cross. The darkness would not be victorious over Christ. The light and the darkness came into bitter and decisive conflict and the darkness could not prevail. Jesus always overcomes. Jesus is always victorious.

CONCLUSION:
In the text this morning we start to see what John wants us to take away from this Gospel. Not just simply a warm, fuzzy Jesus that so often gets presented before us as just a good old boy. The intention of John, right from the very first words, is that we be struck by the recognition, that He is God.

He is the eternal God. He created everything. That means we are responsible to Him because He is God.

He is life. Not only the giver of life, but He is life. If we are not in Him, if our relationship is not with Him, if we are not pursuing Him, we do not have life. We are pursuing death. We are wasting our time in the things of the world when we do not pursue the ways of God.

And He is the light. The Scriptures so often try to remind us that we were in darkness. We were lost in our sins. We didn't know which way to go. But with Jesus, we now can receive light and life. Now we know the way to God. Jesus reveals everything about where we stand before God and what we need to do to be in a relationship with God.

Otherwise, we are walking blindly and falling into sin, and condemnation is assured. He lights the path so that we can be with Him, removing the obstacles that stand in our way so that we can have life with Him.
What a great picture. What staggering, profound words. It's something I hope this afternoon you will go think about and we'll come back to these verses again because there is more to be found here.

Have you found your life in Him? He is the light… and we should ask ourselves if we are walking on the path that He is lighting? Or perhaps are we going our own way? There are many forces in the world that insist we follow our own way. Do not be deceived.
Don't go your own path. Don't go your own direction. It leads to death. Turn this very morning to Jesus. Turn away from your sins. Realize that He is where life is found and only through obeying Him and serving Him can you have that eternal life.

As we sing the song of invitation, if you’ve been clinging to the darkness of this world let us urge you to repent, and make whatever changes need to be made. As a Christian if you need to change, ask God’s forgiveness. If you need our prayers, we would be glad to pray with you. If you need to be baptized into Christ, don’t continue to hide in the darkness of this life without the Lord, for there will come a time when it is too late.

Whatever you need we invite you to come as we stand together and sing.

???

Reference Sermon: Brent Kercherville

View Details

FOR THE BIRDS
GENESIS 8:1 – 17

OPEN: I am told that an Indiana cemetery has a tombstone that is over 100 years old which bears the following epitaph:
"Pause, stranger, when you pass me by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. So prepare for death and follow me."
An unknown passerby read those words and underneath scratched this reply: "To follow you I'm not content, until I know which way you went!"

An old Aztec legend tells of a man named Tapi who was a very pious man. The legend says that the creator told Tapi to build a boat that he would live in. He was told that he should take his wife, a pair of every animal that was alive into this boat.

Naturally everyone thought he was crazy. But then the rain started and the flood came. Men and animals tried to climb the mountains but the mountains became flooded as well.
Finally the rain ended. And Tapi decided that the water had dried up when he let a DOVE loose that did not return.

In China there’s an ancient temple, and on one wall there’s a painting shows boat owned by a man named Fuhi (the Chinese version of Noah) out upon raging waters.
Dolphins are swimming around the boat and a DOVE with an olive branch in its beak is flying toward it.

In an ancient Babylonian Epic the hero Gilgamesh gives his story about a flood:
“When the seventh day dawned I loosed a DOVE and let her go. She flew away, but finding no resting-place she returned. Then I loosed a swallow, and she flew away but finding no resting-place she returned. I loosed a RAVEN, she saw that the waters had retreated, she ate, she flew around, she cawed, and she did not come back.
Then I threw everything open to the four winds, I made a sacrifice on the mountain top.

YOU can visit the internet and explore different flood stories from such diverse nations as
• East Africa
• Argentina
• Australia
• Bolivia
• Cuba
AND…
• Fiji
• Egypt
• Iceland
• India
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Russia
• Vietnam

And of those 35 flood stories that were examined
ALL of them talk of humans being spared in the flood.
32 of them include a boat.
24 include an account of animals being spared.
At least 6 of them include references to a dove.
Two of those included references to a raven (one to a hawk).

Whenever archeologists encounter such similar stories like these from so many diverse peoples they tend to believe SOMETHING happened.
And of course... we know something DID happen.
It was a flood for global proportions that destroyed all of mankind because of their wickedness.
In the midst of the Biblical account of the flood we read an intriguing story for the birds.
Two birds actually: A Raven and a Dove.

In Genesis, the Raven actually plays a fairly minor role in this play because all we’re told about it is found in verses 6 and 7:

“After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.”

Noah released the raven 40 days after these mountaintops had appeared. And the bird never came back INTO the ark itself... it just kept flying around.
Maybe it rested on the ark itself, maybe on the mountaintops in the distance.
But the raven never returned to the safety of the ark again.

Now the Dove gets a little more press.
It’s sent out from the ark 3 different times.
1. The first time, the bird finds no place to rest its feet ... and so it returns to Noah and Ark.

1. The 2nd time, the dove returns with an olive branch in its beak (indicating something is growing).

2. And the 3rd time – it flies away and doesn’t return at all.
   Now, the question that came into my mind as I read this story was this:
   • Why are we even being told about these birds?
   • Why waste the ink?
   • Why would God care?

Now remember that we should begin every study of Scripture with one basic concept.
II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

ALL Scripture – not just the parts I like.
Not just the parts I agree with.
Not just the parts that “speak to me.”
ALL Scripture... including this story.
Thus, if God put these two birds in the story it would seem that there would be a reason
So, allow me – this morning – to give you my understanding of the message from the birds.

1st – These two birds are distinctly different.
The Raven, for example was an unclean bird
Leviticus 11 tells us: "’These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture... any kind of raven”. Leviticus 11:13 & 15

There were certain animals and birds that God’s people in the Old Testament were not allowed to eat and they were not allowed to offer as part of a sacrifice to God.
And every Raven was unclean. These birds quite literally feed on death. They eat the flesh of dead animals. Ravens are scavengers...
They look for death.

By contrast, the dove was a clean animal.
Doves were birds the Israelites could not only eat - they could offer them in sacrifices to their God.
In Genesis 15 – when God cut His covenant with Abraham - Abraham was commanded to bring animals for sacrifice... one of which was dove.

Leviticus 1 says that doves could be offered as burnt offerings.
And Leviticus 12 says doves were to be offered for certain kinds of sin offerings.
So doves were clean animals.

But beyond that... God seems to have a very special place in His heart for these birds.

Jesus regarded them as symbolic of purity and innocence.
Jesus told His disciples they should be as “innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16

But perhaps the most powerful image of doves in scripture happened after Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9-10 tells us that 9) it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And immediately, coming up [a]from the water, He saw the heavens [b]parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

God made the dove the image that represented His Holy Spirit.

SO, Why would Noah release an unclean bird (the Raven) AND THEN a clean bird (the Dove) from the Ark to “see if the waters had dried up from the earth?”
I think there’s a very simple answer to that.
I believe God told him to.

If I’m right, I can think of at least three things God wanted us to know.
1st God wanted to remind us of something – the flood brought death.
As I said before, Ravens literally feed on death.
They eat the flesh of dead animals.
They’re scavengers.
They look for death.
And after the flood, there was plenty of death.

Genesis 7:20-23 says that when the flood did its work: 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on [a]the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath [b]of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

The flood brought death... because the flood brought God’s judgment upon mankind.

In Genesis 6:5-7 we’re told
5 Then [a]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent[b] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil [c]continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
The flood brought death.

Everything with the breath of life in its nostrils... died.
There was plenty of food now for the raven... because the Raven fed on death.
God tells us “The wages of sin is death...” Romans 6:23
You can ignore it if you like but it’s still going to be true.
The world would like to brush it aside if they could but they can’t
* Hollywood can laugh at it but it doesn’t change the reality.

How many of you have ever been to Niagara Falls?
I’ve visited Niagara Falls a few times and every time I’ve visited I’ve been struck by the fact that they don’t want you to get too close to THAT water. They’ve got fences up/ and they’ve got signs up - to WARN people... to keep people away

Why? Because, if I get too close to the waters of the Niagara, I could be dragged to my death.
Now, I can ignore those fences.
I can laugh at the signs that warn me not to get too close.
But if ignorant enough to get into those waters... I will die!

God wanted His people to remember: Sin brings death.

And God wanted to remind His people that the waters of the Flood were about judgment/ Death
So, first – the message of the birds is about death and judgment.
But the 2nd message is different.
The 2nd message of the birds is all about hope.
The Raven looked for death
But the Dove looked for life.

Do you remember what the Dove brought back to the Ark? (olive branch)
I’ve been told that the olive tree is one of the hardiest of plants. A cutting from such a tree can take root in good ground and grow quickly.
It became a symbol of life for Israel... and it was a symbol of hope for those in the Ark.
Things were growing now from the ground!
For almost an entire year, Noah and his family had been confined to their boat.
For almost an entire year, the world around them has been covered with water.
For almost an entire year... they’ve been the only living things on earth.
But with that olive branch - God gave them a sign that said – things are turning around.
Things are going to get better now.

The Bible is filled with stories about Godly men and women who faced difficulties in their lives. They faced trials and hardships even death. But the repeated message in Scripture was that God always stood beside them.
Daniel, David, Shadrach/ Meshach and Abednego, Moses, Joshua, Esther.

Each of their stories gives the same message:
Isaiah 40:31 “... But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Or as Psalm 30:5 tells us: "For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But [a]joy comes in the morning."

Our trials and tribulation won’t last forever.
We will not going to be confined to our Ark of troubles indefinitely.

There’s will come a time, when God will open the door and we will walk out on a new world of hope and encouragement.
But we have to wait for God’s timing.
The flood didn’t abate until God was ready for it to.
But when that time came... God sent His people a sign of hope.
So, the first message of the birds was that of death.

The 2nd message was that of hope.

And the 3rd message of life.
God doesn’t like death... He never has.
When the raven flew away from the ark, did it ever return?
No.

Genesis 8:7 says "7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth"
By contrast, when the dove was released VERSES 8 & 9
. "8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself."

The Dove returned to Noah and the safety of the Ark.
The Raven (the symbol of death) never did.
Why not?
Because Death is not welcome with God.
God did not create His people to die.
He created us to live forever. (PAUSE)

And that is why Jesus came and died on the cross in our place.
The wages of sin is death... but Jesus took our place
He paid the price for our sins.

Hebrews 2:14 tells us that "14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,"
Jesus came to conquer death.
And when He comes again, I Corinthians 15: 54 – 58 says:
"54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O[n] Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

The story of the birds... and that of the flood itself was all about life in the midst of death.
I Peter 3:20-22 tells us:
“...God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also— not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand— with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

You can have that life from Jesus today.
INVITATION

View Details

BE GREAT BY FAITH
JOHN 1:12-14

A preacher was on a radio program
where the interviewer was an atheist.
The atheist demanded that the preacher
NOT quote any scripture during the interview.
“I don’t want to hear any Bible on my airways.
You got that?
No Bible on my airwaves.”
So, then the interviewer started the program by saying:
“I submit that you Christians are not respectful of my opinion.
I believe I should be able to get into heaven
because I’ve been a good person.
What do you say to that?”

The preacher thought about it for a moment
and then said “Let’s say you go to the wealthy side of town
and approach a beautiful mansion.
You ring the doorbell and when they answer the door
you inform them that you expect to be able to move in.
What do you think they’d do?
You don’t know them and they don’t know you –
WHY should they let you move in?

It’s the same with heaven.
You’re trying to tell me that God should let you into heaven
just because you’ve come to His gates
and demanded to be let in.
But you don’t know Him and
you’ve spent your life attacking His character.
Heaven isn’t about how good you’ve been.
It’s all about knowing Jesus.
Jesus said that no one gets into heaven
except through Him and you don’t know Him.”

Now that makes sense doesn’t it.

Why would anybody let you stay in their house
if they don’t know you?
Particularly if you make it clear that you don’t like them
and you don’t WANT to know them.

That’s essentially what our text this morning is all about.
“To all who received him, who believed in his name,
He gave the RIGHT to become children of God.”
(John 1:12)

We get into heaven because we WANT to know Jesus.
And once we decided we want to know Him,
and we want what He has to offer,
then we weren’t some stranger
knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.
We get to move in with Jesus
because we are given the right… to be children of God.

The Declaration of Independence
has an intriguing phrase that says:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator (God)
with certain unalienable RIGHTS,
that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In other words – the Declaration declared
that God gives us rights.
But there’s one right that’s not mentioned
in the Declaration of Independence.
And it’s a far greater right than any rights
That are listed in that document

We find it in John 1:12
“To all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the RIGHT to become children of God.”

Essentially, we have the right to a vast
and powerful inheritance because of our faith,
all because we’ve BELIEVED in His name –
all because we wanted to receive what Jesus offered us.

we need to realize how thankful we should be
for that inheritance. Think about this –
what do you have on earth
that’s more important than heaven.
What would you be willing trade for an eternity with Jesus?

Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven
is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
in search of fine pearls, who,
on finding one pearl of great value,
went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:44-46

What’s Jesus saying?
He’s saying that there’s nothing on this earth
that could possibly begin to equal the value
of eternity with Jesus.
What we have with Jesus is worth EVERYTHING,
And NOTHING we have (on this earth)
compares to Jesus and what He offers.

Paul said it this way:
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss
for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things
and count them as rubbish,
in order that I may gain Christ.”
Philippians 3:7-8

I once read that the printing press
was one of the greatest inventions ever.
Up until that time,
all books were painstakingly printed by hand –
which made books very rare and very hard to find.
But the Printing press changed all of that.
Information was suddenly made available to 1000s of people.

And (pause) one of the most significant accomplishments
of the printing press was that it allowed people
to have their own copies of Scripture.

During one of the printings,
one of the Bibles had been ripped
and a scrap of paper from that Bible
ended up on the shop floor
where it was found by the daughter of the owner.

And on that scrap of paper… were these words,
“For God so loved that He gave...”
The rest of the verse was missing,
but that simple phrase moved her,
and the rest of the day she went around
with a smile on her face.

Her mother noticed … and asked what had made her so happy? The girl pulled the crumpled paper from her pocket
and showed it to her mother.
The mother read it and asked,
"What did He give?"
And the girl replied
“I don’t know,
but if God loved us enough to give us anything
He must love us deeply.”

So, the question is - how much is eternity in heaven
worth to you?
What would you pay to get Jesus and what He offers?
Well, our passage says that the way we can get Jesus
is to RECEIVE Him on His terms, to BELIEVE in His name!
“To all who received him, who believed in his name,
He gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12

So, what does that mean?
What does it mean to receive Jesus/ to believe in His name?
Well, it helps to know what it DOESN’T MEAN!
Notice the next part of our text:
“Those were given the right to become children of God
“were born, not of blood; nor of the will of the flesh;
nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

So, there’s only one way to become a child of God.
How???
By being born OF God.
But, there are 3 ways
you CAN’T become a child of God.

You can’t become a child of God BY BLOOD!
In the Old Testament, you became a Jew
because you were born into a Jewish family - by blood.
But you can’t do that with Jesus.

You can’t become a Christian
by being born into a Christian family.
You could come to church for decades
with your Christian family.
But YOU are the one who has to decide
that YOU want TO RECEIVE;
and YOU want to BELIEVE;
YOU are the one who has to make the decision.

And you can’t become a child of God
by the “Will Of The Flesh.”

This means that you (in your flesh)
can’t decide that YOU’RE good enough
to be good enough to please God.
A lot of people believe –
if they do enough good things
they can EARN salvation.

That way, it’s their own RIGHTEOUSNESS
that gets them in.
And frankly, God couldn’t keep them out
if He wanted to because they’ve EARNED their spot.
But Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
You become a child of God
ONLY by following Jesus!

And 3rdly – you can’t become a child of God
by the “Will Of Man.”
Somebody else (like your father/mother/best friend)
can’t decide for you that you will become a child of God.
That’s one of the problems with infant baptism.
The baby didn’t believe in Jesus.
The baby didn’t decide that they wanted to be a child of God.
All a baby really wants is a bottle of milk –
they're hardly able to decide to become a "child of God"... somebody else made that decision for them.

ILLUS: Rod Cameron (a former missionary to Africa)
was once approached by a leader from an African town
in which he was ministering
who wanted his 2 children baptized.
When asked how old the children were,
the man responded “ages 3 and 5.”

Rod thought on that a moment and replied,
“John, why do you want your children baptized?”

John responded “My wife and I
have been reading the Bible and we believe
that we need to have our children ready to go to Heaven.”
Rod said, “well then,
why don’t we just baptize everyone in the village?
You’re a strong man, we’ll start with the oldest
and work our way down,
and we’ll drag them down the river one by one
and put them under water.”

Puzzled, John asked “Why would we want to do that?
They may not want to be baptized!”
“That’s right,” said Rod,
“you really need to want to become a Christian
to be baptized, and your children aren’t ready for that yet.

Now, how about you and your wife?
Are you ready to make that commitment?”
Sometime later, John and his wife were baptized
and raised their family to love God.
Their children accepted the gospel
and were also baptized when they were old enough
to UNDERSTAND WHY they NEEDED to be baptized.

Jesus said: “Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved, but whoever does not believe
will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

So, let’s review:

you can’t become a child of God…
By being born of blood (i.e. – being born into a Christian family);

you can’t become a child of God…
By the will of the flesh (you – in your FLESH –
can’t decide you’re good enough);
Nor by the will of man (your friends/family
can’t make that choice for you).
In short - you can’t become a child of God on your terms.
You’ve got to do things - God’s way.
But how do you do things… God’s way?
What does God say in the Bible
that I need to do to “receive” Jesus?

First I need to believe in His name…
(that’s what it says here in John)
John 1:12 says “But to all who did receive him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God.”

What do I need to believe about Him?
Well, it’s not that hard.
I’m supposed to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh
and that he’s come to change my life.
“The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

(PAUSE) Faith as the foundation of our salvation
shows up a LOT in Scripture,
but does that mean I don’t need to repent as well?
NO – I need to repent.

Acts 3:19-20 tells us “Repent therefore,
and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
that times of refreshing
may come from the presence of the Lord,
and that he may send the Christ appointed for you.”
Repentance means to “TURN BACK” –
turn away from a sinful lifestyle.
God says that repentance is part of what we do
to have our sins forgiven.

(PAUSE) So, Faith and Repentance are vital for salvation,
does that mean I don’t have to confess Him?
NO… confession is important too.
Romans 10:9 says I need to confess that Jesus is Lord.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.”
Notice, it doesn’t say I am confessing my sins.
Instead, it says I must confess that Jesus is now my LORD.
I’m confessing that Jesus will now own me
and all that I have because He’s my Lord!

(PAUSE) So, Faith, Repentance, and Confession
are all part of our appeal to God for salvation.
Does that mean I don’t have to be baptized?
Well… that’s not what the Bible says.

When the crowd was convinced
that they’d crucified their Messiah,
“they were cut to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
"Brothers, what shall we do?"
And Peter said to them,
"Repent and BE BAPTIZED every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:37-38

Notice, these folks already believed at Pentecost
(they were convinced they’d crucified Messiah)
but apparently, they hadn’t “repented”
or been baptized.
But when they made that decision to repent/
and when they were baptized, they received a promise.
They were promised to be forgiven of their sins
and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So those are GOD’S way of RECEIVING Jesus
as your Lord and Savior –
which we are required to accept with no substitutes.

One last thought.
Right after the book of John tells us
about how to become Children of God
it makes this statement
“And the Word (Jesus) became flesh
and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14)
Why would it be important
that we’d know Jesus dwelt among us?

CLOSE: An atheist told a friend about his visits
with his 18-month-old granddaughter.
He said that he regularly made a 90 minute drive
once a month to visit her.
And he said “I don’t push myself on her.
I don’t even go and pick her up…
because she might cry.
But I go and visit so that she will know WHO I am.

My hope is that – as she gets older
she will eventually come to me
because I SHOWED UP all these early visits.
Jesus was God –
who SHOWED UP in the flesh –
so that we’d know WHO He was.
He came to earth to be with us…
so we’d know how much He loved us.
And eventually (because we saw who He was)
we’d COME to Him because
we saw the God who cared enough
to die for us.

INVITATION

View Details

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. If you'd like to, turn to Matthew 6. That's where the majority of our lesson will be today.

I feel like I say this a lot before my sermons, but as most of you know, I'm attending Bowling Green State University right now. As a student I take a lot of tests. I'm in college. I don't know how long it's been since some of you have taken an academic test. For a few, I can imagine it's been a couple of decades.

One thing I like to have before a test or an essay is a model. I like examples because they help me to know what to expect, what to do, and how to prepare. It's easier to prepare when I have an example.

The chapter we’re looking at today is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. What he is giving us in this chapter is examples. He is commanding us how to live in certain ways, how to do certain things. Today, we will go over ways to please God. We will go over prayer. We will go over the fasting, treasures in heaven and many other things.
To start out, I will read verses one through four. Be careful not to do good deeds in front of other people. Don’t do those deeds to be seen by others. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by other people. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward. When you give to needy people, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.
How often on the news or on the internet or other things, do we see celebrities or other famous and rich people announce how much they're giving? I remember seeing a headline a few years back that Bill Gates pledges that he will give half of his fortune to charity by a certain time. How often do we see man announce their good deeds, screaming, “Look at how good I am. See what I can do. See what I am doing. How good am I?” That's not how the Lord tells us to give to the needy.

That's not what the Lord commands us. We should not be announcing our ways in what we do. We should do it in secret because this does not matter. You should not boast about the good you do.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, it says, For by grace have you been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In James 2:16, it says, For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

You are not saved by the works you do. Without faith, your work is dead. No matter what you do, you could cure cancer, you could solve world hunger, but if you do not have faith in the Lord, if you have not taken care of your own soul, it will not matter. No amount of good deeds you can do can erase the sins that you have committed. Nothing can erase the deeds that you have done. Only through faith, only through the blood of Christ can those sins be forgiven, not through your own works. As it says, faith apart from works is dead, but also works apart from faith are meaningless.

I tell you, when you do these deeds, do not boast, do not announce them. If people see them, so be it, but do not make sure they see it. As my father said, we should be cheerful givers, but we should also not be boastful givers. Think of the parable of the woman who gave that one little penny. Jesus took more worth out of that one little penny, all she had, than the hundreds, even the thousands that the rich men were giving, because those rich men were being boastful.

We can move on from there. Verses 5 through 8 say, And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Do things the Lord wants you to do, not things that will bring you recognition. In Colossians 2:23, it says, whatever you do, work heartedly as for the Lord and not for men.

Work for the Lord, not for men. It's in the Bible. In Colossians 2:23, it tells us this, because you ought to work for the Lord, in his kingdom and not for the Earth and its. You cannot serve two masters, so you must follow the Lord and do as he tells you and do things as he has taught us. Do things for him not for the world. This is what these verses are getting at. Do not be like the hypocrites in the synagogues.

Moving on to verse 9, it says, this then is how you should pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Here we have Jesus' model prayer. This is not the prayer we should all say at every turn, but an example for us. Earlier, as I said, I like examples before tests. I like them a lot before essays or presentations, too, because they show me how the teacher wants it. Teachers like their presentations and essays in certain ways, and when you have examples, it's a little easier to follow that.

That's what the Lord is doing. He's a teacher. He's giving us an example of a proper prayer. That's what we should focus on here. How does he want us to pray? What does he want us to say? How does he want us to address him? Here it says, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. He starts us off. He starts his prayer off recognizing the Lord, our Father in heaven, our King above all. Hallowed, gracious ,is your name, great is your name.

Moving on to verse 10, Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Many times, Jesus and others in the Bible say, Lord, your will be done.

In Romans 12:2, we are told, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We must ask the Lord for his will to be done, but we must also be able to determine what his will is ourselves. As it says here, do not be conformed to the world, but let our minds be renewed so we may better listen to God's word, for His orders, for what we should do.

Let His will be done because His will is greater than ours. He knows what is right, what is perfect. While we are beginning to understand and beginning to learn what is truly right, and we know what is right, we have problems doing it. We have problems picking the right way. We need to ask the Lord to guide us, to allow His will to be done, to give us the strength for His will to be done.

Give us today our daily bread, verse 11.

Here we are to ask our basic needs. In the Bible, we are assured that following the Lord, our basic needs will be met. We will have the amount of water and the amount of food we need. We do not need to worry about these things because the Lord will provide them for us.

In Psalms 55:22, it says, cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved. The Lord will sustain your hunger. He will sustain your thirst. As long as you are following him, you can be certain that you will have what you need to make it through the day. Then the the next day and the next until your time has come.

To move on, verses 12 through 15, say, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins as well.

In Matthew 18:22-23, we're told about the servant who had his debt forgiven. This is a parable where a servant owes a great debt to his master, and the master graciously forgives him. The servant then had another servant who owed him some money. It was a small amount, and he threw him in jail. As reprimand, the master put his debt back on him. That is a good example of what the Lord means.

We must pray, we must be able to forgive our enemies because are we not also sinners? Have we also not transgressed against God? How can he forgive us if we are not even willing to forgive what has happened, what has been done to us? How can He forgive what we have done to Him? That is something I feel many people struggle with. Sin is not just some arbitrary thing you are doing that's wrong. You are actively committing sins against God. You are defiling God. These are acts against Him. Just as someone's sins can harm you, our sins harm Him.

Another thing we must pray for the strength to forgive. Some people do some pretty bad things to us, and it can be really tough. Our enemies sometimes run us in ways that we might find unforgivable, that we might find impossible to forgive, but we must pray for the strength to forgive others.

In 1st Corinthians 10:13, it says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way to escape that you may be able to endure.

We know that we are not given temptation beyond our abilities, so we must pray for the strength to overcome it. We must pray for the strength to get past it. We must pray that the Lord points us down a path of the righteous and for the strength to walk it.

Verses 16 through 18, goes over fasting, and it says, When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen, and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Again, as this chapter has told us, I think four times already, do things for the Lord, our God, in His honor, to His glory, and not for the recognition of man. As it says, those who do it, their reward is in full. They will receive their rewards in this world, but they will have nothing for what is beyond. Do things for the Lord, not to be seen in a better light with your peers.

In 1st Samuel 16:7, it says, But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

While we see what's on the outside, the Lord sees what's inside. That is why it is important that we have the right mind and attitude when we serve him. Because while others might think we are living righteously and nobly, the Lord knows the truth. If your heart is tainted, if you are not committed to him, he will know. You must make sure that you are not just doing the right things, but you have the right attitude, and that you have faith in your heart, that you have love in your heart, that you are doing things the Lord has commanded you to as the Lord has commanded you to do them. The Lord can see more than man. He can see what is in your heart, not as just what is on your clothes and what you do.

Moving on to Treasures in Heaven, verses 19 through 24, say, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

You cannot serve both God and the world. You cannot be part of the material world and God's kingdom. You cannot commit yourself to both. You must choose.

In 1st John 2:15-17, it says, Do not love the world for the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires. But whoever does the will of God abides in him forever.

The things of the world are temporary. The great monuments we built, the grass that grows in our fields, one day will all burn away. The pyramids over in Egypt have stood for thousands of years, but one day they too will be burned away. Nothing here is permanent. Everything here is temporary. Everything here will be burned. Even our bodies will decay and decompose back into the ground.

Our spirit, our soul is forever. That is what truly matters. That is why you should not keep your treasures here. Keep your treasures in heaven with the Lord. Put your faith in Him so that one day you may be with Him. Do not go on with your life thinking that you will be okay just by coasting along, by putting your treasures here because those treasures will burn up. Those treasures will be cast out on judgment day.

Moving on, verses 25 through 33 say, Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink, or about your body or what you wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you, by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow? They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon, in all his splendor, was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you? O you of little faith. So do not worry saying, 'what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given unto you. Therefore, do not worry for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.

Matthew 4:4 says, But he answered, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Why should we not worry about today? Why should we not worry about clothes? Because that's not really important. What happens to us on this Earth isn't really important. It's what comes out of the mouth of God, and how we follow the Lord.

Look at Steven. He was stoned to death. You think he was worried about food in that moment? You think he was worried about how his body was going to be after the stoning, about what was happening in him here in this world at that moment? No. He was still screaming the word. He was screaming the word of God. He was following the Lord. We should not worry about this world, about what happens here, because the Lord will take care of us, and because at the end of the day, this is not where our soul will reside forever. This world is only temporary. This world is finite. Our souls are forever.

In Philippians 4:6, it says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.

The Lord will provide you with what you need. Do not worry about the trivial because it will be given unto you. As you're following the Lord, you will be taken care of. As he said, if the birds are fed, will you not be as well? If you are to find yourself in persecution with people wanting to end your life, remember Matthew 5:10, blessed are those who are persecuted for the for righteousness's sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Should we worry? We shouldn’t, right? Because what will it do? No amount of worrying will buy us an extra second of time. Our lives are going to be as long as however they are, no matter what we do. When I had tests last month taken, I was a little worried at what they were going to come back like. I was fine, but I really shouldn't have worried. Even if they came back bad, my grades were just still going to be fine. I was still going to be good. The tests were already done, so worrying did me no good.

Many of us worry far too much when it does us nothing. It does not serve us. It does not serve the Lord. When we find ourselves in situations where we might be scared, where people are against us, or people are persecuting us, we must remember that even in death, we will be fine because the Lord Our God's sacrifice, because the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed himself, His body, His life for us.

Through His sacrifice, we can be saved. That is why you do not need to worry because Jesus has already taken your punishment for you. He was on that cross suffering for the sins we committed, that I committed, that you committed, that people across the street committed, across the world committed. We don't need to worry because Jesus has taken care of it. He has paid the debt we owe.

I ask you today, if you have not told the world that you believe in the Lord your God, if you have not been baptized for the remission of sins, if you have not confessed the Lord your God here, I ask you why and why wait? Your time worrying cannot buy you any more time, but your time can come at any moment. Waiting does nothing. I ask you if you have not been baptized, that you be baptized here today. We have a purposely good baptistery ready. Thank you.

View Details

Acts 9:1-19
By Jerad Allen

Good morning. I want to say I got a sense of de-ja-vu, but I've made that joke the last couple times I was here. It’s getting a little old. I made that same joke back at Jerusalem and my granny said I was running out of material.

To get started I want to ask you a question. How often do you sin? How many sins do you think you've committed? How great are the acts you have committed against our Lord? For many of us, it's a lot. Actually, for all of us, it's a lot. It's quite often that we fall. We falter quite a lot.

That takes me to a man, a serial killer named Jeffrey Dahmer. All of us know this man was known for the defiling acts he would do to his victims. We know he killed many and just what he would do to the bodies afterwards. An interesting thing about Dahmer though is before his execution, he claimed to have been saved. He claimed he had turned to the Lord and was born again. Do I know if this was true? I don't know. I didn't know him. I think he was dead before I was even born.

That brings up an interesting question. How great are the sins that can be forgiven? That takes me into the subject we'll be going over today. Our text is Acts 9:1-19. Many of you will recognize this as the road to Damascus where Paul was turned. Where Jesus came to him. To start I will read verses 1 through 3. “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.”

Saul was a Pharisee at this time, known for going around taking anyone who confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior and murdering them, throwing them in prisons, persecuting them. We can see that when he asked to be given permission to bring any man or woman.

In Galatians 1:13, Paul said, “for you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.”

Look at how he says “intensely” here. This wasn't something he was doing as his day job. This wasn't something he was doing as a hobby or something he was doing out of a sense of the right thing to do because he was born that way. No, this was something he was adamant about doing. He was adamant in destroying the church and the way and the reputation and things that Jesus had left behind.

In Acts 26:9, it says he was convinced that he ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He wasn't just attacking the people that followed him. He was going after Jesus' name. He was going after the man. He was going after what Jesus was. Saul was a sinner, a murderer, a man who took many lives.

To add to this, the first time we see him in the Bible is at Stephen's stoning at the beginning of Acts 8. He was there as a disciple of the Lord was being stoned to death for preaching, for spreading the word.

In verse 3 of our text, it says, “… suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.” Imagine you're on your way somewhere and this is a time you don't have technology or things like that. You're riding horses and bam, a beam of light comes down. That would be terrifying to anyone. It was to Saul and the people around him.

To move on let’s read, verses 4 through 9; “then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, who are you, Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what do you want me to do? Then the Lord said to him, arise and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one, but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days without sight and neither ate or drank.”

Why Saul? Why would Jesus show himself to Saul of all people? A murderer, someone actively hunting his people. Why would He show himself to this man? Surely there was a better person to show Himself to. Surely there was someone more worthy, more righteous and less despicable than Saul.

In 1st Timothy 1:16, Paul answers this very question. “But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

He was the worst mankind had to offer. He was the “worst of sinners”, as he put it. He was an awful, no good, despicable little man, but Christ redeemed him. Christ saved him to show that it does not matter whether you are worthy. It does not matter what you have done.

In the Bible, it says certain sins are unpardonable, but Saul had not done these. It is my understanding, few people commit that sin. Jesus showed himself to Paul to show that anyone can be saved.

When I was going over this lesson with my Pap, he brought up, and my granny brought over a good point too, that Saul's intensity and his passion for getting rid of the church could be very easily turned over into spreading it as well. If a person is willing enough to completely annihilate something, if you can get them to do the opposite, they will be a hard and valiant worker

I want to focus on after Christ left for a second let’s look at verses 8 and 9. It said that Paul could not eat or drink for three days afterwards. Imagine how intense an experience this must have been. How extreme it was. It says he was trembling and astonished. I feel like that probably doesn't explain what was actually going through his head. If he went through something where he did not have sight, he couldn't eat or drink for three whole days, it sounds like he went through some serious trauma. No, the Lord just showed Himself to Paul. That is showing of the power that Jesus wields.

Moving on to verses 10 through 12, it says, “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him, the Lord said in a vision, Ananias. And he said, here I am, Lord. So the Lord said to him, arise and go to the street called straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying. And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming and putting his hand on him so that he may receive his sight.”

The Lord told Saul to go where he will meet Ananias, and Ananias is being told where to go to find Saul. This shows us nothing's really an accident. Even though they are given explicit instructions here, if you listen to the Lord and follow what He is telling you, you will go to the right place and you will end up with the right people. This is a more obvious example with the Lord actively telling them both where to go in dreams and in visions. This is a good example of how we should lead our lives. When we hear the Lord, we should listen as they listened here.

Let’s read verses 13 through 16. It says, “then Ananias answered, “Lord, I've heard many things about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, Kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.””

I want to look at a passage in Luke 19:1-5. It says, “He entered Jericho and was passing through and behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was. But on account of the crowd, he could not because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him. For He was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down for I must stay at your house.”

Tax collectors weren't exactly seen in the greatest light at the time. They were actually hated. Many people despised them. In the next couple of verses, we see how the people were astonished that he chose the tax collector, that they were mad that he chose someone so unlikeable.

In verse seven, it says, “all the people saw this and began to mutter, he has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” They were mad that he chose, out of all the people there, to go to Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, the worst of them.

Imagine the same situation in Acts 9. In some ways this is a similar situation to what Ananias is in, but instead of a chief tax collector, it is someone that you know is actively hunting you and wanting you dead. I think that Ananias following Jesus' orders here shows his faith and his courage.

He has been told he will be fine. He has been given the confidence of the Lord that he will be fine, but there's still that little human part of him saying, this man is going to kill me. Yet he shuts that up and does what he's told. He follows the Lord's will. That shows his courage, his faith in Jesus, and how we should live as well. Many people in the Bible listen to the Lord and they die because of it, but they do it because the Lord told them to.

In the chapter before this, chapter eight, Stephen was stoned, spreading the word. Most of the apostles were executed. Even if we come across persecution, we must have the courage and the faith to follow through in spreading the gospel and following the Lord's will. That is what Ananias shows us here.

In verses 17 through 19, it says, “And Ananias went his way and entered the house, laying his hands on him. He said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once, and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.”

This is when Saul fully surrendered to the Lord. This is when he was saved. He became a new creation. No longer was Saul there. He would soon be known as Paul. As we are told after this, he spent time in Damascus with the disciples there learning and preaching.

In Mark 16:16, we are told whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Was Jeffrey Dahmer saved? I don't know. I didn't know him. I couldn't tell you anything about him. I don't particularly want to listen to any of the interviews on the internet, because I find people and things like that kind of depressing. It's possible he was saved. It's possible that someone who did all those things is saved.

When you're in hell, there's no difference between a mass murderer and someone who just lied a bunch of times or committed other sins. If you do not turn to the Lord, you will end up in the same place as them.

I ask, why wait for damnation? Death can come at any moment. It does not wait for you to finally turn to the Lord. It is better to do it now than to wait.

If you have not repented and been baptized for the remissions of your sins, I ask you, why not? We have a perfectly good baptistery here that you can use if you want.

Thank you.

View Details

Mark 12:1-12

INTRO: Good morning church. For our text this morning open your Bibles to Mark chapter 12. I’m going to read a fairly lengthy section of scripture. It’s a familiar section and I beg your indulgence as I read this. We’ll begin with verse one.

Mark 12:1-12 – “1. Then He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 2. "Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3. "And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4. "Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5. "And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 6. "Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, They will respect my son.' 7. "But those vinedressers said among themselves,This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8. "And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. 9. "Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10. "Have you not read this Scripture: `The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 11. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?'' 12. And they sought to lay hold of Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.”

The parable recorded in our text is, in comparison with the rest of the parables, unusual, and different. There are historical thoughts here suggesting this is a parable concerning the Jewish nation.

In fact, one commentator refers to this parable as a “historical parable” which he believes gives briefly the history of the Jewish nation from the exodus to the destruction of Jerusalem.
The parable is most assuredly pointed... so pointed, in fact, that the hearers would have had no difficulty in understanding its message.

Because this parable is very significant to the time Jesus was living and teaching, I think we need to spend some time examining, at least in brief, the details we find. As we look at these details we might think “this really isn’t all that relevant to me and to our time”. However, if we carefully engage in the study of the parable, there are great lessons to be learned here.

I particularly want you to look at verse 12: "And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way." I would like you to note this verse; we will come back to it later. I’ve entitled this lesson “Clinging Obstinately to Sin”.
Verse 12 indicates that was exactly the response of the people to whom the parable was spoken and for whom it was intended. They clung obstinately to their sin.

I. Points to note: Let’s turn our thoughts to the points recorded in this parable.

A. We’re introduced, first of all, to a vineyard. Clearly from a scriptural reference the vineyard refers to the nation of Israel.

1. You might want to turn with me to Isaiah’s prophecy chapter five and we will begin at verse one. Here’s what we read: Isaiah 5:1-7 – “1. Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard. My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. 2. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. 3. "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? 5. And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.'' 7. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, weeping.” Clearly, as I said, the vineyard is Israel.
2. Notice the people when they heard this parable were aware that it was spoken against them. They immediately were able to make the connection. When we carefully read both the parable and the passage from Isaiah, we notice that there are some similar pictures, well-known pictures, take from Isaiah chapter 5 and included in the parable in Mark chapter 12.
3. These people are aware of the prophecy of Isaiah. When Jesus begins to speak they know the subject He is speaking about.

B. In the parable there are the husbandmen or vinedressers, as some translations have it; these are the religious leaders of the Jews.

1. Now, it was not all that unusual for there to be an absentee landlord who would rent out his land to others.
2. We are told that historically there were wealthy people who owned property they would rent out and they themselves resided elsewhere. Indeed this was common in many places and cultures up to, and including modern times.
3. As we read the parable and as we look at Isaiah chapter 5, we notice that the land owner has done everything that he could possibly do to give advantage to the vineyard so that it will produce a good crop. He has hedged it around to protect it. He has dug it up and planted well. He has put in the tower and the winepress.
4. But he is an absentee landlord. Distant ownership can give opportunity for irresponsibility and corruption.

C. We are also told in the parable about the servants that the landlord sent time and time again. Who were these servants? They were the prophets whom God had repeatedly sent to Israel.

1. These servants were sent to collect the rent for the land. It should have produced a great crop. The crop should have been sold. Money should have been plentiful. It was reasonable for the land owner to be paid his due for renting the land.
2. What happened? These prophets, these servants who were sent, were treated shamefully. The Bible says they even killed some of them. How…very…tragic.
3. In Matthew 23 verse 37 Jesus is heard lamenting over the treatment of the prophets by Israel. Matthew 23:37 – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” These are tragic words—words where Jesus speaks volumes of the history of Israel’s treatment of the prophets.
4. In Acts 7:52, the preacher Stephen asks a pointed question of the Jewish leaders. Acts 7:52 He says: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,” Well the truth hurts, doesn’t it? Rather than being affected positively by the truth, these people who heard the question knew it was a question asked of them in an accusatory way. What did they do? Ultimately they killed Stephen.

D. As we read the parable we notice that servants are sent repeatedly (think about that) he didn’t just send one servant to collect the rent. Repeatedly the land owner sent his servants hoping to collect his due. The fact that God repeatedly sent the prophets speaks to me of the longsuffering nature of God.

1. As I studied this I realize that the land owner had legal rights and he could have exercised those rights.
2. God could have ended His relationship with an ungrateful Israel at any time and He would have been absolutely justified for doing so.
3. I want you to turn to 2nd Chronicles 36 and read some verses with me—verses that help us see the nature of our God. 2nd Chronicles 36:14-16 – “14. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15. And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” Look at those words. Why did He do this? Why over and over again did He send the prophets? Because He had compassion on them.
4. If we learn nothing else from this parable in Mark 12 we need to learn the lesson that God is longsuffering. In 2nd Peter 3:9 - Peter tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

E. The parable goes on to talk about the land owner sending his only son, his dearly beloved son.

1. The son will come and speak with greater authority than the servants who were sent, because he is the son. In the parable the landowner probably thought: They won’t treat my son the way they treated my servants.
2. In Hebrews chapter 1 beginning at verse 1 the writer of the book records this: Hebrews 1:1-3 – “1. God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. 2. has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3. who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
3. Yes, God spoke for hundreds of years through the prophets, but in these last times has spoken to us by His Son, by His Heir. His Heir has come to reveal the commandments of the father. How was He treated? Not a bit better than the prophets who had come before Him.
4. When He came they killed Him and threw Him unceremoniously out of the vineyard which belonged to His Father. I want to go back to this passage in Mark 12 for just a minute and there’s a verse at which I would particularly like us to pay attention. It is verse eight: Mark 12:8 – “And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.” This is a reference to Jesus. Jesus knew when He spoke these words that this was a reference to Himself. Here is another indication of His knowing that He is ultimately going to be killed by His religious enemies.
5. There is something said in the parable that gives us some insight into the thinking of those wicked husbandmen. They thought if they could kill the heir they could come into legal possession of the vineyard. The religious leaders in Jesus time were so jealous of their position, their power among the Jews; they would do anything to preserve it. Just as these husbandmen would do anything to preserve their position. There’s a little indicator in the 11th chapter of the gospel of John. Verses 47 and 48: John 11:47-48 – “47. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. (Now look especially at verse 48.) 48. "If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.''” They were jealous for their position and they wanted nothing to happen that would endanger their power and their role as leaders among the Jews. Does this have application today?

F. Jesus then makes another reference in the parable. He makes reference to the fact that the vineyard is going to be given to others. The others to whom He refers are the Gentiles.

1. Again in John’s gospel, chapter 10 at verse 16, Jesus says: John 10:16 – “and other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Jesus never shied away from making reference to the inclusion of the Gentiles into the fold of God.
2. Turn to the book of Hosea 2:23. Hosea 2:23 – “Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people!' And they shall say,You are my God!' ” This passage is quoted in Romans the ninth chapter verses 23 through 25. Romans 9:23-25 – “23. and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24. even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25. As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.''”
3. Clearly it is an inclusion of people who are not His people, but would become His people… the Gentiles. I have a strong suspicion that the Jewish leaders who heard these words were not thrilled with what they heard.
4. Jewish thought in those days would have been that any spiritual equality of Gentiles with Jews just “did not compute”. What Jesus said was offensive to the priests and the Pharisees and Scribes, but they knew that He had spoken this parable against them.

II. The Response: What was the response? How did they respond?

A. We read it a while ago in Mark 12:12 (that verse that I said we would come back to): Mark 12:12 – “And they sought to lay hold of Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.” They tried to find a way to lay hold on Him, to arrest Him, but those people who were so jealous for their position were also filled with fear of the population. Often that is the way with people who find themselves in error. They can be bold when all the circumstances are for them, but when the circumstances are a little iffy their boldness turns to flight. They left Him.

1. Here’s the point. There was no change. Jesus had spoken, clearly had taught with reference to historical facts of the Jewish nation and they knew it. We have heard the statement that those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. Those people were not learning the lessons.
2. Its one thing for something to be so unsettled, so confused, that you don’t get the point. But they knew Jesus had spoken a parable against them. Yet there was no change. There was no learning. They were clinging obstinately to their sins.

B. That brings us to the question I want us to think about this morning: Why in the world do people cling obstinately to sin, to error?

1. Is it possible that they think God is so distant, so uninvolved, so unconcerned, with human affairs? In the 94th Psalm beginning to read a verse four: Psalms 94:4-7 – “4. They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. 5. They break in pieces your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. 6. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. 7. Yet they say, "The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand.''” What the Psalmist is saying is some people have the impression that God is so far away that you can do whatever you want and He will not see, and you will not be held responsible. If you think that… you are very wrong. God sees. God knows.
2. Well, that’s one reason I believe that people cling obstinately to sin because they think He is not involved. It’s like when a young person goes off to college. While they were at home with their parents their behavior would likely fit their parent’s expectations. Now that they are away from their parents, the parents cannot see what is being done, or hear what is being said. The student may do what they like and the parents will never know. I’ve got a news flash. Parents always seem to find out. But that’s our way of thinking. Distance. God is distant from us—we think—so we can do what we like.
3. Is it possible that people think that God WILL NOT punish them for their sins? Perhaps. In the book of Ecclesiastes the eighth chapter beginning at verse 11: Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 – “11. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
4. When Nina & I travel to Tennessee, along I-40 for example, people are whizzing by us. They aren’t going 70 miles per hour. They are going noticeably faster. I don’t know what their thoughts are. Yet I have a suspicion that most of them think: I’m not going to get caught, and… if I’m not caught then I won’t be punished. If I’m not going to be punished… then I’ll just do what I want to do. Is that why do people do what they want to do? I’m not going to get caught. I’m not going to be punished. God is love, He loves me. Is that why they cling to their sins, their error? I’m not going to be punished?
5. Or perhaps people value their own ways so highly that they minimize their relationship with God. Once again the book of Psalms, chapter 10 and verse 4 the Bible says: Psalms 10:4 – “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.” Notice the word “proud”. I’m all about me. It’s ALL about me. My relationship with God isn’t really all that important as long as I can have my way, live MY life. And be able to say… I did it MY way. Is that why people cling obstinately to sin? I want to have my way. My ways are just so important to me that I really don’t have time to think about God.
6. Here’s another thought. Is it possible that there are just people who refuse to admit they’re wrong, that they’ve made mistakes—that they’ve sinned? Obstinate refusal to admit sin. Perhaps that was the situation with the people to whom Jesus was speaking in this parable. If you turn your Bibles to Romans chapter two, listen to what the writer says in verse one. He’s writing this to people who should have known better. Romans 2:1 – “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” That’s what they were doing—judging others. The writer says by the inspiration of the spirit of God, they were guilty of the same things. In their judgment of others they are not recognizing their own error. They refuse to admit their mistakes.
7. Is it possible that there are people who are just enjoying their own role, their position, so much, that they really don’t have time for a relationship with God? I think of something that is said in Galatians 1:10 that addresses itself to this idea. The apostle Paul wrote: Galatians 1:10 “ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” So many people are affected by this malady—men pleasers. Is that why people cling obstinately to their sins, their error?

CONCLUSION:
There are many reasons why people cling to their sins, but listen, folks, not a one of those reasons is worth the consequences. Not a one.

I wonder, do we make the same mistake these stubborn, obstinate people made; those against whom Jesus spoke this parable? I’m going to continue what I do. I’m going to continue to enjoy what it is that I’m doing even if it is wrong. I don’t care. I’m going to do it. Would that ever be our attitude?

If you recall some past lessons where we read of the sermons on Solomon’s porch we saw again illustrated the obstinate refusal of the religious leaders. Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. What a wonderful message that is. Yet, there comes a termination point. Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die." During my lifetime I can repent. I can turn to God. I can be obedient to God. Once I come to this termination point (and it comes for all of us) it’s too late. In the meantime God doesn’t desire the perishing of a single soul. Both Old and New Testaments say the same thing. He doesn’t have pleasure in the death of the wicked.

The issue hangs on our repentance. That was the issue for many of those religious leaders — and they were not willing to repent. I’m going to have my way no matter what it hurts, not matter who it hurts. I’m going to have my way—obstinacy.

When I think about the book of Jonah, I’m sure Jonah believed with all his heart that there was absolutely no reason for him to go to Nineveh to preach. These are sinful people. They are not about to change.

Finally though, he came and began to preach a simple message, just a few words as a matter of fact. He moved on to another place and preached the same message. And the first thing you know those sinful, awful people where repenting! They were not clinging stubbornly to their obstinate ways; and from the king to the lowest of the people they repented in sackcloth.

I wonder today about those who hear the message and are not yet Christians. If you are one, will you repent of your sins whatever they may be? Or for some reason cling obstinately to the way you are? Perhaps you see and understand, that repentance calls for you to in obedience to the gospel; “come and be baptized into Christ”. Yet, for some reason you are unwilling to repent before God and change your heart in a way that brings you to obedience.

We also should be concerned about Christian people. Yes, we are concerned about those who are out of Christ and lost, because they are lost. We all know many Christian people, people dear to us. We love them and are concerned with the impenitence of some Christians. As the cares of this life weigh us down, some of us slip into only giving lip service to God. Do we think; “I’m here. I’m able to be checked as present this morning as I should be." Do we recognize the things about our lives that we need to change? Or… do we cling, obstinately, to error?

As we sing the song of invitation, if you’ve been clinging to your own sinful ways let us urge you to repent, and make whatever changes need to be made. As a Christian if you need to change, ask God’s forgiveness. If you need our prayers, we would be glad to pray with you. If you need to be baptized into Christ, don’t cling obstinately to a way of life without the Lord for there will come a time when it is too late.

Whatever you need we invite you to come as we stand together and sing.

???

Reference Sermon: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Mark 1:15

About 10 years ago, there was a 67-year-old Belgian woman named Sabine Moreau. She had left home to travel about 1 ½ hours to Brussels (the capital city of Belgium).

TWO DAYS LATER, after having crossed five international borders, she found herself in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, nearly 900 miles from her home.

It was probably at that point that she suddenly realized that she might not be in Belgium anymore. She admitted that she’d seen “all kinds of traffic signs. First in French, then in German, and so on “But I didn't ask myself any questions. I was just distracted…” But the real problem was that her GPS had malfunctioned, and she just took it for granted that it was guiding her to her destination. She later said: "When I passed Zagreb (the capital city of Croatia) I told myself I should turn around."

She’d gone the wrong way - was miles away from home - and she finally told herself she needed to TURN AROUND.
In our text today we see a word that means “turn around”… the word “REPENT”.

Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT (turn around) and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)
You see, many of the Jews had gone the wrong way in their lives - they’d traveled MILES away from God – and they needed to turn around… and go back to Him.
THEY NEEDED TO REPENT!

• This idea of repentance is a repeated theme throughout the Bible.
  The Old Testament prophets told Israel repent/turn away from their sins - saying “Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations." Ezekiel 14:6

• When John the Baptist was baptizing people at the Jordan River, he preached about “The baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Luke 3:3

• At one point, Jesus sent out His 12 disciples and THEY preached that “People should repent.” Mark 6:12

• On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

• And the Apostle Paul preached “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

It shows up again, and again, and again throughout the Bible. So obviously… repentance is important to God – which raises the question: Why do we have to repent? Why is it so important? Well, the main reason is – we tend to mess things up in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 says “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” We’ve all said or thought or done things in our lives that make us ashamed. And if we don’t repent of those things we can end up traveling a long way away from God.

And yes, even Christians need to repent. In I John 1:9 John tells Christians: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confessing our sins means that we admit we’ve messed up and we intend turn away from those sins and return to God.

ILLUS: One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about Adam and Eve after they’d sinned. God comes down to the Garden and asks a couple of questions: First, God called out to Adam and asks “Where are you?” And Adam replied “I was afraid, because I was naked, & I hid myself." And God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

Now – quiz time: When God asked Adam “Where are you?” … didn’t God KNOW where Adam was? Of course, God knew! God knows everything! Then why ask the question?

Because God was giving Adam a chance to “fess up”… to REPENT of what he’d done.
Then God asked “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" But didn’t God know Adam had eaten of that fruit? Of course, God knew! God knows everything! So, why ask the question?

God was giving Adam another chance to repent. So twice, God gave Adam a chance to confess/repent but Adam must have figured, what God didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. He figured that if he just covered his SIN/nakedness with leaves, and hid in the bushes… Well, God wouldn’t notice! Adam decided that – all he had to do was ignore the sin and the problem would go away.
But it doesn’t work that way. Sin makes us feel guilty, and even makes us want to wash away our guilt.

ILLUS: Back in 2006, researchers at the University of Toronto reported they’d found that People who suffered from an experience that brought a guilty conscience had this “powerful urge to wash themselves.”

In the study, the researchers asked some of the volunteers to recall their past sins. And then they were all given an opportunity to wash their hands as a symbol of cleansing their conscience of past sins. Those who had been instructed to recall their sins washed their hands at “twice the rate of study subjects who had not been asked to think about their past transgressions.” We’re not geared to feel comfortable with the shame of our sins. In fact, even a PARTIAL admission of guilt isn’t enough.

ILLUS: There was a study conducted about 10 years ago that was titled: “I Cheated, But Only a Little.” The researchers studied over 4,000 people and discovered that people who only PARTIALLY confessed a transgression felt worse than those who didn’t confess at all.

The point is this: repentance is necessary to rebuild a person’s life. Without true, complete repentance, the shame and guilt of past behavior can cripple us… or even destroy us.

ILLUS: There was once a gifted author named Earnest Hemingway. He wrote books like “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “The Old Man and The Sea”, “A Farewell To Arms” and dozens of other novels and short-stories.

His writing style was so powerful that it influenced numerous authors of the day. And Hemingway was romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle and his outspoken and blunt public image.
As a child, Hemingway grew up in a very devout church-going family and yet, when he grew up - he wanted nothing to do with God. He ended up living a depraved and immoral lifestyle and seemingly had no conscience and no moral standards. At the age of 61, Earnest Hemingway… took his own life.

At one point he wrote “I live in a vacuum that is as lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead and there is no current to plug into.”

He lived and died an empty life because he had no intention of turning away from the kind of life he’d lived. He had no desire to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. If Hemingway HAD repented, his life could have turned out differently.

Acts 3:19-20 says “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you.”

Without repentance we can’t have any of that.
Our sins cannot be blotted out. Without repentance, there is no refreshing of our lives. In other words… without repentance life can become very empty and meaningless.

But when we repent, our sins are blotted out and we can be refreshed because God removes the guilt and shame from our lives. That stumbling block is removed and life gets easier.

Now, in our verse today, Jesus said “Repent and BELIEVE…" (Mark 1:15) Why did Jesus include that word BELIEVE?

Well, Proverbs 3:5-8 actually tells us why: “Trust (believe) in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

Wow! That almost sounds like what we read in the book of Acts. Acts told us that - if we repented/ if we turned away from evil/ times of refreshment would come from the LORD! And Proverbs told us that if we repented/ if we turned away from evil/ God would give us healing for our flesh, and refreshment for our bones.

But Proverbs starts out by telling us that we need to do something else FIRST – “Trust in the LORD will all our hearts and NOT lean on our own understanding.” You see… we have to acknowledge God – and we have to believe He cares for us – and THEN He can do things in our lives.

What Proverbs 3 is saying is this – Trust God/ Repent Of Evil, and if we do that… God can fix the problems in our lives. Proverbs is basically saying – make God your authority; make Him your guide; make HIM your… GPS.

ILLUS: Do you remember the lady who got lost in Europe?
She’d only intended to go to Brussels, but she ended up going 900 miles in the wrong direction. Why did she get lost? Well yeah, she got distracted and wasn’t paying attention, but the real problem was that her GPS wasn’t trustworthy. Her man-made guidance system malfunctioned and led her the wrong way.

Now a lot of people in this world spiritually rely on man-made guidance systems. If they need wisdom… they turn to their friends, they turn to the internet, and turn to various scholars and experts.

But they don’t look to God for their wisdom. They don’t trust God for His advice. They DON’T trust the LORD to GUIDE them in life. And (well) why should they?

They’ve got those OTHER GPS systems they trust THEIR FRIENDS…THE INTERNET…ETC.so, why bother with looking to God first?

Do you know what happens when they rely on something other than God? And, Do you know what happens when something else becomes their source of wisdom/advice/guidance?(PAUSE) Well, they tend to get lost in this life.

Have you ever been lost? You’re were in a strange city, or on a country road with no signs. You don’t know where you’re at and you have no idea how to get where you want to go. Do you remember how you felt at that point? Well, when I’ve gotten lost I got anxious, worried, and frustrated. The information I thought I could rely on… misled me.

Now, we all live in a lost world, and we’re surrounded with advice and directions that are wrong – and the reason they’re wrong is because – they are not based in God’s thinking.

And when we listen to that WRONG information we tend to get anxious, worried, and angry, because those are the feelings we get… when we get lost.

And when you and I start feeling that way about life, it’s a sign that our personal GPS has misled us. That’s why Jesus said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

If we want to stop being anxious/ stop being worried/ stop being angry about things we cannot control, then we have to give up trying to control things our way… and let Jesus have control.

We need to trust (believe) God and turn away from sin, and we’ll find forgiveness of sin, a time of refreshment, and rest for our souls. THAT’S WHAT JESUS PROMISED!!!

CLOSE: I want to close with a familiar story of a young man who got lost. He was one of 2 sons of a wealthy man, but he didn’t respect his dad and he wanted to live life HIS own way.

So, he demanded his share of the inheritance and he went off to live his life HIS WAY. And it was a GOOD life. A lavish life. A life focused on enjoyment and partying. And he had all kinds of friends who helped him party and enjoy his wealth. But when his money ran out… so did his friends.

As Jesus told the story: he stated that a severe famine arose in that country, and the boy began to be in need. So, he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

And he got so hungry he longed to be fed with the food that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. I suspect he’d come to the point in his life where he became anxious/worried/ maybe even angry with himself.

And Jesus said that the prodigal Son … “came to himself”. He took a good look in the mirror and he said “I don’t want to live like this.”

He realized it was time to turn around and return home. So, he repented/ turned his back on the empty life he’d been living, and went back to his father. And, while the boy was still a long way off the father saw him… and RAN to him. He hugged his son, and kissed him. He dressed him in the finest of garments, put a ring on his finger & shoes on his feet and had fatted calf killed … and they had themselves a party.

And the Father said: “‘my son was dead, and is alive again; he was LOST and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." Luke 15:24

Jesus was talking about us.

We have oftentimes wandered off from the Father, and we have to understand that the empty way of life that many people embrace leads to a lot of emotions we don't want to have. We want to be at peace.

So Jesus says: "Repent" because you and I need it as much as the people outside the church. Now the advantage we have is that at least we have the book to read and we can learn how God wants us to think.

Now, people outside of Christ don't have that... and that's our advantage. Because when we see a friend or a relative, and they're anxious and worried and even filled with anger, we can ask them "Do you really want to live like that? Let me tell you about Jesus.

INVITATION

Reference Sermon by: Jeff Strite

View Details

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. How's everybody's day been? I can understand the snow. It's been a bit much.

As some of you may know, I go to Bowling Green State University. I'm there as an education major. Right now I'm on Thanksgiving break, so I'm home for now. As an education major, we're being taught how to properly educate our youth.

I'm specifically a middle childhood major. I'll be teaching middle school, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th graders. One important thing that I've learned is to be able to relate the content to the students. I'm a math and social studies major. Math in particular is something kids can find a hard time relating it to their life.

Oftentimes, you'll see students asking, when am I going to use this? Why is this important? When does this apply to me? One thing teachers must do is find ways these students can relate it to real life. One example is when we're going over division and fractions. We can easily relate that to price discounts. If it says 50% off, that's a fraction or one half. You can relate that to students as a fraction and relate math in that way.

What I want to do today is bring up a time, as Christians, we might ask, “How am I to be a Christian?” Today we will be going over Luke 10:25-37. Some of you may know, this is the parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus answers the question, What does a Christian look like?

I'll start with verses 25 through 27. “On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it? He answered, love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Here, the lawyer is referencing Moses in Deuteronomy chapter six, when he's talking about the Israelites. Moses is talking to the Israelites about God's covenant. Here, specifically, verses five and six are being referenced. These are the Lord's commands. Jesus call them two of the greatest commands. Love him with all your strength, all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Earlier in class, we were talking a lot about brotherly love and what that is and how that shows. It's in the same vein, love your neighbors, love your brothers, and love those around you. What does this look like though? There are plenty of examples in the Bible. Many times Jesus attended to the poor and the weak.

In Mark 12:28-31, it says, one of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating, noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer. He asked of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one answered is hear, O Israel, the Lord, your God, love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. These commandments, as I was researching for this sermon, were repeated many times in the Bible.

One of the ladies here, after my first sermon, told me that to get it through to people you're preaching to is tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what your told them. I believe what she was say was say it once, say it twice to make sure they hear it, and then say it three times to really just make sure they get the point. That's what I think is being done here. These are very important commands so the Lord repeats them, and He repeats them again, and again, and again.

Verses 28 an 29, says, you have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, who is my neighbor?

The lawyer is testing Jesus here. He is questioning Him. He is, I don't want to say interrogating, but he is pressing onward. He is trying to test Jesus' knowledge. I just kind of have to ask, how arrogant must you be? The Jews had been prophesying about a savior for their entire existence. Now that savior is here in front of you, and you have the gall to test him? The gall to test his knowledge? To test what he knows?

I also think that the lawyer knows who his neighbor is. He knows exactly what Jesus means when he says, your neighbor. He just wants to believe it is the people he thinks it should be, the people he wants it to be, but not the people he knows it is—the people he knows he should treat neighborly. Here he is really asking, who must I treat neighborly?

In Romans 12:20, we are told, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will keep burning coals on his head.

Feed your enemy. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. I would say this is acting pretty neighborly, right? If you're to act neighborly to your enemy, to someone you despise, to someone who has harmed you, to someone who seeks ill will upon you, who else do you think you should act neighborly towards? Your brother? Your actual neighbor who lives right across from you? Maybe the random kid on the street who is outside all the time, but doesn't necessarily have friends? I ask you, if you are to treat your enemy neighborly, shouldn't you treat everyone around you neighborly? Any man, woman, child you come across?

Let’s move on to Luke 10:30-32. “In reply, Jesus said, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road. When he saw the man, he passed on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed on the other side.”

Notice who passed him here, a priest and a Levite. A priest is meant to lead his people spiritually. This is a spiritual leader. This is an important man, and a Levite, from what I saw, is a man to aid the priest. These are important figures in the temple. These are important figures in the Jewish faith, and they pass over the man. Of course, they were probably not without reason. They may have assumed that it was a trap. Maybe he was trying to lure people closer to him so he could in turn rob them. They may have thought it was a lie. That’s not a bad assumption, but as spiritual leaders, as people who are meant to be the example their followers look to, I think they should have done better.

As the lawyer earlier mentioned, you must love your neighbor as yourself. As we looked at earlier, even your enemy is your neighbor. The men here did not act neighborly; they didn't even have the decency to ask if the man was okay. Notice how they didn't just pass by. They didn't say a word to him. They saw him, looked away, and went on their merry way. They didn't have to get close to him to simply ask a question, but no, they didn't ask.

In 1 John 4:20, it says, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

Christ is calling the priests and the Levites specifically out here. I think this is a specific example for the culture and the people of the time. They were not only not being neighborly, but for not loving God. If they did love God, as the commandments state, they would also love their neighbor, right? Those are the two greatest commandments.

Love God, love your neighbor. If you truly loved your brother or your neighbor, then you would help them in their time of need. You would ask them, are you okay? You would help them in their time of need. You would aid them. Here though, they just passed by, and did nothing. Religious leader, important people in the temple did not help. They did not do a thing.

Moving on with our text, “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was. And when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he took two denarius and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said. And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

This Samaritan showed kindness, showed brotherly love. It is interesting that Jesus used a Samaritan in particular as the man who was showing love, who was showing kindness. Samaritans were not looked on kindly. The looked down on them. They were a racially mixed people and were looked on as a lesser class by society as a whole at the time.

Jesus uses one here to emphasize, not only should everyone act neighborly, but everyone should be given neighborly acts as well. If a Samaritan man is showing kindness to a man he has never met, to a man he knows nothing about, and then so should the Jews of the time as well. So should everyone else. No one is exempt from this. It seems like Christ likes using Samaritans in the Bible. The woman at the well is another good example of Him doing the same thing.

She was a Samaritan woman and he had a lengthy conversation with her in John 4. It makes sense though. Since they were looked down upon, since they were seen as a lesser people, Christ would use them to show everybody can be saved, that everybody needs to act this way to gain this thing and that this is available to everyone who does this. It is a gift anyone can accept. I believe that's why he uses a Samaritan man here.

In Galatians 3:13-14, it says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Christ's gift is for everyone. He is the fulfillment of the Jewish law. It is for everyone, not just the Jews of the time, not just for a select few. It is for all of us, so we should act in accordance. We should act neighborly to all.

Back to our text verses 36-37, “which of these three do you think was neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in this law said the one who had mercy on him. Jesus said go and do likewise.”

I want to point out something else before I get into anything. Notice what the lawyer said. Did he mention the Samaritan? Did he say Samaritan? He didn't. He said the one who had mercy. He actively went out of his way to not mention the man's race, to not mention his class, to not mention who he was. Instead, he said the one who had shown mercy. Notice, again, the arrogance this lawyer shows.

Jesus just went through this whole parable explaining to the lawyer how he should act and how it should be applied to everyone. It seems he can't even let his own prejudice towards those people, towards Samaritans, let him acknowledge the Samaritan that was used as an example. The man that acted neighborly when his own priests, when his own Levites, people he would see as worthy, didn't. Think about that how this lawyer in particular, shows just how arrogant he was.

I asked you when you go into the world do not be like the priest or the Levite. Be like the Samaritan and be a neighbor to all. Feed the hungry and take care of the sick. For if we love God then we must love our neighbors as well. If we love our neighbors, then we show our love for God as well.

Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Christ loved us more than we could ever imagine. It is our job as Christians to replicate that love and follow in his footsteps, to do as he did. His life was an example on how we are supposed to act. He has told us that those two commandments, those two simple commands, that is the key to following a good and Christian life. That is how He walked. Those commandments led His every decision.

Most important to me is to love your Lord. Love our God, because if you truly love the Lord, then the love for the neighbors will come naturally. Those works, those kind acts will follow.

If you truly love the Lord, then you will obey His commandments and be baptized for the remission of your sins. If you love the Lord, why wait? Death is in any corner. At any point, robbers could jump out of nowhere and stab you, and you might not be as lucky as the man in the story who was able to survive and received help. You may be left with nothing. Death can come whenever, wherever, at any point.

Why wait? There is no way but His way. As I leave to you today, I asked you if you have not been baptized, please come. Thank you.

View Details

Matthew 5:20-48

A man was telling about being a student at the University of Southern California, and he and his friends worked hard to earn their PhDs, because they wanted to be allowed to hold the coveted title of “doctor”.

Then, one day one of their professors told about a friend of his who’d called his home and asked if the “doctor” was in. The professor’s 10-year-old answered the phone & replied, “Well, yes… but he’s not the kind that can do you any good.”

Today, we’re going to read about a group of men who had the titles. They were men of importance and prominence in Israel. They were like the PhDs who were called “doctor”… but they didn’t have TITLES that could do you any good.

In our text today Jesus tells his audience (in the Sermon on the Mt) that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

Now, that’s kind of an odd thing for Jesus to say, because Jesus really didn’t like the Pharisees all that much. There’s a famous passage from Matthew 23:27-28 where Jesus says “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but withinare full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So, you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
I mean, at one point in our passage it would seem that Jesus is praising the Pharisees, but then, in the passage in Matthew 23, He's condemning them as hypocrites and white-washed tombs. What's the deal?

Well - it helps to understand that the Pharisees were respectable religious leaders in Israel. The Pharisees were major teachers and leaders in the synagogues (which were kind of like the churches of our day). They were known for their high moral standards, and for their encyclopedic knowledge of the Scriptures.

Now, by contrast, there was another group of men called the Sadducees. The Sadducees were often the priests and leaders at the Temple; So, here we have the Pharisees, who essentially ran things the synagogues, and then you had the Sadducees who ran things at the Temple.
And these Sadducees - while they believed in God – they didn’t really believe in a God who could do anything. Sadducees didn’t believe in the miracles of Scripture, nor in the promise of resurrection of the dead.

That sort of set the Pharisees and the Sadducees at odds with each other... and the Pharisees were constantly standing up against the Sadducees who were widely known to be corrupt… and not really nice people!
And Jesus NEVER praised the Sadducees… but he did kind of praise the Pharisees.
Even when Jesus was slapping down the Pharisees in Matthew 23:2-3 He said that,

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat (in other words, they taught from the Bible) so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice." Matthew 23:2-3

That’s where we get the phrase:
“PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH”.

These Pharisees knew their Bibles but they didn't obey it. They could tell you the difference between right and wrong. But they didn’t practice what they preached.
They had the title of being religious people… but their title didn’t do them any good.
Someone has noted that the Pharisees would have made impressive church members.
They knew their Bible inside and out; they prayed at least 3 times a day; dressed in their Sunday best for worship; they took their morality seriously. But they were hard people to get along with.

A young Christian woman told of her experience dealing with Christians as she worked at Lowes. She stated that a lot of the folks who worked at Lowes absolutely hated to work on Sundays. It seems that the church folk who came and shopped there on Sundays after church were the most disrespectful, selfish, and insulting people she’d ever met.

In fact, I’ve been told that there’s a lot of waitresses who hate waiting on tables of church-goers, eating lunch after worship on Sundays, because of how demanding and ungrateful these people often are. In essence, they don't reflect well on the Jesus they say they serve.

Those people are the Pharisees of our culture. They are the religious people who wouldn’t miss church on a bet, and who have memorized Bible verses by the boatload – but they only care about themselves. They only care about what you can do for them, not for what they can do for you. And they stand in judgment of anybody who doesn't live up to their standards. And that’s just OUTSIDE the church building. On the inside of the church building… things can get even worse.

Jesus told the story about “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself:
‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:10-14

In our day, when people come to church, there are those amongst them that are like that Pharisee. They say "God I'm thankful I'm not like that person! I'm thankful I don't behave like they do! I'm grateful that I do more at church than they do!" And they go on and on and on about how much more righteous they are than that other person. They're kind of like the person who said: “No one’s saved but thee and me… and I’m not sure of thee.”

(PAUSE) Now, back in the days of Jesus the thing the Pharisees would do was that they set the bar of morality really high. They'd tell you what YOU needed to do. They might not do those things themselves, but they wanted to make sure YOU knew what was expected of you. They did that to impress people with how religious they were. They could play the game so that you'd think they were more righteous than they were.

But then Jesus came along and He set the bar of righteousness even higher than the Pharisees did. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus would quote something the Pharisees endorsed… and then Jesus would explain that that wasn’t quite enough for God.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ I mean… that’s right out of the Bible. The Pharisees would have taught that. In fact, they probably felt pretty good about themselves when Jesus said this because they’d never murdered anyone… But then Jesus upped the ante. It’s not enough not to murder anyone…

“I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:21-22

Then Jesus quoted the Bible again: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ It's right there in the 10 Commandments. And the Pharisees would smile and say “Yep… I've got that box checked – I’ve never committed adultery!" But then, again – Jesus said that wasn’t good enough – “I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
Ahhh man! Seriously? They believed they could look lustfully at a woman and God wouldn't mind. But God did mind.

Jesus was exposing their selfishness and shortcomings!

And I could go on and on and on "You've heard it said..." "But I say unto you..." telling them "let me tell you what God REALLY thinks about that. And he cut the Pharisees down, bit by bit until there was no righteousness they could claim for themselves.

The Pharisees had felt they all had their moral ducks in a row; and here was Jesus, just shooting down all their ducks. Their morality was never going to be good enough for God.

(Pause) AND THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT!
Jesus said “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” But the righteousness of the Pharisees fell short. God’s righteousness would always exceed that of even the most righteous Pharisee.

Romans 3:10 said “It is written: ‘none is righteous, no, not one.’”; Romans 3:23 said “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; and Romans 3:20 declared “No-one will be declared righteous in (God’s) sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

The point is – you can’t be righteous enough to earn your way into heaven. Even the most righteous Pharisee wasn’t gonna be good enough, because God’s bar of righteousness was just too high. Now, why would God do that? Why would God set that bar so high?

Well, the answer is: God set it that high because He was God.
God is the very portrait of what righteousness, and holiness and perfection would look like. And so He's telling us what He's expecting from us. We'll never really quite get "there" – I mean, even the Pharisees couldn't get there, so even the best of us is going to fail.

God was saying "this is where the bar is – you shoot for that bar!

Because it's important for me (God) to know you're at least trying to reach that bar."

By contrast, gods of the Greeks and Romans that were in the cultures around Israel – they weren’t very moral at all. Stories were told of how selfish and untrustworthy these gods were; there were stories about their partying and drunkenness; and how they could be jealous and vengeful.

In short, the pagan gods were a lot like the people who worshipped them, because these people who worshipped them had literally created their gods… in their own image.

Someone once speculated… that the pagans probably did this (created their gods as being selfish, etc.) so that they could make themselves feel better about their own shortcomings. If these gods could be immoral in how they behaved, then that would give their worshippers an excuse for any sins they might commit.

The pagans created their gods in their own image, but we didn't. We didn’t create our God in our image …
HE CREATED US IN HIS, and He set the standard of what was right and what was wrong.

And God DID set a high standard for us. God said “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16).

And at the end of the passage we read from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said -
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
But wait a minute - we just got done saying that God is way more righteous and holy and perfect than we’ll ever be. That's a high standard. Why set it so high! I mean - if God knows I can’t be moral like Him, why would he set the bar of morality so high?

Well… if God had set the bar low, all we’d have to do to be righteous would be to be more righteous than the person sitting next to us (don't go looking around at the person next to you) and, if I could compare myself with several other folks - that would give me bragging rights.

My morality would be impressive because I was better than most people I knew. And you'll hear people say that! "Well, yeah, I know I don't do what I ought to do, but at least I'm better than my neighbor or relative who claim to be Christians! You ought to see that church goers down the street."

They compare themselves with other people because by comparing themselves, they make themselves look better.

But that’s not the way things work with God. MY self-righteousness would never be impressive to God. That’s part of the reason the bar is so high – so we’d know we DON'T deserve heaven. I don't, and you don't.

When Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Ephesus, he spent the first part of his letter telling how much God loved them. But then he pointed out– that BEFORE they became Christians – they were “dead in their sins” and they “were, by nature, children of wrath” before they came to Christ.
Then he wrote: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works (your righteous deeds), so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:4-9

I can’t boast about my personal righteousness, because I was saved from sin when I was still dead in my trespasses. God gave me the gift of his grace when I did not deserve it.
I didn’t deserve His grace/forgiveness, but He gave it anyway because He loved me (and you).

CLOSING: Now, it just so happens that there’s a story in the Bible about a prominent Pharisee who was as impressive as any man could be. If you ever thought you had a reason to be confident – that your works would impress God – this man had a far better pedigree than you (or I) would ever have.

He was “circumcised on the eighth day,
of the people of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrews;
as to the law, a Pharisee;
as to zeal, a persecutor of the church;
as to righteousness under the law,
blameless.” Philippians 3:4-6

HE WAS BLAMELESS!!!
If anybody had a right to get to heaven… he did! But then, he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was never the same. We know that this Pharisee as a man named Paul. He was a man who wrote nearly ½ Of our New Testament; A man who planted numerous churches across Asia in places like Corinth, Ephesus and Philippi;
He was a man who most of us would like to be like.

And yet he wrote:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners,
Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” I Timothy 1:15-16

The BEST of the Pharisees realized he was the WORST of sinners! And as he was baptized into Christ he was told “Rise and be baptized and WASH AWAY YOUR SINS, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16)
Reflecting on that decision to turn his life over to Jesus, Paul wrote: “I count everything as loss (all of his righteousness/all his accomplishments) because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

INVITATION

View Details

1st Corinthians 1:21-24

INTRO: Good morning church. Every year many people celebrate an event they call the Holy Week and Easter. The focus of this event is on the last days of Jesus on earth and culminates with Easter Sunday, the cross and the resurrection. To some it is an obligation from the religious community to which they belong. They go to church because they feel they have to put in an appearance, but most of the rest of the year they do not show up.

When we began this series we talked about “the scandal of the cross”. In the religious world the reality of the cross is not often preached. I wonder if by going to an assembly on Easter some of these people are put off from looking deeper into the cross. A Baptist preacher once said: “Bluntly stated, the cross is bloody, it's an offensive message and it's a shameful death in the ears of the world”.

Death is a topic most people like to distance themselves from. The preacher continued; “the word of the cross is foolishness. In other words, it's nonsense, pointless, idiotic, and mindless. That is what the cross is to the natural man”. Perhaps that is why most of the year in many churches you do not hear the cross preached.

I. FOOLISHNESS.

A. That preacher said “the word of the cross is foolishness”. What is foolishness? What is a fool? What is it to be foolish? The synonyms in the dictionary give us some hints. These include: simpleton, dolt, dunce, blockhead, numskull, ignoramus, dunderhead, ninny, nincompoop, saphead, sap. 2. Zany, clown. 5. Moron, imbecile, idiot. 6. To delude, hoodwink, cheat, gull, hoax, cozen, dupe.

1. Turn with me in your bibles to 1st Corinthians 3:18 – “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.” Interesting, I thought that foolishness was the opposite of being wise. Doesn’t Proverbs 1:7 say in part: “Fools despise wisdom”? Yet, here Paul says something that sounds different, “let him become foolish that he may become wise.”
2. Let’s look at 1st Corinthians 1:18 – “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Are not those that are lost… perishing… the ones in need of this message? Why then is it foolishness to them?

B. Consider what some people think about preaching the cross.

1. They say; someone dying on a cross almost two thousand years ago has no relevance today. They are not interested, and they don’t even want to discuss it. Besides, - they might tell you, - there have been many good men who have died for good causes down through the years. Surprisingly this is also the attitude of some in the religious world.
2. A Dean of St. Albans Cathedral, Jeffrey John, said on BBC radio that the crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of the world is: “pretty repulsive as well as nonsensical [i.e. foolish] … What sort of God was this, getting so angry with the world and the people He created and then, to calm Himself down, demanding the blood of His own son? ... Anyway, why should God forgive us through punishing somebody else? It was worse than illogical, it was insane. It made God sound like a psychopath. If any human being behaved like this, we would say they were a monster.”
3. Dr. John Dominic Crossan, former co-chairman of the theologically liberal Jesus Seminar, made a similar comment in October 2000 when he said he finds it "an obscenity" that God had somebody else suffer for our sins and that sacrificing His own son was "a sort of transcendental child abuse."
4. Yes, for the unsaved and the unrepentant … the preaching of the cross is foolishness.

II. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US?

A. Paul says in 1st Corinthians 9:16 – “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”

1. Paul knew how unacceptable his preaching would be … but still, he preached the cross.
2. He knew the words he was saying were completely contrary to the spirit of the age. He came to them in fear and trembling. His message was alien to them. Many had never heard of Jesus, and they had no interest in hearing about Him. “Why tell us Greeks and Romans about a Jew whose end was crucifixion? He is nothing to us. We have our own gods and our own religions, we don’t need another!”
3. Paul wasn’t telling them “nice‟ stories, with fanciful lyrics and ear-tickling daintiness. He preached to them nothing else and nothing less than the Son of God who died on the cross to save sinners.
4. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know anything else, because he did. He was a clever and intelligent man who had been taught the deep things of his Jewish faith from a master, the Pharisee Gamaliel. He had an advanced education. … Yet, when the Lord saved him, he did not hesitate to become a fool for Christ.
5. Paul was not an uneducated man. We read in 1st Corinthians 2:1-5 – “1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5. that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

B. That brings me to our text for this morning. Read with me 1st Corinthians 1:21-24 where Paul tells us – “21. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23. but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24. but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

1. When the apostle Paul referred to the “the foolishness of preaching”, he acknowledged that there were many who considered the message of the cross just plain foolishness.
2. I am not certain just what was happening among the Christians in Corinth, but we know they lived in a city dominated by Greek thinking and wisdom. We also know that the church there was one of divided loyalties.
3. There was some pressing need for the apostle to emphasize the cross of Christ. While the resurrection was central to the apostle’s preaching, we cannot escape the fact that the cross was always in his mind and teaching.
4. I would like us to think for a few minutes of some things in the context of the verses we have just read.

III. THE CONTEXT

A. The cross was to the Jews a stumbling block - 1:23a. Why?

1. In spite of scripture to the contrary they expected a militant Messiah. They cried “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!” when He went into Jerusalem. (John 12:13)
2. We read the Jews sought a “sign” - Let’s look at Matthew 12:38-40 – “38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.'' 39. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

B. We read that the cross was to the Greeks foolishness - 1:23b Why?

1. Theirs was the world of the great Greek philosophers.
2. Secular wisdom is what was highly valued among them.
3. The idea of a savior executed by crucifixion made no sense to them, just as it makes no sense to some today.

C. Preaching the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing– as we read in 1st Corinthians 1:18a. Why was that?

1. To the Jews and Greeks of Paul’s time, they just could not get past their prejudices. In fact, Paul, then called Saul, was among those. He wasn’t interested in Christ. Jesus held no appeal whatsoever for him. In fact, more than any other name, he despised and rejected the Name of Jesus. Yes… he understood those to whom he was preaching because he was once as they were.
2. The Jews and Greeks had a lot of trouble accepting the idea of a crucified Savior. As in our day, so it was in Paul’s day … Speak to them about anything else, virtually, and they will listen to you, at least for a short while … but speak to them about Christ, and immediately the “shutters come down”. Every type of religion is given a platform, but if you preach the Gospel, you meet with aversion and opposition.
3. Look with me at 2nd Corinthians 4:3-5 – “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world (referring to Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.”[KJV] There is a personal choice involved and Satan is right there to blind those who will not believe. ... Failing to accept the benefits of Jesus’ atoning death is true foolishness.

D. Worldly wisdom leads to unbelief in 1st Corinthians 1:21 – “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, …”[NKJV]

1. Worldly wisdom puts its trust in what man can do and provide. Many attend church to be entertained, to be made to “feel good”.
2. Worldly wisdom does not believe in what it cannot see - or in that which does not seem logical or rational.
3. We need to remember Romans 1:20 – “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” - unbelief is inexcusable!

E. In 1st Corinthians again, look with me at 1st Corinthians 1:26 – “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”[ESV] The wise, the powerful and the noble of the world are rarely among the called.

1. It is a sad, true fact confirmed in human experience, yet it is not to say that none of the wise and mighty are called for we find there was Dionysius at Athens (Acts 17:34); Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Crete (Acts 13:6-12); the noble ladies at Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:4,12); and Erastus, the city treasurer (Roman 16:23).
2. When we are called we are called by the gospel 2nd Thessalonians 2:14 – “to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”[NKJV] Paul writes that God called them by the gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are the central facts of the gospel.
3. Are perhaps, those who reject the gospel simply “above” such needs as those the cross supplies? I’m thinking of the sermons on Solomon’s porch.

F. In 1st Corinthians 1:18b we read: - “… but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In v.24 “but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” The preaching of the cross is the power of God to the saved.

1. The word translated as “preaching” is from the Greek word which means “to proclaim or to publish”.
2. We may tend to forget in this world which emphasizes entertainment, that it is the message and not the messenger or their eloquence which is God’s power.
3. Human wisdom is very dismissive of God’s truth for so, so many reasons - but the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) can accept His truth and act upon it.

G. The idea of the cross is rejected by human wisdom. This morning I mentioned some religious leaders that were talking negatively about the idea of the cross. In 1st Corinthians read with me 1st Corinthians 1:25-28 – “25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28. and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,” That cross, that thing of disgrace, is a challenge to human wisdom. “that old rugged cross, so despised by the world”.

1. I would suggest that the whole idea of the word of the cross is to bring one to faith. God explains something to us in Isaiah 55:8-9 – “8. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,'' says the Lord. 9. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
2. Think about baptism – it is so rejected by the wisdom of the world. I know of those who profess belief up until the act of baptism, and then they say they cannot see the point!
3. Human wisdom would design something much more elaborate, more “meaningful” or logical ... but faith simply acts in obedience to the word.

IV. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREACHING THE CROSS.

A. The world looks at us as fools, - and even in some church circles there are those who look at us as fools because… we hold to the Gospel and we continue to preach it. It is foolishness to them … but it is the message God gives His children to proclaim the way He has set before us. Yes, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but it is a message the Christ-rejecting world cannot afford—not to hear, and consider …

1. What is said in v. 21 is in part … “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
2. There is only one means of entrance into Heaven and it is on the basis of what Christ did on the cross. There is no other way of salvation, only God’s way which He purposed, and has completed, through His Son.
3. Therefore, each time we present the Gospel there is always, - a response. God’s Word is met with either acceptance or rejection. Either the Christ of the Gospel is accepted, or He is rejected; there is no “in-between”, there is no half-way decision.

B. How does the foolishness of preaching the cross become effective in the salvation of souls? If I was to stand and preach the Gospel with tears running down my face, would that convince someone to be saved? If I was with them in a room for hours and we spoke about nothing but their need to come to Christ, would that be effective? Is it about the methods we use, - how up-to-date, or how old-fashioned? No, we are clearly told not to attempt to use the worldly wisdom of words.

1. Here is how the preaching of the Gospel becomes effective … “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” The salvation of lost souls is the consequence of God’s pleasure to offer salvation, - in other words, His will. The means by which His will in the salvation of souls becomes effective is through the foolishness of preaching the Word of God.
2. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached Christ. He spoke to the crowds about their need for salvation. Following Pentecost, what were the apostles doing? … “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42).

V. WHAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE?

A. Search the Scriptures and you will find preaching is God’s way of telling lost sinners they need to be saved. Ah, some say, we’re not in the first century anymore! … Yes, I know we are not, but what we need to realize is God has never instructed us to replace preaching. … Preaching has always been the method He has used to proclaim the Gospel.

1. It is not the plans, programs, or the latest techniques of men that capture the soul for Christ … It is the Holy Spirit Who draws the sinner to salvation through the preaching of the Word of God!
2. Advance another method, and you’re attempting to take away from God and apply man’s wisdom!
3. Lost souls can only be saved when God’s word is sown in their hearts, and then He brings it to fruition.
4. This is the Gospel He sets in your heart, and this is the Gospel with which He saves you. Through the preaching of His Word, we learned we were sinners in need of a Savior. We were led to that place where we would believe and accept that message. True salvation has no other source than God. It will never be attractive or appealing until through His word, He opens our blinded eyes to see it. It will never make sense until through His word He gives us understanding. It will only be “foolishness” and a “stumbling-block”.

B. What kind of people does God call to preach the foolishness of the Gospel? He calls those who are committed to it, and convinced of it ... the kind who know it is real themselves. It is not just the person that stands up here, it is all of us. It has nothing to do with titles, or degrees, or anything else... It has all to do with knowing Christ, and desiring to make Him known.

1. Christ, and all He represents, is the true wisdom of God – 1st Corinthians 1:30 – “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption ”
2. Because of the wisdom of God, we, (“the called”), are in Christ.
3. Christ and the cross are set in contrast to the wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world crucified Jesus – but because of Jesus the called are seen by God as righteous, sanctified and redeemed!

C. Yes, we glory in the Lord! I would call to your mind Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

1. So many in our present world would dismiss Christ and scripture.
2. The world argues today for a secular society with no mention of God ... much less the cross. “The cross of Christ crucifies Christians to the world, by inspiring them with such principles and leading them to a course of life which renders them in the eyes of the world as contemptible, and as unfit for their purposes as if they were crucified and dead." (MacKnight)
3. But we are of the called ... and we will preach Christ and Him crucified ... and we will find our joy in the blessing of the cross.
4. It is the only message we are told to preach. From the moment of our conversion until the moment the Lord calls us home or comes for us – it is our responsibility to make the Name of Christ known as the only Savior.

CONCLUSION:
Of course, not every believer is called to stand before a group or teach a class … but every believer is called to make the Name of Jesus known. Some of us are tillers of the soil. We, by our actions or our words, help prepare the ground for the gospel to take root. Like those early New England farmers we find rocks in peoples lives that can hinder the seed taking root. By our actions and our words we can help to remove those rocks. Sometimes it is only one rock at a time, perhaps by a kind word or deed. Sometimes by finding a rock that is a misunderstanding and doing a little teaching. In the end, stone by stone, the ground is cleared and the seed finds a place to grow.

You don’t need to stand at the podium to preach a sermon. You can preach a sermon in your own home or in your work-place. The words you say, the attitude with which you say them, the opportunities you take … your friends may look at you and think you are “strange” … They might not understand or be able to make sense of what you are saying …

But you don’t have to use fancy words and try to impress them … simply believe and trust in what God’s Word says in, 1st Corinthians 1:17f – “… preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” … 21. “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” …

God has blessed us with many things; that includes the ability to choose. He has also blessed us with the ability to learn, given us His word and this wonderful universe to learn from. With the abilities to choose and learn, we also have the ability to change our minds as we learn. We see this all the time as we study the natural world and learn more. If one never hears the word their choices will be limited. Preaching the cross, be it with our words, our actions, our lives, is our joy and this foolishness ... the wisdom of God.
Folks, if you are here this morning and subject to the gospel invitation we invite you to come and let us know your need. For those who need to be baptized into Christ we would like to assist you in that need. If your need is prayers of your brothers and sisters we are ready to pray with you. However we can help you, we encourage you to come while we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Acts 5:42

INTRO: Good morning church. We continue our look at the cross today with Acts 5:42 – “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” This tells us that the apostles preached Jesus "daily in the temple, and in every house". Last time we read of the healing of the lame man at the Gate called Beautiful at the temple. Peter has declared this healing was done by the power of Jesus, “whom you crucified”. The Sadducees were incensed at this! But Acts 4:14 tells us – “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”

We do not find that the council gave any reason why the doctrine of Christ must be suppressed. They could not say that it was either false or dangerous, or of any evil tendency; and they were ashamed to own the true reason… that it testified against their hypocrisy, wickedness and tyranny. What the Sanhedrin did not do is of great significance. They had denied the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a fact Peter had boldly affirmed in their presence, but they could not deny the healing of the lame man.

They conferred among themselves determined to oppose the teaching of the apostles. The best thing they could think of, at the moment, was to threaten them. Therefore they "commanded” the apostles “..not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (Acts 4:18).

The early days of preaching and teaching in Jerusalem must have been exciting. The word "multitude" was used to describe the number of the disciples. Can you imagine a time when hundreds of people were responding to gospel preaching in a desire to be baptized into Christ? It was a time of great generosity as people shared their material blessings with those who had little or nothing. It was a time when miracles of healing were very evident. All of this, however, did not go unnoticed by the high priest and his henchmen! So...

I. THE "ADDING" OF DISCIPLES CONTINUED DRAMATICALLY

A. Teaching continued on Solomon’s porch and Acts 5:14 tells us – “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,”.

1. Remembering Acts 2:41 – “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” these are people being baptized!
2. We also remember Acts 2:47 – “… And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” these are saved people being added!

B. The apostles have been warned, commanded, not to speak in the name of Jesus and then let go. What happened? Let’s read in Acts 4:23-31 – “23. And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25. "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: `Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? 26. the kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.' 27. "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28. "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29. "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30. "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.''”

1. Notice this next verse, Acts 4:31 – “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” God gave this visible sign that His promise of miraculous power to the Twelve would continue to be honored. The place was shaken.
2. They had prayed to be granted that “Your servants with all boldness may speak Your word,” Then in v. 31 we are told “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” This was not a repetition of the wonder at Pentecost, but a continuation in the apostles of that power "from on high" which had been promised, and the result was their speaking the word with boldness.
3. We know they spoke of the crucifixion and we read in Acts 4:27-28 – “"For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”
4. They also spoke powerfully of the resurrection - Acts 4:33 – “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”

II. BUT HOSTILITY TO THEIR PREACHING WAS VERY REAL

A. I recall when Paul was giving his defense to King Agrippa what he said about Christ...

1. Acts 26:26 – “For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.” Done in a corner? In a manner of speaking it was done in a little corner of the universe known as the Planet Earth; but it was not unnoticed. As some of the Sadducees and Pharisees were able to see while He was among them: “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "… Look, the world has gone after Him!”” John 12:19.
2. The preaching of the apostles was not done in a corner hidden from view either. They were in Solomon's porch - they could hardly be missed!

B. Let’s move on to Acts chapter 5. Acts 5:12 – “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch.” They had prayed in Acts 4:29-30 – “grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.''”

1. We read “…through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done…”
2. Their power and authority were vastly strengthened; and the forward thrust of Christianity was greatly augmented.
3. Acts 5:14-16 – “14. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15. so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

a. The scripture does not tell us that any of the people upon whom Peter's shadow fell were healed. However, this does emphasize the overwhelming popularity they were experiencing.
b. Luke testified, particularly at the close of Acts 5:16 that Peter performed many miracles of healing, but he does not describe the mode.

C. Done in a corner? Oh no! The results were predictable. Acts 5:17-18 – “Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.” Ah, the Sadducees again

1. Preaching of Jesus' resurrection was grossly objectionable to them. It was a repudiation of their system; and therefore they seized the apostles.
2. That teaching would undermine the Sadducees credibility. Their solution? Jail them!

D. But God had other plans for them. Acts 5:19-20 – “But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.''”

1. This deliverance from the prison was certainly an exceptional thing. This is another of the supernatural wonders that attended the inception of Christianity.
2. I notice though that the reason had nothing to do with the injustice, the personal discomforts, and such things - it was all about teaching "the words of this life". This means all the words relative to eternal life in Jesus Christ. A similar meaning to what we see in John 6:68, where Peter's words to Jesus are recorded, "you have the words of eternal life."

E. What did the apostles do? We continue in Acts 5:21-28 – “21. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, 23. saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!'' 24. Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. 25. Then one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!'' 26. Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 27. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council…” Let’s stop there for a moment.

1. The first thing we see is they did EXACTLY as they were told by the angel. They went to the temple and taught. The command to go straight back and preach in the Temple sounds to a prudent mind almost incredible. To obey that command seems like an act of reckless audacity. Yet, they went.
2. It is clear now that the purpose of the angelic rescue of the apostles from prison was not connected with their personal safety; for the angel's directive put them right back in a position that was vulnerable to the persecution of the priests. We conclude then, that the purpose of their release was the continuation of their preaching the word of God to the people.
3. None of the miracles done by the apostles, through them, or upon their behalf should be viewed as anything other than God working with them for the preaching of the gospel.
4. Sign after sign was given to these hard-hearted leaders of Israel, but they remained stubborn. Under the circumstances, they could not have failed to know that God was with the apostles of Christ, but they were determined to carry forward their opposition in the face of all this.
5. It seems to have been utterly beyond their comprehension that God would remove their whole nation rather than allow them to block the world-wide proclamation of the faith in Christ.

III. THE HIGH PRIEST'S CHARGE

A. Acts 5:27b-28 – “…And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!''”
B. The high priest said three very distinct things here.

1. First, he reminded them they had been forbidden to teach in Jesus' name. It seems incredible to me, the hatred which the Jewish religious hierarchy had for the blessed name of Jesus, which name they simply would not say under any circumstances, saying "this name," as is said here instead, and always referring to Him as "this man" or "that man."
2. Second, he accused them of filling Jerusalem with their doctrine. I suppose we should not be surprised at that. These religious leaders had been replacing God’s word with their own “doctrine” for generations.
3. Third, he accused them of trying to lay the blame for Jesus' death on them.

a. They remembered well the crucifixion ... they had initiated it.
b. Guilty people often want to shift blame to others - guilt is not fun. Thomas Scott wrote in his commentary; “See how those who with presumption will do an evil thing, yet cannot bear to hear of it afterward, or to have it charged upon them. They could cry daringly enough, ‘His blood be on us’; but now they take it as a heinous affront to have Christ's blood laid upon them.”

C. The "words of this life" referred to by the angel, challenged their tradition and status quo.

1. Arrogance and prejudice are enemies of truth and are the children of pride.
2. If there is any challenge to arrogance, or prejudice… it is unwanted, and unpopular!
3. This high priest and his crew were well entrenched in position and power - leaving no room for any admission of error – no room for change – and no room for growth.

IV. THE APOSTLES' RESPONSE TO THE HIGH PRIEST

A. They first acknowledged loyalty to God - Acts 5:29 – “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.”

1. It is true, human authority had commanded them to stop preaching. There was no device by which the powerful priestly enemies of the Lord could intimidate the witnesses of His resurrection.
2. When faced with this choice - God, or men – the only choice is God. They were bluntly told by the apostles that they were subject to God's orders, rather than to the Sanhedrin's prejudice. A new age had dawned, and the religious leaders could not prevent it.
3. The apostles’ response is a truth for you and me as well.

B. They proclaimed the cross of Christ - Acts 5:30 – “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.”

1. They make clear that Jesus was sent by God - thus, He is the Messiah.
2. The apostles are unafraid of identifying them as guilty of crucifying Jesus.
3. When we read and study the book of Acts, we see the crucifixion mentioned in various ways - but always as central to the proclamation of the word of God.

C. They proclaimed the resurrection by reference to exaltation - Acts 5:31 – “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

1. The “One” that the Jewish rulers had declared unworthy, God declared to be Prince & Savior. It is implied that repentance as well as remission of sins is a gift; however to give repentance does not mean to bestow it without the exercise of our own will; for repentance itself is an act of our will.
2. The great need of Israel? Repentance. This statement that Israel needed to repent was totally unacceptable to the Sanhedrin. That they, the religious leaders of the people, needed to repent was preposterous in their eyes. As Walker said: “They were as much incensed as a body of bishops would be today, if the same charge should be made against them. They had absolute confidence that their descent from Abraham guaranteed them complete possession of every promise of the Old Testament.
3. Pride and arrogance led them to prejudice, the “us vs. them” mentality which still divides the people of the world into the imagined “good guys vs bad guys”, friends versus foes. The “us” group consists of people who agree with our beliefs, share our worldview, and hold to our same prejudices and preferences. In the “them” are those who disagree with us or hold a different ideology. There are many dangers in having an “us vs. them” mentality as a Christian, the uppermost being that it is contrary to the heart of God our Father.
4. Last week we saw that the great possibility because of the cross, was forgiveness, the blotting out of our sins. Something not possible under the Law of Moses and something the religious leaders should have embraced. Instead they rejected the Just One.

D. This is not a retelling of a tale heard from others, for the apostles proclaim in Acts 5:32 – "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” ... "we are his witnesses of these things"

1. The high priest and Jewish leaders could deny, complain, and do bodily harm, but there was no way they could bury the truth of Jesus.
2. Their predictable response? Acts 5:33 – “When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.”[KJV] ... their answer for any opposition seemed to be "kill it"!

a. This sermon was essentially the same as the one delivered on Pentecost; but the results produced by the declaration of the gospel were different. On Pentecost the people were pricked in the heart, they believed and many repented. Here the priests were infuriated and filled with murderous intent.
b. The difference being the ground on which these words fell. Paul affirmed this in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16. It saves some, destroys others, yet it is not the gospel, but people's response to it. There is an old saying "It is the set of the sail, and not the gale, that determines the way we go."

1. The word "Obey," is used here, indicating that "a lifelong obedience to God" was a continuing condition to be fulfilled by those desiring to enjoy the continued gift of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 4:6-7 we read – “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!'' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” [NKJV] Here is declared that the Holy Spirit is given to men, not to make them sons, but as a consequence of their already being sons. The popular notion to the effect that God sends the Holy Spirit with the purpose of making men desire to serve Him is totally wrong.

CONCLUSION: In the past few weeks we have seen three sermons given by the apostles.
The first sermon was on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection when Peter preached the gospel, convicting those listening of their guilt and confirming the risen Christ. Peter told them the answer to sin, of what Jesus had done for all of us, and how to accept God’s grace that was offered. Three thousand obeyed.

The second sermon of the apostles was on Solomon’s porch at the temple following the astounding miracle of the healing of the man born lame. Peter preached the cross and the resurrection to the people gathered there. The religious leaders showed up and detained the apostles. We saw the defense Peter gave, convicting those same leaders and we are told five thousand people believed.

In this third sermon the apostles are again teaching on Solomon’s porch. It was a time of great teaching and healing and people flocked to the apostles even from the surrounding cities. For some physical healing of course, but for those who believed the healing of their souls. Peter again preaches the gospel message, the religious leaders interfere and put the apostles in common prison. God sends a messenger to release the apostles and confirms they are to continue the work.

Each one who hears the gospel message is at some point going to give an answer. Even ignoring the message is an answer. What is your answer to gospel truth? To the cross? Jesus' crucifixion is not isolated in history, it happened - and it happened for you and me.

Preaching the cross does not always make sense to the prideful and arrogant people, who have become stubborn and prejudiced. My hope and prayer are that the preaching of the cross of Jesus will affect each of us and make of us better people. . Like the high priest, we make the choice - he chose badly - will you?

We are about to sing the invitation song. God’s invitation to “come” is always open.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Acts 3:1-15

INTRO: Good morning church. Last week we looked at Acts chapter 2 and the first sermon that was preached after the resurrection. Today we are going to read a portion of text which describes what happened because of an incident which occurred in the temple. Christians for a time after Pentecost continued to frequent the temple, especially at the hours of prayer, not merely for the purpose of praying, but also, it may be supposed, for the opportunities afforded by such occasions for preaching Christ to the people. In time though, God would remove the temple; and the separation from Judaism would become complete.

Let’s read Acts 3:1-11 – “1. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3. who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us.'' 5. So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'' 7. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God. 9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.”

The scripture continues in Acts 3:12-15 – “12. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13. "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14. "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15. "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” Then in Acts 4:4 we read – “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

I would like to have seen the temple in Jerusalem of that time. From an architectural point of view it must have been a splendid place. Solomon’s porch was a very large covered area on the east side of the temple and was the place the teachers and rabbis would be found teaching. For a while it was a gathering place for Christians. The incident surrounding our text for this study began there. We may read Acts chapters 3 and 4 not thinking of what is going on there as preaching, such as we understand it today, but we need to realize that there was powerful preaching being done in Solomon’s porch. As a result of this powerful preaching 5000 men came to believe, and I assume to obedience to the gospel. This morning I want to talk about the preaching that occurred where we might not expect it, in the very midst of the temple area. Let’s begin by thinking of the incident before us.

I. THE INCIDENT AT THE TEMPLE

A. Remember that the disciples have not yet become unwelcome at the temple.

1. Peter and John are going into the temple for what is called the hour of prayer which was 3 in the afternoon and the time of the burning of incense.
2. Remember that the temple and synagogues were places the apostles often went to preach Christ – at least as long as they were welcome.

B. What do we know about this lame man in the text?

1. We know he was a man who was born lame. We know that carried daily to this Beautiful Gate, as it is called in the scripture, and he was laid there to beg for alms.
2. On this occasion Peter and John are coming into the temple area going from the court of the women into the court of the men and they are passing through the Beautiful Gate. It is there that this man sees them and asks them in v. 3, “for alms”. What were the “alms” which Peter and John gave him? We are told he expected to receive something of them, but he did not expect to get what he ultimately received. Something that was much more valuable then silver and gold! Here we are told is a man who has never walked and now he can! Still there is more.

C. What else happened?

1. Look at Acts 3:8 – “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God.” Remember that this man had been laid at this gate daily. He was familiar to the worshipers in Jerusalem. Here he is walking ….leaping…praising God…amidst the crowds of people who are in the temple area at three in the afternoon. The people there recognize this man and know it is he whom they have seen laid at the gate for years. We continue to read now in -
2. Acts 3:9-11 – “And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.”
3. Can you imagine this scene? I have no idea of how many people were there but we are told a little later on that 5000 believed so there must have been a throng of people.

II. AN OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH THE CROSS OF CHRIST!

A. Look at Acts 3:12 – “So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Peter and John took no personal credit for this miracle. Peter then goes on to explain that it was by the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that it was done.

1. I recall that in Acts 2:43 – “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” What we have in Acts chapter 3 is just one incident of what is described so briefly in Acts chapter 2 about the wonders and signs the apostles did.
2. Perhaps we should also look at Hebrews 2:3-4 – “3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,” . Think about this. What has happened in the temple? A great and notable miracle has occurred. Next in v. 4 “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
3. What is the power by which Peter and John are able to effect the healing of this man? Not by their own power, but by the power of God… bearing witness to what they are preaching and teaching.

B. As we look at the next verses, Acts 3:13-15, notice how Peter “convicted” the hearers.

1. The first thing he says to them is this; God had glorified this Jesus – this Jesus, whom he goes on to say, you have killed. God glorified Jesus. Remember what we read of Jesus’ prayer in John 17:4-5 – “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
2. Ok, now back to Acts 2:33 – “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” And in verse 36 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Peter begins his process of convicting the hearers by telling them outright God glorified Jesus. BUT;
3. You have delivered up Jesus and denied Him before Pilate when Pilate was willing to release him! That’s not all. You have denied the Holy and Just and you insisted on the release of a murderer!
4. You have killed the Prince of life – folks, think about this. It has just been a short time since Jesus was crucified. The event of the cross is only a little while before the events of Acts 2. These people to whom Peter and John are speaking know very well about those events.

C. Peter and John did not stop there. The cross was not the end ... only the beginning. Look at the last part of Acts 3:15 – “… whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”

1. You killed him, God raised him.
2. Then they add, … we have seen the risen Christ.

III. THE HOPE BECAUSE OF THE CROSS. The sermon continues.

A. Peter goes on and preaches about the hope we have because of the cross. The blotting out of sins is now possible, Acts 3:19 – “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”. We now have the hope of the blotting out, the remission of sins.

1. In that connection I’d like for us to recall Hebrews 8:10-13 – “10. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,'' says the Lord, "I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11. "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” AND “12. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.'' 13. In that He says, "A new covenant,'' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
2. That which was not possible under the covenant of Moses can now be preached! Sins can now be blotted out! “Sins and iniquities will I remember no more”!
3. What are the terms of this wonderful blessing of hope we now have? Peter and John explain it. First “repent” - simple definition: change of mind leading to change of life and direction.
4. Then “be converted” and the word in the original means to “turn about” - here is the turning toward God which is accomplished by the change of mind. This turning toward God begins apparently in the obedience of baptism (note the parallel passage in Acts 2:38 – “… Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;…” Peter is talking about the blotting out of sins, how does it occur? When we repent and are converted, when we repent and are baptized. That is where it all begins. That is the great hope we have because of the preaching of the cross. The forgiveness of sins! That is not all….

B. We have the anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 3:20-21 – “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” The Lord is coming again, to receive His own to Himself.

1. In Acts 2:38 Peter had promised that remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit would follow their obeying the gospel. Here is assigned another consequence, namely, that (God) may send the Christ, etc. Christ had already come and completed the work of His First Advent, making this a reference to the Second Coming.
2. I don’t know how many of us might think about this, but a little while ago we ate the unleavened bread, we drank the fruit of the vine as the Lord had instituted in the book of Matthew. One of the things we do as we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine is to declare the death of Jesus Christ till He come again. 1 Corinthians 11:26 – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.”
3. As often as we eat the bread and drink the cup, what are we doing? We are remembering the cross, we are remembering the death of Christ, and we are remembering the body and the blood given in our stead. That is true. Inspiration has the apostle Paul remind us something else... We show forth the death of Christ till He comes again.
4. This is the wonderful news of the preaching of the cross. Not only the blotting out of our sins, but the Lord is going to come again and receive us to Himself! We will get to spend the vastness of eternity in the presence of the Lord who loved us, died for us, and was raised by the power of God! What wonderful good news we have!
5. This all unfolds even more in - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 – “13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
6. Everything is moving along clearly at this point in Acts… until the priests get wind of what is occurring at Solomon’s porch.

IV. THEY WANTED JESUS DEAD!

A. Acts 4:1-4 – “1. Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2. being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.” Note verse 4… “ 4. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.” – What was the offense? preaching the resurrection

1. We learned in previous lessons that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection. We learned of the two groups, Pharisee and Sadducee. Though the Pharisees were the larger of the two groups, the Sadducees were the more powerful. Often the chief priest and the high priest were Sadducees.
2. When Christ was crucified, and remember the chief priest (a Sadducee) was instrumental in that action, they thought the “nonsense” of Jesus was ended. But even a guard could not keep from happening what happened on that first Lord’s Day following His crucifixion. The stone was rolled away and Jesus, by the power of God, was raised from the dead to live again. The Sadducees were not happy.
3. The apostles could not preach the cross without preaching the resurrection. Then on this particular occasion such an amazing thing occurred. 5000 men believed! Why men? This was a part of the temple where the women were not permitted.

B. How did Peter and John defend themselves? Acts 4:7-10 – “7. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?'' 8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9. "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to the helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10. "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.”– The defense? It is healing by the power of Jesus.

1. Notice how Peter identifies that the healing, the miracle, was by the name of Jesus Christ.
2. Once again Peter adds, “whom you crucified” - the cross again. But the cross was not the end and Peter goes on ... “whom God raised from the dead”
3. It is by the name of this man, whom God has raised from the dead, that this once lame man stands before you whole. The risen Christ is their worst “nightmare” because it directly contradicts their belief. Peter concludes Acts 4:11-12 – “This is the `stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
4. In his conclusion Peter quotes from Psalm 118:22 – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”. – The significance of that passage is those words were well-known to Jewish people.
5. Notice also that he says, “...which was rejected by you builders...”. Peter does not give them any space at all but leaves them accused. You have cast aside the stone that has become the head of the corner. You have rejected the only name by where men must be saved.
6. Peter concludes by affirming that salvation is only possible through Jesus.

C. I wonder how many people there are who will hear this message of Peter and still reject the preaching of the cross. Reject all that it means and seal their eternal fate? Rejecting as those people did on that day. You can not preach the cross without preaching the resurrection.

CONCLUSION: What began that day as a simple trip to the temple at the hour of prayer… concluded in a wonderful exhibition of the power of God and His word. Matthew Henry wrote of this sermon; “The scope of the sermon which was preached here was to bring people to Christ, to repent of their sin in crucifying Him (Acts 3:12-19), to believe in Him now that He was glorified, and to comply with the Father's design in glorifying Him, (Acts 3:20-26). The former part of the discourse opens the wound, the latter applies the remedy.”
We must not forget, however, in considering this miracle that it provided an opportunity to preach the cross of Christ! We can say today, there is power in the blood! The blood that was shed at Calvary, the blood that was shed for you and me, the blood which cleanses away our sins. Believing and penitent people in the first century, confessing the name of Jesus Christ were buried with Christ in baptism to receive newness of life because of the cross. Yes, there is power in that great sacrifice, and in baptism we are immersed into the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, and receive the benefits of the cross, the cleansing, the blotting out of our sins. There is power in the blood.
We are about to be led in the invitation song. For those here today who need to respond in a public way as we sing this song, we want you to know that you are welcome to do so. If we can help you, if we can assist you in any way, we want to do that. If you need to come, come now while we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Acts 2:22-24

INTRO: Good morning church! As we drew to a close last week we read in Matthew 28:19-20 that Jesus gave the apostles instructions to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.''” Then in Mark 16:20 we were told, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”

We said this period of time was not the end but the end of the beginning. Let’s turn to the book of Acts where we find the writer describes an earlier report he wrote to someone named Theophilus. Acts 1:1-3 – “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

In v. 8 Jesus tells them that they were to be “witnesses to me” to the “end of the earth”. With those thoughts in mind we are not surprised by the events in Acts chapter 2. There are for example the coming of the Holy Spirit (as Jesus had foretold), the speaking in languages not learned, and a reference to a well-known prophecy from the book of Joel. There was also the “first” sermon preached in keeping with the marching orders of the Lord. It was the first occasion recorded of the preaching of the cross by someone other than the Lord Himself. We begin this morning on a day called Pentecost in Acts 2.

I. THE DAY OF PENTECOST

A. This was the first day of the week and we read in - Acts 2:1 – “Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

1. The day of Pentecost was determined by seven Sabbaths (weeks) plus one day ... thus, it was the day we call Sunday. Seven Sabbaths from the Passover Sabbath plus one day.
2. This was one of three great feast days ... the feast of weeks. You can read about it in Exodus 34:22-23 – “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel.”
3. Certainly, on this day Jerusalem would have been very crowded with worshipers because it was one of those three days when all Jewish males were required to come to Jerusalem to worship. On this particular Pentecost it was the first feast of weeks following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

B. On this day of Pentecost we are informed of the coming of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:2-4 – “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The coming of the Holy Spirit. This was that which Jesus had promised before death on the cross and before His ascension.

1. Turn with me to: John 16:7-13 – “7. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8. "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9. "of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10. "of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11. "of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”. – The coming of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus had promised before the crucifixion.
2. Then in the gospel of Luke: Luke 24:49 – “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” - This was truly a significant day in God’s plan!
3. Turning back with me to Acts chapter 1. Here are two verses for us to consider: Acts 1:5 & Acts 1:8 – “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Next, in verse 8, and here we see things concerning the coming of the Holy Ghost, the coming of power, and the coming of the Kingdom of God. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The coming of the Holy Spirit. This was indeed a significant day, but that is not all!

C. There was more on this day. There was this incredible speaking in languages by people who had never learned them. We continue to read in Acts the second chapter beginning at verse 5. - Acts 2:5-11 – “5. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak, Galileans? 8. "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9. "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10. "Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11. "Cretans and Arabs we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.''”

1. “Tongues” were known languages which the speakers had not learned—a phenomenon significant to that time and to that place.
2. Notice here that the writer records the apostles spoke of “the wonderful works of God”.
3. That suggests to me that before the sermon begins, which is recorded, at least in part in Acts 2, that the wonderful works of God are already being expounded. They were already hearing praise to God and hearing of the wonderful things that God has done.

D. We notice as we read on in Acts the people were amazed and wondered about the meaning of it all. Some were wondering if perhaps the apostles were drunk, but verse 16 begins - Acts 2:16-21 – “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17. `And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18. and on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. 19. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord. 21. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”

1. The first thing to notice is that Peter by inspiration of the Spirit of God identifies the prophecy of Joel with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the initiation of the messianic age. This point is made very clear.
2. I notice how Peter gives emphasis to these words “who ever shall call on the name...”
3. It is with this statement that Peter transitions to preach of Jesus Christ - crucified, and raised.

II. WHAT HE SAID OF THE LORD ON WHOM THEY(WE) SHOULD CALL?

A. The first thing that Peter says, … lets read in verse 22: - Acts 2:22 – “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know ” The first thing we see is that Jesus Christ is a man approved by God.

1. How do we know this? by miracles, wonders, and signs. This takes my mind to - John 20:30-31 – “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”. And then in
2. John 3:1-2 – “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God;" how did they know? Listen and think about it. "for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” To this Jesus replied ….. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” What I want us to see here is this very logical observation of Nicodemus.
3. Now today’s text, Acts 2:22-24 – “22. "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know 23. "Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24. "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
4. Peter as he preaches in Acts 2 makes it very clear there are some of those people in the audience who had seen the things of which he speaks “...in the midst of you...” he says. Jesus Christ, a man approved of God, how? By miracles and signs which you actually saw he says to them. What else does Peter say?

B. Acts 2:23 – “Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” You have crucified and slain this man approved of God.

1. Peter first plainly tells them that Jesus’ death was God’s plan. Notice how he says it; “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God,” - His death had everything to do with our calling on His name for salvation.
2. Recall in: 1 Peter 1:19-20 – “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you”. This was no accident. It was not something that Pilate decided. It was part of God’s plan long before there was an earth, and was something that had to be done to take care of the sins of people like you and me.
3. Peter goes on to say in Acts 2:23 “you have taken by lawless hands”. In other words, they were guilty.
4. It may be true that it was the Romans that actually killed Jesus by crucifying Him. For the Jews, themselves, could not do this at that particular time. Nevertheless, they were responsible! Who was it that brought Jesus, the Jewish leaders, and who was it that cried “crucify him, crucify him”? It was the Jewish mob. From the Jewish religious leadership down to the mob it was they who were also guilty. There is still more.

C. Peter goes on to say in: - Acts 2:24 – “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” “whom God raised up”

1. Preaching the cross does not end with the cross! That is the magnificent truth we are privileged to declare to the world even today.
2. Preaching the Cross continues with this great fact: “Whom God raised up”
3. In 1 Corinthians 15:14 – “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain.”- The resurrection is “the rest of the story”. Many of us have actually heard or heard of Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey was a news commentator and he always told of something and then went on to tell “the rest of the story”. This “rest of the story” made it all complete. The Cross is part of the story, but the rest of the story is the resurrection. The preaching of the cross is considered by many people to be foolishness. Folks, crossless preaching is powerless preaching. The wonderful thing about preaching the cross is that we do not have to end with a death. We are privileged to continue with a resurrection, a living savior.

D. Peter continues on and takes pains to confirm the resurrection fact. All knew Jesus died on the cross. How does he do this?

1. First by prophecy Peter quotes from the prophecy in Psalms chapter 16. Let’s read that and then we need to look at what Peter says about this prophecy. Start in Psalm 16:8-11 – “8. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 10. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 11. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
2. Thus Peter says, Acts 2:29-31 – “29. "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30. "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31. "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.”
3. Second, Peter appeals to eyewitness testimony - Acts 2:32 – “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.” There is a common expression that is something like “we are going out to witness” or ‘we are his witnesses”. Folks, neither you nor I are a true witness, for neither you nor I saw the risen Christ, but the apostles did! They are God’s witnesses not I. I may give testimony through the preaching of God’s word but it is through my faith that I believe and not by sight. The apostles were witnesses however. They saw the risen Christ.
4. Third, Peter appeals by David’s testimony - Acts 2:33-35 – “33. "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34. "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: (These are the words of David in Psalm 110:1 – ) `The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, 35. till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'''” David acknowledges his Lord. Approved of God? Oh, yes. Crucified by wicked hands? Oh, yes. Raised by the power of God, and this confirmed by the resurrection.

III. THE GREAT CONCLUSION?

A. “...Jesus, whom you crucified...” is your Lord and your Christ - Acts 2:36 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

1. Notice that Peter refers again to the cross. He is not accusing the Romans. It is the Jews to whom he is speaking.
2. Lest we get too caught up in thinking about the guilt of the Jews let me remind you that you and I, though we were not present on that day on Calvary, are as guilty of the sin as they, for we practice sin in our lives and it is for our sin Christ died. 1 John 2:2 – “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

B. They are complicit the in crucifying of the Lord. What are they to do? We read next that very question - Acts 2:37 – “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?''”

1. They face a situation we all face when we sin. Once the deed was done there were things that could not be changed. They could not change the fact that Jesus had been crucified. They could not change the fact that they had cried out for his crucifixion.
2. They are cut to the quick. They are pierced through and stand convicted in their deeds.
3. They feel acutely their guilt and the fact that it can not be undone. “… What are we to do?”

C. Because of the cross, here is the answer - Acts 2:38 – “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Here is what you can do. You can’t change what you have done. You can’t change the fact you have sinned. But…

1. You can repent. There must be repentance (more than just acknowledging guilt). It must be a change of mind leading to a change of life. That is what they were told to do. You can’t change the facts, but you can change your direction, your life, by changing your mind.
2. You can be baptized then ... into the death of Jesus. Romans 6:3 – “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” By doing this they could receive the blessing and benefits of the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. It becomes mine when I am baptized.
3. According to Acts chapter two there were many who did exactly that. Acts 2: 41 – “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; …”

CONCLUSION: Because He died on that cross, I can live again. Because He lives, I have a real tomorrow.
Because He lives, folks, we have the hope of eternity. If your sins are remitted, you receive that forgiveness. On that day of Pentecost we are told that about three thousand souls were added unto them. Three thousand people! Thinking of their sins, applying the lesson to themselves, understanding they could not change what was done.
Have we ever felt what those people felt? I wonder. Is the fact of our sin just an intellectual thing? Do we understand how we hurt God with our sin? I don’t know. They did. 3000 of them were baptized on that day and added to the Lord’s church--because He lives.

I wonder this morning, is there anyone hearing this message, that needs, because He lives, to claim the benefit of the death that He died? To claim the blessing of that sacrifice? Is there anyone here who needs to be baptized for the remission of their sins? Each of us must decide what we are going to do with the death of Christ and the fact of His resurrection. If you have that need, or if you have any other need, we stand ready to assist as we invite you to come while we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Matthew 28:19-20

INTRO: Good morning church! As we continue our look at the cross today we will be starting with Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” [NKJV]

The empty tomb. There were angelic announcements. Appearances to the disciples. Forty days of appearances and teaching concerning the kingdom of God. All of these things brought from the disciples mixed reactions. We saw the enemies of Jesus had concocted a story about His body having been stolen by the disciples, in order to have some credible explanation on why the tomb was empty on that awesome first day of the week. That story, according to Matthew’s gospel, was commonly reported in certain quarters as late as the writing of his gospel. (Matthew 28:15). Interestingly even today some espouse the idea that His disciples stole the body.

Was this the end? Or, was this just the beginning? His enemies most assuredly wanted it to be the end. Even His closest associates, the apostles, had difficulty with the idea of the third-day-resurrection. They had to be reminded repeatedly that He had told them that He would rise from the dead on the third day. As I look at this brief period of time, from the resurrection to the ascension, I’ll prefer to refer to it as the end of the beginning.

I. CLEARLY, THE CROSS WAS NOT THE END SOME HAD HOPED

A. The cross was not the end many had hoped it would be. I invite you to turn in your bible to the gospel of John chapter 11. There starting at verse 47 I would like us to read. John 11:47-53 – “47. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48. "If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.'' 49. And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50. "nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.'' 51. Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52. and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53. Then from that day on they plotted to put Him to death.” [NKJV] “...it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish....”

1. There was apparently a great deal of “hand wringing” among the Pharisees, the Sadducees… the priestly class.
2. They recognized that the popularity of Jesus had grown to the point that it was eclipsing their own influence.
3. It is of interest to me they even recognized that He performed many miracles, and signs as some translations say.
4. These religious leaders had a great fear, and fear causes people to do illogical and irrational things. Their fear was that if Jesus prevailed, the Romans would take away their position.

B. What to do? Instead of seeking a means of dealing with this question in a way that was lawful and right and moral, they chose expediency.

1. Their choice was; for Jesus to be killed. That, they believed, would make their position secure.
2. They sought then for a means to accomplish that. They believed that it was better for one man to die (innocent, or not) than for the Romans to take away the last vestiges of their power. They feared that Jesus’ claim of being a King would get to Roman ears and those authorities would come and bring an end to any power that remained.
3. A dead Jesus was their answer. It did not matter that He might be innocent of anything punishable by death. An idea of expediency was all they could conclude. If we just kill Him that would be the end of the matter.
4. There is something else about that passage… so interesting to me… here is this man Caiaphas, the high priest at that time, and John says: he prophesied concerning the death of Christ and that Jesus’ death would bring all of God’s children into one. Did Caiaphas prophesy knowingly? Or were the words of Caiaphas, words of the high priest’s own choosing, yet with God’s providence behind them?
5. Whatever the case, the death of Jesus was not the end His enemies sought. Not the end, but the end of the beginning.

II. BEFORE THE ASCENSION

A. If you would please turn in your bibles to John’s gospel, chapter 21. I’m going to spend a little bit of time in this chapter today because there are some things found here that are interesting to me…this time before the ascension. John 21:1f – The first of them is Peter’s “last” fishing trip. I’m going to read a fairly lengthy section of scripture beginning at verse 1. Please follow with me. “After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:” In other words, here is how it took place. “2. Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing.'' (pause) They said to him, "We are going with you also.'' They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5. Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?'' They answered Him, "No.'' 6. And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.'' So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!'' Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.'' 11. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12. Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast.'' Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?'' knowing that it was the Lord. 13. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. 14. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.”

1. What is going on here? “I am going fishing” I have thought about this little incident many times. “I am going fishing”. The cross is still vivid in memory. The death of his dear and beloved friend Jesus has occurred. There have been reports of Jesus being raised from the dead. And Peter says, “I am going fishing”. What is going on?
2. Was it just the need to fill some empty time? Or was this a manifestation, at least in part, of some doubt? Or a feeling that “it’s all over”? I don’t know. I just know Peter went fishing. They returned to their old tasks.
3. We also know this; the occasion provided Jesus an opportunity to “prove” it was indeed He. To prove His identity to these men who knew Him so intimately, so well.
4. Later the idea was spoken that the apostles had only seen “visions” - “spirits”. That idea did gain some credibility in that time and even now some would suggest such a thing.
5. It was therefore important that Jesus prove beyond a shadow of any reasonable doubt, to credible eye witnesses, that He had risen from the dead.
6. When the fishermen came to shore, they see Jesus, and they recognize Him! Jesus has made a fire and cooked a meal, they ate with Him. Ghosts do not build a fire, cook a meal, and eat bread and fish.
7. Later, much later, John would write this in: 1 John 1:1 – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” Now verse 3: “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” They saw Him! They touched Him, they ate with Him. There was no doubt Jesus has risen from the dead!
8. Yes, they had returned to their old tasks and did not catch anything. Jesus shows up, gives them instructions, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” … “So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish”.

B. Returning now to chapter 21 of John’s gospel and starting in verse 15. John 21:15f – we see Peter’s three affirmations of his love for Jesus. “15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?'' He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.'' He said to him, "Feed My lambs.'' 16. He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?'' He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.'' He said to him, "Tend My sheep.'' 17. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?'' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?'' And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.'' Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.”

1. I suspect this must have been an embarrassing time for Simon Peter. Why? Because of those three denials Peter made not very many days before and was still fresh in his memory.
2. “...do you love Me more than these...?” Jesus says. I don’t know what the “these” are. The text does not specifically tell us. Was he being asked - more than “things”? These nets, these boats? Was he being asked more than other apostles? I don’t know. Yet I feel certain that Peter must have felt the pain of the question repeated three times.
3. Something you do not see in English is the different words for love that are used. The first two times Jesus asks He is using a form of the word “agape”. When Peter says “you know I love you” he does not use that word. He uses a form of the word “philia”. They are different words. Philia is the love of a friend for friends, agape is that wonderful spiritual love which loves in a supreme way above everything else, seeking that which is best for everyone and for the Lord. A sacrificial love. Then the third time Jesus asks and He uses a form of the word “philia”, leaving the spiritual plane of the word agape and asks if Peter loves Him as a friend. Peter uses the same word to respond, “yes I do”.
4. Three times Peter is asked. How many times did Peter deny the Lord, three? In the gospel of Luke, chapter 22, would you turn there and read with me? Beginning in verse 31 I want you to listen again to what happens before the death of Christ, before the denials Luke 22:31-34 – “31. And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32. "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'' 33. But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.'' 34. Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.''”
5. What is going on here? Peter, do you love me? I love you. Second time, Peter, do you love me? I love you. Third time, Peter, do you love me? Lord you know everything. Peter is grieved by his having to be asked the third time, but there were three denials and three questions. I wonder, is there perhaps, in the mind of Peter a relationship between the questions Jesus asks and those three denials?
6. I wonder too if what is going on here may not be a very integral part of what Jesus said; “…when you have returned to Me…” Another translation puts it this way; “…So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
7. I suggest that perhaps this exchange between Jesus and Peter becomes a vital part of that which Jesus spoke. Is this part of the process of that great change that has to take place in Peter? The change that must take place so that this man, who has failed miserably at the cross, would become an effective proclaimer of it!
8. We are not finished. Let’s return to John’s gospel chapter 21 again, and we read at v. 18: John 21:18-19 – “"Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.'' This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me.''” The Prophecy of Peter’s martyrdom.
9. Do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know I love you. Let me tell you something Peter, your love for me is going to result in your being killed someday. Your life will be taken from you. I know there are many different legends about how Peter was killed, martyred. The most well-known of these is that he was crucified and that he chose not to be crucified in the same fashion in which the Lord was, but he requested to be crucified upside down.
10. John’s gospel does not tell us the means by which Peter will be killed. Just that Peter’s life will be taken from him in his old age. Just as the cross was always in Jesus’ future, always looming as a reality, so martyrdom always loomed as a reality in Peter’s.
11. Peter says something in the second of his two letters to which I would like to make reference. 2 Peter 1:12-14 – “Therefore I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.”
12. I have work to do. I will work while it is yet “day” - but “night” is coming when I will not be able to work. During my life, he says, I am going to do whatever I can to help you remember what you need to remember about our Lord. Peter is now an old man, but notice he refers to the very words our Lord spoke to him so many years before. Peter says; “…just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me…” Years had passed, but Peter did not forget what Jesus had told him.

C. Let’s look now in the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke 24:43-45 – “And He took it and ate in their presence. Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.'' And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” Here, and the successive verses, we have what we might call the dawning of the light.

1. Now they understand. Jesus’ death folks, was not an accident - it was not the result of some great conspiracy.
2. It is true, human agencies had been very much involved in the events. We have the advantage of seeing with the light of the scriptures.
3. We realize that all of these things that took place were just the serving of prophetic purpose! Jesus needed for these men to understand that He, His life, His death, were all a part of God’s great plan to redeem humanity from the curse of sin.
4. Jumping ahead to Acts 10, Acts 10:39-43 – Here Peter is the preacher and Cornelius and his family, are the audience. Peter says: “And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.” There it is, the cross… “40. "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41. "not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42. "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43. "To Him to whom? To Jesus… all the prophets witness that through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.''”
5. Those words “To him all the prophets witness…” You see, what Jesus was doing in Luke 24:44-45 in referring to the Law of Moses and the prophets, Psalms, all of which have in them reference to the coming messiah; what He was doing was reinforcing that none of these things have happened just a quirk of circumstance. All these things that have happened were to fulfill the prophecies; and that which God prophesies, He brings to pass. Later in the preaching of the word of God the apostle can say; to this Man, with Whom we talked and walked and ate, to this Man, give all the prophets witness.

D. That brings me to Matthew 28:18-20 – “18. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' Amen.”

1. These are their “marching orders”. They have seen Him for 40 days. He has taught them of the kingdom of God. With those words ringing in their ears they watched Him ascend to the Father on high.
2. Mark 16:19-20 - what did they do? Mark’s gospel concludes with these two verses: “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they (the apostles) went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
3. What did they do? They are no longer a dispirited band of men. “...they went forth and preached...” And they never forgot, folks, the significance of the cross of Jesus Christ in all that they taught.
4. There is a verse in the book of Galatians that helps us to understand in the successive years the depth of feeling these people had about the cross. Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” As old as these men became they never forgot the cross.

CLOSE: From a trip to catch fish, the apostles went forth to fish for men. What was the drawing power of their preaching, their message? I’m sure their message included many things needful for that world and ours. Folks, the drawing power of their message; was the message of the cross. It is still the cross which draws people to Jesus. In John 12:32 – Jesus says; "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
It is Christ that draws all people unto Him. It is our privilege today to take the gospel of the cross to mankind just as the apostles took that message all those years ago. The message of the cross, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and His resurrection are just as important and compelling today. Every day more people come into the world, and even in a great land like ours, there is a very real possibility they will go through their lives without ever truly, having heard the gospel message.

When we are united in the death of Jesus Christ in baptism our burden of sin is lifted. We no longer live under its weight. In prayer, because of the cross, we have this marvelous advocate to the Father, Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you have not been baptized into the death of Christ, then friend, you still labor under the burden of sin. Jesus would lift that burden when you are baptized into His death, burial and resurrection. That burden of sin cannot be lifted in any other way.

We know from scripture that we must hear the word, believe in Christ, confess our faith in Jesus, repent of our sins and then be baptized.

There may be Christian people listening whose burdens need to be lifted, who need the advocacy of Jesus Christ with the Father. Remember; it is for us to take this message to others so they can take the first step and hear the word, and we cannot do so if we ourselves are not right with God. Come boldly to the throne of grace with your needs as we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

He Arose
Luke 23:55 – Luke 24:1-7

INTRO: Good morning church! As we continue our look at the cross today we will be starting with Luke 23:55-56 – “And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” Continue with me at Luke 24:1 – “1. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.”[NKJV]

It had no doubt… been a somber and agonizing Sabbath day for the disciples of Jesus. Mark’s gospel tells us that “they mourned and wept” (Mark 16:10). We can understand and appreciate this grief. Through the gospel records we see the closeness of the disciples interactions with Jesus, their Lord and Master. It was more than simply a “teacher/student” relationship, and the manner in which He had been taken from them contributed to the pain they felt, and the grief they endured. From what we see in scripture I believe that among the disciples there were no expectations of resurrection on that Saturday. They intended to go to the tomb on that first day of the week for the final burial preparations. As the first day of the week dawned they most assuredly were not prepared for what they found! We remember, it had been Friday, now it is Sunday. We begin our thoughts today early on that Sunday morning.

I. EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING

A. Turn in your bibles with me to the sixteenth chapter of the gospel of Mark. Mark 16:1-3 – “1. Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?''” “And very early in the morning the first day of the week...”

1. You recall that Joseph & Nicodemus had taken the body of Jesus and laid it in Joseph’s own tomb. There had been some preparation for burial but it had been late on the day before the Sabbath. They were rushed to complete what they could before the Sabbath would begin.
2. The Sabbath is now past and the women were coming to finish the burial process according to the customs of the day.
3. They are concerned because they recall having seen a very large stone rolled across the entrance to the tomb. They ask among themselves “who is going to roll away the stone?” To you and me that may not seem like a great concern, we would imagine we would find someone to help. Yet, no matter how small the issue might seem to us, what they are asking tells me that they have no expectation, what so ever, that Jesus is going to rise from the dead. Their concern is on who is going to roll away the stone. They had no idea that when they arrived the stone might already be rolled away. They did not understand that on the third day He would rise again.

B. As we continue, Luke’s gospel tells us in verse 2 of chapter 24. Luke 24:2-7 – “But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.” They needed the stone rolled away so they could prepare the body of Jesus for its final internment. They arrive and they find the stone rolled away from the tomb… and they enter.

1. “3. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6. "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7. "saying, `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' ''”
2. They had been worried about the rolling away of the stone, and when they arrive they find the stone is rolled away. Then they enter the tomb and the body of Jesus is missing! They were very perplexed, we might say confused. They had seen Jesus body laid in that tomb and now they are faced with the fact: the body of Jesus was not there!
3. But there is good news - “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"
4. These “two men”… are doubtless angels sent from God for this very purpose. They remind those women of what had been said over and over again by the Lord. Oh yes, - it is His lot to suffer and to die but always He said He would rise again. There are in Luke 9:21-22, these words of Jesus which finally… they remember! – “And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.''”

C. You are probably thinking, wait, you skipped over something, and I did. What about this business of the guards that were put at the tomb? We remember that because the enemies of Jesus asked Pilate to do something to prevent anything happening which would give anyone cause to claim that He had been raised from the dead. Pilate told them to take a guard, and make the tomb as secure as they could. “So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”

1. What happened? The stone was rolled away, the body of Jesus missing. How is this going to be explained?
2. Going to Matthew 28:11-15 – we read about how all this is going to be explained. “Now while they were going, (that is the women going to tell the disciples) behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.”
3. “12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,” (in other words they bribed them) 13 saying, (here is why they bribed them) “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying ( that is, the saying that His disciples stole His body by night) is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
4. It was important to the Jewish leaders that nothing happen that could give rise to a claim of Jesus resurrection. Now that the tomb is empty, they have to concoct a story, an explanation. Something has to be said to explain why the tomb is empty or else His disciples are going to say “He is risen!” What they came up with was to bribe the soldiers to say that His disciples came by night and stole away his body. A plausible explanation for the empty tomb. (or was it really plausible?)
5. The fact that money was paid labels their report as false; no bounty would have been required to tell the truth. Interestingly the record says that this was the explanation still being believed at the time of the writing of Matthew’s gospel, among the Jews at least.

D. Let’s look at another incident found in John’s gospel involving Mary Magdalene and the empty tomb. Look with me at John 20:1-2 – “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.''” Now look at verse 11 – “But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping,…”

1. Mary Magdalene had come with the other women early on that Sunday morning to prepare the body of Jesus. (Matthew 28:1)
2. Seeing the open tomb, she immediately ran to Peter with the only conclusion she could imagine - “they have taken away the Lord...”
3. You may recall from Luke 8:2 that it was Mary Magdalene out of whom Jesus cast seven devils. No wonder her appreciation for Jesus. No wonder the emotions she felt at the death of her Lord. Doubtless, from this healing grew great love, and appreciation.
4. The guards are to say that His disciples’ had stolen His body but His disciples did not know where it had gone.

E. Two important things to remember at this point...

1. Jewish leaders absolutely could not have a risen Christ. They had to have some explanation, as implausible as it probably seemed. They knew the disciples had not stolen the body but the story would be that they did.
2. The disciples themselves are saying that the tomb is empty and we don’t know where the body is.
3. The fact is, that the tomb was empty. No one argued against that fact, the tomb was empty. –all agreed ... but the question was, what happened to the body?

II. SOME OF THE RESURRECTION APPEARANCES - That brings us to the resurrection appearances. These moments in time where the disciples see the risen Christ, sometimes with fear and trembling.

A. Turn in your bibles to John 20:11-18 – Here we will read of the first of His appearances. This one was to Mary Magdalene after the other disciples had gone to their homes. “11. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?'' She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.'' 14. Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?'' She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.'' 16. Jesus said to her, "Mary!'' She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!'' (which is to say, Teacher). 17. Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, `I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' '' 18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” Can you imagine this grief stricken woman standing outside of the tomb weeping? She stoops down and looks inside and there are the two angels. Why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?

1. Notice that Mary says, she believed someone had taken away the body.
2. Then Jesus appears to her and she does not recognize Him. She thinks He is the gardener, and asks if He moved the body. Then Jesus calls her by name. When He called her by name she recognized that it was Him.
3. In v. 17- He says to her “do not cling to me”. Again, can you imagine the emotions she must be feeling at that instant? Surely she would have wanted to embrace and cling to her Lord. Hang on to him because she had seen Him die! Now He is there! … I would suggest that Jesus is asking her not to cling to Him, since He had not ascended and there would be time before He did. There was something more important for her to do right then. Go and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive and not yet ascended, and she obeyed.

B. In Mark 16:12 – we see another appearance to two of the disciples. “After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.”

1. Look now at Luke 24:13-17 – “13. Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus (uh•may•uhs), which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17. And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?''”
2. Here you see a fairly full account of this particular appearance of the Lord to these two disciples and we are told they are on their way to Emmaus upon leaving Jerusalem after the Passover. They are on their way home and as they walk along it is obvious they are very sad. Jesus comes along, and they do not recognize who He is, and He asks them, why are you so sad?
3. Let’s continue reading starting in verse 19. Luke 24:19-24 – “19. And He said to them, "What things?'' And they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20. "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21. "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22. "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23. "When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24. "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.''”
4. Here then is why they are sad. These are His disciples and they loved Him. This is the third day and they are remembering that on the third day He would be raised from the dead. There have been reports that the tomb is empty and certain disciples have gone there and confirmed it. They have heard of visions of angels who have said He is alive! “but Him they did not see” All these things have happened… but they have not seen Him.
5. I wonder, are they laboring under the impression that someone has stolen away the body of Jesus? Perhaps. Take a look at verse 31… Luke 24:31 – “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him;…” Mary Magdalene knew it was Jesus whom she had seen. Now these two disciples know that it is Jesus whom they see.

C. Reading at verse 33… Luke 24:33-36 – “33. So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34. saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35. And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. 36. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.”” Jesus appears not to one, not to two but to the eleven and others with them.

1. It was already being reported that He had appeared to Peter (v. 34)
2. Late on this first day of the week, He appears to the group and confirms His identity. Jesus confirms to those who knew Him best, that He is risen from the dead.
3. What was their immediate reaction to this wondrous event? (read verse 37) Luke 24:37 - “But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.”
4. Jesus then challenges them to look at His hands and feet where they would see the marks of crucifixion. Seeing those marks and His being with them surely… they would understand that this was the Jesus whom they loved in life and is now risen.
5. It seems though they are having a problem. Because we are told, “they still did not believe … and marveled,” - a ghost? a spirit?
6. Then Jesus does something that a spirit would not do. He asks them, do you have anything to eat? They give Him fish and honeycomb and He eats before them. By doing so, they realized it is He! This is our Lord, our Master! You can read this in Luke 24:40-43

D. One more resurrection appearance I must not forget is found in John 20:24-29 -

1. You remember Thomas, and reading at v. 24 we find that Thomas had apparently not seen the Lord on the previous Lord’s Day, and he manifests the same disbelief which had been evident in the others. “24. Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.””
2. In verse 26 we find they are gathered together again and this time Thomas is with them, and Jesus appears in like manner as before. “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!””
3. In vs. 27-28. Jesus confronts Thomas and his unbelief in the marvelous incident which has given rise to a name for Thomas, which I’m not sure he deserves… Doubting Thomas. Did not all of them doubt at one time or another? Specifically to Thomas Jesus invites him to touch the nail prints on His hands and feet and place his fingers into the wound in His side. Thomas says these wonderful words, “My Lord and my God”. “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!””
4. Let’s look at the words in v. 29 – the last part of this verse is so important. “Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”” This, folks, applies to you and me. Thomas was privileged to see with his physical eyes the risen savior. He was privileged to put his physical finger in the physical nail prints and the wound in Jesus’ side. You and I have not been so privileged… yet based on such credible testimony, - we believe. We sang “He Arose” and we believe in the living Christ.

E. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 – we find a section of scripture that deals with the resurrection. “3. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5. and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” I read this verse because I want you to know that the resurrection appearances of Jesus, unmistakable as they were, are too numerous for a credible question or doubt. Inspiration calls Paul to write, “some have died but most are still alive”. That is a challenge isn’t it? If you do not believe me go ask these people. There are plenty of them around.
F. For us, all of them have long since died and you and I are left with the certified testimony, of credible witnesses, that Jesus is alive.

CLOSE: It is the first day of the week and He arose. The resurrection transformed this dispirited band of disciples into the courageous men and women they became. In Acts 2:32 the apostle Peter says: “we all are witnesses”. You and I are not witnesses who have seen with our physical eyes the risen Christ and cannot witness that fact. They could and they did and because of their testimony, this morning it is our privilege to declare, Jesus, is alive. Jesus is in heaven reining at the right hand of God. The tomb could not keep Him. The guards could not keep Him. The seal could not keep Him. He is alive! Because He is alive, we can face tomorrow with confidence and certainty... confidence in our future and the certainty that the promises of God are kept.

Just As I Am (the song says). Our salvation is not something we merit or earn from God. That has been done for us at the cross and has been confirmed for us by the resurrection. It is provided by a loving God and we need to respond to this gift with loving obedience to His word. God’s word tells us; you need to believe in Jesus; repent of your sins; then confess your belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and make the decision to be baptized into His death.

If you have not done so, I would urge you as we sing the song of invitation, to make the decision to be baptized this morning. Leave this place with your sins forgiven. Forgiven because of the cross, not because of anything you’ve done to claim, or to earn, but because of the cross and what Jesus did. Come and be forgiven.

There might be Christian people in the assembly today that have let the meaning of the cross slip from their minds. Things and events and even people have become too important to them and the fact of the cross has slipped away. The cross my friends is all there is.

If you need to come we invite you to do so now as we stand and as we sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Luke 23:33 - Matthew 27:33

INTRO: Good morning church!
The trials, such as they were, have been completed. Pilate has tried numerous times to find a way to release Jesus from His captivity, but political pressure was too strong.
He yielded to the demands of the enemies of Jesus knowing full well that Jesus was not guilty of any crime worthy of what they had planned. The words “wanting to gratify the crowd” (Mark 15:15) are some of the saddest words I know… yet they give great insight into the mind of Pilate. Furthermore and perhaps more importantly, they give us insight into the mind of human nature. Pilate released to the people the known criminal Barabbas and “… he delivered Jesus to their will” (Luke 23:25).
All of this is happening early on a Friday, and these events have been recorded for us by the Biblical writers.

They took Jesus to the place of execution ... Golgotha, or Calvary, meaning “skull”. Before the crucifixion there are some things we notice.

I. THERE WERE THE SCOURGING AND HUMILIATION

A. There was, for example, the scourging and the humiliation at the hands of Romans soldiers. In Matthew 27:26-31 – “26. Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. 27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!'' 30. Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31. Then when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.”[NKJV] “...and when he had scourged Jesus...”

1. As I said last week I will not go into the details of a Roman scourging.
2. There is no need for me to recount for you the awful details of this form of human torture.
3. Suffice it to say historians tell us there were those who actually died as a result of a Roman scourging. It was a horrible, horrible procedure. It came in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah (Isaiah 53:5). I suppose that Pilate did not know that every stripe laid upon our Lord was a fulfillment of the Word of God.

B. “Then the soldiers...”

1. The Bible says that they stripped Him of His own clothing and put on Him a scarlet robe. The robe of course symbolizing royalty, and they plaited a crown of thorns and pressed it on His head. They put a reed in His hand symbolizing a scepter.
2. Then bowing before Him in mockery they said: “Hail King of the Jews!”
3. As if that was not enough, in mockery, in contempt, they spat on Him. Then they put His own cloths back on Him and they led Him out to be crucified. The routine of crucifixion was always the same. When the cross was prepared the criminal himself had to carry it to the place of execution. (Scholars tell us it was likely the cross member portion). He was placed in the middle of four soldiers. In front a soldier marched carrying a board stating the crime for which the prisoner was found guilty. The board was afterwards affixed to the cross.

II. SIMON OF CYRENE COMPELLED TO BEAR JESUS’ CROSS

A. In the next verse we are introduced to another individual about whom we know very little—Simon of Cyrene. He was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus. The Bible says in: Matthew 27:32 – “Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.”

1. Obviously, Jesus is physically weakened. Not only has He been awake for a great many hours. He has been shuffled from place to place in all these mock hearings / trials, and He has been scourged. Doubtless from loss of blood, from physical pain, He is physically weakened, and help is needed.
2. This must have been a grim day for Simon. Palestine was an occupied country, and any man might be impressed into the Roman service for any task. The sign of impressment was a tap on the shoulder with the flat of a Roman spear.
3. Simon was from Cyrene, in Africa. I find it interesting that when a Roman soldier needed someone to help him, whatever the need, all he had to do was tap that person with his spear.

B. On this occasion, Simon of Cyrene, perhaps drawn to the situation by the tumult which is obvious, feels the touch of the Roman spear and he is compelled to bear the cross for Jesus. Who was this man we wonder?

1. According to Mark’s gospel he was a man that apparently in later days was known to the disciples. Mark 15:21 – “Now they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, (notice Mark adds here) the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.” That little notation suggests to us that in later days perhaps that Simon was a man well-known to the disciples and they knew his children, Alexander and Rufus.
2. On this occasion, on this day, he’s just an innocent traveler who has come out of the country possibly for the purpose of celebrating the Passover in keeping with the Jewish law. We might say that he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the moment Simon probably bitterly resented this happening to him.
3. If, indeed, this man did become the disciple of Christ, and I’m inclined in view by what is said in Mark to think that might have occurred… in later days he might have rejoice that he had been so favored.

III. THE CROSS, THE INSCRIPTION

A. Now I would like us to turn to the 19th chapter of John’s gospel. In John 19:17-18 – “And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” “...Golgotha: where they crucified him...”

1. I will not elaborate on the process, the procedure, of Roman crucifixion. We will simply say it was a horrible way to die.
2. Today we would call it cruel and unusual punishment and it would likely be illegal in many parts of the world. Back then it was a form of punishment for runaway slaves or insurgents or the worst of criminals. A Roman citizen could never be crucified it was that horrible, and the Romans had developed crucifixion into an art. The Romans were so adept at this that we are told that there were some victims who took as long as a week to die.
3. Then I recall in Galatians 3:13 it tells us; “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''),” That last part is from a passage in Deuteronomy 12:22-23 which says: “"If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
4. I’m realizing that Jesus took upon Himself, in being crucified, this curse. What this Hebrew curse meant was to be cut off from God, cut off from the land.

B. Then we go on and read in John chapter 19: John 19:19-22 –‘ ‘ “19. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews. 20. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, "I am the King of the Jews.'' ‘ 22. Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written.”

1. This was an inscription which was written and usually affixed to the cross to identify the reason that the person was being crucified. It was written in three languages, the languages then current among the people.
2. It has been observed that these three languages stand for the contributions of those nations to the world. Greece taught the world beauty of form and of thought; Rome taught the world law and government; the Hebrews taught the world religion and the worship of the true God.
3. One wrote that the consummation of all these things is seen in Jesus. In Him were the supreme beauty and the highest thought of God. In Him was the law of God and the kingdom of God. In Him was the very image of God. All the world's seeking and striving found their consummation in Christ. It is symbolic that the three great languages of the world should be used to call Him king.
4. I want you to notice here that the leaders of the Jews didn’t like the inscription, and they came to Pilate and said: “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’
5. Pilate says: “What I have written, I have written.” I don’t know the mind of Pilate, but I cannot help but feel that this was done to irritate and annoy the Jews for placing him in a position were he caved in to their demand that a man he knew was innocent should be crucified.

IV. PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE

A. I want us to also look at those people who are around the cross. This could be an entire study in itself. We won’t do that, but we’ll look at some.

1. There were the Roman soldiers of whom we read in verses 23 and 24 of John 19:23-24 – “23. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24. They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,'' that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.'' Therefore the soldiers did these things.”
2. The custom of that day was that the clothing of the person being crucified was given to the contingent of soldiers who carried out the execution. On this occasion there were four soldiers and they parted his garments among them, but here was this outer garment, this robe, woven without a seam we’re told. They decided: Let’s not cut it in four parts. Let’s cast lots for it.
3. Notice that John makes mention of Prophesy—Psalms chapter 22, verse 18: “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

B. In Luke’s gospel in chapter 23 we discover, as all of us know, that there were two others crucified on that occasion. Luke 23:32 – “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.” We continue reading at verse 39: Luke 23:39-43 – “39. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.'' 40. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41. "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.'' 42. Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.'' 43. And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.''”

1. Legend has been busy with this robber. He is called by various names. One legend makes him a Judean Robin Hood who robbed the rich to give to the poor. There are many writings and speculations concerning this incident.
2. They were, according to one of them, guilty of transgressions and were receiving the punishment that they deserved. Then there are those remarkable words of Jesus: "today you will be with Me in Paradise."
3. That has given rise to an amazing remark by many people who come face to face in scripture with the necessity of being baptized, but for whatever reason want to say baptism is not necessary. “I want to be saved like the thief on the cross.” If you study the Bible with people for very long you’ve heard that. That’s a statement which reflects a misunderstanding of the covenant arrangement of history. This thief, as did Jesus, lived and died under the Mosaic covenant.
4. Another thing people do is equate this word Paradise with Heaven. Scripture says here “today you will be with me in Paradise”. It has been noted by scholars that "In some elements of first-century Judaism, (this word for paradise) described the spiritual abode of the soul between death and the resurrection." I suspect, this is the meaning here.
5. Now scripture says that on the first day of the week when Mary met the risen Jesus and supposed He was the gardener, He said to her “Mary” and she turned to Him and said “rabboni”, then in John 20:17 – “Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, `I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' ''” After Jesus rose from the dead, He stated that He had not yet ascended to the Father; therefore, Paradise is not identified as the final abode of the blessed.
6. A second thing I note is that scripture does not say whether or not this man was baptized by John the baptizer for whatever that may be worth. Scripture does indicate however, that many people were being baptized by John.
7. The most significant thing to me is found in Matthew 9:2-6 – “2. And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.'' 3. And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!'' 4. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5. "For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say,Arise and walk'? 6. "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'' then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.''”

i. Here Jesus tells of a man who is paralytic: to take up his bed and walk. Before He tells the man to take up his bed, He tells him: Your sins are forgiven you. The scribes are incensed at this and they say only God can forgive sins.
ii. Jesus would respond to that: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'' then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
iii. There’s the issue. Jesus the Son of God on earth had that prerogative. He could forgive sins.

1. What we must never forget, is that the situation of the criminal on the cross is completely different from our situation, and covenant under which we live is the covenant of Christ. He sent His disciples out into the world to make disciples and to baptize them into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

C. Here at the cross there were the soldiers, the two malefactors and then there was another soldier mentioned. This soldier is identified as a centurion in: Matthew 27:54 – “Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!''”

1. From what history tells us, this makes sense that the group of four soldiers in charge of executing a person was commanded by a centurion.
2. A Roman centurion was an experienced soldier. Because he is quartered in Jerusalem I have every reason to believe that he has watched numerous others die by crucifixion, but he had never seen one die as did Jesus.
3. Of course, there was the earthquake and the eclipse and other physical things that surrounded the death of Jesus, but he comes to this conclusion: “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” Mark15:39.

D. There was another group of people we should notice, the women present at the cross. In John’s gospel, John 19:25-27 – “25. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!'' 27. Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!'' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”

1. All four gospels record that these women were present. His mother’s sister … Salome, the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of James and John, thus making James and John cousins of Jesus.
2. One of the interesting things Jesus said from the cross was to the disciple whom He loved. Apparently that’s John: “Behold your mother!” To her: “Woman, behold your son!”
3. The eldest son in that day had the responsibility of caring for his mother and if her son died she could be in a very sad and tenuous situation. Yes, there were other brothers but it is to John, a first cousin that He says: Behold your mother, and to His mother: Behold your son. From that hour John took her into his house. Women were weeping around the cross, likely not understanding what all this means, but they were there.

V. THE WORDS OF JESUS FROM THE CROSS

A. Let me hurriedly mention some of the other words from the cross. We are told of seven things Jesus said. Some are better known than others.
What were the sayings? What did they mean? We have already looked at two.
B. Of them...

1. Perhaps the best known is the saying from Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This forgiveness is to me an amazing thing, that Jesus in the agony that He was experiencing, could think of forgiving those who are His tormentors.
2. In Matthew 27:46 we see the feeling of Jesus as He experiences a separation from the Father: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” That separation was so necessary for us. As it says in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…” Sin does not abide in the presence of God.
3. In Luke’s gospel again, verse 23:46 – and here is this amazing confidence Jesus has about the ultimate destiny of His spirit. “Father, `into Your hands I commend My spirit.'” This word for “commend” is the same word we studied in 1st Peter 4:19, urging faithful disciples to commit their spirit to the faithful creator as Dale pointed out in class.
4. David said in Psalm 31:5 – “Into Your hand I commit my spirit;” Now David commended his spirit to God that he might live and not die, and Jesus used the same words to mean that He would die, but He would continue to live after the resurrection!
5. In John 19:28 – “Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!''”
6. The last one I’ll mention is found in John 19:30 - “It is finished” - the redeeming work of Jesus was complete - the atoning sacrifice had been offered - salvation could be proclaimed

CLOSE: It was on a Friday, not forgotten by Biblical writers and scholars, perhaps the best known Friday in all of human history—the Friday that the Son of God was killed.
We are sad because of the cross… yet we are glad because of the cross.

Something that we need to remember, and to remember well, is found in Romans 6:3f. There begins an incredible section of scripture in which the subject of baptism is an integral part. That passage tells us clearly that we are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. We are baptized into the sacrifice, for it is there that the blood of Christ washes away, cleanses us, of our sins.

There are those who will hear this message that have never been baptized for the remission of their sins, never entered into the death of Christ… and because they have never entered into that death, their sins are still with them. They’ve never been remitted. If you are one, you remain in that state and that is so fatal. I urge you to listen to God’s word; believe in Jesus; repent of your sins; then confess your belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and make the decision to be baptized into His death.

If you are one who is here this morning I would urge as we sing the song of invitation that you step into the aisle and come to the front let us know: I’d like to be baptized this morning. Leave this place with your sins forgiven. Forgiven because of the cross, not because of anything you’ve done to claim, or to earn, but because of the cross and what Jesus did. Come and be forgiven.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

John 18:37-19:15 Luke 23:1-16

INTRO: Good morning church. For our reference this morning I’m going to read John 18:39-40 – “"But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?'' Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!'' Now Barabbas was a robber.”[NKJV]

What I want to look at this morning are the various trials of our Lord, if they may be called trials. The hearings before religious and civil leaders are recorded in all the gospel records. One of the things that we discover in examining these records is the trial before the high priest, Caiaphas, and the Jewish council was probably, according to Jewish Law, not legally conducted.

There have been scholars of Jewish Law of that time who have concluded that these were truly unlawful hearings. We should understand that the Pharisees and Sadducees were determined to have their way, and they were not very concerned with the niceties of legality. They were just concerned about being done with Jesus.

During these last hours before His death we discover several things about Jesus. One is, of course, that He is, and claimed to be, the Son of God (we find that in Luke 22:70). A second is that He is truly the Messiah, the Christ, and ultimately in His interview before Pilate that He is the King (as it says in John 18:37).

However, our focus this morning is to look just a little bit further into the last hours of our Lord before His death.

I. FOLLOWING A “RELIGIOUS TRIAL”, HE WAS TAKEN TO PILATE: Jesus first was taken before Caiaphas, the high priest that year, and Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. After Jesus endured this mock hearing, He was then taken to Pilate, the Roman governor.

A. As the Roman governor, Pilate was the authority for that time and place.

1. Pilate was not an especially astute ruler. In fact history indicates he was a very poor governor, but one thing was certain about Pilate. He had no lost love for the Jews. Historians tell us he was rabidly anti-Jew.
2. With that as background, it seems a little bit unusual to me that the Jewish leaders would take Jesus to someone they did not respect for judgment. Why, I wonder, did they do that?
3. Since we are in our Bibles at the 18th chapter of the gospel of John. I’m going begin reading in verse 28, and I’d like you to read along with me. John 18:28-32 – “28. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29. Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?'' 30. They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.'' 31. Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law.'' Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,'' 32. that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.” Here are some thoughts, and observations, about what we find here.

i. The first thing that leaps to our attention as we read this, is that we’re dealing with a group of “holier than thou” people. I note that when they came to the judgment hall of Pilate these religious leaders would not even go inside because they would be defiled ceremonially and not be able to eat the Passover. For some reason Pilate conceded this and went out to them and asked them: what is the accusation that you bring against this man? They said: Listen; if He wasn’t a bad person we would not have brought Him to you. That didn’t satisfy Pilate nor would it satisfy most people. He may not have been a great ruler, or a great judge, but he still knew that something was very much amiss with this situation.
ii. He tells them – “you take Him and judge Him according to your law”. But then they responded. Now listen… this is haughtiness gone to seed, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,''. The very next verse indicates that this is all happening in order to fulfill that which Jesus prophesied concerning the manner of His death.
iii. Here’s a little bit of reading between the lines. Was it impossible for the Jews to execute someone? Was it out of the realm of possibility? The answer is no.
iv. They had done it before and they could have done it again. If they did so though, the Jewish leaders that brought the accusation against Jesus would have had to participate in stoning Him which was the custom of their executions. What they really wanted was not to have their hands dirtied by all this. What they really wanted was some way to pass the blame for what was about to happen off to the Romans and get them to legally kill Jesus. Something else we need to note here is - they are talking about putting Jesus to death—even before any judgment is handed down.
v. You’ll notice that verse 32 tells us Jesus had already explained about His crucifixion. What had He said? “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:32 He said this in keeping with the manner of the death that He was to die. What’s happening here is that the Jews are fulfilling Jesus’ prophesy concerning His death.

B. They brought Jesus to Pilate, and as we consider Pilate we might wonder, what his impression of Jesus is. I’d like you to turn in your Bibles to the gospel of Luke next, the 23rd chapter, where we read the first impressions of Pilate about Jesus. In the religious hearing with Caiaphas and Annas, Matthew records in Matthew 26:65 that the charge of blasphemy has been leveled against Jesus. The problem is the Romans didn’t care about blasphemy. That’s not their problem, it is a religious issue, and it’s the Jew’s problem.

1. Let’s read Luke 23:1-4 - “1. Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. 2. And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.'' 3. So Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?'' And He answered him and said, "It is as you say.'' 4. Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man.''”
2. Notice how these people misrepresented the truth of things. Remember the charge that the Jews have leveled against Jesus is the charge of blasphemy. As far as they are concerned that is an executable offense. They can kill Him for that. When they come to Pilate who is the Roman civil leader, the man with supreme authority over life and death, notice in verse two what they say. We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding giving tribute to Caesar saying that He Himself is Christ the King. Hmmmm that’s a shift.
3. What was it that Jesus had really said about giving tribute to Caesar? Do you recall it? We find this in Matthew 22:17-21 – here is what Jesus had really said about this issue. When the Herodians came to Jesus with the question “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”, His response was very simple. “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” That was the truth of the matter. He had never taught anything about subverting the nation, but to get a sympathetic hearing from the Roman governor they had to lie—these Jewish religious leaders. They had to misrepresent the truth to Pilate, and indeed they did. Pilate knew the Jews would follow a king, and not deliver him up. So he says he finds no fault in Jesus.
4. We go on and read just a little bit further. I want to begin at verse five and read through verse seven since here is where the whole scene is going to change. Luke 23:5-7 – “5. But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.'' 6. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 7. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.” - I can just imagine Pilate at this point saying; “Ah, ha! I have found a way to get rid of this issue. I know that this man is not guilty of death, but I don’t see how to deal with this without stirring up the people or offending Caesar. This looks like my way out of the whole problem. The man is a Galilean and as a Galilean He is a subject to Herod Antipas. “I have nothing to do with this” and he sends Him to Herod.

II. THE HEARING BEFORE HEROD: Now there is another hearing, and this time it is before Herod.

A. We need to understand a little bit about the political geography of that time. The area we would call the Holy Land was divided into parts. One part which was overseen (the part where Pilate was) by the Romans themselves. The part involving Galilee, Nazareth or Capernaum, all places to which we attach the name of Jesus, these are all places under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas.

1. Historically we are told, there was no “love lost” between Pilate & Herod.
2. Why send Jesus there except to wash his hands of the matter? Perhaps as a favorable overture to Herod Antipas? We are not told though there is a hint.
3. Let’s look just a few verses later at Luke 23:12 and notice; “That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for before that they had been at enmity with each other.” This gesture on the part of Pilate, sending Jesus to Herod for judgment, apparently was a good gesture as far as politics were concerned.
4. That then brings us to the actual hearing that takes place with Herod.

B. Luke 23:8-11 – “8. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. 10. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. 11. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.”

1. Herod was very interested in Jesus and very curious about Him. He had heard many things about Jesus and in his curiosity he hoped, as many curious people might have at that time, to see some miraculous thing done by Jesus. But nothing was done.
2. So, Herod questions Jesus and in the course of this questioning he gets no information to satisfy his curiosity.
3. At the end of the day what he and his minions do, is to mock Jesus, to hold Him in contempt and jest. “I don’t have to deal with Jesus. After all we’re in Jerusalem. This isn’t my bailiwick. I’m going to send Him back to Pilate, just send Him back, and let Pilate take care of this.” That’s exactly what he does.

III. PILATE IS AGAIN FACED WITH A DECISION ABOUT JESUS:

A. Neither Pilate nor Herod could find any reason why Jesus should be executed, but Jesus is delivered to Pilate again. Look a little further in Luke 23. As we read the account, we find Pilate is responding to the Jewish people and saying he finds no fault in Jesus concerning the accusations against Him. I will begin reading in Luke 23:13-16 – “13. Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14. said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; 15. "no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing worthy of death has been done by Him. 16. "I will therefore chastise Him and release Him''”

1. Do we see how unjust all of this is? Can we put ourselves in Jesus place for a few minutes, seeing all this going on against Him and yet Jesus is calm, like He has no despair.
2. Pilate says to the Jewish leaders: “look, your own king which is part of the political world over in the region of Galilee has said he didn’t find any cause of death in this man, and I don’t find any cause of death in this man. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to chastise Him and release Him.” Pilate may have been cruel, unprincipled ... but not dumb. He recognized the charges against Jesus were spurious, so he would “chastise him, and release him”

B. Let’s turn to the gospel of Mark where we read about the attempt of Pilate to release Jesus. This is the Passover season, remember. Mark 15:6-11 – “6. Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. 7. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow insurrectionists; they had committed murder in the insurrection. 8. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. 9. But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?'' 10. For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.”

1. Pilate is in a political mess and he has expressed that he knows Jesus is innocent. It sounds like he tries over and over again to release Jesus, but if he does, the political mess is just going to get worse. He knows the religious leaders have trumped this up.
2. Then he remembers that at this particular season of the year it is the custom to release a criminal to these people—someone whom they asked to be released. So he goes to the people and asks: “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
3. But the priests have influenced the people, so they say “No”! The chief priests moved the people to demand Pilate should release Barabbas unto them, a murderer, an insurrectionist, and a thief.

C. There’s one other little incident that takes place in all of this. It’s something that goes almost unnoticed in all the trials and hearings that are going on. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew 27:19 it says of Pilate, “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.''”

1. To us this might not seem the least bit significant. Most of us have dreams and not too many of us care about what the dream may or may not signify or mean—probably nothing. We are not pagan people even if some of us may act that way at times. We’re Christian people. We live in a nation that is not overseen by pagan beliefs—at least not yet.
2. In the pagan world dreams matter a great deal. Dreams were very significant. Dreams were powerful influences in the lives of people. Here’s a woman, Pilate’s wife, who has a dream. Scripture has not told us exactly what the dream was. We’re not given any substance of the dream at all, but she says: It really bothered me. She was very disquieted by her dream.
3. She was so disquieted by it that she sent word to her husband: Don’t have anything to do with this man. Pilate would have been very concerned about this. You and I would not, but Pilate was a pagan, and dreams meant so much, and here’s his wife telling him—“you don’t want to have anything to do with this man. I had a dream about Him and it really bothered me.”
4. This would have been bothersome even to Pilate. What would he do? He is on the horns of a political dilemma, and now his wife has had this dream. He is likely thinking, “I need out of this situation.”

D. Let’s turn back to John 18 again to see what happens. Pilate does his very best to get rid of the situation, to release the Lord to the people, and to get rid of this entire problem.

1. Start reading at John 18:32-36 – “32. that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. 33. Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?'' 34. Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself on this, or did others tell you this about Me?'' 35. Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?'' 36. Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.''”
2. This interview goes on as we look at John 19:1-6 – “1. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3. Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!'' And they struck Him with their hands. 4. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.'' 5. Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!'' 6. Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!'' Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.''”
3. How many times does Pilate have to say this to the people? I find no fault in Him. He brings Jesus forth wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe and said unto them: Behold the man. He wants to get rid of this issue. He wants to release Him. His wife has told him that she’s had a dream: don’t have anything to do with this man.
4. Pilate thinks; “What I will do is scourge Him.” I’m not going into all the details of a Roman scourging now. It’s enough for me to say that it is one of the most terrible beatings. Pilate hopes that if he scourges Him it will satisfy the people. Pilate knew that the charges against Jesus were scurrilous. He thought that if he just beat Him badly that’s going to make everybody happy and he can be rid of Him.
5. In verse six, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out saying: “Crucify Him, crucify Him”. Pilate said to them; “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” He’s saying: Do your own dirty work, you have my permission. You kill Him. I’m not going to do it.
6. Let’s go on reading in John 19:10-11 – “Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?'' Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.''”
7. Jesus tells Pilate that the only way you can do this is because it’s part of God’s plan. Its part of God’s agenda otherwise you would have no power over me whatsoever. The power has been given to you from above. Here’s poor Pilate, he is in a political mess and the Jews knew they had him in a box.
8. John 19:12 – “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.''”
9. Then in John 19:15 – “But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!'' Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?'' The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!''”
10. Wow! What duplicity, what lies they were willing to tell to get Jesus to the cross. They knew that Pilate was not a particularly popular person with Caesar. They believed that if word got to Caesar that Pilate had released a man who claimed to be King of the Jews it would be all over for Pilate—political pressure, and it was to this pressure that Pilate ultimately yielded.

E. That brings us back to another one of those little incidents in Matthew 27:24-25 – “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.'' And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children.''”

1. In Matthew 27:19— we saw Pilate’s wife had a dream, and told him don’t have anything to do with this. Our reading in John’s gospel indicates from the time the trials began Pilate sought a way to release Jesus and he claimed over and over again, “the Man is innocent”. He’s not worthy of punishment.
2. He knew it was for envy that Jesus had been delivered to him. What does he do? Pilate took water and washed his hands and said I have nothing to do with it. I want nothing to do with it. In this symbolic act, he sought to absolve himself in this terrible drama.
3. The fact is, by the washing of his hands, he could not absolve himself of his responsibility in the unjust ending of this whole affair. We see that he wasn’t a courageous man, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with what was about to happen.
4. He washed his hands of the affair and sought a way to transfer the guilt for the injustice that was about to occur to others and they accepted it by saying: “His blood be on us and on our children.”

F. When it is within our power to change or adjust that which is unjust and wrong and we seek to wash our hands of the affair, we cannot absolve ourselves of responsibility.

1. I’ve wonder if we at times, not by a symbolic act perhaps, but by some mental gymnastics, seek to do the very same thing that Pilate did. I’m not going to do the right thing. I know I should. I’m not going to do it, —BUT— I don’t want to be seen as guilty for my behavior.
2. How many times are there that we know what we should do, but don’t? Or what we shouldn’t do, but do, with no more justification than Pilate had?

G. Finally, this morning let’s go Mark 15:15 – “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”

1. Listen to those words, “wanting to gratify the crowd ”.
2. Is this the reason for the conduct that takes us into places that we should not go? Is this the reason for the conduct that leads us to do things that we should not do, or causes us to not do things we ought to do?
3. Willing to gratify the crowd—that’s pressure, folks. Recognize it? In today’s world we often see it as peer pressure, social pressure.

CLOSE: How often do we find ourselves in a situation of conviction knowing what we ought to do or what we ought not to do, yet because of the people around us, the pressure of the moment, the circumstances of the situation, we are willing to gratify the world.

Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified. All of this folks was done for us. All of this unfairness, all of these indignities, all the suffering of the sinless Savior was done for each of us. As we read and re-read these narrative events of the cross, we should more deeply appreciate and understand how much Jesus loves us because He did all of this for me and for you.

You can’t wash your hands of Jesus, my friends, and remove your responsibility toward Him. You can’t wash your hands of Jesus and wash away your responsibility for sin.
There is one place, though, where the washing can occur and will occur and that’s in baptism. It’s not the washing away of your responsibility to Jesus; it is your response to His gift. It is a washing away of your sins, and that is a gift made possible because of the cross.

You can be cleansed from your sins because of the cross. You can be forgiven of your sins because of the cross. While we’re singing the invitation song, if you have not been baptized into Jesus Christ, would you make that decision this morning and respond to God’s invitation to come?

Take this simple step and this morning before you leave this place, you will be washed, cleansed of your sins, because of the cross. Then you will be prepared to meet God in that day.

If there’s any way we can assist, we invite you to come as we stand and as we sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

I have a sermon this morning that I have entitled simply, Prayer. We know as God's children, prayer is a very serious privilege that has been bestowed upon us. I believe the disciples only asked the Lord to teach them one thing and that was prayer. As we find in Luke 11:1-2, “…Lord, teach us to pray…”.

The question may arise, what is prayer? Some may think that the attempt to define prayer is something that is pretty difficult to do, but it's like anything that God has created, complete knowledge of it may be beyond our understanding, but we still benefit from trying to study it. Much like, for example, the human body is beyond our complete understanding, but we still study it. Just like a simple plant. People today, even though a plant is a simple form of life, people still study them. I don't think anybody has complete knowledge.

What is prayer not? I’d start out with prayer is not a bellhop to get out of trouble. Prayer is not merely a psychological release of our pent up emotions. Prayer is not a stump speech that we want to give to God, demanding or commanding him to give us our whims or our desires. Prayer is not a kind of vehicle to display one's proficient knowledge of the language or one's sufficient knowledge of the Bible, even. Prayer is not just for our desires.

What is a good definition of prayer? Someone has said prayer is a line of communication between God and man. That's a simple definition, but it sounds pretty good. Someone else has said prayer is God's love device to maintain fellowship with man. It could be said that prayer is asking, seeking and knocking. This morning, I'd like to read in the beginning here a number of scriptures to help us get an idea of what prayer is.

Starting with Matthew 7:7-8 where it says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Now, I'd like for us to take a journey to First Kings 17:1; 18:41-46, then we will go into James. First, I Kings 17:1. “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

Then I Kings 18:41, “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 42. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 43. And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 44. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. 45. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”—First Kings 18:41-46.

Let's look at James 5:17-18. “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

One more, Luke 18:1-7, “1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5. Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?”

The way I understand it, the Lord wants us to be individuals that are diligent in prayer. We are not to just ask the Lord or go before the Lord just one time. We are to continue to ask our Lord. We are not just to seek Him one time. We are to continue to seek the face of our Lord. We're not to knock just one time, but the Lord will have us to keep on knocking—be persistent. Now consider the widow's conduct. This widow was one thing, at least. She was persistent. She troubled this wicked judge. This may be an individual who was without a conscience. He did not fear God. Neither did he regard man. He didn't care much about man, but this widow was not deterred because of this judge's conduct. She continued to come before this judge. She didn't give up. What we should gather from this is, unlike the judge, our God is a loving God. He cares about us. Therefore, how much more should we be persistent in our prayers before him?

Consider Elijah's prayer. This was a great man. After praying that there would be no rain, later for the first time when he prayed the first time, no rain came. He didn't quit. He prayed a second time, and again, no rain appeared, but he didn't quit. Then he prayed a third time, and, of course, no rain came at that time. He still did not quit. This man of God prayed the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh time. Then the Lord answered his prayer and there was rain. Many people probably would have given up earlier than Elijah.

Some people would have perhaps given up the very first time and began to think that maybe God does not exist. He did not hear my prayer. Some may give up thinking God don't love me, therefore I'm going to stop praying. Some may conclude that maybe they committed some sin they are unaware of, and therefore, God is not answering their prayer. Some may say or think that they're not good enough, therefore God is not hearing my prayer. We must remember that God is not like man. Peter says. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” That's Acts 10:34-35

Notice God is no respecter of person. In other words, he shows no favoritism. He heard Elijah's prayer and he also will hear our prayers. As long as we are individuals that fear God and as long as we are individuals that work righteousness, our prayers will be heard just like Elijah's prayers were heard many years ago. This means, of course, that we're living for Christ, that we are doing God's will, that we are 100% committed to the Lord. If we want God to hear our prayers, we must constantly keep in mind His will. That's very important.

Notice what we read in First John 5:14-15. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

We must remember that prayer is not an avenue to get whatever we simply desire. There is a poet that has written these words; He says, I ask for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for help that I might do great things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might enjoy all things. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for. Despite myself, my prayers were answered. I am among all things most richly blessed.

The author is unknown. God is out for our best, not necessarily for the things that we desire. Therefore, prayer must be within God's will. Prayer is a great privilege. Before men can fully appreciate what prayer is and what it means, I think we need to know some things about God. First, we must know God. Notice these scriptures.

“Jesus said, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.” John 8:54-55.

Again “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

One more, First John 2:13-14. “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one”

Knowledge of God is crucial. It is crucial. It is necessary. The Jews did not know Him at least in an intimate way that should have been revealed in their lives. Knowledge is equal to access. In the general sense, without knowing God, people cannot know how best to approach God. A person may have general ideas about God. The lost may cry for mercy. The lost may cry to know God, but no man can expect God to hear him if he don't want to know God in an intimate way. Personally, I believe, to know God means that first I must know Jesus.

To know Jesus means to know God's will. To know God's will means I know how to pray. The early disciples knew Jesus, and consequently they knew the father. By knowing the father, they could go to him with confidence. They could go to him with confidence because it was according to a proper knowledge. We must get to know God.

What is your concept of God? What is your knowledge of God? Let's consider some things that should mold our concept of who God is. First, God owes His existence to no one. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” That's John 1:1-3.

God owes His existence to no one. There is no beginning for God. The Bible says all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. I think that's pretty clear. Everything made was made by God the father, or you could say God the son. It was made by the God head therefore He wasn't made by anyone. We should be mindful of this. God is accountable to no one. There's no one higher than God. There's no one that we can appeal to above God. God answers to no one… You know what? Everyone answers to God. Every person, you and I, and every person on this planet answers to God, but God answers to no one.

Next God has no need to depend upon anyone. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty”. Revelation 1:8.

In life, man is born depending upon others, and he dies depending upon others. A child depends upon his parents. In essence, he depends upon God indirectly. An adult depends upon others in life. Ultimately he depends upon God as well to even help sustain him. God has never needed others. God created the earth. He did it alone. He did not need an aid or someone to help him in making the earth. He did not have helpers. Unlike man, God has no parents. God is the beginning. God has no end. There's no death for God. Everything starts with God, and everything shall end with God.

Next, God has learned from no one.

“I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.” Proverbs 8:12.

That's wisdom speaking.
Then Proverbs 8:22-30 says, “22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28. When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29. When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30. Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;”
A couple more, Isaiah 40:13. “Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counseller hath taught him?”

Then First Corinthians 2:16, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Everybody has to sit at the feet of another. One can argue that Adam had sat at the feet of his creator, God. Every person has to learn from someone else, even those who would be considered geniuses among us. They have to learn from someone else. No one is so smart that they do not need someone else in their lives for them to learn.

Think about it. God knew all. He learned from no one… no one at all. From the beginning, He possessed wisdom. Before all His works of old, God possessed wisdom. He did not need a counselor. He did not need a teacher. He did not need someone to give Him directions. God did not have to go to the equivalent of Home Depot to get instructions on how to create the mountains or the deep. He did not need such help.

Next, with God, nothing is impossible. “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” – Mark 10:27. With God, all things, all things are possible.

Just to consider what we know that God has created is mind boggling. Think about the heavens, the space, and how it is expanding, expanding at a rate, as I understand it, faster than the speed of light. We would never be able to view or touch the end of the heavens or the space.
He's the creator of the earth, the skies that we gaze upon, the land that we walk upon, the mountains that sometimes we try to climb, the waters that we love to find ourselves within, and all the creatures that we have discovered, and not to mention those that we haven't discovered that God has created. Since nothing is impossible, you know God, if he so chose, he still can make new creatures. That's how nothing is impossible with God. He created all that we know and understand and beyond that.

God is everywhere. The Bible says in Psalms 139:7-12, “7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10. Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

Next, God is everywhere. He is in the heavens, beyond our reach. He is also in the depths of the ocean, in the middle of the ocean, places that we have not placed our feet upon. We can say God is there. God is throughout the earth, and we cannot run from him, we cannot hide from him, and we cannot escape His presence. That is very significant.

Next, God is all knowing. Again in Psalms 139:1-4 says, “1. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”

God knows all about us. There's nothing about us that He does not know. God has searched me, and He knows me. God also has searched you, and He knows you. God has searched me. He understands my thoughts from afar off. God also knows your thoughts from afar off. He's acquainted with all my ways, good and bad. He is also acquainted with all your ways, whether they're good or bad.

Before a word is on my tongue, before I say a word, he knows it before I utter it. It’s the same for you. Before a word is on your tongue, He knows it all too well. Having this knowledge should impact how we view God, first of all, and also how we pray to God.

The things mentioned does not cover all that there is to know about God. There's obviously much more about God for us to understand. As God's children, we have the privilege that very few people truly have. Yes, there are hundreds or millions probably that pray daily. How many are praying according to biblical knowledge? How many, even among God's people are praying according to biblical knowledge? Unfortunately, I think we can say that probably not everybody's praying according to biblical knowledge.

A spiritual growing congregation is a praying congregation. Numbers are not always a true representation of spiritual growth. It's a congregation that looks to Christ for His guidance, looks to Christ for its strength. It's a congregation with courage to face sin when they see it. It's a congregation that has Christian character and is willing to deal with difficult problems without strife among God's people. All this starts with knowing God today.

How is your prayer life? One thing is for sure, if we're living in sin, we don't have an effective prayer life. One's prayer just goes no further than the ceiling. If one is living in sin. Sin is something that hinders prayer. It stops our prayers if we're ignoring sin in our lives. God is ignoring our prayers. Until you are willing to confess, repent, turn from your sins, your prayers will go unanswered. They will go unanswered. Basically, you're wasting your time. That's something to think about. You're wasting your time if you're in sin and you're praying to God and you never obeyed the gospel. Your prayers only reach the ceiling.

Your sins hinder your prayers from being answered. Unless you are willing to know God in an intimate way by obeying the gospel, your prayers will continue to be unanswered.

“Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” John 9:31

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”. First Peter 3:12

If we choose to do evil, we need to understand that the Lord face is against us. He is not for us.

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” That's Acts 10:34-35.

Another scripture says, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24

If you're here today and you have never obeyed the gospel, you need to know that you are in sin and you need your sins to be removed. The only way to have your sins removed is by obeying the gospel.

The gospel says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16

We also need to repent of our sins and to confess our sins and then be baptized for the remission or the forgiveness of our sins. If we choose to do that, the Lord will add us to His church, the body, as we find in Acts chapter 2.

If you are a member of the church and you have not been faithful, or you stand in need of prayer for any reason, we encourage you to come forward as we to sing this song of invitation. Thank you.

View Details

Luke 22:7-13

INTRO: Good morning church. Our text today is Luke 22:7-13 – “7. Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.'' 9. So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?'' 10. And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11. "Then you shall say to the master of the house, `The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'' ' 12. "Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.'' 13. So they went and found it as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.”[NKJV]

We have, over the past few Lord’s days, been approaching the cross in our lessons. We have come now to the last hours of Jesus. At Matthew 26:18 – “And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, `The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'' ' ''” Jesus says, “My time is at hand.” Very little time now remains before Jesus will be crucified by Roman soldiers. Yet, in the hours remaining there is so much to see and to learn. For Jesus the economy of time and the use of precious hours are so important ... and so obvious to readers of the gospel narratives. It is the Passover season. Jerusalem is crowded with worshipers. The enemies of Jesus, as much as they wanted Him dead concluded, as we find in Matthew 26:5 – “But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.''” It was an emotional time in Jerusalem. Almost anything could happen. Historians tell us that during the Passover a special contingent of Roman soldiers was posted there in the event of a disturbance of some sort. Amidst all of this, Jesus quietly, calmly eats the last supper with the apostles. We come to our view of the last supper in the 26th chapter of the gospel of Matthew.

I. THE “LAST SUPPER”

A. It is at this supper we find the betrayer is identified. Matthew 26:21-25 – “21. Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.'' 22. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?'' 23. Then He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24. "The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.'' 25. Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?'' He said to him, "You have said it.''”

1. The betrayal “deal” had already been made as we read in Matthew 26:14-16 – “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?'' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.”
2. Prophetically we read in Psalm 41:9 – “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” – Jesus identifies this passage from the book of Psalms as specifically referring to the betrayer in John 13:18 – “"I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, `He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'”

B. More significant though is the “institution” of what we refer to as the Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26:26-29 – “26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body.'' 27. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28. "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29. "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.''”

1. Elements present at the Passover Feast were unleavened bread, and the fruit of the vine – In Exodus 12:18-20 – we read, “18. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19.For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20. `You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.' ''” This is the Passover Season and during this season according to what we just read in Exodus, no leaven would be permitted in Israel. It is called the feast of unleavened bread.
2. Again in Matthew 26:26 – “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body.” – In Paul’s review of the institution of the Lord’s supper in - 1st Corinthians 11:24 – “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.''” Though not a single bone of His body was broken, yet in His dying on the cross His body is broken for us.
3. Next at v. 27 of Matthew 26 we read of the fruit of the vine. Matthew 26:27 – “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” - “this is my blood” - In Hebrews 9:22 – we are reminded that “…. without shedding of blood is no remission.” His body, His blood. The great atoning sacrifice, memorialized in simple, unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. Memorialize is defined as providing a memorial for, and a memorial is defined as something which brings to mind a person or an event. To bring to remembrance.
4. Now Matthew 26:29 – “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.” – This reminds me of – 1st Corinthians 10:16 – “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” What a significant word, communion. You and I this morning have communed with the blood and the body of Jesus Christ. Communion or fellowship. You and I this very morning, with our Lord, have observed the Lord’s Supper in the Kingdom.
5. In Luke’s gospel concerning the last supper. Luke 22:19 – “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'' - “do this in remembrance of me” - clearly, a memorial feast. We have today memorialized the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
6. Look with me now in 1st Corinthians 11:26 – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” – Notice Paul says that this is a declaration of His coming again - confirmation that humanity is not finished with Jesus! We have eaten the Lord’s supper this morning not only as a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for our sins—but also as a declaration that Jesus is coming again.

II. HE WASHES THE FEET OF THE APOSTLES

A. In John’s gospel we find something very unusual took place at this feast. At the feast Jesus washes the feet of the apostles. John 13:4-5 – He “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” - “and began to wash the disciples’ feet”

1. What is unusual in this event is at that time this was a servant’s responsibility - a menial task of lowly service.
2. I can only imagine how the disciples were taken aback by this. Jesus gets up from the table and lays aside His garment, wraps a towel around Himself, takes a basin of water and stoops to wash the dusty feet of the apostles - note Peter’s reaction at v. 8-9.

B. What Jesus did, was memorialized in John 13. Jesus gave a great demonstration, an object lesson. I know there are those that try to decipher other things from this. Does this mean we need to have a basin and be washing one another’s feet? Let’s read;
C. John 13:12-16 – “ So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?” Let’s pause here and hold that thought as we read Luke 22:24 – “But there was also rivalry among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.”

1. “Do you know what I’ve done to you” Jesus asks. As I think about that against the background showing that they are divided among themselves about who is to be considered greater; I wonder, could this strife have motivated Jesus’ action?
2. Continue in John 13:13f – “"You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.” – The disciples are divided. Who is more important? Jesus demonstrates to them that not a single one of them is greater then the others. He agrees that He is their master. Yet, He can wash their feet. What can we learn from this? Let me suggest;

a. If a person has a good understanding of himself, who he is, his identity, he can stoop to any kind of service.
b. Jesus uses the word we translate “as” “as I have done”. A word of comparison that indicates the service they should do is not necessarily in the literal washing of one another’s feet but “as” He has done. Taking the opportunities to serve in any way possible.
c. If the Master can serve in the most menial of ways, His servants must not think they are too good to do so. Not one of us is so important in the following of Christ, in the Kingdom, that they can not stoop to lowly service. John 13 teaches by demonstration how you and I, as disciples of our Lord are not to elevate ourselves in any way where we can not serve.

III. JESUS’ PRAYER FOR HIS DISCIPLES

A. In John 17 we read the wonderful prayer of Jesus that He makes in these last hours. John 17:4 – “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” – I wonder how one glorifies the Father? I suspect all of us have wondered that from time to time. How do we glorify God?

1. Then immediately I see that Jesus gives the answer right there in simple words: “I have finished the work...”
2. We glorify God in the careful obedience to His will - as Jesus exemplified.
3. As we read this in John’s gospel I wonder if we don’t miss the point, that this simple, sweet prayer ... is truly instructive! This, like all other things is preserved in scripture for our instruction. The first thing this prayer teaches is how to glorify God, and that is in the same way that Jesus glorified Him by accomplishing the work He has set out for us to do, by obeying His revealed will.

B. The second thing we are taught in this prayer is found in John 17:14-16 – “14. "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15. "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16. "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” - Discipleship must be lived in the real world. There are times when I could pray that it be time to go home to be with the Lord. I get tired, and discouraged, and I lose sight of the point of this life.

1. We must always remember while we are to live in this world we are not of the world.
2. The secret folks to living in, but not of, the world I find in John 17:17 - "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." The word sanctify comes from the same root as the word we translate Holy. This word means in its root form, “different”. Make them different, different from what? Different from the worldly people whose minds are all on worldly things. Make them different “through thy truth” :” thy word is truth”
3. Later, just before Jesus is sent to the cross, Pilate will ask, “What is truth?” - The answer is clear! God’s word.

C. John 17:20-21 – “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” – He has prayed so we understand what it is to glorify God. He has prayed so we understand how it is we live a different life here in this world. Now He prays so we understand the need for unity among believers.

1. And yet, that unity has been so difficult to achieve and maintain over years of time. 1st Corinthians 1:10 – Here the apostle writes to a church which unfortunately is much divided. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”– He goes on to explain concerning the division there. That church was divided ... and the solution was that they all needed to speak the same thing. What is it that they, and we, are to speak? The word of God.
2. We need, you and I to do all that we possibly can to achieve and maintain unity. Not by negotiation and compromise with worldly things but unity based on the word of God. Not union but unity.

a. Too much, the religious people of this world seek union. You be this and we will be that, but we will be at union one with another. We will work together in union to accomplish some goal, some charitable need perhaps.
b. All of that sounds oh so good to our “human” minds. But folks, that is not unity based on the word of God. The only unity worthy of the name is unity that goes to the word of God. We can be one, as long as we teach, preach and practice exactly what the word of God defines.

1. One more thing about those last hours I’d like to look at. Go back with me to

IV. WELL MEANING AFFIRMATIONS BY THE APOSTLES

A. Matthew 26:31-35 – “31. Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: `I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32. "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.'' 33. Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.'' 34. Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'' 35. Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!'' And so said all the disciples.”

1. Jesus, once again, speaks of His death and resurrection - He quotes from Zechariah 13:7 – “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,'' says the Lord of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones” - prophecy concerning the Messiah’s death.
2. He adds that “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night”
3. Jesus even tells them that after His resurrection He will meet them in Galilee!

B. This, of course, brings a well meaning protest from Peter and the rest.

1. “I will not deny You” - “And so said all the disciples.”
2. I do not doubt for a single minute the sincerity of these words of the apostles. I believe that when they said this they believed they could remain steadfast even to the point of their own death as Peter suggested.
3. We simply do not know what the “hour of trial” may bring - how will we react; respond when the pressure is very real. In the hour of trial when the cost may be so great… even to the cost of ones life. There was a requirement of the Roman government in the first century that every person say that Cesar was lord. Simple words. Christians were required to do the same thing. Historians tell us that there were those Christians that steadfastly refused to do so. But there were pragmatic Christians, who in the hour of trial said; “those are just words. I know Jesus is Lord and Cesar is not deity, but I’ll say those words so I can continue with my life as usual.” Think of 1st Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

CLOSE: It is interesting to me that Jesus’ last meal before His crucifixion is at the time of Passover. Even more interesting, it was the last meal before He became our Passover. I’m thinking of 1st Corinthians 5:7 – “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”! It was the blood of the Passover lamb which spared the children of Israel on that fateful night. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, which can spare us from eternal death. Have you availed yourself of that sacrifice? In Revelation 1:5 John reminds us it is by the blood of Jesus that our sins are washed away. We find that word “wash” again in Acts 22:16 in connection with baptism. It should be logical to us then, that it is the blood of Jesus which cleanses us and washes us from our sins. In the washing, not the filth of the flesh, but the washing away of sins in baptism, Jesus becomes our Passover. But have we applied the blood?
If you have never been baptized into Jesus Christ you are in danger of eternal death just as the children of Israel so long ago in Egypt, were in danger of death if the blood of the Passover lamb was not applied to the doorway of the house. You can apply the blood of Christ this morning in faith and penitence as you confess the name of Jesus Christ, you can be buried with Christ in baptism. Think of where you are beneath the cross of Christ. Are you in Christ or are you just an onlooker? If you need to be baptized or if you have any other needs we invite you to come as we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Matthew 21:1-11

INTRO: Good morning church. Our text today is taken from Matthew 21:1-11.
The time is growing short. Jesus has been on the way to Jerusalem and the cross, and it is now time for Him to “be received up”. We left off with Luke 9:51 last time where we read, – “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,”. The Bible gives us an excellent glimpse of this time which I will call “near the cross”. The gospel records contain a treasury of knowledge about these last few days before the crucifixion. As we look at these records it is evident that these last days, this last week, were filled with events and teaching. I have the impression as I look at this, that Jesus is very aware that time is short and that there is so much yet that He needs to leave with the apostles. Spend a few minutes with me this morning looking at Jesus near the cross.

I. THE “TRIUMPHAL” ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

A. Open your bibles to our text, Matthew 21:1-11, where we read what is often described as the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. I won’t read the entire account, but I will start at verse 8. “8. And a very great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!'' 10. And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?'' 11. So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.''” - “Hosanna to the son of David”

1. Jerusalem was crowded for it was the season of the Passover. Some have suggested based on the recorded number of sacrifices that were offered during this period, there may have been over 2 million people in the city. It was a crowded place.
2. Against this backdrop the drama of His entry into Jerusalem could hardly have been greater

B. As I look at this “drama”...

1. I see Jesus came riding on a donkey. For us that is not particularly significant, yet for those people, against the background of prophesy, it was a deeply significant thing. If you turn in your bibles to - Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” What was Jesus doing coming into Jerusalem riding a donkey? This is a time when huge crowds of people would have made it impossible to stand in one place and be heard by a multitude. His riding into the city on a donkey was a silent object lesson based on the prophesy of Zechariah that He is declaring Himself to be the King. Often we hear speculation that Jesus never came right out to say that He was the King, but there were intimations. Here is one of the times when without a word He declares, “I am the King”.
2. The crowd is shouting “hosanna” – and that word means in Hebrew “save now” – I can not help but wonder if these people, without understanding it, are declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. Look in the book of Psalms; - Psalm 118:25-26 – “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”
3. Then there were palm fronds, branches, clothes, that were strewn on His path. Again because of our modern, western minds we do not fully grasp the deep significance of this. This was a symbol of honor, joy, victory, and respect. By the people doing what they did they added to the drama that Jesus is declaring Himself to be the King. Revelation 7:9 – “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,”

C. Then came an important question in Matthew 21:10 – “And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?''”

1. “Who is this?” I was thinking as I studied that there were times when a crowd does something as a crowd and then begins to wonder why? Let me illustrate. Have you ever noticed in walking along a crowded street that if someone looks up into the sky, it isn’t long until someone else stops and looks up into the sky, and then someone else and so on? If you look up into the sky like everyone else you wonder, what you are looking for. Here we have the question, “Who is this?”
2. The immediate answer we find in Matthew 21:11 – “So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.''” It is true the people had hailed Him as "the Son of David," but they still did not understand His complete identity. Christ was born in Bethlehem, but it suited the purpose of the religious leaders to stress Jesus’ home as Nazareth. The people’s emphasis upon Nazareth shows how successfully the Pharisees had done their work. Even those who called him "Son of David" were not well grounded in their conviction.
3. “…Jesus the prophet from Nazareth...” That was not the whole answer. If you turn in your bibles to Acts chapter 2 starting in verse 22 we find the real answer to the question “Who is this?”
4. Acts 2:22-24,36 – “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” – now go with me to verse 36 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” – There is the real answer.

II. ABOUT JUDAISM AND THE TEMPLE

A. During these days near the cross Jesus also spoke of Judaism and the temple. In the gospel of Matthew 23:37-38 – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Look carefully at these next words. “See! Your house is left to you desolate;” – “Your house is left to you desolate;”

1. Here Jesus describes the temple as “your house”. He does not refer to it as God’s house. It was, after Christ’s rejection, no longer God’s house, but theirs! Judaism has become so corrupt, and so rebellious that God has abandoned it!
2. In the book of Ezekiel 11:22-23 you will find a picture of what is happening in Jerusalem. You will see God leaving the temple in the midst of the city and going up to the mountainside on the east. God abandons the house because of the corruption, the apostasy that is there. Then in Luke 19:41-42 – This event is described a little bit differently. – “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” He beheld the city and wept over it! The apostasy of God’s people is always cause to weep. That is the situation as Jesus looks down upon the city.
3. Jesus wept over the city and the temple. He sees it with different eyes. Eyes that see the evil, the corruption, the apostasy. Then in Matthew 24 He speaks prophetically of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

B. Matthew 24:1-2 – “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” – This magnificent work of man, this beautiful building. This building that meant so much to the Jews; Jesus says is going to be torn down. Jerusalem’s destruction is prophesied

1. With this verse, begins a section of scripture that has given rise to all kinds of speculation. People of the pre-millennial viewpoint have taken this and developed all sorts of ideas about the Lord’s return ... and signs of the end times. Jesus was talking about the end of the temple and Jerusalem.
2. Then in speaking of the end of time He says in: Matthew 24:36 “But” – “But of that day…” this references the previous verse, “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” In Mark 13:32 Jesus adds “…., nor the Son,” He says I don’t even know.
3. The signs He was talking about were about the coming end of Jerusalem, but of the end of time we do not know. Certainly it will happen, but when we first know about it, will be the sound of the trumpet of the Lord.

III. GREAT TEACHINGS ABOUT END OF TIME AND JUDGMENT

A. Jesus did speak of the end of time and of the judgment to come. If we continue to read Matthew 24 at v.42 – “42. "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43. "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44. "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” There are not going to be signs saying it is next week or next month or next year. This will be in a time of complacency. A time when some are not the least concerned He will come.

1. Continuing now at v.45, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” – Oh, the Lord is going to come, and He is going to issue the great universal judgment. This will be a coming as a thief in the night. “Watch…for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
2. Clearly, what Jesus teaches is the absolute need for constant faithfulness.

B. Look now in v.48 and notice how He describes this problem that is so common to humanity, the problem of complacency. – “48. "But if that evil servant says in his heart, `My master is delaying his coming,' 49. "and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50. "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51. "and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

1. He is putting off His coming, so I have time to do as I wish and clean up afterward, right? Did you ever do that as a child or have children do that to you? The folks are not home so we can do something we should not do, and then put everything right before they show up?
2. We had a big chest freezer in the basement of the old farm house and in it were frozen produce from the garden and frozen meat from animals. There would occasionally be those cardboard cartons of ice cream from the store. One day dad was in the fields and mom was in the garden and I, for what ever reason, was alone in the house. I went to the freezer and took out the carton of ice cream. Now I knew better then to open the top of the container and take some out. It would be obvious when it was opened next that it had been opened before. I opened the bottom! I’m really not sure what I was thinking; but you can imagine what my dad’s reaction was when he opened this “brand new” carton of ice cream and went to dig some out and his scoop suddenly fell through the “untouched” ice cream to the bottom of the container!
3. The problem of growing complacence is a real one and it develops into irresponsible behavior, and the irresponsible behavior makes us unprepared. Folks, there is no time to become prepared when that day comes. We need to be prepared for it to come.
4. The Lord insists in faithful readiness and preparation. Jesus will return to herald the judgment - but there’ll be no signs of its coming.

C. In these last days of His ministry on earth we hear the Lord talk about the foolish virgins and wise virgins, the parable of the talents, and the great judgment scene where He describes dividing the sheep from the goats.

1. All of this is in Matthew 25 – which gives us a vivid “look” at the judgment.
2. When you read Matthew 25 about such themes as preparation, or responsibility, or service to others – realize that what He speaks about are things on which we will be judged.
3. All of this, it seems to me, is critical “last minute” information from the Lord, who will soon return to His place in heaven.

IV. THE ANOINTING

A. Read with me next from Matthew 26:6-13 – “6. And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7. a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "To what purpose is this waste? 9. "For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.'' 10. But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11. "For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12. "For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13. "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.''” “...she did it for my burial”.
B. Jesus refers to His death ... and burial in v.12 of Matthew 26.

1. Did these words make an impression on the disciples?
2. I’m not sure they did at the time – but Jesus says in Matthew 26:13 – “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” - this was an act to be remembered.
3. In this passage there is the lesson that some opportunities will come only once. Opportunities to serve, opportunities to express our love, our care and our concern. We need to take those opportunities of service in the knowledge that they may only come once.

V. THE BETRAYAL “DEAL”

A. In Luke 22:2-6 – “2. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6. Then he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.” - “And they were glad, and agreed to give him money”

1. The scribes and Pharisees want Jesus dead - but as is indicated here and elsewhere, they feared the people. Jesus had a very sympathetic hearing from many of the people. The chief priests and scribes knew they could not arrest Him in the presence of all the people without putting themselves in jeopardy. Jesus was a popular figure.
2. We read this in Matthew 21:45-46 – “Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.” - it was necessary, then, for them to find some way to take Jesus when He was apart from the multitude.
3. Along comes Judas. The deal Judas made involved “the absence of the multitude” and 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave.

B. The big question ... why? Why did Judas do this? Why would Judas betray his Lord and his Master? Why would Judas betray this one who had done him no harm?

1. All sorts of speculation is offered ... and written (some sound credible). The bottom line is we only know what is written in the scripture.
2. Note Luke 22:3 – “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.” – There is the answer. Why would Judas do such a thing? Because Satan held sway over his life.
3. Here we see the great contemporary lesson surrounding Judas - when Satan is in control of us, we may do the most wicked and sinful things. No wonder then that Peter wrote in 1st Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” and then he adds “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” We need to be watchful and to resist the attempts of Satan, remain steadfast in faith. That is the answer to our not falling prey to the same kind of thing that Judas did. We may not betray the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, yet, we still may by our conduct, our manner of life, betray Him.

CLOSE: These last days of our Lord Jesus Christ on the earth are days needing our careful attention. Do we really appreciate what is going on here? We need to read about this period of time and think on it. There were friends who loved Him. There were enemies who hated Him. Which are we? Jesus reminds us in John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Sometimes we may find our love and our faith has become weak. The cares of the world get to us and we slack off in our diligence. We need to read and study the Bible more often and recharge our faith, take into our hearts the great love that God shows us. As we sing this next song we need to think on that. Do we keep His commandments and show our love for Him? If you love the Lord and want to be His true disciple then you need to listen to what He says in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:16. It is so important. We need to be ready when He comes. If you need to come we invite you to do so now as we stand and as we sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Luke 9:51, John 12:34

INTRO: Good morning church. Our text today is taken from Luke 9:51 and John 12:34. Let’s first look at Luke 9:51 – “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,” [NKJV]. Next in John 12:34 we read, “The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, `The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?''”.

When we read the four gospel records, it is evident almost from the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus was destined to die on the cross. We saw this last time as we examined sacrifice, and saw that the sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were only a shadow of the perfect sacrifice to come, Jesus Christ.

There are numerous prophetic indications of this event. These prophetic indications, well known to us, were also well known to the people of Jesus day. Yet at that time these indications were not fully understood.

We recognize that from the beginning of His earthly ministry He is destined to the cross. We also recognize that even before He came in human form He was destined to die as a sacrifice for our sins. However when Jesus spoke of His death, reactions were varied and sometimes what He said was misunderstood.

For example, His disciples were adamant that such a thing should not befall Him. The people of that day were certainly confused about the Messiah and as we see in our reading of John 12:34 they believed that “Christ remains forever”. The passages they might have had in mind are Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; and Daniel 7:14. In all of these, the everlasting dominion of the Messiah is implied or stated. This morning as we continue this series we are going to be looking at, “on the way to the cross”.

I. LET US BEGIN BY LOOKING AT PROPHECY...

A. As we do so, keep in mind that the people of His day did not understand the idea of a crucified messiah. The people’s idea was that the law said He’d abide forever and that He would establish an earthly kingdom over which He would reign for eternity. They did not comprehend that the Christ could be crucified.

1. We begin in Genesis 3:15 – Many believe this is the earliest prophetic saying about the ultimate death of Christ. Here God is speaking to Satan after the transgression of Adam and Eve and He says: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” - “you shall bruise His heel”. Satan would bruise the heel of the coming Messiah but it is not a mortal wound. On the other hand the Messiah, the woman’s seed, would deliver a mortal wound to the head of Satan. Satan was responsible for taking Jesus to the cross because of our sin. This was the bruising of the heel. Not a mortal wound, yet from the physical perspective it was, but what Jesus did on the third day was to rise from the dead.
2. Now lets look in Isaiah 53:12, in this chapter concerning Christ, we read, “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” – Keeping that in mind, turn with me to Luke 22:37 – where Jesus says “For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: `And He was numbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an end.” - “numbered with the transgressors”
3. Look at the first part of the verse of Daniel 9:26 – “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;…” Jesus taught His disciples in Mark 8:31 – “that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,…” - “Messiah shall be cut off”
4. In the book of Psalms there are numerous prophecies. In Psalm 22:16-18 – “16. For dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17. I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

a. We can see this in Matthew 27:35 – “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.''”
b. Also in John 20:25, this is what is written about Thomas, “The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord.'' But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.''”
c. Next we read in verse 27 “Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.'” - “they pierced...”
d. We read in Psalm 34:20 – “He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.” And in then John 19:36 – “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken.''” - “not one of them is broken”

1. Let’s compare Psalm 40:6-8 - “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the Book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.''”

a. With Hebrews 10:7-10 - “7. Then I said, `Behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written of Me to do Your will, O God.' '' 8. Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them'' (which are offered according to the law), 9. then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.'' He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” –
b. “I delight to do thy will”. Marvelous prophesy. Hundreds of years before Christ came in the flesh; specific things are said concerning the death of Christ. Those prophesies were then referred to by Christ and the New Testament writers to confirm that He is the fulfillment.

1. In Psalm 41:9 – we read something which to me is one of the sadist of the prophetic references, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” … Of whom does this prophesy speak? Jesus says in John 13:11,18 – “11. For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean.''' Then in verse 18, "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, `He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'”
2. We turn next to Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

a. In the New Testament John 19:33-37 – “33. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken.'' 37. And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced.''”
b. “whom they have pierced” The way to the cross was strewn with prophetic notice!

B. From our point of view in retrospect, these things seem so clear, so obvious. These were also well known to the disciples in Jesus’ day – they were known to be Messianic in nature. Yet the people had in their minds that the “Christ abideth forever”, and they applied this to a physical expectation rather then spiritual. They did not grasp that the Christ would be crucified.

1. From the very beginning we see that Jesus is on the way to the cross, and it was not a question of would He be sacrificed... but when.
2. Would you open your bibles to Acts 2:23 – In this memorable sermon on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, the apostle Peter and others speak concerning the events in Jerusalem on that fateful day “Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” - As we look at this historically you and I are not surprised. We know about the prophecies and we look at them with a fuller understanding then did the people of that time.
3. We know that what happened in Jerusalem on that Friday was the fulfillment of prophecy. Can you imagine how staggering this must have been for them to realize that they had crucified the Messiah? The sermon that day continues and when they come to this realization they say, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” The response was they were told “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;”.
4. Later in the book of Acts we read about this man from Ethiopia who asked Philip for help in understanding some scripture. Acts 8:32-35 – “32. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so He opened not His mouth. 33. In His humiliation His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.'' 34. So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?'' 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.” - “of whom does the prophet say this”. All of these prophecies bring us to Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.

II. THEN, THERE WAS WHAT JOHN THE BAPTIST SAID We looked at this awhile ago but turn with me now to John 1:29,36 – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

A. “…the Lamb of God”. If we had no other information, what John says here might be somewhat obscure to our modern western mind.

1. But as we realized from our look at sacrifice, to the people of that day the mention of a lamb and sin would be very clear. They knew about sacrifice concerning a lamb and sin.
2. Here we find Jesus at the very beginning of His ministry and here is the indication He is going to die as a sacrifice.

B. Let’s look at some verses in Genesis 22:7-8,13. Here we have the incident involving Abraham, and his son Isaac. We know God told Abraham to take his only son to a place He would tell him and Abraham was to offer Isaac there as a burnt offering. We also know that God had promised that though Abraham’s seed God would make a great nation.

1. “7. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!'' And he said, "Here I am, my son.'' And he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?'' And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.'' And the two of them went together.”
2. Going to verse 13 – “Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.”
3. Every time I have read this I have wondered if these words “God will provide himself a lamb...” were prophetic? Perhaps, I really don’t know, yet I do know that what God did for Abraham in providing him a sacrifice, He has done for all humanity! The lamb God provided was Jesus Christ. "Behold the lamb of God".
4. We studied 1st Peter recently, and in these verses are some of the noblest scripture in the entire Bible. In these are references to Christ, the Suffering Servant, as depicted in Isaiah 53. – 1st Peter 2:21-24 “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth''; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.”

III. ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS...

A. There were three and a half years of “ministry”.

1. 3 ½ years filled with touching people’s lives. Peter’s mother-in-law who was ill, the widow whose son was being carried out for burial, over and again we see how He touches the lives of people.
2. 3 ½ years of teaching about the kingdom of God. Think of all the parables about the kingdom.
3. 3 ½ years of challenging contemporary views of religion. This religion we know was no longer the pure Law of Moses but had been changed by man.
4. 3 ½ years of growing criticism from spiritual leaders of His day.

B. It was also three and a half years sprinkled with comments about His death. His own comments. Let’s look at some of these.

1. Matthew 16:21-22 – “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!''” - We see Peter immediately rejected such an idea. His disciples refused to accept what Jesus showed them about His coming death on the cross.
2. John 2:18-22 – “18. So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?'' 19. Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'' 20. Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?'' 21. But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” - Again, words prophetic and misunderstood. Words that toward the end of His life that would be remembered as an accusation against Him... yet, He never was speaking of that building, that temple of stone. He was speaking of His body.
3. John 3:14-15 – “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”. - Words so easy for us to understand in retrospect ... but words that were so unwanted then.
4. John 12:32-34 – “32. "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.'' 33. This He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34. The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, `The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?''” – Here they understood but refuted as incomprehensible—a crucified Messiah!
5. Luke 22:19-20 – “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” - “my body...my blood” “which is shed for you”. So clear this is to us.

C. Jesus was always on the way to the cross. There was always the cross “looming” in Jesus’ future.

1. Also in Luke chapter 9 verse 51 – “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,” - We notice the words “when the time had come...” What we need to understand is that God had a time line. There was a schedule to keep. It is not given to us to understand the time line or the schedule, but what we can understand is that there was a time when it was the right time for Jesus to die on the cross.
2. From the beginning (yes, even from before time began) this was an appointment Jesus would keep. On the way to the cross? Folks, Jesus was always on the way to the cross!

CLOSE: I cannot imagine living and working usefully with such a thing as crucifixion looming over me. I tell you, folks, I would be a “basket case”. Jesus knew that this event would benefit all of humanity ... He knew it was necessary for Him to die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He willingly went to the cross in the knowledge that He would be raised the third day. That did not alter the horror of the cross ... but it made it worthwhile to Him.

He knew that the way of the cross leads home—just as it does for us. There is no way to the Father but by the way of the cross, by way of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. There is no way home but by the way of the blood of our Savior. In the marvelous wisdom of God, a plan was devised by which you and I can know that we are cleansed by the blood of Christ.

This marvelous plan of God involves death, burial and resurrection. In baptism this resurrection become ours personally, for we enter into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ when we are buried in the waters of baptism, and through faith in God are raised to walk in newness of life. You will find this recorded in Romans 6:3-5. The way of the cross still leads home.

It is one thing to think of “on the way to the cross” as an historic event, but there is something else there for us personally. Don’t see this only as a lesson, though it is one. If we see it only as a lesson, we will miss the point of the cross. This applies to us… to you and me. We are offered the opportunity of the cleansing, of forgiveness because of the sacrifice of Jesus in atonement for our sins. He died in our place. It is up to us to respond to that. It is up to you to accept the offer that is made for cleansing and forgiveness by making His sacrifice yours, which you do when you are baptized.

God extends the invitation “come”, to everyone. To those who are in need of accepting the way, and to those who need to find their way back. If you are in this assembly and there is any way in which we can give you assistance, we invite you to come while we stand together and while we sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Into The World – Philippi
Dr. Rob Sidwell
8/16/2024

Good evening once again. It’s good to see everyone out this evening. I have more to say after we're done with our invitation song. I'd like to thank you all once again for the opportunity you've given to me and the great kindness and generosity you've shown to me and the encouragement that you've given to me this week. It means a lot to me. I'll stop that right now, and get to the lesson for this evening.

We're talking about places this week. We have to do a brief review. We've learned that one can be saved regardless of where you're from. We shouldn't trust in a place to save us. We shouldn't trust in an object to save us. We shouldn't trust in the relationship our parents had or didn't have with God to save us. We should treat others well. We should treat others well not to be saved, but because we are saved. We talked about taking revenge and how we shouldn't do that. We should, in fact, show kindness, even to those who are unkind to us.

Last night we talked about how anyone and everyone who works righteousness can come, even of races as despised as Samaritans, with a history as bad as theirs. We talked about responding to Jesus in the right way. This evening we're going to talk about a city called, Philippi.

Philippi in Macedonia was the first city on the continent of Europe, as far as we know, where the gospel is preached. Thus it was privileged. This is not the same place as Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus preached. That's in Palestine. Here we're talking about the Philippi that Paul is going to visit, the Philippi that Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians to. There are lots of places called Philippi in the world today.

If anyone here is from West Virginia, you know that there's a place in West Virginia called Philippi. It was the site of one of the first military engagements of the American Civil War. So if you go down there, you see a plaque. By the way, it's not a national plaque. It's one of the state of West Virginia, Memorial historical plaques. There's a wooden bridge left that dates from the Civil War period. That's it. That's the only historical structure that remains. We were visiting civil war sites and went down there. There's not a lot. Philippi, WV was not a huge engagement in the Civil War, and so it doesn't get noticed that much. There is a town there, I should point out, and it's important to actually point this out. It's like most West Virginia towns. It's a few houses on the side of a mountain.

What about biblical Philippi? Philippi, West Virginia, is better off than biblical Philippi, because biblical Philippi also had wars that raged in and around it, and it was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over the centuries. By the time Paul was in it, it had already been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Today, only a few scattered stones can be found. No one lives there anymore. It's not like Philippi, West Virginia, with a little few houses. Today, only a few scattered stones are left. Philippi was once a wealthy city in its day. It was near gold, as in gold you dig out of the ground, gold mines.

Turn to Acts 16. Acts 16 which tells us Paul is going to sail to Philippi. Paul That was his original plan. If you read, for the sake of time, I will paraphrase, verses 1 through 10. That was his original plan. He wanted to turn a different direction.

He wanted to go into Asia. The Asia we're talking about is the Roman province of Asia. We're not talking China and Mongolia, although that's part of the continent of Asia, but the Roman province of Asia. In verse 9 a vision then told Paul, Come over to Macedonia and help us.

Macedonia was then and where it is now, basically. There's a nation today that's called North Macedonia. It used to just be called Macedonia, and the people insisted that they add the north to it. It's more or less in the same region. It's in Southeastern Europe. This makes Philippi one of the first places in Europe, if not the first place, where the gospel is preached.

We're picking up now in verse 11, New King James. It says, Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony.

Now stop right there for a second. Philippi was a Roman colony. The place had been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The latest before Paul arrived would have been in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar. That's the place where Mark Anthony defeated Brutus and Cassius, the ones who had stabbed Caesar, one of the many battles of Philippi that were fought over the centuries. When the Romans destroyed cities, if the site was still habitable, that's where they put their soldiers.

We talked earlier this week about Roman soldiers having a hard life, 20 years service. After 20 years, you need some land to settle. Philippi was one such place. That tells us immediately this is a Gentile city. Roman soldiers, their families, their descendants are going to make up a big part of the population.

We're in the middle of verse 12. And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Paul is going into this prosperous city. Where did he go? To see the sights? To see the gold mines? No, it says he went to the riverside, where prayer was usually made, where people were interested in religious things, in godly ways, where prayer was customarily made, it says. Some people did worship God, like Lydia. People often ask, how do we carry the gospel into a place? A good place to start is with people who are at least interested. If you're trying to get a foothold in a community, that's probably the best place to go is not the local insert whatever den of iniquity you want here. Probably a good place to start is where people are interested in religious things or godly sorts of things.

Paul didn't erect himself a little pulpit there and stand behind it and preach. There's no indication that Paul preached here. He says, we simply sat down and spoke. They sat down. They talked to others about Jesus. You might say, I can't preach. I'm scared of public speaking. That's not my role in the church. Perhaps it isn't your role in the church, but we can all spread the gospel through what we say and through what we do. We talked earlier this week about having the responsibility to do that. We know that they discussed baptism with Lydia. What do we know about Lydia? She worshiped God and she was a seller of purple.

Colors don't mean a whole lot to us today. If you want a blue shirt, you get a blue shirt. You want a green shirt, you get a green shirt. Colors don't mean much today because we have all these artificial colorings, but 2000 years ago, purple was hard to come by. Some of you already know the story, so I will tell you the details here. As far as to say, it came from sea snails. Getting it was a long and involved process.

Here are a few things you may not know. Guess who tended to wear the Purple? Emperors. Becoming Emperor was often called donning the Imperial Purple. Within the city of Rome, only Roman senators were permitted to wear purple. How did you know, passing someone on the street, if he was a Roman senator? If he was a Roman senator, he had to hold up his toga with one arm. There was a stripe, a purple stripe, down the edge of the toga. This indicated senatorial rank. In Rome, your clothes indicated your rank. And only senators were permitted to wear the purple stripe.

The Emperor, of course, had robes of purple. Roman senators could wear a purple stripe. In other words, Lydia was not poor. Lydia's clientele was even less poor. What did she do when she heard God's word? When she heard the gospel? First she was baptized. I think it bears repeating, even though it's been repeated many times, it should be. You won't find any instance of anyone in this Book of joining the church, being saved, without being baptized, or without being, as some translations have put it, without being immersed. That bears mentioning once again. Then what? She said I've been baptized. I'm saved. We say we’re doing golden deeds. I don't need to do any golden deeds. I've already done my golden deed for my life, so goodbye. What did she do?

It says in verse 15, after she and her household had put on Christ, they were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' So she persuaded us. And they stayed. She did what she could. She would have had the room.

I thank you again for your gracious invitation, but I didn’t want to impose on anybody by staying in their house, but she had the means, and she put them to use. We ask ourselves, does our faith show itself by our actions? You don't need to have James 2 repeated to you. Hopefully you all know it. It says that faith without works is... New King James says it's dead. The ESV says it's useless. Lots of people out there will say I believe then they don't do anything with it. When the Bible says faith saves us or belief saves us, it means that it's talking about a faith that is powerful enough to actually move us to do something about it, not as simple, okay, my brain has connected Jesus with being the son of God, the Messiah, and that's it. I have that intellectual image in my head, and that's it. It's we need to actually believe in Jesus and do something with our faith. We show our faith by our good works, our good deeds, our lifestyle. Pick your version here in James 2.

Things started off well. This is Europe. The gospel has now reached Europe because Macedonia is in Europe. The situation soon changed for Paul and Silas. We're staying here in the Acts 16.
Let's just keep reading picking up in verse 16. It says, Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
Things turned sour, as we would say, rather quickly. Back to verse 18, the slave girl followed them for many days. Why did Paul wait many days before he finally decided this is greatly annoying? He finally had enough to turn around and say I command you, come out of her. In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her. We may wonder about this, but we can know when the things happened the timing was right in God's mind. Of course, money was involved.

Think back to Lydia. She had money. What was she using her money for? The famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote that money, the invention of money was the source of all evil in the world. He wrote that. Is that true? The Bible says, and of course, I'm sure we could all quote that, the love of money is the root of all evil. What does Paul write to Timothy to tell people? He said, Command those who are rich to not be rich? No, he says not to trust in their riches.

So the point is not rich people are always saved or rich people are never saved. The point is, what do we do with our money? Lydia chose to use her money to house Paul and Silas to serve God. Luke was there too, because he says us.

The owners of the slave girl clearly put more emphasis and a much higher importance on money than they did on the life of their slave girl. She made them a bunch of money. That's what they cared about. Paul and Silas ended up in prison when they were severely beaten. Then what happens?

Let's keep reading now in verse 24. Having received such a charge, you put them into the inner prison and fasten their feet in the stocks.

That's why I had to sing 222, Faith of Our Fathers. They were chained in prisons dark. How would you react? How would I react? How would we react? Were they still in heart and conscience free? Would we be willing, like many of them did, to die for God, to die for Christ? What did they do about it? Verse 25, they were praying. At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Has anything bad ever happened to you? Obviously. If you say no, you haven't lived on Earth. Do you feel like singing hymns to God when things that are bad happen? Are they're singing to themselves. No, the other prisoners were listening to them. Do you suppose that might have had an influence on them?

In verse 26, Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Trouble did not cause Paul and Silas to run away from God. I'm just using this for example, obviously. Do we say but God, how could you let this happen to me? How can you let this happen to me? Did they do that? They continued to sing hymns and pray. They became closer to God through trials and tribulations. God obviously did not abandon them. That earthquake was obviously no accident. Then what happened? What would you do? You’ve been beaten. You've been chained up and you've been put in stocks. That's where they hold your ankle securely, but now there's an earthquake. The prison door is open. What are you going to do? Beat it out of there, right? Run as fast as you possibly can? Head for the hills? You're on the lam now. They'll never catch you. Let's see what they did.

Verse 27, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Obviously, this had an effect, a great effect on the jailer. Then Paul did what? He's going to spread the good news.

Verse 30 says, He brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. (A lot of people stop right there. Let’s keep going.) And then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house, and he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately, he and all his family were baptized.

He brought them into his house. He set food before them. He rejoiced having believed in God with all his household. Paul used this opportunity. This guy was probably the one turning the keys, fastening him in chains not so long ago. Here Paul is spreading the gospel to him, giving him the answer to that question every human being should be asking, what must I do to be saved? He reacted. Note what the jailer did. He believed in Jesus, and then that was it, right? No.

We've been over this, but here it is again. He and all his family were baptized immediately. A lot of people will carry it to that step. Okay, I believe. I've been baptized. I'm done. I don't need to be doing any more good deeds. I don't need to be looking closer and getting closer to Jesus. I don't need to open that book ever again. The next time that I see the inside of a church building, they'll be carrying me in a box.

That's not, of course, what the jailer did. He then did what? He showed his faith by what he did. He then did what? He washed their stripes, and he set food before the brethren in his house, and he rejoiced. How many people react the way that most of those lepers did, that Jesus cured? They went right on their way. How many people react upon hearing that they have been saved, that they have been baptized, that they are saved people? Do they rejoice? Are they like the lame man, walking and leaping and praising God? Baptism is crucial, but so is a lifestyle.

Other people will stop right there and they won't read the rest of the story. Let’s look at the rest of the account.

Starting with verse 35And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
Paul was going to point out that what they had done was illegal. It was not only, spiritually wrong, it was simply illegal. It was against the laws of the Empire. Notice the reaction that we get in verse 38.

And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

We give the jailer credit for being baptized. Too often when we as readers give the jailer credit for being baptized, we give the jailer credit for washing their wounds, we give the jailer credit for feeding them, but we don't give the jailer credit for stopping and waiting to listen to what Paul had to say. The jailer did not obey the magistrates. He didn't simply let them go and get them out of there. That also could have been ugly for the jailer. He had disobeyed an order from his superiors. We’ve talked about what the Romans did to those people.

Peter said by inspiration and acts, we must or we ought to obey God rather than men. Paul and Silas did leave the jail, but they went to the house of Lydia, where they encouraged the brethren. What does that tell us? There's already a church there, and it's growing. That it's more than just Lydia and the jailer. The church there is growing.

They finally departed to move on to Thessalonica as Paul's missionary journeys, as we call them, continue. That's Philippi as we see it physically in the scripture. Paul's relationship with the church of Philippi did not end when he physically left town. He wrote the Book of Philippians. that book is full of joy, reminding them and us about the joy we should have in Christ. Paul also commends the church of Philippi directly. He congratulates their members.

Turn to Philippians, chapter 1, verse 3. And while you're turning there, remember where Philippi was. Philippi was a city in an area that mined gold. There was some money there. There were people with money in Philippi.

Philippians 1:3. He says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

Isn't that a nice thought? I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. I'll say, I'm certainly not the apostle Paul, but I think about you people, and I thank God for what you have done and are doing for me. We need to encourage and build each other up. We need to encourage and build each other up.

He continues on in verse 4. He says, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

That's the way he begins this letter right after he says, Grace to you and peace. Too often we skip over the first, 5 to 10 verses of most of Paul's letters. Okay, it's introductory stuff. What can we possibly learn from those 2,000 years later? We can learn the life that Christians need to have. We can learn the things that we need to do for each other. We need to pray for one another, remember each other's service to God, and encourage one another in that service. What did they do for Paul?

Please turn to Philippians 4:14. New King James says, nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress.

The ESV says, It was you to share my trouble. In verses 10 through 13 Paul says they were concerned for him. Why were they concerned? Read through the rest of the Book of Acts and what he lists in 2 Corinthians. How many times has he been stoned? How many times he's been shipwrecked? How many times he's been threatened by Jews and by Gentiles alike? He had more than his share of troubles. He certainly faced dungeon fire and sword, to go back to that song we were singing.

They were concerned about him, and they did what they could to help. Are we, you and I, encouraging fellow Christians? Although words are very important, it goes beyond that. What did Jesus say? If you say to someone who needs something, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, and you don't help them, what good is that? That's no good.

He continues on, verse 15, Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

You sent me help for my needs, says ESV. Once and again, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only.

Was Paul in this for the money? Paul warned about that? Perhaps that one should stand out. We're talking today about people taking advantage of people. There are people out there who will take your money. They're in this for the money. This is a world where many people, if not most people, are much more like the owners of that slave girl than they are like Lydia. They're interested in money, and they don't care who gets hurt. What's our attitude towards things? What's our attitude toward money? Was Paul interested in money?

He says, verse 17 (ESV) Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

What meant more to him was not the money in his purse, the money in his money bag, but the encouragement, the fact that they were willing to put themselves outward to help him and to help the cause of Christ.

Please stay in Philippians. Let's have one reference from a couple of other chapters here.

Philippians 2, verse 12. He says, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation.

I thought people were allergic to that four-letter word. It starts with W, work. In other words, put some effort into proving that not to get saved, you can't earn salvation. Work because you to work. Work because you love God. I used to think people were allergic to that word then I started subbing in high school. I found out people are just allergic to that word. It's down right toxic to a lot of people. Work is not the thing people enjoy doing.

The Philippians church, and by extension us, we today, are supposed to put some effort into it. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do or to work, ESV, for his good pleasure.

We're supposed to put some effort into it. Over and over again scripture tell us to give diligence, put some effort, and make every effort, depending on your version.

2 Peter 1 goes through that list of things that we need to add to faith. That takes work. That takes effort. We read this earlier this week, since we're in Philippians. Philippians 3:20. We said already about Paul and his citizenship, but here it is again. He says, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you're eagerly awaiting Jesus, what does that imply? It implies you're not too attached to things of this world. You can't wait to leave. You eagerly wait Jesus. One more reference from Philippians.

Go to the last chapter, back to chapter four verse 1. He says, New King James, Therefore, my beloved and longed-for Brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

What can we learn from Philippi and the events in Philippi? Firstly, we could learn that God's always had a plan to carry that gospel throughout the world. We'll come back to that in the last point we're going to make. Secondly, we learned what our attitude should be about money? The thing people really get attached to is money. Is having money wrong? No. Is craving money wrong? Absolutely. We need to have the correct attitude towards wealth, the correct attitude towards money that too many in the world do not have. Thirdly, Why? Faith is great, but faith alone is (James 2) worthless, useless, vain. It has to be supported by action. Our faith, the biblical faith, should be a faith that is so strong that it moves us to actually do something about it. Do something because we have faith. Serve God because you're saved, not to get saved.

Finally, building on that, what are we doing? How hard are we working for God? It is a nice lesson to end a meeting with. How hard are you and I working? There is, to quote another song we didn't sing, There's Room in the Kingdom of God for workers who are loyal to him and true. There's room in the Kingdom. There's a place in the service. Was I somebody today who said, I can't do anything anymore. There is work that we all can do.

Hopefully this series of lessons has been helpful to you. I know it's your presence and the lessons and the word of God have been helpful and encouraging to me.

I ask you now, where's your citizenship once again? Who are you working for? Are you working for money? If so, you're working for yourself? What's your alternative? Working for Jesus. Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon. That means money or things. What's your choice? What is your choice going to be? Is Jesus going to find us watching, ready, or is he going to find us distracted by the world, distracted by its wealth, distracted by all the many distractions that are in the world?

You need to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. You need to be willing to confess your faith in him before men. You need to be willing to repent of your sins and put him on in what Lydia, the jailer, everyone else in Acts did. Put Him on in baptism. Then you need to continue to work. There's that word again. You need to continue to work, not to be saved, but because you are saved. If there's any need that you have, then please let it be known as together we stand and sing this song.

View Details

Revelation 22:17

One day in college, the teacher had stapled answer sheets to the back of every test by mistake.
A few minutes after passing the tests around, his phone rang and he stepped out. Everyone had noticed the answer sheet, and the class decided that they would all use it and then tear it off after completing their test.
Hopefully he would never notice.

So, after finishing his test, one of the top students in the class named SAM checked each of his answers to the key and noticed they were all correct except for the last one. Each student was to draw a flow chart for a process. Of course, the answer sheet stated, "answers will vary."

SAM drew his flow chart, tore off the answer sheet and walked to the front podium to turn his test in. When SAM got to the podium he was curious of what everyone else had drawn for their flow chart.
INSTEAD of DRAWING some form of a chart many of the other students just wrote the words "ANSWERS WILL VARY."

TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON A SPECIFIC WORD
• What is God's most compelling word?
• What is the word that echoes in every part of the Bible?
• What was the word that God spoke to man before He destroyed the earth with a flood?
• What is the word that prophets & apostles cried out so often?
• What is the word that brought Peter to Jesus?
• What is the word that He spoke to little children, & to the weary & the heavy-laden?
• What is the word that brings the Bible to a close with its final invitation?
• Listen to these words, which are almost the last words in the N.T.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
And let him who hears say, “Come!”
And let him who thirsts come.
Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

Yes, you have figured it out. That word is "Come."
There are commandments & warnings & promises in the Bible, for God is a God of righteousness & truth; but sounding like a refrain among all the other voices is the voice of invitation, "Come."

I. NOAH & THE FLOOD
The first time that the word "Come" is used in the Bible is when it is used with Noah. Noah stands out in the history of mankind. He is first mentioned at a time of great crisis.

The whole earth was corrupt before God. And when we see what is going on in the world around us we wonder how that world could have been more corrupt than our world today.

But today's wickedness, terrible though it is, is somewhat relieved by the lives & earnest prayers of those who are faithful to God. Were it not for that, God might indeed be ready to destroy the earth once again.

But back in Noah's day, the Bible says; 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

Because of this universal wickedness, God decided to cleanse the world & start all over again. Noah was commanded to build an ark to save himself & any others who were willing to be saved. In the obedience of Noah, in spite of all the ridicule he must have received, we have one of the greatest examples of faith recorded in the Bible.

Ages afterwards it was not forgotten, for the writer of Hebrews lists Noah in God's hall of fame, & says, 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

When the ark was finished, God said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you & all your family.” Then, when Noah & his family were safely in, the Bible says, "the waters rose & increased greatly on the earth . . . & all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered . . . Every living thing that moved on the earth perished . . . Only Noah was left, together with those who were with him in the ark." (Genesis 7:18-23)

ILL. If you go into the Catacombs at Rome today, where the early Christians laid their dead, the picture that you will see most often as a symbol of the Christian's hope & faith is that of the ark floating upon the waters. The ark was also the symbol of the Church.

And still the message of God to a perishing world is what God said in the beginning, "Come into the ark."

When we urge people to come into the church, remember this is not our invitation, but God's. God said to Noah before the flood destroyed the world, "Come into the ark." And in Revelation, when the long battle with sin & darkness is over, John heard the voice of God saying, "Come; the Holy Spirit & the Bride say come."

II. CHRIST & BARTIMAEUS
It was a bright spring morning at Jericho. Blind Bartimaeus finds a sunny spot against the wall & waits to see what the day will bring him. As he sits there he hears in the distance the hum of voices & the shuffling of feet. He soon realized that it was more than the usual street traffic. So, he begins asking those hurrying by, "What is going on? What is the excitement all about?"

Someone answered, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by!" "Jesus of Nazareth!" thought the beggar. "I have heard of him. Some say that He is a good man.
Others say that he is an impostor & evil. But I have heard that he is able to do great miracles, & that he has even opened the eyes of the blind. If he was able to do that for others, then why not for me?"

With hope rising in his heart, Bartimaeus waits until it sounds as if the center of the procession is near. Then, lifting up his voice, he cries out in a shout that is heard above the murmur & hubbub of the passing multitude,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

His cry was so loud that the Bible says that the people in the front of the procession started telling him, "Bartimaeus, keep still!" Who were these people?

Were there other beggars who were perhaps frightened that his cry might bring the magistrates down upon them?

Or could it have been the leaders of the city, whose official welcome had been loudly interrupted by the cry of Bartimaeus? Maybe they were Pharisees who didn't like the idea of Jesus getting all this attention in the first place. We don't know who they were, but I do know one thing. It's a bad thing not to come to Christ yourself, but it is worse to stand in the way of others.

If you will not come yourself, be sure that you do not hinder others.
But the more the bystanders rebuked Bartimaeus, the louder he cried, Jesus, have mercy on me." Hearing the cry, Jesus stood still. Many other shouts & voices were being sounded, but that was the one Jesus heard. "And Jesus stood still."

The moment Jesus stopped, I imagine that the chief men of the town began to make apology. "This is only one of our town beggars. We had given strict orders that all beggars be removed from the street, & we are sorry that..."
But Jesus broke in on their apologies, by saying, "Call him, & tell him to come to me." They looked at Him in astonishment, & then seeing that He meant it, hurried towards the place where Bartimaeus was sitting.

Now that Jesus had called for him, all those who had been telling Bartimaeus to keep quiet changed their tune. Now they are all civil & kind. "Here is your cloak," said one. And another, "Here is your staff." And another, "Give me your hand, & I'll help you to your feet."

But Bartimaeus jumps to his feet, & casting his heavy cloak aside, hurries in the direction of Jesus. What a scene! Jesus, the Light of the world, standing still, & the blind beggar all atremble & excited, standing before Him!

Jesus knew what Bartimaeus wanted, & yet He asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" What was the wish of Bartimaeus? Did he answer, "Lord, that you should take these rags from me & clothe Me in fine garments?"
Or "Lord, that you should make me a rich man who will never have to beg again?"

No, that was not what he asked for. What he asked for was, "Lord, I want to be able to see.” He wanted to see the sky that men say is so blue, & the hills of Moab beyond the Jordan, & the Dead Sea, & the Temple of God in Jerusalem.
“Lord, give me sight! Open my eyes." Then Jesus said to him. "Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you." The word "Come" is not used here, except when it is said that the beggar came to Jesus.
But that is what Jesus asked him to do. He called for him to come to Him,
& the beggar came. It was the last time Jesus ever went through Jericho.
If Bartimaeus had not called, if he had not come to Christ that morning, his eyes would never have been opened.

Always for someone Jesus is passing by for the last time. Maybe even for someone here this morning He is passing by for the last time. Once again He sends this message, "Call him to come unto Me." Christ invites you to come.

III. THE LAST "COME" IN THE BIBLE
There are so many other times when the invitation to "Come" is given in the Bible. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:16)

Or how about His words to all those who labor & are carrying heavy loads,
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.." (Matthew 11:28)

ILL. Often, on the final night of a revival, when the last stanza of the invitation hymn has been sung, many evangelists will ask to sing one more stanza to give someone just one more chance to respond.
So God says to the apostle John, “Don’t close the book, John, until once more I can invite sinners to come.”
Maybe God is inviting you today. Maybe He’s giving you one more opportunity to come to Christ

A. Who invites sinners to come?
1. The Holy Spirit invites. The first work of the Holy Spirit in the human heart is to convict men of sin and point them to the Lamb of God. It is He who brings about repentance and faith which culminates in our salvation.
Paul told King Agrippa that when he was on the Damascus road, “14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ (Acts 26:14)
What were those goads? Like a sharp stick or pin pricking the flesh the Holy Spirit had been pricking Saul.
You who are unsaved have had those same sharp pricks on your conscience, too.

1. The church invites. The “bride” invites you. We do many things in & through the church. But the chief task of the church is to win souls,
   & everything we do should have the winning of souls as its ultimate aim.

2. Every hearer is to invite. “Let him who hears say, Come.” We sing about the Promised Land & ask the question, “Oh, who will come and go with me?
   I am bound for the Promised Land.”
   Are you going?
   Are you on the way to heaven?
   Then tell someone else.
   You’ll become a happier & stronger Christian.

B . Who are invited?
1. Those who are thirsty are invited. “”Whoever is thirsty, let him come.”
This means everyone who is dissatisfied with life & its pleasures,
everyone who is tired of sin, everyone who wants peace in his heart.

Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus, was thirsty.
The tax collector who cried out, “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” was thirsty.
The sinful woman at the well was thirsty.
And the world is full of thirsty people today.
The trouble is that many are trying to quench that thirst at the wells of the world, wells that can never satisfy.

1. “Whosoever will” is invited. This is the same “whosoever will” that we find in John 3:16.
   It is an invitation extended & salvation offered to anyone & everyone.

2. Those who desire to be saved are invited. If in your heart you desire to drink of the water of life, you are invited to come.

C. What is the invitation?
1. It is to take the water of life. Christ provides the water.
He offers it to you, but it is up to you to take it. When you are desperately ill & the doctor offers you medicine, you take it or you die.
When you are sick in sin & the Great Physician offers you the only remedy for sin, you take it or you die.

1. The water is free.
   “Whoever wishes, let him take of the free gift of the water of life.”
   If you have money on this earth you can stay at the best hotels, you can eat the most expensive food, wear the finest clothes, ride in the highest-priced cars and on the largest jet planes.
   But you can get to heaven without money and without price.
   God is not trying to sell you anything.
   He is trying to give you salvation & eternal life.

INVITATION: Oh, what a Savior we have!
He can save the highest & he can save the lowest.
He invites you to come to Him today.
I have talked to you about the last invitation in the Bible.
It could be the last invitation for you, also.
Will you accept it?

View Details

Into The World – Samaria
Dr. Rob Sidwell
8/15/2024

Well, good evening, again. It's good to see everyone out this evening. It's good to see that people are willing to give of their time to God. God loves the people who give praise. We have a song, Glorify His Name.

When we hear of someone that as a child had a drug problem because his mother drug him to church services, we laugh. That's not the right attitude. We must worship and praise God because of who and what he is, the one of a true God, but also because we want to, because we love him, because he is indeed a great savior. Think about the people and things you love. If you love something, you spend time with it, don't you? We were talking about the dedicated fans that Cleveland baseball has had. They had vintage posters up there on the wall at a local restaurant. I was told about the man who climbed a tree in 1949 claiming he'd never come down until the Indians won another World Series. He'd still be there.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, that we're going to spend time with the things, with the people that matter most to us.

Matthew 6:21, Jesus says, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We should treasure our relationship with God. Tom was telling me he is doing a series about the cross and comparing Jesus’ sacrifice to Old Testament sacrifices. I'm sure that he will talk about how hard it was to approach God. We have easy access to God. We have easy access to his word. You can get God's word for free on your cell phone or tablet. We should treasure our relationship with God. We should know what a privilege it is to possess the word of God. Hopefully, one of the things we've gotten from this week is reassurance that the Bible is, in fact, the word of God.

Sometimes people, in their many attempts to pick apart the Bible, claim that the Old and New Testaments don't belong together. The Old Testament and the New Testament, they say are different books. They're not part of the same story. What we've already talked about this week, should have busted that idea if you already had it in your head.

Turn over to First Kings. At tonight's place, we're going to discuss how it affected God's plans throughout much of human history and how the people lived in it. That place is Samaria.

Samaria was originally a city, but it became the name of a region mentioned in both testaments. Where did the name come from? What's the first time we hear about Samaria? I'll read this from the English Standard.

This is after Solomon's death, and Israel and Judah became a new Israel and Judah. Judah had a few good kings. Israel had none. Here we are in Israel, as I would call it, Breakaway Israel. Ten Tribes of Israel broke away. In the first 20 verses of this chapter you see how they're killing each other. Their kings are killing each other and those who want to be king, kill each other. We're coming in the end of that Civil War here in verse 21.

First Kings 16:21. Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

From that point onward, the city of Samaria was the capital of breakaway Northern Israel, the one that had absolutely no righteous kings. That includes Omre.

Look at verse 25. Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

They said Omre is pretty bad. You probably haven't heard of him or at least you're may not be too familiar with him. I'm sure you heard of his son.

Verse 28. And Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place. In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
Archeologists have found the site of the city of Samaria. They found ruins of temples one is believed to be that temple of Baal. Ahab was the worst in all breakaway, Israel. They had 19 kings. They all served idols. Samaria became a center of evil. What happened to Samaria?

What happens to a nation, what happens to individuals who do not follow in the ways of God? It's a simple lesson, but one that needs repeating and one that needs to be shown because a lot of people threaten this. God's patience eventually runs out. If you read through some of the prophets, most of them were sent to Judah, but some of the books of the prophets, for example, Hosea, warn and plead with Israel to stop their sins, to come back to God.

Did they? Turn over to Second Kings, chapter 17 and jump to verse 6, second Kings 17:6. This is the end of breakaway Northern, 10 tribe, Israel.

Second Kings 17:6 says, ESV again, In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

That's the end of Israel. Why? Just a couple more verses will tell you.

Verse 7, And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.” Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

It continues in this light, For the sake of time, just look at the next five words in the ESV in verse 14. But they would not listen. It continues and lists their sins there in somewhat graphic detail. They would not listen. It's a sad commentary on a people who are wicked, the people who will not serve God. We sing number 256, God is love. God is also, song 59, Holy, Holy, Holy. God is good, but God is also holy, and because God is holy, he can and he will punish sin.

We need to not forget that. It's a sobering thought. I'm not saying we should get this nation's evil, we know God's going to get them. No, no, no. Nothing of that sort, but we need to keep that in mind, though. Always God's patience has limits. Someday time it will run out. That time runs out for nations. It runs out for individuals, and it's going to run out eventually for the world. Another song that is in the book, I know it's one of my favorites. It talks about quoting the prophet Amos. We need to prepare to meet God, because we are going to do that someday.

What happened to Samaria? We're still here in Second Kings 17. When you hear Samaria, when you hear the land of Samaria what or who do you probably think of? You probably think of the good Samaritan. Who are the Samaritans? Why did the Jews hate them so much?

Second King 17:24. It says, ESV again, And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

Just to summarize that's the Samaritans. The Samaritans were foreigners. They were imported by the Assyrians, and they mixed with a few Jews who were left behind by the Assyrians. The two intermarried and produced the race of people known as the Samaritans. The Samaritans were part Jewish and part non-Jewish. The Assyrians had mixed them together. It didn't happen with Judah. If you read Israel and Nehemiah, that didn't happen with Judah, but it did happen with Israel.

We will talk about Jesus and his encounters with Samaritans. There's a point to be made here, too. Religiously, how are they? They are also mixed. They serve God, the Samaritans. They serve the one true God, but they also serve pagan gods. They added the one true God to their collection of gods. That became an issue in future centuries, all the way up to the time of Jesus.

Turn to Ezra. We just wanted some background here about just who are these people. We think about the Samaritans and see why is it such a, and it is going to be an enormous problem when Jesus interacts with Samaritans. Firstly, what did Samaria represent to Jews? Failure. Samaria represented the 10 northern tribes who were gone. They're lost, dispersed. Also, they represent, a mixed race of people, and there's hostility.

Ezra chapter 4, and I will just read the first six verses. Remember what happens in Ezra? Some Jewish exiles came back and began to rebuild the temple.

Here we are in Ezra 4:1. Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

The rest of this chapter goes through their accusations, but we won't for the sake of time. Suffice it to say, there was bad blood between the Jews and the Samaritans. Samaria was no longer a capital of anything. Samaria gave its name to the whole region that had been Israel, north of Judah, north of Jerusalem, the land that it used to belong to, Ephraim, Manasseh, Asher, Gad, and so on.

There's a lot of hostility by Jesus’ time. Let's skip ahead to the New Testament. What does that have to do with us? We talked a little bit earlier this week about whether there people from bad places in this world? What do we do with people who are our enemies?

Let’s go to John 4:3, while you're turning there. What would we do if, say, a North Korean came in here. They're the enemy. Their government has been called a psychopathocracy because basically it exists to serve the Kim family. What would we going to do if an Iranian came in here? How do we deal with the enemy? Are they the enemy? Whose enemy are they?

How did the Jews deal with Samaritans? If you know the map of Palestine in Jesus’ day, Galilee was in the north, Judea with Jerusalem was in the south, and in between was Samaria. Most Jews traveled all the way around the east side of the Jordan River to get away from Samaria. Jews didn't even like to go through Samaria. Jesus did not.

Let's just pick it up here in John chapter 4, verse 3. We'll do this new King James. It says, He (Jesus) left Judea, departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria.

Why do you need to? We're not told exactly why, but we can speculate here because he's going to do something that no Jewish teacher would do—interact with a Samaritan, and with a Samaritan woman.

Verse 5, So he came to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, and to the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied from his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink,' for his disciples had gone away to the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, (notice the reaction) How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Perhaps you better understand why the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Here Jesus set an example. Jesus was not concerned about social standing but spiritual status. He was willing to bring the wondering ones in, regardless of whether they were Jewish or Samaritan or Gentiles. Jesus was not concerned with politics, but with purity.

I am seeing all the yard signs pop up. I support the (I mix the parties up on purpose.) Demikans or the Republicrats. If you say I support the Republicrats someone could say, you must be evil because you back them. Jesus was not concerned with yard signs. Jesus was not overly concerned with history either in the term of people's histories. He didn't let that stand in his way.

Your people have always been hostile to our people. Maybe so, but what was important was this woman's spiritual status. He was thirsty. To top it off , we already talked to this earlier this week about how Jesus was at every point, in every respect, tempted like we are. It's hot outside. You get thirsty. Jesus was thirsty.

All these concerns, social, physical, and political is what he cared about most. He showed, he cared about this woman's spiritual status. We will read through their whole conversation, which I'm sure, you've done many times. He asks her some questions, and the questions start to get a little more personal. Her private life would not bear scrutiny. She tries to change the subject. We're still John 4, now verse 19. This is right after Jesus confronts her with the fact that she had a lot of husbands.

In verse 19 says, The woman said to him, Sure, I perceive that you are a prophet.' That was her way of changing the subject. Sure, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our Father is worshiped on this mountain and you Jews say that Jerusalem was the place for one ought to worship.'

Here's where Josephus, actually, explains what this is talking about. We read in Ezra how the Jews and Samaritans fought about rebuilding the temple when the Jews came back from Babylon. The Jews said no, because the Samaritans had all sorts of pagan influences. They worshiped the one true God and a bunch of false gods, too. When the Jews refused them, the Samaritans built their own temple, allegedly, to the one true God. They built it on a mountain in Samaria called Mount Gerizim.

That's what she's talking about here. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain. She was probably referring to Mount Gerizim, yet you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place for what ought to worship. You may say that's interesting for a historian, but what use is this to us in 2024? Where can we worship God in 2024? Does it have to be in this building? If you get a new building, you're allowed to worship God there, too. Are you allowed to worship God in your home? In your car? You're allowed to worship God while you're weeding your flowers?

In verse 21 Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

It's an issue of faith, not forms. Earlier this week, we talked about not worshiping things, or places. People still do that, perhaps. Is the church building itself more than anything else. People then, as now, try to stuff God into the building. Have you ever heard the expression, this is the Lord's house? Is God contained within these four walls? He's here while we're here.

He says, were two or three are gathered my name there I am in the midst of them. When you go out those doors, do you get away from him? He's not out there. That's what people think. Everyone's seen the movie Home Alone, where the little boy Kevin is trying to hide from the burglars. This is before all the traps. He hides in the nativity scene displayed in front of the Catholic Church building. The burglars say, where’d he go? I think he went in the church. One says, I'm not going there. Me neither. That's how much of the world thinks. If you don't go in that scary church building, then God can't find you. God is everywhere. God sees everything.

You should keep that as a sobering thought, but also a joyous thought because we can worship and we should worship God every day with our lives. God is too big and too grand for anything anyone could ever build. Remember, Solomon said that when he built the temple.

In the beginning of first Kings and second Chronicles he says, (I'm paraphrasing) the heavens can't contain you much less this temple that I've built. He's talking to God. You can't stuff God into a building.

What's the proper prayer position? Should you stand? Should you kneel? Should you face upward? Should you face downward? Do your hands have to be like this? Some people actually teach that, of course. I was talking about the college that's down Southeast. It's Presbyterian. They have a chapel. Back when I was in high school, they had us assemble there to take our pictures for valedictorians and such. Their pews have a rail. They'll pull out benches that you're supposed to kneel on when you're praying. Are we supposed to do that? Do we have to do that? Nowhere in the scriptures do you find any rule about what physical bodily position you have to be in to pray.

Practitioners of yoga practice various pretzel stretches and call their names your downward dog or angry cat. The proper position for prayer should be the humble heart position, whatever that looks like. Do you know where the shortest prayer in the Bible is? It's in Nehemiah Chapter 1. It's in the middle of a conversation. The king of Persia asked Nehemiah, Why are you so sad? That could have meant Nehemiah's head being separated from his shoulders. There's a short verse. It's a part of a verse. I prayed to the God of Israel. Before he answered Nehemiah prayed to God. Right there in conversation. Was he in a temple? No, there was no temple. It had been destroyed. Did he have time to think of an elaborate, hard-sounding phrase. Probably not.

The position of prayer needs to be the humble heart position. The real issues are spirit and truth. Are we worshiping God in spirit and truth? Not gender, nationality, politics, whether or not we have PowerPoint or not. The right relationship with God is far more important than any other issue. It has eternal consequences, but most people have yet to learn that. Peter was slow to pick up on it, too.

Turn over to Acts 10. We know from what Paul said in Galatians that Peter continued to struggle with this even after he was shown what was right, but for a while, anyway, he had it exactly right.

Acts 10:27, says, And as he talked with him, Peter went in and found many who had come together? He's going into the home of Cornelius. Cornelius was a Gentile. He was a Roman soldier. Not many Jews would even go into Gentiles’ houses for fear of being contaminated by them. Peter had the same reservations at first.

Verse 28, says, Then he (Peter) said to them you know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man, common or unclean. Therefore, I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I asked them, 'For what reason have you sent for me? ' So Cornelius said, 'Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send, therefore, to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you. So I send to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now, therefore, we are all present before God to hear the things commanded you by God. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality.

The King James says, He has no respect for persons. Some versions say God shows no favoritism. He doesn't play favorites.

Verse 35 says, In every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness, is accepted by him.

Jesus commanded us to go forth and carry the gospel, to bring them in from the fields of sin. What does righteousness mean, anyway? Jesus used several figures to describe righteousness. What's one of the most famous ones. Maybe that's the one you first thought when I mentioned where we're going to be tonight. He used a parable talking about a Good Samaritan.

Turn over to Luke, chapter 10. We'll spend most of the rest of our time discussing the parable of a Good Samaritan. That would have been a contradiction in terms. The Jews wouldn't have thought it possible that a Samaritan could ever be good. Jesus here tells a parable about a Samaritan who was more righteous than others.

Jesus had just been asked in verse 29, who is my neighbor? Why was he asking? It says, But he desiring to justify himself. Who are our neighbors? Our neighbors are, I'm using quotation marks here, good people. There's a line on a TV series in 1970s. I'm quoting, “It's nice to be nice to the nice.” Who's your neighbor? The good people? They are, yes. What about the not so good people? Jesus tells us this parable to answer that question.

Verse 30, New King James says, Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

A priest is what? A priest is one of the religious elites. What does he do? Maybe he doesn't want to touch him. We can give him benefit of the doubt. Priests had all sorts of ceremonial cleanliness requirements, but there's no evidence that he called for help from someone. There’s evidence that he showed any concern at all. What did he do? He got as far away as he possibly could. He passed by on the other side. Okay, who's next?

Verse 32. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

He stayed as far away as he could get. The Levite would have no excuse whatsoever. Why didn't he help? Who didn't help here? The religious people, at least the Jews would have thought them so. The Jews would have thought the priests must be righteous, right? Look at the jobs they hold. Look at the family they come from. But what do they do when it comes to showing real compassion towards another human being? They don't do it.

How did Jesus summarize both testaments? What are the two great Commandments again? To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, or with all your strength, or understanding. What's the second? To love your neighbor as yourself. There was someone sharing a picture on Facebook. It said people can’t say they love God treat other people like dirt. Paul says in Galatians lets us do good to everyone. That means the good people and the ones we think are not so good people. Who does help? You probably know who does help.

Verse 33 says, But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, 'He who showed mercy on him,' that Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'

When you hear Samaria, who or what comes to mind? How about the evilness of Israel? It doesn't come to mind now, does it? Is it the evilness of Omre and Ahab all the way through Hoshéa, through the end of the Kings of Israel? How about the people who worship God, but they don't do it correctly? Or do you think of the good Samaritan. The chosen people of God are not a nation, and they're not a race. They are those who choose to fear God and work righteousness. The apparently religious people in Jesus' parable were not the righteous ones.

Peter 2:9 says But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Is it for me, dear savior, thy glory and thy rest? Who here is weak and sinful? The scriptures making clear that we are. Is it for you and me? God's glory and God's rest? Indeed it is, if we'll do our best to follow after him. The issue is one of the heart. Are we willing to follow God with all of our heart and with all of our soul?

We all fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23, and are unfit for his kingdom. Yet, we can all quote John 3:16, God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, would have an everlasting or eternal life.

God wants people in his kingdom. Revelation says that there are going to be people, an untold number of people. It is those people who fear God and do what is right, who are accepted by him.

As we begin to wrap our thoughts up, I ask, are you one of those people? What legacy are you leaving? What life are you living? Are you living a life of open defiance toward God like the original inhabitants of Samaria? A life of utter defiance toward God that leads eventually to the end of God's patience that will lead to destruction? Are you leading a life like too many people do? Like most Samaritans did? God is good, but the world has some stuff to offer, too. I'll just try to straddle the fence and worship God on Sundays and something else on Tuesdays and you get the idea.

Are we like the Samaritan woman who doesn't quite understand? Jesus was patient with her and he's patient with us. Are we like the Good Samaritan who did what he could to demonstrate love for his fellow man?

A couple of last references here. Matthew 28 verse 16, at the end of the Book of Matthew.

Matthew 28:16 says, ESV, Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That commandment is to us. Did disciples follow it?

Acts 8:4, I'll read it for you. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

We're about to sing Whosoever Will. It's true, whosoever will may come. We're talking about how the gospel is for those who failed, those who know they failed, those who need help, and want help.

We all need God's help. You begin to get that by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and be willing to confess your faith in him before men. Then be willing to repent of your sins, to turn away from them, which is what Jesus would command that Samaritan woman eventually to do. Then to be baptized, and to continue living a life of love for God, but also like the Good Samaritan, care for others.

Let's not be like Ahab. I'm not going to reject God. Let's not be like most Samaritans, most people actually, who don't follow God. They don't follow God in the way he's commanded them to follow him. Let's instead be willing to turn from our sins, be like the Samaritan woman who is willing to listen to Jesus, and be like the Good Samaritan who is willing to put faith into practice and do God's things God's way, to love God and to care for our fellow man.

If there's any need you have, make it known as we stand to sing this true song, Whosoever Will.

View Details

2nd Corinthians 5:21

INTRO: Good morning church. Our text today is taken from 2nd Corinthians 5:21 where we read, – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”[NKJV]

Why is the cross so important? Why did Jesus have to die?… In a word, “sacrifice”. I have no doubt that our modern, western minds probably struggle at times with the idea of sacrifice for sin. Were we citizens of the 1st century, however, we would be very familiar with such sacrifices as atonement, or propitiation. But you and I are far removed from the religious observances of the 1st century and of the old covenant, we are far removed from the pagan sacrifices which were often to appease angry gods. So perhaps it is fitting that we think just a bit about those sin offerings which preceded the perfect offering in the form of the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God. It is difficult to preach of the cross of Christ, without thinking of the sacrifice. I would like to go back with you for a few minutes into the Old Testament, and trace a little bit of both the history and the significance of sin offerings. I invite you to turn in your bibles to the 4th chapter of the book of Genesis where I’m going to read beginning at verse 3.

I. SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

A. Genesis 4:3-5 – “3. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5. But He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” This in our bibles is the first recorded occasion of sacrifice. We notice in the text before us that Able brought of the firstlings of the flock.

1. Able brought to God a “blood sacrifice”. We may wonder about the reasoning for such an offering as this, and we may wonder why it was that God rejected the offering of Cain. I have read, and perhaps you have also, a number of explanations for the acceptance of one offering and the rejection of the other. Often times the explanations are focused on the character of the two individuals, – which may not be altogether out of place. Note though that Able brought a “blood sacrifice”.
2. I suggest to you that this was an atonement for sin – In the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 22, in the last part of the verse, there is something said that is deeply significant with reference to sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 - “...without shedding of blood is no remission.” Why the shedding of blood, why a “blood sacrifice” in order to obtain remission?
3. Something else we learn here about this offering. Look with me at - Hebrews 11:4 - “By faith (those are significant words) Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, …” is this offering that Able brought the response of specific instructions from God? Or did he just decide that because he was the one raising the animals that for him an offering was a “blood sacrifice”? It says By faith, Able offered. Understanding that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, I reach my conclusion that yes, the sacrifice that Able offered, not only was a “blood offering”, not only was a sin offering, but it was an offering at the instruction of God. Now then, turn in your bibles with me to Leviticus chapter 1. In verse 4 we read of sacrifice and the mosaic covenant.

B. Leviticus 1:4 – “Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.” – These are the sin offerings of the mosaic covenant.

1. Notice in verse 5 “He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar”. These are “blood sacrifices”.
2. Without shedding of blood there is no remission, Hebrews 9:22. These sacrifices are brought by the individual, to the priests, to the altar, and they are offered there as an atonement for sins. Notice the word “atonement” in verse 4. Atonement is the idea of making one again, one with God. Binding together again, that which was once broken.
3. There is something else in Leviticus 1:4. Notice it was not just enough for the one making the offering to bring his sacrifice to the priests and say there it is.

a. The text specifically says he was to put his hands upon the head of that which he was offering as a sacrifice. I wonder; why he was to put his hands on the head of the sacrifice? Is he simply saying “goodbye”?
b. Of course not. Putting his hands upon the head of the offering was identification between the person offering and that which he offered. The offering became a substitution for the one who offered. In place of himself he offers the bullock or lamb or whatever.

C. Now let’s go to Leviticus, chapter 16. We read here concerning the great annual Day of Atonement, these are exercises which are interesting historically. Look for the significance of what is being done. At verse 7 we find there are two goats involved in the Day of Atonement. “He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” Verse 15 tells us about one of them.

1. Leviticus 16:15,20-22 – “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.” This is the first goat. It is killed; its blood is shed, why? For the sins of the people. A substitution.
2. What about the second goat? We begin reading in verse 20. “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat;” Remember the first goat was killed. This is the second one; he shall bring the live goat. “and Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins,” Look at these next words. I wondered; why Aaron has to put his hands upon the head of that which was being offered? It says, “putting them,” putting what? The transgressions. “on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” Ok, here is what happens on the day of atonement for the Israelites
3. The High Priest received from the people two he-goats for a sin-offering. Note that the two goats were but one offering, a sin-offering. The two goats were presented before the Lord, in other words both goats were presented to God. Verse 8 says, “Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats:…”
4. The first goat, which had been selected by lot for this purpose, is killed; its blood is shed as a substitution for the people.
5. The second goat, this part is so interesting to me, the second goat, is brought alive, and the high priest confesses all the sins of the nation of Israel over this goat, then he puts his hands upon the goat transferring to the goat in a symbol, all the peoples sins. Then they send him away and the goat carries all of those sins away into the wilderness. Takes them away from God’s people.
6. This then is the annual Day of Atonement where there is a sacrifice made, in which one goat is killed and shed its blood and the other goat carries off the sins of the people.
7. Look now in, Leviticus 17:11- Here we see an explanation of the significance of the blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” – Why the blood? It is explained, the life is in the blood. What is more significant, what is a more valuable thing that can one give, then the blood, in which is the life? The annual Day of Atonement.

D. Now let us turn in our bibles to Hebrews 10:1-4 - With all of this in our minds about the sacrifices of the old covenant, I’ll paraphrase what we read; “1. The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”[para]

1. All those offerings, starting at Genesis 4 and all the way through the Old Testament, could not take away sin. They could not make the people perfect so that they had no more conscience of sin.
2. Now in Hebrews 10 at verse 1, we see that “…the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things…”. [NKJV] Those “good things to come” must certainly have encompassed that perfect offering, which could accomplish what those offerings of the Old Covenant could not accomplish. All of those offerings were a shadow. To have a shadow, something must cast it.
3. The point is, that there must be a perfect sacrifice which casts the shadow. Those offerings were but a shadow of the perfect offering to come. Not the very image the bible says, but a shadow. Shadows are similar, but not the image of the objects casting them. It is a distortion if you will. Did you ever look at your shadow and think how poorly it represents what you look like? The shadow is just an imperfect representation.
4. All of those sin offerings of animals pointed ahead to something beyond them. That something we discover as we go beyond the Old Testament into the New.

II. WE LOOK TO THE NEW TESTAMENT FOR OUR INFORMATION

A. Turn in your bibles to read at Matthew 1:21 - Here we start to get an idea of that perfect offering that was casting that imperfect shadow. The announcement to Joseph. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Next we go to the gospel of Luke 1:31 Once again an announcement, this one is to Mary. Luke 1:31 – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” – Jesus, that is to be His name. Why is it His name? Because He will save His people from their sins we are told. That is the meaning of the name Jesus, savior.

1. Now read with me in Luke 2:11 - “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”– Let’s look a few verses later to what Simeon says in verse 29.
2. Luke 2:29-30 - “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation”
3. We have read several passages and not a thing yet about sacrifice ... but there are words like savior, and salvation. I begin to get a hint that maybe this Jesus of whom these passages speak, is that perfect offering casting the shadow which was imperfect.

B. Let’s go to John 1:29 – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”– Behold the Lamb. What about all of those lambs in the Old Covenant, why were they killed, why was their blood pored on the altar and sprinkled at the mercy seat? As an atonement, a sin offering. Behold “...the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”

1. With this reference to a lamb, we begin to have a better picture of the idea of Jesus as a sacrifice.
2. Clearly, this would have been John the Baptist’s intent in the statement. To convey to the people the idea, the fact, that Jesus Christ is the sacrifice for sins which can take away the sin of the world. All of those sacrifices of the Old Testament would not and could not do that. But here is a sacrifice which can take away the sins of the world.
3. John the Baptist was a part of that old culture, and understood the purpose of sacrifice for sin. So when he refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, the identification of the lamb and Jesus and sin could mean nothing else but that Jesus Christ is going to be the great sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice, the substitutionary sacrifice, which will take away the sins of the world.

C. What other connection between a lamb and sins could one find? Matthew 20:28 – “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, now listen, and to give His life a ransom for many.” - “...to give His life a ransom for many.”

1. Here is another passage indicating a purpose, a ransom. Notice this time the idea of “sacrifice” is there. To “give His life” a ransom for many.
2. Notice further, this is a substitutionary sacrifice. By that I simply mean that I did not have to pay the price. Some one paid it for me. Jesus is the substitution for me. He gave His life as a ransom (purpose) for many (substitution).
3. Look at the reference about “the just for the unjust” in 1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” The just, that is Jesus, the perfect offering, for the unjust, that is me. Why did He die for my sins? As a substitution for the price I should have paid; so that I might be brought to God. All of this goes back to a passage from the Old Testament, Isaiah 53:11 – “He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” - “for he shall bear their iniquities” There is substitution. Jesus the perfect offering, taking my place, by going to the cross.

D. Hebrews 10:5-10 - Let us read here of this perfect offering. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.” A body You have prepared for me. What was that body? What was accomplished by that body? The embodiment of Jesus Christ, the incarnation, that body was the sacrifice. “6. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. 7. Then I said, `Behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written of Me to do Your will, O God.' '' 8. Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them'' (which are offered according to the law), 9. then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.'' He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”– the body has been prepared. That body is Jesus Christ, and we have been sanctified, we have been cleansed, we have been set apart by the offering of that body. It was an offering that was made once and for all time. Verse 12

1. Hebrews 10:12 – “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,” - One sacrifice. Accomplishing what all of those bulls, all of those lambs and all of those goats could never accomplish. They could not take away sin.
2. This man, in the offering of His body, the perfect, sinless, sacrifice of Jesus Christ; this man, at the cross, accomplished once and for all time the taking away of sin.
3. Folks, there is no more sacrifice for sin. This was the one prefect sacrifice, which completely satisfied once and for all time, the law of God and the love of God.
4. In Hebrews 10:26 - “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” There was just one. If you are not happy with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there isn’t going to be another one. This is the only sacrifice we need. It is the only sacrifice there is going to be to accomplish the forgiveness of sin.

E. What does that mean to me? Colossians 1:13-14 – “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

1. The apostle explains the perfect sin offering was given for you and me.
2. These are the present possibilities folks. We can be forgiven, completely forgiven of all our sins, through His blood.
3. That forgiveness is accomplished for you and for me in our obedient baptism as we find in Colossians 2:12-13 - “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,”
4. Here we see the whole reason for the cross and the sacrifice. That you being dead in sin, could claim the benefits of the sacrifice of the cross and be alive again. These verses tell us exactly when and how this all takes place. This person, who is dead in sin, needing the atonement, is buried with Christ in baptism. By reason of their obedient faith all of their sins are forgiven. Never to be remembered again. That is the good news! Going back to the 10th chapter of Hebrews one more time. Hebrews 10:16-18 – “"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days", says the Lord: "I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them", then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.'' Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.” So when a person is buried with Christ in baptism, believing that God will do what He promised to do, all of their sins are forgiven. Why is the preaching of the cross so important? So that we can understand the significance of the sacrifice for our sins.

CLOSE: It may be difficult for our modern western minds to wrap themselves around this entire subject. But here is something we can understand. Because Jesus died, you can live. It does not take much to understand that. Because Jesus died, your sins can be forgiven. That forgiveness comes when a person in their faith and obedience is lowered into the waters of baptism, in the likeness of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to be raised clean, cleansed of all their sins to walk in newness of life.

If you are here this morning and you have never been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is just one way, just one way, and that is by your being baptized, immersed in water, and raised to walk, clean and forgiven, in a new life. And if your desire this morning is to lay hold on the benefits of the cross of Jesus Christ, the benefits of that blood which washes away your sins, then we invite you to come forward while we sing this song. If we can assist you in any way we invite you to come as we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Into The World – Rehoboth
Dr. Rob Sidwell
8/14/2024

Good evening. It’s been a nice warm day. We went out to the baseball game. I didn't get sunburned, so that was a good thing, and the team won, so that was nice, too.

We know that there are many things that are people needing prayer, all the sick and injured. We need to remember them. We talked about that last night. There is no place where God cannot be, and there's nothing too great that God cannot do it.

This evening we're talking about places in the Bible. If you say you've heard of this place, when I mention its name, I might not believe you. The place's name is Rehoboth. R-e-h-o-b-o-t-h. If you turn over to Genesis Chapter 26, we'll find out what happens at this place. You might be interested to know that there's a place called Rehoboth in southeast Ohio. It's a former mining town in the county that's next to the one I'm in—Perry County.

It's like a lot of other former mining towns down there. There's not much left of it except a little sign. It's not incorporated. It has a little green and white sign that says Rehoboth. There are two or three houses. That’s all that's left of the place.

There's a place in the Bible named Rehoboth. I don't know what was going through the heads of the people who founded Rehoboth, Ohio, but probably they named it after this place. We're coming here in the middle of an account of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of Jacob. The Bible tells us a lot, of course, about Abraham's life. We have more than 10 chapters that mostly revolve around Abraham and quite a bit about Jacob, and then it merges into Joseph. We don’t have as much about Isaac as an individual.

Isaac is the focus of this account, but this is one of the very few. I'm going to begin reading this and read this one from the English Standard. Let’s start in verse 6.

Genesis 26:6 (ESV): So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, (Rebekah), he said, she is my sister…

Now, where we heard that before? His parents. Abraham had said, the same thing about Sarah.

…for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Relations between Isaac and the Philistines got off on the wrong foot. It opens with a misunderstanding. It could have had fatal consequences, but things go pretty well for him.

Verse 12, And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

Relations have broken down. There's a lot of disputing in these next few verses about water wells. Now, I talked to three different people after the ball game today. I went shopping in Mentor. I talked to someone at Best Buy and someone at my own apartment complex and someone at the Jerky Store. My father loves beef jerky. They all said the same thing—were you here for that huge storm last week? It seems you had more than enough water here. We said, we're going through a severe drought, Southeast Ohio. We can't live without water.

It was and is very precious, especially if you've ever seen any films or pictures of that area of the world. Water is scarce. Was and is scarce, especially drinkable water that's not poisoned with some mineral or another. You're going to see a lot of disputing in the next few verses about wells. What's the big deal with water? You’ve got Lake Erie over here. Water was a big deal to these people.

Let's keep going here, verse 17. So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

Rehoboth means broad places, room. There's room for everyone now, and we shall dwell in the land.

Let's read a few more verses. From there he went up to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

Water was precious. Let's put ourselves in Isaac's sandals. You've got vast herds, and they need water. Without water, your wealth won't mean much. In fact, your wealth will disappear pretty rapidly so you move from place to place to place. No matter where you go, how many times you move the Philistines say, Get out of here. They fight over every well you dig. Your servants have worked very hard digging these wells. The Philistines every single time say, This is ours.

What would you do if you worked so hard on your property and someone just showed up and said, Buzz off. Get lost. What would you do? How would you react? That's comforting. When I asked the same question in Southeast Ohio, a couple of people were making signs they're loading shotguns. Why was I frightened when they said that? Did Isaac react that way?

Turn over to Hebrews 12. And while you're turning there, consider the question, should we react literally by pumping up our shotguns or whatever? How should we react when people get pushy? When people take advantage of us? When people try to push us around? What does the world say? This is from a cartoon when I was a kid. Don't get mad, get even. That's what the world thinks. You hurt me, so I'm going to hurt you back. I'm going to hurt you back worse than you hurt me because then I'll come out on top.

Hebrews 12:14 (NKJ) says Pursue peace with nice people? No. It says, Pursue peace with all people.

The English Standard puts a little bit more emphasis on this. It says, Strive for peace with everyone. If you're striving, you put some effort into it. Strive for peace with everyone.

Let’s keep going, Holiness… Is that important? Finish the verse. …without which no one will see the Lord. Do you want to see the Lord? I trust the answer is yes, or you probably wouldn't be here. Then you need to behave the way the Bible tells you to, which is pursue holiness and also pursue peace with others.

There's a really common false teaching that's going on in 2024. It is that we can't wait for God to take vengeance on our enemies. Christians are meant to have all sorts of political power and execute vengeance. Reconcile that with Hebrews 12:14. Why are we failing to do that?

Turn over to Matthew 5:9. We can probably all quote this one. It says, blessed are the peace makers.

He doesn't say the peacekeepers. In other words, there was already peace, and you just didn't mess it up. No, blessed are the peace makers. There was fighting and quarreling in some way or other, but you've made peace. What happens if you're a peacemaker? They shall be called sons of God. That's quite an honor. Bless are those who make peace. Peace, thus, is the way God would have us live.

Go back to Isaac in Genesis. He set an example of this principle. Three times he moved on just to keep the peace. Moving all his herds and his household would require more than a little effort. Isaac did this, and we saw that eventually God did make room for him.

What do you do when somebody when somebody has been so unkind to you? Do you answer back? Look for ways to get even with them? My car still has the scars on it from when I lived at the apartment in Mentor? If you've ever been around the Mentor Mall Village Apartments, the parking spaces are tiny. My next door neighbor opened his car door into my car. You could see the scratches all down the side of my car. What do you do in a situation like that? I don't hold up myself as anything like an example of the Supreme Holiness, far from it. The point is, what do you do in a situation like that? What do people do? Get your keys out and go to work on that person's car. That's how the world works. That's the way too many people in the world work. What do you do?

Turn to Romans, chapter 12. We should strive to live at peace with those around us. What does that mean? It's possible to carry that too far. Is it possible to carry that too far? In other words, you're so desperate to make peace that you never stand up for anything, not even God's word, because somebody might get upset. Somebody might get upset if you point out that A, B, C, D, E, F, G behavior is wrong. I won't single anything out at this point, but you get the idea.

Somebody might get upset if you point out that this behavior that they're practicing is wrong. Do you just excuse and say, Oh, that's okay. It’s just the way you were born, the way you were raised, the way you were, et cetera. We've heard all the excuses. Do you say that? Or do you stand up for the truth? We should strive to live in peace with those around us as much as we can without compromising God's laws.

See what Paul writes with inspiration here in Romans 12, verse 18 (NKJ). It says, If it is possible… (not that big P word, possible), …as much as depends on you, (or so far as it depends on you, ESV), live peaceably with all men.

In other words, there will be sometimes in some instances in which not going to be possible. We see that, say in the Book of Acts, where what the apostle says, New King James, we ought to, ESV, we must obey God rather than men.

Has someone heard this one? The government's bad. The government's so bad that... The scripture spoke to that. If you will turn over to 1 Peter 2, we'll just read a couple of verses and we'll come back to this later. I've heard the argument that the government is evil, and because the government is evil, Christians aren't obligated to follow anything that it says. We shouldn't be paying your taxes. Chardon is the land of strange speed limits that happen at tops and bottoms of hills. Forget those because Christians will not have to obey speed limits because who makes those? The evil government.

The scriptures plainly speak that Christianity is not a license to disobey the government because people might be in charge of it who aren't Godly. Before I read this, just think about when this was written. What government was in charge when the New Testament was given by God? The Roman Empire. The pagans who practiced human sacrifice through its gladiatorial games. Was that a Godly government? No.

What did Peter write by inspiration here? 1 Peter 2:11 (ESV). It says, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. I was in Barns and Noble today. They have a copy of the Annals of Tacitus. Tacitus was a Roman writer of the first century. He did not have nice things to say about the church. He infamously claimed that the church sacrificed babies. Of course, it didn't.

What happens every time that someone who claims to be a Christian goes out wantonly disobey the law? What does the world do? See, that's what that Christianity is all about. That Christianity is all about flaunting any rules and regulations you don't like. Some say, I'm a Christian. I don't have to obey the rules.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. In other words, do what's right to all people in all circumstances insofar as this is humanly possible. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. Don't break the law just because we serve a higher power. We were bought with a price, as Paul writes elsewhere.

We're actually going to cheat a little bit tonight because we're going to have actually three locations. We're going to link the lessons together. The second location we're going to talk about also starts with the letter R. I told you how rural Morgan County is. You might say this lesson is three R's. Instead of reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic, we're going to have three R's.

Have you ever heard of Jawbone Hill? No, in English, of course, it is not start with an R, but in Hebrew, it does. Most of us have heard of Bunker Hill. What happened on Bunker Hill? The Americans fought the British. The British took the hill and took horrific casualties in the process. That helped convince them that the Americans meant business in their revolution. Malvern Hill was a bloody Civil War battle. Hamburger Hill in Vietnam, where US troops were sacrificed in great numbers for a hill that was eventually abandoned.

Turn over to Judges for the account of Jawbone Hill. Jawbone Hill, or I'll give it's Hebrew name now, Ramath Lehi, but Jawbone Hill, shows us what happens when we don't follow the advice of our previous point. What happens when we live like the world does? In other words, what happens when we live like the world lives? What happens when you do something nasty to me? I'm going to do something nasty to you right back. Here is part of the account of Samson. Samson is probably one of the Bible figures who had the most wasted potential. With his physical strength, think of the things he could have done for God, but what did he spend most of his life using his strength for? To indulge himself, to get away with stuff.
Judges 15, beginning with verse 9 (NKJ). It says, Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi. And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.” Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”
Notice Samson’s words. Let's translate that into language that I've heard quite a bit since I started substitute teaching. They started it. Well, that's basically what that means. As they've done to me, so I've done to them. I just did to them what they did to me. That's basically the same translation, more or less. We say, kids do that. Adults do it, too.

Keep going, though. Verse 12. But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.” So they spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds [b]broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 6 Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!” And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.
He called the place Ramath Lehi, which means literally the hill, the jawbone. Why did Samson do what he did here? For his own reasons. Notice it doesn't say, but compare his language with David's language in two books over. In 1 Samuel, when David says, what about Goliath? This man's defying me because I'm the future king of Israel. No, he says, this man is defying the armies of the living God. David's attitude was very different from Samson's. If you look through the story, the account of Samson is always about him. Look what they did to me. Did you hear what they said to me? What they do to me? What does he say once again in verse 11?

As they did in me, so I've done to them. It was a cycle of vengeance. Remember how this started? Samson insisted on a Philistine wife. Again, paraphrasing for the sake of time, the Philistines threatened to burn his wife alive until eventually they forced her to coaxed the secret out of him. To get back at them, he tied fox's tails together and sent them burning through Philistines fields. It went back and forth. One side did something, the other side retaliated. I'm from about an hour north of West Virginia.

You know the Hatfields and the McCoys were real? A real feud that went across many decades. That one family did something to the other family, and then that family would retaliate, and then the family would retaliate back. It was a cycle of vengeance. When did Samson's cycle of vengeance end? It ended with him putting his hands on two pillars with no eyeballs left. After the Philistines had taken him and put out his eyes, the cycle of vengeance eventually was Samson saying, let me with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines.

What's he saying? Let me die with the Philistines. He killed himself and them. He killed more Philistines when he pushed the temple pillars over in the temple then he killed when he was alive. What he might have done with the rest of that life! His attitude of vengeance cost him. It cost him his life. What about us? Do people say bad things about us? Do people say bad things about us? What do we do? What do we do about it?

Hopefully, we remember what God said in both testaments. Romans 12:19. Let's read verse 19. It says, beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.

That's quoting Deuteronomy 32:35.

In the English standard, Romans 12:19 says, beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. As it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

Are you angry? Ever? When we're angry, we should remember these words. We may say, somebody should do something about this. Someone will eventually. Who escapes God's judgment? Not the people buried at sea. The sea gives the dead who are in it. If you read Revelation, people are buried under tons of rock. They don't escape there either. I'm paraphrasing, but Revelation says they're calling upon the mountains, the rocks, to fall on them and hide them. It doesn't work either. Someday, we are all going to face God. In judgment, we should not react like Samson. We should react more like Isaac. We need to find a peaceful way to settle our disputes.

Our third biblical place is Rome. We tend to telescope history a little bit because we read about Rome. Rome, of course, is mentioned here and there through the four Gospels, and of course, especially in the Book of Acts, and reference is made to it from Roman through Revelation. We tend to think of Rome as the great persecutor of Christians.

Eventually, it was, but during most of the first century, it wasn't. Look at the Book of Acts. What's the usual response whenever Paul was dragged in front of a Roman official? They asked him openly at one point, Why don't you bring him in here? What's that to me? One of the officials had the attitude, it's a matter of your law, meaning Jewish law, Hebrew law, Old Testament law, you see to it. The Romans were not interested, at least not yet, in settling religious disputes involving Christ or Christianity. For the most part, Roman law was not in conflict with God's law. They had their gladiatorial games and such, but no one forced you to go to those. It was possible to live peacefully. They asked Jesus about this.

We alluded to this earlier. Here we are coming back to it. The government's evil. Should we pay for it? Let’s rephrase that question. Should we pay taxes? It says in Matthew 22 verse 15, (ESV) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him (Jesus) in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us then what you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

Either way Jesus answered this it is a trap. If Jesus said, Pay taxes to Caesar, they would have said, Caesar's a pagan. You're in favor of paganism. If Jesus had said, don’t pay taxes to Caesar, their next steps would have been towards the Pretorium as the Roman governor often headquartered himself there. That was one very quick way to get Rome's attention. Don't pay your taxes. What does Jesus? Jesus is not going to fall into this trap.

Verse 18 reads, aware of their malice, where he knew their thoughts, said, why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a denarius, (which is pretty much a day's wages) and Jesus said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They said Caesars. Then he said to them, Therefore, rendered a Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are god’s. When they heard it, they marveled, and they left him and went away.

Jesus was telling you flatly, Pay your taxes. Does the government 2024 do bad things? Yes. Just about every human government throughout history has done bad things. Should you pay your taxes? Yes. Whenever anyone on the Internet or anywhere else tells you not to, that person is speaking falsehood. That person is teaching the things that are not correct.

Let's move on to a few more examples from Rome that are a little less friendly. We're coming in after Paul's famous description of the, as we often call it, the Christian armor—the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation, and so on. But we're coming to our point in Ephesians verse 18.

Ephesians 6:18 says, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul had one big advantage Jesus did not. Paul was a Roman citizen. Politically speaking, as the world determines things, Paul had one big, legal advantage. Jesus was not a Roman citizen. This gives Paul certain rights that come into play over and over again in the last seven chapters of Acts. We'll summarize them in just a moment.

For one thing, it would have been extremely illegal to crucify Paul. You don't crucify Roman citizens. Paul was legally a Roman citizen. Did this give him a sense of superiority? Did he say, I'm a Roman citizen? As far as we know, Peter wasn't. Paul used that legal status to advance the cause of Christ. I could point you anywhere from Acts 20 to 28, for an example of that. Let's just turn to one small part of that—Acts 22. We see one of the times his citizenship comes into play. Paul invokes it here in Jerusalem in Acts 22. I've paraphrased for the sake of time. Paul had been arrested in the temple complex in Jerusalem for allegedly bringing Gentiles in there. That was the charge they arrested him on. He had been basically pushed up to the podium and told to make a defense for yourself to the Sanhedrin. What does he say in verse 21? He says that God tells him, 'Go, for I'll send you far away to the Gentiles.' That phrase was enough to enrage the Sanhedrin.

We're coming in verse 22. And they listened to him. They listened to him until this word, (Gentiles). And then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live.' Then as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander, ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

There are only a handful of Roman soldiers in Jerusalem. During this time as far as we can tell from historical sources, there were about 500 Roman soldiers. The population of Jerusalem was many thousands. The Roman soldiers were vastly outnumbered. And so the ESV actually tells you it's the tribune who were going to be brought into the barracks. The tribune would have been the local officer in charge. There was a Roman barracks there. We know where it was. It was called the Praetorium. It was a fortress It was next to the temple complex, which was probably where Pilate had tried Jesus before. That's where Roman governors usually stayed when they were in Jerusalem. Romans didn't like it in Jerusalem because, well, for one thing, they weren't allowed to bring their eagles. Why? They were idols.

There's no gladiatorial arena there. The Romans saw the Jews as strange. There are only 500 Romans there. They're not matched, at least in the short term. That's why it's pretty wild out there. They're tearing off their clothes and throwing dust in the air. That's why the Roman official, the Tribune, tells them, Beat Paul. They examine him under scourging. That means you're beaten with a whip that has bits of nails and glass in it. That could have killed Paul.

Back to verse 25. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion, who stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, Take care of what you do for this man who is a Roman. Then the commander or the tribune came and said to him, tell me, are you a Roman? He said, Yes. The commander answered, With a large sum, I obtain this citizenship.

In other words, a lot of the officers and such might pay a big sum of money to get the citizenship.

And Paul said, but I was born a citizen. Then immediately, those who were about to examine him, withdrew from him. And the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

It was illegal to severely punish a Roman citizen without a trial. Roman citizens were a special class of people. I know there's a lot of disputes in the United States right now about citizenship. I teach politics. It's nice to say, without making a statement for anybody, US citizenship for better or worse is fairly easy to get as world citizenship goes. Israeli citizenship on the other hand, is really hard to get. I believe your grandmother's mother has to have been Jewish. I'm not talking about religion, I'm talking about race. You have to be able to prove that she was Jewish by race. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how long ago you converted to Judaism, you can't be a citizen of Israel.

How special was Roman citizenship? How hard was it to get? One of the ways was to pay a lot of money. Not many people had a lot of money. Most people who were Roman citizens were born that way. If you weren't born a Roman citizen, the most common way of becoming a Roman citizen was to join the army. When you sign up for the US Army, what's your tour? Five years, six years? When you sign up for the Roman army, you sign up for 20 years. During which point, among other things, you're forbidden to marry. Roman discipline was notoriously brutal. They invented the practice of what's called decimation. If a unit showed cowardice in battle, afterwards the unit would be forced to draw straws. If you drew the short straw, the rest of the people in your unit would be forced to beat you to death. Every 10th person, that's what decimation gave them. That was Roman discipline. You went through 20 years of that to become a citizen.

There were other things like the penalty for falling asleep at your post was death. There are things of that sort. They were also expected to attend gladiatorial events so they could watch people being horrifically tortured and killed, so they could become desensitized. Inflecting the cruelties they inflicted on Jesus would have been routine for them.

Why go through all that? Roman citizens had rights, and so did their children. Obviously, according to Rome, you got married after you survived 20 years in the army, but their sons, especially, would inherit their citizenship. Roman citizens had rights. In particular, they had the right to trial before the Emperor, before any severe punishment was inflicted.

He says, I appeal to Caesar. He had that right. He had the right to appeal to Caesar. That sounds like a really inefficient system. The Supreme Court of the United States is really backlogged, and there are nine justices. The Romans did not really improve on that system. Caesar inherited the rights of the ancient Roman Republican judges. So every Roman had the right to appeal to Caesar. Paul knew all that, and he used his Roman citizenship to help him out. He was a Roman citizen. That was pretty great. What did he write, though, about his citizenship? Turn over Philippians.

He uses that very word, citizenship in Philippians 3:17. Paul here says, Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, for which we also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As great as citizenship was with Rome, Paul was most concerned about keeping his heavenly citizenship. That's why he called himself an ambassador in chains (Eph. 6). His citizenship was truly in heaven. His highest allegiance was to his earthly city.

We read 1 Peter, if you continue from where we were, 1 Peter 2:13-17, Peter says fear God. Honor. ESV says, honor the Emperor or honor the King. Fear the government. Do what the government says, unless it contradicts what God says. Even if the government is bad, even if the government is controlled by ungodly people, we have the responsibility to live in peace with all men because our citizenship, ultimately, is not in the United States of America or any other nation on Earth. Hopefully, our citizenship is in heaven.

Turn to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 summarizes the Godly thoughts of the people of faith. It's often called the Hall of Faith Chapter.

Hebrews 11:13 says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them far off, verse 4. Abel, verse 5, Enoch, verse 7, Noah, verse 8, Abraham and Sarah, and then it continues after this verse. These people all died in faith, not having received the promises, because Jesus hadn't come yet, but having seen them far off or assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things, declare plainly that they seek a homeland, they’re strangers and exiles, ESV, on the earth.

Where's your citizenship? Is your citizenship in heaven? We have lots of privileges as American citizens, but much more important than having the privileges of an American citizen, a Canadian citizen, Israeli citizen, or picking random nation, much more important than having the privileges of any civilization or nation on Earth is having citizenship in heaven.

If we are citizens of heaven, we're all ambassadors here on Earth. What do ambassadors do? They represent. We're supposed to be representing the King of Kings, representing Jesus Christ. The question is, are you a citizen of heaven? If not, then you need to be. You become a citizen of heaven by hearing and believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and by confessing that faith in him before men and repenting of your sins and putting him on a baptism. Then you need to continue to live like a new person, like a citizen of heaven. Don't live like the world lives. Don't live like Samson did, caught in an endless cycle of living for yourself, living for revenge, living to get ahead. Live for Jesus instead of living for the world and truly live for Jesus.

If your citizenship is not in heaven, if your citizenship needs renewal, or if there's any need you have, make your way to the front as we stand and sing this song.

View Details

Into The World – The Mount of Olives
Dr. Rob Sidwell
8/13/2024

Good evening. Good to be back to be with you again this evening. Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity and feeding me burgers. It's good to be here with you this evening, and especially I'd like to thank Brother Mark for leading that song we just sang, Olive's Brow, because that's what we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about the Mount of Olive's.

It's most famous, obviously, for the song we just sang. What happened then, with Jesus going out to that mount before he was arrested, and praying and beseeching God, that if possible, that what was about to happen to him would not happen to him. Smith's Bible Dictionary talks a little bit more about the mountain itself. The title is a bit misleading, at least as we understand the word mountain. Because, of course the way we think mountain. We think Chardon is not a mountain, but it’s on a peak. It's just a solitary stand-alone eminence, a prominent height. Actually, what's called the Mount of Olives is a ridge.

It's a series of peaks. Smith's Bible Dictionary says that the ridge is about a mile long. Jerusalem is situated right next to it so that it's on the east side of the city. As the east side is covered, the ridge turns west, and so it covers a part of the Eastern section of the city.

We know about four events in scripture that took place there. This evening, we're going to look at them, and we're going to see what we can learn from these things. Two of them, the first two, we're going to look at it from the Old Testament. Let’s turn to 2 Samuel chapter 15, where we will encounter King David. This is not a happy time for King David. 2 Samuel 15 and we're going to jump in at verse 13. And I'll read this again from the English standard. If you read verses, for the sake of time, 1 through 12, one of David's sons, Absalom, who had been exiled at one point for murdering his half brother. It's a long and rather sordid story.

David had welcomed him back, but never saw him once he returned to the city. Absalom had been plotting against his father. Absalom had been campaigning to the people of Jerusalem and beyond, saying essentially, David doesn't care about you. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Make me king, and I'll fix your problems, and it was working.

Here we go in verse 13 And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” And the king's servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house. And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” But Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.

What can we get from all this? Times are pretty desperate. David has been forced to flee his capital. What does he tell Itai? He says, I'm going to move the capital. He says in verse 20, I go, I know not where.

Take it from someone who studied history. History is replete with examples of kings, emperors, sultans who were deposed. Most of them didn't live too long after that. Most of them either went into exile indefinitely or a couple of times they tried to win back their throne. If you ever heard of Bonnie, Prince Charlie, for example, trying to win back the throne of England that had been taken from his family, it didn't work. David is in a very tough spot. Most likely, if he's going to suffer the fate of most monarchs who were overthrown, he isn't going to live very long. We may not be be king's or rulers, but what do we do in tough circumstances? What do we do in tough situations?

Let’s keep reading here. It says, verse 24, and here's more of our main focus. And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.

What was the Ark of the Covenant? The most sacred object in Israel, the place where a manifestation of God, dwelled above the cherubim, as it's often said in the Old Testament, above the two cherubim that faced each other on the lid or the mercy seat. This is the holiest object in Israel. Wouldn't you want it with you if you were fleeing for your life?

Look what David says in verse 25. Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.

But if he says, I have no pleasure in you. Behold, here I am. Let him do to me what seems good to him.

Who did David leave in charge, ultimately, of all things? He left his concubine in charge of his house, but who did he leave in charge of his life? He left God in charge of it. What does he say here? Verse 27, If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back. And let me do as seems good to him. Ultimately, David put his fate in the loving hands of God. We'll have more to say on that in just a moment. Let's finish reading the selection here.

Moving down to verse 27. The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Go back[e] to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.

These are desperate times, but there are a couple of things we want to note in this passage. When David first left Jerusalem again, who was with him? His warriors, he talks about his mighty men, his warriors, but also the priests and the Ark of the Covenant. Was the Ark of the Covenant powerful? Let me rephrase that question. Was the Ark of the Covenant powerful in and of itself? I see some shaking heads, no, and you are exactly correct.

People still believe in good luck, charms. and holy relics. In the movie, The Riders of the Lost Ark, there's a line in there where one of the characters says, The Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions. No, it does not. It says no such thing.

The Bible speaks of God doing such things. What was the Ark? A box, a gold-plated chest, a very special chest. It was made to God's exact directions in the Book of Exodus. That's all it was, ultimately. In and of itself, the Ark had no power at all. There's another line in that same movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, where they add something else. An army which carries the Ark before it, says the movie, is invincible.

Turn over to 1 Samuel 4. If that's true, and let's pretend for a moment that's true. An army which carries God's Holy object is invincible. Then if you're David, wouldn't you have wanted it with you when you're fleeing for your life? You certainly would. Israel had thought that the Ark made them invincible.

1 Samuel 4:1, ESV here again, says, And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?

Why indeed? They admit that God was not with them. why do you suppose God wasn't with them? You know the answer to that. If you read the Book of Judges, where it begins and ends with the phrase every man did what was right in his own eyes. Israel was not following God. Was that the conclusion that the elders of Israel reached here in 1 Samuel? No.

Finish the verse. Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh that (notice) it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.

Is that going to work?

Let's keep reading. So the people went to Shiloh and brought from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts who was enthroned, I inferred to earlier, on the chair of him. So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight. So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

David recognized what the elders did not. What was the Ark? It was God's sacred chest, but what could it do? Nothing. We won't read this for the sake of time. If you read, it's a short chapter. 1 Samuel 5 tells us what was commonly done. If you defeated an enemy civilization in the ancient world, you captured their gods. In most cases, of course, that meant the idol, the various little statues. You captured their idol, and you brought their idol into the temple of your gods so they were captive. You captured them. The Philistines did this with the Ark. Again, for the sake of time, we'll paraphrase here. What happened? It didn't turn out so well for the statue of Dagen, the Philistine God, and later, it didn't turn out so well for the people of the Philistines cities as God sent plague after plague on every city the Ark was taken to.

Let’s read one verse here. 1 Samuel 5:6 says, The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and his territory.

The Ark didn't inflict a thing. The hand of God did this. Verse 7 says, The when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, The Ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his (they do say his) his hand is hard against us and against Dagon, our God. So they send it to all five of the Philistines cities, or at least they tried to. They didn't want it by the end.

When the Ark gets returned to Israel, who strikes people dead? Who strikes people dead who look into it? God does. When Uzzah touched the Ark, did the Ark kill him? God did. David recognized what here on the Mount of Olive? David recognized that God alone is God, that you don't get closer to God by having an object around, not even the Ark of the Covenant.

There are people today who will try to sell you relics from the Holy Land. Water that came from the Holy Land, vials of dirt that were dug up from Jerusalem, etc. How are you going to know they came from Jerusalem? Even if they did, ould that get you any closer to God?

I could bore you. With long story after story about the Catholic relics and so on, that they count on these things to connect them to God, it doesn't work. Objects cannot get us closer to God. People wear a cross around their neck, which, of course, is fine unless they think, if I wear a cross around my neck, that'll get me closer to God automatically. It doesn't work that way. If it reminds you of Jesus and what he's done for us that’s wonderful, but just keep in mind this is not a good luck charm. This needs to mean more to you than, I'm in trouble, I'll grab it, and that's going to save me. It doesn't work that way. That's one thing we can learn right here from what happened at the Mount of Olives.

David pauses and sends the ark back to Jerusalem. The other lesson that we can get from this, we've already alluded to. Notice David's attitude. He did not complain against God. He did not say, if you read through 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, he went through a lot. I spent years running from Saul. For seven years, I was king over one tribe. I went through a lot to get here, and now I'm being thrown out of my own palace. He didn't rail against or blame God. He said instead he submitted to the will of God. He probably kept in mind what had been said to him not too long before by the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 12. Again, for the sake of time, we'll skip to the end of this. When David is confronted with what he had done Bathsheba, what he had done to her husband, Uriah. After David had self-righteously condemned the man in Nathan's parable, what did Nathan tell him? You are the man.

We'll jump in there. 2 Samuel 12:7, the ESV here says, Nathan said to David, 'You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you, King of Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul, and I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more, why have you despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with a sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I'll raise up evil against you out of your own house. I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor,' 'And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the Son,' 'For you did it secretly, verse 12, 'but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Son.’

Maybe David had that in mind when he was conferring with those who followed him at the Mount of Olive. The scripture doesn't explicitly say that he did. Ultimately, David did say that he had faith that everything was in God's hands. If God delights in me, I'll be restored. If he doesn't, there's no use trying to fight that. Absalom, of course, did not... He wanted to be king. We know that he didn't succeed in that. Who succeeded? Solomon. Sadly, though, Solomon is a source of our next Mount of Olive's account.

Turn over, please, to First Kings, chapter 11. And we will see that although Solomon was a wise man, he was only a man. He didn't always put that wisdom into practice. In fact, toward the end of his life, he usually didn't.

First Kings 11:1 says, Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Where did he do it? On the mountain east of Jerusalem, the mountain that would come to be known as the Mount of Olives.

This sad commentary on what would happen to Israel. It should also tell us something else from what we've read. Back to what we said about the Holy land. Is it really holy? Is there such a thing as the Holy land? No. Especially not if you read, we live under the New Testament. Nowhere on Earth is exalted above any place else on Earth. We touched a bit on that last night.

Turn over to Second Kings, Chapter 23. We'll see that the Mount of Olives had a new name by then. It wasn't a good one. It wasn't a happy name. By second Kings 23, after Solomon's death, had split between 10 tribes, Israel and two tribes, the new nation of Judah. Israel, by second Kings 23, had been obliterated by the Assyrians.

We're now dealing with Josiah, the king of the two tribes of the nation of Judah. Josiah was one of the few good kings. He tasked himself with cleaning up Judah's corruption. He ruled about 400 years, 400 years after Solomon. Look what was still standing by his time, 400 years later.

Jump down to verse 13 of Second Kings 23. It says, And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men..

On the Mount of Olives, David had worshiped God. On the Mount of Olives, Solomon had worshiped pagan gods, and every single one of the ones listed part of their worship involved child sacrifice. Every single one of them. Ashtaroth, Shemosh, Melcom, all three of them. And so by 400 years, give or take, by Josiah's time, the mountain was known as the Mount of Corruption. These places stood for a long time.

That's an excellent example of how there's nothing really necessarily special or blessed about a place. Places can be used for good or evil. To give you an example from like 3000 years later in history. You know what happened to the railroad car that was the site where World War I ended. Four years of mostly pointless slaughter. The trenches of Europe had barely moved for four years. It came to an end in a railway car in France where the Germans signed the armistice. World War I had been by far the bloodiest war in human history ever bought them until that time. The French preserved that train car. Tens of millions of soldiers were lost in World War I. The French preserved the train car in a museum. This is 1918.

What happened in 1940? The Nazis overrun France. As soon as Hitler found out where that the railroad car was, he had the museum wall cut away and had the train car brought out and forced the French to sign their peace treaty that gave Nazi Germany control of Western Europe in the same in a car, where the slaughter had ended in World War I. The French were forced to sign a treaty that would lead to four years in Western Europe of oppression, slave labor, and genocide.

I’ll give you a reverse example before we move on here. Bad places can be used for happy things. I mean, once a place has been used for evil, it can't ever be redeemed, right? You're right to react that way because it can. What happens when this place is cursed? It was used for evil.

When the Allies destroyed Nazi Germany, they took over, of course, the city of Nuremberg. Nuremberg had been the city where Adolf Hitler had held his grandest, greatest, largest rallies. See all the films of the thousands upon thousands of Nazis saluting and parading with their flags and such before their Fuhrer. The Americans turned the parade grounds into a baseball field. They made a point of filming where the swastika at the entrance. They made sure they captured that on film. They turned the parade grounds at Nuremberg, into a baseball field. They used the Nuremberg Hall of Justice, where genocidal laws have been passed as the courtroom, where the Nazis’ evil deeds were exposed to the world and then judged. This should remind us of examples like the Mount of Olives, like the Versailles train car, like the city of Nuremberg.

Places and things can be used for good or evil purposes. So can we. We have choices to make. How are we going to use the places that we use? The places where we live? The places where we work? Are we going to use Psalm 5:51 here? Are we going to do all that we have and all we do in the name of the Lord? Are we going to use what we have and the places that we have for evil purposes? We must not get attached to things. We must not say God can only be worshiped in this place. God can only be worshiped through this thing. We found that out, of course, fairly recently with COVID, didn't we? You can't say we can’t worship God if it's not in a church building, right? We found out that that wasn't true. What did Jesus say? He said, where two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them. We must avoid this attachment that the world has to objects, whether they're allegedly holy or not, or places, whether they are holy or cursed or not.

Romans 1:24 says, Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.

Why were they abandoned to sin?

Because in verse 25, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

We must not worship objects or places. We must worship the one who created them all. We don't bow down an idol, as we often say, and I think it's true. Anything we put in God's place becomes an idol. I was very attached to Mentor. It was very hard for me to move away from there. If I put Manner, Ohio, above God, I have a problem. If you put Streetsboro or Kent, Ohio, you have a problem. If you put any location or any object on Earth above God, you have a problem. This is our family heirloom Bible, it shouldn’t be put above God.

To get to the subject of our song there, let's turn to the New Testament now. Jesus and what he did on the Mount of Olives. Turn to Matthew 21, please. We're most familiar with what happened. To quote the song ‘Tis Midnight, the night Jesus was arrested. Jesus was very familiar with the Mount of Olives in that he had spent a lot of time there.

We'll pick up here in Matthew 21:1 (NKJ) It says, Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, [c]and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
We often call this the triumphal entry. This began, of course, the week that would end with Jesus on a cross. This was what we call it the triumph of entry because for once in his earthly life, people, at least some people, began to recognize who Jesus was on earth. That's important to know, because within a week, many of the same people, most assuredly, were screaming crucify him. People can be unfaithful, fickle.

Turn over to Matthew Chapter 24 verse 3 (NKJ). It says, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming at the end of the age?

Turn over to Luke 22 (ESV). That takes us to the scene that we sang about. That's where Jesus was. David had paused there. Solomon had built a pagan temple there. Jesus often went there and taught, and Jesus prayed there. So I said four things. Jesus prayed there, and we'll combine the last two as we wrap our thoughts and summarize our message here.

Luke 22:39 says, Coming out, he went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed, and his disciples also followed him. When he came to the place, he said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation. ‘And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw. And he knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. Then an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Within a week, he had been hailed as the son of David, as the coming one, as the Messiah. People had been throwing their cloaks down upon the road for him to ride over and waving branches and throwing branches in the road. And saying he was king, but he knew it was about to happen. He was about to be betrayed. He was about to be repeatedly interrogated. He was about to be mocked. He was about to be physically tortured, and he was about to be nailed to that cross.

Because he wasn't insane, he wasn't looking forward to it. In fact, he didn't want to do it. He said, If it's possible, let me not have to do this. Let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, he says, like David before him, (Jesus was sinless unlike David), but he says, not my will, but yours be done.

That's quite a week, isn't it? Jesus went from a triumphant entry to being crucified. Have you ever had a week where things start off really well and then everything crashes and burns? Or perhaps you had a week where things look really, really gloomy in the beginning and then they get better. None of us have ever been crucified or will have to be crucified. We've all experienced highs and lows. Would Jesus also experience highs and lows, better times in his life on Earth and worse times?

Turn over to Hebrews 4:14 (ESV). It says Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect, (the New King James says in all points), but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

What do you depend on? Do you depend on the place you're from, the place you've been to? Do you depend on an object? Or do you really, truly rely, as David did, as Jesus did, on God? That's a question only you can answer.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives one time after he was crucified. This'll be our last reference. Turn over to Acts 1, beginning with verse 9. Jesus has just given his last message directly on Earth to his disciples, soon to be Apostles.

Acts chapter 1 verse 9 says, Now, when he had spoken these things while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly, (the ESV says they stood gazing into heaven as he went up). Behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in heaven? ‘The same Jesus who was taken up from you in heaven will so come in like manner (or in the same way) as you saw him go into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.

The Mount of Olives was the sight of many things in the Bible. Jesus endured agony upon that mount. He wasn't crucified there. He was crucified on a hill called Golgotha, but he endured agony. He sweat drops of blood for us there upon that mount. He did all this so we, too, could ascend to heaven, and be with him someday. As we live, let's live giving glory to God for sending Jesus and have a relationship with him for ourselves. We must honor, praise, and glorify Jesus for loving us enough to do what he didn't want to do, submitting to God's will and being that sacrifice. Let's learn that a mountain, a ridge, or a river is only geography. The truly important issue is our relationship with God.

We close this evening by asking, how's your relationship with God? Are you really serving God? Or are you serving something else? Are you serving your bank account? Are you serving your family above God? Are you serving some other relationship? Are you serving your job? If you're serving anyone or anything other than God, you need to make that right.

Secondly, there's nothing holy or unholy about places. We can worship God at any time, in any place, and we should. We should worship God at all times, both when we're in this building or some other church building. We should serve God each and every day, each and every place that we are. Thirdly, Jesus understands our struggles, and he was crucified for us, even though he didn't want to be. He knew full well what was going to happen to him from when time began.

The question is, are you following Jesus? If you never started, then you need to. You need to start by believing that he is the Christ, the son of the living God. You need to be willing to confess your faith in him before men. Be willing to repent of your sins and put him on in baptism as he's commanded for you to do, and then continue to walk in a relationship with him, doing your best to follow after him and making sure you're serving him and you're not serving anyone, anything, or any place else.

If you have been baptized, and not living as you should. If you've fallen into serving the creature rather than the creator, you can make that right as well. If there's anything you have, come forward as we stand and sing the song.

(Transcript)

View Details

Into The World – Nazareth
Dr. Rob Sidwell
8/12/2024

Thank you all for allowing me to come and speak with you. Thank you for the wonderful accommodations you provided. I keep telling you, you don't have to do this. You continue to blow me away. I said I'm a person who didn't travel much, but when I did, I was happy with motel sixes and Super 8s. You have done very well for me, and I thank you very much for that and for this opportunity.

It's good to be back with you and talk with some of you. Hopefully, I have a chance to do that some more. I'll keep things brief and get right to the point of what we're going to talk about this evening. We're going to have a series of lessons. The title of this is going into the World. We're doing a series of lessons based on Bible places mentioned in the Bible.

We think a lot about places, and places mean a lot. For the last couple of weeks, much of the world's attention has been riveted on one place—Paris, France. People have paid a lot of attention. They've given a lot of attention to the training, the hard work, the lifetimes, the preparation that these athletes put in before they swim across the pool once and back, before they can land that one tumbling pass, so they can play basketball or whatever the case may be.

We, as the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinthians, we are also competing. We compete for a prize. We're competing for a prize that will last a lot longer than the laurels that they gave athletes in ancient times and longer than the metals that they hang around their neck that seem to be a thing this year. They're supposed to bite them. Everybody bit the metal when they were having their pictures taken.

Someday the teeth that bit that metal won't be around anymore. Neither will the metal because it's going to be consumed. The Crown of Life is better than an Olympic metal. It's better than a World Series trophy. It's even better than the Super Bowl ring for the Brown's Nation up here. This is a big deal. People remember where Olympic athletes are from, and that's where we're going to zoom in.

I would like to thank Brother Mark for leading that song we just sang and the verse of that song we just sang, that we saw Jesus not. Where did he hail from on this Earth? That despised Nazareth. A lot of towns, especially down in rural areas like where I'm from, have signs as you go in. This is Malta, Ohio, home of Olympic Bronze medalist, fill in the blank. Actually, Malta is home to no one except James Thurber, I believe, who wrote novels about Ohio. A lot of towns have home of this or home of that. There's a town close by called the Plains, where they have a sign, Home of Joe Burrow, Cincinnati quarterback.

Turn over to the gospel of Luke, Chapter 1. The little town Jesus hailed from wasn't where he was born. Where he hailed from wasn't a famous town. It hadn't been a famous town during Jesus’ life on Earth. Its Fame, its reputation didn't improve much.

In Luke 1, beginning with verse 36 says, Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, ' the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. ' 'Blessed are you among women. ' But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ' 'And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and she'll call his name Jesus. ' 'He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be since I do not know a man? And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

As suggested in the song Oh, How Marvelous. The lyrics are I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene. We tend to telescope things across 2000 years. Nazareth, great place? It wasn't considered a great place in those days. We know that Joseph was from Nazareth. The husband, I won't say he was Jesus' father, of course, because he technically he wasn't, but the husband of Mary was from Nazareth.

Turn over one chapter to Luke 2 beginning with... Again, I’m reading this from the English Standard Version. …verse one. It says, In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus so that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. (In order to register for the Roman census, people were required to go back to their ancestral lands.) All went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his betrothed who was with child.

Nazareth wasn't Bethlehem. Jesus was physically born in Bethlehem, but he grew up in Nazareth. Nazareth was where? We already read that in chapter one. Nazareth was in Galilee.

I'm from southeast Ohio. Southeastern Ohio is considered part of Appalachia. Appalachia has a bit of a reputation. Appalachia has a bit of a reputation for being a land of poverty. In large part, that's true. Galilee had a reputation that was less than stellar. In Jesus day, the Jews believe that the closer you lived to Jerusalem, God's holy city, the holier you were. If you're familiar with the geography of Palestine, you know that Jerusalem was well south of Galilee in Judea. Samaria was between where Samaritans lived was between Judea and Galilee. Jews were a majority in Judea. Galilee was not seen as a particularly good place, a particularly desirable place. Nazareth seemed hardly the place to expect the Christ, the Messiah, to come from—at least to many Jews.

You're going to see that as they react to Jesus. We know he grew up there. Let’s turn over to Luke 2:51. It says, And He, (Jesus,) went down with them, (His parents, Mary and Joseph,) and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart that he had said about being in his father's house or about his father's business.

That's where Jesus was from, as we would say on Earth. That's where he grew up. What had Nazareth been before Jesus? Not much. Search through the Old Testament. How many Major Prophets came from Nazareth? Not every prophet's origin is given in the Old Testament, but as far as we know, none. No major prophet, no major Jewish hero such as Samson or Barak or Gideon. No king can ever come from there. The scripture tells us that it was despised.

Turn over, please, to the gospel of John, chapter one verse 44. John says, Now, Philip was from Bethesda, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, 'We have found him, of whom Moses and the law, and also the prophets, 'Jesus, ' (Notice what he calls him,) 'Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. '

Nathaniel says, certainly. I know the prophets. Moses said there would be another prophet like me who's going to come along. You should listen to him. ‘That’s in Deuteronomy. He said, 'Isaiah wrote in great detail about one who was going to be crushed and bruised for us. Look at Nathaniel's reaction. In verse 46, Nathaniel said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.

The world places a lot of emphasis on where we're from. Among the medalists at the Olympics, there was one who won the first ever medal of any color from a little tiny Caribbean nation called St. Lucia. There was a lot of emphasis on that. The world puts a lot of emphasis on where we hail from physically. There are flags next to all the athletes in the Olympics saying where they're from.

Jesus did not start his earthly life in Jerusalem or in Rome, the capital of the world at the time. He started his earthly life in Nazareth, just as it was foretold. Turn back to the gospel of Matthew here. Matthew was largely written originally, to show, according to the Jewish Old Testament, the Jewish scriptures, God's word, that Jesus is fulfillment of prophecy.

Let’s just read one verse here. Matthew 2:23 says, And he went…, (that's Jesus,) …and he went, and went and he dwelled in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. The Old Testament prophets had said the Messiah was not going to be beautiful, but was going to be despised. That's a problem, of course, with all the paintings of Jesus that have been done over the years.

What is He? He's physically beautiful? He's shining? Sometimes he literally has a halo over his head? If you looked at a person and he looked like that, wouldn't you think there was something special about him? Wouldn't you follow him? Isaiah, of course, makes it very plain in his prophecy, Isaiah chapters 52 through 53, says that you, (I'm paraphrasing), you didn't follow Jesus because of how he looked. He didn't look like the world expected a king to look. You didn't follow Jesus saying, ‘Oh, look at that guy. He must be someone special. He must be a prophet. He must be the son of God.’ You didn't look at him and say that.

What did the temple officers say when they were sent to arrest him? They said, No man ever spoke like this man. Not, No man ever looked like a king more than him. No, they said, No man ever spoke like this man. One thing we can learn is that the world places a lot of emphasis on where we're from physically. What did God make clear to Peter, for example, in Acts 10, wherever we're from in nation God accepts those who do what is right or work righteousness and fear Him.

That's one thing we can learn from this. The second thing is related to that which is God's plan is not man's plan. God's plan is not a human plan. Men expected a lot out of Jesus that He didn't do. Many of them expected him to rise up armies, and overthrow the Romans, and reestablish a kingdom here on Earth.

Let's look briefly at all four gospel accounts one more time and see that throughout his life on Earth, Jesus is referred to as a Nazarene. We've almost turned this into a badge of honor. It wasn't in those days. You should still be in Matthew. Matthew 21:10 We're coming in at the end here of what we refer to as Jesus' triumphal entry.

Matthew 21:10 says, And when he, Jesus, had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, 'Who is this? ' So the multitude said, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

Even the demons, by the way, called him Jesus of Nazareth. Turn over to the gospel of Mark chapter 1, beginning with verse 23. It says, Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit And he cried out saying, 'Let us alone. What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy one of God.' But Jesus rebuked him saying, 'Be quiet and come out of him.' And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Turn over to Luke 18 verse 35. It says, Then it happened as he, Jesus, was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging, and hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that... Here he is again. Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, and he cried out saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me.’ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, receive your sight. Your faith has made you well. And even to the end of Jesus' earthly life, he was referred to that way.

Turn over once more gospel to of John, chapter 19:19. To the end of his life on earth, he bore that title. John says, Now, Pilate put a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Even at the end of his life on Earth, Jesus was known in his own time, if you will, the time he was on Earth, that is, as Jesus of Nazareth.

How do you suppose of Nazareth, felt about that? Again, we've almost turned Nazarene into a good thing, into a good title. There's a denominational church called the Church of Nazarene. We’ve turned it into a good thing, good title, or at least some people have. What about the Nazarenes themselves? How did they react to Jesus?

Back to where we started with this lesson, we talked about Olympic athletes. This town was the home of, et cetera, et cetera. Mentor, where I used to live, what does it say? It was the home of James Garfield. He came back as an adult when he was preaching. He didn't just live there physically as a child, but he came back there. Did Nazareth greet him? Turn out with parades? Put up a big sign that says, Welcome home, Jesus? I'm sure we welcome the Olympic athletes home with parades and fanfare, Super Bowl champions and World Series winners. We have parades because they put us on the map, or so we think.

How did Nazareth react when Jesus had His homecoming. Turn to the gospel of Luke chapter 4 and we'll see how Nazareth reacted to Jesus. They didn't welcome him, but let's go and read it for ourselves as we should.

Luke 4:16 says, So he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

That's what they did in... This is a tongue twister. …Synagogue Sabbath Services. That's what they did in those services. They invited visiting speakers, rabbis, and learned men to say something. So Jesus took advantage of that here. We see Paul taking advantage of that later when he goes around to Jewish synagogues in the Book of Acts.

Back to verse 17. And he was handed the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the Book, he found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Then he closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them… because that's what they did in synagogues …Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. So they all bore witness to him, they and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said… this must be the fulfillment of prophecy. That's not what they said. They said, this must be the Christ, the Messiah. They didn't say that either. What did they say? …Is this not Joseph's son?

To them, to many of them, apparently, he couldn't escape the shadow of his alleged, if you will, earthly father. That's one of the first things, by the way, they asked me when I went back to substitute teach down there. Did you go to school here? My first question is that, and I got asked that question over and over and over again by students and faculty alike. No, I didn't go to school here. I went to school with the next district over. Did you go to school here? Because that means a lot to people, especially if you're in Southeast Ohio. Who is your father? Who is his father's father, who is his third uncle? They're really into those connections.

To Nazarenes, that's who Jesus was to them. Is this not Joseph's son? There's not much reverence in that, is there? Is this not Joseph's son? We know that Joseph, of course, was a carpenter. Is this not Joseph's son?

Let's keep going. He said to them in verse 23, You will surely say this proverb to me, physician, heal yourself. ' 'Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,' (which was another town, of course, near Galilee), do you also hear in your country. Then he said, Assuredly, I say to you no prophet is accepted in his own country but I tell you, as he said in verse 25, Truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land. But to none of them was Elijah sent, except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

So if you read that account, of course, in first Kings, Elijah was sent to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. A region of Sidon meant that this woman was not Jewish. This one was not Jewish. Siden was a pagan city. Tyre and Siden were usually linked together, but Siden was not Israel. And that was going to deeply offend people who were listening to Jesus speak, but of course, it's the truth.

It keeps going and uses another example in verse 27, And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet. (I always overemphasize that because Elisha and Elijah sound so much alike.) Elisha, the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman, the Syrian.

Once again, not a Jew, or a member of the nation of Israel. They didn't call them Jews yet. He was not an Israeli. They thought, again, the emphasis of place and family connections. The Jews Jesus Day, many people today think where you're from or who your family is makes you righteous or not.

Personally, I've heard far too many preachers stand up and say, my grandfather was a preacher, and my father was a preacher. I come from a long line of preachers. That's wonderful. Hopefully, you learned a great deal about the gospel from them, but it doesn't make you any more or less of a preacher necessarily having righteous or unrighteous ancestors. Both testaments are quite clear that each person will give account of himself or herself to God. Truly, righteous parents and such are a blessing, but you can be saved without them. As a matter of fact, they can't save you either.

See how they react. Let’s read a couple more verses here. Verse 28 says So all of those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and they led him to the brow of the hill, which their city was built, that they might throw him down over the cliff. (That was an assemblage, all right, but it wasn't exactly a welcome parade, was it?) Then passing through the midst of them, he went his way.

What a sad commentary on the Nazarenes. Let's put a little asterisk right there, a little note. It's easy for us to play, as I like to say, 2000 years later, a quarterback and say, If I had been there, I wouldn't have insert the sin here. both testaments are clear about this.

Look at Ecclesiastes, for example. Humanity has not changed. People in Revelation see God do all sorts of wondrous and terrible things. What do they do? Many of them curse God even more after every single one. Each of us needs to answer for ourselves. Another song, but what are we going to do with Jesus for ourselves?

Look how they reacted to Him here in Matthew chapter 13, verse 53. It's easy for us to say, well, if I had been in the wilderness and I'd seen God coming down Mount Horeb or Sinai, I wouldn't have disobeyed. I wouldn't have been condemned to wander in the wilderness. If I'd been there and seen Jesus teach, I would have followed him. Hopefully that's true, but many people, of course, didn't. What happened when he was arrested? His disciples forsook him and fled, even though not hours before they said, even if we have to die with you, we will not deny you. We won't abandon you.

Look how Nazareth reacted to Matthew 13:53. I read the ESV. It says, And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there. And coming to his hometown, Nazareth, he taught them in their synagogue. So they were astonished and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

That's a good question. Hopefully we know the answer. The correct answer is, and that's what Jesus pointed out elsewhere, he got this wisdom, these mighty works, to prove that he was and he is who he claimed and who he claims to be, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God. That's how he could get this wisdom and do these wonderful things, these mighty deeds and miracles and works. Is that the conclusion Nazareth reached? Let’s to to verse 55, Is not this, here it is again.

Matthew 13:55, Is not this the Carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas, And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him or they were offended at him. (What a sad commentary.) But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and his own household. And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

You say, I'm not going to have said that? If I just see a miracle, I'll believe. Jesus was not put on this Earth to do magic shows. And repeatedly, that was pointed out. The many people who wanted to see him do a miracle, they wouldn't have believed it anyway. Remember the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man was told, even if someone raises the dead they wouldn't believe. Jesus was not put here on Earth to simply do magic tricks.

He was put here for a purpose, which the Psalm we sing talks about. He was here to teach, to preach, and ultimately to die. It's a sacrifice for our sins. It's not recorded anywhere in the Bible that Jesus went back to Nazareth after this, but of course, he went home. He went to heaven after God raised him from the dead.

What we became of Nazareth? With most of these towns this week, I'll try and let you know about these places today. You can visit the little town of Nazareth today, but only a pile of rubble remains of the original village. A new village grew up beside it and took the name. But if you know anything about the history of the Middle East, you know it's been fought over and fought over and fought over, wars after wars after wars. It's long gone.

Where we're from doesn't dictate whether we can be saved or not. Who our parents are, doesn’t dictate whether or not we can accept Christ and obey him. And God's plans are not human plans. We've talked about those three things.

What role do I have to play? What does that mean for me? You say, I can't sing. We've all heard this, probably. Does that mean you can't sing to the prettiness level that you think you should? I don't know what to pray for. Do any of us really? Paul makes it clear in Corinthians that no, we don't. I'm not good at public speaking. Are you good at conversation? I'm not good at this. I'm not good at that.

Think about that imagery of the Carpenter since we've talked about Joseph. Let's mention that. Dr. Tony Evans wrote a short piece about Jesus as the Master Carpenter. Some of you might have heard this.

It says, Imagine a convention, a meeting of carpenter's tools. Brother Hammer, who has been presiding over the meeting, is asked to leave because he's too noisy. He makes too much noise when he's pounding things. He replied angrily, if I leave, Mr. Screwdriver should come with me because he can't do the job without going around in circles. Mr. Screwdriver, who, of course, was tall and thin, spoke, I'm not the one who should leave. Look over here at Mr. Blockplane. He has no depth. He never gets past the surface. Of course, Brother Blockplane said, what about old sandpaper? He's so abrasive. He rubs everybody the wrong way. The bickering continues, but the carpenter from Nazareth comes in, puts on his apron and begins to build a pulpit from which to preach the gospel. He uses every single tool in turn. He uses all the tools in the shop.

What did Paul write? Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. I'm from Southeast Ohio. I don't think anyone else here is. Do I have a part? Yes, I do. You're not from Southeast Ohio. I'll pick on people. You're from Streetsboro. Do you have a part to play? Yes, you do. You're from what didn't blow away in Chester. Do you have a part? Yes, you do. We each have a part, a role. We have a function in the church.

I’ll read this. It's a little clear in the English standard. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, (in other words, no matter where we're from), and all were made to drink of one spirit, for the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, Because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I'm not an eye, I do not belong to the body. That would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing. If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

We each have different talents. Trust me, if you ever come down to southeast Ohio, you do not want me to cook for you. I do not have a stove in my house. I had one in my apartment in Mentor. I was there five or six years, and never once did I turn it on. I am the king of the microwave chefs. I have ruined Kraft macaroni and cheese. I have absolutely zero talent as a cook. About as much talent as I have as a gardener or a carpenter. My middle school shop teacher said, he's hopeless. He had often, I think, come in and finish or improved the projects that I did. I didn't notice. Some people are quite good at working with their hand. I am not. We each have different functions.

Let's keep going with verse 21. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you, ' nor the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, because we bestowed the greater honor. Our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first Apostles, second prophets, third teachers, Then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you a more excellent way.

We are different, but Jesus can use each one of us to his glory. Question is, because he won't force himself on you yet, someday every knee will bow, but are you letting Him use you to his glory? Satan, of course, delights when there's division. If there's division in the church, no work gets done. The world has more ammunition that it can and will use against the church.

We'll bring our thoughts to a close here, both from Ephesians and Ephesians 4. Ephesians 2 finishes off the thought we just started here.

It says, in verse 20. Having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God and the spirit.

What are you going to do with Jesus? What will you do with Jesus? It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter who your parents were or weren't. You can and you must accept Jesus in order to be saved. It's the only way anyone has any hope of being saved. God's plans aren't man's plans. God has given us his plan and his word. His plan is for you to come in the way that he has told you to come.

We'll read this and wrap our thoughts up here. Ephesians 4:11, ESV, says, And he gave the Apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves, and carried out by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way, and to him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part working properly makes the body grow so it builds itself up in love.

I ask, have you reacted to Jesus of Nazareth? Do you see him as too many saw him then as just a teacher? A teacher who got some attention drawn to Himself, and that was it. You're sitting here tonight, you probably don't think of him that way, but have you truly accepted him as Lord by doing what is required.

He says, you need to do what he has said. He has said, you need to do what the people of Nazareth didn't. You need to believe that he is the Christ, the son of the living God. You need to be willing to confess your faith in him before men. You need to be willing to repent of your sins, turn away from your sins, those things that are not correct, and those things that are wicked and not according to God's word. You need to put him on in baptism, as he is commanded for you to do. Then you need to continue to live for him, making the best use of whatever talent you may have, whether it be cooking, speaking, singing, encouraging, or anything else. If you need to come to Jesus or you need to come back to him as we stand to sing the song.

(Transcript)

View Details

Ephesians 2:4-8

INTRO: Good morning church. In the last few lessons we talked about the importance of understanding the cross. That understanding of the cross will affect our behavior. The Bible studies and sermons that we have are most often with an eye to what we need to do. They are application oriented. That is a good thing, but we do not as often study the cross which is the underpinning for everything else. Next we talked about the plan of God and the need for the cross. That need is our sin, our transgression of God’s law. Today I want to turn our attention to God’s love.

Please open your bibles to the book of Ephesians 2:4f – “4. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6. and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”[NKJV]

I have always been awed by the unfathomable love of God. I recall the words of the apostle John at 1st John 3:1 where he wrote “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!...” Among the things which that wonderful statement declares, is the expression of John’s awe of the amazing love God has for us.

Has mankind always lived in such a way that this love is deserved? No, certainly not. Indeed generation after generation of human history has evidenced the fact that mankind is ungrateful and rebellious. God has loved the unlovable! In loving the unlovable, Jesus went to the cross. We can not think of the love of God without thinking of the manifestation of that love on the cross, in its effect and purpose. Oh yes, “behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us”. So that we, you and I, should be called the children of God. What I would like us to do this morning is to think in view of mankind’s historic rebellion and ungratefulness, about the desire and the love of God.

I. THE HISTORY...

A. Let’s begin in the garden of Eden

1. It was there you recall that God told the man “… Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
2. How clear was God’s instruction to the man! Yet soon we see Eve and Adam eating of that tree and sin enters the human experience. We might wonder, is this to be the end of humankind? For indeed, the nature of God’s law, the nature of absolute justice, might well have justified God saying “it’s enough”. God’s love and God’s desire did not bring human history to an end.
3. There were, it is true, consequences of sin. There were things that had to be done because of the violation of the law and mankind has to bare these consequences. Yet it was not the end because that was not God’s desire, not God’s wish. Because of God’s love He permitted human history to continue.
4. Last time when we looked at 1st Peter 1:20 Peter says about Jesus, “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” God knew that humanity would sin. And He made a plan for our redemption and set it in motion.
5. In Genesis 3:15 – In what has been described as the first announcement in biblical history of the coming of a savior, we see evidence of the love and the desire of God. To Satan God says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” I understand that we say “that is a bit obscure” and how could Adam and Eve have understood that God was speaking of a time way in the future of a savior? I suspect they did not understand that. You and I have this wonderful opportunity of looking back historically and of realizing what God was telling Satan, obscure as it might seem, certainly he knew what it was all about. It speaks of the love and the desire of God in the future tense.

B. What about in the days of Noah.

1. Genesis 6:5-7 – “5. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7. So the Lord said, now listen to this, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.''” There was nothing in this period of history that would have commended humankind.
2. The Bible says that every intent of the thoughts of man were only evil continually. “Here we see the total corruption of humanity. Furthermore, there were no men anywhere (with the exception noted in Genesis 6:8) who varied from this pattern; and there was no occasion when any man left off the mental pursuit of wickedness! It would be difficult to devise a sentence that would any more effectively portray the corruption of humanity than does Genesis 6:5”. (Coffman)
3. Certainly it seemed that this would be the end for humanity – If I read this correctly, God considered putting it to an end. God announced the summary punishment and destruction of all on the face of the earth; but before announcing what was to happen. He indicated Noah was an exception, through whom a new beginning for mankind would come.
4. Genesis 6:8 – “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Here was one man in what was otherwise a cesspool of humanity. One man! One righteous man. God sees this one righteous man and God’s desire and love was to preserve him and his family. God could have done something different. He could have gathered Noah to Himself and then destroyed the earth, but He did not. You see the love and desire of God is for mankind. (cf. 1st Peter 3:20 – “who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”)

C. Let’s look at the days of Abraham.

1. Genesis 12:1-3 – Here are the words around which scripture revolves as far as history is concerned. “1. Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 2. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.''” I wonder, did Abraham comprehend all that was said here? In my human thinking I would doubt that he did. He may have understood about the great nation. What about those words “in you all families of the earth shall be blessed”?
2. Whether or not Abraham comprehended the vastness of the meaning of those words, you and I know in retrospect, that those words represent one of God’s great promises, and are evidence of God’s great desire and love for humanity.
3. Galatians 3:8 – Here the apostle Paul sites that very passage to tell us that this is the declaration of the gospel to Abraham. “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed.''” This was a proclamation of the good news, the Gospel, to Abraham! The good news of God’s love and God’s desire to be reconciled to humankind. The reconciliation that would take place in the form of the possibilities presented by the cross of Jesus Christ.
4. God had a plan. He has always had a plan. God’s patience has been tried and tested over and over again in the period between Genesis chapter 3 and now. Even in the testing of His patience, He has a plan!

D. Then in the days of David.

1. 2nd Samuel 7:12-16 – Here is God speaking to David through the prophet Nathan. “12. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” As I read these words I find no mention of the savior or messiah or redemption or reconciliation. Yet, in these words, I’m thinking now of the history of God’s relationship with mankind, against the backdrop of mankind’s ungratefulness and rebellion,… what I see in these words are facts that are going to relate so deliberately to mankind’s future history. Of whom does God speak?

a. “I will set up your seed after you” We know that Solomon was not “set up” after David, but during David’s reign, and the authority of David was the key factor in the enthronement of Solomon.
b. “I will be his father, and he shall be my son”. Not even an angel of heaven deserved such a line as this, much less Solomon. The inspired author of Hebrews makes that fact absolutely indisputable. “To what angel did God ever say,”… “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son?” (Hebrews 1:5).
c. I need to mention, the words cited in Luke 1:32-33 the annunciation to Mary about the birth of Jesus. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” So this was a prophecy.

1. The point is:

a. God’s mercy is not going to depart from the offspring of David.
b. And that David’s “throne shall be established for ever”.

1. That brings me to the great point here. God’s still has a plan and that plan is moving forward.
2. God still has love and desire and a plan for mankind. This will not be deterred or overturned. The plan involves David and his seed, and a throne and a kingdom.

E. That brings us to the days of Isaiah

1. Isaiah 9:6-7 – Here we read of this king and this kingdom. “ For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
2. Hundreds of years have passed from 2nd Samuel chapter 7 to Isaiah chapter 9. Hundreds of years of wickedness, and rebellion and idolatry and forsaking God have occurred.
3. Yet, here is Isaiah speaking of a coming King and kingdom in terms and descriptions which are filled with hope ... and evidence of God’s plan.
4. It is true that a lot of things have transpired. Notice however the words “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” - the plan goes on.
5. God’s love will not be turned aside. God’s plan will not be short circuited. God’s plan involves the coming King and the kingdom.

F. Finally in the last of the books of the prophets, in the days of Malachi.

1. Remember that many, many years have passed from Isaiah to Malachi.
2. In Malachi 4:2 – “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” God still speaks of One Who will come to bless humanity.
3. If sin is the malady (and it is), this One will come with “healing” as Malachi says here, in His wings. The remedy for sin will be found in Christ. All of the ungratefulness, the rebellion, the sin that man has done, has not swayed God from His purpose, His plan. The Sun of righteousness will arise the prophet says. Jesus is coming.
4. From Eden to Malachi the theme has been the desire and love of God.

II. WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN?

A. God could have just said so many times “enough is enough”.

1. The nature of law and absolute justice certainly indicate that.
2. But into that place comes the love and mercy of which Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:4 – “… God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,”
3. Oh yes, sin has temporal consequences which cannot be “waived”, that is true ... but one of the consequences of sin, the eternal separation from God is not necessary because of the cross of Jesus Christ. When I say is not necessary, what I mean by that is each of us can make a choice.

B. God’s desire is for reconciliation.

1. Yes, there will come an end to all things. Peter writes about it in – 2nd Peter 3:10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
2. We have no idea when it will come - but come it will. To all the people that are saying “these are the signs of the end of time” “these are the signs which herald the coming of the Lord”, the nicest thing I can say is that they are terribly mistaken. They have not read their bibles correctly and carefully. Yes, there will come an end. According to Matthew 24:26f Jesus explains “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
3. Because there will come an end, it is our pleasure and our privilege to proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can speak of the love of God and the mercy of God, of the grace and forgiveness of God, because though there is an end coming, in the intervening period still it is God’s desire for reconciliation.

C. God’s love is filled with grace, mercy and forgiveness

1. I cannot review God’s history with man without being sobered and awed by the amazing love and mercy that God has shown to us. It is everywhere found in the scriptures.
2. As I review that history I come to the conclusion that all of this is pointing ahead to Jesus Christ, that One, that King, that Messiah, that Savior, of whom God spoke through His prophets for hundreds of years. – I mentioned to you earlier of the announcement in Luke and how the words of the prophets are fulfilled. Read with me now. Luke 1:31-33 - “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
3. Who can forget the words of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”— or “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)? The wonderful, matchless love of God, evidenced in the cross.

D. Still, there must be a response from each of us to God’s grace, mercy and love. It requires that each individual make a decision about their relationship with God.

1. “Universal salvation” is not the way it is ... or, will be! God is not going to save without regard to a persons choices in their life.
2. The response may be called “obedient faith” (see Acts 6:7 - “And the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”) Faith requires obedience.
3. In Acts 18:8 we find a great illustration of this obedient faith. “Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.” There folks, is obedient faith.

CLOSE: Clearly, folks, God desires that we be reconciled to Him. He loves you; He cares about you; He does not want you to be separated from Him for eternity. His love, however, allows you to make the choice. You still must chose. What do you want? Where do you want to spend eternity?

I would this morning, urge in the most loving way, and most concerned way that you make the decision today to respond in faith and obedience to what God teaches in His word, and receive this reconciliation which is His desire to give. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, if you will repent of your sins, if you will confess the name of Jesus, and be buried with Christ in baptism; your sins will be forgiven, you will be admitted into the body of Christ, and added to the church of our Lord. You will be a child of God. And you will be able to say “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon me that I should be called a child of God.”

God has blessed us with many things; the ability to choose is one of them. He has also blessed us with the ability to learn, given us His word and this wonderful universe to learn from. In addition He has given us in this ability to choose, the ability to change our minds as we learn. We see this all the time as we study the natural world and learn more. Perhaps as a Christian you have grown in knowledge and found a correction is needed to return to the path of reconciliation.

If you need to come in obedience this morning I would pray that you do so while we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Romans 5:12

INTRO: Good morning church. Last week we talked about the importance of understanding the cross. The scandal of the cross is central to everything considered Christian. How we think about the cross will affect our behavior. If we want to be the right kind of person and do the right things, then we need to understand the Cross. We said when our thinking is based on the Cross; we are going to start living right.

In 1st Corinthians 1:18 the apostle Paul said about the preaching of the cross, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Inspired writers of the New Testament did not forget the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus. Central to what they wrote was the cross and its effects on humanity.

Admittedly, though, over the years, our preaching has gone in numerous directions and may often have become very application-oriented. That is not all bad, but I wonder if possibly in the preaching of application, we have neglected the preaching of the cross. Is it possible that the underpinning has been forgotten to the extent that our application preaching is very subjective?

What I'd like to do for the next few lessons, the Lord willing, is to preach the cross of Christ because it truly is the underpinning of everything else we might say. It all begins with the cross, the crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Does anyone know what we mean by sins of omission?” A little girl raised her hand and said, “Aren’t those the sins we should have committed, but didn’t?” This morning, as we begin this series, what I need to do is to talk a little bit about the problem of sin, because it was sin that sent Jesus to the cross. It is sin which is the reason for the cross.

I. A BRIEF HISTORY REVIEW ABOUT SIN. Let's start by briefly reviewing the history of sin.

A. We will start with a definition. How does scripture describe sin?

1. In 1st John 3:4, there is a very brief but simple definition. John says, “…sin is the transgression of the law.”[KJV]
2. Sin is a violation of the law or commandment of God. It's that simple. In the New Testament, this word sin comes from an original word, which means “failing to hit the mark”, (Strong G266). Think of this in terms of archery for a moment. When you go out to the archery range, there is a target, and there is a place within the target which would be perfection, the perfect shot. We call it the bull’s-eye. The archer raises their bow, draws back the bow string and lets fly the arrow. If they miss the mark, the bull’s eye, the word for that miss is the word from which our word sin comes. Sin is the violation of the law of God. Sin is missing the mark of perfection.

B. Sin enters human experience with Adam and Eve

1. In the Book of Genesis 2:16-17, God gives instruction. He says, “… Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”[NKJV] There is the instruction of God.
2. Then in Genesis 3:6 we read this: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” There is the violation, the transgression. There is the sin. The commandment of God had been violated.

C. Sin in Cain’s murder of his brother. Starting at Genesis 4:7f “If you do well, (God is speaking to Cain) will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”[ESV] SIN is the violation of the law of God and God tells Cain he must rule over it. What happens? “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”… I’ll pause there.

1. We need to note what is written next carefully. “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.'' And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment…”[NKJV]
2. When does punishment come? When there has been a violation of the law. We see that in Genesis 3. Punishment comes with sin. “My punishment” Cain says, “is greater than I can bear!”

D. This question may occur to us. We know from Genesis 2:17, what God had instructed concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but what about Abel and Cain and instruction concerning the sanctity of human life? Where is that instruction?

1. Obviously, from what scripture tells us, we do not see specific instruction concerning this matter, but where there is sin there must be a violation of the law of God. It is proper then to assume that Cain knew he should not have taken his brother's life because of God's law concerning the matter. Yet he took his brother's life, and in doing so committed sin.
2. I'd also like us to look at Romans 5:12f. Something is said here that is very helpful as we think of these ancient times and the matter of sin. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Look at verse 13, "For until the law (talking about the law of Moses) sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

a. If you'll notice in verse 13 the apostle Paul, by inspiration of the Spirit, writes that sin was in the world before the giving of the Law of Moses. If sin was in the world before the giving of the Law of Moses, there had to have been law existing in the world.
b. That law has not been revealed to us in the Book of Genesis, but it was nevertheless revealed to those people who were subject to it. When they violated the law, they sinned. It's that simple. Sin is the transgression of the law. If there is sin, there's got to be law, and there was law.

E. What about the people in the days of Noah?

1. As we read Genesis 6:5-6 - we discover God's assessment of the situation in these words. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” How can there be wickedness and evil if there is no law? Answer—there was law. Thus, God could assess these people were being wicked and evil. “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
2. Peter refers to these people as “the ungodly” in 2nd Peter 2:5. How can you be ungodly if there is no law which you must observe and within which you must walk? The answer is you can't be, but if there is law, you can violate it and become ungodly. These people in the days of Noah were ungodly. The sin of these people almost resulted in the end of human life on the earth.

F. Question - did not God know that men would sin?

1. I want to tell you that I do not understand the all-knowingness of God. I frankly admit to you that I'm just not that smart.
2. What we're will find though, is that God did foreknow that mankind ultimately would sin. Let’s continue.

a. God has given us this thing called freewill. Freewill means I can choose and that very thing with which human beings are endowed, led to sin at the beginning. God has given His law for our benefit. Moses would say to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 11:26-28, “I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today,” Here is a positive indication of the freedom of the human will. If the Israelites were not free agents, they could not be punished for disobedience, nor could they, in any sense of the word, be rewarded for obedience.
b. We talk about instinct. When baby sea turtles hatch on the beach they instinctively and quickly head to the ocean to escape the predators on land. Their mothers did not teach them to do that. It is programmed into them. Programming a specific action is very efficient.
c. In contrast to programmed actions, is freewill. When we tell our children what to do they may do something else entirely. The child can understand our instructions but still refuse to follow them. The reason is the child finds other things they want to do more appealing.

II. SIN CONTINUED TO BE A PLAGUE FOR HUMANITY

A. In the book of Isaiah 59:1-2 we find verses familiar to many of us. Isaiah writes, “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities (or your sins, if you choose) have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” - This is the assessment of God through Isaiah, and it is not unique to Isaiah's time.

1. These two verses may well be a commentary on human history to that point and yes, beyond. Sin from the very beginning of its introduction into humanity, has continued to be a problem. It's been the curse of humanity.
2. In these two verses, something else is seen, and this is so important, the effect of sin on the man-God relationship. Sin inevitably is going to separate you from God. It isn't something God chose to happen. He didn't want you to sin. Sin is going to separate you from God because in His Holiness, He cannot abide in the presence of sin. Sin has to be dealt with in one way or another. That's the whole purpose of the cross. God is dealing with the problem of human sin.

B. In Romans 3:23 the apostle Paul wrote, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” This is the judgment of God upon all of responsible age

1. At some point in your life, at some point in each person's life, sin will enter as a matter of the individual's choosing.
2. If there is no law, there would be no sin ... but there is law. There are people who today preach the idea that there is no law; instead they say we are under total and complete grace, and that the grace of God is going to overlook all of our foolishness and our unrighteousness. Those people who preach that message have forgotten how to read. They have not read their Bibles. Or if they've read them, they have not understood. They found something else more appealing. There is law—God's law, and ignorance of the law does not excuse.
3. When you violate that law, you sin. Sin is going to come into your life by your own choosing. Death passes to all people because all have sinned.

C. Then in Ephesians 2:1-3, as if what we've already said wasn't enough, the apostle Paul talks about the effects of sin. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

1. You see, physical death passed to humanity because we were deprived of the tree of life. Genesis Chapter 3.
2. But spiritual death comes to each person because of their own sin. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”. Each and every person is dead to God, spiritually dead, at some point in their physical life, and that is because of sin. Spiritual death, unresolved, will lead to eternal death.
3. We're by nature the children of wrath. What is the effect of sin? It'll kill you. We die spiritually when sin comes in our lives. That is, we become dead to God. That's why the cross was so important. That's what the cross is all about, to take care of this problem that happens when sin enters our lives.
4. Jesus died on the cross to make life possible for eternity. He died on the cross so that we wouldn't have to continue to be dead in sin and thus spend eternity in hell because we've died spiritually.

III. SIN IS STILL YOUR PROBLEM AND MINE

A. In 1st John 1:8-9 where John is writing to Christians he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1. Again, this is written to Christian people like us, not to people who are out of Christ. These are people who have enjoyed the blessing of forgiveness through the cross of Christ—Christian people.
2. It's written to Christian people who recognize that sin can continue to be a problem for them. People making every effort to walk as they should.
3. Now let’s look at 1st John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” We can not have fellowship with God when we are walking in darkness. As you know, "walk" in this passage, as frequently in the New Testament, is an idiom for the totality of human conduct.
4. The grammar, the language in verse 7, indicates that cleansing by the blood of Jesus comes as one is walking in the light. Walking in the light shows up our sins and frailties, revealing the need for constant cleansing.

a. This cleansing, however, is not necessarily automatic. It is based upon confession, penitence, and renewal. 1st John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This might be paraphrased, “If we confess our sins to God with a firm resolution to forsake them…” It is difficult for a person to admit blame and guilt, society is hardly capable of any such admission. The trend today is to deny sin exists. Drunkards have merely contracted an unfortunate disease. Adulterers and philanderers are schizophrenic. Thieves, murderers, outlaws, etc. are not criminals, but anti-social. Sinful behavior is not Sin, but the natural response to one’s heredity, environment, deprivation or other things beyond the sinner’s control. This way of thinking is called "self-deception."
b. Then in 1st John 1:10 – “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” To go to the length of denying past sin and present guilt, is not only self deception but to give the lie to God himself. God gave His only begotten Son upon the cross that man might be saved from sin, a salvation that was impossible for any man apart from God’s redeeming act. John’s language here is not too strong. Those who deny their need of redemption from sin, through the pretense of not ever having sinned, are the most guilty and contemptible. To say that we have not sinned is not just to tell a deliberate lie, or to be self-deceived, but actually to accuse God of lying, to make Him a liar.

B. The question then occurs to me, how seriously do we take sin?

1. Are we casual about it? Are we even, some of us, flippant about the fact of sin in our lives, our Christian lives?
2. Do we choose to do wrong things without even a second thought of the consequences?
3. Do we not realize that if we do not deal with our sin problem, that we are setting ourselves up for an eternal calamity?
4. I have a strong suspicion that folks don't like to think about sin. They don't see their unrighteous actions as sinful and can cause them to lose their soul.

C. A preacher wrote that he had preached a sermon about the subject of sin. He said one of his dear friends came to his office on Monday morning and these were her exact words, “I don't like for you to preach about sin.” She went on to explain it's an unpleasant subject saying, “I don't want to hear about it.”

1. This person, in her honesty, confronted him with the idea—I don't like to hear about sin. Perhaps she verbalized in those words thoughts that have been on many of our minds.
2. I just don't want to talk about sin, I don't want to hear about sin.
3. Truly though we haven't talked enough about sin. We haven't talked enough about the effects of sin. We haven't talked enough about how sin can condemn a soul to hell for eternity.
4. People might say; “I'm not so sinful”. What about that expression? … Sin is sin. It's a violation of the law of God, and it will condemn your soul to hell if you do not deal with the problem.

IV. BEFORE TIME BEGAN, GOD LAID PLANS. God did something wonderful. He established a plan by which we could be forgiven for our sins. We can be redeemed from the curse of sin.

A. In 1st Peter 1:20 Peter is talking about Jesus and says, “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” A perfect atoning sacrifice was planned before time began!

1. We can now answer the question… God did know that humanity would sin.
2. And with that foreknowledge, He made His plan for our redemption and set it in motion. The entire journey of the Bible, from the first chapter in Genesis, through the last chapter of Revelation, is all about this plan. Peter says, first in prospect, and now in reality, God set His plan in motion.

B. Speaking of Revelation lets take a look at Revelation 13:8 where the beast is being described – “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”[para] It is these last words that I want you to notice. Slain from the creation of the world. This is talking about Jesus, the lamb we've read about in 1st Peter 1:20. Jesus Christ, slain from the creation of the world.

1. Wait a minute. I thought Jesus died on the cross about 30 to 32 AD, right in there somewhere. He did, in fact.
2. What we see here is the wonderful plan of God, the knowledge of God, the desire of God. Understand that God's plan, which He formulated, and set in motion, was so immutable that even in the time of Genesis 1, it could be said the Lamb has been slain. God’s plan was so unalterable as to be “accomplished” before it was actually accomplished.
3. That's just the way it is with God. It could be said of Jesus, He was slain from the foundation of the world. Of course, ultimately, Jesus died on the cross, just outside the walls of Jerusalem, in a place called Golgotha.
4. The plan of God was set in motion. The Lamb was prepared, and it was as if the Lamb had already been slain, but His blood was shed at Calvary for our sins. God’s plan involved the cross, the crucifixion - Acts 2:23. It is no wonder the writers of the NT emphasized the cross

CONCLUSION: In God's grace, He has provided both the means and the instruction that we need to know how we can be reconciled to Him. We can overcome our sin problem.

As Christians, we resolve the problem of sin in our lives by confessing and repenting of our sins, and striving to live obedient lives every day.

There are people who have become Christians and know better, yet choose to live their lives in a way that is rebellious to God. Rather then living in obedience they find other things more appealing. We are not the judge. We can see what God's word says about that though. Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus says, “"Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day,Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”

Remember how John defined sin saying, “…sin is the transgression of the law.” Jesus tells us that those who practice lawlessness are going to be lost for eternity.

Those folks who have not yet become Christians need to know that God's grace has provided in the gospel message the means and the instruction to deal with sin.
God waits for your obedient faith in the waters of baptism. Scripture tells us we need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of sins. The wonderful news is that all of those sins we've committed to that point in time, God remembers them no more. They're gone. They're gone because of the Cross.

Christians who have sinned presumptuously, not caring that their life is not as it should be, I urge you to do something about that. Confess your sins and ask God's forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive those with a repentant heart.

If you need the prayers of brothers and sisters on your behalf, all you have to do is come to the front here and say, I'd like you to pray with me and for me. There’s no time like the present because the present is the only time we are assured of.

I urge those in need to come while we stand, while we sing the invitation song.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

View Details

Philippians 2:1-11

INTRO: Good Morning Church. This morning we will take a look in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi and in particular the first eleven verses of chapter 2. This is one of the great texts in the New Testament, sometimes called “The Christ hymn”. It spells out in such beauty who Jesus is and what He did.

Philippians 2:1-11 – “1. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2. fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”[ NKJV]

Paul begins chapter 2 with a plea. It’s a poetic plea, punctuated with four uses of the word “if”: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion...” Paul knows they have these things, so he really means “since.” “Since you have all of these things...” He continues in verse 2, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

Back in the days of the military draft there was a young private, who had been in the army only a few weeks; He was going through basic training. Everyone noticed his behavior was rather odd—rather strange. Whenever he had a free moment, he would just walk around aimlessly on the base, picking up scraps of paper. He picked up an old Skittles wrapper, looked at it and said, “This isn’t it”. He found an old newspaper, and picked it up, looked at it, and said, “This isn’t it”. Other soldiers became concerned and assumed he must not be right in the head. This certainly was not normal behavior. His sergeant took him to the doctor, the doctor sent him to the base physiatrist. The psychiatrist thought he was becoming unstable. After the staff received the psychiatrist’s and doctor’s reports they decided to discharge him from service on medical grounds. As he was walking out the camp gates holding his discharge papers, he smiled and said, “This is it”…

The point of the story is: who gets to decide what normal thinking is? Consider those people who don’t think in the main stream, those people who don’t go along with what everybody else is thinking; maybe they’re the people that are more normal. Do we ever consider that those people, who consistently seem to go against the grain of the culture and think totally different, are the ones who have their heads on straight?

Now the Bible does not often complement the way men think. The problem with man’s thinking is that our minds are heavily influenced by the world. The Bible says in Romans 1:28 – “Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind.”[para] You might say our thinking in this world is very messed up.

Of course it is. People have depraved minds, so why should we expect them to have their heads on straight? Listen; if we’re going to be pleasing to God, we need to learn a new way to think. We’ve got to think differently. What we’ve got to do is let the cross of Jesus, cross our minds. That’s what I want to talk about this morning—about how we need to think.

Starting with this very important principle: what we believe… affects how we believe. The Bible says so. Look in Proverbs 23:7 - “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he...” Decide what kind of person you want to be and then learn how to think to be that kind of person. Romans 8:5 – “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

I. This is one important reason why we teach Christian doctrine. I am fully aware some people say, “That doctrine is so boring and they wished the preacher would preach something more practical.” Actually there is nothing more practical then sound doctrine. Teaching explains to us what everything is, how everything works and how it is connected. The Bible tells us, “Only when you’ve got your thinking right, are you going to make the right choices that will help you live right.”

A. That’s why all through the New Testament you find the little word “Therefore”. Whenever a church has a problem, Paul never writes about the problem first. What he always does first is start with doctrine and then after he’s got their thinking right, he says, “Therefore, in light of what is true and how you ought to think, this is how you live.” The Bible says in Colossians 3:2 – “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
B. Is that easy for us? Well, not at the beginning, not until we have matured a little as Christians. The world’s view of life is a powerful force. The next time someone says to you, “That’s not how everybody else thinks, or that’s not how everybody does things.” You tell them, “That’s irrelevant, because the world does not tell us how to think; we get our thinking from another source. Our minds have been renewed by what the Bible says.”
C. Where does that begin? Let me give you the principle that is the primary influence on our ethics. It is our understanding of the cross. The scandal of the cross was central to everything that Paul considered Christian. How we think about the cross will affect our behavior. In other words, do you want to be the right kind of person? Do you want to do the right things? Then you need the cross to cross your mind because when you’re thinking is based on the cross, you’re going to start living right.
D. The reason people have problems in church is simply, “because they are not thinking right about the cross.” For example: Many churches struggle with division because people follow the teachings of men. People will divide over issues that are absolutely ridiculous. Paul says in 1st Corinthians 1:13 – “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” The reason there are so many fractures, is because they haven’t figured out, they do not understand, the cross.

II. Let’s consider some problems people have. How about the problem of purity? Why is it that some of us struggle with lust? It’s because we haven’t understood the cross. We were bought with a price, we are not our own. “Therefore”, Paul says in 1st Corinthians 6:20 - “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” “Honor God with your body”.

A. How about racism? Those who practice it do not understand the cross. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:15-16 – “… so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” We can’t be a racist and understand the cross of Jesus. We can’t have it that way. No one who is a Christian can be a racist.
B. What about bitterness? How many people do we know that have problems with their brothers and sisters in the Lord? How many are having struggles forgiving somebody? Ephesians 4:32 says; “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Over and over again when someone brings up something about a problem or behavior Paul is going to say, “Let’s get our thinking back to the cross.”
C. Look at marriage. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” We as Christians must never forget that central event. It sustains us and nourishes us. We must constantly allow the shadow of the cross to renew our minds and reshape our thinking.

III. When Paul was in prison in Rome he received word that the church in Philippi was having some struggles over unity.

A. Two of the women there were at odds and it was affecting the whole congregation. What’s the first thing Paul does? Does he talk about the problem first? No! He talks about the cross. That’s what he does in Philippians 2. He tells them and us; “1. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2. fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
B. Notice he said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”, “Your mind should be like that of Christ’”. In other words, “If we’re going to fix the problem, we have got to get our minds right.” Paul continues in Philippians 2:6-11 – “6. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
C. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in His very nature God, took on the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Then being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
D. Paul is saying, “Listen Christians, when tension arises, let the cross of Jesus cross your mind.” Or put it this way, “The cross of Christ controls how we think and act towards each other.” Paul wrote this for a very practical reason. He’s telling us, “Jesus is the supreme example of unselfishness. Jesus is the ultimate model when it comes to dealing with other people”.
E. I wonder why sometimes we can’t see that. One reason may be that we do not understand the cross; another is that the world shouts a different message; and still another… may be pride. There is nothing that keeps people apart like pride. Once we have made a position for ourselves where we think we are right… we forget about the cross and lose site of what it means.

IV. Perhaps another reason we have tensions and fights, whether it’s at church or at a job or at home is because we are by nature “clutchers”. When a baby is first born, you will see them working their hands as if they want to grab something. One word a child will learn quickly is the word “Mine”. A reason we fuss, a reason we fight, is we have a little bit and were going to hold on to it. We’re not going to give up our place, our position. We’re not going to give up our privilege. We’re not going to give up our “rights”, were going to look out for No1… What we get is a world full of competition and strife.

A. What if we tried a Jesus’ kind of thinking? Instead of clutching, what if we let go? Instead of looking out for “me”, what if we looked out for one another? Ohhh there is a concept, isn’t it? What if we tried to think about the cross, when it came to dealing with people?
B. The Bible says in Philippians 2:6, “He did not think that being equal to God, was something to be used for his own benefit.”[para] In other words, He looked out for the interest of others even when they were not looking out for his.
C. Verse 7 is saying, “Of his own free will, he gave up all he had.” That’s a radical way to think, isn’t it? Here is the One who had everything, who had every right to have everything. The One who had done no wrong, and He is looking out for a world full of people, full of envy and hate, those who had a right to nothing. Instead of clutching, He let go—to serve.
D. What if we tried to think like that? What if we thought like Jesus thought? The problem is, we come together, we read verses from the Bible about the cross, and we sing about the cross, some people put crosses on their necks; some put crosses on their church buildings. But then—we walk out the door, leave the building and we go home. We don’t think about the cross again for six days. Someone once said, “All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell is terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings, who… more or less,… ignore its meaning”.

V. The apostle Paul tells us, “Those scared hands of Jesus have determined once for all, for us, who we listen to, what we think about, how we live.” We’ve got to let the cross, cross our minds.

A. It’s not easy, and I think God knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Do you know what He said? God said, “To help you out, here’s what I want you to do, Every 7 days, every first day of the week, get together, just to remember the cross, just to keep the cross of Jesus on your mind. Break some bread, drink some fruit of the vine together, and when you do… think about the cross”. We do that don’t we?
B. Remember this too. We are not supposed to come to the Lords table, if we have got problems with one another. God says, “It’s an affront to Him if we do that.” Because we can’t come to the Supper, if we won’t let the cross be on our mind. When Paul wrote these beautiful verses about Christ in Philippians 2, he was trying to change the behavior of the lives of Christians. This is not addressed to those who are not Christians. If any of us sitting here are at odds with brothers or sisters—are we being Christ like? Are we being Christians?

VI. I know that are those who do not understand why we let Jesus control our lives the way we do. Why do we? Why do we give Him the attention that we give Him? Why do we want the cross to cross our minds? Why do we want to think like Jesus thought and try to live like He lived? These verses tell us something about Jesus that I want to be clear about, and one day, hopefully, we will tell it to more people. Whether you name the Name of Jesus or not, I don’t want anyone to stand before God someday and say, “I never understood what Jesus did.”

A. We as people have a problem. That’s why our world needs Jesus. God made a perfect world. He put Adam in it and asked him to take care of it. Very quickly things got messed up.
B. Perhaps some remember those vinyl albums before CDs came along. Not the ones we called 45s but the 78s. I remember when I was a kid I got a drill and drilled a little hole in one of the records, just about a half inch off center and put it on the record player. It would go around and round. It played, but it would make noise that didn’t sound right because it was off center. That’s what’s happened to the world. We have gotten off center; we have left the correct center. The world sort of works but not the way it should. The center is supposed to be God. We were made in the image of God to look up to Him and worship Him.
C. We know what Adam did. He listened to a lie which came from Satan, and he decided he would try to clutch or grasp at being God. Satan came along and said, “…you will be like God…” What did Eve and Adam do? They said, “I’ll be like God, I’ll be my own God.” They passed that attitude down to us today. That’s what people have been trying to do. They’ve all been trying to be their own God… and the world has the wrong center.

VII. I don’t know how many of us know this but sometimes Jesus is referred to as the 2nd Adam in the Bible. Turn with me to 1st Corinthians 15:45-49 – “45. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being.'' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

A. The Bible says Jesus did 2 things. “He emptied himself and humbled himself.”
B. First of all He emptied himself, so that He could be a servant. Verse 7 says, “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
C. Then who was Jesus when He walked the earth? Was He God? Was He man? Who was He? He was both. He was God & man. When the Bible says, “that he emptied himself”, it doesn’t mean He became less than God here on earth, it means He became more in a sense. He was God, but now He was also a man. He didn’t get rid of deity, He emptied deity into humanity. He could never stop being God, God’s His nature. So how do we think about what He did?
D. He relinquished His glory; He concealed it in human flesh. Every now and then we get a glimpse of it. If you remember, one time He was up on a mountain, with 3 disciples and He was transfigured. They saw His glory. Paul saw it on the road to Damascus. John in Revelation 1 in his vision got a glimpse of His glory. Someday we’re going to see the bright, brilliant glory of Jesus, too. When He was on earth as a man, He concealed that glory.
E. Why was that done? So that we can approach him. So that He can come near to us and serve us and meet our needs. So He could heal the sick and wash feet and tell about God’s plan. He humbled himself, or emptied himself in order to serve. That’s not the only reason though He needed flesh.

VIII. Mark 10:45 says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” As deity there was no flesh to nail to the cross. No blood to shed. Jesus of Nazareth was born to die. He came to subject Himself to the absolute humiliation of a criminal’s death.

A. Why? Because it was the only way you and I could be saved. It’s the only way. The Bible says in Philippians 2:8 – “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Let’s pause there a moment and think about that verse. It says, “God humbled himself”.
B. How does one humble God? I can understand how to humble people. I can humble a little child because I’m more grown up than they are. Perhaps I can humble a homeless person because I’m more affluent. Maybe I can even humble an uneducated man because I’ve been educated.
C. Who is big or rich or strong enough or smart enough to humble God? The only way God is ever humbled is if He humbles himself. The Bible says, “He humbled himself and he became obedient to death”. Just think about that. Nobody here is going to become obedient to death because death is part of our nature already.
D. Death for you and me is a necessity. We’re going to die whether we want to or not. Jesus didn’t have too. Jesus obeyed when He died. He chose it. Why? Because it was the only way, you and I, have a chance. We were down here covered up in our sins believing the lie that if we just did enough good deeds, we would get to heaven. We thought we were going to work off the debt and we could work our way up to heaven, not understanding that our righteousness is but filthy rags to God.
E. The only chance we have to be saved is if we are covered up with a righteousness that was sinless. That’s not me and that’s not you. Jesus Christ came and lived a sinless life and then took the penalty that our sins deserved. He was willing to transfer His righteousness to cover us. Then when God looks at us, He sees sinlessness. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

IX. 2nd Corinthians 8:9 tells us, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

A. We need to be very aware and very clear about this. Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh. He did this so that His flesh could be nailed to the cross. He did it so the penalty our sins deserve could be taken away, and the righteousness that we never could have, He could give. That’s what Jesus did.
B. What did God do? The Bible says in Philippians 2:9 – “God also has highly exalted Him”. That word “exalt” means to lift up. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Think of it this way, men lifted up Jesus on a cross, and then God lifted Him up out of a grave, and gave Him a place above everyone and above everything.
C. Then in Ephesians 1:20-21 – we read; “20. which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21. far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” God has put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers and kings, not only in this world, but also in the next. Do we understand what that means?
D. Jesus Christ is above our boss at work. Jesus Christ is above our addiction. He is above our disease. He is above our marriage. He’s above our family, above our leaders, and above our nation. There is not a person or a thing on this earth that has got a claim on us that supersedes the claim of Jesus Christ. He is above it all. That’s one of the reasons why we come here every Sunday and give Him praise. There is only One who deserves our worship. There’s only One who deserves our praise. There’s only One in the highest place, and it’s the God Paul talks about in the Bible.

CONCLUSION:
In Hebrews 2:8 – “In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him, yet at the present we do not see everything subject to him.” Wait… what does that say? That’s true, isn’t it? What we see are a bunch of people playing that record off center. What we see are people not making Jesus highest in their lives. What we see is a world that still seems pretty messed up. We see a world that does not want to give Jesus the place we are saying He deserves.
You and I know: The day is coming when every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess, what we’re saying here right now. God not only gave Him a place that nobody else could claim. God gave him a Name that everybody is going to name—a Name that is above every name.

What is that Name? That name is Lord. Philippi was a Roman colony, and back then you might be tested for loyalty to Caesar. I have been told that if you lived there, a soldier might walk up to you one day and demand you say, “Caesar is Lord.”

Do you know what those early Christians would do? Those early Christians would say Caesar is king, or say Caesar is ruler. But they would not say Caesar is Lord. Some of these Christians would die before they would call anybody else “Lord.”

The day is coming, when every being in heaven and every demon in hell and everyone in between is going to say what that little congregation said every first day of the week when they worshiped. “Jesus Christ is Lord”. Everybody in this room is going to confess it. Everybody outside of this room is going to confess it. The only issue is when.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you never have done that, today would be a good day to come forward and make that great confession, Jesus Christ is Lord. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

???

Adopted from Sermon by: Mike Glover

View Details

Mark 4

After the church service a little boy walked up to the minister and said, “When I grow up, I’m going to give you some money.”
“Well, thank you,” the minister replied, “but why do you want to do that?”
“Because” said the little boy, “my dad says you’re one of the poorest preachers this church has ever had.”

This morning I would like to focus on a question Jesus asked His disciples as recorded in Mark 4:40, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?"”

Let us look at the background to this verse. We read in Mark 4:1, “Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water's edge.”

When Jesus lived on the earth, He spent much of His time teaching, and preaching to the people. Jesus was an excellent teacher. There were many who preceded Jesus, who also taught many things, but the people were not able to understand their teachings. When Jesus taught, the people could comprehend His teachings with ease, and therefore great crowds followed after Him wherever He went.

Jesus taught through parables

We read in Mark 4:34, “He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.”

Jesus used stories or illustrations from day-to-day life, which were called parables, to help teach the people the deeper spiritual truths, and secrets of the Kingdom of God. The crowds that gathered hears all these parables, but it was only when He was alone with His disciples, did Jesus explain the hidden meanings of these parables to them in great detail.
Let us look at four parables of Jesus as recorded in Mark 4

1. Parable of the sower verses 3–9

In this parable Jesus talks about a man who went out to sow seeds. Being in a culture where agriculture was their major occupation, the crowds could easily understand the parable. Jesus explained how when the farmer sowed seeds, some seeds fell on the wayside, which was basically hard from people constantly walking on it, and these were picked up by the birds as soon as they fell there. There are many whose hearts are hardened because of hardships, grudges, hurts and when the seed which is the word of God falls on it; it does not even stay because the evil one just doesn’t allow it to penetrate inside. Just as a farmer prepares the soil before sowing the seeds, we too must ask the Lord to prepare our hearts to receive His word, and bring transformation in our lives.

Some seeds fell on rocky places, which grew immediately but had no root to sustain the plant. There are those who come to God with zeal, but are not rooted in Him and so fall away quickly. The third set of seeds fell among thorns, which grew but got choked by the thorns. These are those who also receive the word with joy, but get overwhelmed with worries, cares and riches of this world, and so become useless. The fourth set of seeds fell on good soil, which produced bountiful fruit. The seeds which fell on good soil, died initially, but brought forth abundant fruit to bless many.

We too are called to be those who will let our egos die, so that the Lord can take us and use us to be a blessing to many. The Kingdom of God is a fruit bearing Kingdom, which satisfies the hunger of many.

1. Parable of a lamp on a lampstand verses 21–25

Here Jesus talks about a lamp that is lit, and placed on a lampstand. The lamp when lit dispels darkness in a room. We too are called to be those lights that will shine bright for the Lord, and dispel the darkness of sin from this world.

Many people lived in darkness until Jesus came to the earth, and when Jesus the true light shone on them they realized that there were so many areas of darkness that needed to be changed. The Kingdom of God is one that sheds light, and eradicates darkness.

1. Parable of the growing seed 26–29

A man sows the seeds and he just goes about his usual work. The seeds unnoticed to anyone grow and become full grown plants ready for harvest. So also, the Kingdom of God is growing unobtrusively or quietly.

1. Parable of the mustard seed verses 30–32

Though the mustard seed is the tiniest of seeds when sown in the soil, it has the capacity to become a huge plant that can provide shade for the birds of the air. The Kingdom of God is a mighty, powerful and great kingdom.

The disciples encounter a stormy sea verses 35–37

On the evening of that same day Jesus said to His disciples, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water.

Now that Jesus had taught all these things to the crowds and His disciples, that very same evening He beckoned His disciples that they go over to the other side of the lake. Jesus and His disciples got into the boat to travel to the other side of the lake. As they travelled on, they were abruptly challenged with a fierce and stormy sea.

We can recall a similar situation that the prophet Jonah encountered when he disobeyed God’s call to go to Nineveh and instead headed to Tarshish. Here the storm in the sea was a consequence of his disobedience.

Contrarily, the disciples of Jesus were going out with Jesus in obedience to His word, but they too were now strangely confronted with a fierce storm.

It is therefore a reminder to us that every storm that we encounter in our life is not a result of our sin or disobedience, but God allows certain difficulties so that we can have a deeper understanding of who God is. If we are walking in obedience to God and His word, the storms we face are not to drown us, but to take us to a higher level in our relationship with God.

Some of the disciples of Jesus were seasoned fishermen and were well versed to decipher when a storm was at hand. But this storm they encountered was so sudden that they were taken off guard. The storm was so fierce that it even alarmed the men who were professional fishermen, who feared for their very lives.

There are times when we too are challenged with the most unexpected kinds of stormy trials in our lives. Heedless of how intense the storms are, we have the assurance that the Lord who is with us is able to deliver us from all of it, and there is no need for fear. Many people when faced with hardships question the very existence of God. At those times of severe testing, often our emotions take control of us, and we must be cautious for our emotions are constantly changing.

In those hard moments instead of depending on our emotions, we must learn to trust in the word of God, which is consistent and unchanging. It is not enough for us to hear the word of God, but must be ready to confront the tests that God sends our way, for only then we can be certain that we are growing in our faith and trust in the Lord.

Jesus slept through the storm verse 38

Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with His head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?"

After all that Jesus had taught His disciples, when challenged with a crisis, the only thought that they had was that Jesus did not care, and they were about to die. Jesus was fast asleep with His head on the pillow, while the disciples allowed the storm that was outside to cause tumult in their hearts.

As believers in the Lord Jesus we must remember that when we are His children, as long as the Lord is with us we will never be abandoned, no matter what happens. Like Jesus, we too can sleep through the fiercest of storms; for we are assured that no storm will affect us as long as He is with us. Our house must be built on the solid rock of Christ, and the word of God so strongly embedded in our hearts, that no storm, no matter how fierce can disturb or destroy our faith in the Lord. In spite of the fact that Jesus was there with the disciples on the boat, the storm still came, only so that they could comprehend in a much bigger way as to who Jesus really was.

Biblical examples of those who encountered hardships

• When Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, the ones who threw them in desired to see them being burnt to ashes. Wistfully, the ones who threw them in were burnt with the intensity of the flames, but to the astonishment of the king the three young men were walking unaffected, unhurt, having along with them the Son of God right beside them.

Only then the king realized that the God whom Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego worshipped was the true and living God.

When we are troubled by people, who desire to seek our hurt and downfall, we must ignore their taunts, not react to them, but rather trust in the Lord to deliver us from their evil plots. The Lord will not put us to shame, and when we overcome every trial that we encounter, it testifies to the world that we are indeed the children of the Most High God.

• Daniel was a man of integrity who led a blameless life. As he rose in his position in the kingdom, there were those who out of envy plotted against him. They even came up with a subtle law to trap Daniel, knowing that he was firm in his faith in God. They threw Daniel into the lion’s den, but Daniel was safe, for the Lord shut the mouth of those hungry lions, that they could not harm him in any way. The king then ordered that the ones who falsely accused Daniel be thrown into the same den, and this time God opened the mouth of the lions so that they devoured all of Daniel’s accusers.

When people are jealous of us, they will do everything possible to get us into trouble. Like in the days of Daniel, people think that the implementation of some laws will destroy our faith in God, which is an erroneous thought. The Lord is able to tie the mouth of the lions, and He’s the one who can open their mouths as well.

• When Paul was travelling as a prisoner, the ship they were in got shipwrecked. As they were stranded in an island where the weather was really cold, they made a bonfire to keep themselves warm. As everyone stood around the fire, a viper driven by the heat came out, and fastened itself to Paul’s hand. As all the people watched in shock, expecting Paul to fall dead, Paul just shook off the Viper into the fire, and sat there composed and unharmed. Initially they thought that Paul was being punished for his wickedness, but later when nothing happened to Paul, the same people changed their minds, and decided that he was god. This situation gave Paul an opportunity to preach the message of the gospel to those who were there.

We must not get carried away by the opinions of people, for the ones who praise us today, can be the ones who will tarnish our name later. Like Paul let us know that the Lord will use all our trials to become testimonies to magnify His name, and never send our way anything that will cause us to be disgraced.

Jesus calmed the storm

We read in Mark 4:39, Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, "Be quiet!" and he said to the waves, "Be still!" The wind died down, and there was a great calm.

As the disciples were terrified and screamed in fear, Jesus stood up and commanded the wind to be quiet, the winds died down and there was a great calm. It was not an ordinary calm, but a great calm that was totally adverse to what they faced.

When the storms are raging in our lives, we too have the certainty that the Lord can bring in an unexplainable calm, and that there will not even be a murmur of the problem that confronted us. The Lord alone can bring perfect calm to our lives’ tempestuous situations.

This is when Jesus asked them this question, which we read in verse 40 of our text: ‘Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?’

After the long discourse on faith, and after all the parables that Jesus taught, the disciples were still fearful, only because they were lacking in their faith. It was only after this incident that the disciples understood that Jesus was God, who had authority over nature, and that everything was under His mighty control.

When faith is less fear will overcome us, but when faith increases fears will cease. The storms of life are those little tests that help us realize how weak or strong our faith in God is. After every storm we are assured of total, and complete calm, as long as the Lord is with us.

Paul writing in Romans 8:28 says, “we know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.”

In the midst of life’s storms may our faith in the Lord be firm, may we not let our emotions take control but let us face every storm standing firm on the word of God. Every storm we encounter is not to destroy us but to let us know that we have an Almighty God on our side. As believers in the Lord Jesus, let us be prepared to face every storm like situation, knowing that even when it appears that the Lord is sleeping, He is still God, and in perfect control. In His time He will most certainly bring a complete calm to all of our raging storms.

View Details

Mark 2:1–12

A taxi driver and a preacher go to heaven. Upon arrival the taxi drive gets a HUGE heavenly mansion.
When the preacher saw this he thought, "surely if the taxi driver gets a huge mansion, I will get something even more grand!"
But, when it was his turn to receive his reward, the preacher was given a studio apartment.

The preacher was very surprised and asked, "why does the taxi drive get such a grand mansion, whereas I just get this studio apartment?"

“That’s simple to answer… when you preached, people fell asleep...
But when the taxi driver dove, people prayed."

As we follow Jesus through the Gospel According to Mark we come to one of my favorite miracles in the life of Jesus. It’s the story where four men tear up a roof and lower their paralyzed friend until he’s hanging in front of Jesus. These four friends created a skylight in a house so that they could get their friend to Jesus.

But this same skylight allowed Jesus to see these four men. And this unintentional skylight also filled the house with light. Part of our job as followers of Jesus is to build skylights to bring light to dark places. In this message I would like to challenge you to apply for a job working in the Faith Skylight Company.

I’m actually going to have you fill out a job application. If you have ever had a job interview or filled out an employment application, you know it can be a nerve-racking experience. You can go online and find some humorous statements people made during job interviews.

Here are a few of my favorites:
1. “I was fired from my last job because they were forcing me to take anger management classes.”
2. “Can we speed this up? I’ve got to be somewhere else.”
3. “It’s best for your other employees if I don’t work with people.”
4. “I’d prefer to work for a company that is very lax on tardiness.”
5. Provide an emergency contact number: the applicant put “911”

I seriously doubt any of those applicants got the job. But in our text this morning We read about four tactical friends who started what could be called the first Faith Skylight Company two thousand years ago.

Mark 2:1–12, “1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So, when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” —He said to the paralytic,
11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

I have so many questions.
I wondered what the homeowner said when he saw his ceiling start crumbling; dirt and dust starts falling on Jesus and on everyone in the room.
If I had been the homeowner I probably would have said, “Hey, who’s going to pay for this damage?”

As the four guys keep creating an unintentional skylight, I can’t imagine Jesus could keep talking, there was too much distraction. But because He knows all things, He realized what was happening. Perhaps He said something like, “We interrupt this sermon to bring you a paralyzed man.
Please direct your attention to what’s left of the ceiling.”
I wonder if the paralyzed man felt any fear from this ordeal of being lowered by ropes to hang in front of Jesus. So, what did you do today? “Oh, I was just literally hanging around Jesus for a while.”

But I think the main focus of this miracle should be on those four unnamed friends who brought their paralyzed buddy to Jesus.
In verse 5 it says, “When Jesus saw THEIR faith...”

He saw the faith of those four friends. You may think that faith is invisible, but according to Jesus, faith can be seen. Can Jesus see our faith? Do we have an invisible faith or a visible faith? These four guys formed the Faith Skylight Company.

I think God wants everyone of us to be employed in this company. I’m going to ask you to apply for a position. But first you probably need to know what your job description will be if you work for the Faith Skylight Company.

Here it is: Creating skylights so people can meet Jesus. Real carpenters build real skylights so the light of the sun can brighten dark places in a home. When you work for the Faith Skylight Company you create openings so the light of the SON can brighten dark places in someone’s heart.

If you’re interested in applying for a position, here’s the job application.
Check each box that applies to you.

1. I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING
   The story begins with this statement, “Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic.” These four men had a friend or a relative who was suffering.
   He was paralyzed, and there was no way he could get to Jesus on his own.
   These friends had heard Jesus was in Capernaum and they were convinced Jesus could help their friend. They had an unshakable faith in Him.

These four friends believed if they could somehow get their friend to Jesus that Jesus could make a difference in his life. We’re surrounded by hurting people; the question is do you care enough to bring them to Jesus? We have a lot of information that we share, but people don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.

There were probably hundreds of sick and weak people in Galilee, but these four men concentrated on just one. That’s good advice for us. Would you ask God to lead you to just one hurting person who needs Jesus?

We should care for people’s spiritual condition. We should care about how our friends are doing spiritually. My best friends are the ones that care about my relationship with God, those that check to see how I am doing spiritually, those that encourage me to be a better person.

That is the type of friend I want to be and want to have. A friend’s greatest desire should be for spiritual well being. If you want to be a good friend, check in on your friend’s spiritual condition. Hold them accountable to living a godly life. There are hurting people living in spiritual darkness. In order to work for the Faith Skylight Company you’ve got to care enough for them that you’ll do everything you can to let the light of Jesus fill their darkness.

1. I’M WILLING TO WORK WITH A TEAM.
   The Bible says this paralyzed man was “...carried by four of them.”
   They teamed up for their friend. They did as a team what none of them could have done individually. Can you imagine one of the friends trying to carry the paralyzed man? Two or three might have been able to do it. But because the cot he was lying on had four corners, a team of four people made sense.

We can learn a lot about the importance of team work simply by observing flocks of geese. Winging their way to a warmer climate, they often cover thousands of miles before reaching their destination. Have you ever studied why they fly as they do? It is fascinating to read what has been discovered about their flight pattern as well as their in-flight habits. Four come to mind.

1. Those in front rotate their leadership. When one lead goose gets tired, it changes places with one in the wing of the V-formation and another flies point.
2. By flying as they do, the members of the flock create an upward air current for one another. Each flap of the wings literally creates uplift for the bird immediately following. One author states that by flying in a V-formation, the whole flock gets 71 percent greater flying range than if each goose flew on its own.
3. When one goose gets sick or wounded, two fall out of formation with it and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the struggler until it's able to fly again.
4. The geese in the rear of the formation are the ones who do the honking.
   I suppose it's their way of announcing that they're following and that all is well. For sure, the repeated honks encourage those in front to stay at it.

As I think about all this, one lesson stands out above all others: it is the natural instinct of geese to work together. Whether it's rotating, flapping, helping, or simply honking, the flock is in it together... which enables them to accomplish what they set out to do.

You and some friends who know the Lord should team up with the goal of helping another friend who doesn’t know the Lord. You might never be able to help that person all alone, but if you enlist some people to help you, a team can accomplish much more than an individual. If you want to work for the Faith Skylight Company, you must we willing to work with a team.

1. I SEE OBSTACLES AS OPPORTUNITIES
   The Bible says this team of friends faced several obstacles. “They could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd.”
   The first obstacle was the crowd. I’ve seen the ruins of Capernaum many times. The lanes between the houses are so narrow there was barely enough room for two people to pass. The house was full and the narrow lanes were filled with people wanting to catch the words of Jesus inside the house.
   Then there was the obstacle of the house itself. The houses were built with black basalt stone and then covered with plaster. There was only one door, and there were only a few small windows cut at the top of the walls under the ceiling.
   There was no back door or window to use to bring in the stretcher. The roof of the house was another obstacle. On top of the stone walls, wooden timbers were used as ceiling joists. A mixture of palm leaves, mud, and clay were mixed into a thick mortar and placed in layers between the timbers.

When each layer dried another layer was added until there was a thick, waterproof roof. Then more palm leaves were placed on top of the roof.
These roofs were thick and hard as a rock.

But these four friends didn’t let obstacles stop them. They saw these obstacles as opportunities. They kept on moving toward Jesus. How do you react when you’re confronted with obstacles? Obstacles are often simply opportunities for faith. If you want to work for the Faith Skylight Company, you’ve got to see obstacles as opportunities.

4. I LOOK FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.
There were obstacles, but these men of faith found a way to overcome the obstacles. The Bible says, “They made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.”

We’re always going to face problems. But people of faith should always be looking for creative ways to solve problems. I heard about a businessman from NYC who was going to take a month-long trip to London.

He went to his local Manhattan bank and asked to borrow $1,000 for the trip. He even drove in his new Cadillac as collateral. He was a good customer, so they gave him his money. When he returned he paid back the full $1,000 plus $12 interest.
The banker asked him, “So, I’m curious. You’ve got plenty of money; I wonder why you wanted to borrow $1,000 for this trip?” The businessman replied, “Where else could I park my new Cadillac in a safe place for a month in Manhattan for $12?” He was thinking creatively.

So, think about your friend or friends who need Jesus. What are some creative ways you can team up with others to expose that person to the light and life of Jesus Christ. If you want to work for the Faith Skylight Company you will need to come up with creative ways to solve problems.

1. I DON’T QUIT EVEN WHEN CRITICIZED.
   What would you do if someone started digging a hole in your roof? You’d probably call the cops. What would you do if you saw someone digging a hole in your neighbor’s roof? You’d call the cops.
   I think it’s reasonable to think that the homeowner or neighbor of this house probably yelled up for the men to stop destroying that roof. But they didn’t stop. They kept on digging.

Jesus didn’t tell them to stop. Why? Because Jesus knows people matter more than buildings. Jesus knew there were two miracles that were going to happen as a result of that skylight.

First, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” That’s the greatest miracle in the world. That’s what Jesus wants to say to each of you today. “Your sins are forgiven.” But even Jesus was criticized. The religious leaders were thinking, “Who does He think He is? Only God can forgive sins!” They were right. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking, just like He knows what we’re thinking right now.

He said, “So, what’s a bigger miracle? Forgiveness or healing? You all expected me to heal him. Well, just so you will know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sin, go ahead, friend, grab your bed and walk out of here.”

And that’s what the man did. I can imagine Jesus looking up at these four workers in the Faith Skylight Company, and He smiled at them as they were high-fiving and hugging each other.

Do you have friends or family members who need Jesus? Don’t give up on them. Even if you are criticized don’t stop enlarging that skylight. Just keep letting them see the light of Jesus. When Jesus sees your faith, He’ll smile, too.

CONCLUSION
Of all these characters in this story, which one do you see most like yourself? You may relate to the paralyzed man. You may not be physically paralyzed, but you are bound by sin and you need to have Jesus forgive you.
Jesus is in the house today. If you will come to Him Believing that He is the Son of God, Repenting of your sins And, being BURIED with Him in BAPTISM… He will say to you the same thing He said, to that paralyzed man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

For others of you who are Christians already, you see yourself like the four friends. You want to work for the Faith Skylight Company. You want to open ways for your friends to meet Jesus.

But there were other people in this story. They were the one who were crowding in the house, even the religious leaders. In other words there were two kinds of people there. Some were ON the way to Jesus and some were IN the way of Jesus. The Boss is offering you the job today. Will you come to work for the Faith Skylight Company? The pay isn’t very much, but the retirement benefits are out of this world!

The lesson is yours as we stand and sing the song of invitation.

View Details

Psalm 100

INTRO: Good morning church! Please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Psalms and let’s read Psalm 100 together. I will be using the NKJV.

Psalm 100 –
“1. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
2. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
3. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”[NKJV].

We don't know who the inspired writer was, and we don't know when this particular Psalm was recorded, but it's very beautiful. The Bible teaches that whatever things were written before, are written for our learning, therefore we need to pay attention to the Book of Psalms because they are a part of the Old Testament. Jesus referred to the things written about Him in the law, and the prophets, and in the Psalms.

During His ministry, the Lord revealed His requirements for true worship. You will recall that in John 4, our Lord was having a conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. One of the subjects they talked about was worship.

In connection with worship, our Lord said John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Here our Lord reveals some fundamental requirements concerning worship.

First, He said that true worshippers worship the Father. We need to always remember that our worship is directed to God in heaven. Next, He said that true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. To worship in spirit means to worship with the proper attitude and disposition. To worship in truth means to worship according to God's will as it is revealed in the New Testament.

Worship is directed to the Father, and worship to please God must be in spirit and in truth. The Lord taught that worshiping in spirit and worshiping in truth are equally important. We must not exalt one over the other. Jesus said that they're both essential.

Today, what I would like for us to do is examine two important guidelines from Psalm 100 that will help us worship in spirit. We will look at “in spirit” because it might be a bit harder for us to grasp then “in truth”. In doing so we're not in any way indicating that worshiping in spirit is more important than worshiping in truth, they're both equally important.

From time to time we find we can use reminders of principles that will help us to not only worship in truth, but also to worship in spirit. It's just a matter of being a human being, I guess. When we do the same things over and over again, if we're not careful, they can become commonplace, and we must not allow that to happen in worship.

Each time we come together in worship we participate in the same activities. We need to use some discipline to make sure that we always worship in spirit, that is, with the proper attitude and disposition.

The reason why that's such an important matter is because of what can happen. In the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi, Malachi wrote about the coming of Elijah. Malachi closed by calling upon the Lord's people to look forward to this event. Jesus said during His ministry, that the prophecy of Elijah’s coming was fulfilled by John the Baptist.

There is a story from a time when many of us were a lot younger about a young couple inviting their preacher for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the preacher asked their son what they were having. "Goat," the little boy replied.

"Goat?" replied the preacher, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," said the youngster. "I heard Dad say to Mom, 'We might as well have the old goat for dinner today as any other day.

Malachi closed his writing with a message of hope to his people, but he primarily dealt with some of the sins of which they were guilty. One thing that Malachi dealt with was the spirit that some of the Jewish people had begun to manifest in worship. Malachi 1:13 – “You also say, `Oh, what a weariness!' and you sneer at it,'' says the Lord of hosts. "And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?'' says the Lord.” When people spoke of worship as “a weariness”, were they worshiping in spirit? Certainly not.

They had allowed worship to become “weariness” to them. That in turn affected what they were doing. Some of them were taking blind, lame, and sick animals and offering them to God. Malachi, speaking on behalf of God, said, Offer that animal to your governor — see if he'll be pleased with it. They wouldn't dare do something like that, yet they had no problem presenting that type of animal to God Almighty.

The Book of Malachi shows that a failure to worship in spirit will lead to other failures in worship. They didn't put forth the effort to make sure that they maintained the proper spirit as they were worshiping God.

I. In Verses1-3 "PRAISE" is Emphasized:

A. Let's consider two very important guidelines that will help us to worship in spirit. When we look at the first three statements of Psalm 100 we will notice that praise is emphasized. It plays a role in worship to maintain our desire to worship in spirit.

1. Psalm 100:1 – “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” That sounds like praise to me, doesn't it to you?
2. Then is says, “Serve the Lord with gladness…” That's maintaining a proper spirit while worshiping God. I can't help but think about what David wrote in Psalm 122:1 – “I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord.''”
3. Next we read, “… Come before His presence with singing.” All of those statements are emphasizing the importance of praise.

B. It's interesting that when we examine the Book of Psalms, we find that others of them begin in the same way.

1. Psalm 95:1 – “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” Notice how joy is emphasized. That has to do with maintaining the proper spirit.
2. Psalm 96:1-3 – “1. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
3. Psalm 98:1 – “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory." The Psalms include appeals made to God's people to offer praise to God, - to sing, to make a joyful noise, and to do so with the proper spirit.

C. The Bible teaches us to emphasize praise, but it goes further than that. The Bible teaches us why God deserves our praise. Psalm 100:3 says simply, “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” I think that's a very good reason to offer praise to God. He deserves our praise because He IS God.

1. Psalm 95 also talks about this. Psalm 95:3-5 – “3. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. 5. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.” The Lord, He is God, not just a god with a little g, but He is God with a capital G. God deserves our praise because of who He is.
2. There's another reason revealed to us in Psalm 100:3 concerning why God deserves our praise. “…It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…” To go along with that, let's look at Psalm 95:6 which reads, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” These passages help us understand exactly what is involved in worship. The Hebrew word for worship here, (שָׁחָה), (shâchâh), means; bow, bow down, obeisance, reverence. (Strong’s H7812). Worship means to show reverence to, to bow down before.
3. Let's read it again. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” This is showing reverence is to be paid to God. God deserves our praise. First, because of who He is, He is God. Then also notice that we haven't made ourselves. God has made us.
4. There's a third statement made in Psalm 100:3, another reason why God deserves our praise. “…We are His people and the sheep of His pasture…” Notice the point that the writer is making when he writes, “We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” Since we are His, we belong to Him, we are in His pasture. That is, He cares for us as the shepherd cares for the sheep. We have access to wonderful blessings.

D. When the writer of Psalm 100 mentioned the fact that we are the sheep of His pasture, it leads us to think about the 23rd Psalm, doesn’t it? I strongly suspect that of all the psalms the 23rd Psalm is known by all who are listening this morning. This is the favorite Psalm of many people and it is one we should spend some time thinking about often, as we go through our lives.

1. David began this Psalm by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd”. That's a key statement. David recognized the Lord as his shepherd. Remember the writer of Psalm 100:3 said, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. That's a reason why God deserves our praise.
2. Having said that, let's consider some blessings that David mentioned in the 23rd Psalm which are associated with knowing the Lord as our shepherd.

a. Blessing number one is contentment. David said, “I shall not want.”
b. Blessing number two is providential care. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures;”
c. Blessing number three is peace. “He leads me beside the still waters.”
d. Blessing number four is restoration. “He restores my soul;” That means that God will turn back the soul if we will submit to His will.
e. Blessing number five is direction. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.”
f. Blessing number six is courage. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;” I've wondered if when David wrote that particular part of this psalm, did he reflect back on that occasion when he faced the giant Goliath? There was no fear in David's heart and he won a victory that day. Then he led the children of Israel to win a great victory over the Philistines.
g. Blessing number seven is companionship. “For You are with me;”
h. Blessing number eight is comfort, something we certainly all need from time to time. “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
i. Blessing number nine is favor. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;”
j. Blessing number ten is abundance. “My cup runs over.” There are times we hear people refer to that particular statement who don't even believe the Bible. When they talk about enjoying a great blessing, they say, my cup is running over. David knew about that blessing. He knew all about abundance.
k. Blessing number eleven is assurance. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;”
l. Then blessing number twelve is immortality. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

1. David wrote many beautiful Psalms. They are a joy to read and to study. He wrote about half of the Psalms. Think about all the years that the 23rd Psalm has been in existence, and the comfort that it has brought to so many people. We should be grateful that David wrote it.

E. These principles revealed in the first part of Psalm 100 will help us to worship God in spirit. A lot of emphasis is placed on praise. God deserves our praise, and of course, there are reasons given to us why He deserves our praise. We need to think about those matters.

II. In Verses 4-5 "Thanksgiving" is Emphasized:

A. Let's turn our attention, though, to something else that's addressed in verses 4 and 5 as we talk about guidelines that will help us to worship in spirit. We've already talked about the important role that praise plays in worship. Now let's see the emphasis placed on being thankful in this particular Psalm.

1. Let's look at two statements that are made in Psalm 100:4. The first, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving”.
2. The second, “Be thankful to Him” These are two appeals made for God's people to approach Him with thankful hearts.

B. Similar appeals are made in other Psalms.

1. Psalm 105:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.”
2. Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
3. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Many times the Book of Psalms teaches us that as we endeavor to worship the Lord, we are to do so with thankful hearts, we give thanks to him. Praise is important, but thanksgiving is also important.

C. Now consider verse 5 of Psalm 100. This verse gives us several statements that show why God deserves our thanks. As we saw the first part of the Psalm emphasizes praise, and the writer shows us why God deserves our praise. Next our attention is turned to thanksgiving, and now we're shown why we need to be thankful.

1. Number one, “For the Lord is good;” Certainly that is an excellent reason to be thankful. Psalm 33:4-5 says. “For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” and Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
2. Statement number two says, “His mercy is everlasting”. We've already read several times from other Psalms that His mercy endures forever. Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” And then verse 11, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;”

a. You probably have all experienced those warm summer nights when you were somewhere where the sky was clear and you could see the vast expanse of stars. I recall those times and wondered at the vastness of our universe and how far those stars are from earth. When you read about the stars, distances are mentioned which we can not even imagine. Suffice it to say it's a long way.
b. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;” God’s mercy is everlasting.

1. Then there's a third statement made in verse 5 that teaches us why God deserves our thanks. “His truth endures to all generations.”

D. Today it seems a lot of people have the idea that what they say is truth regardless of the facts. Why I wonder? Because the person thinks it is—and that is subjective.

1. There's an objective way to determine truth. Truth is not subjective, yet a lot of people today think that it is. What's true for you may not be true for me and vice versa. That, I think, is a reflection of one of the problems that we have in our society today.
2. Truth is truth. Truth can be known objectively. God's truth doesn't change from one generation to the next. His truth endures to all generations. That's the reason why God deserves our thanks. He's the source of truth, and His truth endures. It doesn't change. It doesn't go away. It's not replaced by something else.

CONCLUSION:
The principles we looked at from Psalm 100 that have to do with Praise and Thanksgiving will help us to worship in spirit. Jesus said, that acceptable worship, that true worship, must be offered in spirit and in truth. We need to understand “why” we worship God. To worship in spirit means to worship with the proper attitude and disposition.

We need to keep in mind the “why” to help us worship in spirit so that we can avoid the mistakes made by the Jewish people of Malachi's day. They got to the point where they said, Behold what a weariness it is. That's a bad attitude toward worship, isn't it? It became a chore to them. They became jealous of giving their best and even of the giving of their time.

If we have our hearts centered on praising God and offering thanks to him, I'm persuaded that that will go a long way toward helping us worship in spirit.

What about Christian worship? To determine how to worship God, today, we want to go to the New Testament. Let's look at Ephesians 5:19-20, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Praise and thanksgiving are included in Christian worship.

Let's also read Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

We should also keep in mind that praising God and being thankful are not limited to worship. They're included in worship, they will help us to worship in spirit, but they're not limited to worship.

______________________________________________________________________

The lesson is yours. Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

??? Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg

View Details

Why Forgive?

Good morning. How was everybody's week? Good to have you here. I think most of you all know this is my first sermon, so bear with me a little. I might stumble. Thank you.

I have a question. Has anyone ever wronged you before? Have they done something that made you mad, angry, just feelings that you know aren't necessarily right. Have you ever done something to someone else that made them angry at you? Have you wronged them? Have you ever wronged someone? Has someone ever wronged you?

Did you forgive them? Have they forgiven you? Why? Why should you forgive them? Why should they forgive you? What have you done to earn that forgiveness? What have they done to earn your forgiveness? What have they done to earn that mercy?

In today's lesson, I will be going over forgiveness. I will answer the question, why should I forgive? Let’s go over a couple aspects of mercy and forgiveness that the Bible points out to us.

The first thing I wanted to go through is found in Matthew 18:21-32. It’s a scripture a lot you know. I'll start with verse 21. “21. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

I think that answers the question, why should I forgive? You have been forgiven. The glory of God sent down His son, who sacrificed Himself for our sins. We are forgiven of our debt. He says here, we are to forgive 70 times 7. I've seen many people say is more likely 70 to the seventh power, which is a very large number. In other words as much as you can. Again, why should I forgive? Because the Lord has forgiven me.

In Colossians 3:12-13, it says, “12. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

These two verses, in broad terms, epitomize what a Christian should look like. One of these things is forgiveness. Forgiveness is not an option. It is not a choice we have as Christians, it is a necessity. This is something we must do. This is something we have to do. It's something commanded for us to do.

There's Moses in Exodus 32:31-32. “31. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”

This is Moses pleading to the Lord to forgive the people as they had erected statues and other gods. They had sinned, a great sin. They were fools. Moses pleaded for the Lord to forgive His people, to forgive them of their foolishness.

You have the story of Joseph. Joseph was Jacob's favorite. He was loved by his father, and his brothers were jealous. They sold him onto slavery. For years, he was tormented as a result of this burden. Then when he met with his brothers, years down the line, after he had made it to a high position, after he had gained power, after he had gotten out of those bad places, he gave his brothers the opportunity to make up for what they had done. He was willing to forgive them. It's just another example of how we should forgive.

Obviously, there's Jesus as well. We have Him saying forgive them, for they do not know what they've done as He was being crucified on the cross. If Jesus is willing to forgive being crucified, being tortured, being murdered; how much more should we be willing to forgive? We can forgive others as many times as we should.

There are a couple different ways that forgiveness is useful to us as Christians. It is not just that we should, but there are benefits to it as well.

In Isaiah 43:18, it says, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” I think this is telling us to forget our old sins. The Lord forgets the sins we have done when he forgives us, so should we. The things we have done in the past are not part of us. They're gone. They're forgiven. They've been washed away by the blood of Christ.
In Matthew 6:14, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:” Again, this just points out again that forgiving others is essential for our salvation, and it is something that we must do in order to be forgiven.

It will help us spiritually, mentally, and physically. There are plenty of studies out there that that show if you're willing to forgive and get rid of that burden, and then you're more likely to live a long and healthy life. To carry the burden, to carry that hate, to carry that anger, is not good for you. It never has been.

In Ephesians 4:31-32, it says, “31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.: 32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

We are also told to be patient. Again, more things we as Christians need to be. It's not just forgiving. We need to be patient. We need to be compassionate. Earlier, we were talking a lot about humility during Bible class and how it is important to be a humble person.

Humbleness, to me, is being able to recognize other people's strengths while being able to recognize your own weakness. When we come onto the Lord, that strength to forgive will come as well.

Another thing we need to do as Christians is ask for forgiveness, ask the Lord to forgive what we have done. Because what do we just do? What is communion for? To remind us of that sacrifice and to ask for forgiveness for what we have done so our sins can be washed away.

In 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We must confess our sins. The Lord will not forgive us for what we do not admit. We must forgive others. We have to ask for forgiveness. We have to be faithful. It seems like there's a lot of things, but in reality, if you have the word of God in your heart, all these things will come naturally.

There are a couple of different ways the Bible says to forgive. A big one is 1 Corinthians 13:5. “Love is never rude, love is never selfish, never quick to take offense, love never keeps track, never keeps score of wrongs.”

This is saying what love is and it emphasizes it a little bit. Love keeps no wrongs. When we are filled with love in our heart, we will not keep account of these things. There's one time I was at church camp and my cousin said something to me that didn't really sit well. For a long time, every time I'd be reminded of it, it made me really mad, made me angry. It didn't feel right that I felt that way, but with love in my heart, it's just another memory that I forget most of the time. Every once in a while, I'm reminded of it, but I just laugh. Now I think, Oh, it's just saying something stupid because we were in fifth grade.

Love is never rude, never selfish. Forgiveness is a very unselfish act. You're forgiving another person for what they've done.

Selflessness. A selfless person forgives. A selfless person is compassionate and humble. Love is never quick to take offense. It's a lot easier to not have to forgive someone when you never really take offense in the first place, when you don't really think there's anything to forgive. Yeah, they might have wronged you, but, oh, well, they accidentally nicked me a little bit. They cut my arm. I don't care. It’s just a little bit of blood. It's not that bad.

Love is never rude. We are supposed to forgive, but we really should try our best to not need to be forgiven. As Christians, it is our goal to walk in the way that Christ walked. To walk in the way of Christ means we need to do our best, and our best is to strive never need to be forgiven, so one is never rude.

In Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” This is from the Lord's Prayer. I think that tells us another important part of forgiveness, especially about forgiving ourselves.

A good way to forgive is to pray. It's our strongest weapon. How can we do things without praying? How can we have the strength if we don't ask for it? How can we be forgiven if we don't ask for it?

I've heard my entire life that our strongest weapon is prayer. So pray. Pray for forgiveness. Pray that you have the strength to forgive your debtors so you may have your debts forgiven.

In John 20:22-23 John said this, “22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” It has parts about if you do not forgive, you'll not be forgiven.

I think I want to focus more on the Holy Ghost. We take on the Holy Ghost, when we put the word in our heart. We will take on the Lord, and the Lord will give us strength. It's the Holy Ghost that will give us the strength to forgive. It was the Holy Ghost that that will give us the ability to do this, even if it seems hard.

A lot of us, I'm pretty sure, have been wronged—incredibly sometimes. Inhumane things, some things you don't even want to speak about. It can be hard to forgive actions like that. It can be hard to forgive people who have wronged you so vilely. It's the only way I can say that, really, who have committed such wrongs against you. It is the Holy Ghost, it is the Lord that will give you the strength to do that. How can you have that strength? How can you have the Holy Ghost if you are not praying, if you're not asking for strength, if you're not asking for forgiveness, if you're not interacting with the word daily? Read your Bible daily. That's what I've been told. Read, pray, and walk a straight path.

So far, we've gone over the image of a Christian. What is the image? It’s a humble, compassionate, loving, forgiving person. We can see that in so many examples that the Bible gave us. You have Moses, Joseph, obviously Jesus, most of the disciples, and plenty, countless that you can look to. That takes a very long time to read through, at least in my experience. Its uses are many.

As I said earlier, it's just good for you to keep that evil out of your heart. Do good things. Be forgiving, because removing that burden can just make your life happier, longer, better. It is good to forgive yourself. It is good to forgive others. It is great to ask for that forgiveness. How can you receive if you don’t ask? Ask and you shall receive. You must ask for that forgiveness and be willing to give forgiveness as well.

How do we forgive? Keep love in your heart. Be a loving person, and not necessarily that fuzzy love, as we were talking about earlier, but in action. Forgiveness is not a feeling like we would normally think of it. It is an action, and it is a part of love, and love itself is an action.

Again, love is not rude. Love is never selfish, never quick to take offense. Love keeps no store of wrongs. If we keep love in our heart, we will be able to forgive.

Pray without ceasing and keep the Holy Ghost in our heart. The way we do that is by reading our Bible daily, and by prayer daily, and do our best to walk the straight and narrow.

Jesus’ crucifixion is the most important thing to us because it is the sacrifice that gives us the opportunity to be forgiven. It is the crucifixion that allows us to make it to heaven. We have all failed. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. We have all sinned. Everybody besides Jesus that I've talked about today sinned, Moses sinned, and Joseph sinned, all of them except Jesus. It is his sacrifice, the torment he went through that allows us to be with Him at the end of it all.

Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

Forgive them. He had been tortured, murdered, completely brutalized. Unspeakable things were done unto him, and He forgives them without a second thought, without hesitation. Did He want to go through that? No. But He was willing to go through it for us, and He was willing to forgive them and us. They were the ones who put them up on the cross, but it's our sins that are responsible for that, each and every one of us. It's our sins that put him on that cross that made it necessary for that sacrifice.

If Jesus is willing to forgive that much, a deed done onto him like that, how much more should we be willing to forgive? How much should we? Again, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother? Up to seven times? No. 70 times 7. Always forgive. Whatever has been it is. It might be hard. When it's hard pray and read your Bible. Ask for the strength to do what is hard. Ask for the ability to do what you know, as Christians, we have to. It is not an option to forgive. It is a necessity.

If anyone here has not yet asked for forgiveness, has not yet been baptized for the remission of their sins, I ask you, why wait? Come up here. We have a baptistery that's mostly full. You're going to be saved today. There's no reason to wait. It only prolongs. You're only making it riskier because, yes, we can be forgiven, but only with the time we have here on earth. As I conclude with that, let’s stand as Doug leads 606.

View Details

Mark 3: 20-27

Macho men always want to brag about how strong they are.
One day some boys on a school playground were bragging. Johnny said, “My dad has a list of all the men he can beat up—and all your dads are on his list!”
Later that afternoon a knock came on Johnny’s house
and his dad answered the door.
A big angry man said, “Are you Johnny’s dad?”
He said, “I am.”
“Well Johnny told my son said you have a list
of men you think you can beat up, and my name is on it.” Johnny’s dad said, “That’s right.”
The big guy started rolling up his sleeves and said,
“Well, I don’t think you can beat me up.
What are you going to do about it?”
Johnny’s dad thought for a moment and then said,
“I’ll will ERASE your NAME OFF my list.”

Guys are always bragging about who’s the strongest.
Since 1977 there has been a televised event called
“The World’s Strongest Man.”
Most of the winners have come from Finland, Iceland,
and Eastern Europe.
These guys are required to perform amazing feats of strength
like pulling a Boeing 747 with their teeth.
In 2024, Ryan Stoltman secured his third
World’s Strongest Man title,
solidifying his status as one of the strongest athletes
on the planet.
Standing at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches
and weighing 408 pounds he’s a force to be reckoned with.
He holds the world record for lifting
the heaviest Atlas stone ever (631 lb) over a 4ft. bar.

So who do you think was the strongest man in the Bible?

Are you thinking the guy with long hair who could
kill a lion with his bare hands?
Samson was pretty strong,
but after he got a haircut in the devil’s barbershop,
he lost his strength.

In our passage today, Jesus is going to talk about a strong man;
Hopefully, by the time we finish you’ll know the identity of
the “The World’s Strongest Man.”

Mark 3:20-27. 20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.
27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

On June 16, 1858 more than 1,000 delegates
met in the Springfield, Illinois, for the
Republican State Convention, and they chose Abraham Lincoln
as their candidate for the U.S. Senate,
running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas.
That evening Lincoln delivered this address
to his Republican colleagues and the main focus
of his remarks were on the issue of slavery:
“Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention.
If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise,
of putting an end to slavery disconcertment.
Under the operation of that policy, that disconcertment
has not only, NOT ceased, but has constantly intensified.
In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis
shall have been reached, and passed.
A house divided against itself cannot stand."

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
That's a powerful sentence!
Did Abraham Lincoln come up with that phrase all by himself?
No. Well, where did he get it?
He was quoting Jesus.

Whose kingdom is Jesus talking about here?
Who’s the “strong man” that must first be bound?
Who’s kingdom is about to come to an end?

The main reason for Jesus’ coming was to bind Satan,
to divide and destroy Satan’s kingdom.
Now, hold that thought for a moment.

Did you ever look up verses in the Bible that have the words “division” or “divide” or something similar in them?
I found that division is not always a negative thing in Scripture. In fact, sometimes God CAUSED division to take place.
For example, in Genesis - when God created the world
– we’re told that: “God saw the light, that it was good:
and GOD DIVIDED the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4

I know quite a few people who when they eat…the various items on their plate CANNOT touch!

A few verses later we’re told “God made the firmament,
and DIVIDED THE WATERS which were
under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 1:7

And these were pretty good things...
because God SAID it was good.

And then in Deuteronomy we read
“... when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars,
even all the host of heaven...
which the LORD your GOD HAS DIVIDED unto all nations
under the whole heaven.” Deuteronomy 4:19

God divided the stars unto all nations?
Did you know that if you were in the southern hemisphere
you see an entirely different set of stars than WE see
in the northern hemisphere.
God has divided all the stars unto all the nations under heaven. And that’s kind of a cool thing.

THEN I read this passage in the New Testament:
(Jesus said) Do you think that I have come
to give peace on earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.
They will be divided, father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
(Luke 12:51-53)

WAIT! WHAT???
Jesus came to bring division??
Well, that’s what He said!!!

But if (by definition) if God does something
it’s got to be good… so how can Jesus
causing division in a family be a good thing?

Well, here’s the deal: People live in one of two realms.
They either belong to Jesus or they belong to Satan.
And when you think about this
you begin to realize there are times we’ve seen
ONLY 2 or 3 members of any family come to church.
Maybe the wife. Maybe a teen.
Maybe grandparents.
And that reality can create division in the family
because some members of the family decide to
belong to Christ and others don’t.

By default – if these people don’t belong to Jesus
they belong to Satan.

You see --- belonging to Satan is not all that hard.
You don’t have to DO anything to Satan.
You don’t have to BELIEVE anything to go to hell.
In fact, not believing in God –
not belonging to Christ –
is all it takes.

Well, what about the people who have trouble
making up their minds?
There are many can’t make a decision to save their souls.
WAIT!!!! DID YOU HEAR THAT!!!
THEY CAN”T MAKE A DECISION TO SAVE THEIR SOULS!!

People who do not make up their minds
to believe in and follow God in their lives...
belong to Satan!
Satan’s kingdom is made up of all kinds of people
who simply have not decided that
they want God to run their lives.

Revelation 3:15-16 tells us
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
And God’s focus is on bringing Satan’s kingdom to its knees.
His intention is to bind the strong man
and to invite the people who once belonged to the devil
the opportunity at life and hope and peace.

Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Now, the problem becomes that Satan has no intention
of letting that happen.
Satan intends to hang on to every last one of those that he has. And one of the tools Satan will use... is family.
That may end up being true.
OR your decision might just make all the difference
in the lives of your family.
They might just come to Christ because
you made that choice first.
By standing off to one side and simply being God’s child
you may begin to make your family jealous of your faith in Christ.

And if that happens, you may be able to
help divide up Satan’s kingdom
and change the eternal fate of those that you love.

Jesus faced continued bitter criticism
from these religious leaders throughout His ministry.
That lets us know that if you’re serving God,
you can be assured that you’ll face criticism.
When Jesus faced false accusations and criticism,
He usually asked His critics some questions,
and answered with a parable.
He turned their rants into teachable moments.
In this case He asked, “How can Satan drive out Satan?”
And then Jesus, the Master Teacher shared one of his shortest, and most enigmatic parables.

Let’s REREAD Mark 3:27… examine the parable Jesus spoke,
27 But no one can enter a strong man's house
and plunder his goods,
unless he first binds the strong man.
Then indeed he may plunder his house.

THE PARABLE: Jesus came to reverse the work of Satan.
The Pharisees were insulting Jesus when they claimed
that He was possessed by Beelzebub.
In Jewish literature, Beelzebub was a chief demon, and sometimes even identified as Lucifer himself.
Jesus used this event as an opportunity
to give a short but powerful parable.

What is the spiritual meaning behind this short parable
Involving the world’s strongest man?
Satan is strong, but Jesus is the strongest!

Jesus announced to the world that He came to drive out Satan, the prince of this world.
He said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” (John 12:31)

I could have said Jesus is stronger,
but He’s the strongest.
Satan is real, and he is strong.
But sometimes we make the mistake
of give him qualities that only belong to God.

God is omnipresent—He is everywhere all the time.
God is omnipotent—He is all-powerful.
God is omniscient—He knows everything.

Satan, which means adversary, is Lucifer, a fallen angel.
He isn’t omnipresent, but he’s fast
and has an army of demons.
Lucifer isn’t all-powerful,
but he is like a roaring lion roaming about
seeking whom he may devour.
Lucifer isn’t omniscient, he can’t read your thoughts.
But, like a snake, he is shrewd and crafty.

So the strong man in this parable is the devil,
but Jesus is stronger.
Satan’s house is this world.
Satan is called the prince of this world
but this isn’t the only world there is.

Jesus is the one who came into the world
and He has bound Satan and then stolen his possessions.
But Jesus wasn’t really stealing anything from Satan.
He was only reclaiming what Satan stole in the first place.

Jesus isn’t a thief sneaking in and ripping off someone.
He’s like a policeman going into a robber’s house
and handcuffing him to retrieve stolen property
that the devil took.
Jesus called Satan a thief. He said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”
Satan’s “possessions” are people without Christ
The Bible describes people without Christ this way:
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)
The Bible says Satan is at work in the lives of people
who don’t know Christ.
Now if you told an unbeliever that they were
under the control of Satan, they would laugh at you.
They would probably say, “Are you crazy?
I don’t even believe in Satan!”

But the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:4,
In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Even for people who don’t believe God or the devil exists,
Satan is actively keeping their minds shut
to the truth about Jesus.
They are slaves to Satan without even knowing it.

Jesus bound and overcame Satan on the cross
The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8)

“By his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)

So what does this mean to us?
The devil is a defeated foe.
He is still active,
but he was rendered powerless on the cross.
He knows his doom is sealed.

He’s smart enough to read
Revelation 20:10 that says, “And the devil,
who deceived them,
was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,
where the beast and the false prophet
had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
You may be thinking, “OK if the devil is a defeated foe,
he sure is causing me a lot of misery.”
He’s like a wounded animal.
He’s going to fight to the end, although his defeat is sure.

It’s like when the Nazis realized the war was lost,
Hitler issued the Nero Decree.
He told his retreating armies to destroy everything of value. Satan is doing the same thing.
He continues to steal, kill, and destroy.
But he no longer has any authority over you.
He will try to kill your joy,
steal your peace, and destroy your testimony,
but his power is broken.
You can say to him, “Get away from me, Satan,
because greater is he who is in me
than he who is in the world!”

You’re strong, but I have the strongest man living in me!
So that’s the parable.

CONCLUSION
On the evening of June 18, 1850,
a man stood in the bell tower
of London’s Winchester Cathedral staring anxiously out to sea.
All of England was waiting for a report of
the Battle at Waterloo between British general,
the Duke of Wellington,
and the French dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

The torch signals from a ship in the English Channel
were sent by code.
The message read: “Wellington defeated...”
At that moment a thick fog rolled in.
The man in the tower signaled the news across the city
To which there was great gloom and sadness
because that meant Napoleon would next invade England.

But hours later the fog lifted
and the rest of the message could be read:
“Wellington defeated the enemy.”

Sadness and despair was replaced with joy and celebration.
When Jesus died on the cross,
it would seem as if He had been defeated.
But when Jesus rose from the dead
the rest of the message was received.
Jesus defeated the enemy!
And we can rejoice today.
The World’s Strongest Man has defeated our enemy!

INVITATION

View Details

Romans 12:3-8

INTRO:
Good morning. Today we are going to continue to look at Romans 12. Just as a reminder if you hear me say anything that is not according to scripture please let me know and we can look at it together. This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.

Annie Johnson Flint lived between 1866 and 1932. She suffered from early onset arthritis yet she wrote many beautiful poems. With a pen pushed through bent fingers and held by swollen joints she wrote without any thought that it might be an avenue of ministry, or that it would bring her returns that might help in her support. Her verses provided a solace for her in the long hours of suffering. Then she began making hand-lettered cards and gift books, and decorated some of her own verses. Her life was beset by many problems and suffering. I would recommend you read about her sometime. In considering her life it brings again the question to mind; “Why do good people sometimes suffer?” Of the many poems she wrote I want to mention one titled; The World’s Bible, of which I will read just the first few verses.

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongues to tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read;
We are the sinner's gospel, we are the scoffer's creed;
We are the Lord's last message, given in deed and word;
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin's allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him and hasten His return?

I would suggest that's what we need to think about. Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today.

I would also suggest that this is a basic truth of the passages that we've been studying in Romans 12 concerning offering our bodies as spiritual sacrifices to God. God has given us the responsibility to do the work. Not only has He given us responsibility but He has given us the tools and functions as well.

This evening we're going to talk about the gifts God has given us to do His work. Christ has no hands but our hands. He has no feet but our feet. He instructs us to use what we have, to do what God has given us to do.

Turn to Romans chapter 12 if you are not already there. Let’s read starting in verse three again the passage we've been studying.
Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

We’ve examined these passages in past weeks to try to understand what our responsibility is in terms of service. What serving God is all about. We found as we studied earlier that the attitude of service is humility. That we must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to be always willing to put the other person above ourselves.

We also recognized that in the relationship of service, there are many members in one body. Last week we talked about not being stand alone Christians, we are not isolated from one another, but as the physical members of our body make up a single unit, so we as spiritual members make up a spiritual body. As such we are to focus attention on one another, to care for one another, and to serve one another.

This morning I would like to look at verses 6 to 8, and this aspect of gifts.

I. The activity of service is using gifts: It is functioning in a way that God has given us, not only as a body together corporately, but more specifically as individuals who would do their own work and thereby build up the body of Christ. There are a lot of those in religion who seem to misunderstand what the Bible says about spiritual gifts. In fact, the term gift as it relates to what God has provided for us is looked at in many religious circles as a mystical term that can't really be defined, can't really be explored in any concrete way. That is unfortunate because what the Bible tells us about the things God has provided for us, using the term gifts, is very concrete. It's very particular and practical about way that we are to serve before God.

A. The Apostle in Romans 12, uses a word that is very familiar in the New Testament translated into English as the word “gifts”. The Greek word is charisma [khar-is-mah] which means a gift of grace. It is from the common Greek word charis [kha-res] from where we get the word grace or mercy as it is used throughout the Scriptures. In fact it is used in this very verse that says we are given gifts according to the grace of God.

1. Three times in this passage Paul mentions the aspect of grace or mercy. One of those times is in the definition of the word gift itself. That a gift is an act of mercy. When you receive a gift from someone it is not because you earned it. It means the giver was not under obligation, but rather they gave of their own free will.
2. Before we begin talking about the gifts that God has provided for us and discerning what it means to you and me, to have these gifts from God, we first have to recognize, that we have what we have, and we are what we are by the grace of God. God has given us the tools that we need to function in a spiritual way. These gifts then are not earned; they are that which God has given us of His own free will.
3. In fact, other passages indicate, as Ephesians chapter four does, that God has placed these gifts in His church at His own pleasure. That He has placed the structure of the church according to His own desires. It’s not up to man to decide the leadership characteristics of the body either corporately in terms of the local congregation or even universally in terms of God's church as we can talk about it in a universal sense.
4. Back up a little bit and recognize what Paul said in verses three and four of this particular passage.

i. Paul just said; God has dealt to each one a measure of faith for as we have many members in one body but all the members do not have the same function. So what are the gifts here? What are these things that God has given us?
ii. In the context itself Paul saying they are functions. They are practices or deeds that need to be accomplished. This is not in terms of rank or position as we mentioned last week, but in terms of work that needs to be done.
iii. The implication here is that all of us have received or do receive from God the responsibility to function in a certain way and the ability to function in the way needed. He has given this freely to us through His grace.

B. “Differing according to the grace”: What the text also says is that these gifts differ. That though we all have gifts, we all have functions, we all don’t have the same function, we don't all have the same gifts. We recognize that aspect in the physical body when we make the analogy that Paul makes. We have a physical body. We have different parts, members, of the body and these different parts of that body do different things. They differ.

1. This diversity of gifts or functions makes up the benefit of the whole and so the body is able to function, it is able to do what it does as a whole because each individual part of the body works its own work. The diversity of gifts then is a part of the biblical discussion of the church that Paul presents in a couple of other places.
2. Last week we turned to First Corinthians chapter 12, and I ask you to turn back over there again, because I want us to notice that Paul uses the same concept there. Paul uses the aspect of the diversity of gifts to talk about the actual activity or the functioning of the church at Corinth.

i. In First Corinthians chapter 12 I believe what Paul's talking about are the temporary, miraculous gifts, given by the Holy Spirit at that time. We'll talk about the distinction between this discussion and Romans chapter 12 in just a few moments.
ii. We see in the context of First Corinthians chapter 12 there are these spiritual, miraculous gifts that were given by the laying on the hands of the apostles and they differed from individual to individual. Not everyone that was a Christian in the first century had a miraculous spiritual gift. Some did but they did not all have the same gift. Paul is making it clear here this diversity lends to the unity of the whole.
iii. I Corinthians 12:4-7 - “There are different kinds of gifts but the same spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good.” [para]
iv. Each manifestation of the spirit, gift, is so that the body itself can grow as a whole and can function as a whole. Certainly he’s saying there are different kinds of gifts and this diversity must be recognized.

1. The reason Paul wants them to realize that there are different kinds of gifts, is because he's going to point out later on, particularly as he gets to Chapter 13 and 14, that no gift is better than another. There are different kinds of gifts but any gift, such as the gift of speaking in tongues, is no more spiritual than any of the other types of gifts that were given such as the gift of prophecy.
2. Before we go any further in terms of our discussion of Roman 12 the question comes to mind: Do Christians today have spiritual gifts? We recognize from the study of miraculous gifts that the apostles are no longer around to lay hands on people. The miraculous gifts in the first century were temporary, and therefore there is no miraculous measures of the spirit given to individuals today. In the sense of First Corinthians 12 there are no spiritual gifts today.
3. We see the term spiritual is not used in connection with the gifts in Romans chapter 12. When Paul talks about God giving differing gifts in Romans 12 he doesn't use the term spiritual, and that is significant. In comparison to that, looking at 1 Corinthians 12:1 we recognize that when Paul begins talking about spiritual gifts that the word gifts is in italics which means that Paul doesn't use the word gifts. He simply uses the word spirituality or spiritual. It's clear from what takes place in the rest of the context of 1 Corinthians 12 that what he's talking about there are individual miraculous activities, which benefit the whole spiritual body.

C. Miraculous or not: I wondered, how do the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 relate to Romans 12? In Romans 12 when he says we all receive gifts; is he talking about spiritual gifts that are miraculous or not miraculous?

1. We have to be careful to recognize the context of the times in which Paul and the other apostles mention the list of spiritual gifts.
2. Paul has a list in 1 Corinthians 12. He also has a list in Romans 12. Peter has a list in 1 Peter 4. There are lists of individual gifts that are given by the Apostles. Are those lists miraculous or are they non-miraculous? Can we make a clear distinction in the list between what is miraculous and what is non-miraculous? I would suggest that first we have to recognize the context of each passage.
3. The context of 1 Corinthians focuses on the Corinthians misuse of miraculous gifts. Some of those Christians were saying speaking in tongues was more important than any other gift. It was more visible, showier if you will; therefore those who had the gift of speaking in tongues seemed more “spiritual” than other people who did not have that gift. Do some religious people think that today?

i. Paul corrects this. He says there are a variety of gifts God provides for all of them and in the end a person should really seek for love which is far beyond any temporary miraculous gift that was given. You should seek for that greatest gift first, love. 1 Corinthians 13
ii. In the Corinthian letter where Paul deals with the aspects of miraculous gifts he provides a certain context.
iii. The context of Romans 12 is different. The context of Romans 12 is that every Christian has an obligation to offer his body as a spiritual sacrifice to God, verses 1 and 2. The list here then, verses 6 through 8 certainly includes what we would recognize to be non-miraculous functions. Notice what he says here. Paul says there is ministering, there’s teaching, there’s exhorting, there’s giving, there's leading, there’s showing mercy. None of those things require miraculous activity or a miraculous ability to function.
iv. There are no implied miraculous gifts in Romans 12. In fact the only one on the list, I believe, that seems to demand miraculous activity or miraculous measure is the first one when he says if you go into prophecy do it according to a measure of faith. We also find in 1 Corinthians 14:3 – “he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”

1. What's this mean to us? I think the first thing it shows us is the willingness of the apostles to mix miraculous with non-miraculous gifts. It shows, in some sense, that the church in the first century held them as equal functions. In the congregation you had people who did particular work that they couldn't do without a miraculous measure, such as speaking in tongues. There were other individuals who functioned in what we might think of as a regular capacity, who had been given gifts of ordinary measure of the spirit and performed functions in non-miraculous ways.
2. When the apostles talked to the church about gifts, they lumped them together and recognized that all of these were the product of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual and given by God. They were equal functions from the same spirit.
3. Later Peter uses the term “gift” in 1 Peter 4:10-11 and notice that he applies it to the aspect of that which is non-miraculous. “10. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.”

D. We’re familiar with these verses. We use these words of Peter to make the point that if a person is going speak or preach he needs to do it as the oracles of God. Meaning what? That he’s going to receive a special miraculous manifestation? No, he’s going to take the word of God as the oracles of God and on that he's going to base his statements and not speak anything other than what God has spoken.

1. Peter indicates that speaking is itself a gift. It is itself a product of the Holy Spirit and therefore spiritual in its very nature. The focus of what Peter said, the focus of what Paul says, in both places, is that the gifts are from God. The glory ought to be given to God when the gift is utilized, or used.
2. When we get through considering the context of each list we should recognize that the term spiritual certainly applies to both miraculous and non-miraculous gifts. It's not wrong to recognize that you and I do have spiritual gifts and that God has given all of these things to us by His power through the Holy Spirit, but that doesn't involve nor necessitate any miraculous activity.

E. These are spiritual functions that benefit the spiritual body of Christ to build it up. They have been acquired through the influence of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. I think that's an important distinction, but sometimes we talk about passages like Romans 12 where it says that we have been given gifts, and we are to use our gifts to the glorify God, and we think simply in the terms of obvious ability.

1. If someone has the ability to run fast or if they can jump high or has some athletic ability or they are very smart, has a lot of intellect, or excels in math, they needs to use that ability to the glory of God.
2. Certainly we are to be using all of the things that God has given us in terms of ability to serve God but recognize in the context of Romans 12 that's not all that Paul's talking about. He's talking about spiritual gifts that have been given to us by the influence of the Spirit of God in our life to do spiritual work.
3. He mentions or lists these things that come from the Spirit of God that an individual ought to be able and willing to use. As a person uses these gifts in the work that is what makes the gifts productive. Makes these gifts function. We are the hands.
4. Consider that for a minute. Now in Philippians 2:13 Paul says; “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

i. The person is influenced by the word of God.
ii. The Holy Spirit provides gifts or functions that we can engage, that will build up the body of Christ.
iii. The implication there is that if the person does not spend time in the word of God they are not influenced by the Spirit of God, then they can’t have many spiritual gifts.

F. Certainly then, when we think about this aspect in searching after ways in which we can serve God, we have to recognize that the source of the ability and the knowledge and strength to use it comes from the word of God. Making sure that we spend time in the word of God and we meditate on the word of God and we live in obedience to the word of God in our life, so that the things God has given us to do become the functioning of the service that God provided to us.

II. Use Them: Then we come to the text. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:” This then is the activity of service—use of the gifts that God provides. The growth and development of the body of Christ through the gifts that God provided, is the way that Paul says the church has built up. What gifts does Paul mention here? Let me take a couple of minutes to talk about these gifts because I think that even though the list is not exhaustive, there are some thoughts contained in it that help us to understand what our gifts may be or what our functions may be.

A. The first one he mentions here is prophecy. He says “if prophecy let us prophesy in proportion to our faith.” As I mentioned before the Greek word here prophēteia [pro-fey-tie-ah] is defined as; speaking forth of the mind and the Council of God, according to Vine’s. It simply means the aspect of speaking what God has given the person to speak. In nearly every occasion in the Bible, prophesy is used to describe the activity of someone who has been given a message directly from God.

1. The apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak and write. God brought things into remembrance that they wouldn’t have known had not the Holy Spirit been given unto them.
2. The prophet was one, both in the Old and New Testament, who could predict the future, reveal undiscoverable things from God, and therefore I believe that this aspect of prophecy always relates in its use to the miraculous measure or the Holy Spirit. It is by definition a miraculous gift.
3. The prophets and the apostles are talked about as laying the foundation of the church. Ephesians 2:20 so their work was by its very definition temporary. They were to receive the word as the apostles did and when they preached that word it became the basis on which the church was built.
4. Other men would preach the word of the apostles even as the apostles preached the Old Testament prophets to lay the foundation of an individual coming to God.

B. Today if we try to make an application of this aspect of the gifts we recognize that prophecy most clearly relates to someone who would stand up and preach or teach the word of God. This someone would not be receiving a direct revelation but would preach the word that came through direct revelation as recorded in the Bible.

1. If we think about the gifts there are some individuals who have a gift to stand up and preach the word of God, because they know what the word God says. That is, they've come to understand and recognize and discern what the word of God teaches and therefore they can stand up and they can take the prophetic word and they can make it known unto those listening.
2. That's exactly what Paul told Timothy to do to commit the word to other faithful men who would be able to teach others also.
3. Vine’s New Testament dictionary says that with the completion of the cannon of scripture prophecy apparently passed away. In this measure the teacher has taken the place of the Prophet. The difference is that whereas the message of the Prophet was a direct revelation of the mind of God for the occasion, the message of the teacher is gathered from the completed revelations contained in scripture.
4. You see then as mentioned in 1 Peter 4 the implication is; we dare not preach and teach anything other than that which is written in scripture, for which we have prophetic word. As Peter said in 2 Peter 21 “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”.
5. In the text Paul says, “let us prophesy in proportion to our faith”. The faith here may refer to the objective measure of the revelation. I think that's probably the best understanding. The prophet received a message. He was to prophesy according to that. He was not to go beyond that or leave anything out. He was to make known to others what God had made known to him. That's the very same principle we’re talking about here in speaking the oracles of God.

C. Then he mentions the word ministers. He says one of the gifts is ministry. If we have the gift of ministry let us use it in our ministering. The Greek word here is diakonia [de-aka-ne-ah] which means to serve. It’s used to describe all types of service. Physical servants who would serve a master or Paul as he talks about himself being a servant of Jesus Christ, as the apostles were talked about as being servants of the church.

1. The word there is diakonia [de-aka-ne-ah] referring to these as servants of the church. The word minister simply means Servant. Are you a minister? Yes, you are if you’re a Christian. You can't be anything other than a minister if you’re a child of God. Someone who recognizes their responsibility to serve others, and by the influence of a Holy Spirit has the ability to serve, to help another person.
2. Then we look at people as they help one another today and we recognize the spirit still gives the ability to individuals in a non-miraculous way to help one another even through the experiences of life and certainly through an understanding of the word of God. To understand what it means to sympathize and have empathy for another person, to read what Jesus did and know what Jesus did to help others and follow that example. All of that ability comes through the power of the Spirit influencing a person’s life. If one has the capacity to serve, to help in any way, Paul is saying you must use that gift. You dare not hold it back if you can serve another person you must do it. In a very real sense then we are all to be ministers.

D. He also says he who teaches in teaching. The word here again is the very general term. The original word simply means someone who stands up and through systematic and regular instruction tells another person what he needs to do or what he needs to know. In school your teachers would stand up and they would tell you things you didn't know before you studied and that's the aspect of teaching here.

1. The teacher in the biblical context has an enormous responsibility. In fact James says in James 3 that he has a heavier responsibility than a person who doesn't teach. “let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” His is a greater degree of condemnation because if he teachers something wrong and leads someone astray there’s a problem there. He is not only responsible for his own life he is also responsible for the life of the person he’s teaching.
2. Teaching is something that a person should never engage in without serious consideration, without recognizing the serious responsibilities involved. However, on the other side of that, every Christian must be a teacher.
3. Teachers are not simply a select group of individuals here that we set aside to do the teaching for us. The Bible nowhere in any way, condones the clergy-laity distinction among God’s people. In that sense we’re all clergy in the sense that we are all to be priests before God serving him and sacrificing and certainly teaching.
4. We look at Matthew 28:19 where the great commission is given to the apostles to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. He says they're to teach them to observe all things I have commanded. Everybody needs to be involved in the process of teaching. Titus 2:4 even older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands.
5. The word teach is used over and over again in the scriptures to talk about this aspect of imparting to someone information that they need to know.

Are you a teacher?
Do you know how to teach? Perhaps not in the official capacity or before a group. Consider...
Can you teach your children?
Can you teach others’ children?
Can you teach your spouse?
Can you teach your neighbor how to become a Christian?
Teach the very basics of what you did to become one.
Can you replicate that in teaching someone else?
Maybe the more pressing question is: Have you ever done that?

1. By becoming a Christian God gave you and me responsibilities to teach others how to become a Christian. Have you ever converted someone to Christ?

E. Paul also uses the term exhort here. He who exhorts. The compound word parakaleō [para-ka-layo] in the Greek language, para meaning alongside kaleō meaning to call. It literally means to call someone to your side. You're traveling a path that you have chosen and you call another person to go along with you. Side by side you encourage, you exhort this person.

1. In Ephesians Paul uses parakaleō and the English translation of that word is encourage. It means to advise, to plead with someone, to beseech, to warn someone, to strengthen someone, to comfort someone as this particular term is used to describe the Holy Spirit as the comforter, the paraklētos [para-kla-tos], the one who would bring assurance to Christians even through miraculous measures.
2. The Christians then is obligated to learn to exhort another person. It might involve comforting a brother and sister who is going through some emotional distress, who is facing trouble or suffering physically or is facing spiritual problems, who is involved in some trouble or some temptation. The Christian has an obligation to use the gift that they have to call that person along to their side and to exhort them.
3. How important is it for the church to have individuals utilize the gift of exhortation? We should recognize that there is a potential for all of us stray, become weak, fall away, just head down the wrong path, and if there is not someone there to bring us back, if there is not someone there to exhort us, someone who's close to us who can relate to us in a personal way, who can go to us even in privacy and talk about these things, we may very well be lost simply because there is no one to exhort.
4. In Galatians 6:1 Paul called on those who are spiritual. Notice he says; “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Do we see the context here? The person who through the power of the Holy Spirit has learned a function and God expects them to use it. If you have a person that's spiritual they have an obligation to use that spiritual function or gift to bring someone back, to restore someone who's fallen away.
5. They have to do it in a spirit of gentleness. They may have to bear that other person’s burdens but they must use the gift. Perhaps many times we do not. Many times people fall away from church and become weak. They don’t come to the assemblies anymore and they don't associate with other Christians, they get involved in sin. What do we do? Do we stand back and watch? We have the ability to go talk to them, visit them, and try to encourage them. We can give an example of faithfulness to them but perhaps we don't use our gifts.

F. Then Paul says he who gives, do so with simplicity [KJV] or liberality [NKJV - ASV]. The idea of the word here is sincerity, free from pretence, not self seeking, openness manifested in generosity.

1. All of us give. I suspect Paul knows that some do not give from the heart, not giving as cheerful sharing but perhaps with other motivation. Paul is saying that God has given you the ability of the function to give, to understand the importance of giving, not just in the aspect that you have something to give but understand the importance of giving, and also to know how to give so that other people can benefit from it.
2. You remember what Jesus said in Luke 3:11 “"He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.''” That passage is pointing out what we have determines our responsibility. If you've got two tunics and think someone else needs one you should give him one. You can give to him abundantly.
3. Let him give it to him who has none certainly that applies the physical blessings but I believe it applies spiritually as well. A person is to give with liberality, generosity. While this carries with it the aspect of the amount that a person should give freely, it’s important to recognize that what the apostle is talking about here is that a person gives with no strings attached. He gives in an untainted way without any ulterior motive. That they are to give for the sake of the one they are giving to, for what God has called them to do. They do not give to be recognized as a giver, they do not give to get back or to have the applause of man.
4. Those who have the capacity to give should never be discouraged or prohibited from giving. One way we can deter people from giving—is by not receiving. Sometimes we are simply too proud to receive help. We don't want to admit that we need something.
5. I’m not just talking monetary here. Giving can take many forms and sometimes we are inclined to refuse it. Here's the problem: The person who is trying to do what is right, giving liberally and using their gift for good is turned back and discouraged from giving.
6. Or we're simply not willing to let them be anonymous in their giving. We want to shower them with Thanksgiving and bring them out into the open and give them applause. What we need to realize is that sometimes our human fleshly propensities and ideas of helping one another stand in the way of true spiritual giving where a person can give simply, for the purpose of serving God anonymously, seeking nothing in return, doing it out of the conviction of the heart.

G. Paul says he who leads to lead with diligence. I strongly suspect that this particular Bible passage refers to those who are in positions of leadership, the elders in the capacity of overseers. The same words used to describe their work is translated in 1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.” The word here is translated rule. That they need to rule over their families. They need to rule over the church.

1. Those who have been given the capacity to lead—need to lead. If they have the ability through their knowledge and through the Spirit’s influence in their life to lead others, they should lead. They should not be held back from their function of leading, and they need to do it with all diligence. The word there means zeal. This means you do something not casually, in a leisure way, you do it with great intensity towards a purpose. If you take on a position of leadership you need to take it seriously.
2. There's something here that really stands out to me where a person has been given the spiritual function to lead, whether they like it or not...and that's when you’re a father. You are the spiritual head of a family. You may not have consciously chosen that. You didn’t get that position because you were qualified from a training class, because you had a checklist, met all the requirements to be the head of a family.

i. You got that when you entered into the relationship of marriage and then you had children. You’re a father and a husband and God says by His very decree, without any necessary explanation, you are the leader.
ii. God will give you the capacity to lead. Not in some miraculous way, He’ll give you the capacity to lead in his word. If you spend time meditating on the word of God, listening to the example of Jesus, trying to be a spiritual person, if you use the gift that you already have in a way that pleases God, you will learn through the power of the Spirit of God how to lead.
iii. Not just how to lead but how to lead seriously your family into spiritual health.

H. Then lastly Paul says he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Look at the list. Does it seem a little odd that this would be included in a list of spiritual gifts? I can understand leading, some people are leaders and other people are followers. In the aspect of giving some people have something and some people don't. But showing mercy? Isn't that something everybody should do? Yes it is.

1. Showing mercy and showing sensitivity to suffering and sorrow and then responding, is a gift. It is something that God gives us through the influence of the spirit in our lives. The way of the flesh says I'm for myself and I only care about myself and a person ought to get what they deserve. Isn’t that the way the world looks at it?
2. A person becomes a Christian, the spirit influences their lives and they recognize I am what I am by the grace of God. If I am going to be a spiritual person I need to learn how to show mercy to others. I need to learn how to look at other people and see their suffering and empathize with that suffering, to see the suffering and sorrow that go unnoticed by others. To see the suffering that takes place within the heart of an individual and tries to do something about it.
3. I believe this is particularly seen in the Christian who visits the hospital, who goes to the sick, who visits the prisoner in jail, who helps the young mothers struggling with their children. The one who cares about other people, who aids people with disabilities, who recognizes that other people don't have as much as they have and wants to provide help for them. Those are the activities of mercy that were vital to the first century church.

I. One of the first visible manifestations of the Lord’s Church in Acts chapter two was that they cared about one another. Individuals that didn't have immediately received from those that had, so that everybody had what they needed. They didn't deserve that, they didn't earn that, those weren’t acts of obligation. They were Christians using the gift that God gave them through the power of the Holy Spirit to help another person, to show mercy.

1. How do you do that? If you have to bite your tongue when you're saying a kind word, if you have to grudgingly squeeze the nickel out of your hands, God doesn't want it and neither does the person who’s going to get it. It has to be given from the heart. It has to be given cheerfully.
2. One cannot show mercy out of obligation because showing mercy is giving to someone who does not deserve it. That's how I got the Mercy I got. That's how you received mercy as well. We didn't deserve it. God gave it to us. If I'm going to give to someone else, I have to be willing to give it cheerfully.
3. One writer wrote in talking about this as a spiritual gift and comparing to other spiritual gifts in the Bible: “Would all the Christians with this gift not only administer it cheerfully but also regularly and consistently there will be fewer needy who have to depend on a Godless and impersonal government or social agency and if Christ’s people patterned their lives after His gracious example, far more people would hear and respond to the saving gospel that meets their greatest need.”

CONCLUSION:
Oh, if we were just people who would use the gifts that God gave us. If we could just show mercy, as basic as that is, we might even bring people to Christ.

It's critical to understand that spiritual gifts are not given for us; they're given for other people. In order to properly use our gifts we have to be willing to serve other people and use our gifts for the development of the whole body of Christ. It is into our hands these gifts have been given.

We are personally blessed, when we're able to use the gifts that we have for other people. Not only that, it is helping the other people that makes the gift powerful.
1 Peter 4:10 a passage we looked at earlier and we’ll close with this; “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Stewardship, folks, is how we use the grace, the gifts, given us.
What do we do with our gifts? Do we minister to somebody else? Do we give to other people? Help other people with it. A thief steals it for himself. Christians give to somebody else.

No ability, gift, spiritual or otherwise is of any value if it is not used. Think about this; what if all the worlds beautiful sculptures and paintings were in private hands, in collections not to be seen by others. They would simply be a collection. That's not what God means for us when He says we have been given gifts. They have to be used to be beneficial. It’s tragic when we keep our spiritual gifts stored rather using them to serve our Lord and to provide for the benefit of His spiritual body.

We are about to sing the song of invitation. If you are not a Christian, we with all our heart plead with you to make a decision for Christ today. To decide to be His child, step out in your faith and be baptized in water for the forgiveness of sin. That faith becomes access to the grace of God, made possible by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We believe in that and we rest our hope in that blood.

We invite anyone who has that need or any other need to come forward while we stand and while we sing.

Invitation song: ???

Reference sermon: David Schmidt

View Details

Romans 12:3-8

INTRO:
Good morning. Today we are going to continue to look at Romans 12. Just as a reminder if you hear me say anything that is not according to scripture please let me know and we can look at it together. In general I will be using the New King James or the King James Version for reference. This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8. Please turn there with me now.

Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

In our last lesson we looked closely at the first part of these verses and talked about Paul’s admonition to humility. We cannot think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. True humility is the environment for serving one another and for serving God. That was the lesson last week, to have a proper attitude for service.

In the continuation of our study I want to look two other aspects of service that are contained in these verses. First is the proper relationship of serving. We will talk about that this morning. God has placed us in a relationship with Him and with one another. That's the perfect environment in which we can serve Him and each other. Second we will look at the activity of serving. Paul gives us a list here that talks about different activities which are to be involved in serving one another and serving God. These activities flow from the attitude and the relationship that he just discussed.

I. The Proper Relationship of Serving: As I thought about that I wondered, what is the proper relationship of serving? I believe it may be found in the verse where he said we have many members in one body. Earlier in this chapter the apostle used the term body in the literal sense when he said we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. He was talking about the use of our physical bodies in such a way as they are consecrated to God. In verses 4 and 5 he uses the term body in a different way, a symbolic way, illustrating the spiritual sense. He says; For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

A. The term body here is referring to the body of disciples, the assembly of individuals. The analogy is easy for us to see. In the physical reality we have one body, one physical body. In the spiritual reality there is one body of God’s people, one body of disciples. That tells us some things about the body of Christ, about the singular nature of the body of Christ, or as we refer to it, the church. In the Bible the church is not a conglomeration of various denominated congregations. The Bible does not teach that the church in the universal sense is made up of different denominations or even of different congregations.

1. The Bible describes the universal body of disciples as made up of individuals who are individually consecrated and given to God. Who individually belong to Him in the same way that the members of your physical body belong to you. Those members, in the strictest aspect of the analogy, all submit to the leadership of the single head.
2. I don't believe we can possibly understand the Biblical use, and particularly Paul’s use of the terminology “body”, without looking closely at what it refers to in the analogy.

i. That is, the physical organism that you and I live in—the physical body.
ii. In these verses Paul is not using physical body in an institutional sense. He is not talking about a body in the sense of being an institution or an organization, but in an anatomical sense—in the aspect of an organism or a living thing as our bodies are living things.

1. Paul identified the church as the body of Christ. We can use that analogy to further understand the spiritual relationship that we have with God, and the spiritual relationship we have with one another. Now there are several times in scripture where Paul talks about the body as being the body of disciples. He identifies the body of Christ as the church in Ephesians 1:22-23 – “22. ... He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23. which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”. Also Colossians 1:24 – “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,”

i. Paul uses this illustration in several different ways to help us understand that the body is the universal group of God's people. It is the church. I think that in many ways we can recognize that this destroys the idea of the denominated church such as exists today. In this country we seem to have the view it is ok that there are many churches with different beliefs and different creeds, different confessions, and with different congregations. I’ll talk more about that in another lesson.
ii. In our text in Romans chapter 12 that's not really the way Paul uses that particular terminology or at least that's not the main point when Paul says that we are members of one body.
iii. The only head of the church as His is body, is Christ. That concept can never be divorced from the Biblical use of the terminology that the church is the body of Christ. When Christ is referred to as the head of the body it’s referring to this aspect of the mind or the spirit of the body—the control of the body.
iv. Jesus is the head of the church in the sense in which you and I submit to His leadership we submit to the mind of Christ. We submit to His desires and it is Christ that animates the church in the same way that the mind animates the body in the physical realm.
v. When a body loses its mind or loses its spirit it becomes dead, it is nothing more than a corpse. If a group of individuals, or if a congregation of the church of Christ loses its connection with the head, if it fails to follow the mind of Christ, it is nothing but a dead corpse of individuals, spiritually. That concept is important for us to recognize. The church may be properly organized may have an institutional reference to being a church of Christ, but if it does not follow spiritually the head it is certainly not the body that belongs to Christ.

1. The same picture, I think, of the body of Christ is utilized by Paul in his discussion of miraculous gifts in I Corinthians chapter 12. I would like to look at a couple of passages from that as well to help us understand the point. First Corinthians Chapter 12:12-14 – “12. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” Here Paul again utilizes this aspect of the body to make a point about the diversity of spiritual gifts that existed in Corinth, how they were misusing those gifts and how their attitude towards those gifts was certainly not indicative of the spirit in which they were given.

i. In this discussion Paul makes it clear that the unity of God's church is based upon their common obedience to a single head, the Lord. In this passage he mentions this aspect of the single nature of God himself. One Spirit. There is one God. As there is one God, there is one body. In verse 13 he says “have all been made to drink into one Spirit”. The singular nature of God, the singular nature of the spirit, singular nature of the revelation makes it clear that there can’t be many different bodies. There must be one body because there is one head, because there is one mind, because there is one spirit.
ii. That tells us something. That the unity of God's people in the church is based upon the unity or the singular nature of the objective message of the Spirit of God. It's contained in the written word. We become the church that belongs to Christ when we obey the word, the revelation of the mind and the spirit of God.
iii. When we as members of a body submit to the head, we become the church that belongs to Christ. The physical body has many members but one mind. That one mind tells each part of the body what it is best suited or fitted or equipped to do. The members of that body work in conjunction with the other members of the body and they make the decisions they do and actions that they take based upon what's good for the body as a whole. All of that is orchestrated. All of that is made possible because there is a will, because there is a mind, because there is a head.
iv. In Ephesians chapter 4 Paul says that we are not to create the unity of the spirit that we are to maintain the unity of the spirit because the unity of the spirit, the unity that is created by the spirit of God, is already in place, by the written divine Spirit given by God.

1. What makes the church one? It's not me saying it or you saying it. It’s not by putting it on a banner or making it a mantra of the church that we are one. What makes the church one is the singular nature of the mind of God revealed through scripture. God had given His body one direction, one mind.

B. In Romans Chapter 12 Paul uses the term one body. In this context Paul is showing that there is one body and there is a diversity of members of that body. How obvious that is to us in the physical sense. There is only one of us, but there is one body that works together, we just have different members.

1. The implication of that is what Paul is able to show here. He makes a point about using the gifts that we have for the benefit of the church as a whole. He says this one body has many members, just as we do in a physical sense. What does that mean? As I mentioned, I think, there are implications.

i. One of the most basic implications of that statement is that God's church is not a homogenized group of spiritual clones; we are not all exactly the same. We come from different backgrounds, different cultures, different races, different social classes, different nationalities, we come from different places.
ii. Ultimately our backgrounds contribute to make us who we are. It is an arrogant mistake, I think, to see Christians or to visualize Christians as being American, white, middle class Northerners, who sing 4 part harmony. That may, in some way, describe some of us, but in no means describes all of us and certainly does not describe who all Christians are. Even in a local group of individuals there are different people from different cultures from different backgrounds who have ultimately different thoughts and ideas. Maybe even to the point they have different convictions on what God has said in his word, and are very likely at different points in their spiritual growth.

1. Paul deals with that in the book of Romans and again in the book of First Corinthians. Individuals are at different levels. Some are more knowledgeable and some are not as knowledgeable, and some are strong, some are weak. All those individuals make up a single body—many members making up a single body.

i. God demands within that body, even with all of that diversity, He demands that there be what we might call “practical unity” among the group. As God has established unity on a spiritual level so He demands unity on a practical level. By that He means we’ve got to get along as God’s people. The way that we get along as God's people in this context, is that we recognize that we have a job to do, that we have tools to be used, and that God has made possible practical unity among His people even in diversity, through the use of their gifts.

1. What we recognize in this is the individual diversity is consistent with practical unity. The fact that we are all different and come from different backgrounds does not mean that unity is not possible, nor is that individual diversity inconsistent with the fact that God demands unity. It is as big a mistake to force unity by trying to make everyone alike, a clone, as it is to elevate diversity to the extent that each individual member looses contact with the mind and unity becomes impossible. There's diversity in God's body but that body works together because the single mind has given each individual member a function to perform and as it performs that function—the body has benefited as a whole.

i. The body is like unto a football team, you've got 40/50 guys on the roster. What happens if all of them want to be the quarterback? How about if there are just a couple of guys that want to be quarterback, and who have the skills to be quarterback? You know what has to happen; one has to be selected as the quarterback. He will operate as quarterback and nobody else on the team can be him. They have to be somebody else. Everybody on the team has a job to do and as those individuals work together—the team functions.
ii. Practical unity of the body is based upon individual function. Individual function does not destroy unity it creates unity. Certainly that's true from a spiritual sense. Paul addresses that Ephesians 4:13-16 “till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”. There’s the body, there’s the measure. “14. that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, 15. but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ 16. from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. ” Paul tells us in using the analogy of a physical body, that all parts have to function together and it is the head that directs. We all grow up under a single head and if every part does its share then the body grows. A body that is unified grows stronger.
iii. A body where the parts rebel and the members don't do their job is a body that will die. Think about that in the spiritual sense.

C. Now turn back to Romans chapter 12 and a further description of the unity of diversity. Paul says in Romans 12:5 that we are individually members of one another. What does that mean—individually members of one another? I suggest to you that is the biblical picture of interdependence. Not independence but the opposite, interdependence. What Paul's telling us is that we cannot in the spiritual sense function in isolation from each other any more than a member of the physical body can say to the rest of the body I'm not connected. I don't have anything to do with you.

1. The members of my body cannot exist nor function in isolation from other members of my body and we are the same way in the spiritual sense. There is no independence in the body of Christ. There is interdependence in the body of Christ. Again go back to First Corinthians chapter 12. First Corinthians 12:21-25 - “21. ... the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you''; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you.'' 22. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24. but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25. that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.”

2. Paul compares again the spiritual parts of the body of Christ to our human body. He says there are different kinds of parts to your physical body.

i. I'm not well versed on anatomy and all there is to know about parts of my body, but I think what Paul says here is obviously true of our physical bodies. There are parts that are more visible, that are more prominent, that are out in front, that everybody notices.
ii. If a person walks up to you and they don't have a nose you're going to notice that right off. It's a presentable part in the middle of a face that should be there and if it's not, you notice. There are parts of our body that are up front and prominent such as our eyes and our hands and our arms and our legs or our ears.
iii. There are those members which by the way they are placed on the body would seem to be more important or stronger than other parts of the body. We know that's not so. There are members of our body that are in that sense less strong, more vulnerable, yet are more important in terms of the life of the body itself.
iv. In terms of Paul's discussion here think about the physical body and ask, what are our vital organs? Is your ear a vital organ? If you lose it, it's a bad thing or if you lose an eye, it's a bad thing, but you can live without it. There are people who have no eyes or no ears who live. If however someone were to lose their heart or their lungs or one of their vital organs that are on the inside of the body they cannot survive.
v. Isn’t it interesting in terms of the physical body those organs we consider to be vital, organs that need to be protected, in the physical sense they are protected. The lungs and heart are skeletally protected in your body away from the view of others and away from that which might harm them, so that they can be vital to life. They are weaker but they're more important.
vi. We can lose an eye or an ear or a leg and still live. Certainly the work of your hands is more prominent, what do you do with your hands is seen by all, the work of your heart that goes unseen almost unnoticed—yet is absolutely essential. I lose my hands and I can't work where everybody can see what I do, that's bad. But if my heart stops working--that's critical. Just because a member is weaker does not mean that the member of the body is less important to the body as a whole. In fact the natural aspect of it is that the body itself protects those members that are more vulnerable because those members that are more vulnerable are sometimes and in many ways more important than those that are not as vulnerable.
vii. Think about that on the spiritual level. We all have different vulnerabilities spiritually before us and we could use the term weaker and stronger to apply to ourselves as members of the body of Christ. If there are weaker and stronger members of the body of Christ, which of those members are more important to the body as a whole. Which of them are more vital?
viii. Could it be that sometimes the members who appear the weakest, who are less prominent, are the most vital to the life of the body itself? Could that possibly be what Paul’s telling us? We have to recognize that we are members one of another. I cannot stand in isolation from others and say “well you know they are just not that important”. I can not say “it doesn't matter about them and that I can overlook them, I can neglect them”; when they are members of the same body.

1. Paul's using this analogy to get us to recognize that we have a mutual responsibility. In Verse 25 and 26 he gives two necessary admonitions that flow from the illustration. He said but the members should have the same care for one another. I Corinthians 12:25. Mentally underline the word same there because while we are willing to say “I care about everybody”, that’s not all the Paul’s saying. He's saying you have the same care for every member of the body of Christ. If this person is hurting and this person has spiritual problems and this person's marriage on the rocks... that is just as important as this member over here, when they suffer.

i. We have the same care for one another, that we value each person in the body, and sincerely care about them as well as the others in the physical and social and spiritual sense. We are all members of one another in the body of Christ.
ii. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it or if one member is honored all the members rejoice with it. That’s true physically isn’t it?
iii. Sometimes members that are seemingly insignificant in our physical body when they start hurting, everybody else hurts too. I never even gave my thyroid a thought through most of my life, but when things started to go wrong with it believe me the whole body felt the effect! When one member suffers all suffer and there is no insignificant suffering going on in the body of Christ. Because there is no insignificance part.
iv. There's also no insignificant honoring going on. If there is an occasion for rejoicing among seemingly the most insignificant member of the body of Christ, members of the body need to rejoice over that. They need to be happy about it. We need to be willing to honor one another.

1. What this tells me is that in the whole body of Christ there is no place, there can be no place for competition and for envy among God’s people. Envy destroys the ability in us to rejoice about something good that happened to somebody else—in somebody else's life. It's the very antithesis to this aspect that Paul’s talking about here. When envy is there honor doesn't happen it simply doesn't happen.

D. Turn to Romans chapter 12 Verse 4 again. In verse four he says; “we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,”. Not every member has the same function. Again that's one of those ideas when you apply it to the physical body that’s easy to see. In fact we diagnose problems depending upon the function of a particular member of our body. If we're having trouble hearing we don't examine the big toe because we know that we don't hear through our big toe. There's a place to look if we can’t hear and there's a place to look if we can’t see because there are members of our body that are distinguished by their function.

1. Paul uses the words function in this particular passage of the NKJV and the King James uses the word office which I think is probably one of those unfortunate translations of the original word. The word here is praxis which means a doing, an act or a function or a deed. It is best rendered I think as function. When we talk about a doctor and say: Does he have a practice? We might mean does he have an office somewhere but we may mean more. Does he have a place for his patients to come? We mean does he have a function of serving as a doctor. The term office in the 1600’s did indeed carry that meaning though not so much here today.
2. That's the aspect here. Not all members have the same function in the body of Christ. Paul is not talking about position or rank, which is what we might get from the word office today. That's not the thought. There are many in the church who do not have an office so to speak, but they all have a function to perform. That's what Paul's saying here.
3. The question that comes to mind, what is your function? What is your practice? That's an important question to our discussion unfortunately we're low on time. We're not going to discuss all that this morning. Lord willing next week this is where we're going to pick up at this particular passage and talk about how we function as an individual, diverse members of the body of Christ.

E. But let me give an overall answer to the question before we close. We're going to try to answer it to some extent from the scriptures in a particular sense by looking at the things that Paul mentioned here. What’s my function? What’s my job? What is important for me in terms of the overall working of the body of Christ?

1. Think about this on a local level as this body of Christ exists today. I believe the answer is found in verse six. My function is to use the gifts that God gave me. That's my function. That takes some spiritual discernment, not only does it take courage and faith to exercise the gifts God gives me but before that—I have to find out what the gifts are!
2. What is it that God has given me to do, for which I am equipped and which I am able to perform in such a way that benefits the body as a whole? Never be mistaken or deceived into thinking that each one of us does not have a function for the performance of the body as a whole. That's exactly what Paul’s saying here. You and I, each one of us have a function. We all have a gift if we use that terminology as Paul does.

i. We all have a gift given to us by the grace of God that we need to utilize to benefit the body of Christ and for our own salvation. In fact, if I'm not mistaken Paul's making it an absolute criterion of my own salvation in Romans chapter 12, that I learn to exercise my spiritual gifts. Don't be thrown off by the word spiritual there because sometimes we take the word spiritual and apply it to the word gift and immediately assume we're talking about miraculous activity. There are times the Bible where the term spiritual gifts, particularly in First Corinthians 12, where it’s talking about that which came in miraculous measure in the first century by the Spirit of God.
ii. The word spiritual in the general sense applies to those things that come as a result of the working of the Spirit of God in my life. God expects me to be a spiritual person not in some miraculous measure but with the spirit of God influencing my life to the point that I would do and think and act in ways that I have never acted before. That are contrary to the carnal way, the natural way that I might act. God would turn me around and make me a spiritual person.
iii. There are spiritual gifts that all of us have. There are things that God could create within us through the power of the His Spirit to get us to do things that we wouldn't ordinarily do. Some of them we've already mentioned in the passage such as; to be able to have the same care and concern for people that are not like us; to be unprejudiced and open minded towards the lives of others; to be compassionate towards those who are suffering things that you and I have never suffered. Where do we get the ability to do that? We get it from the Spirit of God. That does not come naturally.

1. I have to say this, naturally men divide. They divide on the borders of nationality and culture and thinking. They are carnal by their very nature. There is not a natural unity among people today. There is a natural disunity. When God's people, diverse as they are, come together to work together, coming from different backgrounds all for the purpose of doing what is right, that's a spiritual thing that comes from the Spirit of God.

i. Paul tells us be filled with the spirit of God not with dissipation. Learn to love your enemy, give to those who do not give to you, that is doing things that are unnatural. In this society that applauds self-sufficiency, that applauds independence; it is easy for us to fall prey to the notion that we don't need each other. It's easy for us to fall prey to the thought that we can stand alone in our relationship to God.
ii. Paul dispels that forever here in these passages. You and I are a body. We are not only members of the body but more specifically and particularly we are members of one another. God redeemed us and called us not only for Himself, He's called us and redeemed us for each other so we could benefit each other in the quest to live for God.

1. In Hebrews 10:24-25 the writer says; “... let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” I wonder about the overall emphasis of what the writer is exhorting here.

i. These verses are not simply to be used to encourage people to attend an assembly. As important as attending an assembly is and as absolutely essential as it is that we not forsake the assembly of ourselves together, he prefaces this aspect of the necessity of the assembly by saying; we must first consider one another. We first have to care about one another.
ii. We first have to really be involved in one another's lives to stir up love and good works. We can't do that by forsaking the assembling of ourselves together! It’s the coming together that provides the arena and the environment in which the true stirring up can take place. Let us recognize that without the care and concern the assembly loses meaning. We have to care as members one to another and to serve one another.

CONCLUSION:
Let me close with this thought.

You cannot fulfill your responsibility of being a member of another individual in the body of Christ if you are outside the body, if you’re not under the head. Paul told the Corinthians in the passage we just studied that they had been baptized into one body by the Spirit of God. He makes known to them the time at which they became a member of that body because that's an important consideration in terms of their responsibility.
They can't simply stand aloof from the responsibly when they become a Christian and just say oh that's nice. There are a lot of people that take that approach to religion. They want to ignore the clear indication of what it means to become a Christian and do things in obedience, to come into the body of Christ. Yet they want to extol the aspect of unity and interdependence and mutuality among us.
We all ought to love one another. Of course the concept of love is portrayed more clearly in the body of Christ than anyplace else. That is the true and proper relationship of service that you be a part of the body of Christ. You cannot serve God apart from being a part of the body of Christ. That doesn't make the body an institution to save you. It makes it the environment and certainly the organism that you must be a part of to ever be saved.

Certainly the Bible describes the body of Christ as those that are saved. We submit ourselves to the headship of Christ. That's the question we end on this morning because that's the question that's most related to our understanding of the body of Christ as the Bible describes.

Are you willing to submit to the headship of Jesus Christ? That was the call of the Gospel from the first century. In the very first gospel sermon the thing that Peter made known to them was that this Jesus they had crucified is both Lord and Christ. The question was What must we do. What can we do to submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus Christ? The answer to that question was You must repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is head over all things to church the fullness of Him who filleth all in all. Do you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again on the third day and by that He has all authority in heaven and on earth? You as a creation of God must submit yourself to Him before you can ever be pleasing to Him. If you believe that and are not part of the body, come and be baptized this morning. When you repent of sins and you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and are baptized for the forgiveness of your sins you are baptized into a body.

That's not a local congregation; you're baptized into the universal body that belongs to Jesus Christ because you in the exercise of that faith have submitted yourself to the head of that body. He alone is the one who directs you. You've all been made to drink of one Spirit and are of one body. We invite anyone who has that need or any other need to come forward while we stand and while we sing.

Invitation song: ???

Reference sermon: David Schmidt

View Details

Ephesians 4:26-27

INTRO: Good morning church. For our text this morning I invite you to turn to Ephesians 4. In just a moment we'll read verses 26 and 27. There are people that I know who have expressed concern to me about a family member or a close friend who is not listening to their doctor. I suspect many of us have seen this problem. We go to the doctor, the doctor tells us what to do, and then it seems we think we know better and do what we want to. Unfortunately, we sometimes pay the price. There are times when we need help medically. We go to a doctor that we trust, and we want their recommendation. Then, of course, we need to put this recommendation into practice. I wonder, if we don't listen to what the doctor says, then why go to them? We need to follow the doctor's orders.

There's a doctor I want to speak about today that we read of in the Bible. He's called the great physician. His name is Jesus. What good does it do to go to Him for spiritual healing if we don't listen to what He says? That just doesn't make any sense for us to go to the Lord, have Him tell us what He wants us to do so that we can be healed spiritually, and then not pay any regard to what He tells us.

By inspiration, the apostle wrote in Ephesians 4:26-27. “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” Here the Lord speaks to us through the apostle Paul. Today, we will base our lesson on the opening words of verse 26, “Be angry, and do not sin”[NKJV].
That's the title of our lesson.

These days it seems we are constantly exposed to angry people, and we see the effects of uncontrolled anger all the time. We're concerned about all the violence taking place in our country and throughout the world. We hear about a person with a gun taking innocent lives. Often the root problem is anger. There might be other issues, but sometimes they are a symptom rather than the real problem. The Bible has a lot to say about anger.

We're constantly exposed to outbursts of uncontrolled anger. There have been many appalling instances, but one I recall was reported on February 24th of last year by the MetroWest Daily News. Two ladies, (if you want to call them that), got into a brawl in a store. Someone recorded it with a phone, and I thought, how sad. To make matters worse, there happened to be a little boy there, I would guess, about five or six years old. He was the son of one of the women and his mother encouraged him to get involved, and he started kicking the other woman. I thought, ah, there's my nomination for Mother of the Year. I'm being sarcastic, of course. Just last month there was a video of 2 men fighting outside of a Miami Publix Grocery over a parking spot. One man pulled out a gun and fired a shot fortunately missing the other. What leads to fights like that and other things that are even worse? Uncontrolled anger. We're constantly exposed to outbursts of anger, and if we're not careful, it can rub off on us. What takes place in the world will affect God's people if we're not watchful. We have to guard against that influence.

I. Let God in His word, teach us some things that He wants us to know about being angry and yet not sinning. First, we consider some general principles that relate to anger.

A. We just touched on this, but as you examine the scriptures, you can't help but see that anger leads to irrational behavior. That particular point is made numerous times in the scriptures. Let’s look at three illustrations.

1. In Genesis 4, just a few chapters into the beginning of the Bible, you read about Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4:5 it says “…Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” [NKJV]. In other words, he was filled with wrath. He was filled with uncontrolled anger. Why? Because God did not respect the offering that he gave. By faith, Abel gave of his flocks. He presented an animal sacrifice unto the Lord, and the Lord was pleased, and He had respect for Abel and his offering.

a. Cain presented an offering of the fruit of the ground, his produce. God was not pleased with that, and He had no respect for Cain and his offering. Consequently, Cain became very angry.
b. What did his uncontrolled anger lead Cain to do? Genesis 4:8 tells us that he killed his brother Abel. At almost the very beginning of the Bible, we see that uncontrolled anger leads to irrational behavior. A man killed his brother.

1. In 2 Kings 5:10-11, we read about a man named Naaman. He was the commander of the army of the king of Syria, a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he had leprosy. He learned that there was a prophet, Elisha, who could cure him. So he went to Samaria to be healed, and he was told what to do.

a. “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.'' But Naaman became furious,” How did Naaman respond? He was furious, - angry, - mad because of what the prophet told him to do. His irrational behavior was that He refused to do what the prophet told him so that he could be cleansed of his leprosy.
b. Thankfully, that's not the end of the story. After he cooled down, his servant came and reasoned with him and said, “Sir, if that prophet had told you to do some great thing, you would have done it. Why don't you just go wash and be cleansed?”[para] His anger had subsided, he went and washed in that old muddy Jordan River seven times, and he was cleansed of his leprosy. As long as his heart was filled with anger, he refused to do what he needed to do so that he could be cleansed.

1. There's a third illustration I want to mention. It involves the parable found in Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son. I’m sure you recall it.

a. He had an older brother. After the young son returned home and his father received him so graciously and prepared a great feast, the older brother wanted to know what was going on, and a servant told him, 'Your brother's home and your father has received him safe and sound, and we're going to have a great feast.
b. The Bible says in Luke 15:28 “But he was angry and would not go in…” What did his anger lead him to do? What was his irrational behavior? He refused to go into the feast that his father gave for his younger brother.
c. These are three illustrations in the Bible that show anger leads to irrational behavior. Even if we didn't look any further, that ought to get our attention and help us understand how important it is that we be angry and sin not, as we're taught in Ephesians 4:26.

1. Anger not only causes irrational behavior but there are some other principles that we need to mention.

B. Did you know that anger is habit-forming? Let's look at Proverbs 19:19 which says, and I paraphrase, “A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again.”[para]. That verse has to do with the fate of those who are overcome with anger, but listen to this; if you rescue them, you will have to do it again. In other words, anger becomes a habit. It has to be dealt with. If it isn't, it will continue and will probably get even worse.
C. Did you know that anger is contagious? Let's look at Proverbs 22:24-25, “ Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go,” Why? “lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” Have you ever heard it said, “It’s easy to be good when you're around good people”? Unfortunately, it's also easy to be bad when you're around bad people. Any parent who has worried about the friends their child has knows this instinctively. It's also easy to be angry when you're around people who are prone to be angry. That's what the writer is teaching us here, Solomon, of course, was a wise man. Anger is contagious.
D. Sounds to me like maybe a visit to the doctor is necessary. Anger leads to irrational behavior. Anger is habit-forming. Anger is contagious. Let's go on. Anger leads to other sins. Look at Proverbs 29:22, “An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression.” Anger leads to other sins. It opens the door to doing things we might not otherwise do.
E. Let's look at Proverbs 30:33. This verse shows us that anger causes strife. “For as churning milk produces butter, and as striking the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.”[para] Notice how strife is associated with anger. Anger causes strife. It doesn't reduce strife. It doesn't eliminate it. It causes strife. These are some general principles that relate to anger. Let me mention them again very quickly. Anger leads to irrational behavior. Anger is habit forming. Anger is contagious, anger leads to other sins, and anger causes strife.

II. With those general principles before us, let's go back to our text in Ephesians 4:26-27.

A. As we study these verses we need to look at them in the context. Always study passages in the proper context. That will avoid a lot of misunderstanding.

1. Chapter 4 has to do with the way that God's children are to walk. Notice how it begins in Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”.

a. Reading on through verse 16, we're shown how we are to walk. We are to walk worthy of our vocation.
b. Notice the change in Ephesians 4:17, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”[ESV] Continuing through verse 24, we are taught that we're not to walk like people in the world. This chapter begins by showing that we're to walk worthy of the vocation by which we've been called. Then beginning at verse 17 and going down through verse 24, we find that we're not to walk like people in the world. These are general instructions related to our walk. Next Paul gives some specifics.

1. In verse 25, he dealt with lying. Then in verses 26-27, the verses that we're studying, he gives us some instructions that relate to anger. As we strive to understand the meaning of what's written in Ephesians 4:26-27, we need to look at them in the proper context. Christians are being shown how to walk.

B. What do these statements in these two verses mean?

1. I’m using the NKJV here. Verse 26 says, “Be angry” followed by a comma, not a period. If there was a period, then we would be commanded to be angry, but that is not what it says.

a. What is anger? How do we define it? Anger is an emotional response. It's an emotional response we have to something or someone that displeases us. Something happens to us that causes us to be displeased, and the emotional response to that can be anger.
b. Let me point out right here that not all anger is wrong. Mark 3:5 says that Jesus looked at some people with anger. “So when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts,…” Jesus was angry, being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts.

He was in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. There was a man there with a withered hand, the Pharisees were present, and they were watching to see if Jesus was going to heal this man on the Sabbath day so they could accuse him. They were looking to bring an accusation against the Lord. Jesus, remember, knew people's minds. He knew what was inside man. Jesus knew the condition of these people's hearts, and He was filled with anger. He went ahead and healed the man. They left and started a conspiracy to try to bring something against the Lord.

c. There are times when people try to pass off a sinful type of anger as righteous indignation, but there is a difference. The Bible doesn't condemn all anger.

1. There is a particular anger that the Bible does condemn, and that's what we're concerned about today. We all have emotions and some of us are probably better able to control our emotions than others. We also have things that displease us. Some people have more things that displease them than others. Since we all have emotions and we all have things that displease us, we're all subject to being angry. It can happen. It can happen to the best of us. These verses teach us not to sin as a result of being angry. Notice what it says, be angry, and do not sin. What we're being taught is not to sin as a result of being angry.

C. It is the anger that leads us to sin that scripture condemns. We're all subject to it, but the Bible teaches us to have it under control. As we examine the scriptures, we see that often this particular anger is also referred to as wrath. Anger that causes sin is condemned, not justified, not rationalized; it's condemned in the scriptures.

1. Let's look at Ephesians 4:31-32. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Verse 31 is very clear in teaching us that wrath and anger are to be put away. In my Bible, it says, all, all of it. Not some of it, not just a little bit of it, but it says, Let all of it be put away.
2. In Galatians 5: Verses 19-21, the works of the flesh are listed. These are serious matters because they'll keep people from inheriting the Kingdom of God. Verse 20 includes wrath. That's the uncontrolled anger that we're concerned about.
3. Colossians 3:8. “But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”
4. I think it's interesting that a long, long time ago, back in the first century, it was necessary for these instructions about wrath to be given to the Lord's people in various areas.

a. Ephesians was written to the Christians living in the city of Ephesus. Galatians was written to the Christians living in the area known as Galatia. Colossians was written to Christians living in Colossi. It was important for them to be taught about the perils of anger.
b. It is important for us as well. We live in the same old world, and the same old things that were present in the first century are still present today.

III. We are being taught in Ephesians 4:26-27 that our anger must be controlled and we must not allow it to result in sin. That being the case, let's turn our attention to some instructions that will help us to control anger.

A. Ephesians 4:26 says, Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath.

1. In other words, let go of your anger the same day it arises. Easier said than done you might say. Yet it can be done and must be done. Otherwise, God wouldn't tell us to do it. The problem is not God and His word. The problem sometimes is our implementation of what He wants us to do.
2. What good is it to go to the doctor and they tell us what to do, but then we don’t do it? The great physician tells us to not let the sun go down upon our wrath. We have already seen from the Book of Proverbs that anger leads to other sins. If it's not turned loose, if we do not let it go, then it leads to things such as malice, hatred, and even a desire for revenge. Don't let the sun go down upon your wrath.

B. Look at Ephesians 4:27. This verse says that we're not to give place to the devil. We must determine in our hearts that we're not going to give Satan the opportunity to lead us into sin.

1. As James said, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The devil has many tools at his disposal. The Bible teaches that he's crafty. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He knows our strengths, and he knows our weaknesses. Do you think he's going to attack us where we're strong? No. He'll attack us where we're weak. If he knows that we have a problem with anger, you better believe he's going to attack it with all he's worth.
2. The Bible says, Resist the devil. We have to stand up against him. Anger is a point of temptation. When we're tempted to become angry and fly off the handle, as we sometimes say, we have to resist the devil. If we do that, he will flee from us. That doesn't say he won't come back because he will. He walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, 1 Peter 5:8. If he's resisted though, he will flee.